Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A69536
|
The judgment of non-conformists about the difference between grace and morality
|
Baxter, Richard, 1615-1691.
|
1676
(1676)
|
Wing B1292_VARIANT; ESTC R16284
|
66,799
|
124
|
of the same mind when Christ would have a right hand or a right eye rather lost than the Soul should be hazarded by the scandal or temptation of it And when he would pay Caesar Tribute when he was free rather than oâ—â—end men And when he so dreadfully speaketh of them that offend or scandalize one of the little ones even weak Believers as that it were better for them that a Milstone were hanged on their necks and they were cast into the Sea Mat. 5. and 18. 8. Mar. 9. 42 43. Mat. 17. 27. and 18. 6. Rom. 14. 13 14 c. This was S. Paul ' s judgment Let us not judge one another any more but judge this rather that no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in his Brothers way I know and am perswaded by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of it self but to him that esteemeth any thing unclean to him it is unclean But if thy Brother be grieved with thy meat now walkest thou not charitably Destroy not him with thy meat for whom Christ dyed Let not your good be evil spoken of For the Kingdom of God is not meat and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God and approved of men Let us therefore follow after the things that make for peace and things wherewith one may edifie another For meat destroy not the work of God All things indeed are pure but it is evil for that man who eateth with offence It is good neither to eat Flesh nor drink Wine nor that whereby thy Brother stumbleth or is offended or made weak Hast thou faith have it to thy self before God Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth And he that doubteth is damned if he eat because it s not of faith For whatsoever is not of faith is sin This was Paul ' s Doctrine then even to all the Church of Rome So on Rom. 15. 1 c. We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak and not to please our selves Let every one of us please his Neighbour for his good to edification For even Christ pleased not himself Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be like minded one towards another according to Christ Jesus So 1 Cor. 8. 9. But take 〈◊〉 eed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a Stumbling-block to them that are weak 13. Wherefore if Meat make my Brother to offend I will eat no Flesh while the world standeth lest I make my Brother to oâ—â—end Remember that he that spake this had as great Church-authority as any Bishop and spake this as an Apostlers and not as a meer private Man Pr. 52. The same Author saith Eccl. Polit. p. 230. that this School-distinction of scandalum datum acceptum is apparently false and impertinent and the main thing that hath perplexed all discourses of this Article But we see no Reason to think that the generality of both Protestants Papists are herein mistaken this Writer is in the right or that the School Doctors need go to School to him to reform such Errors It is a Moral Subject Given and Taken are morally meant that is There is scandal culpably given and there is scandal culpably taken only and not so given The distinction is of the Parties culpable All which is culpably taken is not culpably given A man that either purposely or negligently speaketh injurious provoking words doth give the temptation of wrath to the hearer But he that speaketh words which in themselves have no tendency to provoke nor was obliged to foresee that they would provoke doth give no scandal no nor he that justly and aptly reproveth But a peevish or impatient sinner may yet take scandal from them He that leaveth Arsenick where he should know that another is like to take it to his death whether he do it purposely or negligently that is by the Wills commission or omission is the reputed Giver or Moral Cause of that Man's death But he that leaveth it where he could not know and was not obliged to fear that another would so take and use it may say It was taken by him and not given by me An alluring Habit Actions and Gestures which have a Natural tendency to provoke others to sinful lusts have ever been condemned by all sober Divines as Scandal Given which yet chaste Persons may re 〈◊〉 use to Take But if the soberest and modestest Habit prove a Snare it is a Scandal Taken and not culpably given As a Thief if he steal my Knife and cut his own Throat with it cannot say that I gave it him He that speaketh words which are apt to tempt the hearer to Treason or Rebellion doth give the Scandal But if by the reading of any Chapter in the Bible any will be incited to Rebellion or Disloyalty or if by the innocent necessary and sober defence of a just Cause any will be tempted to think unworthily of his Governours or Judges he Taketh Scandal that is not culpably Given him Pr. 53. If a Man were bound to forbear all that others will turn into an occasion of sin he should not only lose all his liberty but omit all his Duty And to think that we are bound to deny no liberty or nothing indifferent to prevent or cure the sin of others is to deny the common Principles of Humanity and on pretense of Justice to renounce common Charity and to become an Adversary to the great Precepts of Christ and his Apostles Therefore the difficulty is to resolve how far and in what cases our liberty must be denyed to save other Men from sin and consequently from damnation which must be determined by the great General Canons Thou shalt love thy Neighbour as thy self Whatsoever you would that Men should do to you so do to them Let all be done to Edification Prefer a greater Good before a less and most avoid the greatest Evil Caeteris paribus the most Publick good of many is the greatest Sin is a greater Evil than bodily wants and sufferings No Ruler may Command any thing which is contrary though but by accident to the Law of God in Nature and Scripture expressed Charity and Justice are Commanded by the Law of Nature and Scripture When accidentally the Man that fell among Thieves was wounded and naked Charity obliged the Priest and Levite to have relieved him If by accident Fire consume Mens Habitations Charity requireth others to relieve them Especially where the Obligation is great and special As for Parents to feed their Children If Rulers forbid them and so would have them murder them by Famine the Command is sinful and the Obligation null because they cannot dissolve the Obligation of God's Natural Laws And the exercise of Charity to Believers that are the Members of Christ is a Duty that none may Countermand
