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	good_a	holy_a	1,105	5	4.0458	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A07200	Christian humiliation, or, A treatise of fasting declaring the nature, kindes, ends, vses, and properties of a religious fast: together with a briefe discourse concerning the fast of Lent. By Henry Mason, pastor of Saint Andrews-Vndershaft London.	Mason, Henry, 1573?-1647.	1625 (1625)	STC 17602; ESTC S120999	101,549	174

death passion should bee celebrated with all thankfulnes about the same season in which he endured them a Ieiunandum orandum est Et quando potiùs quando instantiùs quàm propinquante Dominicae passionis solennitate quae celebritate anniuersariâ quodāmodo nobis eiusdē noctis memoriâ resculpitur ne obliuione deleatur Aug. de Diuer Serm. 74. c. 5. pag. 499. B. And the maner in which such sufferings of his may be most liuely represented and remembred by vs is if we passe those dayes in humiliation and sorrow whereby we may bee made conformable to his passion and death and by which wee may in a good sence be said to fulfill that which Christ did foretell when he said (b) Luk. 5.35 The dayes will come when the Bridegroome shall be taken away from them then shall they fast in those dayes And sure God himselfe by so obscuring the sunne that contrary to the course of nature it was darkened all the time that Christ was on the Crosse doth teach vs with what behauiour we should passe the time of his Sonnes sufferings and death And from hence I may conclude in St. Augustines words c c In qua parte anni congruentiùs obseruatio Quadragesimae constitueretur nisi confini atque continuà Dominicae passloni Aug. epist 119. ad Ianuar. cap. 15. pa. 195. f. In what part of the yeere could Lent haue bin more fitly placed then in that which is ioyned to our Lords passion and death Secondly because the Feast of Easter was now at hand and that was the day in which our Lord rose againe from his graue in which new Conuerts were baptized in great number and in which all sorts of men did come in flockes to the receiuing of the Lords Supper And therefore as the Euangelist saith of the Iewes Easter (a) Ioh. 19.31 that that was an high day so it may much more be said of the Christians Easter that it is an high day and to bee kept with all celebrity and in the most deuoutest manner And in respect heereof the Ancients were wont to keepe this Feast not for one day onely or for three dayes space as wee now doe but for a whole weeke together Yea and some festiuity and remembrance of it they kept for sixe weekes more euen till Whitsontide or the day of Pentecost Now that the great celebrity of this high day might be performed with better deuotion and more religious reioycing the ancient Fathers thought it necessarie that men should bee prepared aforehand for the performance of so weighty a seruice And therefore as the Iews (b) 2 Chron. 35.6 Ioh. 11.55 had their dayes of preparation before the Passeouer and as Christians haue their fasting eues to goe before their festiuall dayes that by their former dayes repentance they may be prepared for an holy reioycing the next day after so the Christian Church did thinke it necessary before this great Feast of Christs Resurrection to appoint some large and solemne time for humiliation and conuersion that men being prepared by a serious practice of al good duties they might be the more fit to pray for the new Conuerts and to receiue the blessed Sacrament and to praise God for his Sons Resurrection and to passe this holy day with an holy and heauenly reioycing And these I take it were the true reasons V. The fift and last question concerning Lent is What relation this Fast of fortie dayes in the Church hath to that of our Sauiour when he fasted forty dayes in the Wildernesse Answ To this question there bee three answeres 1. That our Lord as himselfe fasted fortie dayes in the manner declared so he appointed and ordained that his Disciples the whole Church after him should follow his example and fast once in the yeere so many dayes as he had done before in the wildernesse This seemeth to bee the opinion of (a) Enchitid lo. de Ieiun pag. 563. in solutione sextae oblectionis Coster and (b) de Quadr. cap. 1. pag. 392. seqq Filesacus and the (c) To. 2. Sabbatho post Cineres pag. 117 118. Author of the Booke called Antiquitates Liturgicae Answ 2. The second answere is that though Christ did not in words giue any such Law or appoint any such order yet his bare example doth tye Christians to the like obseruation practice Of this opinion some later Diuines in the Roman Church may seeme to bee who as (d) Quidam iuniores consent esse iure Diuino sancitum id probant quia aliqui veteres Ecclesia Patres videntur decuisse illud esse iuris Diuini quoniā Christus quadraginla diebus quadra ginta noctibus iejunium seruauit Azor. Instit part 1. l. 7. cap. 12. q. 1. pa. 566. col t. Azorius saith of them did thinke that Dent-Fast was by Diuine Law because some of the Fathers seeme to say that it was of Gods appoynting for that Christ did fast forty dayes and forty nights But these two answeres haue small shew of probability and no ground of certainety at all For all the reason that they alledge is so farre as I know only the authorities of