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
A35052	The way to happinesse on earth concerning riches, honour, conjugall love, eating, drinking / by R.C.	Crofts, Robert.	1641 (1641)	Wing C7007; ESTC R27922	132,405	427

acquite themselves of great high places of authority in Church and common wealth yet honour according to each mans degree and desert is generally due to those persons that doe well performe their duty in their professions and vocations both generall of Christianity and publique good and also particular whatsoever the same be And since also he is to be esteemed truly honourable who doth well governe himselfe in the wayes of vertue and piety and therein doth worthily for true honour only consists in vertuous and pious actions Let us endevour to apply our selves to the acquisition both of morall and divine prudence fortitude and all the most noble vertues and graces to scorne and despise all unworthy and base actions and on the contrary to addict our selves to the acquisition of good and excellent though difficult things to be resolute therein and couragious to stand upon our owne bottomes in all good vertuous pious wayes and not to be led away with flatteries and idle opinions nor with the discouragements or barking reproaches of base vitious dissolute people to imitate as farre as wee may the best men in their most sublime and excellent actions But we are still to observe and remember this caution that wee should not onely be vertuous pious and doe good onely for outward honour and glory as if that were the solary and reward thereof the opinion of men is farre to weake a pay for divine vertue and grace And as the same is too modest so also too noble to beg such a recompence We should perswade our selves that vertue and divine grace were it not to doe good to others desireth not nor seeketh a more ample and rich Theatre to shew it selfe then her owne soule and conscience no other recompence then the contentment and pleasures thereof in its own witnesse of well doing which is farre better then the testimony of all the world besides Therefore a truly vertuous pious man who is truly an honourable man 1 Iohn 3.2 scornes to look for only outward rewards he holds it for a Principle a Maxime that the fruit of honourable actions is to have acted them yea to have endeavoured them Wherein he taketh most pleasing delight and if any outward honor as the good opinion of men and so a good name bee added to this inward delight of his soule he also modestly rejoyces and well esteemes thereof yet but as an uncertaine fraile though good blessing and not to be compared with the inward testimony and delight of his conscience in well doing Yet he endeavoureth in all good wayes with modesty to gaine this outward honour also a good name and the good opinion of men for vertue not onely adorneth a man with true wisedome modesty and a pleasing conversation but also accompanieth him with valour and magnanimity takes away from him all base feare of danger and of death and inciteth every one that is endued with a generous disposition to erect unto himselfe an eternall remembrance by vertuous glorious and so honourable actions To proceed more particularly This crown of honour also duely belongeth unto two sorts of men that is first to such as professe learning Secondly to such as professe Armes or martiall affaires Forasmuch as the endeavours of the valiant Generall Captaine and souldiers seemes to aime almost wholly at honour and the renowne of men I shall first in this respect discourse of them Honour is most justly due unto those men who spend their lives in the service of their Prince and countrey and voluntarily oppose themselves to apparant dangers for the preservation of the common wealth from forreine invasions and to maintaine our Religion our Lawes and liberty which next under God are the necessary cause of our well being Since they take such great paines in so many and great dangers for such high and worthy ends this crown of honour therefore in this respect most worthily appertained to such men neither shineth it so magnificently and gloriously in any affaires as in the couragious attempts of martiall enterprizes Therefore it is that the golden Merchant although he be a very profitable and worthy member of the common-wealth yet so much honoured as the poore souldier for the one heapeth up a mountaine of treasure respecting chiefly his owne enriching the other practiseth but few meanes to enrich himselfe and those also as instruments of honour the principall end of all his endeavours being referred to the maintenance of our Religion and liberty to the good of our countrey to the faithfull service of our King and to the acquisition of honour and glory Wherefore in antient times as honourable rewards of such men have been given crownes lawrels garlands statues a certaine forme of accoutrements the honour of some sirname orders of knighthood places of worth and dignity precedency in assemblies pensions of money and the like have been worthily bestowed upon such as have valiantly fought for their Religion their Prince and countrey and Armes have been permitted to noble personages as the recognisance of their honour But it falleth out sometimes that some of these and the like markes of honour to such as have not deserved the same are an occasion of their greater disgrace for high titles and great authority without vertue and publique utility are deservedly contemptible And also sometimes it may be greater honour not to have these honourable marks having deserved them then to have them It is more honourable unto me said Cato that every man should aske me why I have not a statue erected in the market place then why I have it These military martiall affaires therefore do conferre on men such deserved honour as crowneth them with a shining light reflecting a splendent brigtnesse to posterity Insomuch as divers famous Philosophers and Historiographers as Socrates Xenophon Architas Thucydides Thales Epiminondas and a milli-of other famous men have offered themselves to all perils to gaine honor and glory and for the benefit and safety of their common wealth Yea insomuch as many Emperours Kings and Princes have esteemed and doe esteeme it a great addition to their honour to maintaine and to be martiall defendors if occasion be of their Religion and countrey This crowne of honour also most deservingly belongeth unto them which professe learning especially those most honourable sublime and generous professions of Divinity Law and Physick Divinity which concernes principally that most excellent part of man the eternall heavenly soule and the professors thereof being conversant in the knowledge of God and his true Religion the science of living well and blessedly for ever and so in all supernaturall divine and eternall things is most honourable and most worthy the study and knowledge of the greatest Monarch on earth Nor can there be a greater addition to the honour of Emperours Kings and Princes then to be religious and worthy defendors of the true Christian faith The law also is a generous and honorable profession however it be abused and although there be many