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

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A97297	Hopes incovragement pointed at in a sermon, preached in St. Margarets Westminster, before the honorable House of Commons, assembled in Parliament: at the last solemn fast, February 28. 1643. by Tho. Young. Published by order of the House of Commons.	Young, Thomas, 1587-1655.	1644 (1644)	Wing Y92; Thomason E35_18; ESTC R4946	32,973	44

men to approach to that holy Table even inspite of any conscientious minister of the Gospel which gave occasion to many to keep off from approaching to it whilst they saw such to be admitted to the participation of it and this these courts durst doe notwithstanding the former Law though it was otherwise provided of old when by the discipline of the Church In ecclesia solent a Sacramentis altaris visibilibus homine● distiplina ecclesiastica removeri such were denied the participatiō of that holy Sacrament and not admitted to it The other evill declared by Law to be forbidden is the prophanation of the Lords day against which the prophanenesse of our age may justly challenge at your hands a quickening of these Lawes to suppresse that crying sinne I have observed from the systeme of your Lawes that in former ages some things have beene enacted in this State against that evill also for by publick authority Fairs have beene put off from that day no Court to be kept on it Taylors and Shoomakers have beene forbidden to carry home their ware to their customers on that day some sports likewise have beene forbidden on it c. here were good beginnings of a Reformation which should be improved to the better solemnising of that day O but if you Honoured Senators would be pleased to these restraints to adde more whereby such in whom conscience of their duty is lesse powerfull might be kept off from prophaning of that time which should be consecrattd as a delight and holy unto the Lord how should you endeare your selves unto the Lord and be honoured with renowne in his Church and I beseech you doth not our present condition require this at your hands When Guntberamnus perceived the glory of his Kingdome to be abated and the unhappy successe of his warres with the Gothes whilest he enquired after the causes hereof and sought for a remedy amongst other things hee reproves the prophanenesse of his Clergie and their carelesnesse in not feeding the people committed to their charge then he layes this as a foundation for the remedying of those evils Diem Dominicum religiose cust odiendum esse appointing that the Lords day should be religiously kept So doe you and we may be assured with more confidence that God will hasten the closure of our unnaturall warres Let it not be judged boldnesse in mee to remember you hereof Was it not once appointed Vt humiliter a sacerdotibus Christianorum exeellentia flagitetur ut ob honorem et reverentiam tanti diei cunct is metum injiciant ne in tam sancto die mercatus placita et opera sua homines facere praesumant that Christian Magistrates should be humbly sued unto by the Ministers that for the honour and reverence of so great a day Magistrates should make all afraid that they presume not to follow their Merchandise pleasures or other workes on that holy day speaking of the Lords day These are the two evils the remedy whereof Law hath begun O that God would stirre up your hearts to improve both So should the Lord delight in us honour you and hasten the desired end to our heavy and wasting troubles Know then in a word all you whom God hath ranked in that honourable station to give lawes unto others it is your part to see that nothing be enacted against God to repeal whatsoever of that kinde the ignorance of former times hath agreed unto to maintaine what hath beene worthily concluded before your times and to improve that which they happily begunne but by the iniquity of the times could not perfect this is the duty which God requires of you and thus walking and waiting on God be strong and the Lord will strengthen your hearts Now a few words more to you men fathers and brethren who likewise appeare before the Lord this day to heare what he will speak unto you from his word you have neede also to be encouraged in your places to waite upon the Lord that he may strengthen your hearts in defence of his cause Deborah her heart was not onely upon the heads and governours of Israel Judg. 5. but also on all among the people who went forth with cheerefulnesse against the common enemy of their Religion and Peace Would you be encouraged by God then make knowne your courage in comming forth to appeare for your Honourable heads and governours who stand for God his truth and your liberties Shall the upholding of Religion to you and your posterity be dearer to our ever-honoured Worthies then their owne lives and estates and will not you shew courage in cleaving to them in your just defence shall the rulers with Joab arme themselves with brave resolutions to be valiant for God for their people and the Cities of their God 2 Sam. 10.12 and shall the men of the City not be valorous for their City and themselves God forbid And I beseech you discover your holy valour first in wrestling with the Lord by fervent prayer on their behalfe that they may carry on the worke of Reformation now in hand should not your spirits be roused up to follow God with the sweete incense of your continuall requells to God for his blessing upon this work what though it be derided by the jibing Ishmaelites and withstood by the Gyant-like Anakims of our age yet faithfull prayer that can open the windowes of heaven and draw downe