Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
duty_n	holy_a	remember_v	sabbath_n	1,017	5	9.6106	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A97125	God iudging among the gods. Opened in a sermon before the Honourable House of Commons assembled in Parliament, upon the solemn day of monethly fast, March 26. 1645. / By Iohn Ward, minister of the gospel in Ipswich, and a member of the Assembly of Divines.	Ward, John, d. 1665.	1645 (1645)	Wing W773; Thomason E279_5; ESTC R200028	47,681	68

in godlinesse and honesty not in strife and contention There is His Name It may not be blasphemed dishonoured His day it must be sanctified Remember thou keep holy the Sabbath thou and thy servants c. and the stranger that is within thy gates Remember Nehimiahs Zeal and doe likewise 4. His Gospell Yee have authority and it is your dutie to provide that it be duely preached so as the excellencie of the knowledge thereof may abound in the Land 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the sea that it be truly taught not blended adulterated made another Gospel His worship it must not be corrupted by Idolatry Superstitions Innovations lest God be worshipped is vaine while they teach for doctrines the commandments of men His ministerie and it ought to be purged planted lights set up in every bowle of the Candlestick incouraged maintained and abetted in the work of the Lord His Sacraments it is your Honour as your dutie to see that they be kept pure in the celebration and ministration of them There is a book-case for it Num. 9. 7. There were certain men c. This is clear from that Text and will be granted that notwithstanding the generall Law and common right yet in some cases cases of overt pollution offence such persons must abstain and be suspended from the present use of their libertie and though it be not expressed yet it may be inferred upon like moral equity that as well the bold intruder as the wilful forbearer was to be cut off it cannot be denied but the keeping of all that particular Law fell under the cōmon sanction of the whole Law of Ordinances He that transgresseth shall be cut off And the Iewish interpreters tell us that if there be witnesses of the fact the civill Magistrate was to draw the sword but if this be not full the presidents 2 Chro. chap. 15 chap. 30. and chap. 35. will rule the case for the civill Magistrate and make out this that where the doctrine and discipline of the Church doth not or cannot prevail the Magistrate must interpose his Coercive Power for restraint and remedie In a Word God hath many things amongst us that must be protected and maintained and the matters of God have many adversaries which must be watched and suppressed for ye be are not the sword in vain ye are Gods ministers attending continually upon this very thing Magistrates ministers have as ye see one cōmon stile of office that ye in your place as we in our function and order should minde and promove the things of God ye by the sword and we by the Word you are keepers of both Tables the first 〈◊〉 great Commandment as well as the second that is like unto it both come sometimes as occasion is under your Cognizance And ye know what a brand sticks to this day upon Gallio though an Heathen Magistrate that he cared not for the matters of the Law and Worship according to the Law when question was brought no though there were insurrections and tumults upon that occasion and for Gamaliels counsell Refrain from these men and let them alone for if this counsell or this work be of men it will come to nought but if it be of God ye cannot everthrow it lest haply ye be found even to fight against God Though it be found within the Bible yet it is not of like authoritie with one of Solomons proverbs or maximes of Policy it hath no otherwise the approbation of God for good then the designe of Pharaoh or the crafty counsell of Ahitophell which are also recorded in the Scripture it will not consist with other rules of the word and it hath been condemned as unsound and unsafe by many godly wise men we have more sure words of Scripture out of which we draw the doctrine of the Magistrates power duty in the matters of God religion then the loose speech of such a Neutralist and time-serving Politician as Gamaliel was Go on therefore I beseech you as ye began take us the little Foxes as well as the ravening Wolves provide against the insolencie of Libertinisme as the tyranny of Episcopacie ye have done something against Idolatry swearing and Sabbath breaking happy were it if there were life put into them by another Ordinance for the execution of them what lets that ye should not doe the like against Errours Haresies and Schismes Why should the first Commandement be left out of protection more then the other three of the first Table Secondly to iudge as God iudgeth to exercise authoritie as God doth with the minde that is in God in his way or according to the rule of his word and unto his ends First with the minde that is in God without the mixture of a private spirit with incorruptnesse gravitie sinceritie justly uprightly faithfully with such a free publique unbyased unprejudiced spirit such libertie and courage from a principle within not popular arguments from without Authoritie is a ray or beame of divine Maiestie and shines best when it is least blended with any lust or passion of man ye know what God said to Moses when hee first called him to set him over the people Pull off thy shoes c. id est according to Theodorets Allegorie or Interpretation carnall earthy sensuall beastly passions or all inordinateness of affection imagine it spoken to your selves It is his iudgement Rulers are but the channels the pipes thorow which it flowes and is conveyed it s their dutie to let it runne as little royled as may be Set him therefore before you as your copie the patterne of government Your excellency consisteth onely in conformity to him Secondly according to his word His law is a glasse into which is shed the image or species of his righteousnesse imitable and practicable as well by Rulers in their Spheres as other people in theirs If ye looke into that glasse ye may see how to dresse your selves and how ye ought to be and do in place and exercise of power only goe not away and forget straightwayes what manner persons ye are or should be but continue in the meditation and practise of it that ye may be blessed in your deed The law of God is your rule for the Theorie of all policie and for the practise too even for making of laws the beam and standard by which all lawes must be weighed and tryed There is a Law above lawes said the most learned among Kings Free and supreame by which all Municipall laws must be governed and except they have dependance on this law they are uniust and unlawfull It is your guide also for the administration of the government and all the Bible especially the Historicall part is the exemplification of that law lining the rule with examples if yee exercise your selves to the reading of it as David the man after Gods owne heart did yee cannot be to seeke either for principles

