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	obey_v	1,316	5	7.9228	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A44145	Letters written to J.M. a nonconformist teacher, concerning the gift and forms of prayer The second part. By Matthew Hole, B.D. sometime fellow of Exeter College, Oxon. now vicar of Stoke-gursey in Somersetshire.; Correct copy of some letters written to J.M. a nonconformist teacher, concerning the gift and forms of prayer. Part 2.	Hole, Matthew, 1639 or 40-1730.	1699 (1699)	Wing H2410; ESTC R215281	96,332	185

I hope the sequel of this Letter will plainly discover But first I cannot but observe That before the making of that Act your Conventicles were as frequent and with as little regret as they have been since And I find you declaring in your Letter of June the 30th That tho' you have a Law permitting and allowing your Preaching yet you still counted it your Duty before and your Practice was accordingly So that whatever claim you make to a Law 't is no better than a meer pretence For 't is plain That you matter not the Law but will do as you think fit as well without as with it however since you have it you will not fail to make the best of it And tho' the Title of it shews it only to be an Exemption from some Penalties yet you will not have it thought barely an Allowance but an Approbation of your Assemblies which shews how much you extend Favour further than you should and if the Government at any time give you an Inch how apt and ready you are to take an Ell. And therefore to give a check to this Vanity I must tell you 2dly That the Law you insist upon does not take off the Obligation of repairing to the Establish'd Churches but only suffers you to go unpunish'd if you do otherwise Now if you would rightly consider the nature of Laws and the true Principle of Obedience to them you would soon see That the bare suspending the Punishment is far from annulling the Obligation of Laws For the clearing of which I shall premise a few things that may help to give some light to it 1st And First In all Laws two things are to be consider'd viz. a Precept requiring some thing to be done or left undone And a Penalty to be inflicted upon the doing or not doing of it In the first of these consists the Nature and Essence of a Law which lies in commanding something to be done or not done and this is to be a Rule to govern the Actions and oblige the Consciences of such as are subjected to the higher Powers whereas the latter is only a Circumstance added to it to make it observ'd By which it appears 2dly That the Penalty appertains not to the Being or Essence of a Law but is meerly an accidental Adjunct or Appendix annext to it to enforce Obedience Were all Men led as they should be by Principles of Conscience there would be no need or use of Penalties But because too many thro' the pravity of their Natures lose the Sense of their Duty and are led by Humour Interest and corrupt Designs away from it Punishments become necessary to reduce them to it Furthermore you must note 3dly That the main Reason of our Obligation to Laws is founded on the Will of the Law-giver sufficiently made known for he having a Commission and Authority from God to command in all lawful things we are therefore bound in Duty and Conscience to obey him therein as God's Minister So that whensoever he duly declares and publishes his Mind then does the Obligation commence and ceases not till he think fit to countermand and recall it 4thly We must observe a double Principle or Motive of Obedience the one for Wrath or Fear of Punishment the other for Conscience sake now our Obedience to Laws is by the Apostle's Direction to be grounded on both but chiefly on the latter for he wills all Christians to be subject not only for Wrath but for Conscience sake so that if the Fear of Wrath or the Displeasure of the Magistrate be gone by removing of the Penalty there remains another and stronger Tye to our Duty even the Obligation of Conscience which must hold us to it while the preceptive part of the Law remains tho' the coercive ceases Now from these Propositions duly consider'd these two things will necessarily follow 1st That while the Will and Pleasure of the Law-giver is to continue a Law which must be suppos'd till the preceptive part of it wherein it mainly consists be repeal'd so long the Law continues in force and the Obligation of it remains 2dly That the bare Suspension of the Penalty is no repealing of a Law for while the preceptive part which is the Essence of the Law remains it still keeps its Force and our Obedience to it is not superseded by the ceasing of the Punishment In short then seeing the things commanded in those Laws that require Conformity to the Church continue still unrepeal'd and nothing taken off but the Punishment which belongs not to the Essence of them it evidently follows that the Obligation to them remains and that the Subjects are still bound to do what is still required by them which was the thing to be prov'd The want of a right Understanding of these things hath occasioned