Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
duty_n	body_n	life_n	soul_n	2,237	5	4.9959	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A05360	An excellent treatise of Christian righteousnes, written first in the French tongue by M.I. de l'Espine, and translated into English by I. Feilde for the comforte of afflicted consciences, verie necessarie and profitable to be reade of all Christians, as well for establishing them in the true doctrine of iustification, as also for enabling them to confute the false doctrine of all Papistes and heretickes; Excellent traité de la justice chrestienne. English.	L'Espine, Jean de, ca. 1506-1597.; Fielde, John, d. 1588.	1577 (1577)	STC 15512; ESTC S106720	64,303	130

vs be certaine that they shall remaine still with vs and looke by the selfe same grace that they were freely bestowed vpon vs by the same they shall be keept and encreased Also there is an other place of the Apostle that all they which were predestinate to life shall afterwarde be called iustified and in the ende glorified If these fower pointes wherein is contained the whole summe of the saluation of God his children be so chained in order one to the other by an immutable decree of God we must cōclude that as our election is sure stable permanent so also are the other effectes that do necessaryly follow it Also that which S. Iohn sayeth in his first Epistle that he that is borne of God sinneth not and the wicked toucheth him not Also that goodly protestation that the Apostle maketh for him selfe and all the faithfull with so great assuraunce I am sayth he certaine that there is neither death nor life nor Angells nor principalities nor powers nor thinges present nor thinges to come nor thinges highe nor thinges lowe nor any creature that shal be able to separate vs frō the loue of God which is in Iesus Christ our Lorde Also that which Iesus Christ sayeth to his disciples If any man loue me he will keepe my worde and my father will loue him and we wil come vnto him and dwell with him Whereupon we maye note that he sayeth not We will visite him and so departe againe as many times we see freindes doe visite one an other but he sayeth we will abide with him which is as much to saye We will holde our selues to him and dwell continually with him without euer departing from him By all these places and many more which might be rehearsed out of the scripture it appeareth plainly that faith being once giuen vs of God it shall neuer be quite taken away from vs and so by consequence neither the grace of God which alwayes followeth it And although it seeme oftentimes for deade as it was in Dauid when he committed so great and heinous sinnes one after an other yet for all that there remained alwayes in his harte a certaine remnaunte of it which for a time was hidde as fire is vnder the Ashes And like as when it is raked vp it sheweth not his brightenes nor heate outwardly vntill it be vnraked and kindled in a flambe euen so it oftentimes falleth out with our faith which is hidden and couered with many vices which the most holyest Sainctes of God them selues doe many times committe euen as to fall into diseases the which continueth till it please God to stirre vs vp a new by his spirite and to light vs againe euen like as whē a candle is put out We must iudge then of our faith as of a tree which in wiuter seemeth to be deade because it hath no fruit nor leaues nor any outward appearaunce of life and yet notwithstanding it ceaseth not to liue sheweth that life that was hidden within outwardly in the springe time bringing forth flowers and leaues and taking againe his goodly hewe in so much as the sappe and strength which keepte it selfe enclosed in the roote during the time of the colde spreadeth it selfe throughout all the brāches to make them greene and fresh againe Euen so likewise is it of Faith which seemeth oftentimes to be quite dead in vs when it bringeth not forth any sense or feeling neither of God nor of his promises nor of his commaundements or threateninges And sheweth not it selfe by any other wonted effect Notwithstanding this it is aliue in vs and the life of it hath his being in Iesus Christ in whome it is ingraffed planted And as the strength of this roote can neither be frosen nor deade euen so neither can the Faith of a Christian which is so depelie grounded within be altogether extinguished and deade being the roote of all immortalitie from whence it fetcheth his life But before we ende this matter it is needefull to consider one wonderfull thing to witte how the righteousnes of Christ which is one onely maye be also entierly distributed to euery one of his members without being deuided and sundred in any respect To aunswere this point a man maye saye of it as certaine Philosophers haue sayd of the soule of man which is wholly throughout the whole body and in euery parte a like euen so is the righteousnes of Iesus Christ wholly in the bodye of the whole church as the soule to giue it life and to mainteine it Then is it altogether in euery of the particular members to make them strong whole stowt and of courage to doe all their offices and duties The which thing a man maye vnderstande by two similitudes one is of the voice which being hearde of a great many persons is in such sort receaued of euery one of them prouided that they be attentiue that the same is wholly vnderstoode without beinge deuided or sundred in any respecte The other similitude is of the face which maye be receaued in many glasses and wholly represented to all without any diuision or separation of the same Let vs conclude then that a faithfull man through faith embraceth the whole righteousnes and all the fructes of the sacrifice of Iesus Christ and that for this cause he can not be condemned or accursed before Gods iudgemēt no more then his head with whome he is in separably knitte vnited When any man is faln into the water where he is vp euen to the chin if he cannot be hurt as lōg as his head is aboue the water although that all the members and partes of his body be drowned and foundred so also we cannot be stiffled or hurt in the deapths of death seeing that Iesus Christ our heade is alwayes lift vp aboue those deapths for that vppon the life and health of him dependes the health and saluation of all his members Now it is time to shew by what signes and markes we maye know whether we possesse Iesus Christ and whether he dwell in vs and we in him S. Paule sayeth to the Romains that being iustified by Faith we haue peace in our soules which is an vndoubted token that Christ dwelleth in our hartes that is to saye when we feele there tranquilitie and reste and that we beginne to be peaceable in our consciences torments bytinges anguishes terrors and distrustes there ceasing and when in the sted of all these there cōmeth in place ioye pleasure consolation and as it were a common feast where all reioyce For then Iesus Christ liueth in vs and we in him to witte when all our thoughtes our meditations our workes and our delightes doe carrie vs to him as to the marke And when we sette him out to our selues to be our onely glorie honour riches treasure and the grounde of all our hopes and that we holde him as our cheife and soueraigne good that

