Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n
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A49318
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The reasonableness of the Christian religion a sermon preached at the visitation held at Stoakesly in Cleveland, in Yorkshire : being the first visitation of the Reverend Mr. Long, B.D. and Arch-Deacon of Cleveland / by Ja. Lowde ...
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Lowde, James.
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1684
(1684)
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Wing L3302; ESTC R14296
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20,988
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54
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differ from the Church of England as those of Deposing Princes and absolving Subjects from their Obedience of Purgatory and Prayers for the Dead and the like how these both in their own Natures and as they are managed by those that entertain them do more Naturally tend to get Riches and maintain a secular Pomp and Grandeur then to promote Piety in the lives of their Professours These are the Men who partly by their Contrariety of Doctrine partly by their loose Rules of Conscience partly by their frivolous Distinctions and Evasions have made many of the most weighty Duties of Christianity of none effect And some of these Roman Doctrines particularly that of Disobedience to and Resistance of lawful Authority has been exactly copyed out by some I cannot say of our Communion those I mean of the Separation I am no Friend to the fixing of bad Names upon any scrt of Men yet this I think I may truly say that there is more real Popery so far as it is false and dangerous in this single Opinion of resisting of Authority which is so much espoused by some of our Separatists then there is in all the Innocent Ceremonies and those other things which have occasion'd so many groundless Clamours against the Church of England Indeed this Doctrine of Resistance is too ugly to appear bare-faced in the World and therefore has always had some specious pretence or other as the Glory of God the Purity of Religion the Liberty of Conscience or the property of the Subject and all these back'd with a great many of false and Foolish Silly and dangerous Distinctions But the most modern Mask that this Opinion has appeared in of late is this that Non-Resistance say they was only a temporary Command proper only for those first and primitive Ages of the Church when Christians suffered according to the Laws of the Country but the Case was much different in after Ages when the Laws were in Favour of Religion and Christians persecuted contrary to Law I shall not need to speak much in Answer to this Argument the Weakness and Falseness of it being already fully and sufficiently shown by several Worthy Persons I shall only intimate these two things 1. To say that Passive Obedience was only a Duty Incumbent on Christians in the first Ages of the Church is an Assertion without the least Ground or Evidence of Proof for Scripture speaks of Obedience to Authority as a Constant indispensable Duty of Christianity without any Restriction or Limitation as to time or place and we must know that Scripture was intended as a Rule of Faith and Manners not only to that particular time wherein it was writ but also to all succeding Ages and it would be a great Reflection upon the Scripture as to the Perfection of it if it requir'd Non-Resistance of Authority only as a temporary Duty and yet never in the least to intimate how long it should continue thus or how we should know when the time was expired or by what Rules and Measures we should guide our selves when things came to be otherwise I hope they will not say that this is Casus Omissus in Scripture and so to be supplyed either by the Popish Additions or Euthusiastick Interpretations of later Ages But in short these mens way of arguing seems very much to resemble that of Mr. Hobb's in another Case of whom it is observ'd that he supposed Men worse then they were and from thence drew Principles to make them worse then otherwise they would be That is from the Observation of the General Depravation of Humane Nature and the Vicious Inclinations of most Men hence he unwarily drew such Conclusions as these that Violence and Oppression Self-Preservation and Interest without any respect to any higher Principles are the Prime and Fundamental Dictates ofNature and Reason in general without ever distinguishing betwixt pure and corrupted Nature or betwixt Reason truly so call'd and that which is only the Dictate of inferior Sense and Appetite So these Men from some irregular Proceedings either falsely imputed to the Christians about Julian's time or if truly yet but the Miscarriages of some particular Men yet from such premises as these would draw such false and dangerous Conclusions as should justifie and legitimate the like irregular Practises to all succeeding Ages 2. This Assertion has a very bad Influence upon several other Duties of Christianity for thus they argue where there is any Variation of Circumstances now different from what was in the Apostles times there that ceases to be a Duty now which was one then I deny not but where the thing is in its own Nature indifferent and the Reason of the Obligation depends upon the present Circumstances there the Circumstances being chang'd the Obligation ceases but it is not so in his Case Obedience to Magistrates is an Eternal Duty and that which the very Essential Constitutions and Principles of Government require of us here the Variation of some smaller Circumstances will not alter the Nature of the thing if it did we might also by the same way of Arguing prove that voluntary Charity to the Poor now is no Duty incumbent upon Christians this indeed we may say was a Duty in the first Ages of the Church because there were then no Laws in Favour of the Poor but their whole Subsistance depended upon Voluntary Contributions but the case is far otherwise now and thereforethis kind of Charity ceases now to be a Duty the weakness of this Argument I suppose easily appears to any Considerate Man at the first view For tho' there is Provision now made for the Poor by the Law yet notwithstanding there is no Law neither of God nor Man against Voluntary Charity to the Poor So tho' the Laws thanks be to God be in Favour of our Religion now yet there are no Laws neither of God nor Man in the least to encourage Rebellion or Resistance of lawful Authority for Religions sake 2. We must Preach Christ Crucified both in Opposition to some Hereticks of Old who tell us that Christ did not really and truly suffer but in Appearance only so subverting our Faith and also to some later Enthusiasts of our own Age. These seem to be offended upon the same Account that the Jews were here in the Text that is at the plainness and simplicity of the Gospel those Men think every thing Foolish that has not something of Mystery and Enthufiasm in it making all Religion to consist in airy Notions and nice Speculations these are the Religious Chymists of the Age who think they then only speak nothing to the purpose when they speak so as to be understood makeing it their great business to involve and intangle the otherwise plain and easie Doctrines of Christianity These Men pretend to make Religion a far more profound and mysterious thing then God ever made it and whenever any one Argues any thing against 'em according to the best and truest Principles of
