Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
duty_n	husband_n	master_n	wife_n	4,020	5	6.5961	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A45223	The faithful and diligent servant of the Lord, blessed at the coming of his Lord as it was lately unfolded in a funeral discourse on the death of Mr. Thomas Cawton : and now on the earnest desire of the hearers published by H. Hurst.	Hurst, Henry, 1629-1690.	1677 (1677)	Wing H3793; ESTC R7692	21,514	36

commended it as our wisdom and fidelity and so encouraged the discharge of it by this large reward Let us then have so much reason to see the excellency of the duty and temper and so much Religion before God and love to our selves as to get this temper that we may do the duty and receive the reward and be at last blessed with those we helpt towards Heaven 3. This giving the portion of meat in season This charitable benificence puts a great honour upon Religion and commends it to others And Christ doth therefore expect we should thus adorn our Profession and he encourageth us to it by such a declaration of the blessedness of those who attend this duty A wise faithful and diligent Physitian credits his Profession and convinceth men that it is very useful and profitable to mankind A Christian of such a temper in Christianity and so exercising himself to do this comprehensive good in his place doth as much convince the world that Christianity is of all Professions most useful to mankind who are by it helped forward in the arduous and important affairs of eternity 4. Thus we are awakened to greater watchfulness over our selves and others and minded of observing laying hold on and improving opportunities which though we are so engaged not to let slip yet we too too often let fall quite out of our own hands and that becometh for ever impossible to us which once might have been easily effected by us Time is not easily redeemed but opportunities are more difficultly recovered and for most part once slipt and for ever lost Well then might such Emphasis be laid on this Duty of giving a portion in season that all might be awakened to heed what opportunities are in their hand Oh consider it I beseech you Parents for your Children Husbands for your Wives Masters for your Servants elder ones for the younger and Ministers for their People you cannot always live they must dye and neither can give or receive helps when death swallows up your opportunities You 'l never hear him catechising preaching praying and exhorting who now rests in his grave and you are not sure you shall ever have such another How heedful should we be then to receive our portion when offered and to offer it to others while we may and be so found prepared for the reward which is promised to these good Servants but is reserved until the coming of our Lord The reason of which delay or adjourning of our happiness is the sixth General branch of our discourse and now cometh to be considered And so 1. 〈◊〉 Gen. This ●●●ssedness ●…y reserved 〈◊〉 last coming c. The seasons and manner of our Lords coming before Death and Judgment are notable discoveries of the unhappiness of sinners and therefore do by a necessary consequence manifest the happiness of the servants of God Though light is always pleasant yet it was most pleasant in Goshen when Egypt lay in darkness Heaven is always desirable but when the misery threatned involves the contemners of it they will appear blessed indeed who sought it and obtain'd it The various coming of our Lord doth shew the world the evil state in which the unbelieving and rebellious sinners are found and so cannot but shew the good state in which the faithful are found to be at his coming 2. There is somewhat of Royal prerogative in it God will have his last coming to be the season because it seems good to him that it should be so And this were reason enough though there were no other he hath reserved times and seasons in his own hand and he who gives the reward freely may surely choose the time wherein he will give it That ever he will give it is grace that he will give it at last is his pleasure of which none ever complain'd when they received the blessing 3. There is much of Decorum and due order herein it would not be so seasonable at any other time their Service is for the Lord their Master and he is the fittest to view their Service and to assign their recompence they did not expect their happiness before his coming and yet they professed they should receive it at his coming and now when times and seasons suit their expectations and declared hopes there appears a just order and harmony between times and things Now the promise and their hopes are consonant to each other 4. There is somewhat of that we call necessary in the case their happiness is reserved to that time because it could not be sooner For 1. All the greatest good Gods Servants can receive before this coming of their Lord is too little and mean to be their blessedness besides that most of external advantages are the rewards of such as shall never have better and are given to hypocrites Now 't is necessary that faithful Servants should stay till they may receive a better reward than hypocrites have 2. It is necessary all their work be done before they receive their full blessedness now their work ends not till they dye then their works follow them and they are blessed It is not more necessary a Labourer do his work ere he receive his wages or a Soldier conquer ere he triumph than that the faithful Servants of the Lord do all their work ere they are blessed and fully recompenced for it 3. Full blessedness of Gods Servants must be in a place and state where all not one excepted may meet and be joynt-heirs of the same inheritance Now this cannot be in any place or state but that to which at the Lords coming they shall be carried Now we come into the world live a few days and in small numbers together and cannot live all together nor long together your tears witness it but we must be all gathered together ere all tears shall be wiped from all faces and this cannot be but where our Lord will be with us for ever which will not cannot be till his coming 4. Vntil death be conquered and we raised immortal which cannot be till the last coming of our Lord we are not able to bear that glory which must be our final and full blessedness none can see God while they live mortal flesh is too weak for immortal Glory this is too weighty a Crown for heads that must lye down in dust We must dye that we may be raised immortal and so be made capable of our final happiness Vlt. lastly in a word The eternal Presence of God with us in the immediate fruits of it is our objective happiness and necessary to our reward and this cannot be hoped or enjoyed whilst we are on this side eternity and are measur'd by time But when the last coming of our Lord shall determine the periods of time and fix our eternity which shall commence at the expiration of time Then he will never more be absent from us or hide his presence or abate it to us This being necessary to our happiness it is

