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
A73267	The dignitie of Gods children. Or An exposition of 1. Iohn 3. 1.2.3 Plentifully shewing the comfortable, happie, and most blessed state of all Gods children, and also on the contrarie, the base, fearefull, and most wofull condition of all other that are not the children of God.	Stoughton, Thomas.	1610 (1610)	STC 23315.5; ESTC S117855	406,069	519

to be offred 2. Tim. 4. 6. whereby he meaneth the violent death that afterward he was to suffer for the credit of his doctrine and the better sealing vp the truth thereof in the consciences of those that had either heard his preaching or read his writings So to die for the truth is a sacrifice not propitiatorie and meritorious as the Papists blasphemously teach but partly eucharisticall and of thanksgiuing and partly for the confirming and strengthning of other in that truth which they see other to bee ready to seale with their blood and much more to esteeme the same then they doe their owne liues Fourthly we are said by Christ to be made Priests because as the Priests duty of the law was not onely to offer sacrifice but also to teach the people the difference between the holy and profane c. Ezek. 44. 23. in which respect it is also said that the Priests lips should preserue knowledge and that the people should seeke the law out of his mouth Malac. 2. 7. so all the children of God are in these daies especially of the Gospell Ioel 2. 28. to abound more and more in knowledge and in all iudgement that they may be able to discerne things that differ Phil. 1. 9. 10. and to haue the word of Christ dwelling more plentifully in them in all wisedome Coloss 3. 16. and so also the better not onely to try all things 1. Thess 5. 21. euen the spirits whether they be of God or no 1. Ioh. 4. 1. but also to exhort one another daily whiles it is called to day lest any by neglect of this duty be hardned through the deceitfulnesse of sinne Heb. 3. 13. and 10. 25. Coloss 3. 16. 1. Thes 5. 11. Iude 20. And in this respect also as Christ is called a Prophet so for that mutuall duty of teaching admonishing exhorting and edifying one another in the places last before alledged commended to all the children of God they may all not vnfitly be called by the name of Prophets Especially because as notwithstanding teaching belonged as we haue heard to the Priests yet Prophets were extraordinarily for the most part raised vp when the priests began to neglect their duty in that behalfe so in these daies the ordinary ministers too much neglecting their duty of publike teaching the Lord will haue all men the more diligent in the priuate performance of those duties before mentioned and for that respect in some sort to performe the duty of ancient prophets Notwithstanding euen this propheticall duty I comprehend vnder the priesthood of Gods children as some learned of late times haue also comprehended the propheticall office of Christ vnder his priesthood as a part thereof To returne therefore vnto or to dwell a little longer in the Priesthood which the children of God haue by the priesthood of Christ the same is the more to be considered because of the generality thereof In the time of the law the priesthood of the law was restrained First to one sex viz. only to the males Secondly to one age at which it should begin and at which it should end touching the necessary execution of their office at least of one part thereof for the offering of sacrifices Thirdly to one tribe the tribe of Leui. Fourthly to one family the family of Kohath the sonne of Leui. Fiftly to one house of that family to the posterity of Amran the sonne of Kohath Exod. 6. 18. and 20. Sixtly to one of the sonnes of Amran to Aaron and to his posterity for euer Exod. 28. 1. Leuit. 8. 1. Numb 3. 10. and 18. 7. Seuenthly touching some speciall offices of the priesthood to one only place to certainetimes yea for the high priest to enter into the most holy place at one time only of the yeere Heb 9. 7. and for other to performe their duties by course Luk. 1. 8. Eightly that priesthood had an end at the comming of Christ in Christ himselfe Thus we see within what limits the priesthood of the law was ranged and restrained But this priesthood whereof now we speake is common to all the children of God of all sexes ages and times yea it was in the time of the law though made more manifest in the time of the Gospell It may be performed in all places and at all times not only with company but by euery one alone yea it shall continue to the end of the world yea as touching the offring of the sacrifice of praise it shall continue for euer after the generall resurrection in the heauens themselues Moreouer the former priesthood of the law was both distinguished and also separated from the ciuill magistracie so that the King might not be Priest neither execute the Priests office Therefore it is said that the heart of Vzziah was lift vp within him when he entred into the temple of the Lord to burne incense vpon the altar of incense And that Azariah the Priest withstood him and told him that it pertained not vnto him to burne incense to the Lord but to the Priests the sonnes of Aaron and that therefore the Lord immediatly smot him with leprosie c. 2. Chron. 26. 16. c. Neither also might the Priest take vpon him the office of the king or of any ciuill magistrate except it were extraordinarily 1. Sam. 4. 8. because as those things that God had coupled no man might put a sunder Mat. 19. 6. so those things that God had separated no man might ioine together Yea the rest of the Leuites that had the charge of the tabernacle and of things pertaining thereunto might not meddle with the works of the priesthood Num. 18. 3. except only extraordinarily and in the case of necessity when there were noe priests enow sanctified for the works of the Priesthood 2. Chron. 29. 34. But touching this priesthood now spoken of kings may and must execute the office thereof as well as subiects yea Kings and Queens with all their royall posterity are and must bee Priests in this manner If they should disdaine this name they must also renounce the title of the children of God which is greater then the title of earthly King or Queene c. Thus we see the excellency of the priesthood of all the sons and daughters of God by Christ Iesus Honorable was the priesthood of the law yea so honorable that Iehoshebeth daughter of king Iehoram grand child of Iehoshaphat sister of king Ahaziah and aunt of king Ioash was wife to Iehoiada the Priest 2. Chron. 22. 11. So honorable also that Vzziah king of Iudah not contented with his kingly state as we haue heard did aspire to the priestly dignity Would kings haue married their daughters to Priests Would kings haue bin ambitious for the priestly dignity if they had not thought very honorably of that calling How honorable then is the priesthood of the children of God by Iesus Christ As the children of God haue Christs name of Priest communicated vnto them and are

