Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
duty_n	master_n	parent_n	superior_n	1,280	5	11.2870	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A48737	Solomons gate, or, An entrance into the church being a familiar explanation of the grounds of religion conteined in the fowr [sic] heads of catechism, viz. the Lords prayer, the Apostles creed, the Ten commandments, the sacraments / fitted to vulgar understanding by A.L.	Littleton, Adam, 1627-1694.	1662 (1662)	Wing L2573; ESTC R34997	164,412	526

administer and receive the blessed Sacraments who have had no regard to the Feasts and Fasts other ancient usages of the Church but have set aside dayes of our own and have fasted for strife and given thanks for blood who doe not take care that we and our houses may serve the Lord nor make any account of this sacred time who spend the day in sloth and riot and vain sports and do not sanctifie it and keep it holy to the Lord who doe not improve the blessing of the Sabbath to the advantages of a holy life but continue still in gross ignorance and profaneness so that we may very well use the Churches Prayer Lord have mercy upon us and incline our hearts to keep this Law The fifth Commandement This is the hinge of the two Tables the main joynt of the whole Law concerns the Magistrate who is God's Vicegerent ou earth and the keeper of both the Tables wherefore some assign it a place in the first Table God having a special care of civil order and peace in the societyes of men has therefore set this Commandement concerning the obedience to superiours by which peace and good order are preserv'd immediately after those of his own worship and in like manner back'd it with a reason whereas all the rest which follow are set down barely in way of Commands without the addition of any promise or threat So then this Command is made up of two parts the Precept it self and the Reason of the Precept the Precept shews the duty Honour and its object thy Father and Mother The Reason is a promise of long life and therefore the Apostle hath call'd it The first Commandement with a promise for the Third contains a threat and that of the Second is more threat then promise That thy dayes may be long on the Land which the Lord thy God giveth thee HONOUR This shews a different degree and condition amongst men and God's Law maintains the distinction In all societyes there are some superiours some inferiours The Law is not for levelling Honour would not be a duty if all were equal Now Honour implyes respect and obedience subjection and service THY FATHER AND MOTHER whether thy natural parents or civil Magistrate or spiritual governour or whatsoever superiour which are all by a usual propriety of the Hebrew language styled Fathers Father having been the first dignity of the world and all rule and government whatsoever founded on the right of paternal Authority which aggravates an offence done to a superiour makes the offender as ungracious as one that dishonours his father Here are meant then all manner of persons in relation Parents and Children Magistrates and Subjects Ministers People Master Scholar Husband wife Master and Servants old young noble and base rich and poor c. Nor so onely but here is included also by the rule of contraryes the duty of superiours to their inferiours that they be kindly affected to them rule them in God's fear according to righteousness and faithfully mind the dutyes of their place Now the duty of Inferiors is only mention'd because they are the more likely to fail in their duty their neglect is of worse consequence Disobedience dissolving unloosening order and peace which are the bands of society whereas oppression does but strain and gird the tyes of government too close No Tyranny of the most wicked Prince can be so mischievous and destructive to the publick as the Rebellion of Subjects let them pretend never so much religion for it The great Interest of society is to obey since the resisting of a lawfull governour will in the end destroy government it self and bring all things into confusion THAT THY DAYES MAY BE LONG Long life is the promised reward of obedience but the disobedient shall not live out half their time but shall be cut off by some untimely death and by their seditious actings and wilfull oppositions forfeit their lives to the Law The Hebrew word may be rendred that they i.e. thy Father and Mother may prolong or lengthen thy dayes as if the parent's blessing could instate a dutyfull child into a long life This is sure that parents at first and afterwards civil Magistrates had power of life and death in their familyes and within their own territories and so might justly by Capital punishment shorten the lives of the disobedient UPON THE LAND WHICH THE LORD THY GOD GIVETH THEE Here is meant the Land of promise which the Israelites were now going to possess wherefore the Septuagint call it the good Land Which word is now wanting in the Hebrew copy though possibly express'd at first for taking that word in there are all the Letters of the Alphabet to be found in the Decalogue without it there will be one wanting And if Moses was the first Inventor of the Hebrew Letters as some think and it is probable he being the most ancient writer 't is as probable that there was a Specimen essay of them given in the Commandements the only speech which God hath by his own mouth utter'd This part belongs most properly to the Israelites wherefore 't is added that the Lord thy God gives thee but may be extended to us all And here are two or three notes in 't upon the Land that notes that the loyal and faithful shall not be turn'd out of his possessions live an exil'd life in forreign countryes but prolong his dayes and live in peace at home whereas rebels and traytors forfeit their estates and loose their fortunes by seeking unjustly to greaten them The Land or the good Land the Land of Canaan notes the Land of thy forefathers of ancient inheritance and a Land abounding with all conveniences of life to shew that obedience shall possess the ancient demeans of the family live in plenty when the rebellious shall seek their bread in a strange Land Which the Lord thy God giveth thee notes God's particular bounty to the obedient and that what they injoy comes with a blessing and is the fruit of a promise 't is as if he should have said obey thy Father and Mother and they shall give thee life and I will give thee Land In Deuteronomie are inserted these words That it may be well with thee and that thy dayes may be long for otherwise a long life spent in toil and hardship exercis'd with want and misery is a Curse rather then a Blessing and indeed the word which here signifyes the lengthning of dayes has also a signification of health for life of it self is not pleasant but a burden rather unless it be attended with those enjoyments blessings which make it comfortable as Health Peace Plenty Prosperity c. And such a life it is that is here promis'd as the reward of obedience But it seems in the ordinary oeconomy of Providence to fall out otherwise many times when the dutyfull child is caught away

