Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
duty_n	christian_a	church_n	religion_n	1,340	5	5.5492	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A43666	Ravillac redivivus, being a narrative of the late tryal of Mr. James Mitchel, a conventicle-preacher, who was executed the 18th of January last, for an attempt which he made on the sacred person of the Archbishop of St. Andrews to which is annexed, an account of the tryal of that most wicked pharisee Major Thomas Weir, who was executed for adultery, incest and bestiality : in which are many observable passages, especially relating to the present affairs of church and state / in a letter from a Scottish to an English gentleman.	Mitchel, James, d. 1678, defendant.; Hickes, George, 1642-1715.; Weir, Thomas, 1600?-1670, defendant.	1678 (1678)	Wing H1860; ESTC R10945	57,651	80

several Copies of his intended Speech whereof one was found in his Pocket and taken from him before he was carried out to Execution It is long and the former part containing nothing but Libellous reflections on the Privy Council the Justiciary Lords and the King's Advocate I shall content my self to send you a transcript of the latter I Acknowledge my particular and private sins have been such as have merited a worse Death unto me but I dye in the hope of the merits of Jesus Christ to be freed from those Eternal punishments due to me for sin Yet I am confident that God doth not plead with me in this place for my private and particular sins but that I am brought here that the Work of God might be made manifest and for the Tryal of Faith John 9. 3. 1 Pet. 1. 7. and that I may be a witness for his despised Truth and interest in this Land who am called to seal the same with my Blood And I wish heartily that this my poor Life may put an end to the persecution of the true Members of Christ in this Kingdom so much actuate by these perfidious Prelates and in opposition to whom and in testimony of the Cause of Christ I at this time willingly lay down my Life and bless my God that he hath thought me so much worthy to do the same for his Glory and Interest Finally concerning a Christian Duty in a singular extraordinary case and my particular Judgement concerning both Church and State it is evidently declar'd and manifested more fully elsewhere So farewel all Earthly enjoyments and welcome Father Son and Holy Spirit into whose hands I commend my spirit As to that particular Christian duty in an extraordinary case and his Judgement concerning Church and State manifested elsewhere he means a larger blasphemous Libel which he left behind him wherein he endeavours to justifie his fact It is very long but yet I beseech you to read it over and if you have not read Naphthali nor Jus Populi vindicatum which is a Reply to the Answer which the Bishop of Orkney whom this miscreant wounded made to Naphthali I am confident you must be surpriz'd with horrour and astonishmment to see such Un-christian Doctrines come from a Christian Pen. Yet the Primitive Churches never receiv'd the Apostolick Epistles with greater veneration than the Members of our Field-Congregations receive such discourses as this nor can any Church-man respect any ancient Ecclesiastical Writer half so much as they adore Naphthali which is written in the Defence of the Rebellion in 1666. and wherein this horrid mans attempt upon the Primate is commended for an Heroical Act and that cursed Book with Lex Rex Jus populi vindicatum and Mr. Rutherfords Letters are the Fathers and Counsels of our Fife and Western Whigs I have here subjoyned the Account of my self principles and foresaid practises as they were set down in a Letter to a Friend and another Declaration both written by me when first Conveened before the Lords Justices in the year 1674. The Coppy of my Letter Edinburgh Tolbuith February the 16th 1674. SIR ME who may justly call my self the least of all Saints and the chiefest of all Sinners hath Christ his Son our Lord called to be a Witness for his destroyed Truth and trampled on Interest by this Wicked Blasphemous and God-contemning Generation and against all their other perfidious Wickednesses Sir I say the confidence I have in your real Friendship and love to Christ his Truth People Interest and Cause hath incouraged me to write to you hoping that you will not misconstruct nor take advantage of my Infirmities and Weakness you have heard of my Indictment which I take up in these two particulars First as they term it Rebellion and Treason anent which I answered to my Lord Chancellor that it was no Rebellion but a Duty which every one was bound to have performed in joyning with that party And in the year 1656. Mr. Robert Lightonne being the Primate of the Colledge of Edinburgh before our Laureation tendered to us the national Covenant and solemn League and Covenant which upon mature Deliberation I found nothing in them but a short compend of the Moral Law only obliging us to our Duty towards God and Men in their several Stations and I finding that our then banished Kings Interest lay wholly included therein viz. Both the Oath of Coronation Allegiance c. And they being the then tessera of all Loyalty And My Lord it was well known that then many were taking the Tender and forswearing Charles Stewarts Parliament and House of Lords I then subscribed them both The doing of which My Lord Chancellor would have stood me at no less rate if all 's well known then this my present adhering and prosecuting the ends thereof doth now And when I was questioned what then I called Rebellion I answered That it is Ezra 7. 