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
A70591	The doctrine and discipline of divorce restor'd to the good of both sexes from the bondage of canon law and other mistakes to Christian freedom, guided by the rule of charity : wherein also many places of Scripture have recover'd their long-lost meaning : seasonable to be now thought on in the reformation intended.	Milton, John, 1608-1674.	1643 (1643)	Wing M2108; ESTC R12932	44,446	52

of a Christian which is inestimable should be over-tempted and cast away considering also that many properties of nature which the power of regeneration it self never alters may cause dislike of conversing even between the most sanctify'd which continually grating in harsh tune together may breed some jarre and discord and that end in rancor and strife a thing so opposite both to mariage and to Christianitie it would perhaps be lesse scandal to divorce a natural disparity then to link violently together an unchristian dissention committing two ensnared souls inevitably to kindle one another not with the fire of love but with a hatred inconcileable who were they disseverd would be straight friends in any other relation But if an alphabetical servility must be still urg'd it may so fall out that the true Church may unwittingly use as much cruelty in forbidding to divorce as the Church of Antichrist doth wilfully in forbidding to marry But what are all these reasonings worth will some reply when as the words of Christ are plainly against all divorce except in case of fornication let such remember as a thing not to be deny'd that all places of Scripture wherin just reason of doubt arises from the letter are to be expounded by considering upon what occasion every thing is set down and by comparing other Texts The occasion which induc't our Saviour to speak of divorce was either to convince the extravagance of the Pharises in that point or to give a sharp and vehement answer to a tempting question And in such cases that we are not to repose all upon the literall terms of so many words many instances will teach us Wherin we may plainly discover how Christ meant not to be tak'n word for word but like a wise Physician administring one excesse against another to reduce us to a perfect mean Where the Pharises were strict there Christ seems remisse where they were too remisse he saw it needfull to seem most severe in one place he censures an unchast look to be adultery already committed another time he passes over actuall adultery with lesse reproof then for an unchast look not so heavily condemning secret weaknes as open malice So heer he may be justly thought to have giv'n this rigid sentence against divorce not to cut off all remedy from a good man who finds himself cōsuming away in a disconsolate and uninjoy'd matrimony but to lay a brid●e upon the bold abuses of those over-weening Rabbies which he could not more effectually doe then by a countersway of restraint curbing their wild exorbitance almost into the other extreme as when we bow things the contrary way to make them come to thir naturall straitnes And that this was the only intention of Christ is most evident if we attend but to his own words and protestation made in the same Sermon not many verses before he treats of divorcing that he came not to abrogate from the Law one jot or tittle and denounces against them that shall so teach So that the question of divorce following upon this his open profession must needs confirm us that what ever els in the politicall Law of more speciall relation to the Iews might cease to us yet that of those precepts concerning divorce not one of them was repeal'd by the doctrine of Christ for if these our Saviours words inveigh against all divorce and condemn it as adultery except it be for adultery and be not rather understood against the abuse of those divorces permitted in the Law then is that Law of Moses Deut. 24. 1. not only repeal'd wholly anull'd against the promise of Christ his known prfession not to meddle in matters judicial but that which is more strange the very substance and purpose of that Law is contradicted and convinc't both of injustice impurity as having authoriz'd maintain'd legall adultery by statute Moses also cannot scape to be guilty of unequall and unwise decrees punishing one act of secret adultery by death and permitting a whole life of open adultery by Law And albeit Lawyers write that some politicall Edicts though not approv'd are yet allow'd to the scum of the people and the necessitie of the times these excuses have but a weak pulse for first we read not that the scoundrel people but the choisest the wisest the holiest of that nation have frequently us'd these laws or such as these Secondly Be it yeelded that in matters not very bad or impure a human law-giver may slacken somthing of that which is exactly good to the disposition of the people and the times but if the perfect the pure the righteous law of God for so are all his statutes and his judgements be found to have allow'd smoothly without any certain reprehension that which Christ afterward declares to be adultery how can wee free this Law from the horrible endightment of beeing both impure unjust and fallacious Neither will it serv to say this was permitted for the hardnes of thir hearts in that sense as it is usually explain'd for the Law were then but a corrupt and erroneous School-master teaching us to dash against a vital maxim of religion by dooing foul evil in hope of some uncertain good Wee cannot therfore with safety thus confine the free simplicity of our Saviours meaning to that which meerly amounts from so many letters whenas it can consist neither with his former and cautionary words nor with the scope of charity commanding by his expresse commission in a higher strain But all rather of necessity must be understood as only against the abuse of that wise and ingenuous liberty which Moses gave and to terrify a roaving conscience from sinning under that pretext Others think to evade the matter by not granting any Law of divorce but only a dispensation which is contrary to the words of Christ who himself calls it a Law Mark 10. 5. But I answer admitting it to be a dispensation yet this is a certain rule that so long as the cause remains the dispensation ought Let it be shewn therfore either in the nature of the Gospel or of man why this dispensation should be made void The Gospel indeed exhorts to highest perfection but bears with weakest infirmity more then the Law The nature of man is as weak and yet as hard and that weaknes and hardnes as unfit and as unteachable to be harshly dealt with as ever I but say they there is a greater portion of spirit powr'd upon the Gospel which requires perfecter obedience But that cōsequence is deceavable for it is the Law that is the exacter of our obedience ev'n under the Gospel how can it then exact concerning divorce that which it never exacted before The Gospel is a covnant reveling grace not commanding a new morality but assuring justification by faith only contented if we endeavour to square our moral duty by those wise and equal Mosaick rules which were as perfect as strict and as unpardonable to the Iews as to us otherwise