raine from thence can remove these mountaines and levell the way before them to advance the worke holy Ezra was ashamed to solicite an Army of the King to guard him and such as returned with him but resolves to commit all to God Ezra ● 21.2● therefore he did as we doe this day sought God by prayer attended with fasting and happy was the issue Earnestly prayer is knowne to have done that which strength and policy could not doe When that unworthy heretick Arius was incensed against Alexander because he would not receive him into communion with him Eusebius the upholder of Arius threatned Aelxander that by such a day be should be cast from his place banished and his successor would admit Arius into Church-fellowship with him the day before that should fall out holy Alexander goes into the Church falls downe upon the ground and continued with all ardency of affection powring forth his earnest prayer to the Lord to frustrate the attempts of his enemies and would you know what was the fruit of his powerfull prayer in the evening of that day Arius was taken away by an execrable judgement in his sudden death prayer faithfully performed is never without effect it is of a prevailing power with God be perswaded therefore to follow God with prayer for his blessing upon the publick work now in hand ever knowing that the more you are taken up with effectuall prayer the more courage will the Lord infuse into your hearts a praying heart will be bold as a Lyon Secondly let your courage for the Lord appeare in furthering his work with that estate with which the Lord hath blessed you assuredly for my part I must say of many of you and of your forwardnesse herein as the Apostle once spake of the Macedonians 2 Cor. 8.3 11. who were willing to their power to further Gods cause in the reliefe of his members I may say further with him 2 Cor. 9. that your zeale hath provoked many so many have had their hearts enflamed to further Gods work by your readinesse to support the same all that I say herein is onely this consider that the worke is great and many withdraw their helpe yet goe you on with cheerefulnesse though the charge be great it will quit all the cost when God shall give you or yours to see Zion raised up in beauty Thirdly if God call any of you to be an instrument in your places to further the work let your hearts be filled with courage and your hands active with all faithfulnesse to fulfill what in required of you in your Sphere many other things I might adde as ingredients into this cordiall for raising up your hearts with courage to waite upon the Lord but I shall conclude all as I begun Be of good courage the Lord shall strengthen your hearts all you that waite upon the Lord. FINIS

HOPES INCOVRAGEMENT pointed at IN A SERMON PREACHED In St. Margarets Westminster before the Honorable House of COMMONS Assembled in PARLIAMENT At the Last Solemn Fast February 28. 1643. BY THO. YOUNG Hebr. 6.19 Which Hope wee have as an anker of the Soule both sure and stedfast and it entreth into that which is within the vaile Published by Order of the House of Commons Printed at London for Ralph Smith at the signe of the Bible in Cornhill neere the Royall Exchange 1644. Die Mercurii 28. Febr. 1643. IT is this day ordered by the Commons House of Parliament That Sr. John Trever M. Rous do from this House give thankes unto Mr. Young for the great paines hee tooke in the Sermon hee preached this day at the intreaty of the said Commons at St. Margarets Westminster it being the day of publike Humiliation and to desire him to print his Sermon And he is to have the like priviledge in Printing of his Sermon as others in the like kinde usually have had H. Elsynge Cler. Parl. D. Com. I appoint Ralph Smith to print my Sermon Tho. Young NOBILISSIMIS EQVITIBVS AVRATIS aliisque Viris prudentissimis EX Singulis totius REGNI Comitatibus selectis PARL DOM. COM. Senatoribus honorandis IN Quorum Solenni conventu inelaborata haec Concio in divae Margaretae Templo apud WESTMONASTERIUM Solenni jejuniorū die Februarii penultimo fuit habita eam in Perpetuum demissae observantiae testimonium L. M. D. D. D. Tho. Young S. Evangelii in Comitatu Suffolciensi Minister HOPES-ENCOVRAGEMENT pointed at IN A SERMON PREACHED before the Honorable House of COMMONS GOD having given to his afflicted Church in this distracted Nation so long cause of sad mourning and heavy lamentation in which according to the warrant of the word and laudable custome of the Church in all ages he hath beene sought unto by prayer and fasting Deum quasi manu facta pre●anonibus ambiamus orantes Tert. with which the Church hath ever plyed the Lord in the day of their distresse as it were beleaguering heaven with the Army of their prayers This course having beene so long by authority continued in this place I conceive it is too late for me after the revolution of so many solemne fasts now to goe about to open to you what is required of Gods People in the day of their solemne humiliation and fasting I am confident that you who have spent so many dayes in that Christian duty have been fully instructed therein from sundry learned discourses heretofore presented to you Neither will I stand to pleade before you for the necessary conjunction of prayer to your fasting trusting you have not so learned Christ as to divide the duties which he in his word hath coupled together That which remaines for me the meanest of Gods Labourers to aime at for the present I take to be this that whereas you have fasted and prayed and in both continued so long to endeavour now to raise up your hearts and quicken your spirits in the continuance of this