Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
scripture_n	according_a	believe_v	holy_a	2,473	5	4.6085	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A75032	The whole duty of man epitomiz'd for the benefit of the poor. With select prayers suited to every partition. By Edm. Stacy, a minister of the Church of England.; Whole duty of man. Abridgments	Allestree, Richard, 1619-1681.; Stacy, Edmund, b. 1657 or 8.	1700 (1700)	Wing A1193A; ESTC R223863	44,918	146

THE Whole Duty OF MAN Epitomiz'd FOR THE Benefit of the POOR With Select Prayers suited to every Partition ●y Edm. Stacy a Minister of the Church of England ●ear God and keep his Commandments for this is the Whole Duty of Man Eccles 12. 13. LONDON ●●inted for John Lawrence at the Angel in the Poultrey 1700. To the Right Honourable Sir Richard Levit Lord Mayor Elect And the Honourable Charles Duncomb and Jeffery Jefferies Esquires Sheriffs of the City of London c. IF there be any thing that can excuse my Presumption in putting Three such great Names to this little Book it must be the Sincerity of my Intention for the Interest of Religion For the Doctrines it contains I need say no more than that they are faithfully Collected from that incomparable Author the Whole Duty of Man a Book to speak in Dr. Hammond's Words that has all the Advantages which with Gods Blessing can render it fit for the Salvation of Mankind My Design in drawing it into this little Volume I have already mentioned in the Title viz. For the Benefit of the Poor and who so fit to recommend it to them as those very Persons to whom the Government of this great City is entrusted your Names your Characters and your Authority together must needs stamp a Repute upon it and render it acceptable even to this sin ful Age. I am sensible there 's neither of you can be any Friend to the common Vanity of Complement and therefore to bespeak your Acceptance of these few Sheets I shall Address my Self to your gracious God that under the shadow of your Protection he would bless this Epitomy to the Conversion of many Souls Alas we live in a World wherein Vertue has almost lost her Prerogative Religion has few true Friends and will have fewer still ●ill Men can be persuaded to consi●er the Necessity and Advantage of ●t and how far this little Book ●ay contribute towards that End is ●tterly out of my Power to deter●ine I know I have put it into good ●ands and so I humbly leave it ●ith you with this Assurance that ●hatever you do in the behalf of ●iety and Charity will be doubly ●ac'd to your Account in the Re●ords of Eternity and entitle you 〈◊〉 Rewards as large as your Merits ●d as lasting as your Souls And now there remains no more ●t to beseech you to accept this ●●tle Book and Pardon the unwor●y Author who amongst many o●ers that Congratulate your Ac●ssion to your respective Stations 〈◊〉 one of the first that has thus ven●r'd to do it in Publick Your high Qualifications have ●awn after you many Hearts and ●any ardent Wishes and Mine in a more Particular manner than th● rest who am with the utmost D 〈…〉 stance and Regard may it plea 〈…〉 your Honours Your most obedient Servant E. Stac● THE PREFACE OVR Inimitable Author has propos'd the Care of our Souls as the grand Proparatory to the Whole Duty of Man and indeed I cannot better recommend the Epitomy of his Book then by telling you in his Words that the carelesness of our Souls is the Root of all the Sin we commit so that unless we would be perswaded to consider the Condition of our Souls all Lectures of Religion must be utterly lost upon us The Design of this little Book will admit of but a very short Preface and therefore I shall only tell the Reader that his Soul being infinitely the most ●valuable of any thing that he has beside has the greatest Title to his Care both in Point of Reason and Justice This is what we find confirm'd in the Accounts of all Wise Men who still value every thing more or less as it imports to their Interest or Happiness Our Souls therefore being our chiefes● Good it concerns us very nearly t● consult their Preservation and how that 's to be done is the Design of the following Sheets I hope it will not be expected 〈◊〉 should say any thing in Apology for this undertaking If the thing be done a● it ought to be it must needs be of general good the Reader indeed woul● do well to observe that though my Brevity c. has generally compell'd m● to use my own Words yet the Meaning and Method of the