Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
duty_n	child_n	parent_n	person_n	2,074	5	5.3963	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A67760	An infallible vvay to farewell in our bodies, names, estates, precious souls, posterities : together with, mens great losse of happinesse, for not paying, the small quitrent of thankfulness : whereunto is added remaines of the P.A., a subject also of great concernment for such as would enjoy the blessed promises of this life, and of that ot come / by R. Younge ...	Younge, Richard.	1660 (1660)	Wing Y165; ESTC R3044	119,764	146

canst spare or if thou hast nothing to sell yet God commandeth thee rather then thou shouldest neglect these Works of Mercy to labour with thy hands that thou mayest have to give unto him that needeth Epbes. 4. 28. And therefore excuse not thy neglect of this duty by saying that thou hast nothing for them unless thou hast nothing to waste upon thy superfluous vanities nothing to sell unless thou art unable by thy honest labour to earn thy living and art thy self such an one as needeth by others to be relieved that the poorest are not exempted from this duty we may see in the example of the poor Widow who was so commended by our Saviour for casting into the Treasury her two mites which was all her substance Mark 12. 43. In the Macedonians who being themselves poor gave even above their ability to the relief of those that were poorer 2 Cor. 8. 2. In the Apostles Acts 3. 6. and in our Saviour Christ himself who though he were so poore that he lived upon what others out of their love and duty ministred unto him as appears Luke 8. 3. yet he himself gave Alms to those who were in greater want as we may gather John 12. 6. 8. Yea if we did indeed rightly consider it our small means should move us the rather to give and the more carefully to exercise this Christian duty since this is the means whereby being poor we may become richer as I have plentifully proved in the Prevention of Poverty Chap. 30. which I may not stand to repeat See Prov. 3. 9 10 11. 24 25. 28. 27. Psal. 112. 3. Isa. 32. 8. Luke 6. 38. 2 Cor. 9. 6. Which Scriptures shew that giving to the poor does not weaken but much strengthen our Estates and is so far from being the cause of our want and poverty that it is the onely means to keep us from it and bring to us plenty and abundance Besides if having little we are content in obedience to God to part with somewhat we perform a duty the more acceptable to God and in the day of Christ's appearing we shal be so much the more richly rewarded and for the present our Work will be so much the more commendable as wee may see Mark 12. 43. 2 Cor. 8. 2. Neither are we to imagine that if we be careful in feeding Christ that he will be careless in feeding us that he will deny us meat who hath given us his precious blood that he will suffer us to want Earthly tr●●les who hath provided for us heavenly riches Let such more then heathenish diffidence be far from us who professe our selves to be of the Houshold of Faith But rather let us believe God under hope above hope that is when in respect of humane means and second causes we have cause to despaire as Abrahams in the case of a Child when there was no possibility in Nature nor prohability in Reason CHAP. LX. Obj. BUt there are many Richer by far then thee who give as little as thou dost therefore if they neglect to give much more mayest thou as thou supposest and yet be excused To this I answer If thou wilt do as others or as the most and richest do then wo unto thee for the most and greatest go the broad way to destruction or if thou wilt not live by Precepts but by Examples why dost thou then propound for thy pattern those who are carnal covetous and not rather the example of our Saviour Christ and the holy men of God whose bounty even out of their poverty is for this very purpose recorded in the Scriptures I but wil the Worldling say I have a great Charge and many Children and therefore I must not give away my Goods to strangers for the Apostle teacheth us that Parents must lay up for their Children and that he who neglecteth this duty hath denyed the Faith and is worse then an Infidel 1 Tim. 5. 8. Unto whom I answer with Bazil They who are miserable having Wife and Children would not be liberal if they were without them Again Was not the Gospel written a●wel to the married as unmarried To Parents as wel as to those who have no Children Thirdly Didst thou desire Children of God or did he give thee Children that thou mightest make them a Plea and Priviledge to neglect his Commandments and thy duty and love to Christ Or maist thou not justly fear if thou thus abusest the blessing of posterity that God wil lessen their number lighten thee of this Charge and so take away thy excuse by depriving thee of thy chiefest comfort The which should be most just with God so to punish thee seeing thou makest Idols of them loving them better then God who gave them But thy Children are dear unto thee and must be provided for and reason good Yet let thy God be dearer and let them not make thee to neglect him who gave thee to thy self and them unto thee and hath provided all that thou enjoyest both for thee and them Provide for them a competency or sufficiency but deny not unto God of thy abundance and superfluity But I may answer thee in thine own words He that provideth not for his family is worse then an Infidel If thou art a Believer Christ's Family is thy Family Epth. 3. 15. Heb. 2. 11 13 14 16 17. They are thy Mother Brethren and Sisters If we be members of one body we should think the discommodities of our Brethren pertain to our selves Men do well to provide for their Wife and Babes but not then when the present necesstities of others cannot be supplyed without the same bee lessened How did they in the second and fourth of the Acts provide for their Families Wives and Children when they sold their Houses and Lands and gave away all the money Were they worse then Infidels because they were more careful to supply the present wants of the Saints then to provide for themselves Wives and Children 2 Cor 8. 14. Acts 4. 34 35 36 37. The Psalmist speaking of the wicked says They leave their substance to their Babes Psal. 17. 14. They put Wife and Children into their Wills but leave out Christ and his Children because they love Wife and Children more then Christ. But let such know He that loveth Father or Mother more then me is not worthy of me Matth. 10. 37. Luke 10 36 37 ●8 If any man come to me and hate not his Father and Mother and Wife and Children yea and his own life also he cannot be my Disciple Luke 14. 26. And the Apostles could say Behold we have for saken all and followed thee Mat. 19. 27. 29. 2 Cor. 4. 18. But lastly let men leave to their Children never so great Estates they shall be never the better for thein if they have not the blessing of God withal And is it likely that he wil bless unto them thine Estate which is gotten and raked together by unjust keeping that which he

