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
A75462	An Anti-Brekekekex-Coax-Coax, or, A throat-hapse for the frogges and toades that lately crept abroad, croaking against the Common-prayer book and Episcopacy and the copie of a letter from a very reverend church-man, in answer to a young man, who desired his judgement upon this case, viz. whether every minister of the Church of England be bound in conscience to reade the Common-prayer : with another letter from a convinced associatour, that a while boggled at the Common-prayer, to a brother of the same association, not yet convinced, together with the above-said reverend person's brief and candid censure thereupon, with some uses of application by the publisher.		1660 (1660)	Wing A3483A; ESTC R43600	20,576	45

and for God's glory But this is incomparably best for both these ends except they will magnifie their own prayers before and after Sermon to be better a phansie easily to be refelled Ergò c. 4. Every Minister is bound in conscience and by all lawfull means to root out the memory of the late rebellion in the State and confusion in the Church But the using of the Common prayer doth both these 1. Against the Presbyterians who in Scotland began the War because the Common-prayer was there used 2. Against the Brownist Anabaptist Quaker c. at home whose greatest hope was by destroying both the doctrine and discipline of our Church to bring in their own distractions c. Ergò c. 5. Every Minister is bound in conscience to declare his innocency i.e. That he is not involved in the guilt of our former sin against God the King the Church the people of this Land committed in the late troubles But there is scarce any better way for him thus to clear himself then by the using the Common-prayer c. Ergò c. 6. Every Minister is bound in conscience to that which may best conduce to the Re-settlement of the Kingdom in peace But the use of the Common-prayer supposing it lawfull and good in it self is such a way of settlement c. Ergò c. 7. Every man is bound in Practicall duties which are good and lawfull services of God to conform himself to the judgement and practice of the supream Magistrate of the best learned in the Laws of the best-able and most Divines of the greater and more intelligent part of the Nobility Gentry and people of the Nation where he lives else he cannot avoid the note either of peevish singularity or pride and schism But the Common-prayer is the practice of the King in his Court of the Inns of Court the Univerfities the best and ablest Divines in the Countrey c Ergo c. 8. Every Minister is bound in conscience to free himself from all just suspition of Hypocrisie and dissimulation when he declares his judgement to be Episcopall But the best or onely way to prove his sincerity in this is to use Common-prayer for he that declares for the one i.e. Episcopacy and will not declare for i.e. use the other declares in a manner contradictions He cannot be English-Episcopall that is not English-Liturgicall 9. Every Minister is bound in conscience to give his people all those Holy things which God and the Laws of the land Civill and Ecclesiastical make their due and in such manner as is by both or either prescribed especially when either the Whole or the Majour or any considerable part of them shall require them at his hand else he is a defrauder nay sacrilegious But the Common-prayer is an Holy thing of God by Law both divine and humane made the peoples due therefore supposing they require it he is bound in conscience to give it them 10. The Minister is bound in conscience to go before the people in his congregation in publick worship But without the Common-prayer there is no publick worship in the congregation For reading of Scripture which is very little in use amongst them they will not allow for worship The singing of a Psalm out of the Book is accepted little better the Sermon is not worship the Minister's prayer is his own not the People's and many times such as few or none can say Amen to But in the Common Prayer all sorts of worship are given to the God-head and to every person singly and distinct and such as the people know and wherein they can joyn and whereunto they can without scruple say Amen c. Ergò c. For the better understanding of the Truth in this case we must distinguish what we mean by Ministers For though the word be plaine of it self yet these times have made it equivocall 1 Some are so only in Title among the people where they live but were never ordained these be Theeves that came not in by the Door meer Intruders worse then the Mendicant Fryers amongst the Papists for these though they are not ordained have licence from the Pope who confirmed their orders 2 Some were ordained by Presbyterie these also are no Ministers by the Accompt of the Church of England and must take their Ordination again from the Bishops if they meane to be accepted Ministers in this Church Not that we deny Ordination in Forreign parts especially in France where no Bishops are nor can be with the allowance of the Supreame Magistrate but because our Lawes require and have established that Ordination only Therefore neither of these two sorts of Ministers are concerned in the Case but it is only of Ministers legally Ordained 2 We must remember how the conscience is bound and what is here meant thereby The conscience is bound two manner of wayes 1 Primarily Immediately Directly from God himself and that either by some Naturall Law written in the heart or some Positive Law written in the Scripture We understand it not in this sense the Minister is not so bound 2. The Conscience is bound but Mediately and Indirectly when the Magistrate commands any thing which is lawfull For the Subject's Conscience is bound to the Law though that Law do not binde it being meerly Humane It will not be amisse to adde a third Obligation which may lye upon the Conscience by way of consequence As when great Benefits have been received we are by them bound in Conscience i.e. Equity and Reason to returne thanks obedience requitalls and so some Expound Rom. 13. Not only for fear but Conscience sake It is taken in these two last senses in the Present case The third thing to be observed is what is meant by reading the Common-Prayer whether it be meant in whole or in part alwaies never missing or sometimes according to discretion and occurring circumstances And it is in this last construction that here we take it For it was in my memory once moved in convocation and answer was given That the Church intended not to make it a Drudgerie If he that hath no Assistant should first read the first service wholely and afterwards Preach and then again read the second Service it were an heavy burthen for the strongest Lungs The conclusion therefore is that every Minister legally Ordained is bound in conscience both mediately and by way also of consequence to read the Common-Prayer at Discretion if there be a Sermon at other times wholly as it is prescribed And the arguments to the contrary do not conclude To the first Neither Proposition is true Not the first For the Minister and every good man is bound to do vvhat is his duty vvhatsoever the event may be to others I must preach the Word though it prove to some the savour of death I must Administer the Sacrament though some Receiver may eat his own Damnation I must vvorship God in Publick as the Magistrate commands me