Author are all along carefully preserv'd For the Whole Duty of Man it self 't is indeed a most compleat System o● Religion and therefore highly fit to b● often read over at large by all whos● Time and Circumstances will allow it This Epitomy is only design'd t● supply those Deficiencies and for th● Assistance of bad Memories in brief 't is intended chiefly for the Benefit of the Poor and to them I refer it c. THE Whole Duty OF MAN Epitomiz'd c. PARTITION I. the Duty of Man by the Light of Nature and Scripture His Duty to God Himself and his Neighbour His Duty to God of Faith the Promises of Hope of Love of Fear of Trust THE Incarnation of our Blessed Lord is without doubt a sufficient warrant for the Salva 〈…〉 n of our Souls if we perform the Conditions annext to it which 〈◊〉 in general to use our honest endea 〈…〉 vours to obey the whole Will 〈◊〉 God according as we have it co 〈…〉 vey'd to us by the Light of Nature and the Light of the Hol● Scriptures The Light of Nature in the first pla 〈…〉 Of the Light of Nature is a Light which Go● has stampt upon o 〈…〉 very Souls by the guidance 〈◊〉 which without the help of Scri 〈…〉 ture mere Natural Conscience wou 〈…〉 direct us in the performance 〈◊〉 several Duties Such as are 〈◊〉 Worship a God to be Just one 〈◊〉 another and to Honour our P 〈…〉 rents and the like The Light of Scri 〈…〉 tures is a far mo 〈…〉 Of the Light of Scripture Divine Light whe● in God hath laid b 〈…〉 fore us both his Commands a● Precepts to be the general Rul● and Grounds of our Duty The general Rules of the Du 〈…〉 of every Christian are brie 〈…〉 comprehended under these three Heads The three great Branches of Mans Duty our Duty to God our Selves and our Neighbours and those three I intend for the Subject of the following Discourse The Foundation of our Duty to God is Duty to God grounded chiefly upon our acknowledging him to be God and then admitting of no other And first by acknowledging Acknowledging him to be God him to be a God we are to believe him to be an Infinite Glorious Being without either beginning or end both Father Son and Holy Ghost God blessed for ever We are likewise to To believe him in his Attributes believe him in his Attributes to be a God of Mercy Justice and Power that he sees and knows all things and disposes every Event according to his Will and that he can never cease to be other than perfectly Good Merciful and Just The believing him to be our God

signifies yet more it means by Faith we should believe the Holy Scriptures to be his Word and that all that he speaks to us by them are most true that all that he affirms is Indubitable that his Commands Of Faith of God's Affirmations Commands Threatnings and Promises are Just and Equal his Threatnings and Punishments certain and unavoidable and that all his Promises are Yea and Amen and will most certainly be made good to all those that faithfully depend upon him This is the summ of our Faith or Belief of those things God has been pleased to reveal to us in the Holy Scriptures The next Duty to God is Hope which is a comfortable Expectation of his Promises and should be always preserv'd from the dangerous extream Of Hope Presumption and Despair of Presumption or Despair We should neither depend to much nor too little upon his Mercies but rely upon his Justice and Integrity for our Rewards and Punishments A Third Duty we owe to God is Love Of Love and the Motives i. e. Gods Goodness Excellence and his kindness to Men. a Duty which without doubt he has the the greatest right to both upon the account of his Goodness and Compassion to us his Innate Excellence and his particular Kindness to all Mankind God is most Good Just and Excellent he is perfectly Holy Kind and Compassionate and cannot be charg'd with any Impurity or the least mixture of any thing that is evil his Goodness and Kindness are Immence and Infinite and have been so abundantly demonstrated both to our Bodies and Souls that we cannot refuse him our Love without the greatest Injustice The Scripture abound with Holy Invitations endearing Promises and affectionate Offers by which he endeavours as it were to woo us into good Lives and to entreat us to accept of Happiness here and Eternal Happiness hereafter The two great Tokens of our true The Fruits of Love a desire to please● and enjoy him Love to God are First An earnest desire to please him 〈◊〉 and Secondly To enjoy him This is the common Indication of true Love in all ordinary Cases