is a shrewd Presumption that they did not understand them in that selfe in which the Church of Rome does now take them Nor does St. Paul in the directions that he gives to Church-men in his Epistles to Timothy and Titus reckon this of submitting to the directions of the Church for one which he could not have omitted if this be the trâ—e meaning of those disputed passages and yet he has not one wâ—rd sounding that way which is very diffeâ—ent from the direction which one possessed with the present view that the Church of Rome has of this maâ—er must needs have given V. There are some things very expresly taught in the N. Testament such as the rules of a good Life the Vse of the Sacraments the addressing our selves to God for Mercy and Grace thro the Sacrifice that Christ offered for us on the Cross and the worshipping him 〈◊〉 God the Death Resurrection and Ascention of Iesus Christ the Resurrection of our Bodies and Life Everlasting by which it is apparent 〈◊〉 we are set beyond doubt in those matters if then there are other passages more obscure concerning other mattâ—rs we must conclude that thâ—â— are not of that Consequence other wise they would have been aâ— Plainly reâ—ealed as others are but above all if the Authority of the Church is delivered to us in disputable terms that is a just prejudice against it since it is a thing of such Consefluence that â—t ought to have been revealed in a way so very clear and past all dispute VI. If it is a Presumption for particular Persons to judge concerning Religion which must be still referred to the Priests and other Guides in sacred matters this is a good Argument to oblige all Nations to continue in the Established Religion whatever it may happen to be and above all others it was a convincing Argument in the Mouths of the Iews against our Saviour He pretended to be the Messias and proved it both by the prophesies that were accomplished in him and by the Miracles that he wrought as for the Prophesies the Reasons urged by the Church of Rome will conclude much stronger that such dark passagâ—s as those of the Prophets were ought not to be interpreted by particular Persons but that the Exposâ—ion of these must be referred to the Priests and Sanbedrin it being expresly provided in their law Deut. 17. 8 That when Controversies arose concerning any Cause that was too intricate they were to go to the place which God should choose and to the Priests of the Tribe of Levi and to the Iudge in those days and that they were to declare what was right and to their dâ—cision all were obliged to submit under pain of Death So that by this it appears that the Priests in the Iewish Religion were authorised in so extraordinary a manner that I dare say the Church of Rome would not wish for a more formal Testimony on her behalf As fâ—r our Saviours Miracles these were not sufficient neither unless his Doctrine was first found to be good since Moses had expresly warned the people Deut. 13. 1. That if a Prophet came and taught them to follow after other Gods they were not to obey him tho he wrought Miracles to prove his Mission but were to put him to Death So a Iew saying that Christ by making himself one with his Father brought In thk worship of another God might well pretend that he was not oblig'd to yield to the authority of our Saviours Miracles without taking cognisance of his Doctrine and of the Prophesies concerning the Messias and in a word of the whole matter So that if these Reasonings are now good against the Reformation they were as strong in the mouths of the Iews against our Saviour and form hence we see that the authority that seems to be given by Moses to the Priests must be understood with some Restrictions since we not only find the prophets and Ieremy in particular opposing themselves to the whole body of them but we see likewise that for some considerable time before our Saviour's dâ—ys not only many ill-grounded Traditions had got in among them by which the vâ—goâ— of the moral law was much enervated but likewise they were universally possessed with a selfe notion of their Messias so that even the Apostles themselves had not quite shaken off those prejudices at the time of our Saviour's Ascention So that here a Church that was still the Church of God that had the appointed means of the Expiations of their sins by their Sacrifices and Washings as well as by their Circumcision was yet under great and fatal Errors from which particular persons had no way to extricate themselves but by examining the Doctrine and Texts of Scripture and by judging of them according to the Evidence of Truth and the force and freedom of their Faculties VII It seems Evident that the passage Tell the Church belongs only to the reconciling of Differences that of binding and loâ—sing according to the use of those terms among the Iews signifies only an Authority that was given to the Apostles of giving precepts by which men were to be obliged to such Duties or set at liberty from them and the gates of Hell not prevailing against the Church signifies only that the Christian Religion was never to come to an end or to perish and that of Christs being with the Apostles to the end of the world imports only a special conduct and protection which the Church