26. And whosoever will not do the Law of thy God and of the King c. But being questioned by the Commissioner before the Council there anent I answered as I said to My Lord Chancellor before in the year 1656. Mr. Robert Lightonne being then Primate of the Colledge of Edinburgh before our Laureation he tendered to us the national Covenant and solemn League and Covenant where he stopped me saying I wade you are come here to give a Testimony and then being demanded what I called Rebellion if it was not Rebellion to oppose His Majesties Forces in the face to which I answered My Lord Commissioner if it please your Grace I humbly conceive that they should have been with us meaning that it was the Duty of those Forces to have joyned with us according to the national Covenant at which answer I perceived him to storm But says he I hear that you have been over Seas with whom did you Converse there Answer with my Merchant My Lord. But saith he with whom in particular with one John Michel a Cousin of mine saith he I have heard tell of him he is a Factor in Rotterdam to which I conceded But saith he did you not Converse with Mr. Levingston and such as he To which I answered My Lord Commissioner I Conversed with our banisht Ministers to which he replyed banisht Ministers banisht Traytors he will speak Treason at the very Bar. Then he answered himself saying but they would call the shooting at the Bishop an Heroick Act To which I answered That I never told them of any such thing Question But where did you see James Wallace last Answ Towards the borders of Germany some year ago Quest But what ailed you at my Lord St. Andrews here pointing at him with his finger Answ My Lord Commissioner the grievous oppression and horrid Bloodshed of my Brethren and the eager pursuit after my own Blood as it appeareth this day to your Grace and to all His Majesties Honourable Council after which he commanded to take me away that they might see what

next to do with me The second is the shooting that shot intended against the Bishop of St. Andrews whereby the Bishop of Orkney was hurt to which I answered My Lord Chancellor in private viz. That I looked upon him to be the main Instigator of all the Oppression and Bloodshed of my Brethren that followed thereupon and the continual pursuing after my own and My Lord Chancellor as it was credibly reported to us the truth of which your Lordship knows better than we that he keeped up His Majesties Letter inhibiting any more blood to be shed upon that account until the last Ten were Executed and I being a Souldier not having laid down Arms but being still upon my own Defence and having no other quarrel nor aim at any man but according to my own apprehension of him and that as I hope in sincerity without fixing either my self or any one upon the Covenant it self and as it may be understood by many thousand of the faithful besides the prosecuting of the ends of the same Covenant which was and is in that part the overthrow of Prelates and Prelacy and I being a declared Enemy to him upon that account and he to me in like manner so I never found my self obliged either by the Law of God or Nature to set a Centry at his door for his safety But as he was always ready to take his advantage of me as it now appeareth so I of him when opportunity offered Moreover we being in no terms of Capitulation but on the contrary I by his Instigation being excluded from all Grace and Favour thought it my duty to pursue him on all occasions Also My Lord Sir William Sharp making his Apology anent his unhandsome cheating way when he took me under a pretext to have spoken with me about some other matter I not knowing him until Five or Six of his Brothers and his own Servants were laying fast hold on me they being armed of purpose he desired that I would excuse him seeing what he had done was upon his Brothers account which excuse My Lord I easily admitted of seeing that he thought himself obliged to do what he did without Law or Order in the behalf of his Brother much more was I obliged to do what I did in behalf of many Brethren whose Oppression was so great and whose Blood he had caused shed in such abundance Moreover he insisting in his bloody Murders as witness the wounding of Mr. Bruce at his taking of his Emissaries some few days before that fell out concerning himself now if by any means in taking him away I could have put a stop to the then current Persecution Thus far I have truly resumed what past But this answer to the second part of the Indictment may be thought by some to be a step out of the ordinary way wherefore I shall offer these things following to your Consideration viz. That passage Deut. 13. 