Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
duty_n	bind_v	law_n	nature_n	1,568	5	5.4669	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A11460	Tvvo sermons the former, concerning the right use of Christian liberty, preached at S. Pauls Crosse London. May 6. The later, concerning the perswasion of conscience, preached at a metropoliticall visitation at Grantham Lincoln: Aug. 22. 1634. By Robert Saunderson chaplaine to his Maiestie.; Two sermons: the former, concerning the right use of Christian liberty. The later, concerning the perswasion of conscience	Sanderson, Robert, 1587-1663.	1635 (1635)	STC 21710; ESTC S116631	77,313	112

taketh away Christian liberty Otherwise not onely Lawes politicall and Ecclesiastical but also all vowes promises covenants contracts and what not that pitcheth upon any certaine resolution de future should be prejudiciall to Christian liberty because they doe all determine something in unam partem which before was free and indifferent in utramq partem For example if my friend invite me to sup with him I may by no meanes promise him to come because the liberty I had before to goe or not to goe is now determined by making such a promise neither may a yong man binde himselfe an apprentice with any certaine Master or to any certaine trade because the liberty hee had before of placing himselfe indifferently with that Master or with another and in that trade or in another is now determined by such a contract And so it might be instanced in a thousand other things For indeed to what purpose hath God left indifferent things determinable both wayes by Christian liberty if they may never be actually determined either way without impeachment of that liberty It is a very vaine power that may not be brought into act but God made no power in vaine Our Brethren I hope will waive this first argument when they shall have well examined it unlesse they will frame to themselves under the name of Christian liberty a very Chimera a non ens a meere notionall liberty where of there can be no use That which was alleaged secondly that they that make such Lawes take upon them to alter the nature of things by making indrfferent things to become necessary being said gratis without either truth or proofe is sufficiently answered by the bate deniall For they that make Lawes concerning indifferent things have no intentionat all to meddle with the nature of them they leave that in medio as they found it but onely for some reasons of conveniency to order the use of them the in differency of their nature still being where it was Nay so farre is oun Church from having any intention of taking away the indiff●rency of those things which for order and comelinesse she enjoyneth that shee hath by her publique declaration protested the contrary wherwith they ought to be satisfied Especially since her sincerity in that declaration that none may cavill as if it were protestatio contrariafacto appeareth by these two most cleare evidences among many other in that shee both alloweth different rites used in other Churches and also teacheth her owne rites to be mutable neither of which she could doe if she conceived the nature of the things themselves to be changed or their indifferency to be removed by her Constitutions Neither is that true which was thirdly alleaged that where men are bound in conscience to obey there the conscience is not left free or else there would be a contradiction For there is no contradiction where the affirmative and negative are not ad idem as it is in this case For Obedience is one thing and the Thing commanded another The Thing is commanded by the Law of man and in regard thereof the conscience is free but Obedience to men is commanded by the Law of God and in regard thereof the conscience is bound So that we are bound in conscience to obedience in indifferent things lawfully commanded the conscience still remaining no lesse free in respect of the things themselves so commanded then it was before And you may know it by this In Lawes properly humans such as are those that are made concerning indifferent things the Magistrate doth not nor can say This you are bound in conscience to doe and therefore I command you to doe it as he might say if the bond of obedience did spring from the nature of the things commanded But now when the Magistrate beginneth at another end as he must doe and saith I command you to doe this or that and therefore you are bound in conscience to doe it this plainely sheweth that the bond of obedience ariseth from the power in the Magistrate and duty in the subject which is of divine ordinance You may observe therefore that in humane Lawes not meerely such that is such as are established concerning things simply necessary or meerely unlawfull the Magistrate may there derive the bond of obedience from the nature of the things themselves as for example if he should make a Law to inhibite Sacriledge or Adultery he might then well say you are bound in conscience to abstaine from these things and therefore I command you so to abstaine which he could not so well say in the Lawes made to inhibite the eating of flesh or the transportation of graine And the reason of the difference is evident because those former Lawes are rather Divine then humane the substance of them being divine and but the sanction onely humane and so binde by their immediate vortue and in respect of the things themselves therein commanded which the later being meerely humane both for substance and sanction doe not The consideration of which difference and the reason of it will abundantly discover the vanity of the fourth allegation also wherein it was objected that the things enjoyned by the Ecclesiastical Lawes are imposed upon men as of necessity to salvation Which is most untrue Remember once againe that obedience is one thing and the things commanded another Obedience to lawfull authority is a duty commanded by God himselfe and in his Law and so is a part of that holinesse without which no man shall see God but the things themselves commanded by lawfull authority are neither in truth necessary to salvation nor doe they that are in authority impose them as such Onely they are the object and that but by accident neither and contingently not necessarily about which that obedience is conversant and wherein it is to be exercised An example or two will make it plaine We know every man is bound in conscience to imploy himselfe in the workes of his particular calling with faithfulnesse and diligence and that faithfulnesse and diligence is a branch of that holinesse and righteousnesse which is necessary unto salvation Were it not now a very fond thing and ridiculous for a man from hence to conclude that therefore drawing of wine or making of shoes were necessary to salvation because these are the proper imployment of the vintners and shoemakers calling which they in conscience are bound to follow nor may without sin neglect them Againe if a Master command his servant to goe to the market to sell his corne and to buy in provision for his house or to weare a livery of such or such a colour and fashion in this case who can reasonably deny but that the servant is bound in conscience to do the very things his Master biddeth him to doe to goe to sell to buy to weare and yet is there any man so forsaken of common sence as thence to conclude that going to market selling of corne buying