Assembly He chuseth a less convenient Hour of the Day he placeth the Pulpit in a les 〈◊〉 convenient Place he appointeth a tollerable but not the best Translation of the Scripture and Metre of the Psalms or Tunes to be used he appointeth a Bible of a worser Print and supposing him Authorized to chuse the Preacher he appointeth not the best or fittest Preacher which might be had And whether it be the present Pastor or any other we now dispute not that who hath Authority to chuse Chapters and Texts and word the Sermons and Prayers if he chuse a less convenient Chapter Text or Subject and less convenient Method and Words in Preaching and Prayer all this is his Infirmity and Fault but yet the People must not refuse the thing so commanded Not that we must obey it sub ratione maâ—â— as ill chosen and inconvenient but Though it be such not qua but quod inconveniens And the Reasons are 1. An inconvenient ill-chosen Place Time Text Translation Metre Tune c. may be good as a means of Union and Concord in the Worship which without that would not be had and that Union and Concord is a Duty Therefore so is the necessary means though it be not the best that could be chosen If the People will not join with that Translation Metre Tune Subject Place Time which the Minister useth or chuseth they cannot join with him in the Worship Were there no Interposition of Authority but mens consent if a thousand of the People are for a less convenient means Time Place c. and a small part for a more convenient they cannot concur but in some agreement And if the mistaken part will not yield to the other when Unity is necessary for that Unity sake the rest must yield to them 2. The less convenient way may accidentally become a means to avoid Persecution and the loss of all their Liberty and Publick Advantages and they that refuse that may be deprived of all the rest And it 's better worship God e. g. at an inconvenient Time Place c. than not at all 3. The General Obligation to obey our Governours is not nullified by every mistake in the Law or Determination For all Mankind being imperfect it is supposed that all Government by Man is imperfect If we should forbear praying till we can pray without all sin we should never pray and if we should forbear obeying till Rulers Commands be perfect or blameless we should never obey There is some fault in every Translation of the Bible every Version of the Psalms every Sermon and Prayer that we hear or make and in every Book that we Write and Read If no Parent Teacher Master Prince oblige us but only by such Laws and Mandates as have no 〈◊〉 ault all Government and Obedience is null or at an End Obj. No Man is bound to that which is evil Answ 1. It may be evil in the Commander and good in the Obeyer Not that the same thing is good to one and ill to the other though in other Instances that often fall out for it is not the same thing To Command an Inconnveient Time Place Translation Tune c. is one Action and to obey that Command is another 2. We obey it not as evil but as good The inconvenient Time Place c. is not good as inconvenient but as a means of Order and Concord and so we use it And the General Nature of Obedience is good and if we must do no good which we cannot do without some adherent evil we must never Pray Preach Eat Drink or Trade more Pr. 5. if a Ruler go beyond and so without his Authority yet in several Cases we may be bound to do what he Commandeth as such For Instance In case the thing be in it self good or at least indifferent and Lawful and the Honour of the Ruler or the Peace of the Society dependeth on our material obeying him It is our Duty to honour the King and our Parents and Pastors and to avoid all things that will dishonour them or that will encourage others in disobedience or disorder the Society If therefore it were granted to be the Pastors Duty and not the Kings toword our Prayers and Sermons and chuse Translations Chapters Metres Tunes c. yet if the King do it though beyond his Calling that is If he appoint us what Chapter to read every day in Publick and Command some Prayers to be read and some Homilies or Printed Sermons to be sometime read which are all good and lawful in themselves not destroying the Office of the Ministry and if by him or the People it be taken for Contempt and a dishonouring him to disobey him the General Command of honouring the King will here oblige us to the Commanded Action And if the Question be Whether this be formal Obedience or only material We Answer 1. It is but material and not formal Obedience de specie properly as it is to a Command that is without Authority to that thing But 2. It partaketh of formal Obedience as to the Genu in as much as we do it for the honour of a Ruler and because it is his Command who hath Authority to Govern us though not to do it by this mistaken Action Pr. 6. If a Rightful Ruler should go quite beyond the bounds of his Authority so far as that his Command did not at all bind us yet would it not make an indifferent thing become unlawful meerly because he doth Command it what ever any other Accident may do Proved 1. Because there is no force in the Inference It is Commanded ergo it is unlawful 2. Though his Act be culpable and without true power yet he is no Usurper whom we are obliged to disown and all true Governours have their faults 3. The thing may be good and so a Duty on other accidental reasons viz. 1. As a means of Concord 2. Of pleasing others to their edification 3. Of honouring Superiours 4. Of obtaining liberty and avoiding mischief and as such though not as an Act of Obedience may be a Duty 4. Else it would be in the power of ill-minded Rulers to make all indifferent lawful things to be sin or unlawful to us by Commanding them and so to deprive us craftily of all our liberty and make us Slaves If Rulers forbidding them make not all things indifferent sinful which many say much less their commanding them else they might command instead of forbidding and do the same thing We do believe that there may be found some Persons in the world of such weak Understandings and unruly Spirits as to think that it is a sinful betraying of their Liberty to do a thing antecedently indifferent when it is commanded them Were we acquainted with such a one we might ask him 1. At what Age he would have Mankind begin the practice of this Principle Infants cannot learn it If before they can feed themselves they should refuse Meat at the