may always expect but as the promise I will not leave â—â—ee nor forsake thee that belongs to every Christian does not import an Infallibility no more does the other And for those passages concerning the spirit of God that searches all things it is plain that in them St. Paul is treating of the divine Inspiration by which the Christian Religion was then opened to the world which he sets in opposition to the wisdom or philosophy of the Greeks so that as all those passages come short of proving that for which they are alledged it must at last be acknowledged that they have not an Evidence great enough to prove so important a truth as some would evince by them since 't is a matter of such vast consequence that the proofs for it must have an undeniable Evidence VIII In the matters of Religion two things are to be considered first the Account that we must give to God and the Rewards that we expect from him and in this every man must answer for the sincerity of his heart in examining divine Matters and the following what upon the best Enquiries that one could make appeared to be 〈◊〉 and with relation to this there is no need of a Judge for in that Great Day every one must answer to God according to the Talents that he had and all will be saved according to their sincerity and with relation to that judgment there is no need of any other judge but God A second view of Religion is as
oblige the Subjects to defend this it had been more modest if they had been only bound to bear it and submit to it but it is a terrible thing so far to extinguish all the remnants of natural Liberty or of a Legal Government as to oblige the Subjects by Oath to maintain the Exercise of this which plainly must destroy themselves for the short execution by the Bow-strings of Turkey or by sending Orders to Men to return in their Heads being an Exercise of this Absolute Power it is a little too hard to make men swear to maintain the King in it and if that Kingdom has suffered so much by the many Oaths that have been in use among them as is marked in this Proclamation I am afraid this new Oath will not much mend the matter XIV Yet after all there is some Comfort his Majesty assures them he will use no Violence nor Force nor any Invincible Necessity to any man on the account of his perswasion It were too great a want of respect to fancy that a time may come in which even this may be remembrad full as well as the promises that were made to the Parliament after His Majesty came to the Crown I do not I Confess apprehend that for I see here so great a Caution used in the choice of these words that it is plain very great Severities may very well consist with them It is clear that the general words of Violence and Force are to be determined by these last of Invincible Necessity so that the King does only promise to lay no Invincible Necessity on his Subjects but for all Necessâ—ies that are not Invincible it seems thy must expect to bear a large share of them Disgraces want of Imployments Fines and Imprisonments and even Death it self are all Vincible things to a man of a â—irmness of mind so that the Violences of Torture the Furies of Dragooâ—s and some of the Methods now practised in France perhaps may be Included within this Promise since these seem almost Invincible to Humane Nature if it is not fortified with an Extraordinary measure of Grace but as to all other things His Majesty binds himself up from no part of the Exercise of His Absolute Power by this Promise XV. His Majesty Orders this to go Immediately to the Great Seal without passing through the other Seals now since this is â—â—unter-signed by the Secretary in whose hands the Signet is there was no other step to be made but through the Privy Seal so I must own I have a gâ—eat Curiosity of knowing his Character in whose hands the Privy Seal is at present for it seems his Conscience is not so very supple as the Chancellors and the Secretaries are but it is very likely if he does not quickly change his mind the Privy Seal at least will very quickly change its Keeper and I am sorry to hear that the Lord Chancellor and the Secretary have not another Brother to fill this post that so the guilt of the ruin of that Nation may lie on one siâ—gle Family and that there may be no others involved in it XVI Upon the whole matter many smaller things being waved it being extream unpleasant to find fault where one has all possible dispositions to pay all respect we here in England see what we must look for A Parliament in Scotland was tryed but it proved a little Stubborn and now Absolute Power comes to set all right so when the Closetting has gone round so that Noses are counted we may perhaps see a Parliament here but if it chanâ—â—s to be untoward and not to Obey without Reserve then our Reverend Judges will copy from Scotland and will not only tell us of the King 's Imperial Power but will discover to us this new Mystery of Absolute Power to whch we are all bound to Obey without Reserve These Reflexions refer in so many places to some words in the Proclamation that it was thought necessary to set them near one another that the Reader may be able to Iudge whether he is deceived by any false Quotations or not By the King A PROCLAMATION IAMES R. JAMES the Seventh