Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
duty_n	child_n	fault_n	parent_n	1,043	5	9.1125	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A40805	Christian loyalty, or, A discourse wherein is asserted that just royal authority and eminency, which in this church and realm of England is yielded to the king especially concerning supremacy in causes ecclesiastical : together with the disclaiming all foreign jurisdiction, and the unlawfulness of subjects taking arms against the king / by William Falkner ...	Falkner, William, d. 1682.	1679 (1679)	Wing F329; ESTC R7144	265,459	584

Hypocrisy and dissembling with God to pray to him for the good of any person whose good and happiness is not really desired therefore the divine Precept to pray for Kings and the Christian practise answerable thereto was well urged as a sufficient evidence by Tertullian Apol. c. 31. to prove Christians to be true and real Friends and no Flatterers of Princes and Emperours wheresoever the true spirit of Christianity is embraced 7. Of obedience to the laws of our Governours Corol. 4. The chief and principal duty required is the practise of obedience to the laws of our superiours Even in lesser Societies a Father or Master whose authority is of an inferiour nature hath a power of commanding without which there can be no order in Families And it is the general acknowledgment of the World Arist Eth. l. 10. c. 9. Politic. l. 6. that the welfare of humane Society of which Government taketh care cannot be obtained without establishing laws and publick Rules and there is no Kingdom or Country in the World under any civil Government where laws have not been established and an authority to enjoin them acknowledged And obedience to such laws is plainly enjoined upon all Christians since they are obliged to be subject to the higher powers and to submit themselves to every ordinance of man But that this duty of obedience may be the better declared I shall take notice of three pretensions which are made use of for the undermining it Wherefore I shall observe 8. First That passive obedience as some call it or a submitting to penalties is in things which may lawfully be done no sufficient discharge of Conscience or performance of duty unto the laws of superiours The necessity of Active Obedience And here Active obedience only deserves the name of obedience and is necessary to be performed This is evident from these three things 1. From the general end and design of all Government which a true Christian subjection must comply with and this is to restrain disorders and evils and to promote what is good and useful in the World Now this end is obtained by the practising wholesome Rules but is not at all effected by the mere bearing penalties For by the suspending active obedience the order of the World would be turned into confusion since as Clemens Romanus urgeth in this Case As the serviceableness of an Army Cl. Rom. Ep. ad Cor. p. 49 50. dependeth much upon its being under Command and the usefulness of the members of our bodies appeareth from their being ready to perform the motions about which they are imployed so the good estate of the weal publick is procured by mens careful observing and attending to useful and profitable Rules and directions 2. From other parallel instances It is against the nature of Religion to imagine that wicked men and evil Angels who despise Gods laws and reject his Precepts are to be esteemed as blameless and Well-doers meerly because they bear the punishment and misery which God inflicts And surely no reasonable man can think that if a servant be idle careless and unfaithful by being only beaten for his fault without any amendment of his carriage he becomes thereby faithful and innocent or that if a Child be disobedient to his Parents and stubborn he hath sufficiently discharged all that duty which God or Man requireth from him by being corrected And the pretence of general performing obedience to Governours by bare submitting to penalties but neglecting in things lawful to practise what is enjoined is as opposite as these former instances to the Rules both of Reason and Religion 3. From the Sanction of punishment towards them who do evil and are disobedient For God who is so just that he will not condemn the righteous nor punish the innocent hath committed to Rulers the power of the sword to execute punishment on the disorderly and disobedient which he would never have done if the neglect of active obedience to laws which is the cause for which punishments are inflicted were not in it self a fault Prov. 20.2 But whoso provoketh him a King to anger sinneth against his own Soul 9. Secondly Nor are subjects disobliged from obeying the laws of their superiours by their entertaining doubts or scruples concerning the lawfulness of them But because what I have written elsewhere is sufficient for the proof of this I shall chiefly refer the Reader thither and shall only add 1. That if we consider doubts in themselves Doubts do not discharge from obedience since here is no certain evidence concerning the unlawfulness of the things commanded if these doubts and scruples proceed from a regular and uniform cautiousness of Conscience there is as