Selected quad for the lemma: work_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
work_n	day_n	lord_n	week_n	6,148	5	10.2436	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A57938	Joshua's resolution to serve the Lord Containing the resolution of every true Christian, fully and wholly to cleave unto the Lord, and to dedicate himself to the Lord and his service. Wherein is shewed, what the resolution of a Christian is. And the reasons of the necessity of this resolution with a word of exhortation both to private, and family worship. To which is added, a prayer for a family. By Robert Russel in Sussex. Licensed according to order.	Russel, Robert, fl. 1692.	1694 (1694)	Wing R2347F; ESTC R221582	13,384	27

labour to obey the Counsel of Solomon Prov. My Son if sinners intice thee consent thou not Friends be Exhorted now to make a firm and strong resolution against all difficulties and dangers and oppositions dedicate your selves soul and body to the Lord let others choose what they will do you choose the Lord for your Portion in all his Personal Relations and in all his Essential Perfections resolve to take him as a holy God as a sin-hating God and labour to be holy even as he is holy 1 Per. 1.16 And resolve to choose the Laws of Christ as your rule and pattern I have saith David stuck to thy testimonies I have inclined my heart unto thy Statutes always even to the end psalm 119.31 Resolve to take Christ in all his Offices in all his Inconveniences resolve to run all hazards with him be Exhorted now without delay to bid an Everlasting farewel to all your sins and from henceforth make a firm Covenant with the Body and Soul to be his saying Lord I do here lament and am heartily grieved that I have spent so much of my time in Rebellion against thee and in chasing the ways of sin but I do here from this time forward firmly resolve to bid an utter defiance to all sin and through thy grace enabling me now Covenant with thee to be thine and to forsake all that is near and dear unto me in this world for thy sake I am resolved never more to yield my self a Servant to Sin and Satan but to watch against all Temptation whether of prosperity or adversity but I do resolve to take thee for my Portion and Happiness promising and vowing to serve thee in Holiness and Righteousness all the days of my Life and I do here fully resolve to choose Iesus Christ as the way to the Father and to take my Lot with him and to run all Hazards with him resting upon him alone in his way for Salvation Secondly Resolve not only to give up your selves to the Lord but resolve to use your utmost endeavours that all under your charge may likewise serve the Lord as Joshua here did not only resolve to serve the Lord himself but he resolved both he and his house should serve the Lord so my Friends you that are Housholders and Governours of Families let me exhort you to labour to set up the Worship of God in your Familys though you cannot inspire grace into your Children and Servants yet you may Labour to convince them of their Sin and Misery by Nature you may Reprove them and Instruct and teach them in the principles of Religion and joyn with them in Prayer and Holy Exercises O it to dreadful to consider that there should be 〈◊〉 many thousand Familys in the world that are Vngodly and Prophane Familye many Governours of Familys ●an take care that their Servants rise early in the morning and go about their work they ca●● take 〈◊〉 that they be diligent about their Business but they take no care about the concer●… o● their souls they can take notice how they do their work and are ready to he outragious with them for exery fault but yet can hear them curse and swear and see them Pront one the Lord's day and see them live loose and prophane Lives and live in open Rebestian against the Lord and yet take little or no notice of all this they searce ever call upon their Servants to Read nor Read themselves unto them nor yet do they Pray with them except it be now and then upon a Lords day For my part I have been in many familys but I never med but with here and there one where the worship of God and Religious Exercises hath been set up among them I may speak it with shame enough Most familys regard their Servants no better than they do their very best they mind them no otherwise than to provoin for them Meat and Drink and Wages and to see that they do their work but never regard what becomes of their poor immortal souls Truly friends I am apt to think that there being such a multitude of Prophane Irreligious familys among us in England that it is a fore-runner of some sad judgment approaching for if the Scripture be the true Word of God so indeed we must expect some sad Calamity to befall us e're long if there be not a speedy Reformation in houses and families see what a threatning there lyes in the word of God against such Jer. 10.25 That the Lord will pour out his fury upon the Heathen that know him not and upon the Nations that call not upon his Name The Heathen here is meant all Vngodly Irreligious familys Let us the People of this Land have a care that this Sentance be not pronounced against us many of late have complained of the badness of the Times that Trading is dead Money is scarce and every thing is dear But friends let there but be a thought of Reformation in houses and familys and then you will as soon see as peaceable and happy Times as ever was known since England has been Inhabited But if People will still remain to be Irreligious and Profane in their familys I am afraid that some sadder Iudgment will befall us than ever yet we have seen how can we expect deliverance from our Enemies and happy times whilst the worship of God is so much neglected and family Duties never regarded To Conclude you that are Parents Masters and Housholders if ever you desire your own Good and a blessing upon your familys and Vndertakings and the good of this Nation be intreated now to suffer the word of Exhortation be exhorted now no longer to neglect the Worship Service of God in your familys but as often as you see your Servants and Children sin against God reprove them where you see them ignorant instruct them Let me Counsel you to do this fit convenient opportunity to Catechise your Children and Servants at least once every Week and instruct them in the Principles of Religion every Lords day in the morning call them up 〈◊〉 yet then you do on other days and as soon as they have done their necessary Business before you go with them to the publick worship of God dead to them some part of Gods wood and then give them some private instruction concerning what they have read and call upon them to read some of God's word and then joyn with them in Prayer and after Publick Worship call every out of them to an Account concerning the 〈◊〉 they heard and rub up their Memorys with it and edify them as much as you can with these good Instructions which the Preather has delivered out of the wold of God and then instruct them in the principles of Religion And conclude the Evening of the Lords day in reading godly Conferences and singing of Psalms and Prayer And every morning in the Week call your children and servants together and pray with them before they and you go about the works of

