Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n
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A47071
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Mene tekel, or, The downfal of tyranny a treatise wherein liberty and equity are vindicated, and tyranny condemned by the law of God and right reason, and the peoples power and duty to execute justice without and upon wicked governors, asserted / by Laophilus Misotyrannus.
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Laophilus Misotyrannus.
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1663
(1663)
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Wing J988; ESTC R5466
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77,425
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86
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binds other Nations Sol. By the nature of the Law it is moral and so universal and perpetual There are indeed one or two Particulars that were peculiar to the Jewish State First They must set one over them whom the Lord should chuse which implieed that God intends out of his especial grace and favour to them as his Church to chuse the man himself for them sometimes yet they were to make him King but God doth not so for other Nations but hath left us to chuse for our selves according to the Light of Reason and Scripture Again their King was not to send the People to Egypt because the Lord had forbid the People of Israel to return thither any more which our King may do upon a just occasion but the substance of the Law is of a moral nature and obligeth all Kings and People whatsoever That the King should not multiply Silver Gold Wives or Horses to himself and thereby impoverish the People and suffer his heart to be drawn from God that he should have a copy of the Law of God and read therein all the dayes of his life learn to fear God and keep his Statutes and not lift up his heart above his Brethren is all Moral and doth oblige other Kings as well as the Kings of Israel That a People professing the true Religion should not set over them one of a strange Religion to bring in Idolatry and False-worship which was the intent of that clause Thou shalt not set a stranger over thee That they should take care to set up a man in the Throne who is able and willing to perform the Duties God requires of a King is all Moral and obligeth the People of England as much as it did the People of Israel The next Scripture I shall produce for confirmation of this Truth is 2 Sam. 23.3 The God of Israel said the Rock of Israel spake to me He that ruleth over men must be just ruling in the fear of God You see here the Rock of Israel hath appointed two great Qualifications in those that rule over men Justice and the Fear of God Object These places shew only the Magistrates duty not any Qualifications necessary to the Office of a Magistrate this proves that Magistrates are bound to observe those duties not that the People are bound to chuse none but such men as are just and fear God to be Governours Sol. The very same Sophistry do the wicked and scandalous Priests use to cheat the poor People withal and lull them asleep that they may make a prey of them in the mean while The Lord sayes 1 Tim. 3. A Bishop or Overseer for so the word is in the Greek must be blameless vigilant sober of good behaviour apt to teach not greedy of filthy lucre not given to Wine no stricker but patient not a brawler nor covetous The Priest is a proud covetous drunken deboist person and the poor People must be compelled to own him for a Minister of Christ who hath never a Qualification of a true Minister in him if they complain we cannot own him for a true Minister a Minister must be thus and thus qualified he is the contrary they are answered O those are indeed the Duties of a Minister but not the Qualifications necessary to the Being of a Minister a man may be a true Minister if he be ordained though he walk contrary to these Duties and you are bound to own his Ministry nevertheless because it is an Ordinance of God So in this case we cannot deny say they but a Magistrate should be just ruling in the fear of God it 's his duty so to do but what if he be unjust and cast away the fear of God he is a true Magistrate notwithstanding and you are bound in Conscience to own his Authority as the Ordinance of God By this kind of Sophistry the Devil maintains his Kingdom and the Beast and False-Prophet theirs to the utter ruin of the Bodies and Souls of men These are the two grand Cheats wherewith the World is abused by wicked and unworthy persons pretending to Authority from God to govern both Church and State when they are utterly destitute of those Qualifications God hath laid down for the election of persons into those Offices and indeed it is hard to say which is the greater cheat of the two Blessed be God many discern the Cheat of an ignorant proud covetous and prophane Ministry and will not own it for an Ordinance of God I doubt not through God's assistance to make it evident to the World that a wicked tyrannous and oppressing Magistracy is no more Gods Ordinance than the other and that the People are bound to reject both and set up able men Men of Truth fearing God and hating covetousness in the Magistracy as well as Ministry and that all who are not thus qualified are but meer Counterfeits and Pretenders For whereas these men pretend that the Characters which the Scriptures give of true Magistrates and Ministers do only shew their duty not any Qualifications that are necessary to the constitution of them it is a meer falsity For the Spirit of God hath on purpose laid down Characters of a true Magistracy and Ministry that the People who have the Power of electing both put into their hands by God should not suffer his Ordinances to be prophaned but chuse Men after his heart for both functions of Magistracy and Ministry The Apostle commands Titus to ordain Elders in every City that is Ministers but upon this condition that there were any to be found that were qualified according to the mind of God Titus 1.5 to 8. and layes down several Characters to signifie what Qualifications God required in Ministers If any be blameless c. and so goes on with many Qualifications which you may read there and whereas the Apostle bids Titus ordain Elders he doth not mean Titus singly but joyntly with the consent of the Church as is intimated in that clause As I have appointed thee Now the Apostle would not appoint Titus to do otherwise than he himself did and the rest of the Apostles but it is plain that the People chose their Officers Acts 6.3 and 5 verses the whole multitude chose Stephen and the rest So Acts 14.23 When they had ordained them Elders in every Church 't is in your Translation but learned Beza renders it thus Communibus suffragis creantes eis Presbyteros they made them Elders or Ministers by common suffrage or consent the multitude gave their votes and chose them and then the Apostles confirmed them by Fasting and Prayer but this by the way However they were to be made yet not without Ministerial Qualifications Titus and the People together had no power to make an ignorant or scandalous man a Minister of Christ The very same doth the Scripture hold forth concerning Magistrates that the People are to look out Men rightly qualified with magistratical Endowments for the Office of Magistracy When