THE REASONABLENESS OF THE Christian Religion A SERMON PREACHED At the Visitation held at Stoakesley in Cleveland in Yorkshire Being the first Visitation of the Reverend Mr. Long B. D. and Arch-Deacon of Cleveland By Ja. Lowde Rector of Esington in Cleveland and Chaplain to the Right Honourable John Earl of Bridgewater c. LONDON Printed for Walter Kettilby at the Bishops Head in St. Paul's Church-Yard 1684. To the Right Honourable JOHN Earl of BRIDGEWATER VISCOUNT BRACKLEY BARON of ELLESMERE Lord Lieutenant of the Counteys of BUCKINGHAM and HERTFORD And one of His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council My Lord WHEN I was first desired to make this Sermon publick I was sensible that it wanted and yet was afraid to entitle it to so great a Patronage but the Knowledge and happy Experience I have of your noble and generous Temper together with the many and great Obligations I lie under from your Lordship do not only encourage but oblige me to take all Opportunities of testifying the Sence I have of your Favors and my Gratitude to the World so that I have this to plead in excuse of my Presumption that even Duty and Justice required this Dedication For you have a Right and Title to all the Results of my Studies of this Nature provided they were worthy of your Acceptance seeing it was your Lordships Favor to which I at first ow'd these quiet and happy Opportunities of a Studious Retirement And that which further adds to my Obligations is this that the Remoteness of the Place doth not put me beyond the Reach of that Continued Kindness whose Influence like that of Heaven challenges a kind of an Ubiquity Upon these Accounts my Lord I presume to prefix so great a Name before so mean a Piece Mean I call it not in Respect of the Subject Matter but as to the manner of my handling it The Subject is great and worthy containing the Reasons both of our Religion and Loyalty and whatever Defects I may be otherwise guilty of in treating of them I shall yet make this abundant Compensation to the World in propounding so great an Example of both as your Lordship is to its Imitation The Jews required a Sign and the Greeks looked after Wisdom Those Signs indeed are now ceas'd nor is this an Age of Miracles yet thanks be to God we can yet justly boast of such moral Miracles if I may so speak of Religion and Learning as your Lordship may be justly counted My Lord I shall only add my Prayers to God that the King and Kingdom that both Church and State may be long happy in your able and faithful Councils that Religion and Learning may long enjoy so great a Patron and Allegiance and Loyalty may be long encouraged and promoted by such a great and eminent Example and remain My Lord Your Lordships most dutiful and faithful Servant Ja. Lowde 1 COR. 1. 23 24. But we Preach Christ Crucified to the Jews a stumbling Block and to the Greeks Foolishness but to them that are called both Jews and Greeks Christ the Power of God and the Wisdome of God THere is nothing that affords us more Pious and more Profitable matter of Meditation then the Consideration of the Way and Method by which God first designed and in due time effected mans Salvation For hereby we come to the most excellent and most useful piece of Knowledge that we are capable of that is to the Knowledge of God and of our selves this Method when duly considered and rightly understood being not only the Illustration of all the Divine Attributes of Wisdome Justice Power and Goodness but hereby also we see the shortness of our own meer humane Apprehensions when we consider by what weak and improbable means at least in Mens esteem such God has effected the greatest things that ever Heaven designed or Earth bore Witness to thus giving an undeniable Argument of the Truth and Divinity of that Religion he then instituted But this admirable contrivance of Almighty God met not with an answerable Reception in the World for both Jews and Gentiles either out of weakness or wilfulness either out of ignorance or perverseness were offended at it these two sorts of Men tho' differing much among themselves yet both agreed against Christ and his Religion and thought it a very improbable thing to reconcile the World to the Cross of Christ and indeed a very unreasonable thing to perswade Men to Worship a crucified Saviour As for the Jews they were prepossessed with Apprehensions concerning the Eternity of their Law and the Splendor of their expected Messias so that nothing that was outwardly mean and humble did agree with that pompous Scene of things which they had fancied They expected a great Prince for their Messias who should indeed cause an alteration in the Government but none in their Religion For that they look'd upon as Eternal and never to undergo the least shadow of change And therefore for the Jews who were thus accustomed at least in their own thoughts to Pomp and Ceremony for them who look'd upon themselves as the Children of Abraham and so Heirs of all the Glorious Promises made to them in Scripture for them to embrace an humble persecuted and at last crucifi'd Saviour this they thought inconsistent with their Religion as Jews and with their Reason as Men. And Christ as he was to the Jews a stumbling Block so was he to the Greeks that is as they thought themselves the learneder part of the Gentile World Foolishness Now the Greeks were offended at the plainness and simplicity of the Gospel they looked upon it as an Ignorant and unlearned Institution they expected to have found it full of Philosophy or some kind of nice and curious Learning which was in request and esteem among them and being disappointed heroin they began to entertain low and mean thoughts concerning it as not worthy to enter into their Scholes and upon this account was the Gospel to the Greeks Foolishness These were the two Grand Imputations under which the Gospel then lay both from Jews and Gentiles to both which the Text is a direct Answere that what ever mean thoughts the Jews might entertain concerning the Crucified Jesus and what ever unworthy apprehensions the Greeks might have of his Doctrine yet upon a due Consideration of things to those that are called that is to those that become Christians for that is the plain and proper and usual sence of Calling in Scripture to those who Judge by better Principles and surer Rules it is the Power of God in Opposition to the Jews and the Wisdome of God in Opposition to the Gentiles These two Scandals here cast upon Christ and his Religion together with the respective Answers which the Apostle here gives to them are the general parts of the Text and shall be the Subject of my present discourse First in Answer to the Jews I shall do these two things 1. I shall shew what little reason the Jews