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
A77739	A confutation of the Anabaptists, and all others who affect not civill government; proving the lawfullnesse of it: and a full answer to all their cavills, that are, or can be made against it. With a nut-cracker for an unnaturall nut, whose shell is as hard as the scales of Leviathan, and the kernell of his heart as hard as a piece of the nether mill-stone, Iob 41.15.24. yet the hammer of Gods word that breaketh in pieces the rocks, Ier. 23.29. will break this nut, that all may see the devillish kernell that is in it. Also arguments against the Anabaptists, proving that infants borne of Christian parents ought to be baptized: with a full answer to all their cavills that are (or can be) made against it. Imprimatur Ja. Cranford.	Bakewell, Thomas, b. 1618 or 19.	1644 (1644)	Wing B530; Thomason E51_20; ESTC R209932	98,225	89

lesse then most cruelly and unnaturally spilling the bloud of the people for their Impositions and Subsidies and other kind of tributes are but the supports of publique necessity Then to weary the poore Communalty without cause is tyrannicall extortion these things considered doe not encourage Princes to wastefull expence and ryot but rather it behoveth them with pure conscience before God to doe all that they are bound to dee lest by their wicked boldnesse they be despised of God and they must be raught by them to whom it belongs how much is lawfull for them neither is this Doctrine needlesse for private men they must not rashly and stubbornly give themselves leave to grudge at the expences of Princes although they exceed common and civill measure see Calvin Insti 4.20.13 Here it may be demanded by what rule Civill Government is to be regulated I answer by the Civill and positive Lawes of that Kingdome from which they receive their authority and dignity of civill Magistrates these Lawes are as strong sinewes of Common-weales or as Cicero calleth them the soules without which the Magistrate cannot stand neither have they without the Magistrate any force for the Law may be called a dumb Judge and the Magistrate a living Law Now the Jewes had three sorts of Lawes the Ceremoniall which was to them a darke Gospell shewing forth Christ to them in darke Types and shadows but blessed be God the vaile is taken away to us and Christ is more clearly set forth to us since the publication of the Gospell and Christ is come the substance of all those dark Types and shadowes Secondly they had the Judiciall Law which was the civill or positive Law of their Common-wealth so answerable to this wee have our positive Lawes of this Kingdome Thirdly they had the eternall Morall Law of God which commandeth simply without guile to worship God with pure faith and godly life Secondly it commandeth to imbrace man with unfained love it is the true and eternall rule of all righteous walking both to God and men and it is prescribed to men of all ages and times who are willing to frame their lives to the will of God for this is his eternall and unchangeable will that he himselfe should be worshipped of us all and that we should mutually love one another So then although the judiciall or positive Lawes of the Jewes be taken away yet the perpetuall duties of the Morall Law abide for ever Hence I gather that every Nation hath that liberty left them to make such Lawes as they shall foresee to be most profitable for them but they must be framed after the perpetuall rule of charity they must be grounded upon the same foundation although they may differ in the form-from other Nations Now the Law of God which we call morall is nothing else but a testimony of the naturall Law that was written in the heart of man by creation some reliques of it are still remaining in man this morall law must be the marke and end and rule of all Lawes then whatsoever lawes shall be framed according to that rule and directed to that mark and limited to that end there is no cause why we should disallow them although they differ from the Jewish Law or one Kingdome from another in the administration of it as for example the law of God forbiddeth stealing now the petialty of theft is set downe in the civill lawes of the Jewes to restore five oxen for an oxe and foure sheep for a sheep Exod. 22.1 Now other Nations punished theft with recompence of double the lawes that followed afterwards made difference between manifest theft and that which was not manifest and some proceeded to banishment some to whipping and some at last to the punishment of death Again for false witnessing among the Jewes was punished with recompence of equall paine Deut 19.18 In some places onely with great shame in some places with hanging in othersome with the crosse and for man-slaughter all lawes universally do revenge with bloud yet with divers kinds of death for adultery in some places were ordained great punishment and in some lesser yet we see for all this diversity all tend to the same end for they all agree togehter to punish those offences which the eternall law of God conde ones as man-slaughter thefts adulteries false w●●●essing c. But in the manner of punishment they agree not neither is it needfull that they should for in some Countries they must shew vigour with horrible examples against man slayers or else they will be immediately ruined with murders and robberies and sometimes punishments ought to be more severe then at other times as in the time of was all humanity would be cast away unlesse they then use unwonted fear of punishments and some Countreys are more addicted to some certaine vice which must be the more sharply punished to stop the spreading of it Hence we must not conceive that the eternall law of God is abrogated and new Lawes made and put in the place thereof and prefe red above it for they are not preferd above it simply but in respect of the times places and Nations neither was the Morall Law given by Moses but to Adam before he sinned and manifested in writing to Moses not for the Jewes only but for all Nations and to be the ground of all their positive Lawes Objections against our positive Law FIrst being the 14th in number they object against our lawes and Magistrates saying that they are of no use for Christians for we cannot lawfully crave their aid in any suite at law because they are forbidden to revenge or to have any controversie I answer Paul saith that he is the Minister of God for good and he is so ordained of God and for that very purpose attending continually upon this very thing Rom. 13.16 To defend us from the malice injuries of mischievous men therefore we ought to pray for those in authority that we may live a quiet a peaceable life but unlesse it be lawfull to use such helpe and benefit they were given to us in vaine from the Lord and saith Demetrius if any man have a matter against another the law is open and there are Deputies let them implead one another and if you enquire any thing concerning other matters it shal be determined in a lawfull assembly Acts 19 28 39. And saith Christ Agree with thine adversary quickly while thou art in the way with him lest thine adversary deliver thee to the Iudge and the Iudge deliver thee to the Sergeant and thou be cast into prison verily I say unto thee thou shalt not come out till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing Math. 5.25 26. Upon these words saith Mr. Perkins Christ here alloweth of the Magistrate and sear of judgement 1. Of his proceeding against the guilty in delivering him to the officer 2. Of the office of the Sergeant 3. Of casting guilty persons into prison 4. Of

