Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
duty_n	hear_v	heart_n	pray_v	1,932	5	5.7672	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09963	An elegant and lively description of spirituall life and death Delivered in divers sermons in Lincolnes-Inne, November the 9.th, M.DCXXIII. vpon Iohn, 5.25. By Iohn Preston then Bachellor of Divinitie, and chaplaine in ordinarie to the Prince his Highnesse.	Preston, John, 1587-1628.	1632 (1632)	STC 20221.5; ESTC S115172	68,183	135

to bee blessed that doth meditate in the Law of God day and night Your knowledge being brought to action helpes you much often hearing of the word which puts you in remembrance addes to your life though it hinders you in other things Those who have not the word to heare live not under preaching Ministers who will not be at the cost to get them or live where they are not are much to blame and live not this life Simon Magus sinned in thinking that the holy Ghost might be bought with mony doe not they also sinne who doe lesse than hee that will not give mony for to have the Gospel brought unto them There is the like fault when as men may have the word and come not to it If they come to it though it addeth not to their knowledge yet it helpeth their acting and life Those who neglect the constant reading of the word who are not constant in private prayer those who neglect the speaking and talking of good things they neglect this life That Arabian proverbe Shut up the five windowes that the house may be full of light will be of good use here that is the five senses being shut up the fuller of light shall wee bee the not stopping up of them makes men ignorant cares and businesses possessing mens minds there is no roome left for better things Let your minds be still plodding on that which may further you in grace and truth It is ignorance that makes men strangers from the life of God Ephe. 4.18 and this is not an ignorance that proceedeth from want of knowledge but from the badnesse of your hearts hard hearts makes men ignorant why doe men heare and yet are ignorant but because their hearts are hardned they regard not the word and so they grow not in knowledge The second meanes to get this life is to bee much in doing be much in doing in acting the duties of new obedience the more yee are occupied the more yee live else deadnesse doth possesse you be still praying and meditating those revive you those are the coales that keepe the heart warme this life like water is apt to grow cold But I must be full of life ere I can doe actions I answer that one begets the other action begets life and life begets action as health produceth exercise and exercise procureth health But I am indisposed and unfit for such actions I answer that if yee are indisposed the more need you had to be doing else you are more unexcusable the way to get heate is to bee acting as motion doth bring life to a benummed member so doth it to the soule be awaked be stirring this will revive you againe Christians hearts are awaked when as they themselves sleepe if they stirre them up there will be more life in them Rom. 2.13 They beginning to languish their medicine is to rise up and be doing Gal. 5.16 Walke in the spirit those who have the Spirit stand not still as one that cannot stirre this acting helpes the Spirit first by inlarging and intending life Secondly by preventing that which increaseth death the more wee walke in the wayes of life the more we prevent the way that leades to the Chambers of death Be doing if not one thing yet another In the steppings out of your callings be doing reading and praying Conferring and talking of good things the neglect of this is the cause why there are so many dwarfes in grace Men content themselves with morning and evening duties and it is well if they doe them but doe you the actions of life more constantly and abundantly It is the corruption of our nature that wee are not doing life is maintained by the actions of life habits are maintained by actions that are sutable to them We live in the commandements by well doing as the creature doth by food Good actions maintaine life it receives strength from well-doing set your selves to pray doe holy duties still pray doe more and more the more yee doe the more life increaseth The third meanes to get this life is to get faith Faith helpes this life it is a life of faith and it makes us to live this life by three wayes First it gives a reality to the priviledges of life makes you see they are so indeed therefore yee act yee beleeve that God is such a God that yee have such priviledges that yee are heires of all things If yee thinke that God is such a one as he is in wisedome power and mercy yee intend them and live the life of grace If yee doubt and question with Atheists if these bee dreames then yee intend them not He that beleeves saith let me have God sure the other saith let me have that I touch and feele but the imaginary things resting in faith and hope I care not for the more yee beleeve these things the more yee are occupied