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	sin_n	1,412	5	5.0269	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A59692	Subjection to Christ in all his ordinances and appointments the best means to preserve our liberty : together with a treatise of ineffectual hearing the word ... : with some remarkable passages of His life / by Thomas Shepard ...	Shepard, Thomas, 1605-1649.	1657 (1657)	Wing S3143; ESTC R34250	104,538	128

looks thy lusts thy dalliances thy thoughts thy speeches thy endeavours this way much more for the thing Mans law shall not bind you here because it cannot reach you but know that Christ is cast off by you 2. Loose company vain men Prov. 25. 3 4. A Common-wealth is a refined vessell of use of God and judgement is established when these are taken away your knors of loose company Take a poor Souldier alone he is as other men but when they are got into a knot together now they grow strong against all ●aws of God or men So here the knot of good fellowship hath been the bane of the flourishing State of England meeting in Tavernes and such places and the cause of wheredome and of all evill commonly in a Nation For hence Much precious time is lost which if spent in praying as in sporting with th●● many a young mans soul had been blessed Hence s●metimes dicing feasting excessive drinking merry 〈◊〉 which take off all spiritual joy Hence filthy songs and lascivious speeches by which hopefull young men are i●s●a●ed and taught to do wickedly and so knit to them that it's death to part with them and it 's better to burn a whole Town than to poyson one hopefull young man Next to communion with wanton women I have ever looked on unnecessary fellowship with graceless men as the next Well know it you cast off the Lords g●vernment from you by his servants which will be sad to answer for another day And as the Prophet said to Iehosaphat Shouldest thou love them that hate the Lord his wrath is against thee for this So say I to thee Quest. 3. Inferiour power when is that cast off viz. in particular Cities or Townes by meaner persons Answ. I shall expresse it in three things chiefly 1. When Souldiers in particular Towns cast off respect care conscience to the commands of their leaders set over them of God and who under God are the walls of outward safety for the Countrey 't is not now an artillery day only I must speak a word because it 's a thing of moment and matter of great conscience with me ●suppose in such a place at least according to the Centurio●s example amongst Heathens Mat. 8. 9. a word of a Commander to any of them should be a law I say to one Go ●ee goes Now for men to come when they l●st to those meetings and so time is lost and when they do come no care I had almost said conscience to mind their work in hand and do it with all their might as it to which they are called but Officers may speak charge cry yea strike sometimes yet heed not it 's intolerable but that Members of Churches which should be examples to others should do this at least it is but brutishnesse But I do wonder what rules of Conscience such do walk by and if they do where is their tendernesse to withdraw their shoulders from under the work which if there be but English blood in a Christian he will endeavour to be perfect in his Art herein but if grace much more that he may make one stone in the wall and be fit to shed his blood if need be for the defence of Christs servants Churches and cause of God 2. When any Town doth cast off the power and rule of Townsmen set by the supreme Magistrate to make such orders as may make for the publick weal thereof I know sometimes men may not be so able wise and carry matters imprudently Town-orders may also sometimes want that weight that wisdome those cautions that mature consideration as is meet as also that due prudent publication that all may know of them with records 〈◊〉 them But take Town-orders that be deliberatly 〈…〉 published for the publick peace prof●●● 〈…〉 place to oppose these or persons that 〈…〉 much care fear tendernesse If I know 〈…〉 of a crying nature provoking God 〈…〉 government I confesse if there be not 〈…〉 no way of living under any gov●●nment 〈…〉 or Common-wealth if the publick affaires of 〈…〉 cast off I know sometimes godly 〈…〉 through weaknesse want of light 〈…〉 and violent tentation oppose here but I am perswaded if they be the Lords he will in time humble them for it and make them better after it I know the answer to two questions would clear up all the doubts about this matter 1. What prudence should be used in making lawes 2. How farre those humane lawes and Town-orders bind conscience But I cannot attend these only six things I would here say 1. The will and Law of God only hath Supreme absolute and sovereign power to bind conscience i. e. to urge it or constrain either to excuse for doing well or to accuse for sin for conscience is at liberty without this this is a truth urged by all orthodox Protestant Divines against the Papists so that no law can immediately bind conscience but Gods 1. Because he only is Lord of conscience because he made it and governs it and only knows it and hence he only is fit to prescribe rules for it 2. Because he only can save or destroy the soul hath only power to make lawes for the soul to bind conscience Iames 4. 12. There is one Law-giver who is able to save or d●stry Isa. 33. 22. for the law which so binds conscience to a duty that the breach of it is a sin and that against God we know that the least sin of it self destroyes the soul binds it over to death but none have power to destroy it but the Lord himself 3. Because the Law is sufficient to guide the whole man in its whole course in all the actions or occasions it meddles with or takes in hand even in civill as well as in Religious matters Prov. 2. 9. wisdom teacheth every good path Psal. 119. 11. I have hid thy word that I might not sin Whatever one doth without a rule from the word is not of faith Hence the word descends to the most petty occasions of our lives it teacheth men how to look Psal. 131. 1. how to speak Mat. 12. 36. it descends to the plaiting of the hair 1 Pet. 3. 5. moving of the feet Isa. 3. 16. and what is of Christian liberty hath its freedome from the word a man must give an account at the last day of every stirring of heart thoughts motives and secret words and if so then it must be according to the rule of the word and hence the word only hath absolute power to bind Masters Servants and Princes how they govern and people how they subject and this the Lord hath done to make men take counsell from him and walk in fear before him and approve themselves to him especially Townsmen in their places not to consult without God 2. All good Laws and Orders inacted in any place by men are either expresly mentioned in the word or are to be collected and deducted from the word as being able to

