Antidotes which they prescrib'd against the Contagion of Hereticks show me one that has the least composition of Force or Violence in it They endeavour'd to convince them the Hereticks from the Autority of Christ the Apostles and the Deference paid to the Apostolical Churches the Novelty of the Hereticks Doctrines their palpable Corruption and interpolation of Scripture their irregular Lives and Scandalous Dissentions the Unanimity of Catholicks the consent and Harmony of their Doctrines and the sufficient knowledge they had of the Apostles and first promulgators of the Christian Religion and the sufficient Instruction which the Apostles receiv'd from Christ These were some of those wholsom Remedies which they thought fit to prescribe against the Hereticks of their times And happy had it been for Christendom if none of a different nature had been made use of since only those enforc't by Civil Sanction for what has Rome got by her modern bloudy Inquisition Or Geneva by her Tyrannical Usurpations over the Consciences and Common Liberties of mankind What did the Council of Constance get by their uncanonical treacherous cruel proceedings against those poor men Jerom of Prague and John Huss Their putting the later to death contrary to promise and the publick Faith widened the Schism brought an odium upon the Council and they will never be able to wash away the stain of so Barbarous an Act. They seem'd indeed sensible of it when 't was too late for in the Ample-safe-Conduct granted in the XVIII Session of Trent under Pious IV they recede from the Practice and Decree of Constance or of any other Council prejudicial to safe Conducts But then they mince the matter in these words In hâc parte pro hâc vice derogamus c. So that even this Recession was rather extorted from them by the necessity they lay under than any willingness in those pretended Infallible Doctors to retract or own that they had done amiss 'T is true He who renounc'd all Sovereignty here on earth that so the Princes and Emperours of the world might have no suspicion of Him or his followers did nevertheless keep his Religion under his own Cognizance and exempt It from their Jurisdiction for he did not only teach promulge and practise it in opposition to the Laws and Customs then receiv'd in the very face of the Magistrate but moreover encourag'd his Disciples to the like confidence and Resolution He foretold them that they should be brought before Kings and Governours for his name before the Jewish Sanedrim and Roman Tribunals to bear Testimony to the Truth but bids them not be dismayed for He would be their Advocate and defend both them and It against all Opposition Not that hereby He grants them a Licence to Rebel to violate their Duty to the Publick in defiance of the Magistrate but only Instructs and encourages them in their Duty to God in despite of sufferings He bids them not fear them who can only destroy the Body but rather Him who can destroy both Body and Soul in Hell Thus they learn't Christ and thus they taught others Christianity Thus Christianity at first set out and accordingly found Reception in the world thus it made a glorious Progress and thus it shall finally Triumph over all the Powers of Darkness Which ushers in my Third and last Position That 't is the Duty of Christians patiently to suffer for their Religion when 't is their Lot to fall into Perfecuting times and this in most Cases the best in some the only Remedy left them For hereby we give the Dearest Pledges of an unfeigned Love to our Master that we have not only followed Him for the Loaves for any secular Ends or Advantages Hereby we make a Publick Declaration of the Sincerity of our Hearts Hereby we give the Noblest Proof of the Truth of our Religion Hereby it appears we are true Disciples when we can take up the Cross and follow Christ in the most difficult but most heroick Act of the Christian Warfare Hereby we shew that we have escaped the Pollutions of the world and that the Glory of God and our own Salvation hath been our Chiefest Aime Yet this Position however true in it self seems of very hard Digestion to our corrupt Natures And this is the true Reason why our Dissenters of late have made such Dismal Out-cries such Dire Presages and still continue to Alarm the Nation with Fears I hope of their own Creation And therefore I shall be very short with them The Religion for which they express so great Concern and about which they make such a stir that Heaven and earth have been disturb'd with their Out-cries is either from God or from Men. If it be from God He will either defend it from Persecution