reason untill it be resolved on it was therefore resolved c. That in the close of the Reasons to be presented to His Majesty for the Vote of advice it being also added That this House will assist His Majesty with their Lives and Fortunes and That the Comittee appointed to bring in the Reasons do pen an Address for that purpose to His Majesty Do you observe their reasons against your suggestions 1. As to the promise of Breda you urge they say you should not trouble his Majesty further with it Reas. 1. Because it is not a Promise in it selfe but only a Gracious Declaration of your Majesties Intentions to do what in You lay and what a Parliament should advise Your Majesty to do and no such Advise was ever given or thought fit to be offered nor could it be otherwise understood because there were Laws of Vniformity then in being which could not be dispensed with but by Act of Parliament They who do pretend a Right to that supposed Promise put the Right into the hands of their Representatives whom they chose to serve for them in this Parliament who have Passed and Your Majesty consented to the Act of Vniformity If any shall presume so say that a Right to this Declaration doth still remaine after this Act Passed It tends to dissolve the very Bonds of Government and to suppose a disability in Your Majesty and the Houses of Parliament to make a Law contrary to any part of Your Majesties Declaration though both Houses should advise Your Majesty to it Against Indulgence that most Honourable House saith 1. That it will establish schisme by a Law In the 24.25 and 26. year of Queen Elizabeth the Non-conformists especially of Kent bestired themselves and procured the Lords of the Councell to write to Arch-Bishop Whitgift to take charitable consideration of their causes that the people of the Realme might not be deprived of their Pastors being diligent learned and zealous though in sâ—me points Ceremoniall they may seeme doubtfull onely in conscience not in willfulnesse Upon this though onely an intercession of the Councell they are incouraged to separate from the Church and upon the Earle of Leicesters Interest what would they do if they had a Law of their side they are hardned to hold a solemne Councell at Cambridge I think to answer our Convocation wherein they made decrees as they call them of such things as do seeme may stand with the peace of Gods Church see Bishop Bancrofts danger pos p. 46. they have a conference at Lambeth before the Lords of the Councell with the Arch-Bishops of Canterbury and York and the Bishop of Winchester Cambdâ—el 1584. and finding but favour no Law all this while on their behalfes in Parliament they erect a Presbytery at Wandsworth in Sunrey Bishop Bancroft Engl. scot 3. b. c. 1. Full. Cent. xvi p. 30 where Offices and rules are agreed on by 24. Presbyters in as much authority as our 26. Arch-Bishops and Bishops this way they settle in London a while after Altar against Altar Post against Post they became violent Anno 1575. and left the sober men Humphrey Fox c. they set up prophesying Anno 1580. and private meetings fasts and conferences they meet at Cuckefield in Suffolke threescore Ministers almost enough to make a convocation where they resolved what was to be Tolerated and what was to be refused again they meet at Cambridge where were many things very solemnly enacted in the year 1585. 1. A Parliament meets 2. Convocation sits 3. an Assembly of Ministers vying with the Convocation gets together they admonish they threaten they plot they get a 16. fold Petition drawn up for them Anno 1587. el 30. they Libel they met at a Synod in Coventry 10th of the 4. Moneth as they write where they resolved thirteen points against the Church Full. xvi Cent. 194. and drew up a discipline and form essential at all times which was tendered to all the classes far and near in England they humble themselves at Northampton for their former Conformity to the Church John test p. 6 Full. p. 196. they refuse Oaths tendred to them they talke of a bickering and then a battle as one Wiggington words it they sollicit the King of Scots assistance May 2. 1591. Hacket and Coppinger grow outragious and threaten the Queen and the Privy Councell at last they grew so odious at Court as Mr. Fuller writes that none durst appear in their behalfe and so they continued all King James his time and King Charles when we had peace untill at last this Schisme in the Warre was established by a pretended Law and England knowes very well what it is to establish Schisme by a Law In the latter end of King James his Reign there was a Toleration propounded and immediately the Popish policy and Government was set up in opposition to ours they had Archbishops to our Archbishops Bishops to our Bishops their meeting of Priest to our Convocation their Masse to our Common Prayer And so Cromwell told his Cronies in a thing called a Parliament in his loose time that they had their Hierarchy setled and that they had an orderly Government within his Government this this it is to have a Schisme established by Law 2. The Honourable House of Commons are against Indulgence to dissenters because it will make the Government of the Church precarious and Contemptible What can a Bishop do if there be parties to which all the guilty will betake themselves to elude his Authority he excommunicates they seperate and excommunicate themselves He cites they undervalue him He threatneth they as the Church wardens of Saint Anne Aldersgate say they will try it with him he would turn out a Parish-clark like him of Black-fryers he goeth to Law with him The Indulged Party will be the receptacle of all the discontented ambitious turbulent and guilty Persons which the Law threatneth discipline