Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
duty_n	day_n	good_a	lord_n	2,726	5	3.8026	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A01737	The stewards last account Deliuered in fiue sermons vpon the sixteenth chapter of the gospell by Saint Luke, the first and second verses. By Robert Bagnall, Minister of the Word of God, at Hutton in Somersetshire.	Bagnall, Robert, b. 1559 or 60.	1622 (1622)	STC 1187; ESTC S119158	78,252	118

wiped from their eyes When we are in extremity let vs consider yea and comfort our selues with that consolation which the Lord gaue to the Church of Philadelphia Reuel 3.11 12. saying Behold I come shortly and so hee comforted the other Churches And the like ioy and consolation may we all conceiue in all our tribulations and miseries Let vs euer consider that the Lord will come quickly and that he that endureth temptation is blessed and shall at the last receiue the crowne of glorie Iames 1.12 which the Lord hath promised to them that loue him The third vse We should by the knowledge and remembrance of this day keepe vs in the feare of God and care to doe our duties 1. Epist 4.7 8. And this Saint Peter teacheth vs to doe saying The end of all things is at hand be ye therefore sober and watching in prayer But aboue all things haue feruent loue among you for loue couereth the multitude of sinnes The same Apostle declaring the fearefulnelsse of this day 2. Pet. 3. to wit how it shall come as a theefe in the night and that the heauens shall passe away with a noyse and the Elements shall melt with heate and the earth with the works that are therein shall be burnt vp maketh this vse thus concluding of his former doctrines Seeing therefore Verse 11. that all these things must be dissolued what manner persons ought ye to be in holy conuersation and godlines c As though he should say You ought to be most religious most godly of a most pure life and conuersation Verse 14. And me thinkes we should haue a care to be most holy without spot and vndefiled euen blamelesse because wee shall at that day stand before the righteous and vncorrupt Iudge and shall stand openly in the sight of the holy Angels S. Augustine writing vpon these words Reu. 20.12 And I saw the dead both small and great stand before God c. hath these words Rogo vos fratres vt quotidiè cogitemus quales esse debemus in die iudicij purissimis Angelorum conspectibus offerendi aeterno Iudici rationem de libris conscientiae reddituri that is O brethren I beseech you let vs consider what maner of persons we ought to be in the last day of iudgement that shall be presented to the most pure sight of Angels and that shall render an account to the most high Iudge of the bookes of our conscience It seemed that the good Father kept himselfe in good order in the feare of God and in his Christian dutie with the daily cogitation of this Day and serious meditation how to make a good reckoning at the last day and that hee exhorted others to the like vigilance and carefulnesse Hierom reporteth Tract 5. cap. 3. that whatsoeuer he did he alwaies bore in mind this Day and thought that he was going to Iudgement Siue comedam siue hibam siue aliquid aliud agam semper videtur vox illa sonare in auribus Surgite mortui venite ad iudicium that is to say Whether I eate or drinke or doe any thing else me thinkes I alwaies heare this speech ring in my eares Rise ye dead and come to Iudgement and so by this meanes he kept himselfe in awe and refreinad to commit sinne and wickednesse As the Lord would haue vs to know that there is a day of iudgement for his owne glory our owne comfort the confutation of Epicures and Atheists and to keepe vs in our duties so he hath concealed from vs the certaine time when it shall be as it may be proued out of the sacred Scriptures these two wayes 1. By plaine sayings and sentences 2. By Parables or similitudes Mat. 24.42 First by plaine speeches such as these Watch for yee know neither the day nor the houre when the Sonne of man will come Mat. 25.13 Againe Watch ye therefore for ye know not when the Master of the house will come at euen or at midnight at the cocke crowing or in the dawning lest if he come suddenly hee should find you sleeping And those things that I say vnto you I say vnto all men Mar. 13.35 Watch. Note the words Watch ye therefore for ye know not the day nor the houre c. And to this purpose speaketh Saint Augustine Epist 78. writing to Hesychius Tempora computare hoc est CHRONOS vt sciamus quando sit huius saeculi finis vel aduentus Domini nihil mihi aliud videtur quàm scire velle quod Christus ait Scire neminem That is to say To count times that is to know the seasons when shall be the end of this world or the comming of the Lord this seemeth to me that a man is willing to know no other thing but that which Christ saith No man shall know And why should a man diue into the Lords secrets which hee is not willing to reueale vnto vs Act. 1.7 and which it is not expedient for vs to know Our Sauiour said vnto the Apostles Mark 13. It is not for you to know the times or the seasons which the Father hath put in his owne power Hee hath not reuealed this secret to Man nor Angell Math. 24.36 Secondly this is proued by Parables as of the ten Virgins that went to meet the Bridegroome these slept Mat. 25. and suddenly at midnight when they looked not for him there was a cry that the Bridegroome came and these words were vttered Goe out to meet him Note the words I beseech you and sodainly at midnight when they looked not for him This proueth that the Lords comming to Iudgement shall be sudden and that hee shall finde the vvicked ones secure and carelesse Againe the Parable of the Talents doth admonish vs to be watchfull because the day and time of the Lords comming to take an account is vncertaine and vnknowne For as the deliuerer of the Talents going into a strange Countrey gaue the receiuers of them a charge to occupy them till he came and did not tell when he would come but yet after a long season came to reckon with them and to call them to account and to reward them in his mercy according to their seuerall imployments Euen so our Sauiour beeing gone as it were into a strange countrey into Heauen where he neuer was in body before hath deliuered vnto sundry and seuerall persons excellent gifts which he would haue them vse to his glory and the good of his Church and hee will come after a season he telleth not when and therefore no man knoweth the time to take a strict account of all the receiuers of them The sodainenesse and vncertaintie of his comming 1. Thes 5.2 Reu. 16.15 Luk. 17.24 is compared to the comming of a Thiefe which giues no warning to lightening that giues a sodaine flash and lighteneth out of the one part vnder Heauen and shineth vnto the other part vnder

