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
A16317	A discourse about the state of true happinesse deliuered in certaine sermons in Oxford, and at Pauls Crosse: by Robert Bolton.	Bolton, Robert, 1572-1631.	1611 (1611)	STC 3228; ESTC S116180	126,426	181

with some extraordinarie terror Let those then examine themselues at this marke who howsoeuer shame keepe them from vncleane practises and grosser acts of filthines yet inwardly boyle in speculatiue wantonnesse and adulteries of the heart Those who howsoeuer their indirect meanes speed not for mounting themselues to high estate yet spend their best thoughts all their life long in proiecting and contriuing as though they were borne to aduance themselues and not to honour God in their ●allings Those who though they doe not enclose oppresse and grind the faces of the poore yet haue their hearts exercised in couetousnes Those who though they haue forsakē some sins yet maintain in themselues one known sweet sinne Those who though lawes and feare of danger restraine from railing with open mouthes against our State yet harbour secret repinings murmurings vnthankfulnesse and discontentments Euen a contemptuous thought of a king or lawfull authority is a sinne of high nature and me thinkes for the miraculousnesse of the discouerie is paralleld in Ecclesiastes to the bloodinesse of actuall murther That which hath wings saith the Preacher shall declare the matter Lastly let those examine themselues at this marke who offer themselues to those sinfull occasions breeders of many strange and fearefull mischiefes I meane prophane and obscene Playes Pardon me beloued I cannot passe by those abominable spectacles without particular indignation For I did euer esteeme them since I had any vnderstanding in the waies of God the Grand empoysoners of grace ingenuousnes and all manly resolution Greater plagues and infections to your soules then the contagious pestilence to your bodies The inexpiable staine and dishonour to this famous City The noisome wormes that canker and blast the generous and noble buds of this land and doe by a slie and bewitching insinuation so empoyson all seeds of vertue and so weaken and emasculate all the operations of the soule with a prophane if not vnnaturall dissolutenes that whereas they are planted in these worthie houses of Law to be fitted and enabled for great and honourable actions for the publicke good and the continuance of the glory and happinesse of this kingdome they licentiously dissolue into wicked vanities and pleasures and all hope of their euer doing good either vnto God the Church their Countrie or owne soules melteth as the winter ice and floweth away as vnprofitable waters These infamous spectacles are condemned by all kind of sound learning both diuine and humane Distinctions deuised for their vpholding and defence may giue some shallow and weake contentment to partiall and sensuall affections possest with preiudice but how shall they be able to satisfie and secure a conscience sensible of all appearance of euill How can they preserue the inclinablenesse of our corrupt nature from infection at those Schooles of leaudnes and S●nkes of all sins as to omit Diuines Councels Fathers Moralists because the point is not directly incident euen a Polititian calleth them Alas are not our wretched corruptions raging and fierie enough being left to themselues dispersed at their naturall liberty but they must be vnited at these accursed Theaters as in a hollow glasse to set on flame the whole body of our natural vitiousnesse at once and to enrage it further with lust fiercenesse and effeminatenes beyond the compasse of nature Doth any man thinke it possible that the power of sauing grace or the pure spirit of God can reside in his hart that willingly with ful consent seeds his inward concupiscence with such variety of sinfulll vanities and leaud occasions which the Lord himselfe hath pronounced to be an abomination vnto him How can any man that euer felt in his hart either true loue or feare of so dreadfull a Maiestie as the Lord of heauen and earth endure to be present especially with delight and contentment at Oathes Blasphemies Obscenities and the abusing sometimes of the most pretious things in the booke of God whereat wee should tremble to most base and scurrill iests Certainely euery child of God is of a right noble and heroicall spirit and therfore is most impatient in hearing any wrong indignitie or dishonour offered to the word name or glory of his Almightie Father A second marke of difference may be this The power of sauing grace doth subdue and sanctifie our affections with a conscionable and holy moderation so that they become seruiceable to the glory of God and for a more resolute cariage of good causes and zealous discharge of all Christian duties But the bridling of passions in the formall hypocrite is not so much of conscience as artificiall politique for aduantage and by the guidance of morall discretion so that if they be tempted by strong occasions and violent obiects they many times breake out to the dishonour of God the disgrace of a Christian profession and the discouery of their hypocrisie Let euery man then examine himselfe at this marke and with a single eye and vpright heart take a view of his affections whether his ioy be inward and spirituall that is in the assurance of Gods fauour in his word in his children in prayer and a continuall practise of godlinesse or outward and ca●uall that is in the attainement of greatnesse and wo●dly pleasures in the increase of his corne and wine and oile Whether he loue the peace of conscience farre more de●rely then the fauour of men or his owne life Whether hee bee more zealous for the honour and praise of God then his owne Whether he be more affraid of secret sinnes then open shame of offending God then outward afflictions Whether he be more angry in the cause of religion and concerning Gods glory or for his owne priuat wrongs And so thorow out the rest of his affections Let the fierce and desperate gallants consider this point which vpon euery light occasion and termes of disgrace are ready out of a graceles vngrounded opinion of declining cowardize to sheath their swords in the bodie of their brother And let them assure themselues that the meeke and mercifull spirit of God will neuer consist with such bloodie and vntamed affections his holy motions will not come into their secret neither will his sauing grace be ioyned with their assembly For in their wrath they will kill a man and in their selfe-will they will destroy the image of God Cursed bee their wrath for it is fierce and their rage for it is cruell Oh that they would but marke and foresee into what an ineuitable and endlesse maze of certaine misery and vengeance they enter when they enter into the field vpon either offer or acceptance of challenge If they be slaine they are accessaries to their owne vntimely murder They violentlie and wilfully pull themselues from the land of the liuing to the abhorred regions of death They cruelly and irrecouerably rent their owne poore soules from time of grace and repentance They extinguish all hope of posteritie and perhaps their house and family determines in

