Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
duty_n	bind_v	law_n	nature_n	1,568	5	5.4669	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A17051	The vvay to true peace and rest Deliuered at Edinborough in xvi. sermons: on the Lords Supper: Hezechiahs sicknesse: and other select Scriptures. By that reuerend & faithfull preacher of Gods word: Mr. Robert Bruce, for the present, minister of the Word in Scotland.; Sermons upon the sacrament of the Lords Supper	Bruce, Robert, 1554-1631.; Bruce, Robert, 1554-1631. Sermons preached in the Kirk of Edinburgh. aut; I. H., fl. 1617.; Mitchell, S., fl. 1614.	1617 (1617)	STC 3925; ESTC S105939	298,483	380

second thing that ye haue to learne here is this ye see Kings may haue the Plague There is no Prince in the earth exempted from the iudgement of God when he pleaseth to apply them Thus farre for the name of the disease The second thing that is noted here is the time when the King fell into this disease there is no certaine time set downe here but the time specified is relatiue to the last history It is relatiue to that time when the King of Ashur took armes against him which was the 13. yere of his reigne So it was the 14. yeare of his reigne that he fell into th●s disease for this godly King reigned 29. yeares 15. of them were giuen him after his disease In the 14. yeare of his reigne the warres beganne and this time is relatiue to that history so it must be in the 14. of his reigne that he fell into that disease whether the disease was after the siege or during the same the iudgement of the learned differs although in 2. Chron. 32. chap. it appeareth that he fell into this disease after the siege and time of his deliuery For we reade in that history that the King in the meane time of this siege was building vp the ruinous walles was stopping the conduites of the waters was sending messengers to Isaiah and was resorting to the Temple These were all arguments of a wholesome and well disposed King and there is no argument of infirmity here So it appeareth that it was after the siege that he fell into this disease Now take heede where my note riseth he is scarsly freed from the fearefull warres when he falleth into a terrible plague We see then that the estate of the godliest and best Princes is to be subiect to continuall tentation griefe and vexation so that the issue of one trouble is the beginning of another So it pleaseth the Lord to exercise them And to what end I pray you To the end that this life with the pleasures and glorie of it may become bitter to their taste and so they may be moued to seeke for a better And this lesson appertaineth to all Christians for if thou be a Christian thou must looke for trouble of necessity thou must take vp thy daily crosse and follow Christ. As for the fed carcasses of this world the Lord in his righteous iudgement hath appointed them for slaughter But if thou be one of them whom he hath not appointed for slaughter thou must be subiect to a continuall exercise either in soule or in body in familie or fame one way or other thou must be subiect to a continuall exercise For there is no way to pierce the clouds but by a continuall tribulation And seeing it is so it becommeth vs not to haue our hearts here gruntling vpon this earth but it becometh vs to haue our hearts hoissed and our minds lifted vp to the heauens where our Maister reigneth in glorie and to vse the things of this world as they may best further vs to the next world or otherwise terrible is the iudgement and incommoditie that the things of this world shall bring vpon vs. Thus farre concerning the time As to the greatnesse of the disease I find it noted in the verses which I haue read by sundrie things First the Prophet sheweth the greatnesse of the disease whereas he saith he was sicke euen to the death Secondly the greatnes of his disease is aggrauated while as the Prophet getteth command in the name of the Lord to assure him of death And thirdly the byle it selfe which broke out was deadly and sheweth also the weight of the disease Now in this extremitie the Prophet visiteth him and in the name of the Lord enioyneth him two things first to take order with his house next to prepare him for death and to pull his heart the more from all present things and all earthly comfort assureth him of death shortly and for his further assurance he doubleth the word saying Thou shalt die and not liue It is so hard a thing to haue the hearts of Kings pulled from their wealth and from their glorie The Prophet in visiting of the King learneth vs a point of dutie towards our diseased brethren a point wherunto we are bound by nature by charitie and by all sorts of lawes but chiefly we who haue the care of soules and represent Esay in our office at this time chiefly we are bound to visite our brethren for at such times the Diuell is most busie the bodies of men are abstracted from the hearing of the preached word and old sinnes begin to reuiue and returne to their memories and therefore at that time there is great need of comfort