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
A10384	A gleaning in Gods harvest Foure choyce handfuls; the gate to happinesse. Wounded saviour. Epicures caution. Generation of seekers. By the late judicious divine, Henry Ramsden, sometime preacher in London.	Ramsden, Henry, d. 1638.; Goodwin, John, 1594?-1665.	1639 (1639)	STC 20660; ESTC S115629	109,922	246

Christ there is no death to sinne You will say how shall wee know that we are alive with Christ and dead to sin I answer you shall know it by three Characters First that which is the cause of spirituall life as that which is the cause of naturall life is union with that which is the principle and fountaine of life Now the fountaine of life is Christ 1 Joh. 5.12 so saith the Apostle in 1 Ioh. 5.12 He that hath the Sonne hath life hee that hath not the Sonne hath not life Now what is it that unites us to Christ It is faith that knits us to Christ so saith the Apostle Gal. 2.20 Gal. 2.20 The life that I live is by faith in the Son of God Looke as the cause of the naturall life 〈◊〉 the union to the principle of naturall life so the cause of spirituall life is union to that which is the principle of spirituall life Now the cause and fountaine of spirituall life is Christ so saith the Apostle in this chapter verse 11. Rom 6.11 Likewise reckon yee your selves dead to sinne but alive to God through Iesus Christ our Lord. It is through Christ that wee are alive to God Now I say that that knits and unites us to the fountaine of spirituall life it is Faith Hee then that hath Faith that man is alive to God but hee that hath no faith that man is dead in sinne that is the first character by which wee may know whether we be alive with Christ or no if we have this spirituall life Secondly we may know it if wee have the exercises of this spirituall life Every thing delights to operate and exercise answerable to its life where there is a naturall life there is a delight in actions that are naturall where there is a sinfull life there is a delight in actions that are sinfull Take a man that sinne lives and reignes in it is life to such a man to serve sinne to performe and satisfie his sinfull lusts so where there is delight in performing spirituall duties it is an undoubted argument that that man hath spirituall life in him Take a man that delights in prayer in hearing the Word in contemplating and meditating of Gods goodnesse towards him and in other spirituall duties this is an argument that that man hath spirituall life because he delights in spirituall actions The ground of it is this all delight proceeds from similitude and conformity wee delight in things that are like us Now when a man is spirituall there is some likenesse betweene him and spirituall actions and so hee delights in them Take a carnall naturall man he delights not in spirituall duties it is death to him to doe that which is good when he comes to betake himselfe to prayer to performe religious duties to sanctifie the Lords day to keepe a watch over himselfe to checke his sinfull lusts it is death to a naturall man Why hee hath no delight in spirituall actions because hee hath nothing in him that is spirituall all delight proceeds from likenesse and similitude that is the second Character that wee have this spirituall life if we delight in spirituall actions Thirdly and lastly another Argument of spirituall life is if we have the properties of life and they are three as Philosophers say The first is nourishment The second is augmentation The third is generation or production of the like So answerable wheresoever there is spirituall life in some proportion there is all these three First there is nourishment As new borne babes desire the sincere milke of the Word ● Pet. 2.2 Where there is a new life ● Pet. 2.2 there is a desire of the sincere milke of the Word Take a man that is a dead man hee desires no meate Why there is no life in him Now looke as a man that lives a naturall life hee desires naturall food so hee that is spirituall hee that lives a spirituall life hee hungers and thirsts after the word As where there is the life of sinne in a man that man desires after all things that may fill and increase and preserve that life in him so in spirituall life there is a desire after the spirituall food of the Word to preserve this life The ground of it is this God never gives any grace to a man but hee gives a man a care and indeavour to preserve that grace God never gives a man spirituall life but he gives withall a desire to preserve that life Now how can a man preserve it How should a man preserve life but by food by diligent repayring to the places where the spirituall food or his soule is provided It is with this spirituall life as it was with the fire on the Altar Simile The fire on the Altar though it came from heaven yet when it was kindled they were bound to preserve it by ordinary meanes to put fuell to it so when God hath kindled that spirituall life wee must not turne off all the