9. Where to me it is manifest That the Seducer or Inticer to Worship false Gods is to be put to death by the hands of those whom he seeketh to turn away from the Lord especially by the hand of the Witnesses whereof I am one as it appears Deut. 13. 9. which precept I humbly conceive to be Moral and not merely Judicial and that it is not at all Ceremonial or Levitical but as every Moral precept is Universal as to the extent of place so also as to the extent of time and persons upon which command Sir I do really think that Phinehas acted in taking away the Midianitish Whore and him whom she had seduced Numb 25. 6. Also that Elijah by vertue of that precept gave Commandment to the people to destroy Baals Priests contrary to the mind of the seducing Magistrate who was not only remiss and negligent in executing Justice but became a Protector and Defender of the Seducers Then and in that Case I suppose the Christians duty not to be very dark Moreover we see what the people of Israel did 2 Chron. 31. 1. They destroyed Idolatry not only in Judah where the King concurred but in Ephraim and Manas●eh where the King himself was an Idolater and surely what all the people were bound to do as their duty by the Law of God every one was bound to do it to the uttermost of their power and capacity And as it is Ezek. 13. 3. Where the Seducers Father and his Mother shall put him to death I take this to be meant of the Christian Magistrate But when he is withdrawn by the Seducer from the exercise of his Office and Duty and he 's become utterly remiss and negligent in putting the Seducer to death according to Gods express Law which is not to be expected of him for their be should do Justice upon himself but is become a Protector and Defender of the Idolater then I doubt not but it doth become the Duty of every Christian to the uttermost of his power and capacity to destroy and cut off both Idolatry and Idolaters Yea these presumtuously-murthering Prelates ought to be killed by the avenger of blood when he meeteth them by the express Law of God seeing the thing is manifestly true Numb 25. 21. and not have liberty to flee to such Cities of Refuge as the vain pretext of lawful Authority But they should be taken even from the Horns of such Altars and be put to death Moreover what is spoken of concerning Amalek upon the account that he design'd and resolved the extirpation of the Lords People and Truth who are his Throne upon which he puts forth his hand and because he took occasion against them Exod. 17. 15. Numb 24. 20. He endeavouring that God should not have a people to have served him according to his revealed will upon the Earth and if he could have effectuated his design they should not have lived who would not serve and worship him and his Idol Gods And for the better effectuating of this his design he took occasion against them when they were weary in coming out of Egypt Deut. 25. 17 18. And the reason there annexed is That he feared not God Now because I know Bishops both will and do say That what they did against those of the Lords people whom they murdered they did by Law and Authority but what I did was contrary to both Answer The King himself and all the Estates of the Land and every individual person therein both were and are obliged by the Oath of God upon them to have by force of Arms extirpted perjured Prelates and Prelacy and in doing thereof to have defended one another with their lives and fortunes the Covenants being engaged into upon these terms viz. After Supplications Remonstrations Protestations and all other lawful means have been used now for that effect as the last remedy we take up Arms upon which conditions the Nobility and all the representatives of the Nation according to the national and Solemn League and Covenant gave to our King both

to prolong their days 2 Sam. 23. 3. He must not be a Son of Belial without or above order and Law whom a Man cannot touch except he be fenced with Iron for such shall all be prest away For saith David he that ruleth over Men must be just ruling in the Fear of the Lord c. But if a Man simulating himself to be thus qualified and thereafter when he hath strengthned himself upon the Throne shall abjure and sacrifice his Oath and Covenant both to God and his Subjects and shall transgress the Law and Commandment of the Lord who hath given the Magistrate only one accumulative Power to promove protect and defend God's Laws Truth and People from being corrupted violated or any ways damnified and for that end he hath received both his Place and his Power from God and Men for he hath not received of the Lord an obstructive destructive or privative Power for as has been said the people can give no Right nor Power to any Man but what is according to God's appointment least they should incurr the sad Challenge from God Hosea 8. 