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ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A47255 A dialogue between two friends occasioned by the late revolution of affairs, and the oath of allegiance by W.K. ... Kennett, White, 1660-1728. 1689 (1689) Wing K300; ESTC R16675 26,148 42

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A DIALOGUE BETWEEN TWO FRIENDS LICENSED James Fraser April 22 1689. A DIALOGUE BETWEEN Two Friends Occasioned by the late REVOLUTION OF AFFAIRS And the OATH OF ALLEGIANCE By W. K. A. M. Rom. 14. 22. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in what he alloweth LONDON Printed for Ric. Chiswell at the Rose and Crown in in St. Paul's Church-yard MDCLXXXIX A DIALOGUE BETWEEN TWO FRIENDS A JACOBITE and a WILLIAMITE Jac. MEthinks we live in an Age of Wonders Affrica like every day producing aliquid novi But few Months since Suspension Degradation Imprisonment was too little punishment for refusal to read the King's as 't was stil'd Gracious Declaration for Liberty of Conscience And now I am as much Disaffected to the Protestant Cause for making some Objections against the Oath of Allegiance Will. 'T is true the wonderful Revolution of a few days is so unfathomably Stupendious that an ordinary Capacity may easily be induc'd to believe that Miracles are not yet ceased Such signal Methods compassing such an unthought of Rescue loudly declare they are more than common And your obstinate refusal of a Deliverance written in such legible Characters your voluntary depriving your self of a share in so great and unparallel'd a Blessing is a second wonder to me incomprehensible Jac. 'T is not I protest from an affected singularity or a too high conceitedness of my own Opinion that like Athanasius I oppose the whole World by my self The only reason is that I may keep a Conscience void of offence both toward God and Man. I acknowledge the Prince of Orange has been the great Instrument of our Deliverance from Popery and Arbitrary Power and more highly deserves of the Nation than can be expressed yet I cannot forget those Tyes and Obligations that fix and river our Allegiance to our Dread Sovereign James the Second Will. What are these strong and binding Obligations Jac. In number ten thousand in nature superlatively Obligatory Will. Descend to Particulars and nominate one Jac. The Dictates of Nature bind me to Natural Allegiance being by Birth a Natural Subject to the King of Great Britain my Duty is to pay Homage and Obedience either Active or Passive to all his Commands Will. I readily grant that as you are a Subject to the King of Great Britain his Majesty hath an undoubted Right to challenge your Obedience but the Ground and Reason of this Right does not proceed as an Emanation from Nature as I shall immediately evince when I have gotten a right sence of your Notion of Passive Obedience Jac. By Passive Obedience I understand a submissive and patient suffering the Punishment due to the obstinate refusal of Actively obeying those Commands and Injunctions of my Superiors that are either inconsistent with or opposite to the Laws and Precepts of the Divine Creator Will. Patience under Punishment when Legally inflicted upon us and there is no lawful way to escape it is a Christian Duty as is clear and obvious both from the Doctrine and Example of our Saviour who despised the shame and endured the Cross. But if Passive Obedience as you interpret it be Sence Logicians are much mistaken in affirming ten Predicaments since in your account Actio and Passio are one Obedience in all Histories whether Sacred or Prophane has no relation to suffering but always signifies the doing things commanded Thus Exod. 15. 26. If thou wilt heark●n to the voice of the Lord and do that is right in his sight Exod. 24. 7. After Moses had read the Book of the Law the People promised their Obedience to do all that was there injoyned them And 1 Sam. 28. 19. King Saul for not doing the Command of the Lord was stigmatized with the infamus Character of Disobedience notwithstanding his suffering the punishment of his Transgression Acts 5. 29. the Apostles affirm they ought to obey that is Do the Will of God rather than Man. And all those Express and Positive Commands for Wives Children and Servants to obey their Husbands Parents and Masters only import 't is their Duty to please them well by doing those things enjoin'd by them In opposition to this Passive naturally implies suffering the Penalty for not doing so that should we allow such a contradiction in Speech as Passive Obedience 't would naturally follow that those who have suffered the punishment of the Law are justified by the Law for if Suffering render Men obedient the Penalty being endured they are cleansed from their Guilt and become Immaculate And by virtue of this Argument Rebels Thieves Murtherers or the worst of Villians are after they have receiv'd the Reward of their Transgressions as honest Men as good Neighbours and as Loyal Subjects as your self I know 't is objected that Rebels Thieves c. are actual Transgressors of the Laws both Humane and Divine and so fall as Criminals but the others suffer because they refuse to violate or transgress those Laws But to this 't is replyed that according to your own Position they are Criminals alike for the Doctrine of Passive Obedience especially as by you defined doth sufficiently evidence notwithstanding what you talk of Laws that the Will of the Supreme Magistrate is the chiefest Rule we are to walk by for whatever Command brings with it Authority to require Obedience that very Authority doth plainly impress upon it the Character of a Law. Now Criminals upon the account of Omission are equally guilty with those that have render'd themselves so by Sins of Commission it being equally the same as to matter of Crime not to do those things Commanded and to act or do those things Prohibited So that by parity of Reason if the one be justified so will the other for facinus quos inquinat aequat Jac. I had no design to enter into a Controversie about Passive Obedience I asserted that Nature enjoined me to pay Allegiance to the Supreme Magistrate and my Reason was because I was by Birth a Natural Subject Will. That Nature obliges you to Obedience is a great Mistake for the constitutes no Subordination among Men as we are produced by her we are all Equals she ordains neither King or Peasant Lord or Slave Her Actions are only internal such as respect not those outward Adjuncts or external Qualifications The Laws she designs for our Guide are her own Precepts viz. those Innate Notions of Good and Evil those Common Sentiments of Vertue and Vice that are proper to all men as they are Rational Creatures The Governour she appoints over us is every man 's own Reason the Judge our particular Consciences 'T is indeed by the Force or Energy of Nature we are made Men but we are born free This is evident from that absolute Authority every particular Man hath over himself viz. an independent Power in disposing of his own person Thus by Compact or Bargain any Man I speak of Subjects may become a Covenant-Servant an Apprentice or a Slave without Nature's being concern'd in the Contract For