We are also informed here by the Prophet how to propound our comfort lest we spend our time in idle and vnprofitable talke as worldly men do To wit first of all that we bid the patient take order with his house that is make his testament and lay aside the worldly part that so his heart may be readie to go when the Lord calleth on his soule The most part of the world are so negligent in this point of dutie that there are very few that haue their heart free when the Lord knocketh but they are compelled to leaue their heart behind them where their treasure is or where they loue best and that because they set themselues here as in a permanent Citie And in their life time they will not so much as once thinke of death but dreame to themselues length of dayes and which I wonder most of there is not a man about them that will do so much as once to put them in mind of death yea not when the Lord beginneth to strike but some say it will trouble him and make him heauie others come in and say they would do it but they cannot for teares and sorrow The Doctor saith Nature is strong enough be of good comfort So that if the Pastor leaue this point of dutie there is not a friend almost that beginneth to admonish a man vntill his outward senses begin to leaue him Now as it becometh the Pastor to propound this so it becometh the Patient to obey it for this command is not giuen by man but by God For Esay giueth it in the Name of God and it is not onely giuen to Kings but it reacheth to all masters of families whosoeuer for the Lord hath willed them to haue a care of their families not onely in their life time but in their death also that by this meanes all occasion of quarrels and debates might be cut off after their death The Patriarches the godly Kings they haue left their example registred concerning this point so that I will not insist at this present further in it Now the worldly part being set aside and the conscience put at rest the soule is prepared to heare of death and so the Prophet cometh in the

warning and know not what houre the Lord wil call on vs. There is none that is sure that he must change habitation and is out of doubt in his conscience that he is to remoue that will settle his heart in that place which he is not able to keepe but being assured that he shall remoue he will send his houshold stuffe and substance before him If this be true in earthly things how much more ought we seeing the Lord giueth vs leasure to send our substance before vs And as it is true that the heart followeth the substance let both hart and substance be sent to heauen where they may both meete vs to our comfort Be rich in God be rich in good workes and that kind of substance shall be able to convoy thee and shall serue stand in stead to thee both in heauen and earth The second comparison was taken from the Weauer and his web and the effect of it is this as the Weauer bringeth his web to the off cutting so would the King say I see I haue brought this miserable life of mine to the off-cutting I haue procured my suddaine and vntimely death by mine euil life I haue hasted this messenger It is true that all the diseases of the body and the chiefe diseases of the soule flow from sinne And as death entred by sinne so by multiplication of sinne dea●h is hastened sinne shorteneth our life sinne maketh our dayes euill sinne maketh them full of griefe and sorrow sinne inuolueth vs in a thousand cares sinne wrappeth vs in infinite vnprofitable labours Sinne weakneth our body by deceiueable pleasures sinne vexeth our minde with such terrors as cannot be expressed Abeit if this good King had occasion to say that his euill spent life spurred him to his death what may our yong nobility say if it be true that one sinne blood cutteth the halfe of the dayes as the Psalmist sayth how much more shall an heape of sinnes concurring in one p●rson shorten the dayes The sacrilegious blasphemer and the bloudy adulterer and infinite more other sinnes concurring in one person shall not these shorten this miserable life The thing which they feare most would willingliest eschue that same thing such is their iudgement they runne headlong on As to the prophane multitude ye see these two vices gluttony and drunkennesse whereby they d●aw on themselues sudden death and there is neuer a man but he is subiect vnto one sinne or other which shorteneth the threed of his life and draweth on that which he would eschue Well I will not insist in these occasions of death take heede whether ye walke in mercy or in your owne sinnes If ye walke in your owne sinnes of all iudgements it is the most terrible to be left to your selfe now mercie is offered and therefore ye that would be translated from death to life vse this time diligently In the second part of that exercise I shewed you the rage and fury of his sicknesse we did let you see the weight of his feuer was so great that it made him thinke that God was a deuouring Lion readie to bruise all his bones to powder It made him to looke that both soule and bodie should be taken