by the Grace of God King of Scotland England France Ireland Defender of the Faith c. To all and sundry our good Subjects whom these presents do or may concern Greeting We have taken into our Royal Consideration the many and great inconveniencies which have happened to that our Ancient Kingdom of Scotland of late years through the different perswasions in the Christian Religion and the great Heats and Animosities amongst the several Professors thereof to the ruin and decay of Trade wasting of Lands extinguishing of Charity contempt of the Royal Power and converting of True Religion and the Fear of God into Animosities Names Fractions and sometimes into Sacrilege and Treason And being resolved as much as in us lyes to Unite the Hearts and Affections of Our Subjects to GOD in Religion to Us in Loyalty and to their Neighbours in Christian Love and Charity Have therefore thought fit to Grant and by Gur Souveraign Authority Prerogative Royal and Absolute Power which all Our Subjects are to Obey without Reserve Do hereby give and grant Our Royal Toleration to the several Professors of the Christian Religion after named with and under the several Conditions Restrictions and Limitations after-mentioned In the first place We allow and Tolerate the Moderate Presbyterians to Meet in their Private Houses and there to hear all such Ministers as either have or are willing to accept of Our Indulgence allanerly and none other and that there be not any thing said or done contrary to the Well and Peace of Our Reign Seditious or Treasonable under the highest Pains these Crimes will import nor are they to presume to Build Meeting-Houses or to use Out-Houses or Barns but only to exercise in their Private Houses as said is In the mean time it is Our Royal Will and Pleasure that Field-Conventicles and such as Preach or Exercise at them or who shall any ways assist or connive at them shall be prosecuted according to the utmost Severity of our Laws made against them seeing from these Rendezvouzes of Rebellion so much Disorder hath proceeded and so much Disturbance to the Government and for which after this Our Royal Indulgence for tender Consciences there is no Excuse lefâ— In like manner we do hereby tolerate Quakers to meet and Exercise in their Form in any Place or Places appointed for their Worship And considering the Severe and Cruel Laws made against Roman Catholicks therein called Papists in the Minority of Our Royal Grand Father of * Glorious Memory without His Consent and contrary to the Duty of good Subjects by His Regents and other Enemies to their Lawful Soveraigns Our Royal Great Grand Mother Queen Mary of Blessed and Pious Memory wherein â—nder the pretence of Religion they cloathed the worst of Treasons Factions and Usurpations and 〈◊〉 these Laws not as against
cost us The Point which he singles out is That we have failed in that grateful Return that we owed his Majesty for his Promise of Maintaining our Church as it is Established by Law since upon that we ought to have repealed the Sanguinary Laws and the late impious Tests the former being enacted to maintain the Usurpation of Queen Elizabeth and the other being contrived to exclude the present King We have not failed to pay all the Gratitude and Duty that was possible in return to His Majesties Promise which we have carried so far that we are become the Object even of our Enemies Scorn by it With all Humility be it said that if His Majesty had promised us a farther Degree of His Favour than that of which the Law had assuered us it might have been expected that our return should have a degree of Obedience beyond that which was required by Law so that the return of the Obedience injoyned by Law answers a Promise of a protection according to Law yet we carried this matter farther for as was set forth in the beginning of this paper we went on in so high a pace of Compliance and Confidence that we drew the censuers of the whole Nation on us nor could any Jealousies or Fears give us the least Apprehensions tell we were so hard pressed in matters of Religion that we conld be no longer silent The same Apostle that taught us to Honour the King said likewise that we must obey God rather than man Our Author knows the History of our Laws ill for besides wha has been allready said touching the Laws made by Queen Elizabeth the severest of our Penall Laws and that which troubles him and his friends most was past by K. Iames after the Gunpowder-plot a provocation thut might have well Justified even greater Severities But tho our Author may hope to Impose on an Ignorant Reader who may be apt to believe Implicity what he says concerning the Laws of the last Age yet it was too hold for him to assert that the Tests which are so lately made were contrived to exclude the present King when there was not a thought of Exclusion many Years after the first was made and the Duke was accepted out of the second by a special Proviso but these Gentlemen will do well never to mention the Exclusion for every time that it is named it will make people call to mind the Service that the Church of England did in that matter and that will carry with it a Reproach of Ingratitude that needs not be aggravated He also confounds the two Tests as if that for