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
A11850	Christs counsell to his languishing church of Sardis. Or, The dying or decaying Christian, with the meanes and helpes of his recovery and strengthening. By Obadiah Sedgwicke, B. of D. late preacher to the inhabitants of S. Mildreds Bredstreet, London	Sedgwick, Obadiah, 1600?-1658.	1640 (1640)	STC 22151; ESTC S117037	59,254	284

my grace is weakened when I yeeld to sinne but it stands in strength when it stands in defiance and conflict with sinne it argues the violence of sinne to breake out against grace and also it argues the potency of grace to keepe the soule from serving unruly and boysterous lusts 3 Betwixt sinne in temptation and sinne in the affection even a strong castle may be assaulted and a stout Christian much tempted then the spirituall part is weakened when sin is favoured If as there is much temptation in thy sinfull flesh so there is much detestation on thy spirituall part thy bow yet abides in strength Object But another Christian replies if these signes of decaying be right which you deliver then surely I am in a dying frame for heretofore when as I thought God looked on me in mercy in quickening me from the dead I had a very melting heart for sinne and a surpassing●y zealous love to God and his glory but now I finde no such height and flames and measures Sol. To this I answer 1 You must distinguish betwixt equall sensiblenesse and equall spiritualnesse upon the inchoation of grace there may be more sensiblenesse for as much as grace erects it selfe much in the affections of whose acts we are more apprehensive being more neere to sense but upon the advance in grace there may be more spiritualnesse though not such a sensible griefe in the affection yet a pure lothing of sinne and displicence with our selves in the will 2 Betwixt passionate expressions and deliberate or judicious expressions I confesse that heretofore thy zeale and love might be more passionate and violent but now they worke upon more pure and mixt grounds and for ever know it argues the grace to be the more strong which can act its parts with lesse turbulency and unquietnesse 3 Betwixt grace generally diffused and it particularly imployed at the first all the water ranne as it were in one channell grace exerted it selfe mostly in the humbling part and therefore seemed to be very much because very much imployed in a particular but upon further knowledge of Christian duties grace diffuseth its strength to all the acts of holinesse it is not the lesse because the more improved onely it is the lesse perceived Simile as health and strength are when totally diffused over the whole body 4 Betwixt interruption and corruption spirituall principles may sometimes be interrupted Simile like a river which yet is scrambling over the bay by temptations the passages are not alwaies so open for operation the very ineptitude of a mans temper may occasion unequall expressions of the visible act actus Imperati and yet there may be no weakening and decaying in the spirituall condition for the invisible frame actus eliciti are sure and full still the will and desires doe act as much as ever though the tongue or hand cannot render it and besides this the worke is made up by a secret humbling which is so unavoydably hindred from an open acting 6 But lastly if upon solid grounds when wee are our selves we finde a manifest inequality of our present with our former condition in grace then counsell is better for thee then comfort and mee thinkes no better advise can be prescribed then that of Christ himselfe to the Ephesian Church slaking in her first love Remember from whence thou art fallen and repent and doe thy first works Vse 2 If though upon perusall of these trials you finde your selves not to be in a dying condition 1 Then first blesse the arme of the Almighty God who hath given grace and upheld it 2 Beseech him for ever to preserve and increase thy spirituall qualities all thy daies it is by his goodnesse that thou art good and of his strength that yet thou abidest in thy strength 3 Vse all the meanes thou canst to keepe up thy graces that thou sink not into a dying condition Meanes to preserve us from a dying condition be these 1 Be humble Simile the high tide quickly ebbes and the highest sunne is presently declining faith is the champion for our graces and feare the watchman and humility the nurse Spirituall pride fils our fancies but impaires our graces now a man thinkes he hath enough and then he is sure to lose much if any thing keepes us from being low in grace it is this that we still grow low and poor in spirit In the Rickets they have large heads but weake feet so c. 2 Strive for further perfection 2 Pet. 3. 17. 18. in holinesse 2 Pet. 3. 17. the most of what wee have is but the least of that we want He that will not strive to be better will be worse in temporals we should insist more on our receits and that will make us thankfull in spirituals wee should insist more on our wants and that will make us fruitfull 2 Pet. 1. 5. Adde to your faith vertue and to vertue knowledge 6 v. and to knowledge temperance c. 8 v. for if thou doe these things they make you that you shall neither be barren nor unfruitfull c. 3 Quit all formality in all holy duties take heed of the first coolings much impiety may hang upon much indifferency a coole spirit is alwaies a losing spirit he who gives way to do duties in a slight manner will after a while be able scarce to performe them in any manner But as the rule was Hoc age so still keep up thy spirit with the duty stir up thy graces in all duties put out thy heart and strength in holy actions of praying and hearing and that will keepe thee alive in grace A conscionable and cordiall acting of good is blessed not onely with a preservation of grace but likewise with an addition and increase 4 Maintaine an holy jealousie and feare of decaying Blessed is the man who feareth alwaies saith Salomon Prov. 28. Three things arise from this One is tender watchfulnesse against all decaying occasions Another is frequent search and examination of our spirits and estates Quicke repairings of all faylings all which preserve us from a notorious decaying or dying 5 Be prudently serious in christian society spend not thy houres in vaine disputes lest while thou studiest odde notions thou in the meane time losest precious grace There are disputes which end onely in division and there are inquiries which tend to edification rather studie to make thy selfe better then to prove another to be bad 6 Keep up uprightnesse and by no meanes away with hypocrisie say not the sinne is little Simile for many a man hath dyed of a little wound and we all know that the small end of the wedge makes way for the greater nor say it is secret a man may dye of a secret stab as well as of an open wound When the children of the Prophets tasted of the pottage they cried out Mors in olla death is in the pot and so shall wee finde upon experience that there goes a dying influence with

