Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
duty_n	grace_n	heart_n	lord_n	2,444	5	3.6628	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09417	A faithfull and plaine exposition vpon the 2. chapter of Zephaniah by that reuerend and iudicious diuine, M.W. Perkins. Containing a powerful exhortation to repentance: as also the manner hovve men in repentance are to search themselues. Published by a preacher of the vvord. With a preface prefixed, touching the publishing of M. Perkins his vvorks. And a catalogue of all such particulars thereof, as are to be expected.; M. Perkins, his exhortation to repentance, out of Zephaniah. Selections	Perkins, William, 1558-1602.	1609 (1609)	STC 19708; ESTC S105944	42,578	198

is the second death the death of soule and bodie which is the eternall want of Gods presence and the accomplishment of his wrath and an apprehension and feeling of that wrath seazing on bodie soule and conscience The first curse was a spirituall death the death of the soule The second a temporall death the death of the bodie The third is an eternall death a death both of soule and bodie together and for euer This eternall death is the curse of all curses the miserie of all miseries and torment of all tormentes and I shewe it thus Often when thy toothe acheth and sometime when thy headacheth or in the paine of the stone or collicke thou wouldest giue all that thou hast in the worlde to bee eased of that paine Nay in the extreamitie of some fittes manie will wish themselues euen out of the world Now if the paine of one toothe can so farre distemper minde and bodie that it cannot bee releeued with all the pleasures of this life Oh then what a torment shall that bee when not one kinde of paine but the whole viole of GODS wrath shall bee powred not on one member but on the whole soule bodie and conscience and that not for a time vnder hope of better but eternallie without hope of release and that not in this world where there are comforts helpes and remedies but in that vglie and darksome place of torrments and that not amongst liuing men which might mittigate thy paine or else bemone thee and bewaile it with thee but with the diuells dāned spirits which will now laugh at thy destruction and solace themselues in this thy miserie and will reioyce as thou diddest serue them in earth so now in hell to bee thy tormenters It may bee therefore by the way a good warning and wisedome to vs all when wee feele the extremitie of some bodilie paine to consider with our selues and say Oh then what shall bee my miserie and torment if I repent not when not one member but soule bodie and conscience shall bee racked and tormented in the feeling and apprehension of the anger of the Lorde of Hostes. In these three points stands that curse and wrath of God vnder which euerie man is borne And these doe answere to the three degrees of sinne which are in vs for as the two first rules taught vs there is in euery man by nature till hee repent a threefolde guiltinesse First a guiltinesse of Adams sinne Secondly the taint of originall vniuersall corruption Thirdly a pollution by manie outragious actuall sinnes In the first of these euerie man is equallie guiltie In the second euerie man is equallie corrupt But in the third euerie one keepes that compasse within which the Lorde will keepe them by his limiting power Now as in our guiltinesse of Adams sinne sinne hath his beginning in original sinne his continuance in actuall sinne his perfect on So answerable herevnto the wrath of God which alwayes standeth opposite to sinne is begunne in leauing vs by nature to the slauerie of Sathan is continued by death and is accomplished in damnation And nowe these three rules I commend to the carefull and Christian consideration of you all certifying you from God that as you can neuer bee saued vnlesse you repent nor repent vnlesse you searche your selues as heere the Prophet biddeth So that you can neuer search your selues aright till you be perswaded and resolued of these three rules of the truth of them all euen in your hearts and consciences Namely First that thou art guiltie of Adams sinne Secōdly that thou art prone by nature to all euil in the world Thirdly that for these thou art subiect to the wrath of God and to all the curses of his wrath but when thou art in heart conscience resolued that these are true then thou art a fit scholler for this Lesson of the Prophet Search thy selfe For when thou goest thus prepared vnto this Search and esteemest of thy selfe as the three Rules haue described thee then if thou Search into thy selfe thou wilt finde thy selfe and thy estate to bee such as will cause thee to repent returne and take a newe course therefore what the Prophet saide to those Iewes I say vnto you also My brethren of this Realme of England who are now heere gathered together out of so manie countryes and quarters of this Realme yea in the name of the same God I cry vnto you Search O Search your selues and thinke it not a matter indifferent to doe or not to doe it but knowe it that God commands you as euer you wil come to saluation Search your selues And the rather because by these three Rules you see howe much chaffe of corruption is in your nature and what neede therefore it hath to be searched into and fanned by Repentance Bee well assured thou man whatsoeuer thou art there is so much chaffe in thee that if thou search not and fanne it not out thou wilt prooue nothing but Chaffe at the last day and so be blowne away with the winde of Gods iustice into Hell Take holde therfore of this exhortation and deferre it not Thou wilt not suffer thy Wheate to lye too long in the chaffe for feare of hurting it Is it then safe to suffer the Chaffe of thy sinnes and corruptions to lye cankering and rotting in thy heart Be sure that that little portion of grace which thou attainest vnto by liuing in the Church and vnder the ministery of the word of God will bee putryfied and cleane corrupted with the Chaffe of thy sinnes therefore againe and againe I exhorte you to make conscience of this dutie Search into your selues fanne out this chaffe this presumption of ours and high esteeming of our owne nature and conceites of Gods fauour before we haue it that so this Chaffe beeing blowne away the Lord may then bestowe vpon vs soundnesse of grace and the foundation of all goodnesse which is a holy and humbled heart Saluation is such a building as the foundation thereof had neede to bee sure and strong Ignorance blindenesse and presumption are not sufficient foundations for such a building therefore as no man wil build a strong house vpon anie earth but hee will first search it least it prooue sandie and so ouerthrowe all So a wise Christian will not build his saluation vpon fancies and conceits and naturall presumptions but will Search and looke into his heart and finding these to be sandie and rotten and therefore too weake for the foundation of so glorious a building will refuse them all and labour to furnish his heart with such sounde grace as wherevpon hee may trust so weightie a worke as is the saluation of his soule Againe if thou wilt stande in the day of triall then search thy heart betime and discerne betwixt chaffe and wheate thou seest that chaffe flyeth away before the winde but good corne indures the Fanne and the furie of the winde so in the day of triall

