Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
duty_n	call_v	private_a	public_a	1,011	5	6.0450	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A29109	A sermon preach'd before the Right Honourable Lord Mayor and Aldermen, and citizens of London, at St. Lawrence Jewry, on Saturday, September the 28th, 1700 at the election of the Lord Mayor, for the year ensuing / by Samvel Bradford ...	Bradford, Samuel, 1652-1731.	1700 (1700)	Wing B4122; ESTC R19662	14,119	30

fail that very Party which most of all consides in them whereas an able and an honest Man one who fears God is a Man of Truth and a hater of Covetousness can never be really injurious to any side and will always prove a true and a sure Friend to the whole In a word In this and all other your Elections you may safely trust a Man of Virtue a Lover of God and his Country and a hearty Friend to the Establishment of this Kingdom both in Church and State whatever other Denomination may be given him by the contending Parties Secondly That which I would close with is an earnest Exhortation to all those who are or shall be honour'd with any Publick Trust to approve themselves such as I have described that so they may be a Publick Blessing to their Country It is undoubtedly the Duty of every private Man to fear God to be a Man of Truth and to hate Covetousness but when you are called from a private to a publick Station your Obligation is still greater You are set in open view and as your demeanor will be more observ'd so it will have its influence much farther than before Your Reputation is highly concern'd in the matter but which is more considerable your Interest I mean your Spiritual and Eternal Interest is concern'd likewise What might pass for a Virtue in a private Man may not always be worthy of that name in a Magistrate and what was a Fault in the former may be a Crime in the latter Your Country and those who have thought you worthy of advancement among them have a right in you and a just and reasonable expectation from you and Almighty God who expects an account of all the Talents which he hath given to Men will reckon with you very strictly for the use of your Authority and Power He expects that those who represent him should do it becomingly and he will either reward them more liberally or punish them more severely in proportion to their behaviour at the great Day of Account You who are Magistrates of this City have an opportunity put into your hands of bringing great Glory to Almighty God by doing much good to the whole Nation which is apt to take Example and to receive Influence from hence You may at the same time establish to your selves a just and lasting Fame in this World and lay up a very glorious Reward in the World to come To conclude all You may according to the declaration of the Prophet in the Text be both a Blessing and a Glory to the City of which you are Patrons rendering it truly honourable by your good management For if you are Judges as at the first and Counsellors as at the beginning after that your City also shall be call'd the City of Righteousness the faithful City FINIS BOOKS Printed for Matthew Wotton at the Three-Dagger near the Inner-Temple-Gate in Fleetstreet A Sermon Preach'd before the King in St. James's Chappel January 30th 1699. By Samuel Bradford Rector of St. Mary le Bow and Chaplain in Ordinary to his Majesty A Guide to the Devont Christian In Thee Parts The First containing Meditations and Prayers affixed to the days of the Week Together with many Occasional Prayers for particular Persons The Second for more Persons than one or a whole Family for every day of the Week Together with many Occasional Prayers The Third containing a Discourse of the Nature and necessity of the Holy Sacrament Together with Meditation thereon Prayers and Directions for the worthy Receiving thereof To which is Added A Prayer for Ash-Wednesday or any other time in Lent for Good-Friday and any day of Publick Fasting By John Inett M. A. Chanter of the Cathedral Church of Lincoln The Fourth Edition Corrected A Guide to Repentance or the Character and Behaviour of the devout Christian in Retirement By John Inett Chanter of the Cathedral Church of Lincoln The Christians Pattern or a Treatise of the Imitation of Jesus Christ in 4 Books with Cutts written Originally in Latin by Thomas à Kempis now rendered into English To which are added Meditations and Prayers for sick Persons By Gerorge Stanhope D. D. Chaplain in Ordinary to His Majesty Price 5 s. The same Book is Printed in a smaller Letter and sold for 2 s. An Address to those of the Roman Communion in England Occasioned by the late Act of Parliament for the further Preventing the Growth of Popery 12o. An earnest Invitation to the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper wherein all the Excuses that men ordinarily make for their not coming to the Holy Communion are Answered by Jos Glanvil late Minister of Bath A Defence of the 39 Articles of the Church of England written in Latin by J. Ellis S.T.D. now done into English To which are added the Lambeth Articles together with the Judgment of Bp. Andrews Dr. Overal and other Eminent and Learned Men upon them Twelve Sermons preached upon several Occasions By the Right Reverend Father in God Richard Lord Bp. of Bath and Wells His 2d and 3d. Parts of the Demonstration of the Messias in which the Truth of the Christ Religion is Defended especially against the Jews Dr. Barton's Sermon to the Societies for Reformation of Manners Octob. 2. 1699. Occasional Paper N o 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10. The History of the Revolution of Portugal in the year 1640. Or an Account of their Revolt from Spain and Setting the Crown on the Heads of Don John of Braganza Father to Don Pedro the present King and Catharine the Queen Dowager of England

