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
A77221	Comfort from the cradle, as well as from the crosse of Christ. Being meditations upon Isaiah 9.6. / The substance whereof was delivered in two sermons. Preacht at VVinchester upon the feast of the Nativitie last past. By Tho. Bradley Dr in Divinitie, lately one of His Majesties chaplaines, and Rector of Castleford and Ackworth neere Pontefract in Yorke-shire.	Bradley, Thomas, 1597-1670.	1651 (1651)	Wing B4130; Thomason E637_1; ESTC R19661	52,275	95

thankfulnesse for the unspeakeable good purchased unto the world by it to meditate upon the benefit of his conception and incarnation and to rejoyce before the Lord and in the Lord for the favour and good will which thereby hee hath shewed to the sonnes of men duties which though on no day unseasonable yet then surely most suitable when a day being set apart for those duties we set our selves apart for that day and suspending our thoughts from all worldly cares and taking our selves off from all other distractions wee bend our minds with most serious devotion and intended affections to the performance of the duty of the day in the day of the duty And this is the day that calls for that duty at our hands Come let us rejoyce and be glad in it harke how the Angels sing their Gloria in excelsis Mary exults in her Magnificat and why should not we amongst them beare a part in this heavenly Choyre for our part in this holy birth Let us also with joy and praise sing Glory to God on high for his Peace sent on earth below and for his good-will shewed to the sonnes of men let our soules magnifie the Lord and our spirits rejoyce in God our Saviour for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Lanu Lanu unto us even unto us This Child is borne SO then you see by the help of the Starre we have found the child we spake off The second branch of the first generall part The Sonne But what say you to the Sonne whether is it the same with the Child here in the Text or some other and if the same why doth the Prophet so suddenly vary in his expression but even now a Child and presently in the next word a Sonne surely there 's something in it what may be the meaning of it Nothing at all saith the Rabbi but only this in the first word Rabbi Kimhi he told you there was a Child borne and in the next he tels you what manner of child it was it was a man-child a sonne and not a daughter 1 But by the Rabbies leave there 's more in it then so If indeed the former word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 jelad here rendred a Child were of the Common-gender as in our English it is and did signifie a woman-child as well as a man-child indifferently then there were some ground for this conjecture but if you examine the originall text you will find it otherwise you will find that the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 jelad is of the masculine gender can signifie no other but a man-child And so for the Prophet to bring us newes that a man-child was borne and presently tell us it was a sonne were an unnecessary tautologie therefore there is more in it then so 2 There are which tell us that by these masculine expressions of a Manchild A Sonne is intimated to us the honour and prerogative that the man hath above the woman in this businesse and the interest he hath in Christ before her in that hee was borne a man-child not a woman-child a Sonne and not a daughter But to this we answer if this circumstance may be a ground of an argument whereby to prove the priviledge of either sexe and whether of them be nearer a kinnne to Christ certainly it will conclude for the woman rather then for the man for although our Lord tooke upon him the nature of a man in that sexe yet he tooke that nature of a woman not of a man yea without the help of man and so hee hath united that sexe unto himselfe in a kind of consanguinity which the man cannot chillenge But Saint Ambrose hath reconciled this difference by dividing Christ equally between them thus Virum assumendo de foemina nascendo utrumque sexum honoravit Christus Our Lord Christ by taking upon him the nature of man and yet taking that nature of a woman hath hereby equally honoured both sexes and shewed that they have both an equall interest in him in Jesus Christ in this respect there is neither male nor female 3 But yet wee have not sounded the bottome of this mystery there is more in it yet then all this let it be well lookt into and it will be found that in these two words is contained and taught the greatest mystery that is in all the Christian Religion and that is the two really distinguished natures united in the one and undivided person of our Mediatour the humanity and the Divinity of the Sonne of God Vnto us A Child is borne there 's his humanity and Vnto us A Sonne is given there 's his Divinity As he was a child so he was the sonne of Mary as a sonne so he was by eternall generation the naturall Sonne of God as a child so he had a Mother but was without