many and great Mistakes in this Matter For 1st It was not long since you took the undergoing the Penalty to be the keeping of the Law for when you were charged with Disobedience to the lawful Injunction of Superiors your Reply was That tho' you did not what the Law requir'd yet you suffer'd what the Law inflicted and this you thought sufficiently answer'd the end of the Law Now the Weakness of this arguing will easily appear by considering that 't is the preceptive Part that is the Form or Essence of the Law and if you disobey that you cannot be said to keep the Law by undergoing the Punishment which is inflicted only for the Breach of it Yea the end of the Penalty being only to enforce Obedience to the thing commanded to suffer the one without doing the other is to contradict and defeat the ends of both Indeed where the Matter of a Law is sinful their undergoing the Penalty is as much as a good Christian may or ought to do and in such Cases Submission is required when Obedience is not But where the Matter of a Law neither is nor can be proved unlawful there 't is not the suffering what is inflicted but doing what is required that answers the end of the Law For the primary Intention of all Laws and Lawgivers is not the Punishment and grieving the Subjects but their observing what is commanded them for the good of the Common-wealth He that thinks the Magistrate is well pleas'd with punishing the Contempt as rewarding Obedience to his Laws must think unworthily of him and he that makes this the Rule and Measure of his Actions is no better Observer of Laws than the Thief or the Traytor who are hang'd for the Breach of them Again 2dly As you formerly mistook the suffering the Penalty for keeping of the Law so now you are fallen into the quite contrary Mistake and take the not-suffering the Penalty for the keeping of it For you imagine the late Act exempting you from the Punishment of some Laws hath freed you from any farther Duty or Obligation to them These Errors you unawares run into merely by over looking the principal and

that are neither the one nor the other for things indifferent in which we are free any further than we are prescribed to by our Superiors to whom we owe Obedience as God's Ministers and Viceroys upon Earth When I say the Mind is thus rightly informed in these Matters 't is a good firm and well-grounded Conscience and is a safe Rule and Guide of our Actions and this is a healthy and found Temper of Mind On the contrary when the Mind is ill inform'd and unsetled taking things lawful for unlawful and unlawful things for lawful abstaining from some things as sinful which God hath no where forbidden as Forms of Prayer and doing other things with an Opinion of Holiness and Necessity which God hath no where required as Extempore and varied Prayers This is an entangled and perplexed Conscience and it is a very uncertain and unsafe Guide of our Actions insomuch That to be acted by it is not to be led by any found Principles of Duty and Conscience but by the wrong Measures of Fancy Humour and Mistaken Opinion and this is a very sickly weak and unsound State of Mind Which will lead me to the Consideration of an Erroneous Doubting and Scrupulous Conscience the three grievous Diseases and Infirmities of the Mind and to shew how we may be best cur'd and rid of them And First an erroneous Conscience is when a thing in it self lawful and enjoin'd by lawful Authority shall be judged sinful and unlawful to be done and likewise when a thing in its own Nature sinful and forbidden by lawful Authority shall yet be judg'd not only lawful but necessary to be done This is an erring Conscience and brings a Man into very great Straits for he lies under a Necessity of sinning let him go which Way he will If he does the thing which he judges unlawful he acts against the Perswasion of his own Mind and so being not of Faith is Sin If he refuse the doing of it he acts against lawful Authority and sins in disobeying that Power in a thing which he is commanded to obey As in the former Instance If any shall judge a Form of Prayer enjoin'd by Superiors to be unlawful here if he uses it he sins against the Duty he owes to his own Conscience if he uses it not he sins against the Duty he owes to his lawful Superiors both ways he commits a grievous Sin which he cannot avoid whilst he continues in his Error This is indeed a great and grievous Snare and where a Man is really intangled with it and in good earnest he deserves Pity Now To get rid of it because our Mind cannot alter the Nature of things we must endeavour to alter our Mind and bring it rightly to understand the Nature of things to which end we must bring humble and teachable Minds free from Pride Passion and all manner of Prejudice not misled by Interest Humour or vain Conceit but willing to learn and receive Satisfaction confulting our lawful Pastors or some other able Divines that may be able and willing to direct us weighing the Arguments on the side of Authority as well as those against it using as much of the prescribed Forms as we lawfully may