to upbraid any one Party For though the Act of Oblivion injoyns us to forget Injuries done to Men yet Religion will oblige us to remember our Sins against God The Sacraments I have handled with that brevity that I have not there much insisted on the Rites wherewith our Church administers them but elsewhere in the Book have in the general offer'd somewhat to their defence Where I plead Admission of all to the holy Table I would not be understood to speak for those which are under Church-censures On every of these parts I have said little of the much which might have been said and for ought that I know nothing that has been said by others having had a special care all the way of the Eighth Commandement Sir You are the onely Author that I have consulted and these sheets have not been the travail so much of my Invention as of my Memory while I have been recovering those Notices your Institution lodg'd in my young head and heart Wherefore what I have fail'd in Elegance of expression or Solidity of matter I must first here beg your Pardon for seeing that contrary to the method of the Resurrection what was sown in strength is now ra●s'd in weakness And next crave your Blessing upon the Book and Me that God would make us both serviceable to the Publick For I very well understand what hazard of censure I run by appearing thus in Print and what Obligations I now lay upon my self to walk carefully and order my conversation aright since he that puts forth a Book of Religion and leads an irreligious life doth but libell himself and scandalize his Book Sir As it was your great care and love to send me in my younger years to several places for my education so 't was my no lesse happinesse that I was principled in Religion by your self and though Scholar to sundry Masters was your Catechumenus I thought it then the most fitting Gratitude to return you what I receiv'd and design your own Instructions the Memorial of my Dutie That the God of all Consolation would crown your Old age with Honour and Ioy and after these many years of Suffering and Persecution wherein you have had so large a share heap upon you the blessings of Peace and a long Life that you may see and partake the prosperity of Jerusalem shall be the dayly prayer of Dear Father St. Thomas-day 1661. Your most dutifull and obedient Son Adam Littleton Sentences out of Scrip ure Heb. V. 12. FOr when for the time ye ought to be Teachers ye have need that one teach you again which be the first Principles of the oracles of God and are become such as have need of milk not of strong meat 1 Tim. I. 13. Hold fast the Form of sound Words which thou hast heard of me in Faith and Love which is in Christ Iesus Prov. XXII 6. Train up or Catechise a Child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it Psal. XXXIV 11 12 13 14. Come ye Children hearken unto me I will teach you the fear of the Lord. What man is he that desireth life and lov●th many dayes that he may see good Keep thy Tongue from evil thy lips from speaking guile Depart from evil do good seek Peace and pursue it Prov. IV. 23. Keep thy Heart with all diligence or above all keeping for out of it are the issues of life Psalm CXI 10. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom a good Vnderstanding or good success have all they that do his Commandements Eccles. XII 13. Let us hear the Conclusion of the whole matter Fear God and Keep his Commandements for this is THE WHOLE DUTIE OF MAN An Explanation of the GROUNDS OF RELIGION RELIGION is the Fear of God i.e. the acknowledging worshipping of God God is known by his Works and by his Word There was never any Nation which did not profess the worship of God An Atheist was alwayes counted a monster Now most Countries following Nature as their guid have mistaken either in the matter or manner of their worship The Heathens therefore such as Indians Scythians Turks c. worship either a false God or with false worship But God's people being guided by the light of Scripture do embrace the true Religion the Iewish Church in the time of the Law the Christian Church under the Gospel For after the coming of Christ the Religion of the Iews hath now no longer use since it was but a shadow and type of Christ to come For Christ the Sun of Righteousnesse being risen the Ceremonies like shadows are scatter'd and fled away Christian Religion then is that Doctrine which Christ himself taught when he was on earth confirm'd by miracles and holinesse of Life and sealed with his precious Blood dying on the Cross. Christian Religion is at large conteined in the holy Scriptures i.e. in the writings of the Prophets and Apostles who were the Pen men of the holy Ghost But it is chiefly compriz'd in the four Heads of Catechism which we call the Principles of Religion Now Catechism is a brief and plain Institution which explains the Mysteries of Faith and the Duties of a holy Life in that manner that they may be easily understood by any even the most vulgar apprehension Wherefore 't is call'd the Sincere milk of the Word as being fitted to the capacity of little children which as yet cannot bear more weighty discourses which are compar'd to solid meat This Doctrine then is plain that it may be receiv'd by the Understanding and short that it may be held in Memory yet full too that it may instruct us in all things necessary to salvation For it is made up of four parts whereof the First teacheth us what we are to believe concerning God and the Church the Second what duty we owe to God and man the Third describes a method of praying the Fourth delivers those Sacred seals by which this doctrine is confirm'd The Confession of Faith is set down in the Apostles Creed The Law of God contein'd in the Ten Commandements is the Rule of life The Lord's Prayer is a most absolute form and pattern of Prayer And lastly the two Sacraments of Baptism and the Holy Supper are instead of Seals These are the Pillars upon which not onely the Church but every faithfull soul is in the Spirit built up to perfect knowledge and blessednesse to grace and glory AN EXPLANATION Of the LORD'S PRAYER The Lord's Prayer OUr Father which art in heaven Hallowed be thy Name Thy kingdom come Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven Give us this day our dayly bread And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespass against us And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil For thine is the kingdome the power and the glory for ever and ever Amen The LORDS PRAYER PRAYER is a calling upon God in time of