Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
duty_n	king_n	law_n	people_n	3,485	5	5.2685	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A61424	A caveat against flattery, and profanation of sacred things to secular ends upon sight of the order of the convention for the thanksgiving, and consideration of the misgovernment and misfortunes of the last race of kings of this nation.	Stephens, Edward, d. 1706.	1689 (1689)	Wing S5424; ESTC R184625	23,049	37

rather a greater Provocation to turn all our so favourable a Deliverance into a severer Judgment if there be not a speedy check and effectual stop put to these Abominations which hath been too long neglected and over-looked already Let any man consider especially a Prince or man in great Authority how he would resent it to be publickly affronted and have his Laws or Orders openly contemned And though the transcendent Majesty of God be far above the reach of hurt or benefit by any actions of so despicable beings as mortal men yet such is his Goodness and Benignity to his poor Creatures that what ever is done which tends to the real good or hurt of them he reputes as Service or Disservice to himself and what is ill and presumptuously so done as an affront to himself And therefore he is no good Christian who is not far more moved and concerned for the Honour of God and of his Laws that they be not publickly affronted and contemned by wicked men than for any thing which may touch his own Person or Dignity That excellent Being doth not frequently and openly in an extraordinary way inflict his Divine Judgments upon notorious Malefactors because by his Providence he sets up Majestrates to do it in ordinary way as his Deputies and he expects it from them But he hath in part lately done it in this Nation in very extraordinary manner he hath sent his Fear and Dread upon our Adversaries driven out the Heathen the Cananites the Authors and Promotors of these abominations before us and brought us into their places of Authority and Power and expects that we now apply our selves to carry on this great Work and utterly exterminate these relicts and old companions of Idolatry and false Worship And shall we notwithstanding sit down to eat and to drink and rise up to play Set to build Houses for our selves to get Offices and Preferments or at best to provide for our common Rights and Properties and let the House of God his Temples in a Spiritual sense be defiled and run to ruin in our Land He hath so turned the Hearts of a formidable Army that they all have either come in and joined with us submitted to us or fled from us And shall we now after this make such doubt of his further Divine Assistance and Blessing as not dare to attempt the Conquering of a few blustering Debauches when God and the best part of the Nation expect it from us and are ready to approve and concur with us in it Shall we fool our selves in such a case as this with that base and narrow-sould Worldly Wisdom Let them still out face us and if not basely comply yet which is next to it connive at and dissemble what we cannot be ignorant of Nay by partial and unworthy recommendations set up in great place in a Christian State such scandalous persons and evil Examples as true Christian Discipline would humble and cast out of the Church and so cross the Providence of God by setting up such as he is pulling down Such Politicoes who have no more sense of the Honour of God may possibly meet with their deserved correction in an Eclipse of their own But it concerns all that we do not by neglect or further delay of so great a Duty to which we are lead in so special a manner provoake a change of the course of this propitious Providence so as to bring in the Philistines again upon us or correct our laziness with some new difficulties or unexpected impediments But so much for this There is one thing more in relation to Religion of great in portance wherein have been no small mistakes heretofore committed and that is Vnanimity in Religion This hath been greatly disturbed and interrupted by inconsiderate affectation of Vniformity and improper and preposterous means for that purpose The most natural and proper means to promote both are 1. To remove all Force which is contrary to the nature of Religion as the Ancient Christians generally agree and Secular Punishments upon Ecclesiastical Censures 2. To remove all needless occasions of Difference and unnecessary Terms of Conformity especially under Oaths and Subscriptions 3. To reform the Liturgy so as might most conduce to Edification and to gratifie and satisfie the Devotion of the most Sober and Religious Christians Against this last I have not known any thing Objected but what are the plain Principles and usual Arguments of the Papists against the Reformation of their Religion and their Missal This belongs to the Clergy to do but they must be ordered and commissionated to do it the other two may be done by a short Act of Parliament to repeal the Penal Statutes against Protestant Dissenters the Act of Uniformity 14. C. 2. c. and with them some others inconsistent with the true Constitution of the English Government and promoted by Popish Counsels to alter the same for their advantage As for Civil Matters the Fundamental Error of King James and his Successors hitherto which it is very probable was promoted by the craft of the Romish Emissaries that they might strike in with one party was that by setting up for Prerogative against the Law he divided the common Intrest for the King and the People have a mutual Intrest in each other so that what is for the real good of either is for the common good of both as in a natural body what is pernitious to any Member damnifies the whole The true Constitution of the English Government was built upon solid Principles of Wisdom to give to each all that could be without prejudice to the other to the King all the Honour and Majesty that might be which was the Honour and Majesty of the whole the actual Administration but by Officers authorised by Law and sworn faithfully to perform their Duty large Revenues but to use for the publick good not to alienate at his Pleasure and all things to be done in his Name as the head of the Society but so as he cannot stay the ordinary course of Justice at his pleasure without violation of the Law And to the people an Inspection into the Administration and Power to Enquire and Determine concerning the Miscariages of it All which being apparent and undeniable in practice is a certain argument that the Regal Administration was designed for the Common Good of the whole of King and People both as one Body The Preservation therefore of this Constitution doth necessarily tend to the security of the King as well as of the People and there can be no better means for this Preservation than frequent Sessions of Parliament according to the Laws that is Annual though to prevent the so frequent trouble of Elections it might be enacted that they should be chosen but once in three Years and sit at certain times and when the business is done be adjourned or prorogued but not dissolved till the last Year of the three A good Act to settle some such