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
A77157	A voyce from heaven, speaking good words and comfortable words, concerning saints departed. Which words are opened in a sermon preached at South-weal in Essex, 6. September, 1658. At the funeral of that worthy and eminent minister of the Gospel, Mr. Thomas Goodwin. Late pastor there. Hereunto is annexed a relation of many things observable in his life and death. By G.B. preacher of the word at Shenfield in Essex.	Bownd, George, d. 1662.	1659 (1659)	Wing B3888; Thomason E972_8; ESTC R207757	44,455	50

which he loved not nor cared for to know they may be directed from the Text They who would be blessed must be in the Lord must by all means get into Christ Iohn 14.6 I am the way saith Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Article in the Original makes it emphatical The way the onely way he adds and the truth this is to beget in our hearts a firm belief that he is the only way But one may say he is a way indeed but whether doth this way lead he adds the life as if he should say I am in truth the onely way that leads to life or blessednesse Know all Men of a truth if they be Christless they will be blisseless heavenless T is Christ who hath brought life and immortality to light therefore immortal life must be by Christ Jesus Christ is that Ladder in Jacobs vision by which Believers climb up to Heaven Life was a book sealed but Christ hath opēed it the way of blessednesse was shut up but Christ hath cleared the passage we must say with the Martyr None but Christ None but Christ Creature righteousness will not open the Door of blessedness Duties are Creatures yea graces are Creatures Faith it self is no Saviour So then if we would be blessed the question which we must put to our Souls is this are we in Christ They who are in the Lord Jesus shall be blessed For the tryal of this take this one conclusion If we be in Christ then Christ is in us As we read of Saints being in Christ Rom. 8.1 2 Cor. 5.17 So we read of Christ being in Saints Col. 1.27 2 Cor. 13.5 Take one place more wherein this mutual inhabitation is expressed fully 1 John 3.24 He that keepeth his Commandments dwelleth in him that is in Christ and he in him that is Christ dwelleth in him that keepeth his Commandments So that one discovers the other viz. if we be in Christ then Christ is in us Yea but it may be replied this is as hard to know as the other how can Christ be in us he is in Heaven him the Heavens must contain till c. I answer the Scripture shews that though Christ be in Heaven yet he dwells in his people upon earth by his Spirit and thus in the place last quoted this is made a mark or note of tryal Hereby we know that he abideth in us by the Spirit which he hath given us But yet still there is not a full resolution to a conscience that desires satisfaction But it may be further queried how I shall know whether I have the Spirit To this I Answer some know it by its immediate witnesse the Spirit bearing witnesse with their Spirits Thus Paul Rom. 8 16. 2 Tim. 1.12 I know whom I have believed this is an high attainment not given to all And therefore I add others may know it by its argumentative witness the Soul drawing conclusions from the effects which are such as these following 1. It is a softening Spirit Hast thou the Spirit of Christ dwelling in thee then it hath mollified thy Adamantine heart thou canst say my heart by nature is in●exible impenetrable but it is made tender bowed and softned 2. It is an enlarging Spirit Art thou enlarged with David to run the way of his Commandments This he desired to do but could not till God inlarged his heart Psalm 119.32 Art thou inlarged in dutie and in graces stronger in believing more broken in heart more frequent and fervent in praying hearing receiving is it thus with thee Sam 1.5.10 Thus it was with them who have the Spirit or rather hast not cause to mourn as Hannah because her womb was shut up so thou because thy Soul is shut up Perhaps hast no pantings after God and instead of being inlarged thou decayest declinest and goest down the wind 3. 'T is an enlightning Spirit The heart naturally is covered with darkness darkness that may be felt but where the Spirit dwells it makes an Egypt Luc. 1.78 79. a Goshen Now hath the day spring from on high visited thee to give light to thy Soul which sat in darkness Hath it inlightned thee to know the great evil of sin the dreadfulnesse of offended Justice the preciousness of thy immortal Soul the sweetness of a pardoned estate the transcendent excellency of Christ the Beauty of holiness 4. 'T is a sanctifying and cleansing Spirit The heart naturally is lamentably sulled and defiled the Conscience is impure The Soul coming out of an unregenerate estate Cant. 3.6 is said to come out of the wilderness like pillars of smoak The Soul naturally is a smoaky sooted and defiled thing but when the Spirit comes in it clenseth Now hath God created in thee a clean heart which David prayes for Psalm 51.10 The Spirit is compared to fire Now fire cleanseth the Gold from the dross hath the Spirit consumed the dross of sin and corruption 't is a Spirit of burning Isa 4.4 5. 'T is a fructifying Spirit The heart by nature is a wilderness as in the Canticles a barren wilderness bearing nothing but bryars and thrones and no good fruit Art thou now become fruitful in good works or rather art thou not to everie good work reprobate I might add 6. 'T is a warming Spirit The heart naturally is key-cold the conscience benummed Is there any spiritual heat holy warmth in thy Soul is there alwayes some of the holy fire burning upon the Altar of thy Soul The sum of all is this if these things be not in us or at least a sense of the want of them with a mourning for to have them then the Spirit is not in us and if the Spirit be not in us then Christ is not in us and if Christ be not in us then we are not in him and if we be not in him we cannot be blessed They only are blessed who are in the Lord There is no other way to blessedness and thus much for the second use 3. By way of Consolation to all true Beleevers you are in Christ and you shall be blessed when you die 'T is but waiting a while till Death and henceforth you shall be happy You perhaps are now miserable but you shall not alwayes be so Psa 73.24 afterwards thou wilt receive me to glorie Thus that holy Man Asaph comforted himself Can you not live a little upon hope Heb. 11.26 Heb. 10.34 Moses eying the recompence of reward could suffer rebuke Those Worthies calling to mind the better and enduring substance could take joyfully the spoyling of their goods and can you bear nothing suffer nothing True you have not this glory in possession but you have it in reversion T is as sure as sure as may be the entail cannot be cut off Christ urgeth this as an argument why his Disciples should forsake all follow him Matth. 19.28 because they should after sit upon thrones of glorie with him And the Apostle