shewing the reason thereof to be partly because the world knoweth not God himselfe and partly because the future state and condition of Gods children is not so apparent to the world as it is to themselues From hence he taketh occasion to set foorth their future excellencie and happinesse whatsoeuer their present basenesse and miserie seeme to bee and last of all sheweth what vse they are to make in the meane time of their hope of the said future excellencie and happinesse This briefly is the summe of all these three first verses of this Chapter viz. that in them is contained as first I said both the excellencie of the children of God and also their duty according to their said excellencie To speake more particularly of these words concerning the former of these two points let vs obserue these two things viz. 1. The exhortation it selfe to the serious consideration of the excellencie of Gods children 2. The preuenting of an obiection that might haue beene made against the same The exhortation is in these words Behold what loue the Father hath giuen vnto vs that wee should be called the sonnes of God The preuenting of the obiection is in the words following both in that verse and also in the second Then in the third verse followeth the dutie of the children of God by occasion of the second part of his answer to the former obiection To returne to the exhortation let vs first of all note and Note but note this one thing namely that as in other places of Scripture the holy Ghost commendeth the loue of God toward vs in making his owne Sonne to bee the sonne of man for vs so heere hee commendeth his loue towards vs in making vs that are but men to be the sonnes of God As in other places we are taught that the sonne of God was made also the sonne of man so heere we are taught that the sonnes of men are also made the sonnes of God and this he doth the better as was before noted to prouoke them afterward to the loue of them whom God so loueth as to make them his children for it cannot be but that the more men doe consider of the loue of God towards themselues and other in making them his children the more they should be prouoked to loue them whom God hath loued and made his children as well as themselues To returne againe to the present exhortation let vs first briefly consider the words thereof particularly and then more largely lay foorth the thing it selfe that is the dignitie of Gods children heere specially commended to our beholding The words vsed by the Apostle are euery one very emphaticall and significant and such as doe import the dignitie of Gods children to be very great Behold The first word Behold is a note of attention or of exhortation to the most diligent marking and obseruing of that which followeth It is often vsed in the Scripture and prefixed before matters of great moment and importance that by the hearers or readers they may the better bee noted and obserued Psal 77. 5. Come and behold the workes of God c. Psal 133. 1. Behold how good and how comely a thing it is brethren to dwell euen together Psal 134. 1. Behold praise ye the Lord all ye seruants of the Lord c. Ioh. 1. 29. Behold the Lambe of God c. Luc. 19. 8. And Zacheus stood foorth and said vnto the Lord Behold Lord the halfe of my goods I giue to the poore c. Rom. 11. 22. Behold therefore the bountifulnesse and seuerity of God c. In all these and diuers other the like places the word Behold is vsed to prouoke men diligently to note and marke and not to looke as it were asquint or glauncingly to cast one eie aside at a thing but with both eies to take a view of that which is commended vnto vs yea not only to marke with the eies of our body but also to note with the eies of our minde For it is all one with the word Consider 1. Sam. 12. 24. Consider how great things the Lord hath done for you c. Oh consider this ye that forget God c. Psal 50. 22. Therefore in some places the holy Ghost is not content with the word Behold alone but he ioineth another therewith of like signification euen the word see to excite and awaken men to the more serious consideration of the matter spoken of as Lament 1. 12. to mooue all men the more diligently to marke the wofull state of Ierusalem the Prophet speaking in the person of Ierusalem saith Behold and see if there bee any sorrow like vnto my sorrow It is also a vsuall thing with vs when we thinke men do not well consider any ware or other benefit offred vnto them to say thus I pray see it I pray you behold it c. This then is it that the Apostle signifieth and requireth by this word in the first place that men should diligently note marke obserue and consider the loue of God towards other men towards themselues in making them his children and that as a matter of great worth and excellencie Yea the Apostle insinuateth by this word that although the dignitie and honourable state of Gods children be very great yet men are too secure and negligent in beholding the same except they bee roused vp and awakened and in a manner cried vnto as men in a dead sleepe yea as Christ cried with a loud voice to Lazarus in the graue to behold it If it were not so the Apostle would haue rested contented himselfe in that mention which he had made of our being the children of God in the end of the former chapter But because hee saw that men for the most part were heerein asleepe therefore concerning this matter hee speaketh vnto them as another Apostle speaketh in another matter Awake thou that sleepest and stand vp from the dead Ephes 5. 14. and saith heere Behold what loue the Father hath giuen vnto vs that wee should be called his children Touching earthly dignities and prerogatiues we are wakefull enough Our eies are alwaies both broad open and euer poring into them so that wee need not be bidden to behold for wee see and behold too much Or if at any time wee fall asleepe touching this matter yet wee are halfe awake and the least whispering that is of any worldly preferment will make vs start vp and stand vpon both our legges and looke round about vs and ouer euery mans head though taller then our selues by the head not only to looke vpon it but also to looke after it and if possibly we can by hooke or crooke to get it euen from them that are ten times more worthy of it then our selues Yea so much doe wee looke vpon and after such matters that either we haue neuer an eie to behold this dignity of Gods children or any such spirituall matter or else we see but weaklie and dimlie