hypocrisie shall bee discouered and his nakednes shal be laid open in the view of men and Angels to his eternall confusion Thirdly Search saith the Prophet but not so content hee forceth it againe Euen search you In thus repeating and vrging this exhortation the holie Ghost giues them and vs to vnderstand that the true searching of a mans heart and life is a dutie of a great moment and speciall necessity therefore he leaues it not after once naming it but inforceth it the seconde time as beeing no matter of indifferencie but of great necessitie thereby shewing that it is a principall dutie in Repentance euen the beginning and foundation of all true grace And further it is a meanes also to preuent Gods iudgements for when men search not themselues then God sendes the fire of afflictions and crosses to trie and search them but when they search themselues then God spareth to searche them by his iust iudgements Nowe in that this dutie of searching is both the beginning of all true grace and the meanes to staye Gods iudgements and therefore is so pithelie and forceablie vrged by the holie Ghost it must teach vs all a necessarie lesson namely to make great conscience of searching our selues First because God hath so commanded and we are to make conscience of obedience to euerie commandement Secondly because thereby we shall reape two so great commodities as first therby we shal lay a sure foundation for the good worke of grace in vs and secondly shal stay the hand of God and his iudgements from beeing executed vpon vs. Let vs therfore hearken to this counsaile of the holie Ghost let vs take the fanne of the Law and there with searche and winnow our hearts and liues Our hearts for secret and hidden corruptions Our liues for committing of euill and omitting of good Doe with your hearts as men doe with their wheate they will not suffer their corne to lye long in the chaffe least the chaffe hurt it but commits it to the fanne that the winde may separate them So the graces of God in our hearts are but corne our sinnes and corruptions are chaffe looke well and thou shalt finde in thy selfe much chaffe and but little corne let not then the chaffe lye too long mingled with the corne lest it corrupt the corne Let not thy sinnes lye mingled with the grace of God in thee if thou doe they will choke it in the ende and so depriue thee of all grace therefore rippe vp thy heart and looke into thy life and when thou hast sinned enter into thy selfe aske thy conscience what thou hast done and bee not quiet till thou hast founde out thy sinne and the foulenesse of it and neuer thinke that thou knowest anie thing in Religion till thou knowest what is in thine owne heart And what are in thy speciall and priuiest corruptions and looke into thine owne faults not with a partiall eye but with a censorious and a straite iudgement spare sinne in no man but especiallie condemne it in thy selfe But alas these times of ours crie out of an other state for euen Ieremies case is ours We may complaine as hee did No man repents him of his wickednes saying what haue I done the same is the force of our people and the sickenesse of all Nations that euerie man runnes on in his sinnes from sin to sinne carelesly euen as the barde horse into the battaile But how rare a thing is it to finde a man that daylie searcheth himselfe and examines how he liues and how the case standeth betwixte God and himselfe and that when hee hath done amisse entereth into the closet of his heart and strikes himselfe vpon the breast and disputes the case with himselfe saying What haue I done O what is this that I gaue done against GOD against his Church and against my own soule The want of this is that which the Prophete complaines of in that place not as though it was sufficient thus to doe in a mans owne conscience but because it is a good beginning and a step to further grace For if a man did seriously thus deale with his conscience after his sinne his conscience woulde shape him such an aunswere and woulde tell him so roundlie what hee had done that hee woulde take heede howe he did the same againe and looke more narrowely and warilie to himselfe all the dayes of his life Seeing therefore it is so necessarie a dutie let euery one of vs enduour the practise of it namely to rippe and ransacke our heartes and to searche our wayes vnto the bottome Now for our better instruction and furtherance in the performance heereof you must knowe that this Search is to bee made by the Law of God for nothing else but Gods lawe can helpe vs and let vs see that which we must search for for if we search by anie meanes wee may seeke and search long enough ere wee finde anie thing that will bee matter of Repentance Aske the Diuell hee will tell thee all is well and that thou art in an excellent estate and God loues thee and thou art sure of heauen this song the diuell alwayes singes for the most part til a man comes to die for then hee appeares in his colours but till then hee laboures to sing and lull all men a sleepe in the cradle of securite Aske your owne flesh and your owne heartes and natures and they will aunswere and say that all is well and safe and that wee haue beleeued and loued and feared GOD all our dayes Aske the worlde and men in the world and they will answere all is well and they will say further that thou art a right good-fellowe and art worthe twentie of these curious fooles that sticke vpon points and stand vpon circumstances as swearing and drinking and good fellowship and gaming and such other nice and circumstantiall points thus wil worldly men aunswere for thy prophane course is acceptable to them because thereby thou approuest the same in them Nay goe further and aske all humaine Learning in the world and it cannot tell thee what one sinne is nor what it is to offende God so that there remaines onely the law of God the light whereof will disclose the darkenesse of our heartes and the iustice whereof will reueale the righteousnesse and the peruersenesse of our Natures therefore to the Lawe of GOD must wee flye to helpe vs in this search And yet for our better helpe in this dutie and that there may bee nothing wanting to that soule that seeketh God therefore wee are further to knowe that if wee will searche our selues by the Lawe profitablie wee must marke three rules the truth whereof vnlesse wee knowe acknowledge and feele wee shall neuer see our owne estate nor profit by this search but plod on from sin to sin vntill we plunge into hell The first Rule is that euerie man that came from Adam sinned in the sinne of Adam thou must therefore knowe that his sinne