follow through divine Justice Having thus opened the words I might draw from them many useful observations but because the time will not allow the handling of them I shall not so much as name them there is one point only which I intend to speak to and it is that wherein the marrow and sweetness of the consolation lies I shall lay it down almost in the very words of the Text viz. Doct. They who dye in the Lord shall certainly be blessed when they dye The Point is so clearly held forth in the Text that I need not look out for other Scriptures to confirm it but I shall gain the time in sparing what may bespared That which I intend is first to speak to it by way of Explication and secondly by way of Application There be three things needful to be explained 1. Who may be said to die in the Lord 2. What the blessednesse is which they who die in the Lord shall have 3. The time when they shall have it I. For the explaining of the first who may be said to die in the Lord I shall take notice of two opinions about it and then lay down a third which I conceive holds forth the true meaning of this phrase to die in the Lord. First therefore some widen the Phrase too much as if it did comprehend and take in all those who having lived professors of the true God and true Religion die holding this profession These make every formal profession though abstracted from the power of godliness enough to carry a person to Heaven making the Gate wide which Christ saith Matthew 7. is narrow Let Men professe the true Religion that is be Christians not Jews Turks at least be Protestants not Papists let them be Orthodox in Judgement and not grosly sinful in life let them but keep their Church hear pray receive and walk in a round of duties these shall be saved when they die This is the opinion of some This hath proved a spreading leaven and it is no wonder to see the Assertors of such Doctrine draw many Disciples after them it is so pleasing and who almost would not trade for Heaven if it may be purchased at so easie a rate 'T is a Matchiavilian axiome that to seem religious is profitable but to be religious is troublesom Now if that be enough to make one religious which was laid down before I pray what great trouble is it hear a few Sermons mumble over a few prayers they may do this and yet live at ease in Syon 'T is usually said to the reproach of zealous professors that some make more a do than they need Master favour thy self be not righteous over-much lesse will serve thy turn But now if the Kingdom of God consist not in word but in power If many may strive to enter into Heaven and yet not be able 1 Cor. 4.20 Lu. 13.23 Mat. 11.12 If Heaven must be stormed and taken by violence then surely every formal slight serving of God will not serve the turn nor suffice to arrive to that blessednesse promised in the Text to such as die in the Lord. Carnal Gospellers may seem to live in the Lord Rev 3.1 Have a name to live and so they may seem and but seem to themselves and some others to die in the Lord but the hoped-for blessednesse where where will it be Secondly Some on the other extreme Apellabo Martyrem praedicabo satis narrow the sense of this Phrase too much limiting and restraining it to those onely who die Martyrs sealing the truth with their blood Martyrdom indeed is a piece of service tending greatly to the honour of God and hath alwayes been honourably remembred by the Saints and will be gloriously rewarded from the Lord These indeed are meant in the Text yea chiefly and eminently but not excluding others who die in the Lord though they die not Martyrs Many Expositors might be quoted who understand it of all the godly those who die in their beds as well as those who die at the stake Peter was crucified and dying in the Lord was blessed Beatus est Petrus dum crucifigitur sed non minùs est beatus Johannes dum in lecto moricur uterque enim c. Aret. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vbi geminum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 auget vocem John dyed in his bed but yet dying in the Lord was blessed We read Psalm 116.15 That the death of the Saints is precious in the sight of the Lord not this or that death for kind but in general whatsoever death they die and the Original is emphatical intimating that the Prophet doth not assign it and limit it to any one kind of death but to whatsoever kind of death And thus some Translations render it And though Beza doth translate it as if it pertained onely to Martyrs yet the phrase doth not necessarily import so much as Doct. Fulke sheweth in his confutation of the Rhemish Translation were it meant only of Martyrs the verse would rather run thus Blessed are the dead which are killed or slain for the Lord or for the Lords cause Now many die in the Lord who do not thus die for the Lord as possibly some may seem to die for the Lord who do not yet so much as die in the Lord. The Apostle in 1 Cor. 13. Speaks of some 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 who give their body to be burned and yet have not charity viz. any work of saving grace by a Synecdoche The first Martyrs were Innocents and such should all Martyrs be but that all be not so the Apostle himself intimates and if this be the meaning of dying in the Lord then they are all blessed which the Apostle will not affirm but rather deny But to conclude this we may say in some sense all that dye in the Lord die for the Lord viz. as the Psalmist For thy sake are we killed all the day long that is we are lyable to troubles and persecutions more or less all Saints meet with them even they who have the peaceablest lives and most quiet deaths But this is not the restrained sense before which relates only to such as shall be violently killed and murthered in the cause of Christ therefore Thirdly If we would know who they be which are said to die in the Lord we must mark the phrase and manner of expression which is very frequent and obvious in Scripture viz. Some persons are said to be in the Lord in Christ when others are said again not to be in Christ now such as are thus in Christ shall be blessed when they die The Scripture I say speaks often that some are in Christ who is the Christians Lord according to those expressions the Lords day the Lords table See Rom. 16.7 They were in Christ before me and Verse 11. Them of the Houshold of Narcissus which are in the Lord or in the Lord Christ Thus 1 Thes 1.1 Paul writes to the Church