of all controlement and contradiction So that morall honesty and outward religiousnesse being in themselues good and necessarie and a good step to Christianity yet by accident are many times a strong barre to keepe men from the power of godlinesse and vnfained sincerity Because when they consider their present course is in good acceptance with the world and that it may well consist with the free enioyment of their honours and pleasures at least arising from their beloued and secret sinnes they willingly and peremptorily rest and repose vpon it contented with a probable error of being in the state of grace and with a plausible passage vnto eternal death And the rather because they know full well if they should step forward vnto forwardnesse in religion and that inward holinesse without which they shall neuer see the face of God they should not onely raise vp against themselues many thundring tempests of the worlds insolent false and spitefull censures but also euen from the bottome of hell many disturbances and fearefull tentations For I am perswaded while a man lies secure in the course of vnregeneration if the diuell can procure it he shall enioy his hearts desire he shall bring his enterprises to passe and not fall into trouble like other men He onely then begins to bestirre himselfe when a man begins to stirre towards grace or that by his traines he hath brought him to some point of aduantage to some dead lift to his death-bed that he may haue a full stroke at his destruction that he may suddenly and certainely swallow him vp body and soule and then he paies him home with a witnesse for either through senselesnesse or despaire hee sinkes him downe irrecouerably into the bottome of hell These two obiections thus preuented I come to the proofe of the point in hand And first these reasons following may demonstrate that he which reaches but to ciuill honesty comes farre short of being in Christ and consequently of true happinesse First some of the heathens out of those weake notions and inclinations to vertuousnesse which corrupted nature confusedly imprinted in their minds attained a great measure of morall perfection This Elogie the Historian giues of the Romane Cato Cato was a man which did animate the faire speculatiue image of vertue with liuely executions and practise Goodnesse was so habitually incorporated into his honest mind that he did good not for respects and reseruedly but because he could possibly doe no otherwise Impartiall indifferency was the rule of his actions and being free from the corruptions of the time he was the same man and had a free command ouer his passions both in time of acceptation and disgrace It is further reported of Fabricius that a man might sooner turne the sun from his course then to sway Fabricius by respects from honest and ingenuous dealing And yet all these excellencies of morality are iustly and truely censured by Diuinity to be but glorious sinnes Austin that great disputer and worthie father confirmes it vnanswerable especially frō that ground in the Epistle to the Hebrues Without faith it is impossible to please God Let a mans workes bee in shew neuer so good so magnificent so charitable except the heart be purged from dead workes by a liuely faith and pure from an euill conscience hee is but a painted sepulchre or whited wall But yet take this by the way if these Heathens in the twilight of reason became such admirable lights of vprightnesse and honesty and yet Christians in these daies when all the beames of Christs blessed Gospell are shining and shed round about them continue still in darkenesse cold and frozen in prophannesse and security certainely as it shall be easier for Tyrus and Sidon at the day of iudgement then for Chorazin and Bethsaida so it shall be easier for many Heathens though to them impossible then for those Christians that passe not them in vertue and integrity Cato and Fabricius at that day shall rise vp against many luke warme professors of our times to their eternall shame confusion and condemnation The second reason is grounded vpon the words of saint Paul 1. Cor 2.14 The naturall man perceiueth not the things of the spirit of God for they are foolishnesse vnto him neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned In this place by natural man is not ment only the carnal and sensuall man swinishly wallowing in vanities and pleasures but as the best and soundest interpreters conceiue it euen a man considered with the whole compasse of the reasonable soules possibility And mās reasonable soule by that strength it yet retains since it was by God iustly disinherited of alspirituall patrimonie for Adams rebellion may purchase some kind of perfections First in it selfe it may be excellent if endowed with a sharp wit a quick apprehension a strong mind a piercing iudgement a faithful memory a more moderate wil and milder affections But if by industry and art it furnish and fil euery seueral faculty with those ornaments and qualities of which they are naturally capable the perfection is much more admirable And yet besides these excellencies in it self it may shine gloriously to others it may go further and inable it self by action experience obseruation with such an vniuersal wisdom that it may not only be fit and qualified for notable offices of society and entercourse in politick Bodies but also reach vnto y ● depth of foresight and large comprehension of circumstances that it may be worthie imploiment in affaires of State and in the direction and guidance of whole kingdomes All these perfections may concurre vpon the soule and yet it remaine starke blind in the mysteries of saluation Imagine them all iointly in one man and in the highest degree of perfection of which vnsanctified mortalitie is capable and let them bee neuer so much admired and flattered of the world yet without the salt of grace to season them and the life of faith to animate them they are but as gay and rich attire vpon a leprous bodie as iewels chaines and bracelets vpon a dead and rotten carcasse Let no man then deceiue his owne heart he may be enriched with singular pregnancie of all the faculties of the soule hee may be stored with varietie of the choisest and profoundest learning he may expresse in action and ciuill honestie the absolute portraiture of Aristotles moral vertues he may be as politike as Ahitophel Whose counsell which he counselled in those daies was like as one ●ad asked counsell at the Oracle of God and yet without supernaturall illumination and the diuine graces of faith loue zeale sinceritie spirituall wisedome a sanctified contention of spirit in making towards God in all kind of duties which onely put a man into possession of true happinesse and sit him for a blessed association with God Angels and holy men I say without these supernaturall graces he cannot onely not perceiue the things of the spirit of God but