much reason if not much more because of the plainness of the commands of obedience to scruple or doubt of the lawfulness of disobeying as of the lawfulness of obeying And so the consideration of doubts and scruples taken singly and alone can be no pretence against the performing obedience when even these very things ought to have as strong a force against the neglecting obedience 2. If we consider the duty and state of subjection it will thence appear that it was well asserted by S. Austin Cont. Faust l. 22. c. 75. that subjects may and ought to obey their Princes Commands where they are certain that what he Commands is not against the Command of God and even where they are not certain that it is so And indeed if an uncertain doubt did but make it safe not to perform obedience this would bring very great confusion and disorder into the World and would teach it the ready way which many would listen unto how children might safely disobey their Parents and servants their Masters as well as subjects their Governours But since next to the obeying God we owe obedience to our superiours even by the command of God no man can warrantably disobey them but where he knows he hath in that Case the Command or Authority of God to the contrary 10. Thirdly Whereas many persons are prone in general to account them who are least studious to comply with the authority of men though they be their Governours in matters of Religion to be men of the greatest Conscience and integrity who do not affect the things of this World nor aim at their own interest therein even this is a perfect misunderstanding and a gross mistake For 1. Since the due performance of obedience in things lawful is a duty Performing obedience is a part of integrity and good Conscience there is more integrity and good Conscience in the peaceable practising it than in the neglecting it This may receive greater clearness by comparing it with the parallel Case of obedience to Parents Now that person who shall forsake or disobey Father or Mother in a necessary Case of Religion acteth as one truly pious but he who will be disobedient to his Parents in things lawful is far from shewing himself

take care of the service of God in the World for if any servant be empowered to govern other servants in his Masters Family and to oversee his affairs can it be supposed that he ought only to keep these servants from abusing one another and not to take care of the interest of his Master who employs him whether his business be done or no and whether they express due respect to him or vilify and despise him And if a Prince appointeth any inferiour Governour is it not expected that this man in his place should take care to maintain the honour and soveraignty of his Prince as well as the interests of particular men 2. This needful and reasonable And since it is manifest by the experience of the World that the duties to God are not duly performed by all men of their own accord nor with the sole help of the spiritual guides and since the authority of the civil power hath a like influence upon discountenancing or reclaiming offenders in matters of Religion and in common honesty it cannot be less necessary that those whom God intrusts with secular authority should take care of his worship honour and service than of other things unless it could be presumed that the acknowledging and honouring humane authority and being just is more a duty to man and more his interest than the acknowledging and honouring of God is But God being above all and the common father of mankind upon whom we all depend and unto whom we are most engaged it justly seemed strangely unreasonable to Philo the Jew Phil. de Temul p. 259. de profug p. 462. that it should be thought needful that care be used to secure the performance of honour and duty to other Parents and Governours and that no such regard should be had to God And it was esteemed an high absurdity by S. Austin S. Augustin conr Gaud. Ep. l. 2. c. 11. that offences against men should be punished and corrected but not those against God And this was so much the general sense of mankind De Benef. l. 3. c. 6. that Seneca could aver Violatarum religionum aliubi atque aliubi diversa poena est sed uhique aliqua that there were different punishments in several places but every where some for them who violate Religion And even our holy Saviour in his prophetick zeal thought fit by a scourge twice to drive out them who polluted the temple who would not undertake to divide inheritances or to pass a judicial sentence upon the Adulteress And all Governours as they have received greater accessions of honour from God than others have are obliged thereby the more to honour him and promote his service 3. Religion of great use to the good of Mankind De Charit p. 717. De Decalogo pag. 751. It being generall acknowledged that the secular authority is to take care that justice honesty peace and vertue be established and preserved in the World even from hence we may infer the necessity of its care about matters of Religion the exercise of which is the best and surest principle of all honesty justice and vertue Religion as Philo observed rendreth the men who embrace it sober just and faithful whilst