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	perform_v	soul_n	1,113	5	4.7193	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A76967	Meditations of the mirth of a Christian life. And the vaine mirth of a wicked life, with the sorrovves of it. / By Zach: Bogan of C.C.C. Oxon.	Bogan, Zachary, 1625-1659.	1653 (1653)	Wing B3441; Thomason E1486_1; ESTC R208439	202,360	374

him more good then when he is most hungry If God keep me a while from the enjoyment of blessings by adversity or the use of blessings and the practise of good duties by infirmity of body when I come to enjoy the blessings again I shall make better use and when I come to performe the duties I shall make better work If my Affliction be persecution my persecuted vertues like spices beaten will smell the better The graces of my soule when my body suffers like sweet odours in a box when the box is broken will goe the further and continue the longer Nay by this rising in grace by falling into affliction you may judge of the soundnesse and strength of the Christian for the strong Christian like the strong tree the more he● shaken in the top in the boughs in the outside of his body or estate the more hearty he will be at the root and the better rooted at the heart And so for the time after when a man hath seen what need and what use there is of grace and the strength of grace in a time of affliction if he have any providence in him or if he have his senses about him knowing how subject he is to come into the like condition againe it is impossible but he must doe his utmost and make all the provision he can to maintaine himselfe in it He will endeavour to encrease his Love that when all other delights faile him he may delight himselfe in the Almighty He will endeavour to encrease his Faith that when God shall deferre to fulfill his promises or to heare his prayers he may not make his sufferings more tedious by making hast for deliverance He will endeavour to have a more lively Hope that when he shall be quite deprived of things that may be seen have nothing at hand he may be able to support his spirit with the expectation of things that are not seen Whatsoever graces he found use of or stood in need of if he have but so much nature as to love himselfe he will be so farre from neglecting to furnish himselfe of those that he will study and enquire and labour all that ever he can for more 8. Afflictions are beneficiall because they make us set a greater price both upon the goodnesse of God and the goodnesse of his gifts and blessings which we have formerly undervalued or not valued as we should and so behave our selves with more thankfulnesse and humility The price and estimation of things is alwaies raised by the want and the losse according to what I said before of God And we are never so well possessed with the opinion of the worth of a thing as when we have not the possession of the thing From this alteration in judgment proceed these fruits First Repentance of and secondly Prayer against sins which before men thought not of For while they had what they never prayed for and kept what they never gave thanks for and were permitted the use of what they abused by intemperance and luxury they hardly ever thought either prayer and thanksgiving to be duties or intemperance and luxury to be sinnes certainly many wicked men in their prosperity doe not because they see they are never the worse or because they have no changes Psal 55.19 But now in Affliction when their blessings are taken away when they examine the matter and search for the cause as soon as they look back upon their own lives they find the fault to be there Aman that looks back is like a stander by and makes his own eyes serve for another man's In any kind of work if I keep on working and never stop to look back unlesse my hand be guided by another's I may commit many faults or commit the same fault many times which otherwise I would not doe and never perceive it So if I have a constant uninterupted enjoyment of outward felicity unlesse there be a speciall hand of God to direct me I shall sin and sinne over and over and never change my conditions till I change my condition There is also a third fruit of this alteration of judgment viz performance of duties before omitted as praysing of God's goodnes to all and giving thanks for his goodnesse to them together with a humble acknowledgment of the mercy of the Lord that giveth and the justice of the Lord that taketh away * Job 1.21 9. Affliction or adversity is benefiicall because it makes men not only to esteem of but use prosperity better Like physick and fasting it clenseth the stomack and begets a more kindly appetite and so makes a man digest and improve temporall blessings to spirituall nourishment If a man never know what the bread and water of affliction meanes but alwaies sit at a full table of worldly contentments either by taking too much he takes surfeit or else by the foulenes of his stomack and a mind overcome with lusts and ill humours his food to turnes to choler his happinesse to bitternesse and misery and his blessings into curses Nothing better for such a stomack then as the Prophet's words are however it be displeasing to the palat for such things are commonly wholsomest to be fed a while with the wormwood of affliction and to have the water of gall to drink 10. Afflictions are beneficiall because they are good both to make a man have a low esteem of himselfe for his weaknesse that he could not helpe himselfe in his adversity and to make him abhorre himselfe for his sinfulnesse that ever he hurted himselfe in his prosperity Never such a time to be low in mine own eyes as when I am so in every ones else When a man is upon the ground 't is easy to put his mouth in the dust When my body is weaned from the pleasures of the world it is the easier for my soule to be as a weaned child 11. Afflictions are beneficiall because when they have made us see our own weaknesse and wickednesse in the next place they will make us see Gods power and goodnesse When our selves are odious that we cannot looke upon them then we will begin to looke to our Maker So the Prophet's expression is Isaiah 17.7 At that day sayes he viz when the glory of Jacob is made thin and the fatnesse of his flesh become leane vers 4. a man shall look to his maker and his eyes shall have respect to the holy one of Israel Hereupon there will follow First Trust and relyance and staying our selves upon God being now become so weak that we cannot stand by our selves and so wise as to know that we cannot Now as the Apostle said 2 Cor 1.9 We have the sentence of death in our selves that we should not trust to our selves but in God who raiseth the dead Secondly now that we have seen our own naughtinesse and Gods goodnesse a resolution to live more free from one and more worthy of the other The blunesse of a wound

