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
A49408	Five sermons, preached before His Majesty at Whitehall, published severally by command, and now printed together, tending all to give satisfaction in certain points to such who have thereupon endeavoured to unsettle the state and government of the church by B. Lord Bishop of Ely.; Sermons. Selections	Laney, Benjamin, 1591-1675.; Laney, Benjamin, 1591-1675. Study of quiet.	1669 (1669)	Wing L342; Wing L351; Wing L352; ESTC R16949	80,355	196

truth to inflame the affections with the love of it to support our endeavours in all difficulties and temptations To this assistance of the Spirit all the faithful have a right And though in this way the Spirit cannot deceive us yet we may be deceived in it because it never works but with us if we fail in what we are to do then that fails us And by this way not only private persons but publick Councels are governed To whom the Spirit doth not reveal the matter of their Decrees 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but by way of co-operation assists their indeavours to find out the truth from the proper Topicks of it the Scripture and Antiquity for so all the force of their decrees depends upon the reason and grounds upon which they are made For if any Councel might pretend to that other way of revelation sure that first famous Apostolical Councel might Act. 15. But that did not otherwise determine the matter in controversy then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 v. 7. when there had been much debate and disquisition out of the Scriptures were the decrees made and sign'd accordingly It seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us The Apostles and Elders were in joynt commission with the Spirit the same Lord that sent the Spirit sent the Apostles also and therefore no contradiction to be led by the Spirit and by the Shepherds too THE fourth and last leader which is brought in to avoid the Shepherds is the CONSCIENCE This is the Presbyterians strongest fort against Obedience If he can get his Conscience about him he thinks himself so safe that he may bid defiance to all Authority In the Commission of leaders I confess as I said the Conscience to be of the Quorum We are to do nothing without it and much less against it But then we must be sure we mistake not somewhat else for the Conscience Every disease and distemper of the mind causless scruple slight perswasion groundless fear is not the Conscience against which we are bound not to act The tender Conscience for which so much favour is pleaded may prove in some no better then a disease of the Soul a spiritual Splene For though it be good to be tender of offending God in any thing where it proceeds from the good temper and constitution of the soul which is the same constantly in all cases and is not affected or taken up for a purpose as the sturdy begger carries his arm in a string that it may be a Patent to beg and be idle You may know it certainly to be a disease if it comes upon us by fits and starts as to be tender of offending God when we obey men and not to be tender of offending God when we disobey them If they be not as tender of one side as of another as I never find them to be it is but a Paralitick Conscience that is dead of one side For tell him the Church commands it he presently shrinks and startles at it and well so for possibly he may sin against God But tell him on the other side that God commands obedience to those that rule over us it moves him not at all you may thrust a needle into his side and he feels it not It shews plainly the Conscience hath a dead Palsy on that side But a right and sound Conscience against which certainly we ought not to act is a constant and well governed judgment for not to amuse you as the manner is with frivolous distinctions and definitions of Conscience in this case the Conscience is nothing but every mans private judgment for he ought not to attempt the doing of any thing till he hath framed this judgment to himself that it is lawful for him to do it Now seeing our private judgment hath so great power and influence as to interrupt the course of publick it had need be a true and regular judgment As first It must not be arbitrary for that we think we have reason to decline in the publick Magistrate to govern by Will and not by Law Many a Conscience if it were well examined will prove to be nothing but will not judgement Every good judgment is upon a full hearing of the cause of both sides all evidences duly weighed and examined then resolves this is a Conscience against which we ought not to act though possibly it might prove to be erroneous yet for all that we must know that it doth not set us free from the guilt of disobeying our Governors And then this is all the benefit our Conscience will do us in case of error that it casts us into a necessity of sinning by obeying against our selves by disobeying against our Governors We shall do well therefore to take care that we make not every slight perswasion doubt or scruple a Conscience trusting to be discharged of our obedience by that which indeed binds it faster upon us for that is the very end and benefit for which is instituted the Pastoral charge that when we are so weak we can not safely trust our selves we may rely upon that unless we think it a good plea I am blind and therefore I will not be led I am weak and sickly and therefore I will not be rul'd by the Physitian Now to sum up all if not Reason nor Scripture nor the Spirit nor Conscience will discharge us of the duty we owe to the Church in the name of God let us not rashly fling away so great a blessing that in all our doubts and fears for our quiet and security we may have recourse to the Shepherds and Bishops of our Souls THis is the last point the Shepherds Flock or the Bishops Diocess the Souls of men And here we meet with another quarrel from the Presbytery That they may be sure to spoil the Bishops of all authority they take away their Diocess the cure of Souls that they may be Bishops sine titulo for Bishops they are not either of our bodies or estates And why not of our Souls Christ indeed the great Shepherd that purchased them may rule them but they are too precious for any other Shepherds to Lord over which they say is done by binding the Souls with church-Church-laws and censures which Christ hath set at liberty And thus they set up Christ against himself and Christian liberty against Christian duty S. Paul I confess doth earnestly press this point of liberty Stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free and be not intangled again with the yoak of bondage But what liberty It is not simply from obedience either to men or Laws for that were destructive to Humane Society as well as Religion What then is it It is no more then that Christians have a liberty not to be Jews I dare be bold to say this is all that can be made of it And the reason why S. Paul did so earnestly press it is evident The Jews that were willing enough to