it if glory honour immortality and eternal life can be a blessedness to us we are assured of this For every soul that doth good as God requireth whether Jew or Gentile Rom. 2.13 There is a crown of righteousness 2 Tim. 4.8 for St. Paul who had fought a good fight c. Yea but if it were limited to his person none could rejoyce herein with assurance for themselves or were it limited to his excellent qualifications and unparallel'd diligence few or none of us could argue our own right hereby therefore it is added not for me only but for all that love his appearing It is then unquestionable that when the Lord shall come by Death and particular Judgment to any of us and when he shall come in the general Judgment to us all every faithful and diligent Servant shall be blessed And the blessedness of that future state will as much make and keep every state here in our way to it good and happy as gains of thousands yearly will make and keep him rich who loseth some farthings or pence now and then Thus in general the common and ordinary Servants find their diligence and fidelity to be their happiness Stewards and Ministers of the grace of God find it much more their happiness to have been faithful and diligent So the Holy Ghost seems to speak for encouragement to the Angel of the Church of Smyrna Rev. 2.10 And 2 Cor. 4.1 Ministers of the Gospel are mentioned who did handle the word of God faithfully and commended themselves to the consciences of men vers 2. Who did preach not themselves but Christ vers 5. Who were troubled on every side vers 8. Of these it is said that light and momentary afflictions work for them a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory vers 17 18. The share Ministers shall have in answer to the diligence and faithfulness of their Labours shall be greater than the share of common or ordinary Christians at the coming of him who is Lord to them all When each Believer hath his Crown and all their joys are full then are those Believers an accession to the glory and joy of their faithful diligent Ministers who labour'd for their Conversion and helped forward their final and eternal salvation 1 Thes 2.19 20. And once for all that of Dan. 12.3 Who turn many to righteousness shall shine as the brightness of the firmament c. Each faithful Minister shall have his Aureola golden Ornament added to his Crown though all the faithful Servants of the Lord shall be as the stars yet one star differeth from another the most bright and glorious will be those who were on earth the stars that Christ held in his right hand Rev. 2.1 These Scriptures with others which might be added do confirm the blessed future state of faithful and diligent Servants and Stewards who in the Lords family attend to their work and serve the Lord by their affording what help they can to all and in proportion to their trust and fidelity shall be their happiness at Death and Judgment And in the mean time in what ever way of corrections or judgments the Lord may come to others and to them while they are among others and are liable to troubles yet they shall be found blessed in publick troubles blessed in private troubles blessed under personal trials at death more in the resurrection most blessed happy and in good state in all these cases Now wherein this blessedness consisteth is the fourth proposed head of our discourse to which your attention is now desired that you may be throughly affected with this undoubted truth and be brought to a greater resolution for fidelity and diligence according to your Talents and may at last have a larger measure of this present and that future blessedness which I thus range before you 4. Gen. What the blessedness of faithful Servants 1. The faithful and wise Servant of the Lord is blessed in the pardon of his sins and culpable blemishes which intermix with his services He that will be so wise for and faithful to his fellow Servants as to perswade direct encourage and help them to serve the Lord cannot be suppos'd will not be wise for himself or unfaithful to himself or neglect to sue out a Pardon for his known and unknown infirmities The good man Nehemiah cap. 13.22 sought this pardoning Grace from the greatness of Gods mercy when he reflected upon the great services he had done for God and his Church David the man after Gods own heart joins this suit for Pardon to his requests for guiding in the ways of God to which he was fully addicted Psal 25.4 5 6. and in midst of troubles he sueth for the same mercy Psal 25. ver 15.16 17 18. When his feet were in the net v. 15. when desolate v. 16. when troubles were enlarged into distresses v. 17. Then he pray'd that God would forgive all his sin So the returning Church Hos 14. ver 2 prays and God promiseth he will do it ver 4. And so Micah 7. ver 18.19 Now this maketh any condition good and safe The man whose transgression is forgiven Psal 32. ver 1 is in every place and in every condition a safe and happy man God who pitieth infirmities pardoneth them where he finds sincerity in his Servants He that faithfully warns another and calls on him to repent and seek his Pardon he that faithfully endeavours to engage others to do their Duty and seek for mercy is a man whom God hath affected so as to ensure the blessedness for himself which he perswades others to look after Parents Husbands Wives Friends and Ministers who heartily desire and labour to get others into the service of God on terms and encouragements sufficient to prevail with them are indeed the persons whom we must in charity believe are pardoned I should think he were pardoned who commended the Grace of his Prince who perswaded to all due Allegiance for future and urged his fellow Subject to sue for Pardon of what had been ill and undutifully done already It is certain the faithful are forgiven and blessed therein though perhaps they have not sense of it or we evidences to prove it of them Now no condition can come on such a man to render him miserable or in evil state 2. The blessedness of such faithful and diligent ones does lie in that gracious acceptance which God doth afford to them for all their sincere and willing obedience though imperfect in it self unsuccessful to others and altogether unprofitable to God It is a blessed thing to be accepted with God this is Heaven upon Earth this is Heaven after we leave Earth The Lord rejecteth none that he hath fitted for and who are faithful in his charge This was a blessing that David intreated of the Lord Psal 19.14 Let the meditations of my heart and the words of my mouth be acceptable in thy sight c. This gracious acceptance did in Davids troubles