and above all othe● things doth best approve us to thos● we have a real value for The reality of ou● Affections to Go● Of pleasing God are best declar'd b● a steady Conformit● to the Divine Will a readiness t● obey his Commandments and a● awful regard to his Precepts the● are indeed Arguments of our real Love and Affection and the only way we can make use of either to please him or to shew the sincerity of our Hearts Next to pleasing Of enjoying him God a desire to enjoy him is consistent with our Love if we love God in earnest we shall covet to be always in his Company conversing with him in Prayers and Meditations hearing his Word and receiving his Sacraments which is the only means of enjoying God in this World Our enjoyment of God in the next is far more permanent and compleat there we shall be continually with him in eternal fruition of Joy and Happiness in comparison of which all our advantages in ●his Life are but empty Baubles and Trifles A Fourth Duty to Fear God is Fear which ●rises from the consideration of his Power and Justice and those in Conjunction do both enable and oblige him to punish the Wicked an awful regard and belief of which is the only means that can restr 〈…〉 us from offending him God is the chiefes● Object of Fear and We ought not to fear Man more than God therefore we ough● not to fear Man mor● than God I will no● fear says the Psal●mist what Man can do unto me Me● have no Power to do us hurt unles● by God's Permission and then the● Malice can reach no further neithe● than our Goods Names Liberties or our Lives the Destruction o● Soul and Body together is Gods Pre●rogative only 'T is God alone that knows a● our secret Thoughts and Transact●ons all our Sins though committe● with never so much Privacy lie al●ways open before him and he 'll b● sure to find us out and punish 〈◊〉 unless we repent which indeed i● the greatest Argument that can b● to awaken our Fears and engage ou● Apprehensions A Fifth Duty to God is Trust that is Trust a depending and resting upon him in all our Dangers Wants and Extremities whether Spiritual or Temporal In our Spiritual Dangers we are to Spiritual Dangers throw our selves upon God's Assistance and to implore him to strengthen us with the Grace of his Holy Spirit that we may be able to withstand or at least to remove the Temptation In our Temporal Temporal Dangers Dangers we are to rest and depend upon him to commit our selves to the shadow of his Wings under the Royal Prophets Assurance Psalm ●4 22. That the Lord delivereth the Souls of the Saints and all that put their trust in him shall not be destitute In all our Dangers and Distresses with Prayers and Tears we are to implore his aid and not attempt to deliver our selves by any wicked Act we must never use sinful means not We must not seek to deliver our selves by Sin even the Preservation of our Lives and Liberties can make any the least pretence for the doing an unjust thing Christ himself has told us that if we gain the whole World and loose our own Souls we are great loosers by the Bargain if therefore things should ever come to that unhappy Issue that we must part with our Estates perhaps our Lives or else commit Sin we should then remember that that 's the proper season to fight under the Banner of the great Captain of our Salvation the Crucify'd JESVS In our spiritual Necessities we are to Spiritual wants fly to God with Tears in our Eyes and invoke his Assistance we are to pour out our Souls before him and then we may depend upon it that as he has commanded us nothing that he has not given us Power to perform so he will suffer us to want nothing that we ask of him with a holy and devout Integrity of mind We are likewise to rely upon him in all Temporal wants our Temporal and Bodily Wants he has oblig'd himself to take care of all his faithful Servants his Eye is upon them that fear him and them that hope in his Mercy to deliver their Souls from Death and to feed them in the time of Famine If we do our Duty honestly and religiously The Benefits of trusting in God in our several Places and Callings then as the Apostle adviseth we may cast all our Care upon God who careth for us and he who is subject to no sort of Deceit or Impoverishment that best knows our wants and is best able to supply 'em will be sure in the proper season to relieve us against all Dangers and Necessities whether Spiritual or Temporal I conclude this with the words of the Apostle Phil. 4. 6.

