Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
duty_n	let_v	love_n	love_v	1,926	5	6.4926	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A79461	The watch charged. Or, a warning to God's watch-men. Being a sermon preached at Bridge-water in the county of Somerset on the 29. day of September 1658. which was a day set apart for ordination, and the generall meeting of the associated ministers in that county. / By John Chetwind, Mr. of Arts, preacher of the gospel, and one of the joynt-pastors for the city and parish of Cuthberts in Wells.	Chetwynd, John, 1623-1692.	1659 (1659)	Wing C3798; Thomason E1862_1; ESTC R210179	30,162	96

2 Cor. 5.11 as knowing the terrour of the Lord. Hence God stirs up the prophet in this context to warn c. for if he did not their bloud should be required at his hands Ezek. 1. O Beloved the bloud of souls will lye heavy one day upon the account of carelesse watch-men If Abel's bloud lay so heavy on Cain's heart Gen. 4. that his countenance fell O how will wretched carelesse ministers look God in the face when he shall ask them where is thy Brother wher 's such and such that I have committed to thy charge Heb. 13.17 and for whom thou must account O Deal not then with your charge with your flock as the Ostrich with her eggs leave them and forget that Iob 39.14,15,16 the foot may crush them that the wild beast may break them she is hardened against her young ones as though they were not hers Consider what God threatneth against such idol shepherds that leave the flock wo be unto him Zech. 11,17 the sword shall be upon his arm and upon his right eye his arm shall be clean dried up and his right eye shall be utterly darkned Since God speaks to every minister what that man of the sons of the prophets told Ahab was spoken unto him 1 Kin. 20.39 Keep that man if by any means he be missing then shall thy life goe for his life O how many may say to many ministers concerning their perisht relations as Martha did to Christ O Sir if you had been here if you had been faithfull and carefull and painfull in your charge my Brother sister friend had not died Consider then I pray you that dreadfull curse on him that doth the work of the Lord negligently Ier. 4.8.10 what 's due to him then that doth it not at all consider the threatning in this text His bloud will I require 'T is dangerous for watch men to be out of their stations it 's dangerous for such to sleep Consider how it fared with that sentinell his Generall found sleeping he thrust him through and left him with this sarcasme Mortuum inveni mortuum reliqui 2. From Hope Thus the Apostle Paul from arguments drawn hence encourageth himself from the 13. verse of the fourth chapter of the 2 Cor. to the 10. of the 5. chapter Now Gods watch-men bave a double hope 1. Of successe 2. Of reward 1. Of successe because God is with them in their work The woman of Tekoah 2 Sam. 14. was subtile and powerfull to perswade and prevail because the hand of Ioab was with her So are Gods ministers powerfull to perswade to throw down strong holds to hit the heart to convince the conscience because the hand of God is with them 1 Cor. 14.24 so that those who are convinced shall confesse that God is with them of a truth Cambyses being charged with drunkennesse by Prexaspes a noble Counsellour commanded this Counsellours son to be set before him as a mark and calling for his bow and arrow shot the lad through and opening of him found the arrow in his heart asking his father what he thought the sorrowfull father answered the Gods cannot shoot better And thus indeed Peter's hearers found Acts 2. who having in the beginning charged the Apostles with drunkennesse but at length were hit so right that they found themselves pricked at the heart and had good cause to say none could shoot better And so it is still however carnall and secure sinners mistake misjudge yet those that are indeed wrought upon will acknowledge that God was in his word 1 Cor. 14.25 and with his messengers of a truth Though ministers many times draw their bows at adventure as that man that killed Ahab 1 Kin. 22.34 yet God directs their arrows Psal 45.5 yea many times into the heart of Christs enemies 2. Of reward Isa 49.5 Though Israel be not gathered yet shall I be glorious Dan. 12.3 Mat. 24.46 They that turn many unto righteousnesse shall shine as the stars for ever They that be faithfull servants shall be blessed when their master comes and finds them so doing Consider 1. God hath honoured ministers in imploying them in his choicest service as his Embassadours and in some sort to represent him It was an excellent speech of Luther's that may encourage all ministers in the discharge of their duties Summa summatum haecest inaestimabilis gloria conscientiae nostrae contra omnem contemptum in mundo quod Christus nos praedicatores quasi deos plane creat dicendo qui vos recipit me patremque meum recipit Mat. 10.40,41 2. God hath engaged for their protection while they doe his work Christ holds Rev. 1.16 the stars in his right hand dogs may