about them Secondly faith drawes you on to action this life is the acting of the duties of new obedience Faith and a perswasion further other things as if one be perswaded that such a thing will hurt him it produceth an action of the will abstinence if a man bee perswaded that he shall dye without the Physition hee sends for him So in all other actions perswasion is that which sets a man on worke So in spirituall actions if we are perswaded that such a sinne committed will not make our bodies sicke but our soules wee will not doe it if wee are perswaded our soules shall fare the better if we doe such a thing this makes us to doe it being perswaded we shall have a recompence of reward it produceth action and the more action the more life Thirdly faith doth it by fitting us for Christ from whom our life comes 1 Ioh. 5.12 he that hath the Sonne hath life First the Sonne of God infuseth life into him to whom hee is conjoyned the conjunction betwixt Christ and us is but relative and betweene the king and the subject when the subjects resolve to take such an one for their king they are conjoyned to him so when a woman resolves to take such a man for her husband shee is conjoyned to him The action of taking Christ is to take him as a Lord to serve him as a Saviour to have all comfort by him hee that hath the Son in the relative union shall have him in the reall union the Sonne will quicken you as the soule doth the body A Chrian hath the life of the Sonne of God Gal. 2.21 I live yet not I but Christ lives in me all that I doe Christ doth it in me all that the body doth the soule doth it the body lives not but the soule lives in it After that manner Christ lives in us not a good thought or affection not any resolution or motion of the soule but comes for Christ being united to Christ by faith he lives in us Ioh. 6.33 he that eates my flesh and

forgetfull hearers and for this first recall and repeate what yee have heard when yee are gone Secondly practise it afterwards there is a blessing promised to mindfull hearers there is a curse denounced against those that are forgetfull Ioh. 13.15 If yee know these things happy are yee if you doe them but there is a curse for you if you doe not profit God will make you to heare and will not give you his Spirit Regard to prize the word if yee will not be forgetfull Rom. 1.28 those that did not like to reteine God in their knowledge those that did heare the Word and not regard it God gave them up to a reprobate sence to an Injudiciousnesse to doe those things that were not convenient not being able to profit by it The ancient Fathers much professed the repetition of Sermons and one of them used this similitude A man that comes into a pleasant garden he will not content himselfe with the present sent onely but he will carry some of the flowers home with him So in a cold day a man will not be content to heate himselfe at another mans fire but he will carry some fire home with him to keepe him hot at home So doe yee when yee come to heare the Word carry home some flowers of it with you carry some fire home with you to heate and warme your hearts God regards not flashes and moods and such negligence in performing of holy duties as will not warme their hearts Men are like a Sive in the water it is full whiles it is in the water but being taken out of it it hath nothing it is not the hearing of the Word of God or the doing of it negligently that will profit if yee heare it onely pro forma and negligently it doth then no good but it brings Gods curse upon you Gods curse is on many they grow not in knowledge or grace for want of diligence wherefore in the 2 Pet. 3.17 the Apostle bids us beware least being led away with the error of the wicked we fall from our owne stedfastnesse to prevent this grow in grace and for this purpose grow in knowledge for then yee grow in grace The fift meanes to heare profitably is to prize the Word and the voyce of Christ speaking to the heart pray earnestly for it that yee may seeke it earnestly at Gods hands beseech him to speake to your hearts your hearing is nothing without this it is the great sheapheard of the flocke that must feede you It is his Spirit that must teach you Therefore when as you come to heare pray earnestly to God to speake unto you by his Spirit It is the Spirit that quickneth Ioh. 6.63 the Word is spirituall and wee are carnall therefore wee must pray for the Spirit to helpe us for to heare the Spirit is not bestowed without prayer Actes 1.14.15 God promised to give his Spirit to his Apostles yet they continued long in prayers ere he gave it them Luk. 11.13 God gives not his Spirit but to such as aske it to such as continue praying asking and knocking David prayes to God to open his eyes that he might see the wonders of his Law Men may heare the Word yet God opens not their eyes without seeking to him God speakes unto you by his Ministers Paul and Apollos are yours wee are the Ministers of God for your sakes for your service if God open the dore of utterance it is not for our sakes