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
A20729	The Christians freedome wherein is fully expressed the doctrine of Christian libertie. By the rt. reuerend father in God, George Downeham, Doctor of Diuinity and Ld. Bp. of Derry.	Downame, George, d. 1634.	1635 (1635)	STC 7111; ESTC S102215	96,431	253

bound to obey then he yea wee professe that God doth therefore free vs from the curse and the bondage of the law that wee might be inabled with freedome of spirit to obey it and that being freed from sinne wee are made the servants of righteousnesse We teach that God hauing sworne that to those whom he iustifieth he will giue grace to worship him in holines and righteousnes no man can be assured of his iustification without obedience that sanctification being the end of our election calling redemption and regeneration it is a necessary consequent of sauing grace We teach and professe that howsoever good workes doe not concurre with faith vnto the act of iustifica●●on as a cause thereof yet they con●●●re in the party iustified as necessary fruits of faith and testimonies of iustification And as wee teach with Paul that faith alone doth iustifie so with Iames that the ●aith which is alone doth not iustifie Wee teach that the blood of Christ as it acquitteth vs from the guilt of sin so doth it also purge our consciences from dead workes to serue the liuing God that he bare in his body vpon the crosse our sinnes that we being deliuered from sinne should liue in righteousnesse that whom Christ doth iustifie by faith them hee doth sanctify by his Spirit that whosoever is in Christ hee is a new creature crucifying the flesh with the lusts thereof and walking not after the flesh but after the spirit Wee professe that good workes are necessary to saluation though not necessitate efficientiae as causing it as the Papists teach yet necessitate praesentiae as necessary fruits of our faith whereby wee are to glorifie God and to testifie our thankfulnesse to doe good to our brethren and to make sure our election calling and iustification vnto our selues as necessary forerunners of salvation being the vndoubted badges of them that shall bee saued being the way wherein wee are to walke to everlasting life being the evidence according to which God will iudge vs at the last day And lastly that as by iustification God doth entitle vs vnto his kingdome so by sanctification he doth sit and prepare vs thereto We do not therefore by the doctrine of iustification through faith abolish the Law but rather as the Apostle saith stablish it For the more a man is assured of his free iustification the better he is enabled and the more hee is bound to obey it But although we bee bound to obey the Law as the subiects of God and servants of 〈◊〉 and although the Law 〈…〉 in those that are iusti●●●d as being a rule of direction for our obedience in the per●ormance of the duties or piety towards God of iustice towards our neighbour of sobriety towards ourselues and a glasse of detection to manifest the imperfections of our obedience to keepe vs from Phari●●●sme and lastly a rodde of correction in respect of flesh or the old man yet remaining in vs that by precepts by exhortations and comminations it more and more may be mortified in vs and wee kept from the spirit of slumber and security yet notwithstanding wee are not vnder the law as the Apostle saith but vnder grace Wee are therefore in our sanctification freed though not from the obedience yet from the servitude and bondage of the law and that in three respects First in respect of the irritation of it In which regard especially the law is called the strength of sinne not that the law causeth or prouoketh sinne properly for the law is holy iust and good but only by accident and occasionally For such is the corruptiō of our vntamed nature vntill we be renewed by the spirit of God that when the law which is holy and good forbiddeth sinne seeking to stoppe the course of our concupiscences and to bridle our sinfull affections thereby our vntamed corruption rebelleth so much the more and that it might appeare 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 exceedingly sinfull by occasion of the law worketh in vs all manner of concupiscence Euen as a deepe riuer when nothing hindreth his course hath a still and as it were a dead motion but if you seeke to restraine or stoppe his course he will sinell and ouerflow all now disdaining as it were a bridge so our corruption when it freely taketh his owne course seemeth to be quiet and as it were dead but when the commandement commeth ●aith the Apostle as it were to dam it vp sin reuiueth riseth against it swelling and ouerflowing as it were his wonted bankes In this respect the law saith the Master of the Sentences is called a killing letter because forbidding sinne it increaseth concupiscence and addeth transgression vntill grace doe free vs. But we are regenerated by the spirit of sanctification and by the bond of the same spirit coupled vnto Christ we are freed from this bondage euen as the wife is freed from the dominion of her husband by his death For euen as whilest we were in the flesh altogether vnregenerate the law as it were our husbands occasionally and by accident begot in our soules wholly corrupted with sinne euill motions and concupiscences as the fruites and issue of our flesh tending vnto death so we being regenerated and after a sort dead vnto this corruption and consequently being mortified to the law in respect of the irritation thereof and the law in that regard dead vnto vs the spirit of Christ who hath vnited vs vnto him as our second husband begetteth good motions in vs as the fruites of the spirit acceptable vnto ●od This is that which the Apost teacheth Rom. 7. for hauing said chap. 6. 14. that sinne shall not haue dominion ouer vs because we are not vnder the law but vnder grace after he had answered an obiection preuented the abuse of this Doctrine which carnall men would make thereof as though they might sin freely because they are not vnder the law in the beginning of the seauenth chapter he proueth that we are not vnder the Law but vnder grace by that similitude which euen now I mentioned because being regenerated and dead vnto sinne we are mortified to the law and the law to vs in respect of the irritation thereof caused by our corruption and consequently are deliuered from the power of it as a wife is freed from the dominion of her husband when he is dead Secondly in our sanctification we are freed from the coaction and terror of the law breeding servile feare in men vnregenerate whereby as bon-servants or gally-slaues by the whip they are enforced to the performance of some outward duties which otherwise they are vnwilling to doe For those who are vnder the Law as all men are by nature are like bond-slaues who for avoiding of punishment are by terror drawne to doe some forced service which is so much the more vnwilling because they looke for no reward This

