Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
duty_n	church_n	good_a	true_a	1,044	5	4.3446	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A01992	The wise vieillard, or old man. Translated out of French into English by an obscure Englishman, a friend and fauourer of all wise old-men; Sage vieillard. English	Goulart, Simon, 1543-1628.; Williamson, Thomas, 1593-1639.; T. W., obscure Englishman.	1621 (1621)	STC 12136; ESTC S103357	144,385	222

I doe not reckon nor rest vpon those common felicities to haue the Hatt put off to them to be men of countenance and respect to haue seruants to attend them to be sought vnto for their counsell and aduise felicities which doe not happen to all old men But I haue a regard to the true felicities whereof our next Chapter shall treate In so much that it was wisely spoken that old age doth resemble the Images called Silenes which a farre off and without appeared to bee grossely carued and very ill fauouredly made but neere hand were of excellent workemanship and seemed to haue in them I know not what that was more then humaine Such is properly old age if the life past hath beene wisely ordered and if old men doe truely know their state and condition But in mine opinion there are foure Reasons wherefore many old men doe impatiently beare the burthen of old age The first is that by their fretfull impatience they doe aggrauate their inevitable miseries a great deale more then is fitting or there is cause giue out in speech that they are worse then they be and being too sensible of them regarding altogether the present paines and euils which they feele and suffer doe not comfort themselues with the remembrance of their felicities past nor with the hope of the felicities of come The second is an euill education which is so preuailing potent and powerfull that custome is almost a nature and habit doth vtterly depraue mens manners and wholly corrupt them Therefore the saying of a wise auncient man is of a authoritie that it is fit betimes to trayne vp young men to take delight or paines in such things wherein it is meete for them to recreate themselues or to bee busied or take paines Euen as it is good to make them fit for honest trades or occupations and to envre them to good imployments seruices and to well-doing which no age ought to refuse For if wee should draw the shoulder from vnder the yoke and shunne all studie and industrie we should make no reckoning of vertue whereunto we doe not attaine but by the way that is narrow vneasie and painefull to clyme whereunto hauing attained our care is that we be not carryed beyond our bounds and misled by the vices which we hate and avoyde It is sayd that good house-keepers make vse of any thing be it neuer so small a rag and why shall not wise old men haue the wisedome and skill to drawe and distill good out of the euils which they suffer Phisitians finde infinite remedies and wonderfull medicinall properties in plants herbes and fruits which wee would neuer thinke to haue such excellent vertues if daily experience did not make it manifest and probat vnto vs. Shall it then be forbidden to those whom so many years haue enabled to be wise to extract from the time and from the sundry accidents and occurrences of their life past some remedie and refuge against the miseries which doe assaile and besiege them All things are mutually helpfull and ayding to the good of those that loue God And what ought then wise old men to hope for and expect if betimes they haue learned some documents and lessons touching their true office and dutie The third cause of impatience is that we who make profession of Iesus Christ and speake highly of the Church of Religion of the seruice of God of faith of good workes and say there is nothing so true as the Gospel haue but a weake faith and beliefe in the Gospell or in the assured promises of him who cannot deceiue nor be deceiued From this source and fountaine doe issue and flow all those euils which our fore-fathers and we haue seene What euils doth incredulitie and hardnesse of beliefe in gender and beget How often doth our Lord finde fault with his Disciples for it whom hee sawe so dull and slow to comprehend and vnderstand what hee taught them Old men doe torment and vexe themselues when they feele their sensitiue and carnall life to shorten and melt away but as for the life eternall Angelicall blessed the neerer it approacheth to them the lesse they apprehend and perceiue it If a man of honour or credite did promise you this or that this promise should passe for ready pay and for money told on the nayle and a hard matter it should be to make you in the least manner to thinke that his purpose should bee to falsifie or breake his word with you Beholde God doth tell you and when you are ready to depart out of the world promiseth that you shall liue for euer and your minde wauers and floates vpon the waues of doubt and hardnesse of beleefe This is not to know that there is a God nor who hee is this is by the sin of incredulity grieuously to offend Iesus Christ the Lord and master of all them which beleeue this is to imagine a Christian dwelling in the house of faith a man without faith without hope The fourth cause of our impatience is that old men know not what the oyle of saluation is the oyle of ioy the oyle whose flaming light neuer goes out or if they doe in some small measure know it they care not for it nor haue any minde or fancy to seeke it and begge it of the Lord. This oyle is the vnction of the holy Ghost wherewith Christians being inwardly annoynted are made strong not onely to resist death but the gates of hell also The ancient manner was to annoynt wrastlers with oyle and old men which are to combate and fight against the terrours of death haue very great need of this oyle and spirituall vnction Let them take heed then that they quench not the spirit 1. Thess 5. 19. But to vse another comparison let them bee carefull to kindle the gift of God in them by a daily supply of this oyle crauing with a zealous affection the increase thereof as King Dauid did with a loud voyce in the one and fiftith Psalme O God cast me not off from thy presence and take not thy holy Spirit from me Restore to me the ioy of thy saluation and let thy free Spirit sustaine and establish mee This Spirit doth renew vs to the end wee like Eagles which soare directly aloft in the ayre to the Sunne might flye vp to heauen there to see our selues pluckt and stripped of the vaine light feathers of corruption couetousnesse anger impatience distrust and of many wordly lusts and desires which like lymetwigges doe stay and detaine foolish old men euen as it were pyles of wood rammed into the earth where their hearts are buryed hauing their soules more vntowardly crooked then their heads and shoulders so that they consume their dayes in sighes waylings and torments being wholly vnprouided of fit remedies to temper and sweeten the woes and sorrowes of this life nor hauing the power of themselues to leaue and forsake this world but as they must perforce

