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
A15003	The nevv birth: or, A treatise of regeneration delivered in certaine sermons; and now published by William Whately, preacher and minisiter of Banbury in Oxfordshire.	Whately, William, 1583-1639.	1618 (1618)	STC 25308; ESTC S103302	103,954	167

the light that beginneth to appeare and to hold downe the truth in vnrighteousnes striuing not to know sinne because he would not leaue it and out of a purpose to practise it for the profit or pleasure of it still labouring to haue somewhat to say in its defence and to elude and shift off whatsoeuer may be said against it but he is willing to know desirous and ready to yeeld and when the light begins to shine within he quickly opens his eyes to behold the same and if he suspect it he lookes more narrowly into it with a sincere purpose of being conuinced if the truth appeare vnto him And this is the first part of a good life The second and as necessary as the first is doing of good wherein hee is carefull to exercise himselfe and though all be not alike fruitful yet euery regenerate man is fruitfull in some degree The life of grace hath its gratious effects as well as the life of nature its naturall and hee that hath the former is as kindly and freely carried to the one as he that hath the life of nature to the other By the supernaturall life of God that is in the sanctified man it is naturall to him to speake to God in prayer to heare from God in the Word to conferre with God in holy meditations Wherefore these things hee findes himselfe inwardly moued vnto and hee cannot chuse but be constant in them If at any time his wicked flesh hinder him from them as sicknesse makes a man sometimes that hee cannot eate his meate then doth hee feele as sensible a misse of them euen as of his meales and he could be as well without foode as without these exercises for in truth they are the foode of his soule and he relisheth them as foode though sometimes lesse then at other times as the diseases of his soule grow more or lesse within him Further mercie iustice liberalitie truth diligence and other vertues are now natural vnto him as well as religion He takes comfort in doing the duties thereof and makes conscience of doing them as he hath occasion Indeed sometimes he findes a great loathnesse and backwardnesse as a man that is lame limps and goes softly and with paine but yet he goes and hee must needs goe and for all the loathnesse hee cannot be well vnlesse he addresse himselfe vnto them Often he hath little mind to pray and doe other religious duties but then alacke he finds himselfe as wee say for the body not well at case and hee hath something within him that puts him forward that presseth and vrgeth him and causeth that he must doe them though with much weaknes and resistance of his fleshly hart for in part it is stil fleshly If he haue neglected a work of mercy he is not wel after it and he is inwardly grieued for it and resolues to take the opportunitie better next time If he haue not followed his calling diligently he is vexed at heart to thinke of it and that day is a day of little comfort that night a night of little rest vnto him So if he haue omitted admonitions exhortations good conference or any other part of good life Not alone one but all good duties both of the first and second Table so farre as his knowledge extendeth begin to bee to him naturall and familiar Hee takes a secret and a sweet delight in doing them he finds himselfe exceedingly discontented with himself if he doe them not and therefore commonly though he come farre short of what he would and should yet there is no day without a line some or other good worke he doth daily herein indeede exceeding al that himselfe was able to doe before or that vnsanctified men can attaine to that what he doth he doth it because God would haue him doe it and his heart doth often actually incline it selfe to the will of God and moue it selfe to the duties with minding it selfe of the good pleasure of God It is not companie it is not applause nor credit nor gaine which sweyes him if all these things were away yea if all these things were against him yet he would doe good for he knowes that Gods wil is his guide and that is the thing he desireth to accomplish in his very soule And further though he be like a young Artificer that vseth his tooles somwhat vnskilfully and doth his businesse somewhat bunglingly yet the Scriptures the Word of God they bee his line and his leuell and according to the direction either special or general which he receiueth from them he striueth to frame his life and actions So is the true Conuert godly in life grosse sinnes vsually he commits not the smallest knowne sins he euer dis-alloweth condemneth confesseth before God in secret and suspected sins he labors to know and for feare auoideth and vnknowne sins he is ready and willing to know Al and all maner of good duties though some he finds more hard and difficult and himselfe more backward vnto them yet I say all and all manner of good duties he resolueth to do and striueth to do and either doth them or is afterwards very angry with himself for not hauing done them so that his life is to his own feeling but a very death if he find it to haue bin vnprofitable which is much to be marked he is heartily glad to see that others can do the good that he cannot or can do it better then himself 3. Knowledge of this good estate So you haue the second effect of regeneration the third followes and that is a knowledge of this his good estate The man regenerate vnderstands himself to be regenerate as the man that liueth walketh that he liueth and walketh So S. Iohn tels vs plainly 1. Iohn 3.14 We know that we are translated from death to life Loe I say an assured word of knowing vsed by the Apostle But how knowes he it euen by a most infallible knowledge grounded vpon the perceiuing of the effects of a spiritual life as hee knowes that he is a liuing man and not a carcasse by feeling in himself the manifest effects of this common life For in very truth spirituall life can no more be hidden then naturall Can that admirable change that cumbersome combat that so far from former times differing life be found in a man and he not know of it Can a blind man become seeing and he not know it Can a deafe man heare a lame man go a sicke man become whole a dead man liue and not know of these alterations in themselues It is vtterly impossible that such things should be hidden from him in whom they be the taking away of blindnes deafenes dumbnes lamenes death from the soule is to him in whom it is no lesse manifest and euident then the remouing of these bodily infirmities And therfore S. Iohn saith 1. Iohn 2.13 I write vnto you babes because you haue knowne the Father meaning

