Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
duty_n	authority_n	king_n	power_n	1,558	5	4.8042	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A77847	The reformation of the church to be endeavoured more then that of the common-vvealth, declared, in a sermon preached before the Right Honourable House of Lords at the publike fast, August 27. 1645. / By Anthony Burges, pastour of Sutton Coldfield, and now preacher at Laurence-Jury, London.	Burgess, Anthony, d. 1664.	1645 (1645)	Wing B5654; Thomason E298_13; ESTC R200236	17,974	31

from corrupt worship and Idolatry we may conclude Doct. 1 That it is an happy thing when those Magistrates whom God raiseth up to assert the freedoms of a Common wealth do also endeavour a reformation of the Church In the second place whereas you see Gideon much opposed and that by the multitude of people and the dearest of his friends in so much that had he not been endowed with extraordinary piety and magnanimity from above he could never have performed this great service to God we may observe Doct. 2 That there is a necessity of the concurrence of many speciall abilities and graces in those who undertake a Reformation I will begin with the first Doctrine Before we lay down the grounds of this take notice that it lyeth as a duty upon Magistrates to attend to the reformation of all corruptions that creep into the Church as well as to redresse the abuses in a state Only concerning his power herein there is a two-fold extremity by way of errour first of Popery who do not well approve that the Magistrate should meddle in matters of Religion but would have him altogether bound up in the determinations of the Pope and his Bishops and especially they abhorre this doctrine when it extendeth to the reformation of the Ecclesiasticall persons But we see in the Scripture the godly Magistrates Hezekiah Josiah and others demolishing the Altars incouraging the Priests that taught the good knowledge of God and punishing Baals Priests and where these things have not been done there we finde the Magistrates reproved on the other side the errour may be extreme when we give them an unlimited power in establishing matters of Religion as if they were not to be regulated by Scripture or to take the advice and counsell of those that are Spirituall governours in the Church Thus Constantius is branded who when he would have counselled the Orthodox to Arianisme he uttered that speech full of pride quod ego volo pro canone sit what I will shall stand for a rule Thus also we go too farre when we confound Civill power and Ecclesiastique making the former wholly to devoure the latter Hence Calvin speaking of the duty of Kings and all in authority to use the sword for the defence of Religion and the worship of God yet addeth that there are inconsiderati homines c. some rash and indiscreet men who go beyond their bounds in setting up the Magistrates power so that they do abolere omne spirituale regimen abolish all spirituall government By this briefly it may be seen that it is the Migistrates duty to establish the worship of God to reforme corruptions in the Church yet with some rules and grounds I come therefore to the reasons why Governours ought to lay to heart and to be affected with Church matters as well as those of the state As 1. Because Gods blessing doth most remarkably follow their other enterprises Hence Hag. 1. God bids them consider whether they did not thrive accordingly as they promoted the building of the Temple and thus Jehoshaphat when he bestirred himselfe in a reformation fear fell upon all the nations round about that they dared not to warre with him and on the contrary how was Solomons and Rehoboams kingdome shaken when they corrupted the worship of God If we would judge by Scripture we should see horrible wickednesse and impiety in those speeches of men which say It is this strictnesse this reformation that brings all our calamities upon us men that will not be perswaded their own oaths drunkennesse and ungodly practices do make the land miserable will yet thinke the prayers and active endeavours of the godly to bring all our ruine upon us 1. This is no Scripture judgement If therefore we would have God subdue our enemies and those that hate us let Magistrates subdue that which is an enemy to God corrupt worship defiled administrations of ordinances these are enemies to God It is true sometimes God to try the constancie of reformers and their faithfullnesse hath brought much warre and calamity upon them presently upon finishing the reformation as 2 Chron. 32.1 2. Herein are concerned the souls of men certainly this ought much to inflame and kindle your affections in a Church-reformation that hereby you may preserve the souls of thousands from everlasting perdition Monopolies and illegall taxes these onely waste the outward estates of men but corrupt worship doth the souls of men You doe bemoan those thousands that have lost their blood in the field since the warrs began but had not God stirred up Governours to reform how many thousands of souls would have perished through ignorance and superstition So that Joseph was never in more mercy raised up by God to preserve his Father and Brethren from famine in time of dearth then when God moved the hearts of divers in eminent places to cause the plenty of Gods Word Know therefore Right Honourable that by your places and power which God hath committed to you you may save the souls of many Look upon it as the least thing that the people of England may by your means have their bodies and estates securely provided for but account it the greatest obligation and tie upon you to provide for their souls and spirituall happinesse There are spirituall plunderings as well as corporall and there is the siring of souls as well as houses and towns therefore let your thoughts and consultations be to prevent these 3. The devil useth all his malice and power for the subverting of this rather then the other Wherein doth the devils great enmity and rage appear against men It is not against their purses their bodies their outward comforts so much as against their souls The devil and his instruments they chiefly labour that there may be no pure doctrine no holy discipline no godlinesse promoted to stop this all the power of hell combine so that the greatest and the most dangerous part of our warre at this time is with the powers of darknesse which stirre up instruments to promote that kingdom of darknesse As they report of the Basilisk it hateth man so much that wheresoever it seeth the image or picture of him it endeavours to tear it in peeces such is the hatred of Satan and his instruments to any thing of God appearing in doctrine worship or discipline that he would pull all into pieces and certainly the confusions that the devil hath brought upon Churches by heresies and impieties are more dreadfull and terrible then all the devastations and desolations he hath brought upon States and Common-wealths by the sword or other calamities Let this therefore awaken men in place and authority and let them thinke what is that which hell which the devils which wicked men would so gladly have and they shall see it is nothing but a dissolute carelesse and impenitent life without any check from the Word of God 4. Gods care about his Church is farre above that to the Common-wealth Therefore