care on God let God take care for the life hee hath wrought in us but God will give a desire to a man to keepe that fire to put continuall fuell to it to preserve and nourish it That is the first propertie of life to looke for nourishment God never gives a man grace but he workes in that man a desire and indeavour to preserve it The second propertie is Augmentation and growth and proceeding from one degree of grace to another when wee find our selves more strong to performe the duties that are spirituall when wee find sinne more weakened This spirituall growth in grace is a propertie of this spirituall life If divers Plants bee planted if wee see some of them grow and others doe not wee conclude this is dead why it growes not As it is in nature so it is in this spirituall life where there is no growth there is no life Every thing that lives hath the property of life it hath the facultie of growing Which I would notwithstanding have to be understood not but that this life may admit of a Winter there may bee an increase and decrease but yet there is a continuall strayning after perfection Though sometimes the streame may be so strong that it may carry them downe yet they bend their strength against the streame they labour to grow up more and more That is the second propertie of life augmentation where there is spirituall life there is growth The third is Generation where there is life there is a facultie and power to beget As in a coale a live coale will kindle a dead one a dead coale cannot kindle another there is no heat in it So it is in this spirituall life where it is there is a desire to beget others as Christ saith When thou art converted strengthen thy brethren When thou hast spirituall life begotten in thee labour to beget it in others Wee see it exemplified in Ioh. 1.44 no sooner had Christ called

overcharged For surfeiting they thinke it sometimes lawfull to give liberty and reynes to bee overcharged with it As at Christmas the time of the comming of Christ as if they could not celebrate the comming of Christ in the flesh except themselues become fleshly And at the beginning of Lent as if they intended to revenge themselves on God before hand and since he will needs have them fast they will get in his booke as farre as they can by surfeiting And so on the holidayes as if by celebrating of holy dayes they must needs become unholy And so in some times people thinke it not onely unlawfull but that they are bound to be drunke as at Nuptialls or at the Coronation of a King they thinke it a point of duty to bee drunke that day and they that are not drunke then as they sayd to Pilate hee is not Cesars friend And so at the meeting of friends as if they could not meet friendly and courteously except they bee enemies to themselves or as if they could not expresse humanitie unlesse by drunkennesse they overwhelme and loose it And so at the meeting of strangers men thinke it lawfull to be drunke it is the manner of some to doe so as if the way to entertaine stangers were to become strangers to themselves And so for the third the cares of this life some men are so farre from thinking of and using this caution alway that they thinke they may sometimes suffer their hearts to be overcharged with the cares of this life As when they are married and have a charge of Children As if the same God that cared for them single would not care for them when they are married and as if the same providence that extends to Sparrowes did not extend to Children those that are made after the similitude and Image of God Such men should remember what Christ saith here they should take heede least at any time their hearts be overcharged As there is no place so there is no time that can dispence with these sins to make it lawfull to have our hearts overcharged with surfeiting and drunkennesse and the cares of this life Well saith David Psal 93. holinesse becommeth thy house forever Psal 9● ult Holinesse never weares out of fashion If holinesse become Gods house for ever then unholinesse surfeiting and drunkennesse and the cares of this life they never become Gods house And if they become not Gods house then they become not Gods Temple his Chappell as wee are 1 Corinth 6. saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 4 Know yee not that you are the Temples of the holy Ghost Let us then bee advised to take heed as Christ saith here lest our hearts hee over charged with surfeiting or drunkennesse or the cares of this life Take heed lest at any time we defile and polute the Temple of God with these sinnes Remember as in all vertues so in this the crowne is vig lancie constancie and continuance we must not only watch but we must watch continually Wee must not not only take heed lest at some times but lest at any time our hearts bee ●vercharged with surfeiting and drunkennesse and the cares of this life Let us remember wee deale with such an enemie as will give us no truce nor rest such a o●e as with whom w e can never have