Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
duty_n	according_a	church_n	word_n	982	5	3.8217	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B02482	Christ alone exalted in the perfection and encouragements of the saints, notwithstanding sins and trials. Volume III. / Being laid open in severall sermons by the late spirituall and faithfull preacher of the Gospel, Tobias Crispe, D.D.	Crisp, Tobias, 1600-1643.; Cokayn, George, 1619-1691.; Pinnell, Henry.	1648 (1648)	Wing C6959; ESTC R233167	185,508	400

Church may appear to you if you will consider First what is spoken before there is the commendation of the breasts Now commendation of breasts hath reference to the Spouse but most plainly it appeares in the words that follow the Text in the 8. verse Come with me from Lebanon my Spouse saith Christ either they must be the words of Christ to the Church or they must be the words of the Church to Christ but they cannot be the words of the Church to Christ for the Church doth not call Christ the Spouse for the word Spouse is spoken in reference to the woman and not to the man You shall have it further cleered in the contents of the chapter which shew the drift of the whole chapter the Author of the contents holds forth according to the Hebrew where the Genders are more distinct then in our English that these very words are the expressions of Christ unto his Church Whereby you see that this is no new doctrine neither is it set forth by any obscure person being delivered by Solomon or rather by Christ personated by Solomon that the Church should be all fair and without spot The Proposition is briefly this That the Love of Christ is all fair and without spot You may remember beloved that I have hitherto at large indeavoured to set forth the Gospel of our blessed Saviour to you in the first great part thereof the Gospel consisting principally in two things the negative and the affirmative priviledges of the members of Christ their great priviledge and invaluable benefit being first exemption from evill and secondly a participating of all good things All the discourse I have had with you hitherto hath had reference principally to the former branch of the Gospel setting forth to you the gracious discharge of the members of Christ from all miquity and so consequently from all the fruits of iniquity in these words And the Lord bath laid on him the iniquity of us all and I have further shewed you how the people of God and members of Christ do partake of such discharge as this is which is the way of God by which the sons of men Believers can have their portion and their possession of this immunity and that out of the Text of Iohn If any man sin we have an Advocate with the Father Iesus Christ the righteous and he is the propitiation for our sins It was in my thoughts beloved to have made present progresse into the Text that I have 〈◊〉 unto you but yet in some respect a necessary lies upon me to give you a brief touch of some things I have formerly delivered by way of acquitting my self from injurious slanders It is and hath heen my portion and I know not unknown to many of you that while I have laboured freely and by the assistance of the Spirit of the Lord indeavoured to make known the minde of the Lord to the comfort and rest of the weary and heavy laden I my self have not wanted my burthen yet were it not for the Gospels sake lest that should receive prejudice I should never open my mouth to vindicate a truth as it doth concern my self in so publick a way But as there hath been most false imputations laid upon me in respect of the Gospel so for the Gospels sake only I shall acquit my self publikely before you of such things as are most injuriously charge upon me It hath been affirmed and that by persons who have gone for persons of credit and consequently the wound must strike the deeper and the report must take the greater impression it hath been given forth I say that in my discourse among you I should deliver to you that the active and passive obedience of Christ considered as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is Christ considered both as 〈◊〉 and man that the active and passive obedience of Christ in reserence to both his natures hath not a sufficiency in it to make up a compleat righteousnesse for us and further that the ground of it should be this Namely that Christ did not perform the severall duties of the severall relations wherein many persons stand as the office of a Magistrate and the relation of a Husband c. For the vindicating of my self herein I shall repeat the matter I delivered before and you shall also know the truth of what my judgement is in this thing and then leave it to the Church of God whether it be a slander or no. This I then said that the active and passive obedience of Christ properly are the actions and passions of the humane nature for the divine nature is not subject to obedience because there is not any superiour to whom the divine nature should obey neither is it subject to passion God cannot suffer and therefore doing the commands and suffering the punishments are more proper to the actions of the humane nature And this humane nature is but a meer creature and therefore the actions of it as a creature cannot extend to a proportion answerable to the injurie done by sin to God For this cause I say as I said before there must be an addition of vertue from the divine nature of Christ to make the active and passive obedience of the humane nature a compleat righteousnesse So that all I said is this That the actions and passions of the humane nature are not sufficient to make up our righteousnesse a compleat righteousnesse but there must be something of the divine nature superadded to raise up a righteousnesse proportionable to the transgressions we commit And that expression concerning the not performing of duties of these several relations I spake it only to this purpose to shew wherein the humane nature of Christ in obedience did not fulfill every thing in particular which is the duty of a man and that therefore the divine nature of Christ by the eminent dignity thereof is as I said before to make up that righteousnesse a compleat righteousnesse Concerning this whether it be truth or no let the Church judge according to the word As for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Christ as God and man it is well known I used not the word neither had I the thing in my minde nor in my tongue to the purpose they alledge it against me In a word this I say that Christ as God and man hath in himself an absolute compleatnesse of righteousnesse for all the elect persons There need not be a going forth from Christ to any thing in the world besides for a perfect righteousnesse Secondly there is another charge deep indeed and I appeal to you that have frequently heard me whether ever you have heard any such thing from me Namely that by way of inference I should deny Christ How true this is let the whole course of my Ministery witnesse which altogether aimed and endeavoured the exalting of Christ above all the creatures in the world and except my being so busie with this truth be become an

