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	law_n	power_n	1,453	5	4.7820	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A57509	A sermon preached at Blandford-forum in Dorset-shire, December the 19th, 1682, at the Lord Bishop of Bristol's visitation by Richard Roderick ...	Roderick, Richard, 1647 or 8-1730.	1683 (1683)	Wing R1770; ESTC R7208	11,789	30

Prince of Peace would have his Gospel taught as himself establish'd it with Meekness and Gentleness would have Gain-sayers convinc'd and the Cavils of unreasonable Men put to silence by the Power of the Spirit That the noblest Conquest which is quietly gain'd over Minds revolted from God and Reason Force may enslave the Man but this fetters his Will and captivates his Understanding Wherefore that restless unwearied Fury wherewith some Men carry on the business of Religion in a violent sanguinary way is not a Christian agreement to propagate our Saviour's Doctrines but a conspiracy of Traytours against him not the Zeal of Christians but the rage of Lunaticks But here let me not be mistaken as if I intended to wrest the Sword out of the Magistrate's Hands who is the Minister of God a Revenger to execute Wrath upon them that doe Evil. That doe Evil I say for as long as Men keep their Thoughts to themselves they are indeed can be accountable onely to the Searcher of Hearts But when Pride Obstinacy Faction or suppose we Folly broaches their Opinions to the disturbance of Church or State to the dangerous violation of the Laws of either here Christianity does not forbid nay commands the publick execution of Justice Even the mischievous Fool though the designing Knave should not lurk under as he too often does may be justly punished Otherwise the Magistrate would bear the Sword in vain would not have Power to take edged Tools out of the Hands of those that ought not to be entrusted with them and really would be placed as unguarded Sheep in the midst of Wolves Whatever be pretended on the part of Offenders when the Publick lies at stake Mercy to the Troublers of it is the greatest Cruelty to the Innocent is the tenderness of Children and Fools is to destroy the whole Body in compassion to a few corrupted Members He that without very good reason winks at Crimes though perhaps in their own Nature small yet in their Tendency of fatal Consequence has more to answer for than he that committed them because it is less excuseable to countenance Offences in cold Bloud than to act them in hot I appeal to the Consciences of those who now think themselves Wronged and have Advocates it were to be wish'd I could not say among our selves that complain they are persecuted by the due execution of Laws whether they can imagine it to be a thing indifferent of no concern to the Honour of God and the Peace of the State whether Men be of one Heart and of one Soul or not Whether when every one says I am of Paul and I of Apollo and I of Cephas such Divisions do not naturally follow as crucisie Christ asresh and put him to open Shame And certainly to conceive that our Redeemer would in his Houshold the Church be so much less faithfull than Moses as to leave such necessary things out of order without Power somewhere to settle them would be no less absurd than to fancy with Epicurus that the wise the gratious Father of all has abandoned the Orphan World to the blind direction of Chance This goodly Frame of the Universe might as soon have jumpt together casually and be kept so as Men will be joined together as they should be without an over ruling Discipline without a coercive Power The most rational Persuasives we dayly see cannot pierce and break the Obstinacy that is rooted by Prejudice Peevishness or Design The Madness of the People is sometimes such that it won't be stilled by any Words except of him who spoke the World into a Being and the roaring of the Sea into a Calm What then shall Men be permitted to embrace and publish what Opinions they please though such as influence their Actions to the Hazard of Ecclesiastical or Civil Affairs God has not so left himself without a Witness but besides establishing Divine Laws has authorized Humane whenever not repugnant to the other to give knowledge of Salvation to his People to give Light to them that sit in Darkness and to guide their Feet into the way of Peace He demands not onely the Purity but also the humble Submission of the Heart expects the Resignation of the Will and Understanding to him and his Vicegerents These he has impowered to add to yea upon occasion to take from what his own Wisedom had ordained God appointed the People to kill the Passover in the first Month Hezekiah the Levites in the second Christ himself observed the Feast of Dedication though of Humane Institution thereby acknowledging the Authority of Rulers in Matters Ecclesiastical And certainly since They are commissioned to lay Injunctions it will be the Subjects Duty to perform and theirs to require yea force Obedience to them For Authority supposes a right to assert it and the power of enacting Laws implies an Obligation to make and oftentimes to execute the Sanctions of them It is not here designed to whet the Magistrate's Sword and Rage to put him upon using the one and laying out the other in Cruelty and Oppression No there should be a Fellow-feeling among the Members of Christ. He that punishes Offences may and ought to pity the Offenders The Bowels may yern while the Hand strikes The Father corrects in kindness and by the bye he spoils his Child if he spare the Rod. God himself in Mercy thinks upon Wrath the several Chastisements of the Lord whether immediately inflicted or onely permitted by him as all Penalties should chastise past miscarriages in order to prevent future the Sufferer's Obliquity is always the meritorious Cause his or others Amendment the Impulsive And surely those that are deputed by him to doe Justice and to shew Mercy upon the Earth may be kind as our heavenly Father is that is punish with design to reclaim And if gentler Methods will not prevail if every Indulgence from the higher Powers onely encourages Men to be more sawcy in their Demands if a Factious Seditious Party be manifestly hatching and carrying their treasonable Associations to introduce a tyrannical Commonwealth in the place of the best setled Monarchy and a novel Religion instead of the truly Apostolical If designs of bringing in an Egyptian Bondage be so plainly set on Foot that onely they which are surrounded with an Egyptian Darkness can chuse but see them when Dangers thus threaten the Government undoubtedly they that sit at the Helm of it may lay aside their injured Patience and proceed to the utmost Severities Christian Liberty will not in the Subject patronize or in the Magistrate oblige to indemnifie the Licentious effects of it Be it for ever remembred that the great the good Constantine made severe Edicts against Dissenters the Apostate the barbarous Julian tolerated them This the Policy of the most malicious Enemy of the Faith in hopes thereby to overthrow it That of the most religious Defender to propagate and establish it I proceed in the last place to conclude with IV. An