be advanced to the highest Trusts in Government Another Instance is that of Artaxerxes another Heathen who commissionates Ezra to make such as knew the Law of God Rulers over all the People beyond the River Ezra 7.25 Oh what shame doth this speak to England where Men that are ignorant of yea that hate the Law of God are every where made Rulers over others The word Know there used is a Word of sense and signifies an affectionate Knowledge such a Knowledge as is accompanied with Love it is a comprehensive Word it is as much as if he should have said It is my resolution to have the Law of thy God observed I know thee to be a man full of Wisdom Zeal and Faithfulness to God and thy Country and therefore I commit this weighty Affair to thee look out such men as have understanding in love to and zeal for the Law of thy God and make them Rulers over the People beyond the River In like manner Jethro Priest or rather Prince of Midian for the word signifies both adviseth Moses to provide out of all the People able Men such as fear God Men of truth and hating Covetousness four necessary Qualifications and make them Rulers over the People I do not find any ground from the Text to conceive that Jethro gave this Counsel to Moses by any special Revelation but being a wise and understanding man he gave such Counsel as Reason it self dictates to all men which will appear plainly if we weigh those Qualifications Jethro mentions in the Ballance of Reason For doth not Reason tell us That men who are not able for an employment are not to be entrusted with it That men of falshood who make no conscience of their word or promise are unworthy of the Government of others That covetous private-spirited men who love money and make hast to be rich are not fit to be trusted with the execution of Justice is it likely that such men will faithfully serve God and their Country whose hearts run after Covetousness And if the light of Nature teach us that there is a God it tells us that He is to be feared and that Magistrates who are to govern others should in an especial manner be such as fear God themselves For if Magistrates have no fear of God what opportunity have they to discountenance Virtue and encourage Vice and so bring down the wrath of God upon the Land Therefore Plato writes for a Government which he calls Aristocracy that is such a form of Government where the best men are made Governours and that must needs be the best Government where the best men bear rule You see then how the Light of Nature and Reason doth instruct us to chuse the wisest and best men for Governours and may not men be ashamed and blush to call themselves Christians who are in practice below Heathens Oh my native Country what Lamentation shall I take up for thee how are thy Foundations out of course how art thou fallen from the Light of Nature and Principles of Reason it self Who is that Man thou canst produce among thy Magistrates and Rulers that may indeed be justly called a Man of Truth and fearing God Where is that excellent Spirit of true Wisdom and Understanding to be found among thy Leaders Are such as have the Spirit of God and true Discretion advanced to the Government Is it not now become a Crime sufficient to depose a Governour to be a man that feareth God O let it not be told in Egypt nor published in the streets of Media that England turns men out of Government because the Spirit of God is in them and they do excel in Virtue let not the Prince of Median here how Jethro's Counsel is rejected and men that have no wisdom truth or fear of God made Rulers of the Land Repent in time of thy transgression of the very Law of Nature while thou dost profess the Gospel lest Pharoah Plato and Darius with all the wisest of the Heathens rise up in judgement and condemn thee for they have judged the best of men and such as did excel in Virtue worthy of greatest Exaltation but thou in midst of Gospel-Light ladest them with reproach and scorn and the wicked walk on every side while the vilest men are exalted 2. It being evident from the Light of Reason that men rightly qualified with the Spirit of Government are only fit to be entrusted with it Let us enquire what the Law of God saith to this point and certainly we shall find that the Law of Nature and Scripture do most exactly agree as well in this as other things The first Scripture I shall mention is Deut. 17.14 to end where there are several Qualifications required in him whom the People were to make King either expresly or implicitely 1. He most be a Brother which word is of a large extent for it imports one of their own Country and Religion they were not to set a stranger over them that is a stranger in either for the People of Israel were Brethren not only by Nation but Religion and it enjoyned them to set one over them who was a member of the Church of God and without doubt that was the principal reason for which this Rule was given lest if they should have set any of the Idolatrous Kings of the Nations over them he should draw them to Idolatry And surely it layes an Obligation upon Christians and Protestants to set one of their Brethren over them not one who will bring in Popery Superstition and Idolatry into the Land 2. The Lord tells the People that the King whom they were to make should write a copy of his Law and read therein all the dayes of his life that he might learn to fear the Lord which doth manifestly instruct the People to set one over them who was capable of performing those Duties and resolved to obey the Command of God for if the King must read all his dayes in the Law of God and learn to keep all his Statutes would not common Reason infer this that the People who were to make a King should not make an ignorant person that were unable or a profane person that were unwilling to study the Law of God Indeed all the other duties which the Lord acquaints the People with beforehand were so many directions for them to set up one qualified for those duties for if the King was not to multiply Silver or Gold to himself surely this instructed the People not to make a covetous person King if the King must not lift up himself above his Brethren it taught them to make a humble tender-hearted man King not a proud domineering person who would lord it over the Lord's Heritage and enslave them and so may be said of all the other duties of the King each duty of the King is a direction to the People to constitute one qualified for it Object But this Law was given to Israel how doth it appear it