Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
duty_n	law_n	perform_v	require_v	1,907	5	6.6031	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A34673	The covenant of Gods free grace most sweetly unfolded and comfortably applied to a disquieted soul from that text of 2 Sam. 23. Ver. 5. : also a doctrinall conclusion that there is in all such who are effectually called, in-dwelling spirituall gifs [sic] and graces wrought and created in them by the Holy Ghost / by that reverend and faithful minister of Gods word, Mr. John Cotton, Teacher of the Church at Boston in New-England ; whereunto is added, A profession of faith, made by the reverend divine, Mr. John Davenport, in New-England, at his admission into one of the Churches there.	Cotton, John, 1584-1652.; Davenport, John, 1597-1670. A profession of faith.	1645 (1645)	Wing C6424; ESTC R30971	35,301	46

righteousnesse towards men yet here is our comfort the stability of the Covenant of God though wee be wanting to God yet cannot God be wanting to us But for opening the point it is needfull to know these four things 1. What is the Covenant David comforts himself in 2. How it is said to be ordered in all things 3. How it is said to be everlasting 4. How it said to be sure From all these doth David take comfort to himself against his own failings and the failings of his family First what is this Covenant here spoken of This Covenant in that he calls it everlasting and sure implies it to be a Covenant of Grace in that it hath such properties annexed to it which only belong to God As First everlasting Jer. 32.40 I will make an everlasting Covenant with them c. Again it is said to be a Covenant of Grace Rom. 4.16 and it being of Grace makes it sure Jer. 31.33 34. But this shall be the Covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those dayes saith the Lord I will put my Law in their inward parts and write it in their hearts and will be their God and they shall be my people c. where he tels you of two Covenants The Covenant of Works and the Covenant of Grace this Covenant differs from the other in six particulars First the Covenant of Works was made to Adam and all his posterity Cain was within this Covenant Gen. 4.7 Rom. 2.6 to the 10. Do well and you shall be accepted This everlasting Covenant is not made to Adam and his seed but to Abraham and his seed Gal. 3.16 he saith not to the seed as of many but as to one of thy seed which is Christ being spoken collectively so likewise Gen. 17.7 Moreover I will establish my Covenant beween mee and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting Covenant to be a God unto thee and to thy seed after thee Secondly they differed in the frame of their tables wherein they were written the first was in stone after the fall implying the Law was given to stony hearts that could not be done away and that our hearts were very dull to receive it But this Covenant of Grace is written in the fleshie tables of the hearts the one gives us duties to perform but no strength wherewithall the other affords both Thirdly the Covenant of Works required perfect obedience in every mans person Gal. 3.10 For as many as are of the works of the Law are under the curse for it is written Cursed is every man that continueth not in all things which are written in the Law to do them Deut. 27.17 If any man breaks this Covenant he brings a curse upon his own head thereby no person is excepted it is not so in the new Covenant God in that required perfect obedience but in this he requireth it to be done either in our persons or by our sureties Matth. 3.15 Then Jesus answered and said unto him Let be now for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousnesse Heb. 7.22.26 And it is translated Testament because man hath sureties to a Testament therefore it is in the originall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hee doth accept perfect obedience in Christ for us though we cannot perform perfect satisfaction yet if our sureties do it for us it is all one 2 Cor. 8.12 God accepts at our hands a willing minde and of childe-like indeavours if wee come with childe-like service God will spare us a father will accept the poor indeavours of his childe for the thing it self Fourthly in the Covenant of Works the reward is given of justice according to works Gen. 4.7 If thou do well shalt thou not be accepted and if thou dost not well sin lieth at the door c. Rom. 2.6 to the 12th Rom. 4.4 To him that works is the reward not reckoned of grace but of debt in the Covenant of Grace God rewards us not according to works but according to his grace accepting of our desires and indeavours Fifthly in the old Covenant there was no remission of sin Cursed is hee that continueth not in all things that are written in the Law to do them Now where there is cursednesse for sin Gal. 3.10 there is no pardon for sin But in the Covenant of Grace there is a free forgivenesse of sin with a promise they shall be no more remembred against us Jer. 31.34 For I will forgive their iniquities and remember their sins no more Sixthly the old Covenant was subject so to be broken as to bring confusion upon the transgressours but this Covenant of Grace cannot be so broken as to bring confusion upon such who are within it And thus the Lord puts a difference between them Hebr. 8.8.9.10 For in rebuking them hee saith Behold the dayes will come saith the Lord when I shall make with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah a new Testament not like the Testament that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt for they continued not in my Testament and I regarded them not saith the Lord c. In this place he opposeth the one to the other in regard the one may be broken and the other cannot This Covenant of Grace God will not break and though on our parts it may be broken yet because Christ hath it in keeping it