it is as you haue heard the law of loyalty requiring obedience to superiours Wherefore a Christian man though in respect of the inward man he be free as being the sonne of God by adoption in Christ yet in respect of the outward man he ought to bee a servant not only to his superiors in loyalty and obedience but also to all in benevolence and charity Obiect 2. On the other side it is obiected 1. That for conscience sake we are to obey the Magistrate that is that we are bound in conscience so to doe therefore the lawes and commandements of the Magistrate doe binde the conscience Answ. It followes not for although we are bound in conscience to obey the lawfull commandements and lawes of superiours yet that bond is not in the particular lawes of men but in the generall commandement of God Obiect 3. Againe A thing indifferent enioyned by the Magistrate becometh necessary for Paul saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it is necessary that you bee subiect therefore the commandement of the Magistrate doth binde the conscience Answ. Neither doth this follow For it becometh necessary not by the particular commaundement of man but by the generall commandement of God For notwithstanding the commandement of the Magistrate the thing commanded remaineth indifferent in it selfe and before God and so to be vsed with free conscience without placing any religion therein howsoever it becommeth necessary so farre forth as by the generall commandement of God I am bound thereto And this is that which Peter saith that wee must obey Magistrates as free and yet as the servants of God Free in respect of our consciences exempted from humane power yet as servants of God bound in conscience to obey him in obeying them so farre forth as hee doth commaund vs to obey them The truth of these answers shall not only be demonstrated as it were before your eyes by a syllogisme wherein is concluded the bond of conscience and necessity of duty in obeying the commandements of men but also by other reasons proved The Syllogisme All lawfull commaundements of Magistrates thou art bound in conscience by the law of God to obey so farre forth as hee requireth such commandements to bee obeyed This or that particular is a lawfull cōmaundement of the Magistrate Therefore this or that particular thou art bound in conscience by the law of God to obey so farre forth as God requireth such commandements to be obeyed By which argumentation wee may conceiue that the distinction of necessity vsed in schooles viz. that there is necessit as consequentis which is simple or absolute necessitas consequentiae which is not simple but vpon condition of other things presupposed may not vnfitly be applied to the necessity of duty imposed by the lawes either of God or man For Gods commandement imposeth the necessity as it were of the consequent without presupposing other things requiring simple and absolute obedience The law of man doth not impose the necessity of the consequent or require simple obedience but it imposeth onely a necessity of the consequence that is such a necessity and no other as may soundly be concluded from the law of God and so farre forth as it may bee concluded thence Or to speake more plainely in a simple sentence without interpositing any condition or presupposing any anteceden● whereupon it is to bee inferred I may say either particularly this commandement of God is necessarily or by necessity of duty to be obeyed or generally all Gods commandements are necessarily to bee observed And this speech is of necessary truth But concerning mens commaundements If I shall say in the generall All the commaundements of men are necessarily to be observed the speech wil● be false and absurd if in particular this commaundement of the Magistrate is necessarily to bee observed this speech cannot be necessary simply or by the necessity of the consequent or to speake more plainely for the explicating of that phrase by the necessity of a simpl● sentence wherein the consequent or predicat is both simply and necessarily affirmed of the antecedent or subiect it cannot I say bee simply necessary because as you heard the generall is false Notwithstanding if you presuppose these two things first that all lawfull commaundements of Magistrates are by the commaundement of God necessarily to be observed so farre forth as hee commaundeth them to be observed secondly that this particular is a lawfull commaundement of the Magistrate vpon these premises you may proue that speech to be true by necessity of consequence viz. that this particular commaundement of the Magistrate is necessarily to be observed c. But some sophister will obiect that I might as well conclude thus Propos. All lawfull commaundements of the Magistrate must necessarily be obeyed Ass. This or that particular is a lawfull commaundement of the Magistrate Concl. Therefore necessarily to bee obeyed I answere that the proposition of this syllogisme needeth proofe as not being manifest of it selfe You will say it may thus be proued Propos. What is commanded of God must necessarily be performed Ass. Obedience to all law full commaundements of Magistrates is commaunded of God Concl. Therefore obedience to all lawfull commaundements of Magistrates is necessarily to be performed But I say againe the assumption of this syllogisme needeth some explanation For the Lord would haue difference put between his owne commandements and the lawes of men and therefore we may not thinke that he commandeth all lawes of men simply to be obeyed not simply you must say then but so farre forth as he requireth them to be obeyed By which short discourse wee learne that those additions by which I explaned the proposition of the syllogisme were necessare and that the bond of cōscience is not the law of man but of God that we are bound to obey mans lawes not simply but so farre forth as God requireth And lastly that this speech All lawfull commandements of Magistrates are necessarily to be obeyed is true not by the necessity of the consequent as an axiome or principle which is manifest of it selfe but by the necessity of consequence as a conclusion manifested by discourse Now that the lawes of men doe not binde the conscience it may further appeare by these reasons first because our freedome from the lawes iudiciall and ceremoniall which in the Scriptures is extolled for so great a b●nefit would be a burthen rather then a benefit if wee should in like manner be bound to the ecclesiasticall and ciuill lawes of men Againe if they did binde the conscience there would be no difference betweene Gods lawes and mans lawes in respect of outward actions and the one sort would require simple obedience as well as the other yea vnlawfull commandements would also binde the conscience But it is plaine that simple obedience is to be performed onely to the lawes of God To the laws of men we are bound not simply but so farre forth as in