and going with Authority as far as we can If this were heartily and sincerely done there would be few Separatists or Dissenters for Satisfaction this way might soon be had and wherein any were otherwise minded God would soon reveal even this unto him 2dly A Doubting Conscience is when the Mind is in suspence about the Lawfulness or Unlawfulness of a thing and hangs as it were in aequilibrio having Arguments sometimes perswading it one way and sometimes another so that 't is at a loss which way to incline In this Case if the Matter in Question be a thing enjoined by Superiors 't is very reasonable that Authority should turn the Scale and that laying aside the Doubt we should do the thing commanded For in doubtful Matters the safest Course is to be taken Now since the Duty of Obedience is certain and the particular Matter of the Command only doubtful Reason wills That we chuse a Certainty before an Uncertainty and therefore in such Cases the Judgment and Authority of Superiours must over-rule and a certain Duty take place of an uncertain Doubt This cannot be said to be acting against Conscience for here the Mind being in suspence and having not determined or pass'd Sentence either way it cannot be said to be more against the Conscience than with it and the weight of Government must be esteemed very light if it cannot carry it in such a Case So that if any do but doubt of the Lawfulness or Expediency of Prescribed Forms the Injunction of them ought to discard those Doubts and oblige them to join in the use of them But does not the Apostle say He that doubteth is damned if he eat Yes he that doth a thing doubtingly wherein he is under no Command but is left free and arbitrary to himself as in the Case of eating mentioned by the Apostle justly incurs the Peril of Damnation because he acts against his Conscience in a thing wherein he ought to be guided by it But if a thing be determin'd by Authority of the Lawfulness whereof a Man is not fully perswaded but hath only some Doubts about it he may and ought to guide his Doubts and do as he is commanded without any danger of Damnation for if he do amiss in it 't will be a Fault of the Governors who required it and not his whose Duty it is in such Cases to obey 3dly A Scrupulous Conscience is when the Mind is pretty well satisfied about the Lawfulness of a thing and yet hath some slight Fears and Scruples about it This is a crazy and weak temper of Mind proceeding from Melancholy or too great Timorousness occasioned by reading some sort of Books and conversing with some ill instructed Persons which are apt to suggest needless Fears and Objections And this I take to come nearest to your Case for tho' you are reasonably well perswaded of the Lawfulness of Forms of Prayer in general and of ours in particular yet you entertain your self and feed others with some unreasonable Jealousies and Scruples about them such are they about the Calendar the Rule for finding Easter the Version of the Psalms and some Expressions in the Rubrick and other Offices together with Assent and Consent to them Which little Cavils or Scruples like the Flies of Egypt are still buzzing about your Ears for I find them mentioned almost in every Letter No. Sir being pretty will satisfied in the Main if you can●… otherwise get rid of these Scruples 't will be your Duty and Wisdom too to throw them clear off as the Snares and Temptations of the Devil and to comply with decent and publick Constitutions without minding the Clamor and Importunity of them for if greater Doubts ought to give place to the Wisdom and Authority of

same one to another which Words are commonly interpreted of Alms which the Apostle would have imparted as occasion should require But cannot with any congruity of Sense have any Reference to Prayer for the Apostle speaks there of Ministring one to another whereas in Prayer He that Ministreth Ministreth to God only to whom alone our Prayers are directed But if this Gift be not to be sound in either of these places James 1.17 they think they cannot fail of it in that of St. James Every good Gift and every perfect Gift is from above and which Words being so general they think must necessarily comprechend it But if there were no appearance of any such Gift at that time or since why should we think that this must needs comprehend it Besides the Gifts mentiou'd by St. James are good and perfect Gifts and such as came down from above whereas the Imperfections that attend your pretended Gift and the many Evils that have proceeded from and are still continued by it shew it to have no Title to either Yea the Mischief done by this black Art of Variations shews it came rather from the Fiends of Darkness than Father of Lights with whom is no Variableness neither shadow of Change However these Men having strongly possess'd themselves with vain Imaginations of this Gift think themselves bound to use it not only without but against the Authority of their Superiors for one of them tells us That this Gift is a Mean given by God for the performance of the Duty of Prayer and therefore