that which brings this salvation to you Then may I doe what I list will some say No saith the Apostle This Grace of God that brings salvation brings this too It teacheth us to deny al ungodlinesse and worldly lusts and that we should live godlily soberly and righteously in this present world I say it is blasphemy against the truth of the Holy Ghost in these severall passages of Scripture to say or to maintaine that this is a necessary inference from the revelation of the free Grace of God to men before-hand that thereby men will breake out into sin and uncleannesse and give up themselves thereto and that this is the way to give up the reines into the neck of vice and licentiousnesse I will give you but one passage more although I confesse I have gone further in the cleering of this businesse by Scripture then I intended because I know it sticks so in the hearts of opposers and quarrellers and cavillers that are ready to spit fire into the faces of those persons that are assertors and maintainers of the free grace of God and the publishers thereof to the people of God I will give I say but one place more in confirmation hereof namely that which the Apostle delivers in 1 John 3.9 the words are these He that is borne of God sinneth not saith hee because the seede of God abides in him and he cannot sin because hee is borne of God Hee that is borne of God What is that It is no more but this he that is received into Grace by Christ becomes one with Christ in respect of the spirituall union between Christ and such a person To bee borne of God and to be a new creature is all one To be new creatures is to be such as wee were not before More fully a new creature is a person that is translated from himselfe into Christ and he stands before God as Christ himself and not as he is in or of himselfe Now such a person saith the Apostle sinnes not because the seede of God abides in him nay he cannot sin because he is born of God There may bee some difficulty in the expression but you must know the intention of the Apostle John here is to take off the objection against the Doctrine of the free Grace of God that it is a licencious Doctrine to take off I say the reproach that is unjustly cast upon it And so the meaning of the Apostle John is this Hee that is borne of God sinnes not that is hee cannot take such liberty to sinne he cannot make such licentious uses of the Grace of God as to walk in sinfull courses though his sins shall not hurt him I say this Licentious living in sin is the thing the Apostle speakes of here Hee that is borne of God sins not And the reason is because the seed of God abide● in him that is there is an over-ruling power planted in him to over-match the propensity of the flesh that remains still in Beleevers that it should not have that liberty and power that naturally it would have by vertue of such a Principle implanted Not that the Apostle speakes absolutely of sin that a childe of God shall sinne no more for that were to make the Apostle John himselfe the lier and that by his owne words and to speak against himselfe For he saith in another place Hee that saith hee hath no sin deceives himselfe and is a lier And King Solomon also who saith that there is not a just man upon earth that doeth good and sinneth not Eceles 7.20 Therefore by sinne in this place he must needs mean a licentious liberty taken unto sin Beloved I know there are many objections raised against this truth I shall briefly run through some of them to you and if it be possible clear this truth unto you at this time and vindicate the Gospell from those abominable untruths cast upon it and that I will do the rather because thousands in the world turne away from the Grace of God and dare not venture themselves upon it Because they fear if they should adventure themselves upon these principles of free Grace they should presently take liberty to sin and so fall away and apostatize Oh! how many have miscarried and refused their owne mercies and have not received the Gospell to this day upon such conceits that the receiving of it should make them break out into ungodlinesse I know here are many here present cannot but witnesse they are affraid to close with free Grace though never so fully proved and manifested in Scripture upon this consideration that it will make them live loosely Object 1. First some will object and say we know many Beleevers that do take liberty to themselves when once they have beene acquainted with such free Grace that hath beene preached Answ For answer to this First I say that if Beleevers from this Grace published doe take liberty they take but what God giveth them The end of Christs coming and preaching the free grace of God to men is this very thing that in it the Lord might proclaime liberty to the captives which are Christs owne people Christ came of purpose as you shall finde in Heb. 2.15 to deliver those who through feare of death are subject to bondage all their lives long And therefore saith Christ If the Son shall make you free you shall bee free in●e●d that is if the Son give you liberty then you shall have liberty indeed So that it Believers do take this liberty upon this ground they take but that which is their owne purchased unto them by the blood of Christ and given unto them freely by God their Father Object 2 But some will say It is a true Christian liberty that Christ allows and this indeed is a liberty that Christ gives men to be delivered from the captivity and bondage of sin which they were under before But many that professe this doctrine are knowne to be more slack in the performance of duties and to grow more and more cold in their zeale and carelesse in the practice of Religion and are more regardlesse of sin and in a word take more liberty to sinne since such Grace hath been revealed Answ For answer to this Beloved first you are not to expect perfection of works from Believers in this life and that they should be free from all manner of sin I know none of those that have the most indignation against this doctrine of the free grace of God to men but will yeeld that they themselves are not without failings they ought not therefore to aggravate the weaknesse of their brethren much lesse ought the truth of God to bee charged with the failings of men But suppose some do make evill uses of the free Grace of God sometimes are therby encouraged to be more bold with sin as they are not to be upheld in it nor allowed so ought not their fault to be laid upon the free Grace of