publick Imployments contained in it a Declaration of the Kings being an Idolater or as he makes it a Pagan which is not at all in it but in the other for the Members of Parliament in which there is indeed a Declaration that the Church of Rome is guilty of Idolatry which is done in general terms without applying it to His Majesty as our Author does Upon this he would infer that his Majesty is not safe till the Tests are taken away but we have given such Evidences of our Loyalty that we have plainly shewed this to be false since we do openly declare that our Duty to the King is not founded on his being of this or that Religion so that his Majesty has a full Security from our Principles tho the Tests contiune since there is no reason that we who did run the hazard of being ruined by the Excluders when the Tide was so strong against us would fail his Majesty now when our Interest and Duty are joyned together but if the Tests are taken away it is certain that we can have no Severity any longer for we shall be then laid open to the Violence of such restless and ill-natured men as the Author of this Papâ—r and his Brethren are VI. The same reason that made our Saviour refuse to throw himself down from the Roof of the Temple when the Devil tempted him to it in the vain Confidence that Angels must be assistant to him to preserve him holds good in our Case Our Saviour said Thou shalt not Tempt the Lord thy God And we dare not trust our selves to the Faith and to the Mercies of a Society that is but too well known to the World to pretend that we should pull down our Pales to let in such Wolves among us God and the Laws hath given us a legal Security aâ—d His Majesty has promised to maintain us in it and we think it argues no Distrust either of God or the Truth of our Religion to say that we cannot by any Act of our own lay our selves open and throw away that Defenee Nor would we willingly expose his Majesty to the unwearied Solicitations of a sort of men who if we may Judge of that which is to come by that which is past would give him no rest if once the Restraints of Law were taken off but would drive matters to those Extremities to which we see their Natures carry them headlong VII The last Paragraph is a strain worchy of that School that bred our Author he says His Majesty may withdraw his Royal Protection from the Church of England which was promised her upon the account of her constant Fidelity and he brings no other Proof to confirm so bold an Assertion but a false Axiome of that despised Philosophy in which he was bred Cessante causa tollitur Effectus This is indeed such an lndignity to His Majesty that I presume to say it with all humble Reverence these are the last persons whom he ought to pardon that have the Boldnels to touch so sacred a point as the Faith of a Prince which is the chief Security of Government and the Foundation of all the Confidence that a Prince can promise himself from his People and which once blasted can never be recovered Equivocations may be both taught and practised with less danger by an Order that has little Credit to lose but nothing can shike Thrones so much as such treacherous Maxims I must also ask our Author in what point of Fidelity has our Church failed so far as to make her forfeit her Title to His Majesties Promises for as he himself has stated this matter it comes all to this The King promised that he would maintain the Church of England as Established by Law Upon which in Gratitude he says that the Church of England was bound to throw up the Chief Security that she had in her Establishment by Law which is that all who are intrusted either with the Legislative or the executive Parts of our Government must be of her Communion and if the Church of England is not so Tame and so Submissive as to part with This then the King is free from his Promise and may withdraw his Royal Protection though I must crave leave to tell him that the Laws gave the Church of England a Right to that Protection whether His Majesty had promised
Richard Baxter Preacher An Answer to the Criminal Letters issued out against me I Look upon it as a particular Misfortune that I am forced to answer a Citation that is made in His Majesties Name which will be ever so Sacred with me that nothing but the sense of an indispensable Duty could draw from me any thing that looks like a Contending with that sublime Character I owe the Defence of my own Innocence and of my own Reputation and Life to my self I owe also to all my Kindred and Friends to my Religion as I am a Christian and a Protestant and to my Profession as I am a Church-man and above all to His Majesty as I am his Born-Subject such a Vindication of my Loyalty and Integrity as may make it appear that my not going to Scotland according to the Tenour of this Citation does not flow from any sense of Guilt or Fear but meerly from those Engagements under which I am in Holland I hope my Contradicting or Refuting the Matters of Fact set forth in this Citation shall not be so maliciously perverted by any as if I meant to reflect either on His Majesty for writing to his Council of Scotland ordering this Citation to be made or on his Advocate for forming it and issuing it out But as I acknowledge that upon the Information