Be careful in nothing but in every thing by Prayer and Supplication with thanksgiving let your Request be made known to God PARTITION II. Of Humility of Submission to God's Will in respect of Obedience of Patience in all sorts of Sufferings and of Honour due to God in several ways in his House Possessions his Day Word Sacraments A Sixth Duty to Humility God is Humility which from an humble sence of our own Meanness and his Excellency should work in us a twofold Submission the first to his Will the second to his Wisdom A Submission to the Will of God consists Submission to God's Will with respect to Obedience chiefly in our Obedience or Patience in the first by urging us to a ready Complaisance to his Commands by melting down our stubborn haughty Minds without which we can never come to know worship or obey him with that profound Distance and Submission which the greatness of his Majesty and the importance of his Commands require To promote our Obedience The great distance between God and Man we should often reflect upon that vast distance that is between God and our Selves that we are but polluted Dust and Ashes wretched Creatures but of a few Hours and that he 's without Beginning or End Immortal and Eternal That our best Works and Performances The unworthiness of our best Works are utterly unworthy of him or at least unworthy of our own Commendation the best we can do when we come to compare it with the Perfection and Purity of Almighty God as the Prophet expresses it Is but as filthy Rags and therefore we ought by no means to boast of our own Works or to attribute any of them to our selves but to give God the Glory and preheminence in all our Actions The Second kind of Submission to Gods Submission with respect of Patience Will is Patience which consists in an humble acquiescence to all the Afflictions which HE is pleas'd to lay upon us This will make us easie under all his Dispensations and entitle us to a kind of Repose even in the midst of our Troubles and is indeed the pure effect of that Humility that does so highly recommend us to Almighty God A patient Submission to the Will o● Thankfulness for Gods correction God will give us 〈◊〉 right notion of our Afflictions rather than encline us to murmurs and complaints will convince us that God chastizes us out of Friendship and so consequently that we are oblig'd to thank him for his Correction as indeed we are upon many extraordinary Accounts but especially as they are Marks of his Care and Love Our quiet and Fruitfulness under Afflictions thankfulness under Afflictions is not all neither the Fruit of 'em should be Repentance that 's God's chief Design in laying them upon us that they should force us to call our selves to an account and enquire diligently what it is that has engag'd him to deal with us in so rough a method In all our Sufferings In all sorts of Sufferings and Afflictions we ought to look upon God's permissive Power as the Principle Agent and with Holy Job's Patience let them be deriv'd to us either from God or Man and in his Words bless the Name of the Lord for giving us warning Secondly I told you that Humility contain'd likewise a Submission to God's Submission to Gods Wisdom Wisdom as well as his Will God being infinitely Wise and Just we are to submit to him in all his Commands and Dispensations We are to submit to him in his Commands In his Commands by making our Understanding ●end to his Will and Word how opposite soever it may be to our own carnal Reason or Humours for when we consider that his Wisdom is Infinite and cannot Err we own an Obligation to believe and obey every thing he speaks or commands We are likewise to submit to the Wisdom In his Disposals of God in all his Dealings and Dispensations and tho many Events happen contrary to the ordinary Course of things and are utterly above the reach of our narrow Capacities to comprehend yet being all chosen and determin'd by the unerring Wisdom of God we ought to submit to them with the greatest Satisfaction and Humility The next Duty to God is Honour which Honour consists in the paying him such a respect and Reverence as belongs to the greatness of his Majesty and this may be either inwardly in our Hearts or outwardly in our publick Actions and Behaviour towards him Besides the general there are particular Several ways of honouring God in his House and Possessions Ways of honouring God as First By approaching his House the Church with Reverence and behaving our selves there with Devotion and Attention Secondly In his Possessions by paying our Tithes and Just Dues which God has appointed for the maintenance of his Ministers The Sin of Sacriledge and defrauding the Ministry is a very great and crying Sin 't is the downright robbing of God an● indeed his Vengean●● The great sin of Sacrilege and the Punishment of it is in nothing mo●● discernable then in h●● Punishment of it u● on which account w 〈…〉 should have a ve 〈…〉 strict Care never to medle with 〈…〉 ny thing set a part for God The Third Thin● whereby we are t 〈…〉 The Lords Day and Feasts of the Church to be kept Holy express our reverenc● to God is by keepin● Holy the particula● Times set a part fo● his Service such a 〈…〉 are the Sunday's or Lords-days and other solemn Festivals appoint ed by the Church this he ha● strictly requir'd of us and herei● we must not disappoint him upo● any pretence Days of Fasting an● Humiliation are like wise The Fasts to be solemnl● observ'd that according to the Design of the Church we may mee● together and humble our selve● ●eeply before God and with Prayers and Tears bewail our own and ●he Sins of the Nation Fourthly We are ●o express our Honour God's word the Holy Scriptures to God by pay●ng an awful Reve●ence and respect to ●is Word by frequent reading the Holy Scriptures and by collecting ●he measures of a good Life from those lively Oracles by attending upon the Duties of Religion and ●y being present as often as we may at the publick Catechizings and Sermons Catechizing in the Of Catechizing first Place is the Foundation upon which the whole Christian Practice must be built 't is therefore the Duty of every Parent to have his Children early instructed in the Church Catechism and for this end they are to call in the help of their respective Ministers and for those that have been so unhappy to want these Instructions in their Youth it concerns 'em as nearly as their Sou● to have their minds Principl'd wi●● the Conditions of their Salvati●● as soon as they can which neith●● the Consideration of their Age 〈◊〉 any other pretence should perswa●● them to