Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
duty_n	command_v	law_n	obedience_n	2,379	5	7.3973	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A91787	An ansvver to the London ministers letter: from them to his Excellency & his Counsel of VVar; as also an answer to John Geree's book, entituled, Might overcomming right; with an answer to a book, entituled, The Armies remembrancer. Wherein it appears the accusations of the Army are unjust, and the Armies proceedings justified by the Word of God, and by the light of nature and reason. Also a discovery of that learning, and ordination these ministers have, and the vanity and insufficiencie thereof, by the Word of God, and that those are the things with which they delude and deceive the people. / By Samuel Richardson.	Richardson, Samuel, fl. 1643-1658.	1649 (1649)	Wing R1402; Thomason E540_8; ESTC R203398	36,328	40

them in and keep out the enemy and if he doeth it he hath broak the Letter of the Law but kept the substance of the Law if he had observed the Letter he had not kept the intent of it Suppose the Magistrate find fault with him for not doing as he bid him it 's without a cause he hath done no hurt but good in saving their lives who are without lyable to perish and so did the Army in not disbanding had the Army been a cause of their owne and our sufferings and they had lost the fruit of all their victories if they had laid downe their Armes some others would have taken them up You have ingaged your selves by Oath to preserve his Majesties Person and priviledge of Parliament this is most cleare that no necessity can justifie perjury or dispense with lawfull oathes the bond and tie of an Oath and Covenant is religious and sacred and invincible who will require it at your hands broken Ezek. 17. 14. And necessity cannot dispense with an oath nothing can give one leave to be forsworne an oath is of an absolute indispensible authority If what you say be true are you not perjured miserably forsworne have you forgot what you have sworn covenanted Canonicall obedience c. But of this more when you write againe Secondly You take that for granted which is to prove we deny they are forsworn your saying so is no proof we are willing to put it to the triall and able to prove the contrary The Oath Covenant is to be interpreted according to his sense that gave it and not in his sense that tooke it this you would have but it 's not lawfull to grant it it is not to be interpreted neither in his sense that gave it nor in his that takes it but according to the expresse words of the Covenant If it were granted to either to put what sense they thought fit they might sweare one thing and do another if he intends it to inslave If a Presb●ter give or take the Covenant he thinks he sweares to maintaine Presbyterian Government of which there is not the least word mentioned in the Covenant there is mention of a government according to the Word of God and that is not their Presbytery by their own confession The Assembly of Divines confesse it is not jure divino I am mistaken if they did not sweare the government of Archbishops was agreeable to the Word of God but the Presbytery is the nearest to it if so be but neare to it then it is not it In the Scriptures is prescribed a Government for the Church the House of God Presbytery they say is not it but neare to it If then Presbyterian government had in expresse words been in the Covenant and I had taken it I could with a good conscience have broke my oath for that oath that is not lawfull to take is not lawfull to be kept it is not lawfull for me to sweare to maintain a government for Christs that is not his though it be never so neare it or like it But say they we swore to maintain that government that is according to the best reformed Church for each of theirs is the best in their judgments and consciences els I should wonder if they should approve and practise contrary to their consciences yea and he that denieth all Church-government may take the Covenant without scruple because the Covenant expresses none and he believes there is none and when he seeth which it is he will owne it and defend it and before it is unreasonable to expect it from him I wonder the Priests should so take the Covenant for the text and preach so on it there is nothing in that which is so cleer to them what is plainly expressed they cannot agree how the words are to be read the Priests read to protect the person of the King and there make such a full stop and go no further others say they must read on and take with it in the defence maintenance and protection of the King in his just Rights and what they are men cannot agree Some say his just Rights are to be King others say he hath lost all his just Rights others say it is his just right to lose his life the Covenant resolves this not I cannot tell what are his just Rights nor can learn what the Covenant meanes or requires I must leave it to the Schollers and those that can tell The like may be said for the other branches of the Covenant If an oath be indispensable then persons must sin rather then break it and then the vow of single life binds be the cause what it will and so if any have sworn to murder a thousand persons or more it seems they must do it is not this the Popes Doctrine to murder Kings and others which is to be detested That an oath binds more then the Law of God we deny and put you to prove it Is there not the highest authority in Gods commands can any thing bind us more then his commands yet ye see Matth. 12. 1 to 7. they are dispensible You say an oath is part of the worship of God if it be but a part of it it is not more then the whole also Gods worship must give place to acts of mercy and love I will have mercy 〈◊〉 not sacrifice Hosea 6. 6. Mal. 12. 7. it was lawfull to neglect the publike worship and command of God to give suck c. in that they were not blamed for not going to Jerusalem to worship though all were commanded to goe thither No necessity is sufficient to dispense with a morall Law is it not a morall duty to worship God swearing is a part of instituted worship but meerly naturall or morall as you call it wee need not bee inforced to doe that which is naturall an oath that is detrimentall to a particular Law must bee kept Psal. 15. 4. I grant it if it bee in that or the like cause but not in all causes that can be named for what is not lawfull to sweare is not lawfull to be done because they have sworn to doe it No hunger can make stealing no stealing Proverbs chap. 6. vers. 30. Wee allow not men when they are hungry to take that which is not their owne yet wee say that which in it selfe is stealing may lawfully bee done without sin if the hunger be of that extremity as to indanger life and no other help or remedy can be had then it is not stealing yet restitution is to be made to affirme it is stealing is to maintain that a man may sin to save his life if I ought to break the Oath I am not forsworne to do it when two duties come together at one time and I cannot do both the one for that present ceaseth to be a duty this was Davids cause it eating the Shew-bread no man may tell a lye nor commit any sin to save his life and that men