shall never be so broken as to the destruction of the transgressour Jer. 32.40 And I will make an everlasting Covenant with them that I will never turn away from them to do them good but I will put my feare in their hearts that they shall not depart from me c. God will put his feare in our hearts which shall work in us holy care of keeping covenant with him The feare of God possessing our hearts shall cause us not to dare to commit any sin and therefore Heb. 8 6. it is said to be established upon better promises The old Covenant was established upon our obedience this promiseth us both to make us obedient and to keep us in a course of obedience that Covenant promiseth no pardon upon breaches but this doth and further saith that they shall be remembred no more as Jer. 31.34 Quest But why is this Covenant called an ordered Covenant Answ His house hee knew was disordered but this Covenant he knew to be ordered in all things Now this word order doth signifie unto us First to ordain Psalm 32.6 God did decree it hee set it down in the court of heaven being nothing else but an expression of the life of grace Secondly to order doth sometimes signifie to furnish or to provide Prov. 9.2 Wisdome is said to have killed her fatlings to have mingled her wine and to have furnished her table so this Covenant is provided for us and furnished with all blessings spirituall and temporall Thirdly sometimes

THE COVENANT OF Gods free Grace Most sweetly unfolded and comfortably applied to a disquieted Soul from that Text of 2 SAM 23. VER 5. Also a Doctrinall Conclusion that there is in all such who are effectually called in-dwelling spirituall Gifs and Graces wrought and created in them by the Holy Ghost By that Reverend and faithfull Minister of Gods Word Mr. JOHN COTTON Teacher of the Church at Boston in NEW-ENGLAND Whereunto is added A Profession of Faith made by the Reverend Divine Mr. John Davenport in New-England at his admission into one of the Churches there Imprimatur JOHN DOWNAME LONDON Printed M. S. for Iohn Hancock and are to be sold at his Shop in Popes-head Alley 1645. To all who have Interest in the COVENANT OF GRACE CHRISTIAN FRIENDS THese comfortable Notes being in the hands of a friend to the Authour who commending the worth and excellencie of them thought not good to smother them by burying them in oblivion but to expose them to publique view for the generall good and establishment of troubled souls that they understanding their right and title to this sure and everlasting Covenant may take comfort to themselves and be supported against all the tempestuous stormes arising from Satan and the world without or the distempers of their own hearts within David was unsetled and his family disordered yet Gods Covenant is everlasting ordered and sure The condition that is required of us as part of the Covenant is the performance of these things to believe repent and serve the Lord in newnesse of life But the power and ability by which wee do them is a part of the Covenant on Gods part to have new hearts and new spirits whereby wee come to repentance and bringing forth fruit worthy of amendment of life this inward abilitie and new frame of heart by which we are renewed in the spirit of our mindes the writing of his Law in our inward parts that is a branch of Gods Covenant but the bringing forth the fruits of these inward abilities and graces that are ingraffed in us by Christ is required in us As for example the grace and power of believing that God hath promised to give it belongs to him but to believe to take hold of the promises to accept of Jesus Christ to receive him as our Lord and Saviour and the gift of righteousnesse by him is required as a condition on our part As wee are to make use of the Covenant in the matter of our justification against the gilt-of-sin so it will be good for us to make use of it for sanctification against the power of sin when wee are troubled with any strong lust or violent temptation which is too hard for us to overcome know this for thy comfort that it is a part of the Lords own Covenant to deliver thee from all thine enemies that thou mayest serve him in holinesse and righteousnesse all the dayes of thy life hee hath promised to give the Holy Ghost and to create a new heart and a new spirit in us and to cause us to walk in his wayes He hath promised that if we be in trouble and call upon him he will deliver us and if we confesse and forsake our sins he is faithfull and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousnesse If thou reapest any comfort by that which followeth let God have all the glory Vale. THE SAINTS COMFORTS against Personall and Domesticall Infirmities c. 2 SAMUEL 23.5 Although my house be not so with God yet he hath made with me an everlasting Covenant ordered in all things and sure THese words are part of the last Song or Psalme that ever David penned and therefore more sweet savoury and spirituall It is many times with Gods children as it is with the Sunne which shineth most glorious when it is neerest setting the more corruption decayes the more grace increaseth no growing Christian but the neerer he cometh to Heaven the more sweet and spirituall are his Meditations and therefore David lying in no known sin his last Song must needs be most heavenly and sweet These are not the last words of David as it is said verse 1. but they are his last spirituall Psalme or Song and therefore full of heavenly matter according to the strength of spirit he was grown unto The 72. Psalme was the last in the Book of the Psalms but this seemeth to be after that wherein he styleth himself The sweet Singer of Israel verse 1. This verse of the Text containeth in it three principall parts First an acknowledgement of the failing of David himself and his family in the many duties God calleth them unto in these words Although my house be not so with God