Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
duty_n	authority_n	law_n	power_n	1,453	5	4.7820	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A29830	Catholick schismatology, or, An account of schism and schismaticks in the several ages of the world : to which are prefixed some remarks on Mr. Bolde's plea for moderation / J.B.	J. B. (J. Browne)	1685 (1685)	Wing B5116; ESTC R37483	61,193	209

are in a late Book called Ravillack Redivivus Now either we must say That the Devil has Power of disposing of the gifts of Gods Spirit which is Blasphemy or that this Extemporate way of praying is no infallible sign of Gods Spirit and therefore that it is Phanaticism to ascribe it to him In a word as Miracles ceased so did the gift of inspired Prayer and ever since has the Church Worshipped God by allowed Forms or Liturgies not only in the Bohemian and Lutheran Churches but in the Presbyterian Churches of Geneva France Holland c. and that not only allowed but advised by Mr. Calvin himself till of late some Jesuits in Masquerade first set up the way of Extemporary Prayer on purpose to break good Order in the Protestant Churches and especially here in England Foxes and Firebrands as is lately made evident beyond all reach of scruple by a good credible Author 5. 'T is rank Phanaticism to resist Lawful Authority on pretence of Religion or to pretend Conscience for Disobedience to Magistrates hereby God has been intituled to as barbarous Massacres and as horrid Rebellions as ever were committed and this sort of men are so far Phanatick as they intitle God to self-inconsistency in opposing his Will to his Will and his Word to his Word by pretending his Authority for Disobedience to his Commissioners For Conscience is no less than a Divine Authority and therefore not to be pretended without much less against a Divine Law The pretence of Conscience is that we are afraid to displease God and therefore chuse rather to displease men but if we displease men to please God where God has forbid that Displeasing or Disobeying of men as in the case of Disobedence to Magistrates in things not sinful in that case the pleasing of God is but pretended and that pretence is but Fanaticism it being Disobedience on the account of Conscience or Duty to God where there is no Word or Law of God commanding it 'T is eternally true That a Conscience informed and governed by a Divine Law ought not to stoop to the greatest Prince That the Authority of God is to be opposed to the greatest Power upon Earth And that all the Powers in the World cannot deliver us from the Obligation of CONSCIENCE that is when it has Gods Law for its Rule But where that is wanting it is not properly Conscience but Humour and Fancy and pretending that Law and that Divine Authority when we have it not is plain intituling Gods Majesty not meerly to Humour and Fancy but to that damnable Sin of Disobedience which is properly called Phanaticism This Account have I given not to justifie that ill practice of giving odious Names to any Party but meerly to instruct the Vulgar Reader a little in that great evil of Schism and Faction which is so little discerned by such and less made Conscience of by most Remarks on Mr. Bolde's Plea for Moderation THE Arch-Pagan Celsus having wrote a most Pestilent Book against Christianity gave it this specious Title 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And in imitation of him it was that * Not Pythago Commontat Hierocles an Egyptian Governour wrote two Books to prove the Scriptures guilty of Falshood and Contradiction The Apostles to have been Cheats and Impostors The Miracles of Christ to have been the Effect of Magick and not comparable to those of Apollonius Tyanaeus Yet this hellish Book he did Intitle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 As tho its damnable Errors had been Divine Truths and not against but for the Christians In like manner Mr. Bolde a Conformist Minister who declares himself satisfied in the lawfulness of every thing required in the Church of England in imitation of Mr. Baxter's Pleas for Peace has published a Book which he calls A Plea for Moderation to'ards Dissenters which is indeed such a Plea for Licentiousness and Confusion such a piece of Hypocrisie and Church-Treachery and such a perfect Satyr upon the Government as deserves a worse Shammatha than what is ipso facto pronounced against him in the Sixth Canon for impugning the Rites and Ceremonies of the Church Or at least 't is a Plea for such Moderation as Dr. Taylor ‖ Ductor Dubit l. 3. c. 4. says has something of Craft in it but little of Ingenuity that may serve the ends of outward Charity or Phantastick Concord but not of Truth and Holiness Moderation saies Bishop Lany cannot be but between two Extreams Sermon on 1 Thes 4.11 and what Extreams are there in a setled Church as in England unless the Church be one Extream and the Schismatick the other saies the Bishop But to shew further the vanity and emptiness of his promising Title if you take the word Moderation in its forensick and primary Acceptation for that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or gentleness which is placed in relaxing the Rigour of the Laws when they press too hard upon Criminals I do undertake in these following Lines to make it evident That the Moderation of our Church and Church-Rulers is such that it is plain want of Moderation to question their Moderation and that they are utterly lost to all Moderation who attempt such Pleas in that behalf If you take the word Moderation in its Scripture-Acceptation it is no more than Meekness under Sufferings Persecutions c. as appears by the Context of that one and only place where it is used in Scripture Phil. 4.5 Let your Moderation or as the Geneva Translation let your Patient mind be known unto all men q. d. however immoderate your Persecutors are let your Moderation Meekness and Patience be known to all men not only Fellow-Sufferers but your Enemies and Persecutors Shewing plainly that the word Moderation in Scripture-Acceptation is accommodable to none but a suffering or persecuted Party Which makes it a contradictio in adjecto to call this Book a Plea for Moderation to'ards Dissenters And as the Title so the Book Dignum patellâ operculum For there 's scarce a Paragraph in it not fairly reducible to one of these Heads 1. Fraudulent Pleas for Compliance with Dissenters in the Disusance or Non-imposal of Church Ceremonies 2. For Indulgence to'ards them in relaxing the Rigour of the Laws 3. Scandalous Reflections 4. Impertinent Jorgon Remarks on Mr. Bolde's Plea concerning Church-Ceremonies TO see how in this he doth in limine impingere He begins his Book with this Fraudulent Insinuation concerning them Vnnecessary Rites and Ceremonies P. 1. 4. 8. 18. 20. and Zeal about them a Stratagem of the Devils Invention whereby to hinder the Progress of true Christianity humane Devices old Rites and Ceremonies trifling and frivolous Things with much more to the same purpose How far he hath hereby incurr'd the Penalty annex'd to violation of the 6th Canon which saies of the Impugners of the Rites and Ceremonies of the Church of England Let them be excommunicated And of the 10th Canon which calls them maintainers of Schismaticks who shall