peace or truce that daily layes waite to subvert us that layes snares in our meate and drinke and the things of this l●fe Indeed as Saint Chrysostome saith well S. Chrysost the whole world is but one snare Now if Sathan use this care con●inually to subvert us shall wee no bee as continual1 in our care not to bee subverted Shall he bee more diligent to worke our ruine then wee shall bee to worke our safetie and salvation As wee see those that are besieged when a Towne or Citie is besieged with enemies they doe not slacke their guard a moment because they feare that at that time the enemie may come on them and surprize them yet notwithstanding sometime they may slacke their guard and not have harme because the enemy may not know it But it is not so with our spirituall enemies wee are surrounded with spirituall enemies that not only watch all opportunities and take all advantages but they know when wee give them advantage when wee are secure and retchlesse and they take it Therefore it concernes us to looke lest at any time our hearts be overcharged Let us not plead difficultie and say it is a thing hard to stand upon our guard wee cannot enjoy our selves If the thing bee difficult yet looke to the end it is profitable lay the benefit we shall enjoy by this care in the other end and that will make the care light As in a paire of ballance Simile if a a manlay weight in the one scale and none in the other it will sinke but if he lay a weight answerable in the other scale the first will bee light a man may lift it easily So let us lay this continuall care and caution in the one ballance and the benefit that wee have by it in the other ballance and wee shall never grudge at our care Let us thinke with our selves while this care lasts we are free from all other care and who would not care for a while upon condition to be eternally secured after I have done with the third point 2 how long we must take heed in these words Lest at any time Now I proceed to the fourth part that is of what wee are to take heed And that is first generall Lest your hearts be over-charged Observat Drunkenness and covetousnesse c. overcharge the heart It seemes then It is the Propertie of these sinnes surfeiting and drunkennesse and the cares of this life to overcharge the heart That is the point Take heed saith our Saviour lest at any time your hearts bee overcharged It implies that it is the propertie of these sinnes here mentioned to overcharge the heart Looke what a milstone or a talent of lead is to the body the same are these sinnes to the soule which is meant by the heart as S. Peter saith the hidden man of the heart that is the hidden man of the soule they over-presse and burden the soule so much the Word here used implies and imports in the Originall Take heed to your selves lest your hearts bee overcharged The Word comming from Bal●s that signifies no ordinarie portable burden but a grievous oppressing burden as the Etimologists have it such as cannot belifted but with an extraordinarie strength with a Giants arme such are these sinnes to the soule they are no ordinary portable but grievous oppressing burdens Now the grievousnesse of this burden appeares by these two things First these sinnes are such a burden to the soule as presse the soule as presse the soule from heaven to earth Secondly they are such a burden as except they bee disburdened except we acquit our selves

will mention a few arguments of some validitie to seeke the things that are above Of all these briefly 1. Things above what First of the Object what is meant by things above and why they are stiled so The best rule to know the meaning of any Text of Scripture is to compare it with more It being with this sacred body as it is with a Lute or Instrument with strings Simile which by stringing one or two you may tune the whole The knowledge of our Apostles Ayme and scope in this present Chapter it will not a little advantage us in the enquity of this what the things above are Which being as all the arguments here are to perswade the Colossians to holinesse it must needs follow by the rules of Logick that by things above are either meant Something wherein the nature and essence and divine qualities of holines consists Or the practice and possession that may be attained Or something bordering upon it The word largely conteines in the reach of it all things that make for the eternall welfare of the soule All those graces mentioned by the Apostle in this Epistle and else where Faith love joy hope sinceritie the feare of God the remission of sinnes peace of conscience and freedome from the dominion of sinne all which are wrapped in these words things above which as it were is the abridgement of all Which spirituall graces though they bee chiefly meant here yet I dare not nor I doe not say they are onely meant It may bee and I thinke verily the Apostle lookes further then thus and by things above hee lookes hot onely to the meanes but to the end the state of grace and