the contrary spirit prevaileth in them who reject piety as the same Author observeth De Charit Foid And he who considers how mightily the Christian doctrine enjoineth righteousness meekness peace love and all goodness and how it enforceth the practice of all these by a lively sense of God and a belief of his dreadful threatnings and excellent and glorious promises must confess that these practices and exercises are powerfully promoted by the embracing and establishing the true Christian Religion Indeed there are many who profess but do not practise this holy Religion but in them who embrace the true principles thereof as the primitive Christians generally did its defenders could with confidence appeal even unto their Enemies as Tertullian and Origen do whether Christians were not hereby more free Tert. ad Scapulam c. 2. Orig. cont Celf. l. 3. p. 128 129. than other sorts of men were from Sedition against Princes from all acts of wrong and injury against men and profaneness and impiety against God 4. And even they who persecuted Christianity have acknowledged that upon the strictest enquiry they discovered that men therein obliged themselves by sacred vows not to the committing any kind of wickedness but against it ne furta Plin. Ep l. 10. Ep. 97. ne latrocinia ne adulteria committerent ne fidem fallerent c. Indeed a right principle of Religion is much more effectual for the promoting honesty and righteousness than all outward penalities as laying a powerful restraint upon all ways of unrighteousness even when no eye of man can observe Now can it be thought reasonable that the Rulers charge should be to take care of these ends now mentioned and should be constituted of God to that purpose and yet should be obliged to have no care of those things without which these ends can never be secured To assert this would be to cast a high reflexion upon the wisdom and Government of God 5. We may also now compare the paternal and oeconomical Government with the Regal These are so near of Kin that it is not only acknowledged by Protestants but even by the Jews as we may see in Philo Ph. de Decal p. 767. Catech. de Decal Praecept Royal Government and paternal compared and by Papists as is declared in the Catechism according to the Decree of the Council of Trent that in the fifth commandment of the Decalogue the Royal Authority is included under the name of the paternal Now the Governour of a Family hath such an authority as extendeth it self to the things of Religion in that he is to take care of the welfare and good of his Family For there is great good included in the nature of Religion which brings inward quiet peace and satisfaction of mind by subduing violent passions and inordinate appetites and by eying Gods providence in all things with submissiveness to him and dependance upon him and it also brings very high advantages as it is the way to enjoy Gods blessing here and eternal happiness hereafter and therefore there cannot be any exercise of a true Fatherly love where it doth not dispose the person to a care of so great a concernment as Religion is And accordingly the Apostle commands Parents to bring up their Children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord Eph. 6.4 and God declared his great approbation of Abraham in that he would command his Children and his Houshold after him and they would keep the way of the Lord to do justice and judgment Gen. 18.19 or that they would so entertain the principles of true Religion that this should be a foundation of righteousness and well-doing 6. And there are the same reasons V. Sacr. Imp. ad Conc. Eph. in Tom.

Priest so there is a peculiar Wire-drawn nicety which some make use of to prove this deposing power from those words of our Saviour Joh. 21.16 Feed my Sheep Hence they argue that it belongs to the office of a Pastor to drive away Wolves and therefore the chief Pastor may depose such Princes who are hurtful to the Church And this same argument may also prove that all Pastors have the power of the Sword and of making resistance and of killing and destroying mens lives and exercising such Authority as the Kings of the Gentiles did But to this which will admit of many answers it may be sufficient to say 1. That it is a great vanity to found an argument upon the straining a metaphorical expression which only proves that they want better proofs As if all Christians from the same text might be concluded to be Fools because Sheep are silly Creatures and that it is not fit that Christian Kingdoms should defend themselves by Arms against an invading Enemy because it agrees not with the nature of Sheep to fight with Foxes or Wolves 2. And it is no part of the peculiar authority of a Shepherd to drive away of Wolf which any Man or Dog either may warrantably do as well as the Shepherd 10. Gr. de Val. ubi supra C. 15. qu. 7. c. nos sanctorum c. Juratos But it is pretended also that those who are Excommunicated because of Heresy or as some add for any other cause do thereby lose their Dominion and Authority over their Subjects And this is asserted and declared by Gregory the Seventh and Vrbane the Second Now though the having disproved the authority of the Bishop of Rome to extend to this