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
A44665	An ansvver to Dr. Stillingfleet's Mischief of separation being a letter written out of the countrey to a person of quality in the city. Who took offence at the late sermon of Dr. Stillingfleet, Dean of S. Pauls; before the lord mayor.	Howe, John, 1630-1705.	1680 (1680)	Wing H3014A; ESTC R215389	34,952	57

Congregation and yet afterwards on the same page he so well agrees with himself as to bid them if they would acquit themselves like honest and conscientious men tell the people plainly that they look on our Churches as true Churches and that they may lawfully communicate with us in Prayers and Sacraments And where are they to tell them so but in the separate Congregations singly and severally he knows it were impossible Nor do I think he would reckon Honesty and Conscience obliging them to come and tell the people so in their Congregations Now I am afraid there are but a very few honest and conscientious men in the World at this day if none are to go for such but who can perceive the strength and reasonableness of the above-mentioned consequence And that you may further see what reason our Ministers may have notwithstanding all the alledged Concessions to administer in the Worship of God in our Assemblies though it were never so much their common universal judgment that they and we might sometimes communicate in some of the Parochial let us consider That in the more populous and frequented places as with you at London for instance the Churches cannot receive some not a tenth part some not half of the people belonging to them few can receive all Methinks good men should not be offended that multitudes do in this distress relieve themselves by resorting to other places for necessary instruction And though it be the inclinations of the people that divide them this way and that as it can be nothing else and though places for their resort be not every where most conveniently situate for their resort where there is most need which must be taken not always where it were most desirable but where they can be had yet they that have a mind had better go to places at a more inconvenient distance than have no whither to go and it is better the necessities of many should be provided for in such an exigency than of none In the mean time the Churches of worthy conforming Ministers in such populous places are generally fill'd as I have been inform'd and have sometimes had occasion to observe Do not necessities of a much lower nature oblige us to recede from stated humane rules It is well known there is a law against relieving such as beg out of their own Parishes But if one find upon the road such a poor wretch ready to perish am I not bound notwithstanding if I can to releive him And who would think in such a case I transgrest the true intention of the Law Yea and Gods own Laws respecting Rituals Common Order and the external part of Religion were by his own direction to yield to far less urgent necessities To the plucking an Ass or Ox out of Ditch how much more the souls of men Have we not read what David did when he was an hungred and they that were with him how he entred into the House of God and did eat the shew-bread which it was not lawful for him to eat neither for them which were with him but only for the Priests How expresly is it alledged by our blessed Saviour against those nice and punctilious Observers and Urgers of the latter of the Law the Pharisees I will have mercy and not sacrifice And if he were willing to abate a sacrifice to himself that there might be room for the exercise of mercy towards mens bodies how monitory and reprehensive should that be to such merciless persons as would have the very souls of men themselves be sacrifices to their stiff and unyielding humors Positive Laws cease to bind when by accident they thwart the Law of Nature Which binds to nothing more deeply than the endeavour of saving ones own Soul and within the bounds of his calling his Neighbours as his own What if many of our Ministers think it lawful and at some times a duty to joyn in some of the publick Assemblies It is not then their duty when an inviting oportunity and so urgent necessities lay before them greater duty This reverend Author tells us very pertinently to this purpose when he was declaiming against us and our Ministers p. 31. of his Sermon It is a great fault among some who pretend to great niceness in some positive duties that they have so little regard to comparative duties For that which may be a duty in one case when it comes to thwart a greater duty may be none This Doctrine we learn from our blessed Saviour in the case of the obligation of the Sabbath which he makes to yield to duties of mercy And can we think that a Duty lying upon us which in our circumstances makes a far greater Duty impractible We acknowledge Order and Unity very lovely and desirable things but we think it of greater importance that the Ministers with whom such fault is found conduct men though not in so accurate Order which they cannot help to Heaven than let them go in the best Order yea and as the case is without any at all to hell And what though the necessity of many of us arise from our own Scruples and what though those scruples were without ground doth it therefore follow we must be abandoned to perish When our very Error if we be willing to admit conviction as we sincerely are could the matter admit it is not imputable to us for a sin This Author was once pleased to make it one of his proposals for accommodation p. 64. of his Irenicum That no sanctions be made nor mulcts or penalties be inflicted on such who only dissent from the use of some things whose lawfulness they at present scruple till sufficient time and means be used for their information of the nature and indifferency of the things that it may be seen whether it be out of wilful contempt and obstinacy of Spirit or only weakness of conscience and dissatisfaction concerning the things themselves that they disobey And if it be made evident to be out of contempt that only such penalties be inflicted as answer to the nature of the offence Where he adds I am sure it is contrary to the Primitive practice and the moderation then used to suspend and deprive men of their Ministerial function for not conforming in habits gestures or the like Which he makes good by following instances beyond his own present contradiction It is strange that for such like things now it is thought so highly just that our Ministers are totally to be kept out of the Ministery and we out of the Church and the way of Salvation are these unproportionable penalties even where contempt appears and what are they when through Gods mercy there appears not the least colour of it Is meer scrupling an humane device in the worship of God and an inability to see with other mens eyes and to mould and form our judgements and consciences as some other men can do theirs a crime so inexpiable that nothing less than our