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
A78141	The royal robe: or, A treatise of meeknesse. Upon Col. 3. 12. wholly tending to peaceablenesse. / By James Barker, minister of Redbourn in Hartfordshire.	Barker, James, Minister of Redbourn.	1661 (1661)	Wing B769; Thomason E1857_1; ESTC R19561	107,888	272

plain path for the sober moderate Christian to walk in And now were it not to trespasse too farre upon a noble patience I could give in a Breviat of my Book but I presume of a candid interpretation from your Ladiship if in a very few words I humbly offer an Assay of what I have treated on May it please your Ladiship then I have endeavoured to settle the weak and wavering mind to quiet the wilful and unruly spirit to set the heart in a right frame and temper both towards God and also towards man to suppresse impatience murmuring fretting and repining to shew how sufferings are to be entertain'd and afflictions of what kind soever undergone with a patient and quiet mind I have set forth Meeknesse as a most rare vertue and such that brings beauty safety dignity to them that have it and not only fils the soul and conscience with tranquillity and serenity but doth fashion the countenance carriage language and outward comportment to amiablenesse and sweetnesse It doth pass by indignities puts up injuries bears Reproaches and forbears Revenge qualifies the heat of passions rectifies the disorder of Affections appeases Distractions heals Distempers reconciles differences both in judgment and practice Here is propounded also a means for the stopping of private quar-rels a way opened to publick peace directions given for the ordering of our Civil and Christian conversation and certain Instructions about order and Decency in the publick duties of Religion setting down the nature and use of things indifferent and how Christian liberty is to be regulated to peaceablenesse And this I shall ever reckon amongst the chiefest blessings of my holy Calling to be in any measure Instrumental in promoting the publick peace and by the Grace of God so long as I live next to the Truth of Christ the peace of the Church shall be the Center both of my studies and practice And seeing by the Providence of God and by the great Wisdom and unwearied pains of our Rulers we have attain'd to that happinesse which of late years we could rather wish than hope for and seeing above hope and beyond expectation God hath appear'd for our salvation and settlement both in Church and Common-wealth it were to be lamented that any should be found so great an enemy to their own felicity as to call for new troubles when the wou●ds of the old though healed with a tender and skilful hand are yet blew or so far in love with their own misery as to put away from them this precious mercy and not rather with heart and both hands to entertain it to be contented and thankful Most honoured Lady God hath given you your hearts desire to live in peace under a rightful Government And the Affections of your most worthy husband and your self so happily meeting in the love of Truth and Peace in the dislike of Error and Schism your continual practice of Piety and in the worship and service of God your chearful conformity to the Order of the Church of England by Law established doth let the world know the most truly Religious and most judicious are most conformable Long may you both live to move like stars in your own Sphere a light and direction in every good way to all that are below you He adde no more after I have beg'd of your Ladiship to accept of this my most humble service and of my most hearty wishes for a happy New-year And I pray God every Revolution of the year may bring with it a Renovation of your health honour and outward prosperity with an encrease of all spiritual Graces and heavenly blessings until you come to the exchange of time for Eternity for the which I shall not cease to be importunate at the Throne of Grace whilst I am BARKER Jan. 3. 1660. ERRATA PAge 1. line 4. for earthly read earthy p. 2. in marg for ille secundum r. iste secundum p 3 l. 6 for cut r. put p. 4. in marg before 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 10. in marg for vacuatates r. vacuitates p. 11. in marg for unde r. vide p. 14. l. 1. for Author r. Authors p. 21. for hi r. his l. 15. blot out how p. 24. in marg for in unda r. jucundi for desernit r. deseruit p. 28. l. 1. for nor r. our p. 31. in marg for abriviet r. abripiet p. 32. l. ult for sight r. light page 38. line 5. before own read his p. 142. l. 11. for excise r. exercise p. 45. l. 16. for cause r. case l. 23. for their r. there p. 50. l. 17. for hec r. he p 53. in marg for sine mors ● sine morte p. 54 l. 9. for them p. thee p. 65. l. 1 for our r. one l. 4. for came r. comes p. 66. in marg for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 66. l. 10. for would r will p 67. l. 8. for consier r. consider p. 68 l. 10. for aff●cts r. afflicts p. 72. in marg b●fore unchangable r. the l. 13 for staying r. slaying p. 85. l. 1 fo● pronesse r. pronenesse p. 96 l. 19. for b●utist r. brutis● p. 110. l. 2. for given rashnesse r. given with rashn●sse p. 112. l. 17. for game r. gaine p. 111. in marg for priora r. p●●ora p. 114. l. 11. for the bl●ssed r. those blessed 113. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 116 marg for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 123. l. 6 for monumen●um r. munimentum p. 128. l. 5. blot out the p. 144 l. 24. for God r. good p. 147. l. 21. for platting r. plaiting p 151. l. 2. for meek r. weak p 152 l. 9 for yea r. ●ou p. 162 l. 1. place the comma after also p. 173. l. 13. for cause r. case p. ●●5 l. 4. for Symsius r. Syn●sius p. 185. l. ult for r●quest r. requ●sting p. 191. l. 4 fo● build 1. bind In some Copies p. 190. l. 20. for meek r. m●eknesse will make him p. 199. in mar for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 223. l. 23. for Rights r. Rites p. 224. in marg for ●llo r. ulla p. ●32 in marg for dominus r. domino p. 235. l. 4 for live r. lived p. 238 ●n marg pro 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p 145. in marg for Radico r. Radic p 136. for Aug. r. Au● p. 133. for perpe●averunt r. pe●petraverunt p. 114. for Trang r. T●anq for Caesarum r. Caesa●em so Quaesitissimus r. Quaesi●ssimis for yaenis r. poenis labis r. labes p. 116. for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 r. 〈◊〉

