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	law_n	parent_n	4,009	5	8.7116	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A49459	The chief interest of man, or, A discourse of religion, clearly demonstrating the equity of the precepts of the Gospel, and how much the due observance thereof doth conduce to the happiness and well-being as well of humane societies as of particular persons by H. Lukin.	Lukin, H. (Henry), 1628-1719.	1665 (1665)	Wing L3473; ESTC R125	65,780	204

concealing their infirmities and abstaining from all expressions of contempt and disrespect In the Despotical Society Masters are obliged to exercise humanity towards their Servants not ruling them with too much imperiousnesse or rigor considering they have a Master themselves likewise in Heaven by whom they would not be dealt with in strictness and severity they are to provide for them to give them that which is just for their service yea that which is reasonable and equal rewarding industry and faithfulness with more than Servants can in strictness require So Servants are bound to submit themselves to their Masters not only in doing their work but doing it in simplicity and singlenesse of heart as to God considering it as a duty which they owe to God as well as to Man and that they must look for their recompence from him so they must study to please their Masters not provoking by rude or cross answers not purloyning or wasting unnecessarily their Masters goods not taking of their time which is their Masters to spend in their own service or in pleasure or idlenesse Oh! how happy would families be if all therein did observe these rules We should have no complaints of the churlishnesse or carelesseness of Husbands of the Prodigality and disloyalty of Wives of the harshness or severity of Parents and Masters of the undutifulness and unfaithfulnesse of Children and Servants SECT XIII How far Religion advances the happiness of Kingdoms and Common-wealths not only naturally as it prescribes the best Laws and rules to all sorts of Persons and keeps Men within the bounds of their duty But morally as it brings down blessings keeps off judgements The false accusations which Christians have lain under in all Ages Julians wicked policy NOw let us proceed to consider Man in a Politick State as part of a Kingdom or Common-Wealth and if we would describe some Vtopia or set down a Model of a happy well governed flourishing Common-Wealth we need go no further than the Scriptures for our maxims and describe the several members of it according to what the Gospel requires that they should be I know the great ones of the World have been jealous of the Kingdom of Christ as Herod was troubled when he first heard of his Birth I know not what occasion the abuses of some Imposters may have given to Mens prejudice and suspition but as I said before that the observation of Christs precepts would prevent more diseases than his miracles cured so I may boldly affirm that his spiritual Kingdom were it set up in the World that is did his Laws take place and were they duely observed they would attract more and be more taking than his supposed earthly Monarchy which made multitudes run after him in the dayes of his flesh John 6. And it is the great honour of Religion and an evident argument of the real worth and excellency of it that not only those whose corrupt affections have baffled their Judgements to believe that Religion is but a fancy a devised fable or at least to wish and pretend it to be so but the wisest of such men as have followed the dictates of natural reason and men whom none can imagine to have been fore-stalled with too favourable an opinion of Religion or to have been 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 superstitiously over-aw'd by a Deity that these I say such as Plato Plutarch Tully Seneca Machiavel Campanella should look upon it as such a good Engine for moving the huge bodies of Kingdoms and Common-Wealths yea a necessary basis to found government upon as Plutarch sheweth without which it can no more subsist than a Castle or City in the air it shews clearly that there is that proposed in Religion which if men according to their opinion can be but flattered into a belief of it will keep them in their due place and order that every part of such a vast Machina may move regularly And it is a good observation of the Historian that Rome had the happinesse in the first founding of it to have such Kings successively as did by degrees take care of such things as did most conduce to its flourishing and establishment and that when Romulus had built the City and erected a new Kingdom Numa Pompilius did immediately succeed him and establish Religion and the worship of God so far as the light of Nature would guide him thereto And the truth is the belief of another life after this and of some invisible power superior to the power of man is absolutely necessary for the swaying and managing those two great engines of Hope and Fear which turn about the whole World so that as Campanella well observes Religione e anima della Republica e diffesa della legge naturale c. Religion is the Soul of a Common-Wealth and Bulwark of the Law of Nature because the Love and Fear of God and of eternal punishment and rewards do compel Men to the observation of the Law What will a man care for his Life if he apprehend that there is none after this and there is no means to restrain men from whatever insolencies or violences they may think necessary to the contentment of their present life if they do not look for an after-reckoning but they might well say Let us eat and drink for to morrow we shall dye and rather contemn a miserable life than omit any means for the bettering of it He that sets light by his own life is Master of another mans saith Seneca And we know the form of endictments in our own law for any crime is such a one not having the fear of God before his eyes did wickedly c. commit such an act And Abraham thought when he was in Gerar that they would not stick at any the vilest action because as he supposed the Fear of God was not in that place Gen. 20.10 So we find the Atheist in Lucretius Lib. 1. complaining of his being over-aw'd by the suspition which he had of an eternal punishment after this life if he could have been assured that there should be no life after this or that then there should be an end of Mens sufferings he could easily laugh at Religion and despise the threatnings of their Vates But seeing he knew not the nature of the Soul whether it was propagated with the body or infused whether it did dye with the Body or were cast into the Stygian Lake he could not free himself from the fears of an eternal misery after Death But I will come more particularly to shew how Religion doth contribute to the happinesse and welfare of the Societies of Men setting the boundaries of every ones Duty prescribing to all from the highest to the lowest telling the great ones of the World that they which rule over men must be just ruling in the fear of God whose Kingdom is over all who rules in the Kingdoms of men and gives them to whomsoever he will and he makes them his Ministers not to