some Fathers which haue not that meaning as Doctors of their owne Chruch haue endeuoured to declare Answ 3. The third answere is that neither Christs precept nor practice doth force or require Christians to keepe a Fast of fortie dayes or this which we call our Lent-Fast but yet the Church did appoint and doth obserue this number of daies in their Lent-Fast with respect and reference to the like number of dayes that Christ fasted in the wildernesse To this purpose Tostatus seemeth to speake when he saith that a Dicendū quòd hoc non prouenit ex alique mandato Christi sed ex solo Ecclesiae statuto Habuit tamen illud causas pendentes ex hoc facto Tostat in Mat. 4. q. 18. our fortie dayes Fast doth not proceede from any precept of Christ but onely from the constitution of the Church yet it had saith he reasons drawne from this Fast of Christ And Stapleton b Ieiunat igitur Ecclesia 40. diebus ad exemplum Christi non quide simpliciter quia Christus sic fecit sed quia eius exemplo sic faciendum esse in hac parte eius vesligia sequenda esse Ecclesia ab Apostolorū tempore docuit Stap. Prompt Cathol Dominic 1. Quadr. text 1. pag. 78. The Church saith he doth fast fortie dayes after the example of Christ not simply because Christ did so but because the Church hath taught vs by his example to doe so Which words may againe seeme to carrie the like meaning But it mattereth not what they mean (c) D. Field of the Church l. 3. cap. 19. pag. 105 106. A reuerend and learned Writer in our own Church hath deliuered the poynt in much more distinct maner Hee saith three things 1. That it is very fit there

prayers night and day In which sentence wee may consider two things for this purpose first that this holy woman made a dayly practice of fasting shee serued God in this manner night and day which sheweth that she fasted ordinarily and for an ordinary exercise of deuotion Secondly That by this kinde of fasting she serued God And if shee serued God by her fasting we need not feare lest wee dishonour him by the like practice Reason second from the vses Secondly That ordinary fasts are lawfull and vseful may be proued because ordinary fasts may and doe serue for those profitable vses for which religious fasts were ordayned For those vses are to testifie and helpe forward our humiliation and repentance to sharpen and whet on our attention in holy dueties and to subdue and tame the vnruly pride of the flesh and such like the respect whereof is the onely thing that maketh fasting so much commended to vs in the Scriptures But all these holy ends and vses may be attayned or furthered no lesse by ordinary than by extraordinary fasts For not onely our fastings when wee keepe them for some speciall and extraordinary occasion but euen those also which wee vse in an ordinary and vsuall course of Christianity may tame the flesh by subtracting its food may eleuate the minde towards God by estranging it from the sence of worldly things and may both shew and beget our humiliation and sorrow by chastening the body for the sinnes of our soules as is apparent in common reason nor is it needlesse in an ordinary course of life to vse such eyther helpes or signes of humiliation deuotion and mortification For our infirmities in all these kindes are many and great and had need of helpe euery day and our sinnes and transgressions happen dayly nay hourely and doe require euery day humiliation and sorrow and hence it followeth that this ordinary course of fasting vpon the common and vsuall occasions of our life are neither needlesse nor fruitlesse Thus in conclusion it appeareth that all religious Fasts be they priuate or publike and whether for ordinary or extraordinary occasions haue allowance from God and are of good vse in the life of a Christian CHAP. III. What holy vse there is of Fasting and how it may further vs for holy duties and workes of GODS seruice THese religious Fasts as they haue good proofe from Gods Word so they haue great vse in the life of a Christian More particularly and especially they may serue for these vses I. They may serue as outward acts to declare our reuerence toward God and his sacred ordinances For as at all times wee should vse reuerence toward God in our hearts which is nothing else but an acknowledging of his excellencie for which hee is to bee hououred so it is very requisite that when wee come into his presence or haue any more then ordinary entercourse with him wee should by some fitting behauiour declare it For which purpose (a) Exod. 3.5 God commanded Moses and the (b) Iosh 5.15 Angell commanded Ioshua Put off thy shooes from off thy feet for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground The meaning of which ceremonie was for this end that thereby they might shewe reuerence in the place where God did manifest his presence And the like vse there may be of fasting also and that in two respects 1. Because we doe by such demeanour humble our selues before the Diuine Maiestie as vnworthy not only to enioy his presence but to make vse of any of his creatures Which is a testimony as of our owne basenesse so of Gods excellencie and greatnesse 2. We may by our abstinence shew reuerence to God because by forbearing our meate when wee are about his workes we declare that we preferre