for had they done well they should not have been medled with all meanes with too much patience have been used but nothing prevailes 10 All Actions agreeable to the Word is lawfull but to put a stop to prevent the shedding of innocent bloud is agreeable to the Word for its the way to prevent much bloud to ceaze on these Members therefore they were bound in conscience to doe it So that the Kingdome have great cause to justifie and thanke them for what they have done It s apparent to us there was no necessity of these your irrigular practices it s discerned only by your selves and your owne Party We say the same to you its apparent to us that there was an absolute necessity to doe as we did none thinke otherwise but the Cavies and their Party I Geree who is fittest to judge the People or the Parliament the Army doe but pretend an apparent necessity of danger it s but a fancie an uncertaine fancie a private conceit visible to them and their Party the Army is vanquished by this one poore dart of pretended necessity the danger is greater this way then in the Treaty Are you more able to judge then the Army and their Party Are you infallible you presume you know better then the Parliament who hath declared That what the Parliament men did was highly dishonourable to the proceedings of Parliament and apparent destructive to the good of the Kingdome and that their Votes destructive to the Kingdome and that some of them regarded not the glory of God and the good of the Common-wealth The Paliaments determinations are uncontrovleable by inferiors if the power of Judging and restraining is onely in the Representatives then they may doe what they will and destroy the Kingdome by authority you allow not the people in no cause whatsoever not the least priviledge or liberty to help themselves then to what purpose have wee fought for the liberties and priviledge of the people when it seemes they are notto have any if it be as you say we are absolute slaves without any liberty for liberty turned into necessity is liberty no longer your principle is large and dangerous when iniquitie runnes downe like a mighty streame you say let it runne they are Rebels and Traytors that offer to stop it this principle will please Tyrants that they may doe what they will none may call them to accompt nor meddle with them if they act contrary to the end and intent of a Parliament if they refuse to consider the teares of the oppressed and the cries of the poore and burne our Petitions instead of grantting them increase our burdens and oppressions they may commit as much sinne and doe as much mischief as they please and be sheltred under ally which you call the priviledge of Parliament but if it be not a sinne in the people to suffer those in Authority to sinne why did God punish the people for the sinnes of those in authority as appeares Jer. 15. 1 2 3 4. 2 King 21. 11. 12. 24. 3. Your Doctrine is exceedingly contrary to Scripture for if the Saints may bind Kings in chaines and their Nobles in fetters of Iron to execute on them the Judgements written this honour have all the Saints Psal. 149. 7 8 9. Then I hope they may put a stop to wicked Rulers You cry it s against the freedome of Parliament they have had freedome enough to sinne a breach of Privilegde to remove and punish evill doers is abomination to you you should have proved by Scripture that they are to have such a priviledge but what you say is but sutable to what once one of the Bishops Ministers told me that it was the Magistrates sinne if he commanded that which was evill but not ours in obeying an unlawfull command that if the Magistate commanded me to kneele to a Crucifix I might lawfully doe it and we must be subiect to Authority for conscience sake This is one of your Ministers of the Gospell this Fig-leafe will not hold The woman gave me therefore I did eat The Parliament bid me therefore I did it I was not to judge I am under the command of my Superiour a sworne servant to doe his will right or wrong my Ooth is indispensible the Ship of the Common-wealth must be steared as the Master thinkes best I see he runs it upon the Rock and it will be spilt but he can tell better then I I am not to judge not to take it out of his hand Besides the Ministers say it must be so therefore I am content to suffer with a good Conscience all power is Gods and its all in the Magistrate God requires me to doe good but I must not doe it without his consent God appointed Magistrates for our good Rom. 13. 4. therefore he may ruine all this is the summe of your Exposition The Word of God is to be his Rule in Commanding and mine in Obeying we are both limited to the Rules of Scripture Gods glory and the good of others it must appeare unto us If the people may not Judge but the Magistrate then the people are inslaved to their judgements and we must act our owne Ruine if they bid us which is contrary to the Scripture For the Children of Israel sinned in that they obeyed unlawfull Commands Epharim is oppressed and broken in Judgement because he willingly walked after the Commandement Hos. 5. 10 11. For the Statute of Omri are kept and all the workes of the house of Ahab and ye walk in their Councels that I should make them a desolation and a hishing therefore yee shall be are the reproach of my people Micha 6. 16. The wisdome of the prudent is to understand his way Prov. 14. 8. Therefore the Army did well to consider what they did in obeying or not obeying else we should equall the Parl. with God yea and preferre them before him in obeying them against God Every thing in the use of it is either good or evill the most indifferent thing when it comes to action is so when the circumstances of it is good the action is good if any of the circumstances of it are evill the action is evill Is no act binding unlesse it be sufficiently cleared is a tenent destructive to all Government how can we judge it our duty to doe that which we know not your doctrine tends strongly to blind obedience to doe we know not what All actions without Faith is sinnefull that which we know nor what it is cannot be done in Faith I must be fully perswaded of the lawfulnesse of that I doe Rom. 14. 27. which I cannot be unlesse it be sufficiently cleared The whole People should Judge the whole Nation who made them Trustees should cast them off Bravely spoke then they may for ever doe what they list for if there be but two Persons for them then the whole are not agreed and so all must bee as it was c. Danger of