not so hath reference to the second and third verse not walking according to the wayes God called them to walk in What wayes verse 3. Fear of God Righteousnesse and Justice he requires that the fear of God righteousnesse and Justice should rule in a Princes house For explication of the words Though my house be not so with God to wit though my house do not so walk in Gods fear and righteousnesse as he requireth wherein he acknowledgeth his failings Again when he saith not so he meaneth his house was not so pure and clean so fruitfull before God as he required vers 4. God would have a mans spirit to be as the light of the morning cleere without clouds pure from all mixture of darknesse and corruptions and our spirits and families fresh and fruitfull as the grasse when followed with seasonable showers and the pleasant beams of the Sun it grows most sweetly So God would have his children where they enjoy good means of Grace having dewes from heaven and very comfortable Sunshines over them to grow thereby fresh and fruitfull But what said David Although my house be not so not walking in our callings in the feare of God and righteousnesse although my house be not pure and clean fresh and fruitfull acknowledging his house to have failings herein Secondly you have the support and comfort David took to himself in the midst of the disorders of his house from the orderlinsse of Gods Covenant which though his house was unsetled and unstayed yet there was a sure Covenant though his house was fleeting and unstable yet was there an everlasting Covenant hee brings in Gods Covenant amplified by three arguments contrary to the corruptions that was in his family His family was Transitory Gods Covenant is Everlasting His family was Disordered Gods Covenant is Ordered His family was Unsetled Gods Covenant is Sure Thirdly you have a profession of the resting of his faith upon this Covenant this is all my desire and delight this is all the comfort he hath that Gods Covenant is everlasting setled and sure which is amplified thus Though hee and his house grow not though they be transitory disordered unsetled yet Gods Covenant to him may continue stedfast firm and sure and

continually dwelling in them by his holy Spirit begetting and nourishing in them faith hope love repentance obedience with peace and joy unto immortality but on the contrary limiting using restraining the reprobates his enemies by his mighty power as seemeth good in his divine wisdome and justice to their seduction hardening and condemnation till his appearing in glory with his mighty Angels to judge both quick and dead where he will be and separate all his elect from them for ever punishing the wicked with everlasting perdition from his presence and joyning together the godly with himself in endlesse glory 12. Concerning his Kingdome 2. In speciall That in the mean time besides his absolute rule in the world Christ hath here on earth a spirituall Kingdome in his Church which hee hath purchased and redeemed to himself as a peculiar inheritance into the body whereof he doth by the power of his Word and Spirit gather his heople calling them through the Ministery of the Gospel out of the world and from Idolatry superstition and from all works of darknesse to fellowship with Jesus Christ and by him with the Father and the Holy Ghost and with his people making them a royall Priesthood an holy nation a people set at liberty to shew forth the vertues of him that hath called them out of darkness into his marvellous light and uniteth them together as members of one body in his faith love and holy order unto all generall and mutuall duties and instructs and governs them by those instruments and ordinances which he himself hath prescribed in his word for the edification of his body the Church 13. Concerning the Application of Redemption That the Holy Ghost is sent by the Father and the Son to make application of Redemption only to those whom the Father hath by his eternall Decree given to Christ and for whom Christ maketh intercession to his Father and whom the Father accepts in Christ unto fellowship of the everlasting Covenant of his free Grace having called them out of the world to fellowship with Jesus Christ by the Gospel made effectually to that end by the mighty power and operation of the Holy Ghost Which grace of effectuall calling is thus dispensed to a poor lost sinner awakened and humbled by the Law through the effectuall working of the spirit of bondage judging himself worthy to be destroyed for his sins and seeing himself utterly destitute of all help or hope of himself The Lord in the preaching of the Gospel by the powerfull work of the Holy Ghost revealeth the fulnesse and all-sufficiencie of that grace and salvation which is laid up in Jesus Christ as the only sutable good to him that hee also enableth him spiritually and savingly to apprehend Jesus Christ as given him of the Father And the same Spirit having thus enlightened him doth leave a supernaturall vertue and impression of Gods love upon the soul whereby the soul is drawn to close with Christ and with that grace of God in him so entirely that there is now nothing between Christ and the soul but it willingly parts with all things that hinder his enjoying of Christ and by this effectuall calling all that are brought to Christ are 1. justified that is absolved from sin and death and accounted righteous unto life for and through Christ apprehended received and relied upon by faith 2. They are adopted that is accepted for Christs sake to the dignity of Gods children They are also 3. sanctified that is really changed by degrees from the impurity of sin to the purity of Gods Image and lastly they are glorified that is changed from the misery or punishment of sin unto everlasting happinesse which begins in the inward sense of Gods love to them in Christ whence they have hope of