he is not he knowes not only that vengeance is God's but that he will certainly repay Rom 12 19. If he be presently to suffer death it is all one for he will make himselfe merry with this that he that looseth his life for Christ's sake shall find it Mat 10.39 But it may be objected 1. How know you that these promises belong to every faithfull man especially what warrant have you to claime a right in those promises which were made to particular men Ans I will reply in no more words then these What warrant hath the Authour to the Hebrewes chap 13.5 to exhort the Hebrewes to be contented with those things which they had upon this encouragement For he hath said I will never leave thee nor forsake thee when as these words were spoken unto one particular man viz Joshua Jos 1.5 2. It may be objected In these cases that you have mentioned it is easy not to be sad A Stoick's stomack will goe so farre and in most of them it is no more then your godly man is bound to doe But what can he doe against those evills that in his own opinion are indeed to be lamented As for example 1. Continually repeated sinnes First Object Can your faithfull man that should be sorry for sinne be continually merry and yet be continually sinning Ans First I doe not say he is continually merry Secondly I say that there is some joy in a godly man's heart even while it is sorry The thing that rejoyceth him notwithstanding his sinnes is the same grace of Faith still whereby he believes that the Lord is mercifull and gracious long-suffering and abundant in goodnesse and truth keeping mercy for thousands forgiving iniquity transgression and sinne Exod 34 6.7 And that he will be so in particular to him because he is none of those to whom he denies to shew himselfe in those termes viz those who sinne presumptuously and with delight So long as he endeavours not to sinne and therefore John first bade the Christians be carefull that they did not sinne before he told them those wordes If he sinne he knowes he hath an advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous who is the propitiation for his sinns 1 John 2.1.2 And knowing that this Advocate was of God's appoynting he is alwaies comforted with this that if he confesse his sinns God will be faithfull and just to forgive him his sinnes upon his intercession 1 John 1.9 2. Second Object Ignorance in spirituall truths Can one that is greedy of knowledge as your godly man is be without his desire and yet be merry Ans Yes he can be so if he be certainly perswaded that he hath recieved an unction whereby he knoweth all things that are for the present needfull to be known 1 Joh 2.27 and that God will certainly guide the meek in judgment and teach the meek his way Psal 25.9 3. Third Obj ct Scarcity and weaknesse of grace Can he that is so much a thirst for more grace and very hungry for the food of life be merry with but a litle of it A very thirsty or hungry stomack cannot be merry with little meat or drink Ans I must needs confesse this is a thing would break my heart for sadnesse so I must say still say you what you will were it not for Faith whereby I believe that God will poure water upon him that is thirsty and slouds upon the dry ground Isa 44 3 and that he will fill the hungry with good things Luk 1.53 He that so much desires to persevere with God knows his inability thereto it is impossible he should be merry if he did not believe that the Lord is faithfull to stablish him keep him from evill 2 Thes 3.3 And he that doth confidently believe this how he can be sad for feare of falling away I see not 4. Fourth Object Strength of corruption and inclination to sinne and love to the creature Can one that is still crying out Who shall deliver me from the body of this death * Rom 7.29 be merrry as long as he is in this bondage Ans Yes he may if besides his being justified neverthelesse by faith in Christ at the present he have also a certaine hope to be eased thereof by little and little as indeed he hath seeing he builds upon it that Christ will be to him first or last wisedome righteousnesse sanctification and redemption 1 Cor 1.30 5. Fifthct Obje The silence of the spirit What can he doe now Ans Faith will comfort him still For by that he believes that his heavenly father will give his holy spirit to them that aske it Luk 11.3 6. Sixth Object Hiding of God's countenance Can he that places all his mirth in or at least grounds it upon the enjoyment of God be forsaken of God and not be sad Ans I confesse here is sadnesse indeed but either first it is but for a moment to speak of as it is said Isa 54.7 For a small moment have I forsaken thee but with great mercies will I gather thee and then you have no reason to make such a matter of it Or secondly It hath together with the shortnesse of the time a knowledge that it will be so which will sprinkle some drops of joy among'st the sorrow even upon the remembrance of this word of God He will not alwaies chide neither will he keep his anger for ever Psal 103.9 Besides the faithfull man cannot forget those words of his Redeemer He that hath my commandements keepeth them he it is that loveth me he that loveth me shall be loved of my father and I will love him and manifest my selfe to him If a man love me he will keep my words and my father will love him and we will come unto him and make our abode with him John 14.21 23. 7. Seventh Object Dulnesse to duties v g prayer c Can a soule that loves God be merry when it cannot expresse it's love to him Ans God forbid a man should be so senslesse as to be merry in such a case But this I say First that he will be so but for a little while Secondly that he is not without comfort because he knowes it inasmuch as he believes that in due time God will prepare his heart and whereby he will be a gainer at such a time as he will cause his eare to heare Psal 10. * Thou wilt prepare their heart thou wilt cause thine eare to heare 17. Though he be streightned in his own spirit and cannot open his mind his comfort is that the spirit of God will make full amends helping his infirmities and making intercession for him with groanings thot cannot be uttered and that to be sure according to * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the will of God which he himselfe perhaps might be defective in Rom 8.26 27. 8. Eighth Object Ill successe in prayer Can