any offence either to the Jew or to the Gentile or to the Church of Christ It is to me and should be to any man a thing indifferent whether many things be done or not done provided that offence be not given by the doing of them to my neighbour nor exception taken for leaving them undone by the Magistrate For as Christian charity forbids a man to give just cause of offence to his neighbour So the conscience of his obedience should be a strong restraint from breaking the laws and ordinances of the Magistrate civil or ecclesiastical who hath power to determine of Christian liberty and to judg and appoint what orders are most decent in the external worship of God In matters of this nature the Churches of God according to the example of the Apostles have ever taken upon them by vertue of that rule prescribed by the Apostle to command all things to be done decently and in order and to see that things so commanded be duely observ'd For were it left arbitrary to every man to do what himself listeth in the external worship of God nothing would be more absurd and unreasonable And if every society of Hocprimum habeamus si in omni hom●num societate n●cessariam effe politiam aliquam videmus quae ad alendam communem pacem retinendam concordiam valeat si in rebus agendis vigere semper aliquem ritum quem 〈◊〉 spui publicae honestatis interest atque adeo humanitatis ipsius Id in ecclesiis presertim observandum esse quae cum bene composit● rerum omnium constitutio●e optime sustinentur tum vero fine concordia nullae suat pro●su● Calvin l●b 4. Inst cap. ●0 de externis mediis c. parag 27. men be distinguished by their several Rights and Customs all being united in one civil policy for the maintenance of their common peace and preserving of amity If in mannaging civil affaires men ever observe some order which cannot be avoided as consisting with common honesty and humanity and every action is naked that is not clad with due circumstances should vve think disorder and confusion to be priviledg'd in the holy congregation which is not permitted in any civil Assembly grant this and how deformed will the face of publick Religion appear And therefore because amongst men there are such diversity of manners At quum inhominum moribus tanta insit diversitas tanta in judiciis ingeniisque pugna neque politia ullo satis firma est nisi certis legibus constituta nec sine stata quadam forma s●rv●●i ritus qu●spiam potest Galvin Instit ●ib 4. cap. 10. parag such variety of minds and so great repugnancy in their Judgments and dispositions that no order or discipline can keep them in that is not fenced by some certain laws nor can any beauty or comeliness appear in the duties of Religion where there is not some set order which is by all inviolably to be observ'd In this Men are not to be left to their own liberty to do what they think fit but what the Governors of the Church licenced by supream Authority shall ordain as fittest and most convenient For as in every Church multitude of unsignificant and unlawful Ceremonies should be declin'd to avoid superstition so it will be very fit to avoid ccafusion and profaneness a certain and set form should be us'd unto which all should be bound that by such means Devotion may be excited and true zeal kindled when we see men go about holy duties with that Gravity Reverence Piety and Modesty that betokens the Majesty of God becomes the dignity of Religion and concurs with the Celestial impressions See Hooker his Ecclesiastical Politie in the minds of men Now for order and decency for ceremonies and circumstances in the publick duties of Religion our Lord Jesus Christ in his holy Gospel hath no where prescribed any Rule nor set down any set form to which he Quod ad perfectam bene vivendi regulam peritnebat id totum comp●exus est dominus l●ge sua c. CJlv Inst lib. 4. cap. 10. parag would have all persons at all times to be necessarily bound For in his divine wisdom he thought fit to set down Fundamental and Essential truths with all things necessary to salvation But for external discipline and ceremonies we have nothing from him specified and expres'd because he foresaw them to be various and changeable according to the exigencies of times and occasions What he hath set down in general terms we must content our selves with looking to the practice of primitive Churches and to the example of the Apostles and holy Fathers with the Counsels sequentes igitur nos per omnia sanctorum vestigia their example in this case is to be our Rule It is certain in the general Saint Paul commands in the first to the Cor. 1 Cor. 16. 14 cap. 16. at the 14th verse and in 14th Chapter of the same Epistle 1 Cor. 14. 40. at the 40th verse And gives direction too about some particulars in the first to the Cor. the 16th Chapter at the first 1 Cor. 16. 1. verse and in the 7th Chapter of 1 Cor. 7. the same Epistle at the 10th verse and in the eleventh Chapter of the 1 Cor. 11. same Epistle and in some other places But not he nor any of the rest have taken upon them to set down any form of publick worship which should perpetually bind all persons Nor do we find any one of the Apostles in this case peremptorily to command any thing Indeed we have Saint Paul about things indifferent giving his advice and speaking by way of Counsel not Command But neither Christ nor He nor any of the Apostles have peremptorily determined any thing about this matter Nor prescribed any particular Rule which all men are inviolably to observe they have only laid down some general Rules according to which the Governors of the Church are to resolve particulars whose discretion with Christian charity is the best Interpreter of those general Rules which in the particular circumstances of Gods publick worship are to be followed Now then for the manner of Gods outward worship we are ro take our directions from the Governors of the Church whose constitutions and ordinances are to be obei'd not as necessary to salvation but accidental containing not the substance of Religion but matter of circumstance Quibus tametsi non indigemus omnes tamen omnes utimur quia alii aliis ad fovendam inter nos charitatem c. Calv. lib. 4. Inst cap. 10 parag 31. only comly and convenient not necessary and though not necessary yet useful for all are to use them though all do not need them and even those that need them not by the Rule of Charity and common bond of obedience are necessarily to use them It matters not greatly what some contentious persons alledge every man knows how easie it is for such as