Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
duty_n	christian_a	faith_n	life_n	1,074	5	4.4282	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B02840	The unsearchable riches of Christ, and of grace and glory in and thorow [sic] him. Diligently searched into, clearly unfolded, and comfortably holden forth, in fourteen rich gospel sermons preached on several texts, at communions, in Glasgow. / By the late pious & powerful gospel-preacher in that city, Mr. James Durham.	Durham, James, 1622-1658.	1685 (1685)	Wing D2827; ESTC R171877	237,276	370

least Omission of any dutie more then doth the Law 3. The Authority and obligation that lyes on and binds to Holiness is no less in the Gospel then it is in the Law yea we may say that the obligation is in some respect greater But they deffer in these Three 1. That the Gospel taketh in the Penitent though he hath not been perfect and exact and gives him pardon through Christ which the Law doth not 2. The Gospel calleth for dutie in the strength of Christ and furnisheth strength for dutie but the Law now furnisheth no strength but only supposeth it It only giveth out the word of Command requiring of men that they walk in the strength which they had once in Adam so that though the Authority and Obligation be the same yet the manner and Certification is not the same if there be any breach or failing the law sayes Thou shalt certainly die But the Gospel as I said admits of Repentance and fleeing to Jesus Christ Who took on him the curse of the Law 3. The law accepts of no dutie if it be not exactly perfect in the degree But the Gospel accepts of duty though imperfect if there be sincerity It accepts on Christs account of a man according to that which he hath if there be a willing mind So then when ye are called to walk as becomes the Gospel ye would know that ye are not to dispense with your selves in the least in any duty that the law calleth for though the Gospel doth indeed more sweetly call for it Its Exactors and officers being peace and righteousness It 's the same Holiness in the matter extent and degree which the Gospel calleth for with that of the Law though it much differeth as to the Manner of calling for it Secondly That we may know what is called for in the Gospel as a walk or Conversation becoming the same and so may yet further know the nature of Gospel-holiness which was the Second thing we proposed to speak to Ye would consider the Gospel as it 's distinguished from the law and as it holds our Grace Where we would speak 1. Of some qualifications that the Gospel addeth as to the Performance of the same duties which t●● Law requires 2. Of some particular duties which it doth more especially call for and which were not severals of them at least so proper to the law As for the qualifications of dutie which the Gospel addeth they are these 1. A new end for our end in duty now is not to gain life by it but simply to glorifie God as we may see 1 Cor. 10.31 I will not say but this end was in the Covenant of works but in the Gospel this is not only the main end but some way the only end and the other quite excluded and thrust out and when we speak of the glory of God we take in the glory of Grace and the glory of the Redeemer who furnisheth Grace 2. It adds a sweet Motive viz. love to Jesus Christ The love of Ch i st saith the Apostle 2 Cor. 5.14 Constraineth us It is no more meer awe that is the Motive but love and love to God in Christ who hath redeemed and bought us 3. The Gospel qualifies our obedience and walk as to our undertaking thereof that it be not in our own strength but in the strength of Jesus Christ it teacheth us to go through the wilderness leaning on the Beloved and leaving the burden of the work on him trusting more to him then to our own feet or strength as knowing that we cannot criple out the way nor do any thing without him as it is John 15.5 4. There is a Qualification required in respect of the frame of our own heart with respect to a twofold fear one is a filial and reverentiall fear that proceeds from Faith in which we are to work out the work of our Salvation The other is that it be without the fear that is opposite to the former as the word is Luke 1.74 The Gospel calleth us in our walk to have a fear without fear a reverentiall fear without slavish fear it would have us neither to be altogether afraid because of the Law which hath terror nor to be without filial fear for that is presumption but to have faith and fear mixed together 5. The Gospel qualifies our walk in spiritual duties in respect of our cheerfulness in going about them which are to us in so far as we have corruption in us Heavy and grievous but the Gospel maketh them easy and light as it is said Matth. 11. ult His yoke is easie and His burden light Though it be a Yoke yet it is portable and light when Christ and the Believer are yoked together nor are any of His Commands grievous as it is 1 John 5.3 6. Though the Gospel call for Holiness yet it makes the person to be denyed to it It 's a Gospel-walk to be Holy but it takes in that with it which we have Philip. 3. To forget those things that are behind to be denyed and dead to all our attainments and to count all but loss and dung for Christ It was indeed a law-walk to be blameless but it is a Gospel walk to study to be blameless and pressing hard after perfect Holiness and yet to foget it and to be denyed to all conceit of it and to be desirous to be found in Christ Jesus not having our own righteousness which is by the Law but the righteousness which is by Faith As for the Particular duties at least some of the duties that are more particularly called for in this walk and Conversation becoming the Gospel Ye may take these shortly The First whereof is a living by Faith and that is when a Christian hath Faith and the exercise of it on Christ as it were another life to him for though there was a life of faith or of dependance on God in Adam before the fall yet not the life of Faith in a Redeemer I live saith the Apostle Gal. 2.20 Yet not I but Christ liveth in me and the life that now I live in the flesh is by faith on the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me And this is to be taken along the Christians walk even a Continued application to and of Christ This is that which he first betakes himself to for Righteousness yea when right he employs him constantly as He is made of God to him Wisdome Righteousness Sanctification and Redemption As he is said to be made to believers 1 Cor. 1.30 The second is the exercise of Repentance which was not called for as a duty by the Law though much ruine followed the breach of it This was the sum of Johns and of Christs preaching Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand Though it be Alace a very much slighted exercise yet dayly Repentance notably suiteth a Conversation becoming the Gospel 3. A Gospel-Conversation would be in and with the