but yours that you might seeke the W●ord at our mouthes and beleeve Acts 14.1 a 〈◊〉 company of Iewes and Gentiles beleeved by h●●●ing the Word preached and receiving of it The world receives not the Spirit because they seeke it not Iohn 14.17 We in preaching can doe nothing it is the Spirit that must doe it 2 Cor. 3.18 wee can shew you the Image of God but it is nothing to you if yee be not transformed into the same image from glory to glory and it is the Spirit that must thus transforme you Conclude therefore with God in prayer let not him deny you one word from him is more then a thousand from us God fastning his Word upon your hearts it changeth you without him we preach in vayne The sixt meanes to heare profitably is to come with vacuity of minde free from all things that hinder else we sow but amongst thornes Ier. 4.4 we speak to men prepossessed the seed fals on fallow ground we speake to men whose hearts are full of lust they have a noyse of businesse within them and so they heare us not because their hearts are fore possessed The arrowes head being in the wound it is in vaine to lay plaisters upon it therefore Iam. 1.24 when as wee came to heare the Word we are commanded to lay aside all superfluity of naughtinesse and to receive with meeknesse the ingrafted word which is able to save our soules Doe in hearing the Word as men doe in grafting cut off all superfluous branches come with empty minds attend to the matters of grace Men who have full stomacks God feeds not He feeds the hungry others are sent empty away they are alwayes hearing but never profiting I should speake now to Ministers and people to Ministers that they speake in the voyce of Christ that they speake as he did not in wisedome of words but in the evidence of the Spirit To the people that they must heare them by whom Christ speakes those who have livings to bestow ought to bestow them on such as speake the words of Christ they that want his voyce ought to procure such Now if ye will not be at cost for a good Minister it is a signe you lo●e your profit above Christ. Those that dwell where Christs voyce is not let them remove for they sit in darkenesse and in the shaddow of death Esay 9.2 If your dwelling be pleasant if you have bitter waters or no waters at all you will remove Have not your dwellings then where the water of life is not If the voyce of Christ be the onely meanes to beget life let men come to it It is a great fault men come not to this voyce hee tha● came not to the Sacrament must be cut off What shall be done to him that comes not to the Word Want of the Word preached is a great misery therefore David complaineth much of his case when he was not able to come to the Word O that I am constrained to dwel in Mesech and to have my habitation amongst the tents of Keder The daily sacrifice being taken away it was the greatest desolation that could be and can men live there with comfort where the Word is wanting Is it a duty to come to heare the Word or it is Arbitrary to come or not to come if it be arbitrary then yee performe but a will-worship when yee heare it if a duty then yee must heare it constantly and enquire where it is to be had But you have excuses To this I answer see how yee can excuse your selves to God How angry was Christ with those that came not to the marriage that is principally meant of comming to heare the Gospell It is a despysing of God and his ordinances not to come it is a contempt which brings sorth a curse which brings a judgement that is like the sinne Those that despise you despise me saith Christ the word is the power of God to salvation there is no salvation without faith and there is no faith but by hearing Faith comes by hearing He that heares not you heares not me saith Christ. Therefore if you heare not this voyce of the Sonne of God take heed lest he heare not you at last FINIS Doct. 1. Ob. Answ. The kinds of Spirituall death The Symptomes of true death Ob. Answ. Ob. Answ. The degrees of Spirituall death Object Answ. 1. Answ. 2. Ob. Ans. Ob. Ans. Ob. Answ. Ob. Ans. Ob. An. Ob. Answ. Vse 1. Quest. Answ. The characters of those that are spiritually dead Quest. Ans. The markes and signes of those who are spiritually dead Object Answ. Objest Answ. Object Ans. Vse 2. Vse 3. Vse 4. * The Sacrament is administred twice every Terme and sometimes thrice Doct. 2. Quest. Ans. Quest. Answ. Esay 53. Quest. Answ. Object Ans. Vse Vse 2. Quest. Answer Vse 3. Signes of spirituall life Object Answ. Object Answ. Object Answ. Object Answ. Luke 15.13 to 20. Iohn 3.7.8 The meanes to get this spirituall life Object Answ. Object Answ. Object Answ. Object 3. Answ. Object 1 Cor. 15 45. to 50. Ioh. 1.16.17 Iohn 15.1 2 3 4. 1 Sam. 10.10 11 12. Heb. 13.20 Ioh 11.43.44 Quest. Answ. Matth. 11.15 Doct. 3. Gen. 9.27 Reasons of the point Ioh. 5.21 Rom. 9.15 Gen. 1.3 1 King 19 19.20 Quest. Ans. Gen. 1.1 Ioh. 1.1 Mark 16.15.16 Gen. 5.24 Ioh. 10. ● Gen. 3. Object Answ. Object Answ. Vse 1. Iohn 10.3.4 2 Cor. 4.3.4 Act. 17.30 The means how to heare profitablie Object Answ. Ob. A●s