mercie it is bestowed vpon vs. But here a doubt maye be moued by the righteousnesse of an other seeing that this is a personall qualitie which can not be communicated to an other no more then health wisedome strength and bewtie Now can I be otherwise in health then by the health that resteth effectually in my bodie how can it be then that I shoulde be righteous by the righteousnes that dwelleth in an other We must aunswere that this is done by imputation And as a man maye be acquited of his creditour by the paymente which some shall make of his owne money in the name of the debtour euen so we maye be righteous by the righteousnes of an other when he is accepted in our name as that is of Iesus Christ when we are vnited and knit vnto him All the members of the body without the eye are altogether blinde of them selues and yet notwithstanding they cease not euery daye to do their duties rightely The feete go without stombling the handes without offending in such sort that ech one of them is led in his worke by the light of the eye which illuminateth directeth them and as the sight of the eye is communicated to all the members of the body who see by it and in it euen so we in like manner are profited by the righteousnes of Iesus Christ which is imparted with vs as the sight of the eye with the members to the ende that we maye vse it in the iudgemente of God there to be acquited and iustified and pronounced altogether innocente and discharged from all our faultes and offences Now let vs come to the other point which is to know by what meane we maye obtaine this righteousnesse and appropriate it to our selues The onely meane is Faith as we maye know by many places of the scripture For S. Paule sayeth that the righteousnes of God is by faith Also that righteousnes is reueiled in the Gospell and communicated by faith And in an other place being iustified by faith we haue peace in our conscience And the Prophet also sayeth That the righteous man shall liue by faith And Iesus Christ in the worde wherupon we altogether reste sayeth that who soeuer beleueth in him shall not come into iudgement And to them alwayes that were sicke and were healed he sayth commonly that their faith had saued them to the end to teach vs that faith is the meane which is necessarie to obteine not only righteousnes but also the adoption of children the vndeserued fauour and blessing of our God and generally all the benefites of Iesus Christ And altogether like as we apprehende coullors by the sight soundes by the eare euen so we apprehende by Faith Gods promises in which he offreth life vnto vs and all other his graces As Ambrose sayeth Faith is such a vertue and of so great strength that it obtaineth all that God hath promised vs we beleuing in him But when we speake so of Faith we vnderstande not by this name a bare opinion which we maye haue of the truth or a simple perswasion and consent wherby we allow all that is contayned in the scripture but we vnderstand by this Faith a liuely apprehension of the truth of Gods promises and an assurance of his grace and fauour in Iesus Christ Also a full confidence that is sufficient to beare all the tentations that can be laid vpon vs and to beate downe death the deuill and all the gates of hell and further to set it selfe against wrath in the iudgement and malediction of God the which it turneth from vs as a tempest storme when we are threatened Now when we earst sayed that the lawe contayneth the promises of God and in them his vnderserued fauour and grace as the eye doth the colour and the eare the sounde and the other senses their proper obiect we vnderstande this of the assuraunce and certaintie onely and not of any carnall feeling For the thinges that we beleeue they can not be felt with the hande nor seene with the eye nor by any reason or other sense of man be comprehended and yet neuertheles they are more certaine then the thinges that we feele because our senses maye be deceaued As the eye which wil iudge a peece of wood in the water to be crooked although it be verie streight But Faith when it is once grounded resteth it selfe vpon the worde of God it is assured of all that is therein taught and specially it embraceth Iesus Christ and draweth from him euerlasting life And albeit that oftentimes considering the estate disposition of those matters it seemeth to vs that all thinges goe quite backwardes contrarie to that which God hath promised vnto vs yet notwithstanding in this case we must beleue as S. Paule sayeth in hope against hope and in no wise doubt but his promises shal be accomplished For sooner shall heauen earth and all the worlde perish then the least iote of that which God hath promised vs and which is proceeded from his mouth faill to be fully wholy accomplished in his time When our reason then or sense will doubte of that which God hath sayd or vnsaye and murmure against it or any manner of waye distrust his promises we must resiste and sette our selues manfully with all our might against it as Abraham did and staye our selues as he did wholly vpon this that God alwaye hath both will and might to performe what soeuer he hath promised And when we come to consider the corruption and vice of our nature the rebellion of our will against the will of God our infirmities imperfections our distrust also that we haue oftentimes of his loue and other doubts that we make of his prouidēce we must not then doubt but that our faith is mightely assailed and that we haue to fight wonderfull sharpe and daungerous combats but that we maye auoyde them it is needeful as in all other tentations to keepe our selues alwayes to the worde of God and to make it a buckler against all that the deuill our reason and sense can alleage against his will and those promises that he hath made vnto vs. We must as S. Augustine sayeth shutte our eyes from all that we maye see and from all considerations that may turne vs awaye or feare vs and open our eares only to heare and meditate vppon that which God sayeth And if on the one side considering the things that are present we perceaue our selues a falling readie to be cast headlong into any distrust we must on the other side for to comfort our selues behold Iesus Christ of whome we are members sheep of his pasture we must oppose his righteousnes against our vices his life against our death his obediēce against our rebellion his fauours rich grace against our wretchednesse and pouertie his satisfaction against our debtes his mercie against our miserie