glory And well may these two grace and glory lye couched in one word since grace and glory differ not in nature but in degrees grace being nothing but glory begun and glory being grace consummate Yet I shall in the processe of my ensuing discourse adhere rather to the former and so by things above understand especially things concerning the state of grace here here because though the Apostle meant not them onely yet he immediatly lookes on them as those that were nearest so that by these things above we must come if ever to the state of glory hereafter Why called things above These things above I understand to be spirituall gifts and graces fitly here stiled things above First in respect of the source and originall because they deserve to challenge the prime place among those perfect gifts that are from above Iam. 1.7 Jam. 1.7 every grace being a ray and stampe of the dietie That is the first reason they are called things above because they come from above Secondly in respect of the end to which spirituall graces leade that is to heaven which is above they are as so many steps to that heavenly Sion and as Iacob called that place B●thel the gate or subburbs of heaven Thirdly and lastly they are called so in reference to the place where they shall enjoy these graces in full perfection that is in heaven above For so it hath pleased that wise and uncontrollable steward to dispense his gifts and graces here that while wee live here on earth we onely have the first fruits some small handfull of grace but for the harvest the full crop that is reserved till we come to heaven above Therefore they are called things above in a●l these respects You see then how spirituall graces may be stiled things above In respect of the originall whence they came end to which they leade place where wee shall enjoy them in full measure This shall suffice for the first enquirie concerning the Object what is meant by things above and why they are so called Seeking what I come to the Act Seeke The metaphor implies servencie not as Becanus the Iesuite defines it a desire and rest absurdly but it is joyned with exact care and the utmost indeavour for the obtayning of somewhat that we formerly lost or did not before enjoy a desire to finde it The truth is that once man in Paradise was like his Maker bravely accomplished with all spirituall graces called here things above but no sooner did man fall from his due subjection but presently he was disrobed of these and shut out of Paradise When guilty Caine was prest with his brothers blood he was ever seeking those precious Iewels hee had lost and found them not The sense of the losse of those spirituall graces is left behinde that impression is in the minds of all The heathens themselves by the purblind eye of nature could easily discerne that they wanted somewhat though they knew not what to seeke nor how to finde But when the light of grace breakes into the soule as it did to these Collossians then it seekes the things above and leaves not till it have found them nor then till it have at atrained them in full fruition in heaven above As it is with some wanton streame that parting from the Ocean Simile runnes all along in the darke windings and passages of the earth till at last it breakes up and when it is broken forth as ashamed of its wandring it presently returnes with a restlesse unwearied course and seekes here and there till it finde the Maine from whence it strayed This for the second enquiry concerning seeking which implies the hight and best of our care for the attaining these things above such as concerne the spirituall welfare of our soules Which briefly premised it will be easie in the third place to resolve this single hupotheticall proposition into a catagoricall If yee be risen with Christ that is because you are risen with Chr st seeke the things above The proposition is Propos Those that are risen with Christ ought to seeke the things above that Those that are risen with Christ ought to see the things that are above A lesson taught by him that as one stiles him was the best teacher in whose divine Sermon upon the mount you shall finde that hee bids us seeke and in the first place the kingdome of God and the righteousnesse of it Matth. Matth. 6.33 6.33 And indeede what is the sum of all our Sermons or wherefore serve Preachers Hillarie as Hillary stiles them those seeking men of eternity but to call for this sursum Corda to bring men to a constant minding of the things above A dutie so proper to them that with these Colossians are risen to the life of grace that David makes it the proper character and badge of the Church Psal Psal 24.6 24.6 This is the generation of them that seeke the Lord of them that seeke thy face this is Iacob But oh that it were as easie to perswade men to practice as to convince them of the duty We cannot finde these things but we must seeke them with dilligence and that we will not doe unlesse we highly prize and affect the things we seeke neyther of