4. They have set up Kings but not by me they have made Princes but I knew it not For in ch 10. v. 3. Israel there is brought in confessing their fault and they denyed they had a King because he was not such as God had appointed and said what should a King do to them seeing he had partly by force and partly by fraud withdrawn them from the fear and obedience which they ought to God and to his Law and had seduced and compelled them to Idolatry and worshipping of false gods and if the Magistrate being in Power shall overturn the Covenant-work of God his Truth and Interests the Fundamental and Municipal Laws of the Land and moreover by a settled Parliament according to his own mind and for his own use and ends they as the peoples representatives do by Acts Rescissory rescind all Acts of laudable lawful Parliaments Committee of States or Councils wherein were contained or comprehended any mutual Bond Obligation Covenant or Contract betwixt the Prince or People he having divested himself of any legal Right he could have or pretend over such a People and they being in Statu quo Prius and none having Right to rule over them without their own consent 〈◊〉 the aforesaid Magistrate shall then again Usurp and Invade his Peoples Lives Religions Liberties and Laws and make even simple supplicating of him crimes of Treason contrary to the dictates of Nature and he by armed emissaries and by his Arbitrary Power carried on by the Sword in their hands compel the Lord's People to relinquish and to forsake the true Religion and Worship of God and make a surrender of both their Soul Conscience Lives Laws Liberties and imbrace a false Religion and Will-worship and engage to serve and worship false and Idol gods at his pleasure for thus all that is dear and near to a people being in the extremity of hazard now it necessarily followed to be the duty of such people or any part of them to take up Arms in defence of their Lives Laws Religion and Liberties and of their Posterity that they may not be left in such an intollerable bondage and as they would not be accounted guilty of bringing God's Wrath upon the whole Land Jer. 22 2 3. Hear the Word of the Lord O King of Judah c. Thou and thy Servants and the People that enter in by these Gates execute Judgement and Righteousness and deliver the oppressed out of the hand of the oppressor Chap. 37. 2. But neither he nor the Servants nor the People of the Land hearkned to the Prophet Jeremiah until Wrath from the Lord consumed them all Now had it not been the Peoples duty to have executed Judgement and Righteousness and to have delivered the oppressed out of the hands of the oppressor Zedekiah and his Servants which I think was meaned by the Nobility and Princes proving deficient in order to the performing of their duty it necessarily followeth to be the Peoples duty For if it had not been their duty it had not been their sin to have omitted it But here we see it is as well charged home to be the peoples sin as to be the sin of the King or the sin of his Nobles But say some who shall he Judge in such cases to which I answer that the Law of God is the only Supreme and Infallible Judge in all such cases for what other Judge is when two Kings or Monarchs falleth out in War neither of them being Subject to any other Judge but some prophane and brutishly Ignorant malignant saith that this or that ignorant fellow or hussy take upon them to determine what the Law of God saith in such cases I answer neither this nor that ignorant fellow or hussy nor yet this or that Ignorant Prophane Wicked or Perfidious Prince or Princess is capable to be Judge Deut. 30. 11. For this Commandment which I command thee this day it is not hidden from thee neither is it far off verse 12. It is not in Heaven that thou shouldest say Who shall go up for us to Heaven and bring it to us that we may hear it and do it c. neither is it beyond the Sea c. but the word is very near unto thee in thy Mouth and in thy Heart that thou may'st do it And in this case I do appeal to any Man of a sober Wit and Judgement seeing the Secrets of the Lord are with them that fear him Psal 25. 14. And seeing evil Men understand not Judgement but they that seek the Lord understand all things Prov. 28. 5. For they know not how to do Right who store up Robbery in their Palaces Amos 3. 10. who is most capable to judge what the Law of God determineth in all such matter Artaxerxes a great Monarch commanded that whatsoever is commanded of the God of Heaven that it should be diligently done for the house of the God of Heaven for why should there be Wrath upon the King and his Sons Ezra 7. 23. But O how many Men at this time of the Sons of Belial contrary to what is here spoken of screw up those who are above them to so high a Pinacle and an illimitated and Arbitrary Power far above what either the Law of God or the Law of Nature will admit of for this very end and purpose that they may glory in the works of their own hands and that he whom they have thus set up and to whom they have made a surrender of both Credit Conscience and common Honesty may return unto them a Power over others who are under them by putting Swords in the hands of bloody Cut-throats who are raised and keeped up for that effect to keep and bring into an Egyptian Bondage the Persons Lives Laws Liberties yea even the Souls and Consciences of the Lord's People The which Power I declare to be