to prove it to be more safe and tolerable that many should have the government that they may mutually help one another and one teach and admonish another if any advance himselfe higher then it is meet there may be others to restraine his wilfulnesse so then in case a King be a child and not able to order the affaires of his Kingdome or in case he want naturall abilities or in case he be led away by evill Counsellors then the Magistrates ought to make supply that neither the King nor his Subjects may suffer wrong This way of government gives more honour to Kings then any other because this procures the love and happinesse of the Subjects when as Monarchicall brings feare misery and slavery upon them so then this kind of government is the best wherein King and people do rejoyce in each others happinesse Again it may be demanded if the chiefe Magistrate and the rest be at variance the contention encrease so through ill-affected persons that it produce civill wars amonst us now what are the inferiour people to do in this case and who are they to side withall I answer first they must not stand as ne●●ers or spectators to behold and see the ruine of the Kingdome but they must enquire on whose side God is as wise Gamaliel said If this work be of men it will come to nought but if it be of God ye cannot overthrow it lest happily ye be found to fight against God Acts 5.38.39 Shouldst thou helpe the ungodly and love them that hate the Lord therefore is wrath come upon thee from the Lord 2 Chron. 19.2 Neither must we stand as spectators Vriah said unto David The Arke and Israel and Judah abide in tents and my Lord Joab and the servants of my Lord are encamped in the open field shall I then goe into my house to eate and to drinke and to lye with my wise as thou l●vest and as thy soule liveth I will not do this thing 2 Sam. 11.11 Curse ye Meroz and the Inhabitants thereof yea curse them bitterly because they came not to the help of the Lord against the mighty Judg. 5.23 Then who is on the Lords side who that will march furiously like Jehu against all the cursed enemies of God those Antichristian Idolaters and have no peace with them so long as the whoredomes of Jesabel and her witcherafts are so many and if the Princes of ●ud●● be li●●e them that remove the bounds God will po●re out wrath upon them ●●k● water Hos 5.10 Then if such a boundlesse Prince shall command obedience to his boundlesse humour must he be obeyed It may be that Ephraim being oppressed and broken in judgment will shew it in this because he willingly walked after the commandement vers 11. But now the question is what did that boundlesse Prince get by his commanding and crackt-brain'd Ephraim for his blind obedience mark saith the Lord I wil be unto Ephraim as a moth and to the house of Judah like rottennesse Yea I will be to Ephraim as a lyon and as a young lyon to the house of Judah I even I will teare and goe away I will take away and none shall rescue him vers 12.14 Therefore we must not so obey the King as to make us disobey the King of Kings unto whose Scepter all Kings must yield obedience therefore when Daniel disobeyed the Kings proclamation he answered with a cleare conscience saying against thee ô King I have done no ●urt Dan. 6.22 So then we must put difference between our obedience to God and our obedience to man when God commands we are not to reason with flesh and blood nor call into question the lawfulnesse of it God is greater then man and he gives no account of any of his matters Job 33.12 13. It is our duty to put in practise with all speed what God commands us but when man commands we must bring it to the tryall and see how it agrees with that perfect rule of Gods command and if it agree not with Gods command we must not obey it as for example God commands that we shall not murder now if the King do command us to murder this contradicts Gods command and therefore must not be obeyed King Saul said to the footmen that stood about him turne ye and slay the Priests of the Lord but the servants of the King would not put forth their hands to fall on the Priests of the Lord 1 Sam. 12.17 And King Pharoah sent unto the Mid-wives say●ng when ye do the office of a Mid-wife to the Hebrew women if it be a sonne ye shall kill him but if a daughter she shall live But the Mid-wives feared God did not as the King of Aegypt commanded them therefore the Lord dealt well with the Mid-wives Exod. 1.16 17.20 Againe the Lord saith thou shalt not make to thy selfe any graven Image or likenesse of any thing nor bow down to them nor worship them Now if the King of Babylon set up a golden Image and command all to fall downe and worship it then which must be obeyed the three Children answered the King saying we are not carefull to answer thee in this matter nay further they say unto him in plaine tearmes be it known unto thee O King that we will not serve thy Gods nor worship the golden Image which thou hast set up Dan. 3. Again the Lord saith I will that men pray every where lifting up holy hands without wrath and doubting 1 Tim. 2.8 And men ought alwaies to pray and not to faint Luke 18.1 Now if King Darius shall make a decree that whosoever shall aske a petition of any God or man ●o● the space of thirty dayes shal be cast into the Den of lyons now which must be obeyed give eare to Daniel and he will tell thee who regardeth not the decree of the King but maketh his petition three times a day Dan. 6.13 Againe Christ saith to his Apostles Goe ye and teach all Nations baptizing and teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded Math. 28.19.20 But when Peter and Iohn were obeying this command of Christ they were brought before the Councel● and they charged them not to speake and teach any more in the name of the Lord Jesus now what must they do Peter and Iohn answered and said unto them Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken to you more then God judg ye for we cannot but speake the things we have heard and seene Acts 4.18 19 20. After this they were taken and brought before the Councell againe who said unto them did not we straightly charge you not to teach in this name and behold you have filled Jerusalem with your Doctrine and intend to bring this mans blood upon us and they answered We ought to obey God rather then men Acts 5.17 18 19. The feare of men brings a snare Prov. 29.25 Thus wee may see that although Magistrates must be obeyed yet