a Father as a sonne so he had a Father but was without a Mother Heb. and so was the true Antitype of him in whom hee was long before typified Melchizedek without father without mother without generation in respect of his humanity without a father in respect of his Divinity without a mother and therefore his generation who shall declare Isay No wonder if a few words after my text the Prophet tels us his name shall be called Wonderfull And as here in my text so all along throughout the whole course of his life fom his birth to his baptisme from his baptisme to his death and passion you shall observe how this child and this sonne the Divinity and the Humanity of Christ like Hypocrates his twins goe hand in hand together His birth was meane his parents poore there was no roome for them in the Inne they are faine to take up a stable for their quarter they find more kindnesse among the beasts then among them that owed them there is he borne Luke 2.7 Behold the Child But do you not see at the same time a strange and new created starre appeare in heaven waiting upon his birth and the place where the child lay and doe you not heare the Angels singing Luke 2. Gloria in excelsis in honour of his Nativitie Behold the Sonne Luke 2. As his birth was meane so his accommodations are meaner being borne he hath not a place where to lay his head This shall be a signe unto you saith the Angell you shall find the babe wrapt in swadling clothes and laid in a manger Behold a Child But do you not see at the same time Kings by inspiration come from the East to doe him homage do you not read how they brought their presents to him Gold Frankincense and Myrrhe Gold representing the Kingly office Francumcense the Priestly and Myrrhe the Propheticall office which hee was borne to The Kings of Arabia and Saba shall bring gifts Ps 45. and which he was to beare and exercise in the Church Behold A Sonne When he was to be baptized he submits himselfe unto an ordinance and to

brought forth death So the second Eve conceiving the Saviour brought forth life they are all repar'd and restor'd againe As shee by being first in the transgression cast all her daughters into a more desperate condition then Adam did his sonnes so God found out a more soveraigne remedy for her by which she receives more grace from Christ and challenges a neerer relation to and interest in the Saviour of the world then he can claime from her substance did he take that flesh which hee offered up in sacrifice to God for us from her body did he take that blood which he shed for the redemption of the world he could truly call a woman his mother but no man living his Father as Adam once said to Eve Thou art flesh of my flesh and bone of my bone so could the second Eve in whom all the daughters of the first are repair'd and restor'd say to to the Saviour of the world Thou art flesh of my flesh and bone of my bone unto all the which relations the man is a stranger and shares not with her in the honour of them See how the goodnesse of God for the comfort of that sexe against this their grievous fall hath provided a remedy suitable to their maladie a measure of consolation answerable to their dejection a ground of hope agreeable to their feares doubts a reparation proportionable to their losse if they were first in the transgression they are likewise first in being instrumentall in the meanes of our salvation if they were deepest in the guilt of the prevarication they were fairest for the meanes of their reparation Through Child-bearing she shall be saved For this cause was this child the seed the woman Gen. 3.15 Made of a Woman Gai. 4 4. Borne of a Woman Math. 1. and that sexe may say after a more peculiar manner then the man may Vnto us yea of us and for us this Child is borne That other condition which followes in this Text If they continue in faith and love with holinesse and sobriety is not to be referred to the children that are to be borne of the Woman but to the woman her selfe upon whom these duties are especially charged as cautions or preservatives to keepe her from ever falling into the like sinne againe as you shall heare anon but that they are not to bee understood here as charg'd upon her children is cleare by this that they are charged as conditions upō which she is to be saved now if to this intent the conditions here mentioned be charged upon thē then by this doctrine may Parents be saved by the holinesse and righteousnesse of their children which is cleane contrary to the exact justice of God revealed in Scripture which saith iustus sua fide vivet the iust shall live by his owne faith Besides we have knowne many gracious women which have done their best in this way to bring up their children in faith and love in holinesse and sobrietie which yet have not proved such and contrariwise we could instance in some carnall lewd and ungodly women whose children have proved gracious cōtinuing in faith with love c. And yet neither hath the graciousnesse of these profited nor the