God and the dignity of a Christian it is holinesse which makes thee to differ from men more then reason makes thee to differ from beasts If with him in the Gospell thou shouldest lose thy sheep or with her in the Gospel thou shouldest lose thy groat thou wouldest seeke to recover them how much more when thy crowne is losing c. In that which is our safety graces are not onely ornamenta beautifull garments but munimenta powerfull weapons thou losest thy weapons in the very field before thine enemies if thou losest thy spirituals and makest thy selfe naked so that any temptation may insult over thee and wound thee Simile at least thou canst not so well wield and use thy weapons a broken arme what can it doe especially with a dull weapon against strong and skilfull adversaries In that which is our serenity the weakened grace and the wounded conscience still goe together or if not then it is the dying grace and the dead conscience which is farre worse then the other In that which is our felicity ah unhappy Christian who when thy bow abode in strength couldest see a loving God enjoy a gracious Father couldest speake to him much and heare from him much but now hast changed thy confidence into feares thy sunne into darkenesse thy communion into strangenesse thy glory into shame 2 Who knowes what the end will be if thou strengthen not thy decaying graces The Lord knowes how farre thou maiest fall if thou wilt not thinke of rising Thou seest how poore a crop of duties comes from thy decaying graces thou feelest thy affections almost gone thou apprehendest not only a weaknesse but a wearinesse in holy services thou findest thy appetite gone from the word thou knowest thy neglect of many a Sacrament thou canst not but observe a vanity to arise in thy minde in stead of heavenly purity and a more delightfull consociation with vaine and idle persons then with solid and fruitfull Christians Yea and since thy graces have beene weakened easie temptations have beene very likely if not altogether effectuall to insnare thee to great transgressions from many omissions thou art now ready for great commissions Simile so that like a stone running downe a hill or a man carried further and further into the sea thou doest indanger what in thee lies the very soule and salvation of thy selfe and the love of God is it not setting are not his frowns rising And here will be work now made for that miserable soule of thine which hath so farre gone from home and is departed from thy fathers house 3 We are bound to keep our graces in repaire and more then so orgo we are not to rest in a decaying estate but to recover c. Simile As the Tenant who takes an house is bound to keepe it in repaire that it may be habitable against winde and weather so must we keepe up the graces given unto us and not let them sinke at all Nay more then so wee are bound against not onely decayings but against meere standings wee must proceed from faith to faith we must perfect holinesse in the feare of God we must grow in the love and knowledge of our Lord Iesus we must abound in all the fruits of righteousnesse we must use and increase our talents it will not be an answer of proofe to retaine our naked talent and say Master there is thine own The first use of this point shall bee to stirre us up to the Vse practise of this duty I will not spend time to demonstrate that we need strengthening I may speake my conscience with grief that generally we are a decaying people in the powers of godlinesse and flames of holy affections yea our own consciences secretly testifie against us this day that so it is yea the judgements of God the fire of his wrath which begins to burn and flye abroad in this City yet againe testifies as much and therefore my exhortation to us all is that we wisely consider of our dyings and decayings ah if the Plague should breake into our dwellings and take us away in our decayed estates a tormenting sore and a tormenting conscience a dying spirit and a dying body both at once the Lord knowes the wofulnesse of such a condition There are onely three things which I shall commend unto you for the application of this viz. 1 The motives to excite us 2 The meanes to perform it Three things 3 The manner of doing it 1 The motives To excite us to strengthen our spirituall condition shall Seven disadvantages be drawne from the disadvantages in a weakned the advantages of a strengthened conditiō 1 In respect of duties the Christian is to be Gods workman he is the servant of the Lord who imposeth on him not a few but many workes not easie but many times difficult workers not for a while but constant workes such duties that a little knowledge wil not serve the turn nor a little wisdom nor a little faith nor a little patience c. some of these duties are active some passive some respecting his general some his particular calling some of relation to God some to man some to himselfe Now the weakened Christian hee is no body to the strengthened Christian for duties for every man is as his strength is and our actions for the course of them are as the ability of the soule is from whence they come The weakened Christian comes very short of the other both for His adaptation of spirit unto duty there is not that connaturalnesse if I may so speake of his spirit to spirituall offices duties come hardly from him Simile like a rusty key to open a doore hee doth his worke with a more indisposed spirit not freely but like a sickeman he goes very little and is quickly weary and poorely not fully whereas the strengthened Christians duties flow from him as from an easie principle and lively and quicke cause His adequation of duty to the rule He doth not minde the rule of holy actions so much nor doth hee proportion his workes to the commands God may command much more then he doth for ordinarily the decayed Christian is guilty of many omissions Hee failes wonderfully oft-times in passing over the duty of prayer or reading or hearing c. But the strengthened Christian he is for all duties difficult as well as easie private as well as publique though hee cannot intensively answer the rule for duty yet extensively hee doth knowingly and willingly hee omits no duty His affective cooperation with duty hee doth duty but without such co-working affections more formally he doth pray and heare perhaps but it is coldly and sleepily it is not as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but as if it were some indifferent worke he acts with a carelesse and indifferent spirit His eye is not so full on Gods glory nor is his heart so warme in prayer c. His coles of fire burne in a cold hearth He is not