that it seems was offer'd of those matters here laid against me it was very reasonable for Hs Majesty to order Justice to be done upon me so his Advocate in whose hands those Informations it seems are now put had all possible reason to lay them against me as he has done and therefore I will not pretend to make an Exception to the Laws and Acts of Parliament set forth in the first part of this Citation but I will only answer the matters of Fact laid to my Charge and whatsoever I say concerning them does only belong to my false Accusers and therefore I hope they will not be lookt on as things in which even His Majesties Advocate but much less His Sacred Majesty is any ways concerned I am first accused for having seen conversed with and held correspondence with the late Earl of Argyle and to make this appear the more probable the place is marked very Critically where I lived and where as it is pretended we met But as it is now almost two years since the late Argyle was taken and suffered and that a full account was had of all his secret Practices in all which I have not been once so much as mentioned tho' it is now a year since I have lived and preacht openly in these Provinces The truth is that for nine years before the late Earl of Argiles forfeiture I had no sort of Correspondence with him nor did I ever see him since the year 1676 After his Escape out of Prison I never saw him nor writ to him nor heard from him nor had I any sort of Commerce with him directly nor indirectly the Circumstance of my House and the Place in which I lived is added to make the thing look somewhat probable but tho' it is very easy to know where I lived and I having dwelt in Lincolns-Inn-Fields the space of seven years it was no hard matter to add this particular yet so inconsiderate is the Malice of my Enemies that even in this it leads them out of the way for soon after Argile's Escape and during the stay that as is believed he made in London I had removed from Lincolns-Inn-Fields into Brook-Buildings this makes me guess at the Informer who saw me often in the one House but never in the other and yet even he who has betrayed all that ever past between us has not Impudence enough th charge me with the least Disloyalty though I concealed very few of my thoughts from him With this of my seeing Argile the Article of the Scandalous and Treasonable words pretended to be spoken by me to him against His Majesties Person and Government falls to the ground it is obvious that this cannot be proved since Argile is dead and it is not pretended that these words were uttered in the hearing of other Witnesses nor is it needful to add that His Majesty was then only a Subject so that any Words spoken of him at that time cannot amount to Treason but I can appeal to all those with whom I have ever Conversed if they have ever heard me fail in the respect I owed the King and I can easily bring many Witnesses from several parts of Europe of the Zeal with which I have on all occasions expressed my self on those Subjects and that none of all those hard words that have been so freely bestowed on me has made me forget my Duty in the least I am in the next place accused of Correspondence with Iames Stewart Mr. Robert Ferguson Thomas Stewart William Denholm and Mr. Robert Martyn since my coming out of England and that I have entertained and supplied them in Foreign Parts particularly in the Cities of Amsterdam Rotterdam Leyden Breda Geneva or in some other parts within the Netherlands This Article is so very ill laid in all its branches that it shews my Enemies have very ill Informations concerning my most general Acquaintance since tho' there are among those that are condemned for Treason some that are of my Kindred and ancient Acquaintance they have here cast together a Company of men who are all Iames Stewart only excepted absolutely unknown to me whom I never saw and with whom I never exchanged one word in my whole Life as far as I can remember one of them Mr. Robert Martyn was as I ever understood it dead above a year before I left England as for Iames Stewart I had a general Acquaintance with him twenty years ago but have had no Commerce with him now for many years unless it was that I saw him twice by accident and that was several years before there was any Sentence past on him my Accusers know my motion ill for I have not been in Breda these twenty three years I seâ—led in the Hague upon my coming into Holland because I was willing to be under the Observation of His Majesties Envoy and I chose this place the rather because it was known that none of those that lay under Sentences come to it I have never gone to Amsterdam or Roterdam in sccret and have never been there but upon my private Affairs and that never above a Night or two at a time and I have been so visible all the while that I was in those places that I thought there was no room left even for Calumny In the last place it is said that I have publickly and avowedly uttered several Speeches and Positions to the Disdain of his Majesties Person Authority and Government and that I continue and persist in those Treasonable Practises This is so generally afferted that it is enough for me to say that it is positively false but I have yet clearer Evidence to