beleevers lived mingled with Insidels would be very unseasonably urged where the Church is in a peaceable and flourishing estate enjoying the favour and living under the protection of gracious and religious Princes Thus the Constitutions that the Apostles made concerning Deacons and Widowes in those primitive times are with much importunity but very importunely withall urged by the Disciplinarians And sundry other like things I might instance in of this kinde worthy the discovery but that I feare to grow tedious Briefely then the Apostles whole discourse in this Chapter and so wheresoever else he toucheth upon the point of Scandals is to be understood onely in that case where men are left to their owne liberty in the use of indifferent things the Romanes Corinthians and others to whom S. Paul wrote about these matters being not limited any way in the exercise of their liberty therein by any over ruling authority But where the Magistrates have interposed and thought good upon mature advice to impose Lawes upon those that are under them whereby their liberty is not infringed as some unjustly complaine in the inward judgement but onely limited in the outward exercise of it there the Apostolicall directions will not hold in the same absolute manner as they were delivered to those whom they then concerned but onely in the equity of them so far forth as the cases are alike and with such meete qualifications and mitigations as the difference of the cases otherwise doth require So that a man ought not out of private fancy or meerely because he would not bee observed for not doing as others doe or for any the like weake respects to doe that thing of the lawfulnesse whereof he is not competently perswaded where it is free for him to doe otherwise which was the case of these weake ones among the Romanes for whose sakes principally the Apostle gave these directions But the authority of the magistrate intervening so altereth the case that such a forbearance as to them was necessary is to as many of us as are commanded to doe this or that altogether unlawfull in regard they were free and we are bound for the reasons alr●ady shewen which I now rehearse not But you will yet say for in point of obedience m●n are very loath to yeeld so long as they can finde any thing to pleade those that lay these burthens upon us at least wise should doe well to satisfie our doubts and to informe our consciences concerning the lawfulnesse of what they enjoyne that so we might render them obedience with better cheerefulnesse How willing are we sinfull men to l●ave the blame of our miscariages any where rather then upon our selves But how is it not incongruous the while that those men should prescribe rules to their governours who can scarcely brook their governours should prescribe Lawes to them It were good we would first learne how to obey ere w●e take upon us to teach our betters how to governe How ever what governours are bound to doe or what is fit for them to do● in the poin● of information that is not now the question If they faile in any part of their bounden duty they shall be sure to reckon for it one day but their failing cannot in the meane time ●xcuse thy disobedienoe Although I thinke it would prove a hard tas●e for whosoever should undertake it to shew that Superiours are alwayes bound to informe the cons●iences of their inferiours concerning the lawfulnesse of every thing they shall command If sometimes they doe it where they see it exp●dient or needfull sometimes againe and that perhaps of●●er it may bee thought more expedient for them and more conducible for the publique peace and safety onely to make knowen to the people what their pleasures are reserving to themselves the reasons thereof I am sure in the point of Eccl●siasticall cer●mo●ies and Constitutions in which ●ase the aforesaid allegations are usually most stood upon this hath been aboundantly done in our Church not only in the learned writings of sundry private men but by the publique declaration also of authority as is to be seene at large in the preface commonly printed be●ore the book of Common prayer concerning that argument● enough to satisfie those that are peaceable and not disposed to stretch their wirs to cavill at things established And thus much of the second Question touching a doubting conscience whereon I have insisted the longer because it is a point both so proper to the Text and where at so many have stumbled There remaineth but one other Question and that of farre smaller difficulty What is to be done when the conscience is scrupulous I call that a scruple when a man is reasonably well perswaded of the lawfulnesse of a thing yet hath withall some jealousies and feares le●t perhaps it should prove unlawfull Such scruples are most incident to men of melancholy dispositions or of timorous spirits especially if they be tender conscienced withall and they are much encreased by the false suggestions of satan by reading the bookes or hearing the Sermons or frequenting the company of men more strict precise and austere in sundry points then they need or ought to be and by sundry other meanes which I now mention not Of which scruples it behooveth every man first to be wary that he doe not at all admit them if he can chuse or if he cannot wholy avoid them that secondly he endeavour so farre as may be to eject them speedily out of his thoughts as satans snares and things that may breed him worser inconveniencies or if hee cannot be so rid of them that then thirdly he resolve to goe on according to the more probable perswasion of his minde and despise those scruples And this he may doe with a good conscience not onely in things commanded him by lawfull authority but even in things indifferent and arbitrary and wherein hee is left to his owne liberty Much more might have beene added for the farther both declaration and confirmation of these points But you see I have beene forced to wrap things together that deserve a more full and distinct handling that I might hold some proportion with the time I had a purpose briefly to have comprised the summe of what I have delivered concerning a gainsaying a doubting and a scrupulous conscience in some few conclusions for your better remembrance and to have added also something by way of direction what course might be the most probably taken for the correcting of an erro●cous conscience for the setling of a doubtfull conscience and for the quieting of a scrupulous conscience But it is more then time that I should give place to other businesse and the most and most materiall of those directions have beene here and there occasionally touched in that which hath been delivered already in which respect I may the better spare that labour Beseech we God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ so to endue us all with