Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
duty_n	pray_v	prayer_n	time_n	3,922	5	4.3812	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A28184	The non-pareil, or, The vertuous daughter surmounting all her sisters described in a funerall sermon upon the death of that vertuous lady, Elizabeth Hoyle, late wife of the worshipfull Thomas Hoyle, alderman of the city of Yorke / by that godly and reverend divine, Mr. Iohn Birchall ...	Birchall, John.	1644 (1644)	Wing B2940; ESTC R6101	31,968	42

●●●ding of 〈◊〉 S●ri●tu●es 〈◊〉 me●it●●ion for private performances what shall I say for reading the Scriptures from the first unto the last she was a constant dayly reader of Gods Word And for that same duty of Meditation oh that too much neglected duty it was her constant course one or twice a day to run over what she had heard on the Lords-Day even on the weeke day and I my self have seen her many a time retire her self to walk in a place commonly called the Garth or in some other place in a speciall manner I am perswaded for this very end to presse upon her soule in secret what she had heard in publique And for that of prayer her constant course was to pray by her self three or foure I● prayer times constantly every day beside her constant joyning in the family duties And here now if you please let me bring in her death because when she was closing with God in that duty then the Lord concerning her present Death was pleased in a speciall manner to draw neer unto her this you must know that it is one thing to die suddently another thing to die presently or quickly Suddennesse is this when a man never thought on the matter before nor prepared for the matter before but presentnesse or speedinesse may come on a person that is fitted and prepared therefore let me say two things concerning this First for her preparation for Her preparation for Death death and her thoughts and speeches of death it was very much and they were very many and frequent nay the very last day that ever shee lived here on earth even at Noone in discoursing with others to this purpose she said unto her husband Husband you are not like to enjoy me long some replyes being made unto her shee returned this answer But no man knows so much by me as I do by my selfe and this was about eight hou●s before her death thus her thoughts were running upon it and no doubt still she was preparing for it and she hath said unto me and others that shee was verily perswaded she should die this kind of death because it seems both her Father and her sister before her dyed so Yet you must remember the distinction that even now we gave you There is a twofold A twofold suddennes● in dying suddennesse one in respect of preparation and another in regard of time the former was not to her the latter was to make this distinction plain to you It may be you are indebted to a man an 100. pounds and there is no day set for the payment of it hee may come when he pleaseth well say you Sir come when you will your money shall be ready for you you lay the 100. pounds by you in a readinesse because you do not know certainly when he will come it may be such a day he comes and hee knocks at your doores and calls for the hundred pounds you may say now his comming is sudden and not suddain in respect of preparation it is not suddain for you have the money by you but in respect of time it is suddain for hee came in a time you looked not for oh how many thousand thousand have warning enough for Time but as for Preparing for Death alas what preparation is made oh let me labour for the former that Death may never finde mee unprepared and for the latter the will of the Lord be done Shall I tell you one of the rarest Saints that ever breathed here on earth dyed quickly Moses by name why saith God to Moses Moses go up into the Mount and dye nothing but this Go up depart and dye thus Moses dyed So Aaron as a man may say he is onely strip't of his cloaths and so he dyes this is the first thing that I would have you consider concerning her death And secondly this I adde seeing that the Lord was pleased that this death should be how seasonable was it that at this time Her death was seasonable she should be taken out of this world unto God how it is with other men I know not this I am sure of that a child of God as generally at all times so especially towards the evening will goe unto God and make even his reckonings with him that so if death should come to him in the night and his Bed should be his Grave yet then his soule might go to Heaven Now though she had been againe and againe with her God that day both in private and in publique yet she is not weary but as Moses goes up into the Mount so she still goes into her Parlour unto her God in Prayer and at that time she closes with her God so that Hee was pleased to seize upon her body and so presently after her soule departs unto the Lord Jesus Here I bring in her death in her Prayer to wit as when the River is going towards the Sea the Sea at the Tyde comes out as it were to salute it and to bring it in so this blessed Saint oh she was running fast towards heaven and she was almost in heaven all that day after the Sermon well now the Lord seeing her make such speed towards him he comes down to meet her and now hee hath taken her unto himself this for ordinary duties both in publique private and secret respecting the second Commandement Now for extraordinary duties this on my owne knowledge also Her duties extradinary I speak that she constantly every weeke did keepe a private Day of Humiliation retiring her self alone and spending some part of the day with her husband and that in examining of her heart humbling of her soule in reading and in meditating and yet such was her wisdome that she cast things so as she might not be interrupted by those occasions which she might meet withall either in the world or in the family This for the second Commandement For the third for her reverencing of Gods Name it is no great To the 3. Commandement matter for me to say I never heard her swear as I never did during all that seven yeers that I lived with her and I am perswaded had I lived 70. yea 100. yeares with her I should never have heard her swear no no more then that she feared an oath and this evidenceth that she had respect unto the thitd Commandement And for the fourth what shall I say for that a whole day might To the 4. Commandement I spend concerning that day she spent it wholly for God I will tell you nothing but the truth shee did rise constantly at 6. of the clock in the morning and being up she first went apart secretly and commended her own case unto God in Prayer and she did reade Gods Word then she came forth and she to prepare her selfe further for the publique duties went to pray with her husband in private or with the Minister that was there present in the

