Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
duty_n	age_n	young_a	youth_n	292	4	9.0261	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A13071	The anatomie of mortalitie deuided into these eight heads: viz. 1 The certaitie of death. 2 The meditation on death. 3 The preparation for death. 4 The right behauiour in death. 5 The comfort at our owne death. 6 The comfort against the death of friends. 7 The cases wherein it is vnlawful, and wherin lawfull to desire death. 8 The glorious estate of the saints after this life. Written by George Strode vtter-barister of the middle Temple, for his owne priuate comfort: and now published at the request of his friends for the vse of others.	Strode, George, utter-barister of the Middle Temple.	1618 (1618)	STC 23364; ESTC S101243	244,731	328

Saint Bernard calls it Againe by that parable in the Gospell of the Labourers Mat. 20.1 c. that were called into the Vineyard at seuerall houres in the day doe many wicked men take great incouragement to neglect the time of their calling repentance because they that were called in the last houre were accepted and rewarded equally with those which came in the first houre of the day But shew me which of those labourers being called did refuse to come It seemeth rather vnto mee that hereby they should learne without delay to repent when they are called to repēt at what time soeuer it be for he is not bound to vs but we to him Hee that saith when the wicked man turneth from his wickednesse that he hath committed Ezech. 18.27 and doth that which is lawfull and right shall saue his soule aliue doth say also It is good for a man that he beare the yoke in his youth Lam. 3.27 for old age is like to flint you may breake it before you can soften it In youth sinnes are few and feeble but by continuance they grow to be as strong as Giants and increase into mightie armies And where Salomon said before to the yong man Remember thy Creator in the daies of thy youth Eccles 12.1 in the same verse hee also sheweth the reason of the same and therfore saith Before thy euill dayes come and yeares approach wherein thou shalt say I haue no pleasure in them These are the reasons for which Salomon would haue his yong man not to put off in the age of youth which is most prime and teachable the remembrance of his Creator and his repentance and they are taken from the many infirmities and withdrawings that are to be found in old age when youth is abused As much as if Salomon should haue said Well my sonne thou art now yong lustie and actiue of good apprehension and sharpe conceit indued with fresh and strong faculties of wit and remembrance thy feete are nimble thy sight is good and thy hearing perfect now therefore serue God and repent whiles thou mayest the time will come when thou wilt be old weake and sickly dull in apprehending and of bad capacitie and remembrance without good legges to bring thee to Church without a good eare to heare at Church and either without eyes or darke-sighted and not able to reade long nor to see a good letter but thorow spectacles Then it will bee too late to doe any good seruice to God thy Creator This I take to bee the Wisemans meaning in these words which teacheth vs that old age is no fit time wherein to begin repentance and godlinesse when the greene and fresh age of youth hath beene consumed in vanities The Israelites are complained of by the Lord in Malachy Mal. 1.8 that they offered the blinde for sacrifice and the lame and sicke for a hallowed thing And if yee offer the blinde for sacrifice is it not euill and if yee offer the lame and sicke is it not euill Offer it now vnto the Gouernour will he be pleased with thee or accept of thy person saith the Lord of Hostes He that would not haue a beast while he had no eyes in his seruice would haue thee while thou hast eyes to serue him the sicke and the lame were no good offerings then Leu. 22.20 as being forbidden in the Law and be they good ware now in the sicke and lame bodie of a man that hath desperately put off his repentance and turning to God till he can neither draw winde nor legge Moses knew this and therefore bore this burden yong and whiles his legges were able to beare him for the text saith Heb. 11.24 That when he was come to age he refused to be called the son of Pharaohs daughter that is would not liue in delicacies while he had strength to liue vnto God Ioseph also in his beautie and faire person turned his backe to his tempting Mistresse Gen. 39.10.12 and his face to the Lord hee would not put off to serue God till olde age had made wrinckles in his faire face and his skinne withered Iosiah a good King 2. Chro. 34.3.4.5.6 in the eight yeere of his raigne and sixteenth of his age when he was yet a childe began to seeke after his God the God of Dauid his Father and in the twelfth yeere of his raigne and twentieth of his age made a famous reformation What So soone and so yong So saith the Scripture and so it was without controuersie For Gods children take the good dayes of youth for good duties and not the euill dayes of sickly and saplesse old age as commonly the children of the world doe Samuel serued God in his minoritie 1. Sam. 3.19 and grew in spirit as he shot vp in yeeres he was a good man and the better because a good yong man And Timothy from a child did know the holy Scriptures 2. Tim. 3.15 as the Apostle Saint Paul witnesseth for him The reasons why we must thus begin to repent betimes are these viz. First repentance as it can neuer come too soone where sinne is gone before so it must needs with much adoe and not without some speciall worke of God ouertake so many sinnes of youth and manhood so farre and much before it Secondly old age is full of wearinesse and trouble and where we haue elbow-roome in youth we cannot turne vs in old age perhaps we shall neither heare nor see nor goe nor sit without paine and torment in all parts and is this say you a fit condition of life and time of age to serue God in But say that the forcible working of the holy Spirit like a great gale of winde be able to blow thee home on the sodaine yet art thou not sure to haue it And doest thou thinke seeing thou wilt not repent know God in youth that hee will know thee at these yeeres and in this case and state And wilt thou bestow on Satan the beautie strength and freshnesse of youth offer to God the wrinkles weaknesse and foule hew of old age or when thou hast giuen away the flower of thy youth to Gods enemie wilt thou offer to God who will haue the first and deserues the best the dregges and leauings To all such I say if you will not know God in your youth hee will neuer know thee for ought that thou knowest when thou art gray-headed If as hath beene said thou wilt not giue him the yong and sound and that which is without blemish he will neuer take in good part the old and sicke and euill fauoured which no man will giue to his friend nor dare offer to his prince If thou wilt not when thou art quick-witted when thou art come to the yeares of dotage he will not If thou wilt not heare him in his day thou shalt crie in thy day that is in the euill day and shalt not bee