of God to be obdurate and hardened in his sinnes and that Sathan bawle not in his eares that seeing thou hast delighted in nothing but to satisfie thy lustes to follow thy affections and desires that thou art an hypocrite a lyer murderer an vncleane person in effect that thou hast loued nothing but the world that thou hast not carried the name of a Christian but to liue in all carnall licentiousnesse renouncing the guide-ship of the spirit of truth and holinesse thou shalt speedily be with me in hell Wise old men lift vp your thoughts to the meditation of this doctrine of the Resurrection of our bodies and of the immortalitie of mens soules ioyning to it the last Article of our Faith to say in feruour and ioy of spirit I beleeue the life euerlasting CHAP. XX. The conclusion of the Worke with a serious Exhortation to Old and Young Also two prayers for wise old men WHat resteth more but to wish that that which hath beene spoken vpon so worthie a Subiect in the former chapters may be carefully pondered and thought vpon by old men who haue any sence or feeling of their condition before God who are not vngratefull for his benefites and who aspire to a perfect renovation I was willing to abridge my Discourse knowing that a short speech suteth to old men who loue to talke heare reade and that practised precepts doe better fit them then much talke and discourse Seeing then that they haue but a little way to goe it is reason that they speake many things in few words remembring what the wise man hath sayd so long agoe in his first Chapter of his Ecclesiastes That there is no ende in making many Bookes and that so much studie is but a wearinesse which we put our selues to I grant that it is so especially when we let goe the bridle and giue way and head to such curious and infinite disquisitions bawlings and controuersies vnworthie the age and qualitie of old men For otherwise Salomon himselfe confesseth that the wordes of the wise are as goades and that the maisters who make huge volumes are as nayles and stakes faste driuen in vp to the head For the Church likewise is the parke or folde wherein the flockes of the chiefe sheepheard of Soules are gathered to keepes and conteine them in their obedience and dutie by the declaration of sound doctrine vttered with a liuely voice and set downe in print and writing If this compyled Volume and Librarie of many Maisters and Doctors may serue to young and old to my selfe who am freed from the errors and aberrations of young age and who am growing old if the yeare commonly called Climactericall ought to be held for the threshold of old age I shall haue well spent and imployed some houres of my leasure Whatsoeuer successe it hath I first inuite yong men who betimes ought to lay foundations of a comely and settled old age to remember themselue that men haue occasion to hope well of them when they see them soberly and constantly frequent the company and are conuersant with wise old men are aduanced to places of charge in the Common-weale or are imployed in the seruice of the Church or are well seene or experienced in domesticke affaires Those which see young men thus carefull cannot but greatly reioyce and assure themselues that after their times humane societie will bee mainetained and kept intire in good case and state and that her breaches and decayes shall finde men who indeede will bee able to lay their helping handes to it A young Orator should haue his witt furnished with argument enough if hee would amplyfie and discusse the euills and miseries which doe compasse vs about and would purpose and set foorth the good thinges and commodities which wee want Whence doe proceed so many miseries God hath taken away from vs many wise old men many true Fathers and men alwayes affected and forward to procure whatsoeuer was for his glory and the Common-weale Let posteritie iudge more soundly then wee of what wee doe want Wee doe not launce this impostume It is but too much sayd if we say that almost all young and old are the slaues of pride of dissolutnesse of auarice of vanitie in fine borne to the seruitude slauery of vices and to the hatred of vertues What doth this seruitude beget and bring foorth Another so lamentable as nothing more Young men open your eyes to the end that your fathers mothers families may take true comfort in your vertuous proceedinges that your countrey may receiue honourable seruice from you resemble as the Prophet sayth in the Psalme 127. Arrowes shot out of a strong bowe Speake in the assemblies and common counsells for pietie iustice temperance and stoutly procure the suppression of vice and the aduancement of vertue Let yong men be such as the Apostle commandeth Titus 2. 6. to wit sober minded to the end that according to their vsuall wishes and desires they may be strong of body and minde well respected well willed esteemed and commended with all the priuiledges and immunities whereof the dissolute and vicious haue no part And what madnesse is it not to be willing to be imployed alwayes in doing that which they ought willingly and cheerefully to doe Let yong men be such able men that they may ouercome the malignant one as the most wise and welbeloued Disciple of the Lord requires them to be in the second Chapter of his first Epistle Aboue all I pray them that to crowne their age with true prayse they be sober that they respect ancient men bearing with the lumpishnesse and sowernesse of those who haue done them many good turnes and seruices and who are still able to helpe and further them much For hardly can yong age decay and wrong it selfe more then in appearing vngratefull sullen churlish and insolent to aged persons I come now toyou venerable and reuerend old men beseeching you in the name of the Lord our common Father to thinke that your vndoubted prayse peace felicity assured health consisteth in this That you bee according to the Apostles doctrine sober graue meeke sound in the fayth abounding in charitie patience and wisedome The Emperour Iustinian in a certaine Edict addressed to Christians sayth That the first degree of saluation consisteth in an open confession of the true fayth The knowledge of true and comfortable Antiquitie consisteth according to Saint Iohn in the second Chapter of his first Epistle In this if the Fathers know him who is from the beginning Let wise old men profit in such knowledge and let them not be weary to goe on and be forward schollers therein euen vntill with vnspeakeable ioy they behold the glorious face of the Ancient of dayes and bee entertained in his heauenly Pallace Honour is the nutriment of old men so also is hope yea that hope which maketh not ashamed the assured hope of a better state and condition and that taste which wee haue euen of