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	servant_n	wife_n	4,873	5	6.7520	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A61806	The lay-Christian's obligation to read the Holy Scriptures	Stratford, Nicholas, 1633-1707.	1687 (1687)	Wing S5934; ESTC R20560	25,603	42

Christians but more particularly yet to teach Lay-persons of both Sexes of all Ages Ranks and Relations what Graces are most becoming and how they ought to behave themselves in that age place or relation in which they are That Men and Women both Elder and Younger Husbands and Wives Parents and Children Masters and Servants Magistrates and Subjects might there find what their respective Duties are together with such motives as may be of force to engage them to the doing of them And can it reasonably be supposed when God hath so particularly prescribed in his word to all sorts of Secular persons their Duties as they stand distinguished one from another by their different ranks and relations that it is his pleasure they should not look into it to see what these Duties are Furthermore The Scriptures are design'd by God to teach Men in all variety of fortunes how to behave themselves and to improve their lot whatsoever it be to their best advantage Be a Man poor or rich high or low in honour or disgrace in sickness or in health he may learn from them how to correct those evils which are incident to that condition in which he is and to make it subservient to his greatest good Yea be a Man's condition never so calamitous though he walk in darkness and see no light he may find in the word of Christ those instructions directions examples precepts promises from which if duly applyed light will arise to him in the midst of his darkness And therefore S. Chrysostom in his Comment on my Text upon this account earnestly exhorts the Men of the World to the study of the Scriptures Hearken I beseech you says he all ye who are employ'd in the affairs of this life get ye Bibles the Medicines of your Souls If you will have no more yet get at least the New Testament the Acts of the Apostles the Gospels your continual Teachers If any grief happen to you look into them as the storehouse of Medicines from thence fetch comfort in your calamities c. And good reason had he thus to exhort them For can any Man in his wits imagine that God would have that concealed from the Laity which he in mercy design'd for the Remedy of all their spiritual Maladies For VI. Which plainly follows from what has been deliver'd Have not the Laity as much need of the Holy Scriptures as the Clergy Are they not liable to as many spiritual Infirmities and Diseases and therefore stand in as great need of Medicines to prevent or remove them Are they so well acquainted with their Duty that they cannot know it better and in case they were yet are they not as slow to good and as prone to evil as other Men and therefore need as much to be quicken'd to the practice of those Duties they already know Are they not exposed to as violent assaults of their Ghostly Enemies as their Teachers are and therefore need the Sword of the Spirit to repel them as much as they Yea are they not more exposed to Temptations from this evil World than those are who live more retir'd from it and have less to do with it Say not says Theophylact that it belongs to the Religious Theoph in Ephes 6. 4. only to read the Scriptures for it is the duty of every Christian especially of those who are conversant in the World since they stand in need of greater help as being in a storm Besides since as you have before seen the Scriptures are design'd to instruct Lay-persons of all states ages and ranks in their respective Duties unless a sort of Lay-men can be found who are neither Younger nor Elder Married nor Unmarried Superiours nor Inferiours who are neither in Sickness nor in Health in Prosperity nor Adversity that is such a sort of Lay-men who are in no state condition or order of Men none will be found who have not need of the Holy Scriptures Obj. It will perhaps be said That it is not necessary to this that they search the Scriptures themselves It is sufficient that they take them upon trust from their Teachers To which I return these things Answ 1. That our Saviour did not think this sufficient for he commanded Lay-men as well as others not to take matters upon trust but to search the Scritures Joh. 5. 39. Nor did S. Paul think it enough for as he directed his Epistles to all the Saints to all that call upon 2 Cor. 1. 13. Ephes 3. 4. the name of the Lord Jesus so he expected that all should read them And though he was guided by an infallible Spirit yet S. Luke thought it a Virtue in the Bereans and highly commends them for it That they searched the Scriptures daily whether those things which were Act. 17. 11. spoken by S. Paul were so 2. It may reasonably be presum'd that those Teachers serve no good design who forbid their People to search the Scriptures For what more likely reason can be given than that they themselves know that their Doctrines are such as will not abide the tryal Would you not shrewdly suspect that Man's Honesty who having gotten into his hands the Writings of another's Estate in which he confesses you are highly interess'd shall refuse to let you see them and confidently tell you that you ought to know no more of them than he shall think fit to acquaint you with But. 3. Supposing your Teachers deal honestly with you it is but a small portion of Scripture that they can acquaint their People with in comparison of what they may read at home Especially the Teachers in the Church of Rome where no more of the Scripture is communicated to those who do not understand the Latine Tongue than what the Preacher is pleas'd to put into his Sermon and that commonly is little enough But in case the Scriptures were read in a Language the People understood yet from the translent reading they would carry away but little and that little would soon be forgotten unless kept in mind by reading and meditation And therefore S. Chrysostom frequently and earnestly exhorted his People not to content themselves with hearing the Scriptures but to read them also privately at home out of many I shall quote a passage or two to this purpose I beseech you to come to the Church Hom. 29. in Genes continually and with diligence attend to the reading of the Divine Scriptures and not only when you come hither but also at home to take the Divine Books into your hands and carefully to receive the benefit of the things contain'd in them Much profit does come from hence first the Tongue by reading is reform'd then the Soul is wing'd and carried aloft c. Let us not I beseech you carelesly neglect so great a gain but also at home let us with diligence apply our selves to the reading of the Divine Writings And in another place he thus addresses to his Hearers Let every one when he