his seruice before the seruing of our owne turnes as deeming it most iust that his seruice should haue the first place in all our thoughts This vse of fasting (c) Hooker Eccles polit l. 5. nu 72. pa. 207. some thinke it is not vnlikely that the Iewes made in fasting on holy dayes till the publike Seruice was ended and that their complaint against Christs Disciples (d) Luke 6.1 2. for rubbing the eares of corne on the Sabbath day doth imply so much For their meaning was say they to finde fault with them meaning was say they to finde fault with them for breaking not the rest but the fast of the Sabbath e Hebraeorum illa fuit à maioribus tradita vsu recipta ac tanquam lege probata consuetudo vt von siceret diebus festis cuiquā ante sextā borā prandere Baron tō 1. ann 34. nu 243. pag. 250. which by their custome was to be obserued till dinner time or after the Diuine Seruice And for this interpretation there may bee giuen this reason that the rubbing of corne for staying of hunger was so small a worke that in reason it cannot be thought to offend any no not a Pharisee it beeing lesse labour then euery man doth vse at his ordinary meale on the Sabbath day For the furnishing of the Table the dishing out of the meate the drawing of drinke and caruing that which is necessary for euery mans vse which no Pharisee would reproue on the Sabbath day will require as much both time labour as that which the Disciples here did bestow But let this goe for a coniecture as I will not vrge it for any point of faith thus much is certaine that the Christian Church hath still bin accustomed to forbeare all foode when they were to receiue the holy Communion till the whole worke and seruice of God were ended whereof (f) Aug. Epist 118. c. 6. pag. 191. B. Saint Augustine and (g) Isidor de Offic. l. 1. ca 8. others after him doe giue vs this reason vt in honorem tanti Sacramenti in os Christiani priùs Dominicum corpus intraret quàm caeteri cibi that for the honour of that great Sacrament our Lords bodie should first be receiued before all other foode And so we may say that it is for reuerence to GOD and for the honour of his Ordinance if wee first performe those holy dueties before wee partake our necessary food And sure it was respect vnto his Master that made Abrahams seruant say (h) Genes 24.33 I will not eate till I haue told mine errand And respect it was to his heauenly Father that made our Sauiour to (i) Ioh. 4.34 refuse his owne meate till he had done his Fathers will and finished his Worke. And so it was respect vnto God that (k) 1 Sam. 16.11 Samuel would not sit downe till Dauid was sent for that hee might anoynt him as God had appoynted For otherwise the seruices which they did doe before meat might for any thing that doth appeare by the text haue bin as conueniently performed after it And so we shall declare our respect to God and reuerence to his holy

may fast with full stomachs Saint Basil met with some such in his dayes whom he warneth and threatneth for it Praua est cogitatio c. It is a gracelesse thought saith he to say with our selues (b) Hom. 2. de Ieiun pag. 336. A. Now the fasting dayes are bidden 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Let vs therefore now drowne our selues in swilling excesse For will any man saith he when he is to marry a chaste Matrone make an introduction to such a marriage by bringing Strumpets into his house And in the places of Popish ignorance it is a most vsuall practice c Conamur per crapulam lasciuiam vlcisci die●●etunij quasique de ieiunioa enturo sumere poe●as ●●lesa de Qua●●● cap. 12. 〈◊〉 70. to make way for Lent Fast by surfeting at Shrouetide But a religious Christian should consider that if he meane to fast rightly he must make his abstinence to be a chastening to nature which cannot be if his fasting be but a forbearing of meate till his former gluttonie be concocted II. Secondly there is required in a true Fast that our other carriage and behauiour be suteable to this of our fasting My meaning is that as wee chasten and afflict the body by abstinence from meate so we should doe by refraining from the other delights and comforts of nature For else the other pleasure would vndoe that which by fasting we seeke to effect because they will hinder our humiliation and repentance Nor is it seemely to ioyne gay clothes and sweet perfumes and pleasant musicke and frolike behauiour with this exercise of humiliation and sorrow no more then it is for him that weareth a mourning gowne for his friends death to flaunt it in a white hat and a gay feather and a coloured suite at the same time And for this cause it is that in Scriptures where fasting is spoken of there is mention also of sackcloth and ashes and hard lodging and forbearing of perfumes As for example (a) Dan. 10.3 Daniel forbore sweet oyntments And (b) 2. Sam. 12.16 Dauid lay all night vpon the earth And (c) Ester 4.1 Mordecai put on sackcloth and besprent himselfe with ashes And the (d) Ionas 3.6 King of Nineueh layed off his robe and couered himselfe with sack-cloth and sate in ashes And (e) Ioel 2.16 Ioel requireth Let the Bridegroome goe foorth of his Chamber and the Bride out of her Closet And our (f) Mar. 2.19 Luk. 5.34 Lord saith The children of the Bride-chamber cannot fast while