bark at them but ther 's no reaching of them Satan and his instruments cannot harm them without Christs commission we know that the devil could not enter the Gadarenes swine till Christ suffered them much lesse harm Christs ministers 3. God owns their quarrels revenge all their wrongs Psal 105.15 Touch not mine anointed do my prophets no harm They that do shall be sure to smart for it Mat. 25. Inasmuch as you have done it against these little ones you have done it saith Christ against me David sent Embassadours to Hanun and he abuseth them cuts their garments shaves their beards but you know how severely David revenged that indignity that was done to them he brought forth the people and 2 Sam. 12.31 put them under saws and under harrows of iron and under axes of iron and made them passe through the brick kills God now sends his Embassadours unto sinners to speak kindly to them and to proffer terms of peace but how many are there every where that cut their garments shave their beards rob them of their rights and wrong them in their names but what will be the issue such may read it 2 Chron. 36.15,16,17 2 Cro. 36.16 They mocked his messengers and despised his word and misused his prophets untill the wrath of the Lord arose against them till there was no remedy nor healing 4. God will be their pay-master Their reward is with him and unto him they are a sweet savour he will not be unmindfull of any labour of such love What though we have none or inconsiderable reward from men yet let us know that both our work is it self a reward and we are sure of a good reward if not here which yet usually God affords he being a good master that delights in the prosperity of his servants yet assuredly hereafter when we shall shine as the stars in the firmament for ever 2 Cor. 4.17 Our light afflicting labour for the present working out for us a farre more exceeding and eternall weight of glorie Well then Reverend Fathers and Brethren let hope draw us let fear drive us but especially let love as the soul act within us 3. From love Let the principle of love act in us and powerfully prevail upon us for the doing our duty 1. Love to God and Christ let that constrain us as it did Paul This was Christs argument to perswade Peter to feed his sheep lovest thou

prophesy And here would the time have given me leave I should have been earnest with you Reverend Fathers and Brethren that you would especially regard these two things 1. To have the experience of the power of the word in your own hearts 2. To manifest it to others by an holy blamelesse and unrebukable conversation To perswade you to which care I shall only mind you of two things 1. You will thereby preach more profitably and pertinently by how much the more you speak experimentally There are some divine truths that cannot be comprehended by the head as by the heart 2. You are like thereby to preach more successefully 2 Kin. 4.31 Elisha's staffe in Gehazi's hand had no virtue Luke 4.34,35 Christ bad Satan hold his peace when he said Thou art the holy one of God Men will not easily believe that ministers preaching whose practice they see contradicts it Cujus vita despicitur restat ut praedicatio contemnatur Loquendi authoritas perditur quando vox opere non adjuvatur Bene vivendo bene docendo populum instruis quomodo vivere debeat bene autem docendo male vivendo Deum instruis quomodo te debeat condemnare Qua libertate peccatum corripere potest cum tacitus ipse sibi respondeat eadem se admisisse quae corripit Qua fronte Patres Fratres charissimi arguunt culpabiles ipsi culpandi ebrius temulentum avarus avarum superbus superbum Clodius moechum Catilina let hegum Comata capita dolenda ministrorum macula qua fronte arguant comas protensas Caetera quid referam Pudet haec opprobria nobis Et dici potuisse non potuisse refelli Turpe est Doctori cum culpa redarguit ipsum And therefore in the bowels of our Lord Iesus Christ I do most earnestly beseech you to have an especiall care of your conversations that you may be examples to the flock of what is good and not of what is evill Since we find by sad experience that magistrates and ministers are as looking-glasses to the places in which they live by which men dresse themselves who falling into sin like men in a croud many fall with them Mens souls being as apt to be infected by ill examples as their bodies by ill air Peter at Antioch dissembling misled Barnabas O let not Gods ordinances suffer by our irregularities In the times of Eli 1 Sam. 2.17 the oblations were contemned because of the sins of the Priests Thus the bad lives of able preachers bring a deep disparagement on Gods ordinances And therefore I beseech you let us be walking sermons building up Gods house by our practise as well as preaching otherwise what one spake of Erasmus will be true of us that he was but half a Christian so shall we be but half preachers throwing down with our bad lives more then our good doctrine can set up God teacheth by his word and by his works and so should we otherwise it will be bad with