gracelesnesse of the other prejudic't to the saving or not saving of their mothers that bare them therefore this charge in this place referres not to the children that are borne but to the woman that beares them All the difficulty will be how we shall reconcile this seeming incongruity betweene the 2 pronouns shee and they shee shall bee saved if they continue how can these two in grammaticall construction be refer'd to the same as understood of the same person or persons For satisfying of this doubt consider these three things 1 First divers Greek copies have it in the singular number so Musculas and so Theophilact reads it so Danaeus and others si permanserit if shee continue not they and if that reading be currant there is no farther question at all in the matter 2 But be it so that the latter Pronoune Verbe be of the plurall number it is usuall with the Hebrews to joyne singulars and pluralls together 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dii creavit in which is the mystery of the Trinity in the two very first words of the holy Bible you have such an expression 3 But that which is satisfactory beyond exception is this that the first pronoune she though it be of the singular number yet is of plurall signification nomen multitudinis a name of multitude such as Turba ruunt collectivum á collective pronounce comprehending in it not only Eve but all woman kinde all her whole sexe and race descended from her and so is aequivalent and of as large extent as they in the next word she that is Eve with all her daughters all her sexe all the whole race of womankind descēded frō her shall be saved If they continue in the faith and loue with holinesse and sobriety And that this charge concernes the woman more peculiarly it further appeares by the suitablenes of it to the sin by which she had transgrest the foure duties here enjoyned being directly opposite to the foure sinnes by which in her first and great transgression she had offended her first sinne was unbeliefe God had said in the day that she did eat of that fruit she should dye the Devill told her she should not dye at all and she believes him rather then God she was an unbelieving soule therefore the first duty charg'd upon her is Faith if they continue in faith the 2d fin was in violating the law of love which she ow'd both to God and to her husband she slighted them both and adher'd to the Serpent as her better friend and therefore the next duty charg'd upon her is Love if she continue in love Her third sinne was against the rules of holinesse she defiled her selfe by touching and tasting that which being forbidden her was to her polluted and so by her grievous sinne drew not only upon her selfe but upon all hers corruption of nature which like the leprosie of Gehazi cleaves to them their posterity for ever and therefore the third duty enjoynd charg'd upon her is holinesse Lastly her fourth sinne was intemperance in that all the variety of the fruits in the Paradise of God which he had so graciously and bountifully allowd her not only for necessity but for delight too yet would not serve her turne but whereas there were but two trees reserv'd her luxurious appetite must needs glut it selfe with them too and therefore the fourth duty charged upon her is temperance or sobrietie if they continue in faith and love with holinesse and sobrietee by all which duties directly opposite to the sins whereby she had transgrest the Apostle doth not onely put them in minde of those sinnes that in remembrance of them they may be humbled and caution'd against the like sinnes hereafter but also admonisheth

tree so few and so thinne as some imagine But to hold our selves close to the word in this matter as t is fit we should Understand here Nobis To us in that sence in which our Lord himselfe understands it speaking of this very gift Ioh. 3.16 God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten sonne to the end that whosoever beleeved in him should not perish but have life everlasting Nobis to us in that sense in which S. Paul understands it Rom. 5.10 As by the offence of one judgement came upon all men to condemnation so by the righteousnesse of one the free gift came upon all men to iustification of life Nobis to us in that sense in which the same Apostle understands it 1. Tim. 2.4 when he saies God would have all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth And vers 7. of the same Chapter which gave himselfe a ransome for all For sinners 1. Tim. 1.15 for the ungodly Rom. 5.6 For his enimies vers 10. For them that deny him 2. Pet. 2.1 Even for them that are damn'd in the same Text the latter end of the verse Let no man here charge me with Arminianisme in that I preach up grace so high or if he doe I passe not much as long as by his own confession t is grace that I preach let me preach it as high as I can I shal therein be found more faithfull to my Master then they that extenuate conceale suppresse or monopolize it Upon these testimonies of holy