it steady Angercos Fortit udinis ingenii the mettle of it to fit it for action and the Oyl of Gladnesse making the face to shine and being as marrow to the bones making our conversation more acceptable and agreeable unto others our life more pleasing and comfortable to our selves But that wherein a Christian hath the greatest advantage is Peace of Conscience the importunate sollicitations of Satan and our own Lusts to the commission of sin are not so disquieting to the Soul as the rebukes and clamors of Conscience after the commission of it The Devil is a meer Trapan that draws Men into a Plot against Heaven and when he hath ensnared them is the first that accuseth them sollicites men importunately to sin by the strongest enticements afterwards affrights their Consciences by aggravating their guilt to them and this is a preoccupation of Hell as peace of conscience and joy in the Holy Ghost 〈◊〉 the first fruits and 〈◊〉 of ●eaven As Vertue is its own reward ●o sin is its own punishment guilt followes sin as the shaddow doth the body haunting the sinner like a hideous Ghost and continually terrifying him It is true many do not feel these terrors but it is not through any true setled peace that they have but only a senselesse stupid ignorance of their own danger they are like a man asleep on the top of a Mast do but awake them to see their danger and it is enough to affright them into the infernal abyss While they go on quietly in sin they are but as a man which hath bribed the Serjeant which doth not pay his debt nor secure him against Arrests his debt increases still and he will have more to pay when he is arrested It is not a Merchants putting off the melancholick thoughts of his debts by pleasures and divertisements that will alwayes quiet his mind he doth but beguile himself and increase his debt it is the acquitiance of his Creditor that can only secure him This is the case of many that when they are haunted as Saul by the evil spirit of an accusing Conscience as he had his musick to quiet his mind they must have something to divert their thoughts from such disquieting and tormenting objects but these are but like Opiates which may stupifie for a time and free from pains but do nothing to the cure of the disease It is only the blood of Christ that can sprinkle our hearts from an evil Conscience cleanse our Consciences from dead works only an effectual Faith that applies this blood to the Conscience So that the Heathen Philosophers by all their prescriptions could never quiet the Consciences of sinners and all that peace that they had was only from ignorance of that severe inexorable justice of God which will never pardon sin without satisfaction and never be satified but by the sufferings of Jesus Christ and the nature of the Covenant of Grace or the condition of the Gospel that none should have any benefit by Jesus Christ but those who are united with him by an effectual Faith which produceth the fruits of holinesse in a blamelesse upright conversation so that as the blood of Christ is the cause of our reconciliation with God by Faith and holinesse we actually patake and are assured of the fruits thereof all these therefore are in several respects necessary to true peace of Conscience Morality therefore can never teach a right way and means of it to which the righteousnesse of faith is an hidden mystery The loose prophane Christan can never attain it while his conversation is evidently inconsistent with that true faith and Gospel sincerity which is absolutely required of all that will be saved and however they may flatter or cheat themselves into a vain presumption or shut their eyes that they may not see their danger they are continually obnoxious to the affrights and alarms of such places of Scripture as affirm that without holinesse none shall see God that if we live after the flesh we shall dye that the Gate is strait and the way narrow that leads to life and there are few that find it that many shall seek to enter and shall not be able That if any will be Christs Disciple he must deny himself and take up his Cross and follow him That whoever sayes he knows God and keeps not his Commandments or that he hath communion with God and walks in darknesse is a lyar and the truth is not in him That whoever seems to be Religious and bridleth not his tongue his Religion is vain That he that loves Father or Mother or Wife or Children or House or Lands more than Christ is not worthy of him Besides others clearly importing that a Man may have much knowledge and his judgment so far convinced as to approve of the best things may be much in holy duties take delight in them hear the word with joy do many things which he hears be blameless as to his outward carriage and yet be an hypocrite So that without daily exercising our selves to Godlinesse and a strict watch over all our wayes it is impossible to maintain a setled well grounded peace of Conscience If any object that there are none more disquieted in their Consciences than those that make the greatest shew of Religion none more melanchollick and morose in their conversation I may answer solid joy is a serious thing as Seneca could say it is not most seen in a forced laughter and jollity which is as thorns under a pot Eccl. 7.6 that for the present makes a great noise and blaze but neither heats nor lasts In the midst of it the heart many times is sorrowful and the end of it is heavinesse and as the heart knows its own sorrow the stranger intermeddleth not with its joy There is that comfort within which every one cannot observe A Godly man needs not have his heart revived with wine and strong drink and merry company like a sick Man that is forced continually to have his spirits kept up with Cordials He hath that within which is better to him than Wine and Musick It is true Godly Men have more inward conflicts in their Consciences than others but this proceeds from the sense that they have of their own danger as they say Wisdone armes misery against it self that is discovering the evils that we are obnoxious to makes a Man more timerous and suspicious whiles fools go on and are punished without any fear of danger go on as an Ox to the Slaughter a fool to the Stocks a Bird to the suare and knows not that it is for her life It is time for a Man that knows if he be not set upon the Rock that is higher than himself if he be not upon that sure Foundation Jesus Christ he hangs by the small thread of a brittle life over the bottomlesse pit to look about him and make his calling and election sure Again the greater esteem any one hath of Heavenly