Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
duty_n	church_n	civil_a	magistrate_n	1,328	5	8.0220	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A27175	The terms of peace and reconciliation betwixt all divided parties a sermon preach'd at the assizes held for the county of Buckingham, at the town of Wicomb, July the I, 1684 / by Luke Beaulieu ...	Beaulieu, Luke, 1644 or 5-1723.	1684 (1684)	Wing B1579; ESTC R23006	19,365	38

The TERMS of PEACE and RECONCILIATION Betwixt all Divided Parties A SERMON PREACH'D at the ASSIZES HELD FOR THE COUNTY of BVCKINGHAM AT THE TOWN of WICOMB JVLY the 1. 1684. By LVKE BEAVLIEV Divinity-Reader of His Majesties Chappel-Royal at Windsor and Chaplain to the Right Honourable Sir George Jeffreys Lord Chief Justice of the Kings Bench. LONDON Printed for Charles Brome at the Gun at the West-end of St. Pauls Church-Yard 1684. A PREFACE TO THE READER 'T Was the desire of Sir Denys Hampson High Sheriff of the County of Buckingham that I should Preach and Print the ensuing Sermon wherein I very plainly acquainted the Honourable Audience that heard it with my thoughts of a Sacred Text and a Christian Duty Likely that worthy Gentleman judg'd it might be somewhat useful to promote in others that affectionate Loyalty wherein he is so Eminent and so Exemplary And I design it should being fully convinc'd that an humble Obedience and a hearty Love to the King is under our duty to God the best and strongest Link to joyn us together in that Peace I here recommend Recommend it indeed I may Curats of Souls can do no more the honour of the Success is due to the Divine Grace and to the Care and Vigilance of Civil Magistrates They are the true and the most persuasive Preachers of the Publick Peace for their Words have a strong efficacy by that Power and Interest which they have in the World And now as the Case lies People want more to be Govern'd than to be Instructed for what concerns their faithfulness and submission to their Rulers More hath been said for Loyalty within these last Hundred Years by the Clergy of this Church than can be found in all former Ages united together The Jesuites and the Sectaries made it necessary by all sorts of Arguments and Reasons to assert and press that Duty which Natural and Christian Religion had fully taught our Fore-fathers Now the matter is Exhausted and where Demonstration and Exhortations can't prevail Authority must work They that will not be persuaded to be peaceable and good Subjects must be Chastis'd and restrained by Laws and Magistrates If they that are trusted with the administration of Publick Justice have courage and honesty enough to be Impartial we see thanks be to God that they can better work on turbulent Spirits then the best of Books or Sermons which are neither heard nor heeded by them that love and abett Contentions True Religion alone makes them Obedient and Peaceable that are the true Sons of the Church Others must be dealt with by Fear and Government Such Magistrates as have so stout and strong a Zeal for their Prince and Country as to encourage Loyalty and to proceed as far as the Law goeth against ungovernable and seditious Spirits will make more Proselytes than all our Discourses and Persuasions can do So that I say under the Divine Providence the success of all endeavours for Peace is due to them that are in places of Authority and earnestly use their power for reducing all Men to Peace and Obedience Not that I would make Clergymen give over exhorting the People to live in Peace and Christian Subjection 't is their indispensable Duty and part of their Office as Saint Paul appointed Tit. 3.1 Put them in mind to be subject to Principalities and Powers to obey Magistrates to be ready to every good Work to speak evil of no Man to be no brawlers but gentle shewing all meekness unto all men Neither do I count their labour in this to be vain and to no purpose Though scoffers and prophane and foolish men deride Religion yet it will ever have a very great influence upon the Affairs of this World There is by our very Nature a Sense of it imprest upon the minds of men and they are often led even to desperate attempts by the meer shew or the pretence of it So we found it by woful experience in the late Rebellion And since the last Critical times made it too manifest that Clamours about Religion could soon enflame the Multitude By them our Schismatical Guides had dispos'd their party ready once more to fight out the Lords Battels and the major part of the People might have been hurried on to very unchristian and mischievous Enterprizes had our Clergy either incited them or but let them alone without restraining them with the sense of the fear of God and other proper Arguments 'T is true the same Clergy were more earnest in preaching against Popery after the sudden affrightment which the news of a Popish Plot brought upon the Nation But that was no derogation to their Peaceableness and their most faithful Allegiance and it became them so to do persuaded as they are that dangerous Innovations and Errors have been brought by the Church of Rome in the Christian Doctrine and Worship Knowing withal that the Bishop of that Church claims a Jurisdiction over all Kings and all Christians and hath condemn'd them as Rebels that will not submit to his Yoke This makes it their duty at some times to instruct their Charge in the principal points of the Controversie and to alledg their reasons why the Communion of our Church is much to be prefer'd to that of Rome And the discovery of a Popish design for our Ruine attested as it was by the highest Authority of this Realm made it seasonable and very requisit no be more earnest at that time against Roman Errors and Encroachments We know that all the Dissenters who make us Popishly affected would blast our Credit with the People And then the duties of Loyal and quiet subjection and of asserting the just Descent of the Crown in that order which God and Nature and our Fundamental Laws have prescribed these would never have been heeded nor received from us had we not then declar'd our real aversion to Papal Superstitions and Vsurpations The same desires of Peace and of Obedience to the King and the Laws under which we live engage us equally against Papists and Dissenters 'T is not their private Opinions however absurd in themselves that are to be chiefly feared but the tendency of their Principles and endeavours to alter the frame of our Government and to bring our Sovereign under Presbyterian Synods or Pontifical Chairs Our constant Loyalty and peaceable disposition oblige us to oppose either of them most earnestly who most presseth upon the State and is most formidable and dangerous for the present Our truly Primitive and Christian Religion doth all possible ways oblige and engage us to be true affectionate and subject to those great Officers whom God hath appointed to be his Vicegerents to preserve the peace of the World we have in our publick Prayers frequent Mementoes and Endearments of this Duty in our most solemn and devout Addresses to the Throne of Grace And a true Member of this Church can never be an ill Subject Therefore as duty and interest oblige Ministers of Religion to