Kingdom doth sufficiently manifest that he hath no more power to Excommunicate any Prince or Subject of England having no Jurisdiction here than a Bishop in England hath to Excommunicate any Prince or Subject in Italy yet I shall here take notice of some things further concerning Excommunication and also concerning Heresy Concerning Excommunication I shall observe II. Excommunication doth not forfeit temporal rights First That it is contrary to the nature of Excommunication though in the highest degree that any person and especially a Soveraign Prince should thereby lose those temporal rights which are not founded in their relation to the Church Indeed in Christian Kingdoms there are ordinarily some temporal penalties and abatement of legal priviledges inflicted upon the persons excommunicate but this is not the natural effect of that sentence but is added thereto by the civil Government and Soveraignty under which such persons do live And therefore no such thing can take place with respect to Soveraign Princes who have no temporal superiour to annex this as a penalty Excommunication is a separating an Offender from the Christian Society of the Church not a casting him out of the World it removes him as Tertullian expresseth it Tertul. Ap. c. 39. à communicatione orationis conventus omnis sancti Commercii from communicating in Prayer Christian Assemblies and all holy Commerce But that temporal rights are not thereby lost or forfeited is acknowledged by some considerable Writers of the Romish Church Blackw his Examination 1607. n. 39. as Richeome and Soto who are cited with approbation by Blackwell 12. This may be further manifest from the words of our Saviour wherein he expresseth the state and condition of a person Excommunicate Mat. 18.17 Let him be to thee as an Heathen man and a Publican Now supposing here that a Christian Prince were Excommunicated to be as an Heathen man is no more than to be as the Roman Governours were to whom S. Paul and S. Peter enjoin obedience and to be as Tiberius himself was towards whom our Saviour commands the performance of duty The Publicans who received the Roman Tribute were so hateful to the Jews that they would not eat with them Hor. Hebr. in Mat. 5. 46. they were accounted oppressive exactors as the Jewish Rabbins declare and the words of S. John Baptist intimate Luk. 3.12 13. And indeed they had so general a reputation of injustice even amongst the Romans that it was thought a remarkable commendation of the Father of Vespasian Suet. in Vesp n. 1. in the publick Inscription upon the Statues erected in honour of him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that he was an honest Publican But yet with respect to the civil rights of tribute which they demanded our Saviour requires and commands to render unto Caesar the things that are Caesars Mat. 22.21 13. Princes may not be Excommunicated as others may Secondly I observe that Soveraign Princes are not liable to the Sentence of Excommunication in the same manner with Christian Subjects Though Princes must be under the care and conduct of Ecclesiastical Pastors and Guides yet the duties of that relation must be discharged with a reverent respect to the state of subjection And the different Case of a Prince and a subject with respect to Excommunication may be discerned by distinct reflecting on the causes the effects the end and the manner of proceeding in Excommunication If we consider the causes or occasions of Excommunication a Soveraign is capable of losing and forfeiting his relation to the Society of the Christian Church as well as other persons Right of the Church Ch. 4. p. 236. because as Mr Thorndike observeth he as well as others comes into the Communion of the Church upon the terms and conditions of Christianity and a failure in the condition must make the effect void Such was the Case of Julian who being an Apostate and no longer embracing Christianity had no more any right to be accounted a Christian The effect of Excommunication is such that it sometimes prohibits converse among private persons except in such relations as do not depend upon the Society of the Church and therefore remain intire notwithstanding the separation from that Society as of Parents and Children Husband and Wife Master and Servant And upon this account Davenant Determ 48. no subject can by vertue of Excommunication be prohibited converse with and discharge of all duty and respect to his Soveraign because this is that which he oweth him by the bond of Allegiance and the laws of nature humane Society and civil polity 14. And the end of all Ecclesiastical power being for the good of the Church and of Mankind it being an authority for edification and not for destruction in all the acts thereof due caution ought to be used in avoiding the unnecessary exasperating those who are in chief authority against the Officers of the Church which oft occasioneth lamentable discords and contentions V. Barcl de potest Papae c. 9. c. 26. And because the good of the Church consists chiefly in the advancement of Piety and Religious obedience of which one branch is the honouring and obeying superiours and Governours upon account of Christian piety all just care must be