inward meanes So for the outward means by his spirituall providence he affords unto some more and greater meanes and a longer time to others lesse He also doth blesse the means more unto some then unto others Againe another inward working cause is the speciall diligence of Gods people themselves exciting and stirring up and also exe●cising that grace which is given them applying the meanes unto their hearts and bringing all home in private that was done in publique this is the reason why though some do vertuously yet others do excell in grace even their practise of Piety and their Christian diligence And as thus ye have heard the working causes per se by themselves so also per accidens by accident the Lord sometimes makes the sence of sinne a means to break the heart and that sinner that hath bin exceeding ●●nful that sinner afterwards somtimes becomes a notable Saint this is the first generall ground from the inward working causes The second generall ground is from the finall cause and that is double for his owre g●ory and his peoples good for this double reason though others do vertuously yet the Lord will have some to excell in grace First for his own glo●y thus in dangerous times Elijah he must stop up the three children they must be willing to step into the Furnance and D●nie into the Denne rather then the Religion and Wo●ship of God shall ●e demolished and beaten down though therfore he have many Worthies yet the Lord will have some speciall Worthies that not onely shall have grace but also much grace for his honou● Thus fo● his own glory th●ugh others do vertu●usly yet the Lord will have some to excell in grace So also for the good of his people to draw them on when they are backward to strengthen them when they are weake and to incourage them when they a●e faint-hearted Why had Caleb and Joshu● an excellent spirit given them why to strengthen and incou●age others that were weake and f●int-hearted therefore when the people were discou●aged Vp say they f●●r not the people of the Land ●●r th●ir strength is de●arted f●o● them u●d th●y shall be but as bread ●or us This from the working 〈◊〉 and also from the finall cause you see reasons why though others do vertuously yet the Lord will have some to excell in grace But why is this their praise and glory why the reason of that is taken from the definition of true honour that is truly honourable which the wisest and the best do speak in the praise of That is not honourable which every man speaks well of though I am perswaded in respect of this Saint of God who ever he or she was that did speak against her while the tongue was against her the conscience was for her but that is truly honourable which is commended by the wisest and by the best by the wisest Prophets and the wise Apostles For the wise Prophets when they come to commend persons whom do they speak well of why holy persons holy soules the Saints that do expresse the power of grace in their lives And for a wise Apostle tell me where Paul is commending any but a Saint especially nay if an Angell must come from heaven to speak in the praise and commendation of any man here on earth it shall be onely in praise and commendation of a Saint this is plain in the 9. of Daniel there Daniel is humbling of his soule and breaking of his spirit for his own sinnes and the sinnes of the people well now an Angell is dispatced from Heaven with a message to him and he brings him this newes Oh Daniel thou art a man greatly beloved thus an Angell will rejoyce to bring good tydings from Heaven for the praise and commendation of a Saint upon Earth But what do I speak either of Saints or Angels even God himselfe doth account their death to be precious hee hath a high opinion of them he hath high prizing thoughts of them as you have heard Here you see the reasons of this truth why though many doe vertuously yet some of Gods people do excell in grace and this is their glory and honour We have a question before we c●me to Application it is this Wherein appeares this excellency in grace I answer in short It appeares in the matter that is done or suffered and in the manner of doing it First in the matter that is to be done both in avoiding evill and in doing good For the avoiding of evill and all this you shall see in this godly soul that we have discoursed of She is a woman of an excellent spirit that indeavours so to avoid all sinne her speciall sinne which David cals his owne iniquity and the speciall sinnes of the time here is an admirable spirit indeed and certainly herein did this blessed child of God shine out most chearly in that she laboured to avoid all finne and her own sinne and the sinnes of these dayes and times Again for the doing of good she that indeavours to perform all duties and especially her duties and those duties that the world hates and scornes and speakes ill off certainly such a woman as this is of an admirable spirit yet this also was the spirit of this Saint of God in that she indeavoured to do all duties injoyned and for those that concerned her in her place she shined out admirably in them yea she was constant and diligent in performing those duties which a wicked heart most hates as redeeming of the time walking precisely growing in grace standing for God with zeale of heart and the like this argues an excellencie And as thus in doing the will of God in his command so also for a patient subjecting unto the will of God in his providence Though the Saint of God had much experience in matter of prosperity yet she had had also great experience in matter of adversity yet notwithstanding was not that an admirable speech of her I● is the Lord let doe what seemes him good had any d●ne this but the Lord I should never have borne it but seeing the Lord hath done it why should I be impatient under it Nay when her Child her dear and onely Sonne was dead this was that which stayed her spirit that the Lord had done it And as thus for the matter so also for the manner too when this is done sincerely with constancie and continuance truly that was a pretty time of tryal which she had for 30. years together and for the measure thus with zeal when this manner and measure is added to that matter there must needs be an excellencie together with this effect growth in grace and this end the glory of God when for for the matter it is thus universally against all sinne our sinne and the sinnes of the Time unto all duties our duties and the contemned duties of the Time And thus in respect of suffering patiently submitting unto the will of God and when for