assert and defend the Magistrates Power So without doubt the same reasons oblige the Magistrates to uphold and maintain a Religion which besides its guidance to Life everlasting is so proper and serviceable to preserve the peace of the World and to make Men obedient and happy whilst they remain in it I know that Christian Religion was at first establisht and continued without the help of Civil Magistrates When Miracles were wrought for its Confirmation and Persecutions against it deter'd the looser sort from its profession then very few came in but such as were true Believers and such as would submit themselves to the Discipline of the Church But since Christianity became the Religion of the Empire and there were outward inducements to make even bad Men to become Professors still to trust even pretenders to vent what Opinions they please under notion of Preaching the Gospel Now that we have so many Baptized Heathen who aim only at obtaining as much of this World right or wrong as ever they can still to let them cloak their designs under the name of Christian Religion is of dangerous consequence The rewards of Eternity will ever strongly affect humane minds and must not be suffer'd to be plaid with to serve secular ends When a crafty and factious Demagogue shall terribly preach Damnation or in a milder tone make Saints of his party he to be sure will lead them where he will and make them fight with zeal for what he calls Gospel and Godliness We have more than once in this Age had experience of this to some purpose So that besides the Duty of Princes who under God govern the World it is highly their Interest to tolerate no Religion but such as teacheth and disposeth their Subjects to be Peaceable and Obedient and to submit themselves according to the Example and absolute Precepts of our Saviour and his Apostles It might as well be askt What need Laws and severe Inflictiens to maintain Justice and Vertue as what need they to preserve Religion A sense of both 't is true is imprest on the Mind and by their own excellency they recommend themselves But Humane Nature is deprav'd there are evil passions and affections which will dispose some men to call Justice and Religion what ever they would have though destructive and contrary to both So that every man in these things must not be his own Judg. After having seen our Royal Martyr taken and destroyed in this snare after having our selves lately escapt it narrowly I can find no reason why any Friend to what is Establisht should still countenance Dissenters and endeavour to shelter them from being reduc'd to Obedience Except he would have a Back-door for a retreat in case of Discontent And find a party ready-made wherein he may be formidable if he happens to be anger'd When the Execution of our mildest Laws against Separatists would easily bring them into a Church against which they have but a few frivolous exceptions and into which they can come of themselves upon design or occasion when in that Church they would be taught to love their Governours and be peaceable and good Subjects and their separation from it is seen to be so dangerous and of so ill a consequence as sad experience hath taught us I cannot think that any man who truly loves the King and would have us quiet and united under his gracious Government would either help to perpetuate our Divisions or refuse to do his utmost to bring us all to comply with the Laws It is for our good in this World and if Christianity be true it is infinitly our concern in the next that we should live in Peace and Subjection under our Magistrates Consequently whatever names they take they that act or speak against this are so far enemies to mans Duty and Happiness It can be neither a good nor a tender Conscience nor any thing of Religion that makes men Contentious and alienates their minds from that affectionate submission and respect which God hath commanded to be paid to Princes I would have this noted to vindicate our Blessed Lords humble and peaceable Institution for the bottom of most of our Disputes and of all our oppositions and murmurings against our Governours is really a faction and a wordly design There 's nothing of Christianity nothing but what is against it in all the Noises and Clamours the Lyes and the Libels and all the bustle and proceedings of those seeming Zealots who lately affrighted and almost destroyed us Plainly all this tends in no wise to the design of Christian Religion which is to make men here like the God of Goodness and to bring them to live with him for ever But all men have not Faith There are many who will be called Christians who believe not that our Lord Jesus Christ shall Judg the World in Righteousness and shall sentence all men to Joys or Sorrows eternal according as they here observ'd or disobey'd his Laws Such incredulous men make use of Religion to compass their worldly designs and are seldom so ingenuous as to declare that they intend only to be great and rich in this World and that they regard not what our Saviour hath revealed of the retributions of the Day of Judgment So the Gospel comes to be charg'd with the miscarriage of such as believe none of it but are rather its greatest Enemies Christianity disposeth men for Peace makes them humble and lowly meek and obedient to their Superiors it is Irreligion and corrupt Nature makes them otherwise He that suffers as a turbulent or undutiful Subject as an evil doer or a busie-body in other mens Matters suffers rather as an Vnbeliever than as a Disciple of Jesus I do believe that the discouragements and the sufferings which Religion and good Men that love it must struggle with here in this World conduce to the good of the Church and to the glory of God That opposition they meet with who fear God and honour the King from Hypocrites and turbulent Spirits gives them an occasion to exercise many Christian graces shews their sincerity and makes them more zealous for their duty But yet fain would we see Jerusalem in Prosperity all our life long a good and pleasant thing it is Brethren to dwell together in Vnity Truth and Peace are secured and highly promoted by being countenanc'd and protected by Magistrates So that as we wish and endeavour to have their Power reverenc'd and submitted to we also wish and pray and count it a mighty Blessing to have it us'd for our defence whilst we do our Duty and for the advancement of true Religion and Virtue And may they never want the hearty Prayers and Affections of good Men who under God and our gracious Sovereign are useful and instrumental by the execution of our wholesome Laws to keep us in that happy quietness we now enjoy That we may live and die and afterwards rest in Peace for ever A SERMON On ROM xii