or else by His mighty Power enable the Professors patiently to suffer for it And which way soever shall seem best to his just Providence is fittest and most profitable for us And so we are safe If it be from men 't will come to nought 't is mutable as all other humane Institutions are and will rather veer to the Religion of the State than undergo the least Tryal of Persecution And 't is to me a manifest sign that those men who cry out so much of Persecution before hand And amidst the full Enjoyment of a dangerous Liberty as if they had a Faggot already Flaming in their Breasts never intend to resist unto Bloud or undergo the fiery Tryal if they should be really brought to it Their Religion is too Voluptuous and the Professors of it too Effeminate to court Martyrdom Let them choose which Part of the Dilemma they please and they are for ever silenc'd If then sober Advice might take place I would entreat them in their Zeal to Religion not to disturb the Peace of the State In their Fears of Persecution not to betray and desert the Cross of Christ In their just Exclamations against the Superstitions and Idolatries of the Church of Rome not to make Shipwrack of the Catholick Faith in a willfull Separation from their Mother the Church of England Let them not out of a commendable Indignation against the wicked and Hellish Practices of the Romish Emissaries to establish the Popish Religion become Guilty of the same in an Obstinate Illegal Unchristian Defence of their Own And if any one think I injure them by this Advice for I confess it implies a Guilt of the mischiefs caution'd against I recommend to his serious and impartial Perusal several late Collections publish't from their Originals And there He will find that the most pernicious Doctrines laid down by the Jesuits in their Morals are to be match't if not out-done For there He will find a Dispensation for Oaths taken Licences to take contrary Oaths Equivocation Lying Perjury recommended There He will find that the Saints alone had a Right to inherit the Earth that the wicked might be Slander'd Plunder'd Murthered and all this under pretence of doing God
good service There He will find Persecution Rapine Sacrilege Preach'd and practis'd There He will find speaking evil of Dignities the Holy Idiom and priviledg'd Language of the Godly There He will find the Murther of Kings encourag'd effected justified in short for I delight not to dwell on so ungratefull a Subject there He will find all the most consummated Villanies consecrated which were in the power of the Sons of Perdition to Act since the shedding of the Bloud of Righteous Abel unto the Murther of Righteous King Charles and so down to this very day But thou O Holy Christian who art so indeed and not in outward shew only as thy heart bleeds within thy Breast to think that there should be such Miscreants that all that name the Name of Jesus should not depart from such horrid Impieties so thou knowest it to be thy Duty to follow thy Master in the several steps of his Life to Fast with him in the Wilderness as well as Feast with Him at the Marriage in Cana to watch and pray with Him in his Agonies in the Garden as well as dwell with Him in his Glorification on the Mount to act a part with Him in his Tragedy in the High Priests Hall as well as attend Him in his Triumphs to Jerusalem Thou knowest it to be thy Duty not Only to accompany Him to the Judgment Hall but moreover to Mount Calvery and there to die for Him who suffered the most dolorous Death for thee And thou art invited hereunto by the Example and Precept of Jesus the Captain of thy Salvation and Finisher of the Faith His Glorious Company of Apostles His Noble Army of Martyrs who in all Ages have finish'd their Course fought the good Fight and receiv'd a Crown of Righteousness Thou canst pity those who laugh at the Doctrine of passive Obedience and conclude their Religion false which will not sustain suffering for Christ's sake In a word thou art resolv'd in the whole course of thy Life to maintain the Wisdom of the Serpent and the Innocency of the Dove Jesus answer'd my Kingdom is not of this world if my Kingdom were of this world then would my servants fight that I should not be deliver'd to the Jews Upon the whole matter give me leave to make these following Observations and conclude 1. That we do not sin against the Rules of Christian Patience if we Defend our selves when brought before Magistrates for though Christ willingly submitted to the Sentence yet He carefully acquitted Himself of the Treason laid to his charge This is confirm'd to us by the Practice of the Prophets Elias