duty of seeking God by earnest prayer and the rather because assuredly the Lord on whom we waite in these holy duties in the end will be exalted that be may have compassion on them that patiently waite and pray for his mercy would you be assured of it take his word that if you waite and be strong in your dependance upon our God be will at length arise for your comfort So much desire I to cleare unto you this day and for that cause I humbly pray you with all reverence to hearken to what you shall finde written for that purpose PSAL. 31.24 Be of good courage and he shall strengthen your heart all ye that hope in the LORD THE man whom God in this life hath singled out by faith to depend upon him is sure to meet with troubles of all sorts and in all places which will not faile to attend upon that dependance Yet hee whose heart is ingaged in all these stormes to cleave unto the Lord must still sue to him for deliverance which having once obtained hee must then with all thankfulnesse acknowledge it For a gratefull acknowledgement of received favours is the great tribute due to the Lord for all the favours which hee bestows upon his people Yea certainely hee who is blessed with the favour of deliverance and truely or throughly affected with the free mercy therein will not onely himselfe bee thankfull but study to draw on others to praise the Lord in way of thankfulnesse for the favours whereof hee tastes See all this in this Psalme David dangerously pursued by his enemies sues to God for deliverance his Petition together with the severall arguments wherewith hee backes it are set down from the beginning of the Psalme to the 20. ver from whence to ver 24. hee thankfully acknowledges the received mercy vouchsafed to him and all such as trust in God which favour hee amplifies sundry wayes Then hee desires all Gods people to love the Lord. Lastly upon all these severall branches hee infers what is the duty of Gods people in all their troubles even this to encourage themselves in strengthning their hearts and waiting upon the Lord this hee layes down in the words of my Text which may bee termed a comfortable direction to strengthen the beleeving soule against all heart-breaking or soule-rending feares or distractions whatsoever In which words our Prophet prescribes the best and most soveraign cordiall that can bee given in such a condition when Gods people are overwhelmed with feares and I beseech you when can it bee judged more seasonable to bee discoursed of then in these dayes wherein for no short space of time though now and then of late God hath come unto us with sweet refreshing beames of mercy it hath falne out with most men as of old with Ahaz and his people Esa 7.2 Whose hearts were moved with feare as the trees of the Forest are moved with the wind and hath not this been generally our condition a long time in which whose heart is not ready to bee surprized with feares unlesse it bee some sonne of Belial who being besotted with his lusts passeth his time without feare of God or his judgements But to you to whom the day seemeth gloomy and the light of your comfort hath been long eclipsed 1 King 18 44. to whom trouble hath risen up as the cloud did to Elijah his servant which though at the first it was but little like a mans hand yet speedily caused it the face of heaven to looke blacke so hath the cloudy storm of our unnaturall troubles spred it self to the darkning of all our comforts Now to such as notwithstanding all this yet wait for comfort from the Lord my Text is a sure guide to lead them unto comfort hearken therfore to what the Lord speaks in the same that you may not bee to seek for comfort when heavy storms of troubles shall swallow up others that

feare nothing till it seise upon them To you then whose hope in all troubles rests on the Lord the Lord speakes in my Text saying All you that wait on the Lord bee strong and hee shall establish your heart Wherein see first to whom the Prophet doth addresse his speech to such as patiently wait upon the Lord Secondly what it is that hee requires of them to strengthen themselves to waxe strong or bee valiant Thirdly in the last place consider what hee promiseth to them that their hearts shall bee raised up in strength You see the parts the summe of all is a lesson full of comfort to all such as patiently hope in the Lord and from these parts I shall draw forth three propositions to insist upon by Gods assistance and your patience at this time The first is that Gods people are taught by the Lord in all their troubles to waite patiently upo him The second is that such as waite patiently upon the Lord must rouse up themselves with strength and courage to wait further upon him The third followeth that when Gods people with courage and patience waite upon him he will encrease their courage To these three Propositions shall I limit my speech onely my desire is as they find so they may leave you attentive The first of them ariseth from the first considerable branch of the words the persons to whom they are directed he directs his speech to such as patiently waite upon the Lord. The word in the originall here rendered in our language to waite signifieth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be carried out after any thing with a wonderfull desire to enjoy it Secondly to be sorry we are so long without the fruition of that we thus desire Thirdly patiently to waite for it all these are elegantly hinted in the use of the word by Job Job 29 21.23 whilest he sets forth what was the opinion which once men had of his wisedome and counsell when he spake in the publike before others he sayes they eagerly desired to heare him that appeared in their silence when he spake they rested in it as the best and choifest counsell that could be prescribed to them as the raine is welcome to the dry and parched ground it sucks it in so was his counsell to such as heard it and waited for it Thus the godly here are described from their waiting upon God which implies First their desire after God Secondly their griefe that yet they enjoy not the Lord according to their desire Thirdly their patient attending upon God for that which they desire and from hence ariseth our first proposition that Gods people are taught by God in all their afflictions and under all their troubles patiently to waite upon the Lord. Doctr. 