correcteth and justice punisheth 3 The Honourable House of Commons are against Indulgence Because It will no way become the Gravity or Wisedome of a Parliament to pass a Law at one Sessions for Vniformity and at the next Sessions the reasons of Vniformity continuing still the same to pass another Law to frustrate or weaken the execution of it The most happy constitutions are they that are maturely debated resolvedly enacted and not without great reason and much time repealed The first Parliament that ever was in England ordered that the same Assembly should not repeale and make Laws A Parliament Hen. the thirds time refused to alter a most inconvenient Law because they thought no inconvenience greater then Alteration of Laws so in K. Hâ—n 7. Hen. 8. Q. Eliz. Reign 4 The Honourable House of Commons are against indulgence Because It will expose His Majesty to the restless Importunity of every Sect and Opinion and of every single Person also who shall presume to dissent from the Church of England It will be a cause of increasing Sects and
to give up our selves and relation to God and the Gospel as for English Queens we may in time have Protestant Queens In the mean time we know our gracious Queens will not impose upon us the publick practice or indulgence at least of their Religion no more then we impose our Religion upon them they had rather few then whole Kingdoms should suffer they had rather see you suffer for your conscience then force us to allow your way against our consciences however to avoid some supposed inconveniences we will not commit sin which is a real and the greatest inconvenience in the World To your eighth ninth and tenth Reason we say if you are true to the Popes Supremacy you cannot be true to the Kings Government if you deny that as you seem to do you deny the foundation of your Religion yea the sum of Christianity as Bellarmine saith Whether you speak as you think in the eighth and ninth Reason we know not for you can equivocate we know your Brethren will never say so when they have obtained a Toleration and we know it is no new thing to have a few moderate men offer that in adversity which their Brethren will never own in prosperity Indeed you can juggle so as that some shall write for Supremacy and others against it and laugh among your selves to see how you cheat the world we know what the Sorbonistâ— stand upon at this time however you are punished here onely for actual disobedience upon what principle soever you disobey if some of you think loyally you all live disobediently to the Ecclesiastical Laws of this Realm II. Reason You say you are forced to be dangerous by fleeing to forreign Embassadours and parts for safety Answ. 1. It 's well we know your designe 2. If you did not go to Forreigners for Religion you need not go to Forreigners for Protection if you will worship with them you may live with them 3. If you keep correspondence with our enemies and practise against us when you are in danger of punishment what will you do when you are tolerated If you deal with Forreigners now to secure your selves from us much more will you deal with them hereafter that you may have power over us what you do now for liberty you will do hereafter for power this threatning insinuation will signifie little with us who measure our Religion by our Consciences and not by Interest whatever inconvenience follows upon your punishment we will not displease God to tolerate you To your twelfth Reason we can say upon sad experience that you may do more harm by creeping into houses then we can do good by preaching in Congregations To your last we say Our Bishops can prove their Consecration they will make their authority eminent in awing you if they cannot make their perswasions eminent in converting you and that when they are the severest enemies to your corruptions they are the most hearty well-wishers to your persons and you may hear them as such Sirs As you did your duty in serving the King in his just War so he will allow you all just priviledge in time of peace but you must not think that the reward of your obedience to him in some things shall be a liberty to disobey him in other Although we have been as you say fellow sufferers with you we will not sin with you You say you hazarded much to restore the King to his Throne To what purpose I pray you if every man shall do what is good in his own eyes as when there was no King in Israel And you must know his sacred Majestie makes Laws against you not to satisfie any mans passion or revenge but to satisfie his own conscience Whereas you speak of his Majesties mercie and word from Breda 1. Let me tell you That Toleration would be the greatest cruelty in the world 2. You know his Majestie promised no more at Breda but that he should condescend to such provisions for tender Consciences as his Parliament would think fit May it please therefore the wisdome and goodness of both Houses of Parliament setting aside those plausible insinuations which undermine the principles of Government to see that the permission of Roman Catholicks is not onely contrary to the peace quiet and union of the subject but also dangerous to the constitution and threatning to the welfare of this Church and Kingdome and not let that be promoted upon shallow and fallacious suggestion of any interest and advantage especially since the wisdome of France The Duke of Rhoan hath made it appear to the world and your wisdom makes it clear to your selves That the Protestant Religion is the Interest of England FINIS The excellent Reasons of the Honourable House of Commons against Indulgence with Historical Observations thereupon BUt to what end do we trouble the World with our inconsiderable Reasons now we are all concluded