Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
duty_n	law_n	pay_v	tithe_n	1,131	5	9.7496	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A96352	A sermon preached at Dorchester in the county of Dorcet, at the generall assizes held the 7. of March, 1632. / By John White of Dorchester, rector of the Church of the Holy Trinity.	White, John, 1575-1648.	1648 (1648)	Wing W1782; Thomason E469_6	33,644	43

to the preservation of peace and furthering of publike welfare that every subject is bound not only not to oppose or neglect but to submit to such penalty as the Law Inflicts on such as observe it not as also to doe and performe what the Law requires to be done according to the true Intention of the Law and that Conscionably without any carelesse neglect or wilfull omission seeing the relation which such a Commandement hath to publike good which Gods Law Injoynes us to further to our power bindeth the very Conscience it selfe to the choice of every way ☜ and to the use of every set means tending thereunto much more of those means which are prescribed unto us by such an Ordinance of God as the Law of the Magistrates the Primary Intention whereof is to bring a man to Conformity to the order prescribed and not to subjection to the punishment in case of transgression Secondly Where the Magistrates direction proves some way inconvenient either particularly to ones selfe or generally to the publike notwithstanding if the Inconvenience be not greater then the hazard of Infringing publike peace or of Incurring the Scandall and Contempt of authority or of Incouraging the Carelesse or the froward to neglect or oppose Government there the lesse evill must be chosen according to that received maxime Salus populi suprema lex and to the Apostles rule If it be possible as much as in you lies have peace with all men Rom. 12.18 One of these considerations even the avoyding of offence moved our Saviour to pay tribute though unjustly demanded of him Ma. 17.27 Lastly ☜ Where obedience to the will of God dischargeth a man from performing the will of the ruler there it binds him to a modest and respectfull refusall which may testifie his reservation of due reguard to the power that Commands where he cannot allow the Commandement it self Secondly ☞ A quiet submission to whatsoever authority layes upon him although for his just refusall Looking to Gods equity in mans Iniquity as the nobles of J●dah did in Shishacks oppression 2 Chro. 12.6 This is to Indure griefe for Conscience sake towards God 1 Pet. 2.19 To these rules let me adde this Caution Seeing God Injoynes obedience in doing the Rulers will in all things wherein he gives us not a discharge by a Countermand of his owne ☞ Let every man advisedly Consider whether his discharge from doing be as cleere and evident as his charge is to that which is required doubt in this Case is no sufficient plea against obedience and that rule quod dubitas ne feceris that which you doubt of forbeare to doe must be limited to such things only as are in our free choice wherein our forbearance is without danger and our performance carryes with it the hazard of offending and this is that obedience which is due to authority The last dutie wherewith we stand charged to Rulers is supply of maintenance which also seems to be appendent to their honours and dignities Sure the Apostle reckons it among their dues Rom. 13.7 Hence it was that such as brought Saul no present at his first entrance into his Kingdome even before the means of his maintenance were setled by Law are as well markt out for that refusall of theirs for Sonnes of Belial as they are for despising him 1 Sa. 10.27 as denying him two duties of service and honour entayled to his Crown Whteher this supply of maintenance be Gods portion as Ministers Tiths are and therefore to be received by such as have authority as his due I will not dispute Sure the Apostle seemes to imply that we ought to pay Custome for Conscience sake Rom. 13.5 And this is out of Controversie that the duty of supporting Governours by a supply of maintenance proportionable to their places and dignities is built upon a double foundation The first is Justice and equity not so much distributive as Commutative whereby we are bound to recompence the wasting of the Rulers Spirits the wearing out of their bodies and the neglect of their private affaires for publike service among other Incouragements with a publike retribution besides the profits which acrew to the body of a State by the Governours care and provident direction by which every man without feare or disturbance eats the fruits of his own labours requires the Countervayling of so large benefits by a publike acknowledgement wherein we render unto Magistrates a portion of that abundance and plenty which we Injoy by their providence as we render unto God the first of that Increase which is multiplyed by his blessing The Second foundation of this supply of maintenance unto Governours is necessity seeing neither the Majesty of the rulers place nor his ability to support the publike Can possibly stand to be upheld without such a supply from the body of the State The measure whereof Reason proportions at least to the quality Eminency and Importance of the Rulers place and to the necessity of the occasions Intervenient As for the meanes of rasing this maintenance reason againe Informes us that seeing it is retribution for a Common benefit and supply for the furthering of a Common service it must be raised out of a Common purse whether by yearely revenues as Customes or Tributes which for the antiquity and universallity may seeme to have some foundation in the Law of nature or by any other way I leave to be discussed by them whom it concernes We have passed over the cheife duties which Subjects owe unto their Governours the manner how it must be performed seemes to be pointed at in the Title given them they are Called Gods and threfore must be honoured as Gods though not with that kind of honour which must be Civill not Religious Yet in divers circumstances of the manner of performance many particulars whereof the Apostle Eph. 6.5.6.7 sets downe distinctly For requiring Servants to performe their duty to their Masters as unto the Lord he directs them to serve them First in obedience to God Secondly and therefore with feare Thirdly and yet with sincerity and singlenesse of heart and Lastly with Cheerefulnesse as they love a Chearefull giver 2 Cor. 9.7 Let this direction of the Apostle be a patterne of our service and obedience to our Governours what they Command Let us performe not because we will but because they will it not because it pleaseth us but because it is good in their eyes Let all our performances to them be tempered with feare and trembling at the Majesty of their person at the authority of their Commands and the terror of their Indignation which cannot but make us carefull in observation of their directions in our owne Carriage speedy in undertaking and sedulous in execution Unto feare adde sincerity Let the heart stoope when the knee bows in their presence Let the heart and affections ●oyne when the outward man executes their directions Let us as well reverence them in the Closet as bow to

