Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A26068
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A method of daily devotion fitted to the meanest capacities / by W. Assheton.
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Assheton, William, 1641-1711.
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1697
(1697)
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Wing A4035; ESTC R27663
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8,884
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48
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uprightly and zealously do their Duty to the maintenance of thy true Religion and the peace and welfare of these Nations Comfort all those who are any ways afflicted or distressed in Mind Body or Estate especially those who suffer for the Testimony of a good Conscience give them patience under their Sufferings and an happy issue out of all their Afflictions Let thy Blessings rest upon this Family and all that are near and dear to us Grant both to them and us whatsoever thou seest necessary either for our Bodies or our Souls And we desire to return our thankful Acknowledgments for all thy mercies both Spiritual and Temporal Particularly for thy Preservation of us all this Day past Let the same good Providence watch over us this night Keep us by thy Grace from all works of Darkness and defend us by thy Power from all Dangers From Fire and Robbery and all other sad Accidents Grant us moderate refreshing sleep such as may fit us for thy Service the Day following That after the few Days and Nights we have to pass in this world we may come to thy eternal rest together with Christ Jesus In whose blessed Name and Words we further Pray saying Our Father c. After Prayers the whole family doth betake themselves to their rest And being come into your Chamber sit down a little and consider how you have spent the Day past Glance over in your Thoughts what you have said and done Observe likewise what particular Blessings and Deliverance you have received If your Behaviour hath been regular Bless God for it If sinful and extravagant in any instance do not dare to go into your Bed till you have beg'd his Pardon Many as healthful as your self have been found dead the next Morning Kneel down therefore and distinctly say this or the like Prayer Evening Prayer for a private person I Bless and praise thy holy Name most Gracious God for all thy mercies bestowed upon me from the time of my Birth to this present moment I thank thee for the Preservation of the day past Blessed be thy Name for my continued health and food and raiment Blessed be thy Name that my Bones are not broken That I am not now groaning under the sorest 〈◊〉 but that I live at ease and dwell in safety Night and Daye O Pardon and forgive me my manifold Sins particularly here mention the sins of the day past I am truly sorry that I have thus offended thee and do fully purpose to do so no more Assist me by thy Grace and holy Spirit to make good these pious Resolutions and with an honest sincerity to continue in my Duty both towards thee my God and towards my Neighbour I beg thy Blessing for 〈◊〉 Wife and Children my Husband and Children Father and Mother Brethren and Sisters Master Mistress You must name these Relations according as you stand related O that all my friends may be thine And if I have any Enemies Father forgive them Relieve and comfort all those that are in any Distress Make the Earth to bring forth its increase in due season and let all honest and industrious People be succeeded in their Labours Take me into thy care and protection this Night And when I shall awaken again in the Morning help me to employ all my renewed strength to thy Honour and Glory through Jesus Christ in whose Blessed name and words I commend my self to thy infinite mercies saying Our Father c. This Prayer may be likewise said in the Family when there is not time by reason of some extraordinary occasions for the other But then you must change the number saying all along we for I and us for me and our for my c. At your going to Bed say I will lay me down in peace and take my rest for it is thou Lord only that makest me dwell in safety Psal 4. 9. Having composed your self to sleep close your Eyes with the last words of your Blessed Saviour saying Father into thy hands I commend my Spirit Luke 23. 46. I have given you no Directions about Children since your own prudence will best suggest such Instructions as are most suitable to their different Capacities But let me beg of you both as to Children and Servants to take up Joshua's resolution As for me and my House we will serve the Lord. FINIS
God who is a God of Order hath establish'd this method Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and his Righteousness Mat. 6. 33. Whether ye eat or drink or whatsoever ye do do all to the Glory of God 1 Cor. 10. 