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A54146 The great case of liberty of conscience once more briefly debated & defended ... which may serve the place of a general reply to such late discourses as have oppos'd a tolleration / the authour W.P. Penn, William, 1644-1718. 1670 (1670) Wing P1299; ESTC R2871 31,701 62

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reserv'd to himself that Empire from all the Caesars on Earth for if men in reference to Souls and Bodies things appertaining to this and to'ther World shall be subject to their Fellow-Creatures what follows but that Caesar however he got it has all Gods share and his own too and being lord of both both are Caesars and nothing Gods 4. Fourthly It defeats the Work of his Grace and the invisible Opperation of his eternal Spirit which can alone beget Faith and is only to be obey'd in and about Religion and Worship and attributes mens conformity to outward force corporal punishments A Faith subject to as many revolutions as the powers that enact it 5. Fiftly and lastly Such persons assume the Judgment of the great Tribunal unto themselves for to whomsoever men are imposedly or restrictively subject and accountable in matters of Faith Worship and Conscience in them alone must the power of judgement reside but it is equally true that God shall judge all by Jesus Christ and that no man is so accountable to his fellow Creatures as to be impos'd upon restrain'd or persecuted for any matter of Conscience whatever Thus and in many more particulars are men accustom'd to entrench upon divine Property to gratifie particular Interests in the world and at best through a misguided apprehension to imagine they do God good service that where they cannot give Faith they will use force which kind of Sacrifice is nothing less unreasonable then the other is abominable God will not give his honor to another and to him only that searches the heart and tries t●●●●ins it is our duty to ascribe the gifts of Understanding and 〈◊〉 without which none can please God CHAP. II. THe next great evil which attends externall force in matters of faith and worship is no less then the overthrow of the whole Christian Religion and this we will briefly evidence in these four particulars 1. First that there can be nothing more remote from the nature 2. Secondly the practice 3. Thirdly the promotion 4 Fourthly the Rewards of it 1. First it is the priviledge of the Christian Faith above the dark suggestions of ancient and modern superstious Traditions to carry with it a most self evidencing verity which ever was sufficient to proselite believers without the weak Auxilaries of external power The son of God and great Example of the world was so far from calling his Father's omnipotency in legions of Angels to his defence that he at once repeal'd all Acts of force and defin'd unto us the nature of his Religion in this one great saying of his MY KINGDOM IS NOT OF THIS WORLD It was spiritual not carnall accompanied with weapons as heavenly as its own nature and design'd for the good and salvation of the soul and not the injury and destruction of the body no Goals Fines Exiles c. but sound reason clear truth and a strict life In short the Christian Religion intreats all but compells none 2. Secondly that Restraint and Persecution overturn the practise of it I need go no further then the allow'd Martyrologies of several ages of which the Scriptures claim a share begin with Abel go down to Moses so to the Prophets and then to the meek example of Jesus Christ himself How patiently devoted was he to undergo the contradictions of men and so far from persecuting any that he would not so much as revile his Persecutors but pray'd for them thus liv'd his Apostles and the true Christians of the first three hundred years Nor are the famous Stories of our first Reformers silent in the matter witness the Christian practises of the Waldenses Lollards Hussites Lutherans and our noble Martyrs who as became the true followers of Jesus Christ enacted and confirm'd their Religion with their own blood and not with the blood of their Opposers 3. Thirdly Restraint and Persecution obstructs the promotion of the Christian Religion for if such as restraint confess themselves miserable sinners and altogether imperfect it either followes that they never desire to be better or that they should incourage such as may be capable of further informing and reforming them they condemn the Papists for enco●●ening the Scriptures and their Worship in an unknown tongue and yet are guilty themselves of the same kind of fact 4. Fourthly they prevent many of eternal Rewards for where any are Religious for fear and that of men 't is slavish and the recompence of such Religion is condemnation not peace besides 't is man that is serv'd who having no power but what is temporary his reward must needs be so too he that imposes a duty or restrains from one must reward but because no man can reward for such Duties no man can or ought to impose them or restrain from them So that we conclude imposition restraint and persecution are destructive of the Christian Religion in the nature practice promotion and rewards of it which are Eternall CHAP. III. WE further say that imposition restraint and persecution are repugnant to the plain Testimonies and precepts of the Scriptures The inspiration of the Almighty gives understanding 1. Job 32. 8. If no man can believe before he understands and no man can understand before he is inspir'd of God then are the impositions of men excluded as unreasonable and their persecutions for non-obedience as inhumane Wo unto them that take counsell but not of me 2. Isa 30. 1. Wo unto them that make a man an offender for a word and lay a snare for him that reproves in the gate and turns aside the Just for a thing of naught 3. Isa 29. 15 21. Let the Wheat and the Tares grow together until the time of the harvest or end of the World 4. Mat. 13. 27 28 29. And Jesus call'd them unto him and said ye know that the Princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them and they that are greatest exercise authority upon them but it shall not be so amongst you 5 Ma●t 20 25 26. And Jesus answering said unto them Render unto Caesar the things that are Cesars and unto God the things that are Gods 6 Luke 20. 21 22 23 24 25. When his Disciples saw this that there were Non-conformists then as well as now they said wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven and consume them as Elisha did But be turned and rebuk'd them and said Ye know not what spirit ye are of for the Son of Man is not come to destroy me●s lives but to save them 7. Luke 9. 54. 55. 56 Howbeit when the spirite of truth is come he shall lead you into all Truth ● John 16. 8 13. But now the anointing which ye have received of him abides in you and you need not that any man teach you much less impose upon any or restrain them from what any are perswaded it leads to but as the same anointing teaches you of all things and is truth and is not lye 9. Iohn 1 9 27. Dearly