from him that day ere night We shewed that these voyces could not flow frō a temporall paine only but there behoued to be a fire in the soule a further paine then could come of any bodily disease in the earth Of all troubles that come vnto man the trouble of conscience is the greatest of all other troubles this is the chiefest when besides a sight of sinne there is a touch of ●he insupportable anger indignation of the liuing God It appeareth by these voyces that the King felt a touch of this wrath whereby God appeareth to be a consuming fire It is the custome of God to bring his children into these extremities that feeling the pangs of hell they may see how precious the death of Christ ought to be vnto them How farre they are bound vnto him what is the dutie they owe vnto him that went betwixt them and so bitter a punishment This kind of extremitie teacheth vs how easie it is for the Lord to represse the pride of the flesh and to beate downe this wantonnesse of our filthie nature This glorious King in the space of 12. houres is brought to the ports of the graue and of desperation in a manner So ye see how easie it is for the Lord to bring the proudest flesh low and to do this he needeth not fire nor sword nor any other instrument but such as we haue within our selues he is able to make our owne darlings to be our greatest tortures For we carrie within vs either one viper or other which shall destroy the soule except the Lord preuent in mercie Last of all we shew how this King in his greatest extremitie behaued himselfe notwithstanding God appeareth to be a fire to his soule yet he retireth to the same God and where he might not by words vtter the griefe and trouble of his heart when the benefite of his speech was taken from him yet he ceasseth not but he sigheth and maketh his moane counterfeiting the Doue the Swallow and the Crane he chattereth and lifteth vp his eyes vsing all such gestures so long as he had his tongue he prayeth and the words are few which he speaketh but they are sententious It hath oppressed refresh me or weaue me out As if he would say The force of this disease and furie of this feuer is so great that it ouercometh all force of nature Therefore seeing nature will auaile nothing I flie to the God of nature to whom it is easie to support nature and of this God I craue health and continuance of my daies I craue that as he hath begun so he would weaue out this web to the glorie of his name and comfort of his Church Frō this last part we shewed you two things we marked first these contrarie voyces into which the seruants of God burst foorth in their greatest troubles vttering sometimes words full of doubting and sometimes full of confidence In the 15. verse God appeareth to haue bene a consuming fire and a raging Lion to him In the 14. verse he maketh his recourse to the same God and suppose he threatned him yet he reposeth vpon him Vpon this we did let you see first that doubting and confidence may haue place both in one and the selfesame soule There was neuer a seruant of God but had experience of this yea it is proper to the children of God to be subiect to this doubting suppose in mercie they be kept from desperation For seeing this faith of ours as long as we are here is imperfect how is it possible that anie faithfull soule weighing their faith with that perfection which is in God to whom nothing is pleasant but that which is perfect how is it possible I say but that soule must doubt

It resteth also vpon the truth and power of God but especially vpon the promise of grace and mercie in Christ. The soule of the Papist being destitute of the feeling and taste of mercie dare not enter into this particular application and so he cannot be iustified Yea no doubt so many of them as are iustified in the mercie of God get a taste of this mercie and kindnesse before they depart this life Thus farre concerning the effects Then ye haue onely this to remember The opening of the heart the pacifying and quieting of the conscience they worke an assurance and a strong perswasion of the mercy of God in Christ. The more that the heart is opened the more that the conscience is pacified the more that the taste of that sweetnesse continueth and remaineth the more art thou assured of Gods mercie So then wouldest thou know whether thy faith be strong or not whether thy perswasion of Gods mercie be sure or not Looke to thy conscience If thy conscience be wounded assuredly thou wilt doubt and if thou doubtest thou canst not haue such a strong perswasion as otherwise thou wouldest haue if thy doubting were remooued Not that I will haue faith to be so perfect in this life that there be alwaies no doubting ioyned with it I require not that perfection but I say that a wounded conscience must euer doubt and the more we doubt the lesse is our perswasion So the more that thou woundest thy conscience the lesse faith thou hast Then thou must come to this point Keepe a sound conscience entertaine peace in thy conscience and thou shalt keepe faith and shalt haue thy