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 time_n 2,518 5 3.8222 3 true
View all documents for the selected quad

Text snippets containing the quad

ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A71233 Publick sorrovv A remedy for Englands malady. Being an explanation of the fourteenth verse of the first chapter of the prophet Joel. By Ellis Weycoe, M.A. Weycoe, Ellis. 1657 (1657) Wing W1524; ESTC R221984 81,520 112

There is 1 snippet containing the selected quad. | View lemmatised text

Body but also dismember it in the Common-weale making so many Factions as there are Functions in the Church so many fancies as men and as many opinions as fancies and to that height of impiety some are arrived as that being Christs Free-men they ought not to be subject to any but are set free by Christ from the observation of Fasts or Feasts appointed by the Prince or Governour and not submitting to the Government under which they live will hold fast their liberty purchased by Christ though the appointment of them by the Governour be onely for the assembly of Gods people and that upon speciall occasions for the exercises of the Word and Prayer without placing the worship of God or any force of Religion in the observation of them or without any opinion of holinesse in those dayes more then other dayes And thus the Church of England did ever observe Holy-dayes Fasts or Feasts and no otherwise and yet did not fore goe their liberty purchased by Christ I might give way to my Discourse in this and enlarge it to a Volume but I had rather mourn for this kind of people the onely troublers of our English Israel then meddle with them But to you that are peaceable in Israel willingly submitting your selves to the Government under which God hath placed you and that for Conscience sake know you that it is lawfull for the Dominator or Governour to appoint a Fast or day of Hamillation and you are bound to obey For the lawfulnesse of their Edicts I need not stand at all upon it it hath ever been used by Princes of all Ages for which I might produce clouds of witnesses but search you the Scriptures and trace all the Kings For our obedience to their commands know that we are bound to obey them in their absolute commands so far forth as they are warranted by the Word of God And for this let that praecept of St. Paul serve for all Rom. 13.1 1 Pet. 2.13.14 Let every soule be subject to the higher Powers and if every soule then no man is free And again Submit your selves to all manner of Ordinance of man for the Lord sake whother it be unto the King as unto the Superiour or unto Governors as unto them that are sent of him So that people that obey not the wholesom Laws of the Magistrate sin greatly and if any refuse to be ordered by them Rom. 13.2 they resist the Ordinance of God and are specially threatned that they shall receive to themselves damnation And thus have I showed you That Princes or Governours may in the time of War or other Judgement enjoyne us a Fast and Proclaime a solemne assembly to the end we may testifie our Humiliation and better attend on the exercises of the Word and Prayer and that we are to obey them but withall in keeping of a Fast let these cautions be observed 1. That our Fasting be voyd of superstition and that we place no worship of God in it but hold it onely as an help to further us in the duties of Religion 2. That we have no opinion of merit by it that thereby we merit forgivenesse of sins increase of grace or the like 3. That we hold it not of absolute necessity 4. Lastly That it be without breach of the rule of charity either hurting our selves or making us thereby unfit for good duties or giving offence to others such as are weak in knowledge causing them to call our Christian liberty into question rather Informing them that the Magistrate hath power to enjoyn and we are bound to obey who by his Authority doth not take away the use of the things we abstain from but onely orders and moderates the same The like may be said for Feasts dayes of Thanksgiving or holy dayes but I passe them onely I could wish That every one of you would keep every day a Christian Feast even every day holy day which you may doe by purposing every day to avoyd all and every sin and by setting your selves every houre of the day in the sight of God and walking as before him carefully and conscionably in all good duties and so doing you shall keep a good Conscience and that the wife man tels us Prev 15 15. is a continuall feast even every day holy day And now being fully resolved That the King or Governour may Lawfully enjoyn us a Publick Fast in the time of extremity or any common calamity whereby we may testifie our Humiliation with out the least opinion of meriting forgivenesse of our sins the causes of all our miseries and that he may Proclaim a solemn assembly and that we are to obey not with any opinion of holinesse in the time but that the appointed day is for the assembly and holy convocation of Gods people for the exercise of the Word and Prayer Let us all then as at all times so especially upon these dayes of Humiliation set a part turne unto the Lord our God with fasting weeping and mourning and cry unto the Lord to spare this Nation and command his destroying Angel to sheath his Sword and cease from punishing that there may be no more complaining no more leading into captivity Let us implore Gods gracious power to withdraw his angry moved hand against us and let us beg of the God of mercy to stay his further dreadfull vengeance and threatned punishments from any further displaying horrour throughout all our Nation And for that purpose Let us run to our place of refuge the House of the Lord upon the feet of Prayer and there cry unto the Lord to spare this Land to spare this People to spare us from the Sword c. The occa●ion or cause of the fast The next is the occasion or cause of this Fast and that if you please to look into the verses foregoing the Text you will find to be a great Plague of Famine for the space of no lesse thou foure years Ver. 20.11.12.13 Their field wasted the●● 〈◊〉 mourning their corne destroyed their vines dryed up their oyle 〈◊〉 their harvest perished all the trees of the field withered and joy withered away from the Sons of Men So that just cause had they to lament and howle and lye in sackc●o●h and ashes nay in dust and ashes But should I prosecute my weak apprehensions in this I should but draw the Treatise beyond a just extent Let it suffice That their Land was russeted with a bloodlesse Famine a dreary punishment Heavens curse and the engine of destruction which doth bring terrour to mortals death to all things and therefore good cause had they to call a solemne assembly to sanctifie a Fast to gather the Elders and all the Inhabitants of the Land into the house of the Lord their God and there cry unto the Lord. And as theirs was Famine so the cause of our solemne assemblies or dayes of Humiliation for some years by-past hath been Warre and the worst of Wars a civill