labouring to driue into their heads the maine points of Christian doctrine and that in such familiar sort of questioning with them that they may make him perceiue they know what they speake Must not children be brought vp in information of the Lord and how this should be if they be not catechized I thinke no man can conceiue Is not knowledge as necessary for the soule as foode for the body Doubtlesse he must be void of knowledge that will denie it How then shall he not deserue to be called worse then an Infidell that cares not though his peoples soules be sterued You all know that the master is inioyned to looke that his seruants breake not the Sabbath Assure your selues the law of God puts one part of his duty for all parts of the same kind so that hee must as well looke to him that he know God and his worship as that he doe not prophane his Sabbath Salomons mother taught him when he was young Shee may bee a president for all mothers and the father should bee ashamed to be found negligent in that wherein the mother must be forward Abraham commanded his seruants to keepe the law of God How should hee command them to keepe it if he had not taught it them God would haue him that was bought with money circumcised Doubtlesse then he would haue him also instructed in the religion of the Iewes whereof that circumcision was a badge In very deed if this and the former duty be not done by the master he shewes himselfe little to heed the saluation of his family So that whosoeuer doth make conscience of helping his houshold to heauen must leade them the way by seruing the Lord with them and teaching them his waies Thirdly Thirdly bringing them to the Church he must likewise bring them to the assembly of God to heare his word preached and examine them what they haue learnt and remembred For if people be at Church and attend not little shall they get by the word and if they be neuer demanded what they haue heard they will not likely attend but a desire of not shaming themselues by silence to such questions will make them bow their eares and listen Indeed herein the master must consider the capacity of his seruants and encourage those of meane wits in the little they can doe and rather draw them to remember something who are lesse ready for that dutie by louing perswasion then by tartnesse of speech and by commending to them the necessity of remembring the word rather then by speeches of disgrace And if they cannot remember any thing yet he must not desist to examine exhort admonish still for why this is the best meanes that he can doe to make them marke and obserue and hauing done his owne duty he shall bee blamelesse before God though they be negligent And last of al he must not forget to pray vnto God for the regenerating of those vnder his roofe in speciall 4. Praying for regeneration For if Paul did beg of God the saluation of the Iewes his country-men shall a gouernour of a family forget those of his family whom he daily sees and speaketh with In truth of all requests that a man can make for his people this is the most behoofefull and the most necessary This the master that doth shall finde himselfe made louing charitable patient courteous towards his seruants for in exercising Christian charity towards them he shall be sure to find it encrease And if he make such particular prayers either they shall be heard to his great content or at least they shall bee accepted by God as fruits of his charity as much as if they were heard If God be glorified by the conuersion and saluation of our children and seruants as well as our owne and his glory be as it should be deere vnto vs as wel as our owne saluation why should we forget to beg at his hands so profitable a thing for persons so neere vnto vs Wherefore if thou hast formerly been behind hand in mentioning thy wife childrē seruants to God this way now make it one of thy daily harty petitions O Lord be thou intreated to make these my children thy children these my seruants thy seruants let thy spirit work grace in thē that they may be true members of thy family the Church of the sanctified as well as of this my family But there remaineth one peculiar thing in behalfe of Infants Especially for Infants to bring them to ●aptisme in right manner that is not alone to bring them to Baptisme which all do as a matter of course but to bring them to Baptisme with an high esteeme of the ordinance with feruent praiers to God for his blessing vpon it that it may be effectual for their regeneration Doubtlesse Baptisme is the Sacrament of the New birth and looke what efficacy the Lords Supper hath to feed our soules the same I must thinke vnlesse I could see a difference in the common nature of these two Sacraments hath Baptisme to the re-begetting Wherefore it is a most behoofefull duty of the parents not with those publike prayers alone which are made in and by the congregation being very well and fitly prescribed in our Liturgie but with most vrgent prayers at home to beg of God that his Infant may bee washed with the holy Ghost as well as with water Is not a New birth worth asking thinke we thy child cannot aske therefore it is thy dutie as to bring him to be baptized so to striue with God in earnest prayers that his Baptisme may become effectuall For my part brethren none errour seemes to me more absurd then to imagine that the spirit of regeneration is included in water as a medecine in a boxe or so necessarily ioyned to the water as a sweet smell to something that is perfumed that all which are baptized should also bee inwardly and actually regenerated But this I hold that wee should beg the regeneration of each one that is baptized and presume him to be regenerate because wee see the seale of the new birth stamped vpon him But among other causes of the in-efficacy of this Sacrament I thinke one chiefe to bee the parents little esteeme of it that rather doe it as a matter of course then as a thing that shall be behoofefull for them and that they expect Gods blessing vpon for the sealing vp of regeneration God is not for the most part hee is not importuned as he expecteth to be for his co-operation with this ordinance Many and many parents come to the baptisme of their children or cause their children to be brought vnto it without faith without feruent prayer without any care vsed to haue it blessed vnto their children Many a good man would bee afraid to come to the Communion himselfe without some speciall calling vpon God for his heauenly blessing without some speciall care of renuing his repentance but ●uen of those