31. Intimating That the chief end and design the great business for which you are sent into the World it is to Glorife God by saving of your Souls And therefore when God is dishonour'd and the welfare of your Souls is neglected then are your desires or your actions irregular and unlawful Particularly If these Desires shall once prompt you to cozen and cheat and defraud your Neighbour in any instance whatsoever As By telling Lyes to help out a good Bargain By false Weights and Measures By not paying Servants and Workmens wages By not discharging just Debts when it is in your power but keeping other mens Money to their prejdiuce that you your selves may trade with it In these and many other Instances you are apparently Covetous Nay further Though you can truely affirm as you often boast that you never wronged any man living But are most just and punctual in all your dealings and were never worse than your word Yet if your desire of getting an Estate shall be so eager that you shall neglect the Duties of Religion If for instance you cannot stay to say your Prayers in a Morning for fear of neglecting your work And if when you come into God's House there to attend his immediate Service you are then thinking of your worldly Concerns how you may turn your Penny and contrive your Affairs to the best Advantage if the Festivals and Fasts of the Church those Market-days for your Souls shall be a burthen to you saying with those in the Prophet When will the New-Moon be gone that we may sell Corn and the Sabbath that we may set forth Wheat Amos 8. 5. If the care and concern for your Bodies which should be subordinate to that of your Souls shall be thus preferr'd before it your desires are then irregular and unlawful and you are evidently guilty of this Sin of Covetousness Nay yet further Though your Estates may be very honestly gotten yet if you do not use them as you ought nor employ them to those ends for which they were given you are still Covetous Now the only end of wealth is to supply our occasions and to enable us to do good both to our selves and others He therefore that lives meanly and below his Estate when there is no reason so to do That shall pinch and pine his own body by denying it those necessary refreshments it wants That shall neglect the Education and the Marriage of his Children as resolving to part with his Money and his Life together Finally He who shall transgress that most necessary Duty of being charitable to the Poor and relieving those that are in Distress his Gold and his Silver for want of use is cankered and the rust of them shall be a witness against him James 5. 3. Let your Conversation be without Covetousness and be content with such things as ye have for he hath said I will never leave thee nor forsake thee Heb. 13. 5. Be careful for nothing but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God and the peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus Phil. 4. 6 7. Being return'd home in the Evening and your work being finished before you go to Bed let the Master of the Family again call his Houshold together And I wish I could perswade you every night to read some portion of Holy Scripture But lest that should seem too great a burden upon the Week-day I shall reserve it as a proper Task for the Lord's-day and the Festivals of the Church for the due observation of which I do purpose God willing to give you particular Directions in another Paper However though you may want time or are too much wearied to read in your Bible yet pray do not omit to commend your selves to God's Protection in this or the like manner Evening Prayer for a Family ALmighty and Everlasting God and in Jesus Christ our most Merciful and Gracious Father We thy poor unworthy Creatures do most humbly present our selves before thee to confess our sins and to beg thy pardon To acknowledge thy mercies and to bewail our abuses of them We have transgressed our Duty to Thee our Neighbour and our selves And that both in Thought in Word and in Deed by doing those Things which thou hast expresly forbidden and by neglecting those Duties thou hast commanded us And this not only through Ignorance and Frailty but sometimes knowingly and wilfully with repeated vows and resolutions to the contrary Nay O Lord we have despised that Goodness of thine which should lead us to Repentance hardning our hearts against all those means which thou hast used for our amendment And now Lord what can we expect having done these Things but to be utterly abhorred and forsaken by thee that is indeed the due reward of our sins But O Lord there is mercy with thee that thou mayst be feared O fit us for that mercy by giving us a deep and hearty Repentance a sincere Contrition a true sorrow for and perfect hatred of all our sins with a firm resolution to forsake them And then according to thy Goodness let thine anger and thy wrath be turned away from us Look upon us in thy Son our Blessed Saviour and for the Merits of his Sufferings pardon all our Sins And since we are not able of our selves so much as to think one good Thought we beseech thee to work in us both to will and to do according to thy good pleasure And by the Grace of thy Holy Spirit do thou so renew and purify our hearts that we may become new Creatures utterly forsaking every evil way and living in constant sincere universal Obedience to thee all the rest of our Days Make us humble and modest patient and submissive chaste and temperate just and righteous kind and charitable diligent in our Callings and zealous for thy Glory That so having behaved our selves as good and faithful Servants we may by thy mercy at the last be received into the joy of our Lord. And we desire thou knowest the good of all Mankind as well as our own Particularly we implore thy Mercies towards these Kingdoms wherein we live Remember not Lord our Offences nor the Offences of our Forefathers but spare us good Lord and have patience with us if perhaps we may bring forth better Fruit becoming thy holy Gospel and all the care thou hast taken about us Lord save and defend the King and establish his Throne in Righteousness that we may see many happy days under his Government Bless him and us in all his Relations in his Council in all the Nobility Clergy Gentry and Commonalty That every one of them may