1 This is their practise and therefore in my text they are described by that propertie They waite upon the Lord they are a generation of waiters being carried on with earnestnesse of desires to see what God will doe for them in their troubles they long for the Lord and yet patiently waite upon him To cleare this truth unto you first I will prove the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 make it good that it should bee so secondly point forth unto you the true grounds from whence this waiting in Gods children doth arise which being laid open I doubt not but the truth of the Doctrine with case will bee manifested to all that heare it As for the first that Gods people must waite upon him 1. God requires it know first that this is the thing which God requires of all his children that in all their afflictions they should waite upon him for his helpe Psal 55.22 cast your burthen upon the Lord saith the Prophet and he shall nourish thee The words in the originall are significant and runne thus Cast your carefull burden on the Lord and hee will sustaine thee q. d. looke whatsoever it is thou art carefull may bee afforded to thee in all thy wants and necessities cast thy care for that thing upon the Lord and waite on him to receive it from his bountifull hands for hee is sure to sustaine and nourish thee with the same To the same purpose speakes our blessed Saviour Luke 21.19 By your patience saith hee possesse your soules that speech followes upon a sad relation of heavie troubles that were to ensue hee tells them Nation shall rise against nation there shall bee great Warres Earthquakes and persecutions the Parents shall betray their Children and one friend another and to imbitter all he addes they shall bee hated of all men for his sake Now what might his poore unarmed children thinke should become of them in all these troubles might they not conclude in the eye of reason there was no safetie for them in such a condition what shall they doe our blessed Saviour answers possesse your soules in Patience as if he had said unto them although you be compassed about with troubles on every hand yet do you continue waiting quietly upon the Lord there shall not a haire of your heads perish therefore wait you upon the Lord. Thus God requires it of his people Secondly the Lord goes farther and pronounces them all blessed that doe so Esa 30.18 Blessed are all they that waite for him 2. God accounts them blessed their waiting in that place is opposed to the preposterous course followed by them and mentioned in the beginning of the Chapter when God threatned to bring an enemy upon them they following their owne counsells are not long in resolving what to doe they 'l downe to Aegypt and strengthen themselves in their confederacie with them to boe aided by their assistance and they make haste to doe this but therein they consulted not with God therefore hee tells them the strength of Pharaoh should bee their shame and their trust in Aegypt their confusion i. e. not able to profit them After this hee comes to prescribe a better and more sure way of deliverance unto them then that could bring forth and what is that He sets it down in the 15. Verse In rest and quietnesse shall you be saved in quietnesse and confidence shall bee your strength here was a sweet and wholesome counsell could they have followed it but that they would not doe the meaning of it was this that they should depend upon the Lord and on his strength but they would not yet some amongst them did so and hee saith such are blessed by which place it appeares that God would have his people waite upon him in their extremities which if they doe they are sure to bee blessed of him Now then if God require his people in all their troubles to waite upon him if hee pronounce them blessed that doe so then wee may surely conclude that it is their dutie in all their troubles patiently to waite upon the Lord. Hope floweth from Faith To cleare this truth yet further unto you in as much as Gods people are here

and it is also true that in their passage they met with foule weather at sea whereby they were in danger of suffering shipwrack but what of all this did not the Lord arise for their comfort still the stormy tempest and gave them safe deliverance Gods children in all the tempestuous stormes they meet with in fulfilling Gods commands had recourse for comfort to the Lord even upon this ground because God sent them on the errand wherein they meet with trouble Amos was crost in his Ministery and complained of by that wicked Priest unto the King hee was in a great strait yet he beares up his courage upon the Lords command See it Amos 7.14 15 God is with all them that execute what hee commands Such may well say as Elijah to his servant Feare not there are more with us than bee with them that are against us To the last sort I meane such as despaire of the successe of businesse undertaken by