our hearers but worse with our selves if we speak like Balaam's asse to anothers understanding and not our own we may peradventure as Noah's carpenters help build the Ark as the Tyrians and Sidonians bring materials to the temple and yet our selves be shut out and prove cast awaies Let Gods watch-man then see to it that he be potens verbo pius vita apt and able to teach and an example to the flock joyn both life to learning either single will be in a minister as the solitary Helena to the marriners always unhappy such dead Amasa's will stop Gods people in their passage Having detain'd you thus long I shall presse home the three last requisites of a watch-man together viz. prudence faithfulnesse and diligence and therefore Let me beseech you to shew forth all these in the discharge of the place where God hath set you Divide the word of God aright give every one his own portion Study the state of your charge that you may apply your selves unto them and be faithfull in delivering whatever message God sends by you let not an Ahab's proud look nor a Mical's scoffing tongue divert you though the message be what Ahijah sent to Ieroboam by his masked wife 1 Kin. 14.6 though it should displease never so much yet let us resolve as Micajah though the King himself and four hundred false prophets speak otherwise yet to declare only and all what the Lord commands though we be and be thought as Ahijah told Ieroboam's wife 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gal. 1.10 Considering that Christs ministers must not please men but God And in all this let us use diligence not rush into Gods service hand over head stand in the Pulpit before we have sate in our studies or kneeled before the throne of grace I beseech you Brethren let us not come unprepared but first hear from Gods mouth before we speak in his name A due preparation is necessary to all serious undertakings wilt thou speak unto thy Prince what thou hast not before thought of Antonii Cicerones Pericles Demosthenes pulpita non ascenderunt nisi parati Alio tempore vult Antonius cogitare quid dicat alio dicere Pericles being spoken to ex tempore perorare answered non meditatus fui and Demosthenes non sum paratus shall we then offer unto God and propose unto his Church what cost us nothing Be not rash with thy mouth when thou enterest into Gods house but first learn and be assured what is Gods mind before thou come to warn others of it and here give me leave to mind you not to put off your preparations to such straits of time which usually necessitates us to feed our people with crude immature unconcocted provisions and many times cause an intrenchment upon if not a profanation of Gods day by doing what should be our own working daies labour on it I speak unto wise men judge ye what I say Now to presse you to this triple care of prudence faithfulnesse and diligence I shall leave with you and desire you to consider a ternary of arguments drawn from these three prevailing powerfull and commanding passions and affections of the soul Fear Hope Love By all which we may find the Apostle Paul urging himself unto this duty and we may and ought to presse our selves to ours now as one observes Fear is servile Hope is mercenary Love is filiall Hope hath an attractive virtue and draws us Fear hath an impulsive and drives us Love a compulsive faculty and sweetly moves us Hope hales before and Fear drives behind but love like the soul acts within us a naturall motion that is free and constant Now since though we are Gods Embassadours yet we are but men and subject to the like passions as others God seeth it fit by arguments drawn from each and all of these to presse us to our duty 1. From Fear Hence the Apostle Paul presseth both him and his hearers to perswade and to be perswaded

me 2. Love to our charge The whole armies welfare depends on the watch-mans care ministers are spirituall fathers and such have or at least should have naturall affections Thus the Apostle Phil. 1.18 God is my record how greatly I long for you all in the bowels of Iesus Christ O how did his affections work within towards his Brethren when he wisht himself accursed for their sakes Let not us be then as that false mother that cared not what became of the living child But put on the bowels of a tender mother that thinks no office too mean no work too hard no pains too much which is for the necessary well-being of her child 3. Love to our selves Let that prevail with us shall we be negligent of our charges we shall indeed endamage them but the greatest harm will be our own they shall die in their sins but their bloud will God require at our hands And shall we be vigilant and industrious to save their souls we shall likewise save our selves as well as those that hear us Well then let love to God love to our charge love to our selves let these prevail with us to be diligent faithfull industrious in the particular places and charges God hath set us in that so we may give up our account with joy at the great day And now dear Brethren shall not