chief amongst the people was the counsell of God by Iethro and M●ses but when they be Elected now to despise them and hence not to bow the knee or stir the hat and speak rudely before them it 's casting off not only their power in sight of God but the very root of it which is honour And hence in the fifth Commandment all duties to them are comprehended under the word Honour And who sees not but this is a sin which is apt to attend the spirits of men in a place of liberty and in our weak beginnings and day of small things Reports are abroad that no men of worth are respected and hence the Countrey is neglected I cannot say so after many thoughts for I am perswaded no place in Europe more ready to honour men of publick spirits and of eminency in piety and humility without the seeing of which no Countrey more apt to vilisie because grace is the glory in the eye of a Countrey led by Religion But take heed lest such a spirit be all us lest the Lord put out our Lamps and cast our Crown down to the ground 2. When men seek to pluck the sword of revenge for sin hurting the Commonwealth out of their hands without which the greatest power in a Common-wealth is but a pageant and a meer vanity almost a nullity Hence Rom. 13. 4. He is Gods Minister y●s when he gives good counsell and when he is a revenger to execute wrath on him that doth evill So that be the evill what it will be if it hurt the Common-wealth or be against any wholesome Law thereof he is Gods Minister to punish it civilly In the first Reformation of Geneva there were as many heresies and errours almost as truths of God Servetus he denyed the Deity of Christ whereupon the Magistrate put him to death who dyed with extream horror Whereupon heresies being begun to be s●ibb'd aud blasted Bellius writes a Book 1. That men should punish no heresie at all but be mercifull and ●eek as Christ was to the adulterous woman 2. If they did yet that Magistrates they should not punish for errors or heresies 3. If they did yet not with such severity as they begun To all which Beza hath given a most learned and solid answer detesting the hypocrisie of the man and the sad consequences of such opinions if their power should be diminished I conceive 't is casting off Christs power to take away power from Magistrates to punish sins against the first Table of which errors and heresi●s in Religion are part It 's as clear as the Sun that the Kings of Ia●ah that were g●dly did it and were commended for it and 't is as clear they were commended for it not as types of Christ but because they did therein that which was right in Gods eyes and according to the commandment of the Lord Which judiciall commandments concerning the punishing of Sabbath-breakers false Prophets Hereticks c. G●ds fence to preserve morall lawes 〈◊〉 are of morall equity and so to be observed to this day of Christian Magistrates c. To exempt Clergy-men in matters of Religion from the power of the civill sword is that ●●pery by means of which Antichrist hath risen and hath continued in his pomp and power so long together The indulgence of Princes towards the Papal function in matters of Religion hath undone Christendome 'T is true every error is not to be immediately committed but when 't is like a gangrene of a spreading nature then the Magistrate in due time must cut it off speedily Ohject Leave them to the Church Answ. True leave them 1. there But 2. Sometimes the Church will not sometimes they are not of any Church A ●apist an Arminian may come in and leaven and damne many a soul for which they had better never been If it were but one and if he sayes I do it with a meek spirit their trick of late and none must meddle because mercy must be shewen to their wolves A wise shepherd had rather let a hunter come in and kill one of his sheep then let a Wolf or Fox escape Acts 20. 29 and see his people persecuted than their soules worried Heresie and Error hath this property it ever dies by severe opposition and truth ever riseth the more because Christ is against the one Hence it must fall but or the other hence it shall rise by its fall Hence set your selves against this 't is to oppose the power of Christ Jesus And hence in Henry the 8th time the Abbies fell and never could rise to this day but the six Articles against the Saints pursued with blood made them increase the more 3. When men will not submit to the wholesome Laws of Magistra●●s which are either fundamentall and continuing or O●ders that have their date and time of expiring made for common good When men will either have 〈◊〉 laws or as good as none or submit to none but what they please Deut. 17. 12. He that will not hea●ken but do pres●mptuously shall dye He being the Minister of the 〈◊〉 and indeed it is to cast off the Lord. I go not about here to establish a sovereign power in Magistrates when is proper to God to ma●e what lawes they will about civi●l Religious or indifferent things and then people to 〈…〉 for no other ●eason but because of their will● under which notion superstition in Churches hath been ushered and maintained you must 〈…〉 in that case it 's better to s●ffer than to sin and nor to do than do But suppose the lawes just righteous holy and for publick good and that apparently so and not in saying so only Now here to cast off lawes is to cast off Christ. There are two things especially which are the cause and occasion of the breach of all other lawes and the strongest sins and sweetest which men young men especially the hopes of the Common wealth are catcht with Prov. 2. 13 16. 1. Who●edome secret lusts and wa●tonnesse and other strange lusts which I ●●ase a●d dare not name 1 Kings 1● 24. The sin before Shishah came a sin which many times Solomon cannot see thorow his window nor the eye of authority discern but God will judge for it Heb. 13. 5 and if he be ●udge who shall be thy Jailor but Satan and what shall be thy sentence but death and what thy ●naines but a hard heart for the present and horrour afterward A sin which pollutes the very earth the land the very dust of the ground and the cause of all sin almost in a place as drunkennesse idleness corrupt opinions scoffing at the Ministers of God and wayes of God For I seldom knew a persecutor but he was an adulterer though it 's not alwayes true and in the end poverty and ruine And know it though no mans eye has seen thee no power of Magistrate can reach thee this word shall be fire to consume thee unlesse thou repent for thy