the more universal any Man's Reputation is the greater degree of assurance we have that he is endu'd with the good Qualities which are ascribed to him He who is known and esteem'd by a few may be a Wise and a Good Man But he whom all Men repute so is more probably such an one I proceed now to the next General Head I propos'd viz. Secondly To shew how such Governors are a publick Blessing to the People over whom they are placed insomuch that a City in which they Rule may from them be call'd The City of Righteousness the Faithful City And of this an Account may be given in these two Particulars I. Where such Governors bear Rule it is a good sign of the Piety and Justice and in general of the Virtue of the People over whom they preside II. They are certainly the proper Means and Instruments for promoting Piety and Justice and all manner of Virtue in the Places where they exercise their Authority I. Where such Governors bear Rule it is a good sign of the Piety and Justice and in general of the Virtue of the People over whom they preside Governors do for the most part represent those whom they Govern in their Moral Qualities as well as in other Respects so that when a Nation or City is generally Honest and Virtuous the Magistrates who are a part of the Body are usually so too As on the contrary where there is a general Corruption or Depravation in any Society of Men the Magistrates very rarely escape the Infection This was remarkable in the Roman Common-wealth in which there were as in that of the Israelites Judges at the first and Counsellors at the beginning fit to be propos'd as Examples to those who should succeed But as Covetousness Ambition Luxury and all sorts of Vice increas'd among that People so their Magistrates were tainted together with the rest of the Body and as they help'd to propagate the Corruption so they were an evident sign of a general Depravation among them And this must especially be so where Magistrates are Chosen by the People For Men will choose what they like and good-liking we know proceeds from a resemblance in Temper and Manners II. It is certain that Able and Good Governors are proper Means and Instruments for promoting Piety and Justice and all manner of Virtue in the Places where they exercise their Authority and that both by their Example their Prayers and their Endeavours I. By their Example Both Virtue and Vice are propagated more effectually by Example than either by Persuasion or Command and no Example like that of a Person in Authority He stands upon high Ground so that whatsoever he does is seen and observ'd by all about him and 't is fashionable and therefore reputable to imitate those above us Besides that Inferiors account it their Interest to ingratiate themselves with their Superiors and they will easily apprehend that the way to do this is by endeavouring to imitate them Thus for instance a Magistrate who fears God will by his constant attending the Publick Worship invite and draw others to accompany him and by the gravity and seriousness of his own Behaviour will admonish them to demean themselves decently when they are present No one that is not impudently and incorrigibly Wicked will presume to dishonour the Sacred Name of God by profane Swearing or Cursing in his presence whom he knows to be not only free from such vile Practices himself but heartily to detest them He will by his impartial Observation of all the Divine Laws both instruct and excite all sorts of People to do the like A Magistrate who is a Man of Truth as he will encourage Honest and Good Men to shew themselves and to act freely and boldly so a Knave will sneak before him as being asham'd to have his Falseness and Injustice discover'd and lay'd open to him A Generous and Charitable Magistrate will if it be possible warm and open and enlarge the frozen and contracted Hearts of narrow soul'd Men and excite them in imitation of him to do something handsome and usefull if not out of just Principles yet at least for their own Credit and consequently if what will hardly entitle them to any Reward yet will redound to the Publick Benefit In a word an Able and Good Magistrate will by his Example instruct and edify all that are capable of being improv'd and will put all Impious and Vicious Men out of countenance II. Such Magistrates will farther promote Virtue by their Prayers to Almighty God for the People committed to their Care Joh. 9.31 We know that God heareth not sinners but if any Man be a Worshipper of God and doth his Will him he heareth It is pleasing to God to testify his Approbation of Good Men and to encourage their Piety and Virtue by hearing their Prayers and that not for themselves only but for those also to whom they are related Thus the Prayers of good Parents obtain Blessings for their Children and of good Governors for their People And as nothing can gratify such Magistrates more than to see Piety and Virtue propagated under their Conduct so this is what they will certainly make one of their most earnest Petitions The Israelites were not less beholden to the Prayers of Moses Joshua and Samuel than to their Endeavours as we find in divers Instances in their History and that God who was often prevail'd with by them when they interceeded for that People is still ready to hear the Prayers of all such Magistrates as shall resemble them III. Such Magistrates are farther the great Means and Instruments of promoting Virtue by their Endeavours They are indeed some of the principal Instruments of God appointed to this very purpose those whom he raiseth up with this intention and when they discharge their Duty faithfully they seldom fail of answering their End in a good degree Rom. 13. They fill up the Character which St. Paul gives of a good Ruler that he is not a terror to good works but to the evil so that those who do that which is good shall have praise not only verbal but real praise that is reward of the same For he is the Minister of God for good Ver. 4. and he heareth not the sword in vain but is a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doth evil And this is his constant business Ver. 6. he is God's minister attending continually upon this very thing Thus the Magistrate who fears God remembers that he is deputed by Him that he derives his Authority from Him and that he must be accountable to Him for the exercise of that Power wherewith he is entrusted and therefore will from a principle of Conscience which is the only sure tye and bond of a reasonable Creature discharge his whole Duty to the best of his skill and power And forasmuch as he is sensible that the Happiness of the Publick depends upon the Blessing of the