these arguments prevail with us shall not love move us fear drive us hope draw us to be men of courage prudent faithfull diligent and industrious to feed the flock of Christ committed to our charge and put under our hands we that perswade others O let us suffer our selves to be perswaded let us humble our selves for former failings and in good earnest set our selves to work in the Lords harvest since the harvest is great and they that labour as they ought are very few let us stir up the gift of God that is in us and given to us O let us not stand all the day idle but first hear from God then warn First fit and fill our selves that we may be instruments to fit and fill others let it never be said truly of any of us that are Christs Embassadours what Cato scoffingly spake of three Roman Embassadours appointed for Bythinia of whom the one had his head full of scars the other did vecordia laborare the third had the gout in his feet of these Cato said Romana legatio neque caput neque cor neque pedes habet It were great pity Gods Embassadours should be such without knowledge without affections without activity who ever heard of blind watch men deaf and dumb Embassadours It 's true indeed there were sons of Eli that were sons of Belial and the wisest of the people Ieroboam's Priests and indeed the basest of men were good enough to make priests of such Gods as were but calves But what hath God or his truth deserved God calls for the first-born and indeed the best we are or have is too bad to serve our God by But since he hath honoured us who are but worms and dust so far as to make us his watch men and Embassadours let us remember our office and be carefull and industrious in the faithfull and conscientious discharge of it Thus far in what hath hitherto been said I have made bold according to the charge committed to me to be Gods remembrancer to my Reverend Brethren in the ministry And the good God perswade us all to act according to these counsels and to steer our courses in our severall places according unto these directions that so peace may be upon us as upon Gods Israel And though I have been somewhat large in my main work yet I may not dismisse the congregation without some particular instructions in reference to their carriage towards their watch-men And in this I must cut short only know that Instructions belong to hearers in a two fold respect 1. In genere essend as they call for practise and so indeed all hitherto spoken hath a peculiar and proper respect unto Gods watch men 2. In genere cognoscendi as they call for knowledge and so what hath been spoken concerns all even the whole congregation And I shall help them to improve it by these three directions Are Gods ministers watch men and ought to be so qualified as you have heard with courage understanding prudence faithfulnesse and diligence then hence learn 1. To esteem them usefull 2. To help them in their work 3. To regard their warnings 1. Esteem them usefull Apprehend and be convinced of the usefulnesse and necessity of the ministeriall employment can an army be and be safe with out watch-men the welfare of the whole camp depends on their care Hence we find that ministers in Scripture are set forth by those things that are most necessary they are called 1. The light of the world O how sad a thing is it to be without the Sun 2. The salt of the earth what can be savoury what can be preserved without corrupting if salt be wanting To be left without Gods word and without Gods watch men is the greatest misery on this side hell The famine of the word is far worse then the famine of bread What readier way to ruine then to be without a watch-man witness Laish whose watchlesse security gave them up as a prey to the roving Danites Rom. 10. How is it possible we should have spirituall life faith repentance c. or salvation without a preacher Mat. 9.31 Mat. 21.43 And therefore the Gospel is called not only Evangelium regni the Gospel of the kingdome but regnum ipsum the kingdome it self So that the Gospel being removed the kingdome of grace and glory are removed too God having so built these three kingdomes of the word Grace Glory as Marcellus did in Rome the temples of virtue and honour that as that of virtue was the threshold to that of honour to note that none can be truly honourable that are not first virtuous so the kingdome of the word is the entrance to the kingdome of grace and the kingdome of grace is the threshold to the kingdome of glory none coming to the last but by the second and none ordinarily to the second but by the first so miserable a thing is it to have the word removed from us in effect to be excluded heaven and happinesse for ever And this Satan knows and therefore endeavours what he can to keep people without preachers and from preaching doing herein as the Philistines did with Israel who would not suffer them to have a Smith amongst them that so being weaponlesse they might the easier be over-mastered by them Beware therefore how ye reject and slight the word of God beware how ye