and paricide in the highest nature Secondly Consider that things of this nature are not more hainous then manifest and impossible to be hid Curse not the King no not in thy thoughts nor the rich in thy bed Chamber Saith Solomon for a bird of the ayr shall carry the voyce and that which hath wings shall declare the matter ☞ Ecl. 14.20 As if God had given charge to all his creatures to attend upon the persons of his Gods and to avenge their wrong Lastly rest assured that such sins can much lesse escape unrevenged then they can passe unespied when so many parties of such eminency and power are Interested in the wrong Princes for their places and dignities the state for her peace and safety and God himselfe the avenger as David calls him Psalme 94.1 for his owne honour which is shamefully defaced by slightning his Commissioners neglecting his deputies and consequently villifying his authority Injuries which if men avenge seven sold as appeares in the fearfull execution done by David upon the Ammonites for abusing and disgracing his Ambassadours 2 Sa. 12.31 Surely God must needs avenge seventy times seven fold and so much more quanto magis potest qui pollet c. These considerations laid together cannot but make a tender conscience tremble at such a gulfe of mischiefes carefull to avoid the occasions appearances and bordering passages of such dangerous courses as lead so apparently to destruction a wise man will rather chuse a foule way then a path so neer the edge of the Clife that a slip of his foot a blast of wind or the least unexpected accident may cast him head long into the Sea and a man possessed with Gods feare would rather trespasse upon his own liberty estate or peace ☞ then hazard himselfe upon the gulfe of Gods fearfull indignation by slighting or contemning his power and authority in the persons of his Vicegerents that beare his Image But I chuse rather to insist upon an exhortation then reproofe If therefore Magistrates be Gods let them be respected and acknowledged to be Gods both by the duties of performance and the manner of performance the duties we owe to Governours may be reduced unto three heads reverence to their eminency subjection to their authority and retribution and supply to their maintenance for their care and providence all included in the fifth Commandement under the name of honour all to be seasoned with that sweet affection of love of which they are the fruits and all Inforced by the strength of the law of nature as that Title of Parents given to all kinds of Governours by God himselfe as in that Commandement necessarily implyes of these three Circumstances in order a few words The f rst of these duties is reverence distinguished from feare taken in a strict signification three wayes First Feare seemes to be an Involuntary passion arising Immediately upon the representation of a formidable object whereas Reverence is a voluntary affection grounded upon Judgement and approbation and mixt with some kind of love and desire towards that which we reverence Secondly Though eminency may be conceived to be common to the object both of reverence and of feare yet feare seemes to looke more directly at the eminency of power and reverence to respect the eminency and worth of goodnesse Lastly Feare supposeth Inequality between the persons fearing and feared for a man feares not much his equalls much lesse his Inferiours but a man reverenceth oftentimes eminency of the worth and abilities of such as are below him not only in place but in worth and parts This reverence we may conceive to be the advancement of anothers Eminency either in worth or place in our Judgement and affection with the manifestation thereof in our words and behaviour that reverence which we yield to a person for his worth is given unto him for himselfe and is grounded upon the due estimation of his eminent parts whom we reverence reverence given to a man for the place rank wherein he stands is bestowed on him not for himselfe but for him which placed him in that roome as upon an Inferiour Magistrate for the Kings sake and upon the King for Gods sake and this is that reverence which we claime unto Magistrates as their due ☜ and that not belonging unto their personall abilities but to their places and consequently yielded unto them not so much for themselves as to God in whose roome they stand and whose person they represent a circumstance worth our consideration as serving for a double use First To Inforce the necessity of that duty of reverence to Governours howsoever qualified or deserving otherwise as not due to his person but to his place not to himselfe whom we reverence but to God whose Image we reverence in him seeing there is no more reason why God should lose his right because he demands it by the hand of an unworthy person then why a Landlord should lose his rent ☞ because his bailife that requires it is a wicked person or an unfaithfull Servant Secondly This consideration of the ground upon which reverence is due discovers the haynousnesse of mens sin that deny it to those to whom it belongs it is not a trespasse against men but a sin against God himselfe as he tells Samuel 1 Sa. 8.7 They have not rejected thee but they have rejected me ☞ This reverence as hath bin intimated to you hath the spring whence it flows in the heart the judgement allowing the will submitting unto and chusing and the affection embracing and entertaining any person Invested with authority from God by his Ordinances this reverence of heart casts a vayle before the eye of the mind for prying too boldly into Magistrates secrets it serves for a bridell to the thoughts to hold them back from uncharitable censures of their purposes and actions and for contempt of their places for their failings personall defects from this roote of inward reverence springs all the fruits of respective carriage towards Governours such are waiting for their words and directions keeping silence at their Counsells receiving and performing of their Commands keeping distance from their persons advancing them in their presence with honourable Compellations and reverent gestures and in their absence Commending their deserts silencing their defects excusing their errors and opposing their detractors without the Concurrence of both these ☞ I meane inward and outward reverence we faile in this duty and especially where Inward is with-held there outward performances are no better then Histrionicall gestures and base dissimulations Reverence to the Eminency of Magistrates places must be accompanied with subjection or rather obedience to their authority the foundation of authority originally is the dependence which one person hath upon another now seeing not only men but all Creatures have their totall and absolute dependence upon God it must needs follow that to him alone belongs absolute and plenary obedience this obedience we terme an