endeavours to be more and more humble more patient more meek more holy and more heavenly let the Devil tempt him with Riches Honour Long-li●● and all Earthly Happiness on condition that he 〈◊〉 back again into the ways of sin yet 〈◊〉 will not yield but resist him with all his might a●d strength nay though all the Powers of Hell seek their utmost endeavours to d●aw him back though the Flesh intice and the wicked World use all means to discourage him yet in spire of them all he is resolved to go on in his Holy Course for neither Death nor Life nor Principalities nor Powers nor Height nor Depth nor any Creature is able to Seperate him from the love of God which is in Iesus Christ our Lord Rom. 8. Thus a sincere returning Sinner is fully beat and resolved to give himself up Body and Soul to the Lord. And the whole frame and bent of his heart is towards Grace and Holyness That is the first thing Considerable that a Christians Resolution is a full Resolution Secondly It is a present Resolution he is not for delays and put offs but resolves presently to turn A Man you know that is fully bent and resolved to do a. thing his earnest desire is to be about it that it may be done he is not for putting it off from one time to another as if he did not care whether it were done or no. Even so a Christian that is fully bent and resolved after Grace and Holiness be longs and desires for the attainment of his Holy Ends the whole frame of his heart is set that way and therefore he presently sets about the Work without delay Indeed a Hypocrite has many purposes and resolutions to Repent and become a New Creature but he delays and puts off from one time to another being loath for ●…e present to part with sweet Sin with his Beloved Lust which shews that his resolution is not a firm and settle resolution his purposes are unsound and ●ipocritical There was one Luke 9.61 who made a kind of a resolution to follow Christ but this resolution was not for the present he begged liberty to go once more to his sinful Companions and take his leave of them Lord saith he I will follow thee but let me first go and bid them farewel which are at home at my house This shews that his purpose and resolution was not sincere he made a kind of a resolution to follow Christ But here lyes the case there was not a thorow change wrought in him he had not rooted out his Beloved sin the frame and bent of his heart was more towards the following of his Lust than it was to follow Christ therefore in setting his hand to the Plow by making a resolution to follow Christ and yet looking back with pleasure and delight upon his old sinful course of life he was not fit for the Kingdom of Heaven as our Saviour tells him verse 62. Lord saith he I will follow thee but let me first go and bid them farewel which are at home at my house Thus a Wicked Man when he is intreated and perswaded by a Minister of God's Word or by any of his Godly Relations to Repent and forsake his Evil Practices and to lead a New Life he perhaps under these Godly Admonitions makes fair promises and has some Purposes and Resolutions to Repent and become a 〈◊〉 Creature and yet notwithstanding these purposes and resolutions he has many delays and put offs because his heart remains still wedded to his 〈◊〉 the Drunkard ●e promises that he will return and follow Christ but he takes leave first to go once more to the Ale-house and take leave of his Drunken Companions and take one merry Cup more with them and then he will come and follow Christ He has friends at home at his House and he must first go and take his leave of them and make one merry meeting more among t em and enjoy a little more of their Iovial Company and then he will follow Christ The Covetous he must have ●…ave first to persue after a little more of this worlds Goods and then he will follow Christ The Valupteous he must have leave first to partake a little more of the Sweet of Sin he must enjoy a little more of his Beloved Pleasure he must down with one sweet Morsel more and then he will follow Christ Thus Sin is so sweet unto a Wicked Man the World and the Flesh is so bewitching that notwithstanding a Sinners fair promises and purposes to Repent and turn to God that by these he is hindred of putting any thing into practice but procraserates and puts off from one time to another until perhaps time is at an end before he has done any thing in order to his Eternal Salvation But a Christian that is fully and firmly resolved to dedicate himself to the Lord and his Service so that the whole frame of his heart is bent that way he is so far from delaying and putting off from ●ne time to another that he is even restless and ●an find no contentment in any thing he enjoys until he has got an intrest in Christ until he has got some assurance of the love of God and the pardon of his Sins it grieves him to the very heart to think that he should be so wild and follish as to wast so much of his precious time as he has done in fleshly Lust in abusing of God's Mercy Goodness and grieving his Spirit in that he has made a good and gracious God wait upon him so many years whilst he continued to run on in a Course of Rebellion against him And therefore he now resolves through the grace of God assisting him from the time forward to bid an everlasting farewel to his beloved sin he now fully resolves to continue no longer in his sinful course of life he is ready to cry out with St. Augustin How long shall I say to morrow to morrow why shall not this day be the day of my Convertion He therefore without delay sets about the Work of Convertion he now begins to beg labour and strive to work out his Salvation Thus a Christians Resolution is 〈◊〉 Present Resolution Thirdly and lastly a Christians resolution is a Settle and Deliberate Resolution He doth not as many do take up a suddain and inconsiderate resolution to follow Christ But he diligently considers first what it may cost him to be a thro' Christian the death of his beloved Sin that he knows it must cost him he knows he must part with every sin even with his most flesh-pleasing sin for Christ or else he can't be no true Christian But he considers that it may cost him the loss of his Credit and Good-name the loss of his liberty nay the loss of his life Now a Penitent Sinner considers diligently of all these things before he enters upon his Christian course lest aftar he has gone far with Christ Persecution