the warrand of Gods Word thoughts of that nature must not abate their courage nor hinder their valour from prosecuting that whereunto they are called but must remember it is their dutie to fulfill what they are called to and leave the successe to the Lord so did the three Children as we heard It is a maine sleight of Satan to draw a man to vex and torment himselfe about the successe of his just undertakings and therein hee doth disable a man from going on with courage all these justly from hence to bee reproved The third proposition reproves them that labour not to improve the graces they have received not considering how with the unfaithfull servant lapping up his Talent in a Napkin they not onely prevent themselves of receiving more but make way to bee stript of all they have I can but onely name these things unto you Vse 2 Our second use is for exhortation here will I joyne the first and second proposition together that is bee exhorted to bee valourous for the Lord that you may bee blessed of the Lord with a further degree of spirituall and undaunted courage in managing of Gods work And to the end you may grow valourous for the Lord I desire every man to consider First his owne weakenesse and insufficiency to any worke that is pleasing to the Lord assuredly hee that goeth on in the confidence of his owne strength when hee comes to bee opposed hee shall by wofull experience finde his valour to faile him and his courage to bee gone who was more strengthned in his courage to prosecute the cause of God then that holy Apostle Paul was or who could adventure more to advance it then hee did and would you know from whence did his courage arise take it in his owne words not saith hee 2 Cor. 3.5 that wee are sufficient of our selves to think any thing as of our selves but our sufficiency is of God there was the first step from whence hee ascended to that valour the due and serious consideration of his owne insufficiency made him sticke close to the Lord for helpe Secondly let a man weigh with himselfe that God hath called him to the worke thereby shall his heart bee fortified also thus did David encourage Solomon saying The Lord hath chosen thee to build the house of the Sanctuary 1 Chron. 28.10 bee strong therefore and doe it Thirdly let such consider that God will ever bee with such as hee calls to any work you know how the Priests were to animate the people when they were to goe forth to warre against their enemies they were thus to speake unto them You are come this day unto battell against your enemies let not your hearts faint neither feare nor bee amazed Deut. 20.1 3 4. nor adread of them O but the people might have replyed their Horses and Chariots are in our eyes our adversaries goe beyond us in number yet for all this they must not bee dejected with feare and why For the Lord your God goeth with you the consideration of Gods presence going along with them whom hee hath called to any hard undertaking must raise up their hearts to carry on that work Fourthly suppose that such meet with dysasters in following of Gods work yet if they would bee fortifyed against them behold God hath promised that all things shall work together for the best unto them that love him Therefore if thou beest crost in prosecuting of Gods worke for the present yet that hinderance shall be as a vantage-ground to take thy rise to advance it further hereafter Lastly consider there is an ample reward laid up for all them who are stedfast unmoveable 1 Cor. 15.58 and abundant alwayes in the worke of the Lord their labour shall not bee in vain in the Lord. Now by all these motives bee exhorted to stirre up the grace that is given unto you that will make you faithfull to God in laying out what you have received approving your selves to him in your stewardship that will make you usefull to the Church of God where you live and that will open a way of comfort unto you when you shall come to give up the accounts of your stewardship in the great day of the Lord. Vse 3 My last use should have been a word of comfort with which I desired to have dismissed you and in it I would have spoken to such as wait upon the Lord whose hearts I desire may bee raised up with strength to wait further on him but I dare not presume upon your patience too farre therefore I say no more in it then what the Lord hath said in my Text All you that trust in the Lord bee strong and know for certain that God will strengthen your hearts You have heard the particulars considerable in the Text Applic. to the Parliament and in generall how they meet with many by way of just reproofe as also how they may serve for the quickning of some and raising up of others with comfort Now give mee leave with Your patience to bring home all by a more particular application to all you that stand here this day before the Lord In the first place Honorable and dearely beloved in the Lord my desire is with all due respect to your great and weighty imployments and your personall worth to point forth unto You in a word or two the way to the true valour mentioned in my Text well beseeming such as are ingaged in the cause of the Lord that God may strengthen your hearts and comfortably crowne your great employments with a happy and desired issue in the end for this cause consider I beseech you First what God hath called you unto Secondly what he now requires to be done by you whilest you are strugling to advance that worke both which being closely followed you may expect of the Lord both present comfort and a happy closure of your just undertakings First cast your eyes upon your present employment which I crave may be weighed by