restraine or oppose their madnesse or men follow not on to indulge and gratifie their humour it would soon appear whether or no they would rage and swell and get over or beare downe afore them all that should stand in their way They did seem a while to cry up the Order of Parliaments and of the civill Magistrate and have their persons in admiration but meerly for advantage that so they may get above all Ecclesiasticall Authority and when they are once up to their height what they will doe with the ladder the hope to climbe and ascend by is not hard to conjecture they reckon themselves the wheat in the field and when once they are ripe they will easily be content to have all that threshed off by which they received their growth Yee have heard of the fable of the snake and the countryman that brought it unto the fire I shall not need to apply it already they begin to remove the old land-markes and straiten their bounds they deny your claime up to a high water marke and make their bankes and inclose for themselves to the very channell side But whether it be holden fit or seasonable that these Libertines be decried for my part I cannot yet discover by any activenesse to suppresse them Onely seeing the evill and fore-seeing the mischiefe I have given the warning that at least I may deliver mine owne soule I pray God the remedy be not deferred till it be too late and yee be driven to play an after-game to an extreame hazard or disadvantage But the time admonisheth mee to set aside many things that might be inferred out of this text by way of application betake my self only to the work of the day to the preaching of repentance and amendment of life That such use may be made of this doctrine is more then manifest Hee that runnes may read it in the following part of the Psalm And though I may not take the boldnes to divide this portion of the word deal it amongst you as homely as the Psalmist doth by expostulating commanding upbraiding threatning appealing and provoking to God yet I beseech you all and more especially you that have called me to this place at this time Honourable and beloved Hearken to the voyce behinde you within you if upon occasion of any thing that hath been spoken it either hath or doth or may offer and whisper to any of you any thing of that nature or tending that way and iudge your selves that yee be not iudged of the Lord I professe in the presence of God whose messenger you have made me to your selves this day that to spare you I do not forbeare that libertie Yee have given mee no cause to dread any hard measure from you in case I should assume the boldnesse to stretch my self a little beyond my measure I think I may say as the Apostle to the Corinthians Ye suffer if a man exalt himselfe if a man smite you on the face I speak as concerning reproach There are that dispute detract from and deny the just extent of your authoritie they preach they print they practise and professe to doe so still without your leave so much as asked and against your power they falsely slander and revile and libell and bring railing accusations if not against your selves and your owne Honourable assembly yet against those who by your call and command are subservient and assistant to you in advise and the parties and their fautors making their libertie a cloake of maliciousnesse out-dare complaints and think to out-face justice by fore arraigning it under the term of Persecution But I abhorre their impudence and cannot praise your connivence My conscience would flie in my face if I should wittingly let fall a word against the rule Rebuke not an Elder much lesse an Honourable Senate of Elders but intreat him as a Father Give mee leave therefore to perswade what God commands I meane the afflicting of your souls before the Lord this day because of his judgements abroad in the earth It is a day of Humiliation and we are met in the solemne Assembly as sometimes the children of Israel when they had sinned against the Lord and hee had broken in upon them by many signes of his heavy displeasure our ornaments put off to know what God will doe unto us To turne to the Lord with fasting weeping and mourning if peradventure Hee will returne and repent and leave a blessing behinde him Surely ye need not after so many Sermons so many moneths and yeares of fasting and prayer that one teach you again which be the first rudiments and elements of this holy Ordinance of God I know ye all have knowledge I beseech you onely suffer a word of Exhortation not so much to the considering of the worke of God in governing the Kingdomes of the world though that also be a dutie the Text leads to and indeed the matter is fitter for contemplation then discourse as to the acknowledgement of the hand of God in the present state of affairs in this Kingdome and the humbling and applying of our selves unto him as his word directs in like cases For if hee iudgeth among the Gods then both the good and the evill that is in the Nation by occasion of the well or ill managing of the government must be ascribed unto him And as if there were order and peace wee were to reckon them his blessings and offer the sacrifices of praise which is the work of a day of Thanksgiving so when there is warre in the gates and confusion and every evill worke it must be confessed the iudgement of God and we must come and sit trembling before him and search out the provocation lay our hands upon confesse the trespas over the head of the sacrifice pray in his pardon and break off our sins by righteousnesse that there may be atonement which is the businesse and end of a day of Humiliation and this is that which I principally aime at in the Application of this doctrine at this time Wee need not one to come and tell us There is wrath gone out from the Lord the plague is begun hee hath powred out upon us the fury of his anger and the strength of the battell and it hath set us on fire round about Onely wee have not regarded it nor laid it to heart A sword a sword is sharpned and also furbished The point of it is set against the gates and the ruines are multiplyed But I shall not spread the volume of our Story before you doubtlesse the roule like that of the Prophet ● written within and without lumentations mourning and woe hath beene often read in your eares and ye ought to know the state of the land and the Church of God therein and without question ye doe know it the report and the cry from all quarters comming first to your Cognizance allow mee but to say this that I may