As for instance, Man is made a Rational free Agent; and God is unchangeably his Rightful Governor, of infinite Power,1 Wisdom and Goodness: Therefore the nature of God and Man (in via) thus compared are the fundamentum from whence constantly resulteth our indispensable duty to love him, trust him, fear him, and obey him: But if our being, or reason, or free-will, which are our essential Capacities cease, our obligations cease cessante fundamento. God hath made Man a sociable Creature; and while he is in society, the Law of Nature obligeth him to many things, which he hath no obligation to, when the society is dissolved: As when a Parent, Child, Wife, or Neighbour dieth, all our duties to them cease. Nature by the position of many circumstances, hath made Incest ordinarily a thing producing manifold evils, and a sin against God: And yet Nature so placed the children of Adam, in other circumstances, that the said Nature made that their duty (to marry one another) which in others would have been an unnatural thing: Nature forbiddeth Parents to murder their children: ⟨p. 73⟩But when God the absolute Lord of life, would that way try Abraham's obedience, when he was sure that he had a supernatural command, even Nature obliged him to obey it. Nature forbiddeth men to rob each other of their proper goods. But when the Owner of all things, had given the Israelites the Egyptians goods, and changed the propriety, the fundamentum of their former natural obligation ceased. Changes in natura rerum, which are the foundation of our obligation, may make changes in the obligations, which before were natural. But so far as Nature, that Nature which foundeth duty is the same, the duty remaineth still the same: The contrary would be a plain contradiction.
As for instance, Man is made a Rational free Agent; and God is unchangeably his Rightfull Governour, of infinite Power,1 Wisdom and Goodness: Therefore the nature of God and Man (in via) thus compared are the fundamentum from whence constantly resulteth our indispensable duty to love him, trust him, fear him, and obey him: But if our being, or reason, or free-will, which are our essential Capacities cease, our obligations cease cessante fundamento. God hath made Man a sociable Creature; and while he is in society, the Law of Nature obligeth him to many things, which he hath no obligation to, when the society is dissolved: As when a Parent, Childe, Wife, or Neighbour dieth, all our duties to them cease. Nature by the position of many circumstances, hath made Incest ordinarily a thing producing manifold evils, and a sin against God: And yet Nature so placed the children of Adam, in other circumstances, that the said Nature made that their duty (to marry one another) which in others would have been an unnatural thing: Nature forbiddeth Parents to murder their children: ⟨p. 73⟩But when God the absolute Lord of life, would that way try Abrahams obedience, when he was sure that he had a supernatural command, even Nature obliged him to obey it. Nature forbiddeth men to rob each other of their proper goods. But when the Owner of all things, had given the Israelites the Egyptians goods, and changed the propriety, the fundamentum of their former natural obligation ceased. Changes in natura rerum, which are the foundation of our obligation, may make changes in the obligations, which before were natural. But so far as Nature, that Nature which foundeth duty is the same, the duty remaineth still the same: The contrary would be a plain contradiction.
- 1Diogenes (in Laert.) congregatis ad se plurimis exprobravit, quod ad inepta studiosè concurrerent; ad ea vero quae gravia & utilia, negligenter convenirent: Dicebatque de fodiendo & calcitrando certare homines, ut autem boni & probi fierent curare neminem. Musicos in jus vocabat, quod cum lyrae chordas congruè aptarent, animi mores inconcinnos haberent. Mathematicos carpebat, quod Solem & Lunam & sydera intuentes, quae ante pedes erant negligerent. Oratores item, quod studerent justa dicere, non autem & facere. Avaros quoque quod pecuniam vituperarent, ac summè diligerent: & eos qui justos, quod pecunias contemnerent laudabant, pecuniosos verò imitari satagebant. Stomachabatur eis qui pro bona valetudine sacra facerent, inter sacrificia contra sanitatem coenarent. Servos mirabatur, qui cum edaces dominos cernerent, nihil diriperent ciborum.— Dicebat manus ad amicos non complicatis digitis extendi oportere.