may not be omitted at the Command of Man for they are required not to neglect but to stir up the Gift of God that is in them and are called upon daily to imploy and improve the Talent that is committed to them But is it a sinful neglect think you of your own Gifts at any time to make use of the Composures of others in Divine Worship And must all the Gifts we have or imagine our selves to have be constantly Exercis'd upon pain of being thought Idle and Lazy Persons Why then as a Reverend Divine hath well observ'd He that hath any Talent in Greek and Hebrew may not use the Translation of the Bible drawn up by others but must for the Exercise of his Gifts make a new Translation of his own and vary it too if he can as oft as he hath occasion to quote it Again he that is able to gather the Articles of the Christian Faith into a brief Summary may not make use of the Creed drawn up by others for that purpose but must for the Exercise of his own Gifts be daily making of new Creeds Once more he that hath any Talent in Poetry or Musick must not make use of Psalms set to Musick or Meeter by others but for the Exercise of his own Gifts must be still making new Hymns of his own and if he can daily set them too to new Tunes These things are every jot as necessary upon the account of exercising Mens Gifts as it is to lay aside the pious and well compos'd Forms of others and think themselves oblig'd to be daily making new Prayers of their own But the Preservation of any Gift or Faculty say you depends on the Exercise of it and it must be extreamly prejudic'd and impair'd by Disuse Sir There are Times and Occasions enough for the Exercise and improving your Gifts without affecting or making new Prayers which are more hurtful than helpful to true Devotion As for the Gift of Speech which you still Mistake for the Gift of Prayer that may well enough be preserv'd by daily Discourse and Conversation especially if they are applyed to wise and useful Subjects whereas the true and proper Gift of Prayer is better preserv'd and improv'd too by a devout and diligent Application of the Heart and Soul to the known Words of a well-digested Form than by the Study of new and varied Words in an Extempore Prayer But does not this set aside the Gifts of good Men in Prayer to be thus confin'd to Forms No it only sets aside such Gifts as Alexander the Copper-smith boasted of in St. Paul's time and Weavers and Coblers have pretended to in ours But it sets aside none of the Gifts of wise godly and authorized Persons who find Work enough to employ their greatest Abilities to the Glory of God and the good of the Church in the Use of these Forms which are enjoin'd for the Unity and Decency of publick Worship And to tell you the Truth the not setting aside the pretended Gifts of these gifted Brethren by publick Authority hath employed the Gifts of the best and ablest Persons to lay them aside by Argument and Perswasion to keep ignorant bold and unauthorized Persons from foaming out their own Shame to the great Scandal of Religion Increase of Athcism and Disorder of the whole Church of Christ And if these do not prevail 't is time for Authority to work lest they who would now be indulg'd as weak Brethren do by that means in a little time grow too strong for their Masters But to carry on the Charge of Loosness and Laziness you farther add That the Neglect of using Mens Gifts in Extempore-Prayer hath hinder'd them from studying the Scriptures and other good Books that reading the Liturgy tempts them to lay the Reins upon the Neck of their voluptuous Inclinations makes them waste their Time in Drinking Sports and Recreations and gives them Leisure to frequent Fairs Markets and Coffee-houses c. Now here are a great many Bolts shot at Randome and serve only to shew the Badness of a Cause that must be supported by such Calumnies As for what you say of the Liturgies hindring Men from the Study of the Scriptures what a wild Accusation is this when the Use of the Liturgy consists altogether in the reading of the Scriptures and of devout Prayers compos'd by them where all the Psalms of David are appointed to be read over every Month the Scriptures of the Old Testament once and of the New thrice a Year beside what they may do in private at other times And is this the way to hinder Men from studying and understanding the Scripture Sir If you had studied and understood the Scriptures as you ought you might soon see the Baseness and Wickedness of such false Accusations As for what you say of Leisure for Fairs Markets and Coffee houses there may be many just and necessary Occasions that may call Men of all Professions to those Places and this can be no fault in any if they are not unnecessarily or unseasonably frequented much less is this to be charg'd upon the Liturgy For if you look abroad you will find the Frequenters of Conventicles as great Frequenters of those Places as any others As for what you say of a Liturgy's making Men lay the Reins upon the Neck of their voluptuous Inclinations this is either a foul Calumny or a Fallacy of non Causa pro