understand what wisdom it can be to lay all common again for any mans pleasure for this is to legitimate Schism and entail division to the Church for ever As you love your selves your quiet and look to receive benefit by the immortal seed of Gods Word if you would be good Christians that is be advised by Christ and in that way which all Christians have used to Take heed what you hear WE come now to the second point of our care Take heed how you hear and this no less necessary than the former for when we have provided for the Matter what we hear we may yet offend in the Manner how and so lose the benefit of both That which is here set down in proper words is by our Saviour illustrated in a Similitude verse 21. Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel or under a bed and not to be set on a Candlestick that is and so St. Luke expresses it A candle is not brought to be put under a Bushel but to be set on a Candlestick This makes two points in the manner of our hearing one negative that we do not so hear Gods Word that we put it under a Bushel another affirmative that we set it on a Candlestick For the first Gods Word is a light we can do nothing more contrary to light than to hide it to put it under a Bushel i. e. to do any thing that will intercept the light and benefit of it Now this may be done several ways First By perverting the proper end and use of hearing Hearing Gods word is certainly a good point of Religion for it is a duty commanded verse 23. If any man have ears to hear let him hear yet if he hear as he should he must not mistake one kind of duty for another Duties are of divers kinds some essential parts of Religion some instrumental and some both The two chief duties of this time fasting and hearing are instrumental onely That Fasting is so we learn from St. Paul The Kingdom of Heaven is not meat and drink i. e. consists not in it yet if well used is a help to it Instrumenti vis in usu consistit If fasting attains not the end and use of it it is good for nothing not to be reckon'd in the order of Religious duties So hearing Gods Word if it work no amendment in us is but a Cypher alone that stands for nothing no better than a Candle under a Bushel When hearing is not it self doth not the own duty we are extreamly mistaken if we make it serve for any other Hearing doth edifie help to the building but as an Instrument not as Stone and Timber the essential parts of it The Ax and the Hammer the Square and the Level are instruments without which there can be no building but we would think him mad that should therefore lay them in the Walls or the Foundation They are as much guilty of folly who make their ordinary worship of God to be nothing but to go hear the Sermon yea and the extraordinary a solemn Fast and Humiliation to hear a Sermon A publick Thanksgiving to hear a Sermon and that is all If any business extraordinary fall out whereunto we think fit by our Devotion to ingage Gods blessing and protection all we do for his sake we sit and hear a Sermon If the Sermon doth the work of an instrument it is well to fit and enable us to perform those duties it self is neither stick nor stone in the Building We must not think all is done when the Sermon is done Instruments are of an indifferent nature may be well or ill used so are not essentials as Faith Repentance and Charity are constantly the same Fasting I said was an instrumental duty and so was as well us'd for strife and debate as for Humiliation and Repentance We may remember many of those fighting Fasts He that hew'd Timber before out of the thick Trees was known to bring it to an excellent work but now they break down all the carved works thereof with Axes and Hammers that is with the same tools that built it As Sermons are instruments to build up at another time they pull down as fast It is therefore very necessary we take heed how we hear them As we must not mistake in the kind of the duty an instrumental for an essential so nor in the kind of the Instrument for some are natural as the eye is of seeing the ear of hearing these naturally do their work Others positive of Divine Institution which have no vertue or power but from that and such are the Sacraments I confess I never heard any say that hearing of Gods Word was a Sacrament of Faith yet I know there is more vertue ascrib'd to it than natural and by some more than Sacramental for no Sacrament they think effectual without a Sermon If there be a mistake in the manner and kind of operation in the Instrument it will prove another putting the Candle under a Bushel I hope you will not think it a fruitless curiosity to enquire a little farther into it Hearing and Preaching both for they always go together are so proper to the Gospel that by them it is distinguished from the Law for St. Paul arguing for the Christian Faith against the Jewish calls it the Hearing of Faith Gal. 3. 2. He that ministreth to the spirit and worketh miracles among you doth he it by the works of the Law or by the hearing of Faith The like propriety in the Gospel hath preaching for whatsoever way the wisdom of the world may take It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe 1 Cor. 1. 21. And thus by way of distinction the Gospel is call'd the ministration of the Spirit because preached by inspiration of the Spirit and the Law the ministration of the Letter because given in writing 2 Cor. 3. 6. Who hath made us Ministers of the New Testament 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not of the Letter but of the Spirit But was there then no hearing nor preaching under the Law That cannot be said neither They have Moses and the Prophets saith Abraham to Dives let them hear them And the Priest's lips could not preserve knowledge unless it were received from his mouth by hearing It was commonly practised in the Synagogues after the reading of the Law in the time of the Apostles to exhort the people When St. Paul and his company went into the Synagogue at Antioch in Pisidia they were desired to give the people a word of exhortation How then comes it to pass that by hearing and preaching the Christian Religion is distinguished from the Jews which are common to both And why is the Law call'd the ministration of the Letter by way of distinction seeing the Gospel is written as well as the Law 'T is plain that these things are spoken not simply and universally of either but in relation to their beginning and