glory boldnesse in accesse to God certainty of salvation peace joy unspeakable and it endeth in their full perfection in soul and body 14. Concerning a particular instituted Church and the Priviledges thereof That it is a company of faithfull and holy people or persons called out of the world to fellowship with Jesus Christ and united in one Congregation to him as members to their head and one with another by a holy covenant for mutuall fellowship in all such wayes of holy worship of God and of edification of one towards another as God himself hath required in his Word of every Church of Christ and the members thereof 15. Concerning the manner of gathering a Church That it is the duty of all Christians having renounced all false wayes of Idolatrous Antichristian and superstitious worship and of sin and the world as to instruct and govern their own families according to God so to joyn willingly together in Christian communion and orderly covenant and by free confession of the faith and profession of their subjection to the Gospel of Christ to unite themselves unto peculiar and visible Congregations wherein as members of one body whereof Christ is the head they are to worship God according to his Word To this Church he hath given royall priviledges as the holy Oracles the Promises the Seals of the Covenant his presence love protection and blessing in a speciall manner here all that acknowledge him to be their Prophet Priest and King are to be inrolled amongst his houshold servants and to present their bodies and soules and gifts and solemn services for a spirituall sacrifice acceptable to God by Jesus Christ Being thus united they to whom God hath given gifts to interpret the Scriptures being approved by the Church and appointed thereunto may and ought to teach publikely the Word of God by prophecying according to the proportion of faith for edification exhortation and comfort of the Church till such time as men may be had fit for such office or offices as Christ hath appointed to the publike Ministery of his Church and then they are upon due triall to proceed to the choyce and ordination of those officers according to God and then the officers are to dispense the seals of the Covenant viz. Baptisme to the seed of the faithfull in their Infancy and to others not yet baptized when by profession of their faith they are added to the Church And all of the Church that are of yeers and are able to examine themselves must communicate also in the Lords Supper in both kindes viz. Bread and Wine 16. Concerning the Sacraments That they are in the ordinance of God signs and seals of Gods everlasting Covenant with us representing and offering to all receivers but exhibiting only to true believers the Lord Jesus Christ and all his benefits unto righteousnesse sanctification and eternall life through faith in his name to the Glory and praise of God 17. Concerning the power of every Church That Christ hath given the power of chusing Officers and of receiving in or calling of any member to the whole body together of every Church and not to any one member apart or to more members sequestred from the whole or to any other Congregation to do it for them yet so as every Church ought to use the best help they can hereunto and the most meet member they have to pronounce the same in their publike Assemblies if they want Officers And to this censure and judgement of Christ duly and orderly dispensed every member of the Congregation yea and officer also how exellent or learned soever he be is subject Yet ought not the Church without great care and advice to proceed against such publike persons 18. Concerning the Communion of Churches That although particular Churches be distinct and severall Independent bodies every one as a city compact within it self without subordination under or dependence upon any other but Jesus Christ yet are all Churches to walk by one and the same rule and by all means convenient to have the counsell and help one of another when need requireth as members of one body in the common faith under Christ their only Head 19. Concerning Church-officers That Christ when hee ascended up on high gave gifts unto men and disposed of them in severall functions and for publike ordinary ministery he gave Pastors Teachers Elders Deacons helpers for the instruction government and service of his Church to the worlds end and that none may usurp or execute a Ministery in the Church but such as are rightly called by the Church whereof they stand Ministers and being so called they ought to give all diligence to fulfill their Ministery and to be found faithfull and unblamable in all things And that this ministery is alike given to every Church of Christ with like and equall power and commission to have and enjoy the same as God offereth fit men and means and the same rules are given to all for the election and execution thereof in all places which rules lawes it is not lawfull for those Ministers or for the Church wittingly to neglect or transgresse in any part And those Ministers thus chosen and executing their office faithfully every Church is bound to have them in singular love for their works sake to reverence them according to the dignity of their office which they execute and to provide for them that they be not entangled with the cares of this life according to the Law of Christ And this to do not as in way of courtesie or mercy but out of duty to them in the Lord and having hope in God that the resurrection shall be of the just and of the unjust of the just to the resurrection of life and of the unjust to the resurrection of condemnation 20. Concerning giving every man his due That unto all men is to be given whatsoever is due to them in regard of their office place gifts wages estate and condition endeavouring our selves to have alwayes a conscience void of offence towards God and towards men FINIS