the Bridegroome is with them The meaning is that Marriage-mirth is vnseasonable in a time of fasting And therefore if a Fast must be kept let the Bridegroome goe foorth of his wedding Chamber as Ioel speaketh or if Marriage-mirth bee necessary let the humiliation of fasting be deferred till an other time as our Sauiour implyeth And because of this disproportion between mirth and fasting God reiecteth the Fast of the Iewes for this cause among others because in the day of their Fast they found pleasure And from the consideration of these things it is that the Hebrewes were wont in their Fasts (a) Ainsw on Leu. 16.29 to abstaine from foure things that import mirth and reioycing from washing themselues from anoynting from fine apparell and from the vse of the marriage bed And so when wee fast all our behauiour must bee such as beseeme mourning the condition of a deiected suppliant b An putatis illū ieiunare qui primo diluculo non ad Ecclesiam vigilat sed surgens congregat seruulos disponit retia cánes producit saltus syluasque per lustrat Ambros to 5. ser 4● pag. 58. v. Aug. de Diuers Ser. 74. cap. 8. At least thus much is necessary that we abstaine from all delights of the world that be disproportionable to the state of a mournfull penitent III. Thirdly there is required in a true Fast that the inward affection of the heart be answerable to the outward behauiour of the body that is that as by abstaining from the comforts of this life we chasten the body so by a godly sorrow and vnfained repentance we humble our soules for our sinnes And because true repentance includeth or implyeth amendment of life and an heartie practice of all good duties therfore it is to be vnderstood that with a true Fast there is necessarily required an holy life And the reason hereof is plaine because God doth not care for the opus operatum the bare worke done nor doth fasting please him because it is an abstinence from meat but because it is a signe of repentance and an help to true deuotion and an holy life To this purpose we finde God speaking to the Iewes (a) Zach. 7.5 When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and in the seuenth moneth did ye at all fast vnto mee euen to mee As if he should say Ye did it not for my sake and I owe you no thankes for it nor doe I take it as a part of my seruice But why was it not done for Gods sake and to his seruice The reason is intimated in the words following (b) vers 9 10.11 12. The Lord said Execute true iudgement and shew mercy and compassion euery man to his brother and oppresse not the widdow c. But they refused to hearken and pulled away the shoulder c. And to like purpose but more plainely in another place (c) Isa 58.4 Yee fast saith God for strife and debate and to smite with the fist of wickednes Ye shall not fast as ye doe this day to make your voyce to be heard on high Is it such a Fast that I haue chosen Wilt thou call this a Fast and an acceptable day to the Lord Hee meaneth that they fasted as if they repented for their sinne and meant to serue God but they while they kept their Fast continued in their sinnes and that this was not a true Fast that God euer did require or would accept But if this bee not the true Fast what then is Why It followeth in the next words (d) vers 6 7. Is not this the Fast that I haue chosen to loose the hands of wickednes to vndoe the heauie burdens and to let the oppressed goe free that ye breake euery yoke Is it not to deale thy bread to the hungry and that thou bring the poore that are cast out to thy house When thou seest the naked that thou couer him c The summe and intent of which words is that a true Fast such as God doth require and will requite is to be ioyned with the practice of good workes For the manner of speech is like to that of Saint Iames where he saith Iames 2.27 that pure religion and vndefiled is this to visit the fatherlesse and widdowes in their affliction and keepe himselfe vnspotted of the world Where hee meaneth not that religion which is a dutie toward GOD doth formally consist

was a part of those sufferings which hee did vndergoe for our sakes Where by the way we may reflect vpon our selues and tell our owne soules that if our Lord did doe all these things for our sakes wee should not thinke much to doe a little for his sake but more especially seeing hee fasted so many dayes and nights for vs wee should not grudge to fast a little now and then for him But how for him For I suppose all men will be ready to say that if they knew they should fast for Christs sake as hee fasted for ours that then they would doe it with a good-will or else it were pitty of their liues To such men if any shall make such demand my answer is Wee may truly be said to fast for Christs sake many wayes As first if we fast that we may with more reuerence and better attention and greater feruour performe holy dueties vnto him In which kinde they fast for Christ who when they come to Church to heare and pray and prayse God and to partake of the blessed Sacrament of Christs body doe forbeare their meate that they may bee more fresh to attend to those holy dueties and because they doe preferre Gods seruice before their owne necessity and doe loue the Word and the Sacrament more than their necessary food Secondly