by the common reason of the Kingdome at least that part of it wherein we are included represented by the most Honourable the Commons of England assembled in Parliament then whom the Sun scarce beheld a more noble a more resolved a more unanimous a more loyal and Orthodox Assembly and Assembly as that excellent Bishop said quo nihil videt orbis augustius their famous Vote which may satisfie all your Reasons their Vote at which your conclave at Rome may tremble all the Conventicles in the World shake a dejected and forlorn Church raiseth up its selfe decayed Religion is recovered the soules of the first reformers if they have any sence of things here below rejoyce O if there be joy in Heaven at the recovery of one sinner what is their at the Recovery of a Nation millions of unstable Soules are setled the many breaches of our Church are close that threatning evill of schisme and separation is checked the loose hopes of dangerous men are bounded the callapsed Honour of England is restored former miscariages are expiated for which our gracious King the Defender of the true Ancient and Apostolick Faith heartily thankes them In which the Nobles if they have any sence of their Ancestors Honour will concur with them the reverend Clergy will be bound to pray for them and we with our posterity that are yet unborn will stand up and call them blessed their famous Vote to which we must submit is this The Vote That it be presented to the Kings Majesty as the humble advice of this House That no Indulgence be granted to the Dissenters from the Act of Vniformity And that you may know that this is not an Act of power but of reason not what they think they may but what they think they ought you have added their reason too Ordering That a Committee be appointed to collect and bring in the Reasons of this House for this Vote upon the present Debate to be prescuted to his Majesty and that the nominating of the Committee be adjourned till to morrow morning But reason is not
Sectaries whose numbers will weaken the true Protestant Profession so far that it will at least be difficult for it to defend it selfe against them And which is yet further considerable those Numbers which by being troublesome to the Government finde they can arrive to an Indulgence will as their numbers increase be yet more troublesome that so at length they may arrive to a generall Toleration which His Majesty hath declared against and in time some prevalent Sâ—ct will at last contend for an establishment which for ought can be foreseen may end in Popery It is a thing altogether without Precedent and will take away all means of convicting Recusants and be inconsistent with the method and proceedings of the Laws of England You know there is no end of humor and faction Hooper procures K. Edw. 6. letter for a dispensation from certain Rights and Ceremonies offensive to his conscience as the letter runs The nonconformists in the beginning of Q Elizabeths reign are onely for alteration of some things offensive The later nonconformists were against the Common Prayer and most of the usage of the Church at last they are against all Church government discipline orders and forms of worship the people will have it so and what will ye do in the end thereof 5 The Honourable House of Commons are against Indulgence to dissenters Because It is humbly conceived That the Indulgence proposed will be so far from tending to the Peace of the Kingdom that it is rather likely to occasion great disturbance And on the contrary That the asserting of the Laws and the Religion establisht according to the Act of Vniformity is the most probable meanes to produce settled Peace and Obedience throughout Your Kingdom Because the variety of Professions of Religion when openly indulged doth directly distinguish men into parties and withall gives them opportunity to count their numbers which considering the animosities that out of a Religious Pride will be kept on foot by the severall Factions doth tend directly and inevitably to open disturbance Nor can Your Majesty have any Security that the Doctrine or Worship of the severall Factions which are all Governed by a severall Rule shall be consistent with the Peace of Your Kingdom When Master Cartwright preached at Saint Maries in Cambridge the Church could not hold the people when Doctor Gouge preached at Black-fryers it was too little for him when Master Dod preached people were almost througed to death If a nonconformist preach the whole City is in a tumult if a man be but a little inclined that way how great is his Auditors If Orthodox how thin his Congregation which considering the animosities that out of a Religious Pride will be kept on foot by the severall Factions doth tend directly and inevetably to open disturbance Nor can His Majesty have any Security that the Doctrine or Worship of the severall Factions which are all Governed by a severall Rule shall be consistent with the Peace of Your Kingdom What security have we that the Papists will not teach the Popes power as well as his Religion that they will not absolve men from their allegiance to the King of England as well as they absolve men from their obedience to the Church of England that they will not disobey as well as not obey for Conscience sake how know we but they have all taken a solemn Covenant to defend the Kings Majesty onely in the maintenance of Religion i. e. of their severall wayes Be wise therefore O ye Kings be instructed O ye Judges of the Earth Habet aliquod ex iniquo omne magnum exemplum quod contra singulos utilitate publica rependitur Tac. An 14. Ne timeas contrà Charitatem esse si unius scandalum multorum pace compensaveris Bern. Ep. FINIS See Bishop Abbot on Jer. 6 16. â—e Dr. Peirce Sermon