Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
duty_n	bind_v	law_n	obligation_n	1,168	5	9.4651	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A38482	The English Spira being a fearful example of an apostate who had been a preacher many years and then apostatized from his religion, miserably hanged himself, October the 13th, 1684 : giving an account of his dispair, and divers conferences had with him, by several ministers and others of his friends : together with his answer, and papers written by his own hand / left attested by Mr. T. Plant, Mr. H. Collings, Mr. B. Dennis, Mr. B. Keach.		1693 (1693)	Wing E3121; ESTC R37321	41,094	57

ought to be applied thereunto and observed as the proper and adaequate Rule thereof And these say that Conscience 〈◊〉 2.15 assisted with a summary of Principles contained therein is by its Office to search into and discern the lawfulness or unlawfulness of things and to direct and order how things lawful in themselves may be performed in a right manner and to right end and how things either evil in themselves or of an ill tendency ought to be forborn and avoided also to reveiw and examine actions done by us both as to their matter and form whether they be good or evil and that every man is highly concerned to take good heed to this Rule by which his Conscience ought to be guided because its determinations are like unto those of a supreme Dictator speaking Oracles within us and exercising an Authority over us having in that respect some kind of co-ordinate power and authority with God and for that also as Conscience without Divine Authority will not justifie an action so God will not accept it without the concurrant authority of Conscience without the one our pretended service is unlawful without the other unreasonable The perfect and that which is to every Christian the only adaequate Rule of Conscience being the Will and Law of God written in the Heart and revealed in the Scripture it is hence presumed that every Christian is endued both with a natural and an enlightned Mind and Conscience and this Will and Law of God comprehended under these two general branches hath an immediate and soveraign authority over their Conscience It is God alone who knows the inward workings thereof and he only can punish it when it sinneth and the obligation which lies upon the Conscience of every Christian to observe Humane Laws and Constitutions as they correspond with this Divine Law is because God hath as well by his Law written on the Heart as his revealed Will in the Scriptures commanded it should be so and hence it is that natural Obligations 1 Pet. ● 14 1● Rom. ●● 1 5. and such humane Constitutions as correspond with this Divine Law are not infringed but corroborated by Christianity for that discharges no man from but better informs every man in the knowledge of his Duty towards God and Man and binds the Conscience of every Christian to the discharge of all relative Duties in his station amongst Men as he will answer it not only to those who have Authority on Earth but also to God himself if against the light and obligation of Conscience he therein transgresseth the Will of God In this respect Christians have a double advantage and are under a double Obligation above all others For 1st They partake in common with other Men of the universal Law of Nature engraven on the Heart 1 Ti● Hos 6● 1 Pet. which no positive or revealed Institution discharges any Man from 2ly They have the Written and Revealed Will and Law of God in the Holy Scriptures with whi●h by Divine Grace and Providence they are priviledged above others and through Faith enabled to make a more clear and distinct Judgment of the Principles and End as well of Divine as Moral Actions 〈◊〉 2.6 〈◊〉 9 10. ●●●r 1.12 as they tend to the Service and Glory of God the Good of their Neighbours and their own Peace and Happiness Hence also it is that the Peace Comfort and Joy of a Christian proceeding from the discharge of a good Conscience towards God and Man 〈◊〉 4.7 exceeds all that can be apprehended by a meer natural light as having some savour and relish in its Soul of that love of of Christ 〈◊〉 3 19. which passeth knowledge and of that peace of God which passeth understanding For though the fredom from the accusation of conscience be not his compleat justification before God ●●or 4.4 yet it gives him confidence towards God and on the contrary the confusion darkness perplexity horrour and despair of a person acquainted with the Will of God revealed in the Scriptures wilfully sinning against Knowledge and the express dictates and judgment of his own Conscience ●om 〈◊〉 20. 〈◊〉 13 14 do far exceed all that can be spoken by such who have no other but a natural light for though that extends itself very far yet the severity of God against such transgressions is more clearly and distinctly represented in the Holy Scriptures ●●●h 1.14 ●● 17 18. ●●e 9 25. 〈◊〉 2.2 3. 〈◊〉 2.25 ●●es 5.3 ●●et 2 1. 〈◊〉 16.26 than in any other Writings for as the sin of such a person hath in it all manner of aggravations to render it most heinous so the Judgments of the righteous God therein revealed against such an impenitent sinner are of all others declared to be the most dreadful intolerable unavoidable irremediable endless It is not our intention to speak any thing herein more largely concerning the Nature and Effects of Conscience than what is to our present purpose many entire and useful Discourses of very learned and pious Persons are extant on this Subject wherein is observed that which we are all obliged to take notice of that God by his providence hath preserved in the innermost seat of our hearts some scintillulae little sparks of that greater light wherewith the mind of man was invested before his fall that these sparks of light are continued with us that they may be publishers of the good Pleasure and Will of God concerning us and monitors of our obedience 1st To those common Principles of his Law written in our Hearts to do Good and eschew Evil which by reason of their highest evidence instantly as soon as they are offered to our mind and thoughts command our Faith and compel our Assent 2ly To his revealed Will contained in the Holy Scriptures so soon as thro' his grace either by the Discourse or Writings of others or by our own search we have the knowledge thereof And by how much any man does frequent and exercise his natural Light in the study and search after the knowledge of this revealed Will of God his Creator and only Lord and Law-giver 2 Cor. ● Joh. 7● 17. Hos 6. ● 2 Tim 14. to 〈◊〉 end Eph. 4 ● 18 19 ch 5. 〈◊〉 Judg. ● 11. 〈◊〉 1 Tim 4 5. 〈◊〉 2 Pet. to the 〈◊〉 2 Cor. ● and thereby square and order his Inclinations Affections and Conversation by so much the more shall he be secured from and strengthened to resist the raging tyranny of his own inbred Lusts and blind and lawless Appetite and the inchanting Flatteries Inticements Discourses and Examples of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth who for the more effectual razing out of our minds as much as is possible the little remains of natural Light and blinding the mind and hardning the heart against the perception and reception of supernatural Light do all they can to set the Conscience free from all Obligations to the Will