Selected quad for the lemma: conscience_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
conscience_n	humane_a	law_n	obligation_n	1,134	5	9.8189	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A44696	A sermon preach'd Febr. 14, 1698, and now publish'd, at the request of the Societies for reformation of manners in London and Westminster by John Howe ...	Howe, John, 1630-1705.	1698 (1698)	Wing H3041; ESTC R22726	19,125	54

the Design of the Apostles Discourse and agree to the natural Order of the Things discoursed in this Context For the Magistrate is the Minister of God for Good to us is a Doctrine And Let every Soul be subject or subordinate to him accordingly an Exhortation which was at first propos'd and is afterward resumed and prest V. 5. as of absolute necessity from that Doctrine WHEREFORE 't is necessary that we be or we must needs be subject There is an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 put upon it a cogent ineluctable Necessity arising even from hence viz. from this Doctrinal Assertion as it is propos'd and as it is afterward applied to this Purpose we are not to be dispens'd with in the Case but we must every one do our parts in Subordination to the Magistrate and that not only for Wrath but for Conscience sake We shall therefore shew I. WHAT Duty we who are in private Capacities are exhorted to II. SHEW the Strength of the Apostles Argument as it is propos'd in the Text and amplify'd in what follows to engage us to that Duty FIRST For the Duty we are exhorted to that we may understand what it is I shall only premise some few plain things and then leave it to your selves to judge and conclude what it is and cannot but be 1. IT is plain private Persons are not to do the Magistrates part are not to invade his Office or usurp his Authority they are to act but in Subordination to him as their Charge given them plainly imports 2. THEY are not only not to oppose him As the former would be too much this would be too little The Arguments us'd to enforce it import much more What because he is the Minister of God for good and to me Am I therefore only not to oppose him Can it be thought there should be such an apparatus of Argument to draw from it so faint and dilute an Inference Ought not every Man so far to reverence God's Authority as to endeavour it may not lose its design And ought not every Man to co-operate to a Common Good wherein each Man claims a part 3. IT is not only to save my self from Punishment by not doing the Evil which would expose me to the stroke of the Sword For my Duty I am to do not only for Wrath but for Conscience sake which plainly respects God and his Authority and Interest which I am to Obey and Serve And I am to endeavour not only that he may not be a Terrour to me as an Evil-doer but that he may be a Terror to them that are such 4. SOMEWHAT positive is manifestly carried in the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to subject or subordinate my self to him under this very notion as the Minister of God for good Is this doing nothing HE is plainly said to be the Minister of God for good under this special Notion as he is the Administrator of Punitive Justice viz. as he bears the Sword and is to be a Terrour to Evil-doers I AM so to subordinate my self as that herein he may effectually serve the End of his Office and not bear the Sword in vain NOW upon all this judge you your selves what is it that is left to be my Duty in a private Capacity that is less than the Magistrates part more than the mentioned Negatives and yet so much as whereby I am to take care to my uttermost that he may do good in his Office of punishing Wickedness So as that his doing his Duty must some way depend upon my doing mine and be the effect of it or of theirs who are in like Circumstances and so but under the same common Obligation with me so that ordinarily his Duty cannot be done without any care or concern of theirs or mine WHAT I say can it be less than to bring punishable Matters under his Cognisance OTHERWISE if no Obligation lie upon private Persons to this purpose he will only be to punish such Wickedness as he beholds with his own Eyes And then how narrow will his Precinct be What Multitudes of Magistrates must there then be And what a Monster thereupon would the Body Politick become BUT here if any Man ask me the Question because what is to be done herein is to be done for Conscience sake am I bound in Conscience to discover to a Magistrate all the Evil that I know by any Man that is justly punishable by Law TO this I shall only at present say That Cases of Conscience can only be with Judgment resolv'd in Hypothesi and with application to this or that Person when material Circumstances relating thereto are distinctly known I must have clear grounds if I will conceal such a Man 's punishable Fault upon which I may judge that more good is likely to be done to his Soul that the Honour of God and the Publick Good will be more served by the Concealment than by the Discovery and the Government not hurt or endangered BUT if the Crime be such as is National and imports Contempt of God and his Laws and in reference whereto the Offender expresses more shame of the Punishment than of the Fault and I will yet upon private Respects to him or my self conceal it I shall herein while I pretend Conscience in the Case cheat my Conscience and not satisfie it AND I add in reference to this Case Let any Man that would exempt his Conscience from any sense of Obligation to endeavour the Punishment of Offenders in the mention'd kinds take great care he do not ground his Concealment upon other than very peculiar grounds or not common to him with any other Man in a like Case Is it because such a one is my Friend Or he may bear me a Grudge Or I may lose his Custom c These are things so common that guiding my self by such Measures is both to overthrow Magistracy and Conscience too UPON the whole therefore what is ordinarily a private Man's Duty in such cases is sufficiently evident THEREFORE SECONDLY Let us see the force of the Apostles Arguings to engage us to it 1. THAT the Magistrate as he is the Dispenser of Punitive Justice is God's Minister 'T is the Authority of God that he is invested with He hears a Sword which God hath put into his Hand Is that Authority to be eluded and made to signifie nothing Is that Sword to be born in vain What an awe should this lay upon our Spirits It is therefore to be serv'd for Conscience sake which hath principal reference to God WE need not here dispute whether Humane Laws bind Conscience No doubt they do when they have an antecedent Reason or Goodness If Men command what God forbids the Apostles make their appeal to Enemies as Judges whom they were to obey He is the Minister of God for good not for hurt or for no good 'T is a perverting of God's Authority to do mischief by the pretence of it a debasing it to trifle with it BUT the Question is out of Doors when Humane Laws are