beneficial guests to their hostes and hostesses and ever payd ablessing for their entertainment Elias requited his hostesse with a supernaturall provision He gave also her owne and her sons life to her for his board Yea in that wofull famine 1 King 17. He gave her and her sonne their board for his house-room Yea it is storied of Pyrrbus an Heathen that he did exceedingly grieve for that a friend of his hapned to dye before he had requi●ed his many favours Those hearts that are truly thankfull delight no lesse in the repayment of a good turn then in the receit and do as much study how to shew their servent affections for what they have received as how to compasse favours when they want them Their debt is their burthen which when they have discharged they are at ease and not before Resembling Homer who never forgot to requite a benefit received nor could be at rest untill he had done it CHAP. XIX Nor can there be a better signe of true love and sound amendment then that we can be content to be loosers by our repentance Many formall penitents have yielded to part with so much of their sinne as may abate nothing of their profit It is an easie matter to say yea and think what they say to be true that they love God and Christ. There is no Dives among us but he thinks scorne to be charged with the want of love What not love God But aske his conscience the next question What good hast thou done for his sake No he can remember none of that no goodnesse no workes of mercy or charity hath come from him all his life long But know this thou wretched rich miserly muckworme that thou art bound to performe these works of mercy to the poore both out of duty and thankefulnesse to him who hath given thee thy selfe and all that thou hast Yea if thou beest not a meere beast or blocke When thou beholdest them the poor I meane behold how thou art beholding to Him that suffered thee not to be like them Hath God given thee all things and dost thou then thinke it a great matter to give him back something especially seeing thou givest him but of his owne as David gladly acknowledged 1 Chr. ● 9 14. For shame consider of it and let thy conscience make answer to what I shall aske thee what can be more equall and just then to give a little unto him who hath given all unto us especially seeing he hath granted unto us the use onely of what we possesse reserving still the chief propriety unto himselfe and to spare something unto the poor out of our abundance at his request who hath not spared to give unto us his onely begotten and dearly beloved sonne that by a shamefull death he might free us from everlasting death and condemnation and purchase for us eternall happiness Yea in truth what madnesse is it to deny being requested to give at his appointment some small portion of our goods who by his owne sight and authority may take all And what senselesse folly were it to turne away our face from him when he asketh in the behalfe of the poor some earthly and momentany trifles from whom we expect as his free gift Heavens felicity and everlasting glory CHAP. XX. But to drive home this duty to mens consciences see further what cause we have to extend our liberality to the relief of Christs poore members For here I shall take occasion to slide into a discourse which in the Title page I durst not once mention as well knowing how averse most men are and how desperately most rich mens hearts are hardned against the poore whereof I le onely give you an instance Some six years since having taken no small paynes in composing the Poores Advocate in eight parts I printed the first two of them with these words in the front That it is an incomparable favour to the rich that there are poore to accept of their Charity had they the Wit to know it This they no sooner read but their bloods would rise saying We must be beholding to the poore to accept of our charity wee 'l see them hanged first An expression more fit for a Caniball then a Christian And certainly such men had need to look to it in time for of all men in the world they shall have judgement without mercy that are so miserably unmercifull And I would wish them to take heed of turning the deaf ear to Christ when in his members he cryes to them for mercy lest Christ turnes the deaf ear to them when they being in far greater need shall cry to him for mercy Again which is worth the observing when the said two parts took so with the good that provision was made a way thought upon that to every rich man in the Nation there should be one of them freely given for the poores good by the Clarkes of every Parish they I mean some of them so abused their trust that the donor was forced to withdraw his hand whereby both Rich and Poore might sustain no little loss the one in their souls the other in their purses For it is well known that a person of quality upon the reading of it sent in many hundred pounds to the out parishes to he be bestowed by the Church-Wardens upon their poore If any shall think I wrong Parish Clarkes let them but ask the Clark of Lawrence Church whether the then Reverend Pastour did not deliver him five and fifty of those Bookes with the names of five and fifty rich men in that parish together with a great charge to deliver them into every of their hands And whether he did not most perfidiously and sacrilegiously barter them away to the Booke Women for other Bookes instead of giving them to the parties And this for I le mention no more I acquaint the world with as tendring the good of his soul more then that of his honour for I have done in private what lies in me to make him sensible of the crime but he is the more obstinate Now that I have taken occasion to shrowd the Remaines of the poores Advocate under the notion of how to become happy here and hereafter these are my reasons First Bounty to the poore is the most proper meanes tending to happiness And secondly it is very probable that many will read or hear thus far under this notion whether out of curiosity or self ends and having heard hitherto will be willing also to hear me a few words in behalf of the poore which is of no less concernment when otherwise they would have heard neither of both Now such as have read the two first parts of The Poores Advocate may remember that I have dispatched these six heads 1. The necessity of the duty 2. The persons of whom it is required 3. They to whom it must be performed 4. VVhat 5. How 6. How much we are to give In the other six parts I intended