Philippians to be followers of him and here he tells them that his Conversation is in Heaven and if his Conversation was in Heaven then certainly it was their duty and is ours to have our Conversation in Heaven for he proposeth himself as our pattern in this and we have it from the Spirit of God by him pressed on us as our duty to imitat him in this thing It is not so singular a practice as to be peculiarized Monopoliz'd and engrossed to him alone but such as was common to him and other serious Christians according to their measure Therefore he says not My Conversation but Our Conversation as if he had said it 's mine and the Conversation of others and of all that follow me and I would have you in this to follow me and none other that doth not walk as I do If it be needfull further to confirme it ye may take this one reason which hath several arguments in the bosom of it A Christians Conversation should be Heavenly because all that a Christian hath is from and in Heaven and is some way Heavenly as will manifestly appear if ye look first to a Christians nature it 's from Heaven He is Partaker of the Divine Nature He is born of God He is of the new Jerusalem his Father is Heavenly as he is taught to pray Our Father which art in Heaven Or our Heavenly Father to point out that as we have born the Image of the earthly so must we bear the Image of the Heavenly as it is 1 Cor. 15.49 Where is the elder Brother Is he not in the Heavenly places As the Apostle tells us Ephes 2.6 His Treasure is in Heaven His hope is in Heaven Heaven is the City the Mansion the rest whither He is travelling or if Secondly ye consider the Believers calling and his obligation Thereby he is partaker of the Heavenly calling as it is Heb. 2.1 Separated from the rest of the world and therefore ought not to live as the world doth He hath a Heavenly law to walk by he hath Heavenly promises to feed and live upon and to comfort himself in his happiness is Heavenly and all the Duties that he is called to are so of which this is the substance and sum even to glorifie God and to seek to enjoy him and so to shine in his Conversation as others may be provoked to glorifie God are not his prayers and praises Heavenly and can a believer possibly go aright about those and not be Heavenly to be Translated from darkness to light to be a partaker of the Sanctifieing spirit of God to be a new Creature to have the spirit of Adoption to have boldness of access to God to be an Heir and a joint-Heir with Christ c. Are not these Heavenly Or if Thirdly We look to his company is it not Heavenly We are come saith the Apostle Heb. 12. To God the Judge of all to Jesus the Mediator of the new Covenant to the new Jerusalem which taketh in all the Saints in Heaven the Saints on earth to an innumerable company of Angels to the general assembly of the first born to the Spirits of just men made perfect In a word whatever we look to whether to the Believers nature or to his end or to the rule of his walk or to the Promises or to his work and way wherein he is to go all is Heavenly is there not an oblidging necessity on the Believer in respect of all these to study to be Heavenly in his Conversation Which is the great thing that the Apostle Paul presseth on you and from these words is clearly pressed on all Christians The Uses are Four The First whereof serves for Instruction and Infirmation to all that bear the Name of Christ know from this what is the high pitch of Holiness that ye are called to It is even to be Heavenly in your Conversation are there not many who have much need to be instructed in this Who never walked under the Conviction of the necessity of this as a duty otherwise were it possible that the most part of men and women who are called Christians and profess a hope of Heaven could or durst live as they do some in Prophanity Riotousness and gluttony others in meer civility and Morall Honesty and others in Formality and Hypocrisie at the best Let me ask you in good earnest are ye not convinced that this is a duty or do you think that Paul was scorning or complementing when he exhorts to follow him in this Or is it possible that ye can enjoy so many Heavenly priviledges or be to any purpose performing heavenly duties except ye be Heavenly in your Conversation And if so Mistake not Christianity as if when ye are exhorted to be Christians ye were only bidden not to be prophane or only to go about the externall duties of Religion or only to have a sort of meerly Moral sincerity and seriousness in the performing of them which are indeed things good in themselves and we do not we dare not disallow them but rather commend them but ye are called to more to much more and that is to be Heavenly-minded and to have your Conversation in Heaven I know some are so profane and others are so misbelievingly discouraged that when they hear such doctrine as this they will be ready the one sort to say We cannot all be Saints and the other Alace we cannot be Saints but let all such mouths be stopped ye are called and oblidged indispensibly to be Saints and if ye be not Saints here ye shall never be Saints hereafter There are also some of so distempered dispositions and humours that they either put off all or most duties or at least go very heartlesly about them because they cannot attain perfection in them but it 's clear from the Scriptures that there is a kind of Perfection to be win at here in this life which is even this Holiness and Heavenliness of Conversation When ye shall be called to a reckoning God will not ask you so much whether ye did not Drink drunk Whore Swear Lie Cheat Steal or the like as whether ye were Heavenly in your Conversation and this is not to be astricted to one or to some few particular duties but is the requisit qualification of a Christian in all duties and in all his actions whether he be Praying Practising Hearing Reading Buying Selling Eating Drinking c. Or whatever He do and be about he is to be Heavenly in all those And if ye Ask more particularly what that is I shall shew you in what respect a Christian may be said to have and should have his Conversation in Heaven And First in respect of the inward Holy frame and Divine se●t of his heart he should be Heavenly in that free from those distempering Passions that the men of this world are subjected nay enslaved unto and hurried with He should not have his affections dragging on the earth nor his