wee may be said to fast for Christ if wee fast that wee may subdue those sinnes that nayled Christ to his Crosse and which if wee commit them doe (a) Heb. 6.6 crucifie againe the Sonne of God and make a mocke of him And in this kinde they fast for Christ who forbeare their meat that they may sorrow for their sinnes and may arme themselues against temptations and bring vnder their body that their flesh doe not wax wanton against Christ Thirdly wee may fast for Christs sake if wee forbeare to feed our selues that wee may haue wherewith to relieue others who beeing the poore members of Christ haue neede of our supply For what is done to any one of those little ones is esteemed as done to Christ himselfe And sure if Christ did fast so long that hee might supply vs it were both sinne and shame not to forbeare a meale if need require that wee may cherish Christ in his members In this manner and by these meanes wee may be said to fast for Christ Let vs make vse of them in our practice and wee shall hereby shew our loue to our Sauiour as hee by fasting forty dayes for vs shewed his great loue vnto vs. II. A second cause why our Lord fasted at this time may be that hee might by this meanes prouoke Sathan to begin his assault The declaration and proofe of this assertion dependeth vpon two things first that his fasting was a fit occasion that might prouoke the Deuill to the on-set secondly that Christ was willing to giue him such an occasion And first that this was a fit occasion appeareth by 2. things 1. Because when men are in distresse then is the Deuils opportunity to tempt them eyther to distrust God because hee leaueth them without reliefe or to vse vnlawfull meanes that they may relieue themselues 2. Because the euent sheweth that Christs hunger caused by his fasting was the occasion that Sathan tooke to assault him For when he saw him fainting for want of bread then hee thought it a fit time to say If thou be the Sonne of God command that this stone bee made bread And what the euent did make manifest afterward that our Lord knew very well before-hand Secondly That our Lord was willing to giue the Deuill such an occasion to prouoke him to the combat may appeare by two things also 1. Because it was Gods will to haue it so as is euident by this that the Spirit of God led him into the wildernesse to be tempted of the Deuill and Christs will was euer agreeable to the will of his Father 2. Because Christ did so thirst after our saluation that hee refused no paynes nor no danger to procure it Hee left heauen that he might become man for vs hee tooke our base nature that hee might beare our infirmities and he went vp to Ierusalem that hee might be crucified and hee came into the world that hee might saue the world by his sufferings And so seeing the temptations of Sathan by which hee assaulted our Sauiour might be profitable for vs and auaileable for our saluation for so Sathan might be ouercome at his owne weapon and wee armed against his assaults afterward wee neede not doubt but as the Spirit led Christ into the wildernesse to be tempted of the Deuill so our Lord himselfe would fast and hunger that the Deuill might assault him And heere againe by the way a Christian may haue a good meditatiō from his Masters practice that seeing Christ was ready to fight against the Deuill for our sakes wee should not feare to stand out against men for his sake But if Religion be a cause that wee are questioned by Enemies or disgraced by worldlings or kept from preferment by great Ones wee must beare oppositions of men for loue to Christ as hee bore these temptations of the Deuill for loue vnto vs. III. A third cause may be that by this exercise of fasting hee might prepare and fit himselfe for the great worke that hee was about For hee was now to enter vpon his Propheticall Office and to begin the publique function of his Ministery And in this and such like cases as this Gods seruants haue vsed to make preparation by fasting and prayers as may bee seene in the example of (a) Act. 13.3 Paul and Barnabas and (b) Act. 14.23 other Presbyters of diuers Churches And therefore seeing our Lord here fasted for a long space and that at such a time as he was to enter vpon the ministery of the Gospell we may well thinke that this is one reason of his fasting that hee might prepare himselfe for this great seruice Onely the doubt may be But what needed our Lord any such preparation For 1. hee was not defectiue in any grace For God (a) Ioh. 3.34 gaue not the spirit to him by measure but he was (b) Ioha 14. full of grace and truth 2. Our Lord was an innocent (c) 1 Pet. 1.19 Lambe without blemish and without spot And what needed hee such preparatiue helps that had all grace and no sinne I answere there be three reasons hereof First that he might stirre vp and inflame and as yee would say actuate the grace which he had already To this purpose it is that when hee was to pray he (d) Mat. 14.23 went into a mountaine or some other priuate place alone ardentioris orationis causâ that he might pray the more feruently say the Learned And so againe when he was to raise vp La Zarus (e) Ioh. 11.33 he groaned and was troubled 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he troubled himselfe that is he stirred vp his