Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
duty_n	command_v	law_n	moral_a	2,108	5	9.1759	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A13534	Circumspect walking describing the seuerall rules, as so many seuerall steps in the way of wisedome. Gathered into this short manuell, by Tho. Taylor, preacher of Gods word at Aldermanbury Church in London.	Taylor, Thomas, 1576-1632.	1631 (1631)	STC 23824; ESTC S100151	74,039	378

action is so necessary as it must be thrust on by euill meanes Wee must not doe the least euill for the greatest good which was Lots sinne to procure good by euill neither yeeld to a lesse euill to preuent a greater in euils of sinne In ciuill things it is a most necessary thing to preserue life but not with a lye vsury Sabbath-breaking or going to witches Life is not so necessary as without separation to cleaue to that which is good In spirituall things to preach the word is so necessary as Paul cries woe vnto himselfe if if he doe not because the flocke of God depends vpon him But if I may not preach vnlesse I wound my conscience by compounding with heretikes and blending truth with errour I must neuer preach but leaue the care of the Church to God who without my lye will prouide for the good of it Thus Elijah fled and left his ministery because he could not exercise it vnles he would haue receiued Baals ceremonies and flattered with the Baalites and if hee had not thus forsaken his place he had forsaken the Church Great Athanasius chused rather to leaue his Church then to yeeld any thing to the Arrians Saint Paul knew that after hee went from Ephesus grieuous Wolues would come in not sparing the flocke and yet because he could not stay to preach vnlesse hee would haue restored some Pharisaicall obseruations and vnlesse for peace sake hee would haue yeelded to the rites and image of Diana hee left the place because he must not doe the greatest good by any euill meanes Neuer let any thinke to thriue by meanes which God hath accursed and vpon which himselfe cannot pray for a blessing All necessary actions must bee done according to the order of the Tables euer esteeming the duties of the first Table more necessary then they of the second This is Christs owne rule Mat. 22. 38. This is the first and great commandement and the second is like to this both in respect of the necessary binding and of the end for euen these are a worship of God if they be performed in faith and for his commandement sake Wherefore else did the Lord deliuer two Tables whereas hee might haue put all into one but that he would preferre and claime the first place to duties that immediately concerne his worshippe From whence Diuines gather that rule of Antinomy and truth That when the two Tables are opposed and both call for necessary duties which both cannot be done at the same time the second Table must giue place to the first as Act. 5. 25. It is meet to obey God rather then man Magistrates must be obeied but the first Table derogates from the second when both cannot be obserued So in the New Testament Parents and friends are to be loued but if they be not hated for Christ when both cannot be loued together one cannot be Christs disciple But here be three caueats 1. That a speciall Commandement is more necessary and dispenseth with all the ten and it is a principle that all Commandements of both tables runne with one exception If God command not otherwise Thou shalt not kill nor steale vnlesse God command Abraham to kill his sonne and the Israelites to rob the Aegyptians Thou shalt make no grauen image vnlesse God command Moses to make a brazen serpent Thus obseruations of immediate commandements giue all Soueraignty to God who is to be simply obeyed and acknowledged aboue his Law 2. Morall duties must take place of all ceremonies The rule of Diuines is that charity dispenseth with ceremony according to that I will haue mercy and not sacrifice because mercy is morall and sacrifice ceremoniall So Abimelech gaue Dauid the Shewbread which was not lawfull but in the case of necessary mercy And it was superstition in the Iewes that they would rather suffer their City to be taken than fight vpon the Sabbath day in their owne defence God allowes an oxe to bee pulled out of a ditch and led to water and allowes a necessary prouision for the body vnto which euen Sabbath-duties must giue place 3. Necessity wee say hath no law but that is to bee vnderstood in mans lawes when some sudden case falleth out so as the inferiour cannot haue recourse to the law-maker that then hee may interpret the law himselfe and breake the letter of it to follow the reason and intent of it as in case of the murder of a theefe But in the law of God one onely case doth dispense with it and that is when necessity so altreth a fact as it taketh away from it all reason of sinning As for example It is not lawfull to marry ones sister but in the beginning of the world extreme necessity altered this fact and gaue dispensation So it is not lawfull to take away that which is anothers but extreme necessity makes it lawful because it is not anothers any longer seeing the law of nature it selfe maketh some things common in such extreme necessity On the Sabbath we must hold our selues strictly to Gods worship but if an house be on fire wee may leaue it without sinne Note the equity of that law Deut. 23. 24 25. CHAP. XXII Rules of wisedome for necessary actions in respect of the scope and binding of them ALL necessary actions as they must beginne with Gods will so they must end with his glory The end and scope of all our actions must be God 1. Because hee made all things for himselfe 2. He is the alpha and omega the beginning from whom all is and the end for whom and vnto whom all must be referred 3. If in all indifferēt things Gods glory must be our aime much more in necessary but so it is in indifferent things as eating drinking c. 1 Cor. 10. 31. and Rom. 14. 6. Hee that eateth eateth to the Lord or ought-so to doe 4. The very heathens had a glimmering hereof professing that they were not borne for themselues but partly their friends partly their Country and partly God But the Scripture speakes more plainly that wee owe all our selues to God something indeed we owe to our neighbour but that is in and for God In the necessarie duties of religion or our calling wee must hold our selues bound to doe them whatsoeuer follow Two things commonly hinder vs herein which wee must arme our selues against The first is feare of mens iudgements faces offence and censures but wee must tread this vnder foot if we haue a commandement and calling to doe any thing as Paul did 1 Cor. 4. 3. I passe little to be iudged of any man neither feared he any persecution or trouble so he might finish his course with ioy Ieremy must make his browe of brasse to speake the word of the Lord chap. 1. vers 17. A Christian must prepare to passe through good report and bad report and to count neither liberty nor life deare vnto