Heauen to the dayes of Noah wherein the carelesse people did eate and drinke Luke 17. married wiues and gaue in marriage vnto the day that Noah went into the Arke and the Floud came and destroyed them all euen sodainely when they neuer thought much lesse knew of the certaine and prescript time For the same reason those dayes wherein Christ shal come are compared to the daies of Lot These similitudes doe tell and teach vs that the Lords comming to Iudgement is vnknowne and shall bee sodaine For to this purpose the Euangelist most aptly applyeth this doctrine Luk. 17.30 Luke 17.30 saying After these ensamples shall it be in the day when the Sonne of Man is reuealed Epist 88. Augustine writing to Hesichius hath an excellent saying to this purpose Ego namque de Saluatoris aduentu qui expectatur in fine tempora dinumerare non audeo nec aliquem propheta de hac re numerum annorum existimo praefinsse that is to say I dare not number the times of the comming of our Sauiour which in the end is looked for neither do I thinke that any Prophet hath determined the number of yeeres I therefore conclude this point thus Man knoweth not that day and houre nor the Angels Nay which is most of all not the Sonne as touching his humanity and mediatorship Math. 24. Mar. 13. but the Father onely and yet I stand assured that in his Godhead hee knoweth this time 3. Reasons wherefore the Lord concealeth the times of his comming 1. It is not expedient for vs to know them 2. That wee might exercise our faith and patience 3. To make vs more vigilant c. First it is not expedient nor meet for vs to know these things I meane those secrets which the Father hath kept in his owne power Act. 1.6 The Apostles asked our Sauiour Iesus Christ whether hee at that time would restore the Kingdome to Israel that is to say to his old ancient state Hee answered It is not for you to know the times and seasons which the Father hath put in his owne power as though he should say it belongeth not to you to know the moments of times and occasions of abstruse secret and mysticall things not reuealed in the Word as what houre a man shall dye what houre the Lord will come to Iudgement when he will vtterly destroy the kingdome of Satan at what moment hee will bring his subiects into the Kingdome of his Father There is a time when these things shall bee performed but hid from vs and therefore we ought to beleeue them for they are true and in their due times shall truely be performed but wee ought not curiously pry into these secrets For this as Hugo hath is curiositas superflua inuestigatio rerum ad se non pertinentium that is this is superfluous curiositie a searching out of matters that doe not belong to vs. This is no doctrine of the Spirit For as Bernard writing vpon the Canticles hath Doctrina spiritus non curiositatem acuit sed charitatem accendit The doctrine of the Spirit doth not whet on curiositie but inflameth charitie Therefore let vs learne to refraine from curious questions as the Apostle teacheth Timothy and Titus let vs not search and diue too deepe in dangerous whirlepooles lest we should be drowned This is good for the Teacher and profitable for the Hearer And this good counsell Augustine giueth in his eightieth Epistle answering Hesychius and in his doctrine teaching men not curiously to search into the times and seasons but to study the Death and Resurrection of Christ that is to say matters of saluation Secondly Christ concealeth this day and houre to exercise mens faith and patience Chap. 5. And to this purpose Iames giueth this good exhortation Bee patient brethren vnto the comming of the Lord c. In which place he doth comfort the poore oppressed of the rich warning them to wait for the Lords comming patiently who will reuenge the iniuries which the rich men doe to them and giue vnto them waiting in Faith and Hope and yeelding patience a prosperous issue and deliuerance and in the meane time when a man is in misery patience will make the griefe lighter and easier to bee borne This made the Poet say Horace Durum sed leuius fit patientia quicquid corrigere est nefas It is hard I confesse that thou canst not redresse yet lighter through patience if quietly thou beare it Thirdly the Lord telleth vs not when hee will come to call vs to account that wee assured of his comming and not knowing when should at all times be vigilant watchfull and carefull to doe our duties to haue all things in a godly and good order at our Lord and Masters comming As good domesticall seruants when their Master is gone from them assuring themselues that hee will come againe vnto them and not knowing when and that he will call them to an account if they haue any care will at all times haue all things in readinesse and good order that their earthly Master may not come vpon them vnawares and finde them idle and ill occupied and all things out of right course So we seruants to Christ Iesus our Sauiour and knowing that hee is gone from vs into Heauen and standing assured that hee will come to take a reckoning of vs of our liues and conuersations and not knowing when should at all times haue our accounts straight haue all things in readinesse and good order that our heauenly Iudge and Master when he commeth to iudge the quicke and the dead may not come vpon vs vnawares at the last Day and finde vs idle or ill occupied and all things out of good order And to this purpose tendeth that exhortation of our Sauiour Christ Luk. 12.35 36. Let your loynes bee girt and your lights burning and yee your selues like vnto men that wait for their Master when he will returne from the wedding that when hee commeth and knocketh they may open vnto him immediately Blessed are those seruants whom the Lord when he commeth shall finde waking c. And Paul giueth the like godly exhortation But of the times and seasons 1. Thes 5.1 2 3 4 5 6. Brethren yee haue no neede that I write vnto you for yee your selues know perfectly that the Day of the Lord shall come euen as a Thiefe in the night For when they shall say Peace and safety then shall come vpon them sodaine destruction as the trauell vpon a woman with childe and they shall not escape But ye brethren are not in darknesse that that day should come on you as it were a Thiefe Yee are all the children of light and the children of the day wee are not of the night neither of darknesse Therefore let vs not sleepe as doe others but let vs watch and bee sober And what plainer exhortation can there bee deliuered to this purpose Mar. 24.42 44. Mar. 13.35 then