writ I am perswaded to beleeve that there is no son of Adam that ever was or shall be borne in the world but the second Adam when he tooke his nature upon him did something for him so much at least as hath freed him of the guilt of the sin of the first Adam imputed to him hath put him upon a new score and a new account with the Lord God made over salvation to him upon a new covenant purchased by his blood made upon better tearmes conditions and promises then the old was that he shall never perish everlastingly unlesse he forfeit his salvation a second time All the questiō is de modo applicandi about the manner how Christ and the grace by him comes to bee applied to thē seeing there are so many nations that never heard so much as of his name or knowe what the Gospell meanes of which I shall by Gods helpe shortly give you an account and I hope some reasonable satisfaction in a Treatise which I have now under my hand upon the parallell between the two Adams compar'd in the fift Chapter of the Epistle to the Romans In the meane time rest upon this That with God all things are possible And as in the case of infants so of these where their ignorance is invincible and the meanes whereby that should bee cured to them impossible to be attained although they cannot apply themselves unto Christ the Lord of his abundant grace and goodnesse can apply Christ unto them Who is found of them that sought him not and seeks out them that asked not after him Know farther that there are different degrees of salvation hath the Lord but one blessing for all his sonnes or but one heaven to put his redeemed ones in or but one sort of mansions in that heaven what think you is the meaning of that Scripture 1. Tim. 4 10. Who is the Saviour of all men especially of them that beleeve Although it is certaine they are in no wise capable of that speciall salvation peculiar to beleivers yet I trust it is no heresie neither against grace nor charity to hope that walking up with all their might to that light which they have by the mercy of God and the merits of the Mediator they may be found capable of some degree of salvation and of an estate at least above that of perdition in the lake of everlasting burnings 3. Consider thirdly that at the last and great day of account though all the world shall bee judged at one barre yet they shall not all be juded by one Law but the meere Gentile by the Law of nature the meere Jew by the Law of Moses the Christian by the Gospell the Law of grace according to their conformity to these three Laws shall they receive their doome their Euge or their Apage Rom. 2.12 But to leave them to stand or fall to their own master give me leave to turne my selfe to you Bel and to speak something to you by way of application and so I will conclude this point And I have three things to say to you concerning this matter 1. The first is to put you in mind of your great happinesse and priviledge that you have above these poore people we speake of in this particular inasmuch as the Lord hath dealt more liberally with you then with them he hath done that which concerning them is but a question is to you out of question to you is this salvation sent which to them is denied to you this sonne is given to you is hee come to you he offers himselfe in his Gospell in his Ordinances how happy are you if you can see your happinesse to whom such meanes of happinesse are afforded what a price have you in your hands to get knowledge life and salvation what faire opportunity to build up your selves in grace here and to lay for your selves a foundation of glory hereafter blessed are your eyes that see the things that you see and your eares that heare the things that you heare which Kings and Prophets have desired to see and heare and have not and which to the greatest part of the world besides hath been denied But how miserable are you if in the midst of all these meanes you should miscarry if such a light being come into the world you should love darknesse rather then light if having such a price put into your hands to get knowledge grace and glory you like fooles should have no heart If the Lord having freely given you his son you should not receave him how ill must the Lord needs take this at your hands how heavily will he charge you another day as being in the number of those that wilfully forsake their own mercy that refuse and dispise great salvation and thrust from them the kingdome of heaven he would have gathered you but you would not be gathered he would have healed you but you would not be healed 2. Wherefore the next duty charged upon you is this if the Lord hath so freely given you his son then is it your duty with all joy and thankfulnesse to receive him t is not the sending of his sonne that will make you happy nor the giving but the receiving of this gift that will enrich you receive him therefore by your ready and cheerefull entertainement of the Gospell in which he offers himselfe unto you receive him into your hearts by Faith into