perswasion in that same measure that thou hast of rest peace in thy conscience the more that thy conscience is at peace and rest the greater shall thy faith and perswasion be So this ground is certaine A doubting conscience causeth a weake faith and the more the doubting in thy conscience is the weaker is thy faith Then true it is that the Apostle saith That faith dwelleth in a good conscience that faith is locked and closed vp in a good conscience So that if ye keepe a good conscience ye shall keepe a strong faith and if ye wound your consciences ye shall wound your faith Now to make this more sensible How can I be perswaded of his mercie whose anger I feele kindled against me and against whom my conscience sheweth me that I am guiltie of many offences No question so long as the sence of his anger and feeling of my offences remaineth I cannot haue a sure perswasion that he will be mercifull vnto me but when I get accesse vnto his presence and a sight that he hath forgiuen me then I begin to be surely perswaded So then keepe a good conscience and thou shalt keepe faith and the better that thy conscience is the surer will thy faith be Then the whole exhortation that we gather from this point dependeth vpon this That euery one of you in what ranke soeuer ye be take heed vnto your consciences for losing it ye lose faith and losing faith ye lose saluation Are ye in the ranke of great and rich men Ye ought to take heede vnto your consciences especially in respect that the Lord hath placed you in a higher calling Ye haue many things wherein ye ought to controll your consciences ye ought to craue the aduice of your consciences before ye attempt any great worke in respect that ye are bound in manifold duties to God and to your inferiours And no doubt if some great men had aduised well with their consciences such dissolutions had not fallen out in their owne houses such oppressions of the poore deadly feudes with men of their owne ranke would not haue burst forth in so high a measure But the Lord seeing them take so little care vnto their consciences depriueth them of faith and of the hope of mercie and their end will be miserable Ye shall see that the God of heauen will make those who liue so dissolutely spectacles of his iudgements vnto the world for the Lord leaueth not such men vnpunished By their examples it w●re very necessarie that men of inferiour ranke should take heede vnto their consciences and ●herefore let euery man according vnto his calling examine his calling by the rule of his conscience Let the Iudges before they giue and pronounce forth iudgement aduise with their consciences and the law thereof and in iudgement not to follow their affections but to follow the rule of their consciences Likewise they that are of inferiour degree vnto Iudges let them controll their doings by their consciences and giue not the poore subiects iust cause to complaine of them Let them not terrifie them from the pleading of Iustice by exorbitant prices and extraordinarie kind of dealings but let them moderate all their actions so that they agree with the rule of their consciences that so far as in him lieth Iustice ceasse not Likewise the Merchants let not them looke so much to this or that as to the conscience that is in them what in conscience they may do according to the measure of knowledge that God hath placed in them and whatsoeuer they do let them beware that they do not against their knowledge I grant their knowledge will not be so learned as it should be and this maketh many deformed actions yet let no man do against his knowledge but let euery man do according vnto the measure of knowledge wherewith God hath indued him And though it be not well reformed yet do not any thing by guesse but aduise well with thy conscience and follow thy knowledge for that which is done doubtingly is sinne So whatsoeuer thou doest let not thy eye thy hand nor any member of thy bodie do against thy knowledge for this is a step to that high sinne against the holy Ghost This is the ready way to put all knowledge out of your mindes for if men do against knowledge and continue in doing against knowledge at the last they will become a masse of darknesse the Lord will scrape out all knowledge out of their mindes and all feeling of mercie out of their hearts Therefore let euery man follow his knowledge and according to the measure of his knowledge let his actions proceede It hath pleased the Lord to powre this liquor this precious ointment into vs though we be earthly and fraile vessels miserable creatures yet it hath pleased our gracious God to powre such a precious liquor into our hearts and mindes and to credite such a Iewell in our keeping that by vertue thereof we may take hold on Christ who is our iustice our wisedome sanctification and redemption Though we be miserable creatures yet the Lord of his mercy hath a respect to vs in Christ in giuing vs this precious liquor wherby our soules may be seasoned to life euerlasting In this that he poures it into our hearts we see cleerly that it growes