Jeremias the Example of the Apostles particularly Saint Paul's who appeals to the Roman Laws Flies to their Guards for Protection against his Conspirators and did not disdain even Humane Policy for He divided the Multitude made the Major Part of his side by Crying out Men and Brethren I am a Pharisee the son of a Pharisee of the hope and Resurrection of the Dead I am called in question 2. That since Christ's Kingdom is not of this world that therefore we should not immoderately thirst after Riches or affect Glories and worldly Greatness 3. We must not take it heinously if in perilous circumstances we should be betrayed by our friends or deserted by those from whom we expected Protection for this was our Masters case betrayed by one Disciple forsook or denyed by the Rest by Pilate deprived of the common privilege of the Law He who before had furnish'd his Enemies with a Band of Ruffians to apprehend Him denies Him common Justice from the Bench for fear of displeasing the Jews 4. This place gives us comfort in our greatest and most publick Calamities for since Christ's Kingdom is not of this world It shall never be overcome or destroyed by all the united Forces thereof Heaven and earth shall pass away but Christ's Throne is establish't for ever His Dominion is an everlasting Dominion 5. Lastly This place manifestly reproves those who have so long boasted themselves Christ's Vicars for He whom they pretend to represent declares His Kingdom not to be of this world But they usurp to themselves the Kingdoms of this world dispose of them at pleasure as if that prophecy They shall Bind their Kings in chains did literally appertain to them to fulfill By this their wicked and Audacious Practice how ill do they prove their Title to Christ's Vicarage Do they not rather shew whose servants they are viz. His who proudly said All these thingswill I give thee If thou wilt fall down and worship me for by the Vanity and Pageantry of a Pompous Religion adorn'd with the false Glories of this world they have bewitch't too Great a Part of the Nations of the earth for I dare boldly say that the Doctrines of Image-worship Invocation and Adoration of Saints Indulgences Purgatory Prayer for the dead as they are practis'd in the Church of Rome Transubstantiation Participation in one Kind Papal Supremacy the making which necessary Conditions of Communion justifies us and laies the Schism at the Imposers Door I dare boldly affirm that they are fond Things vainly feigned that they are contrary to the Simplicity and Truth of the Gospel that they have no better support than Credulity Force Falsification of Antiquity humane Romantick Tradition or the Pride and Coveteousness of the Ecclesiasticks Indeed I never thought those the most Eloquent Preachers who can call Whore and Antichrist loudest and perhaps 't is not necessary that all our Sermons should be turn'd into invective Harangues against the Idolatries of the Church of Rome but it has often griev'd me to think that St Peters Successour hath made that Title so much his own as to endanger Mahomets Claim that a Mother Church should be so leudly fall'n from that Gravity Purity and Chastity which in St Pauls time and some Centuries after she so eminently possess 't I have always thought I might discharge this part of the Ministerial Function as much to the benefit of Souls in pressing upon them the Duties of Love and Obedience in Defending the Doctrine Government Solemn and Publick Prayers of the Church of England in whose holy Communion I do believe Salvation may be had with greater Certainty than in any other Church of any Denomination whatsoever To conclude The Kings of the earth shall stand up and take counsel together against the Lord and against His Anointed Which Prophecy implies that Christ shall be a King and that the Kings of the earth would conspire the Ruine of His Kingdom And this is the true ground of all those dire strifes and contentions which have fill'd the world about the Christian Faith Because they will not have this Man to Reign over them For this reason the Jews conspired the Death of Christ they pretended indeed to the Romans that He intended to set up a Fifth Monarchy but the true reason was because He did not answer the fond
Secondly Whose Kingdom do they belong to who negotiate the affairs of Souls after another manner than Christ did Who aim at Superiority in the Church with a Design to Lord It over Christs Flock and exercise Tyranny over the Consciences of men Who take upon them the Ministerial Function to gratifie their Avarice and Ambition and make the Patrimony of the Church subservient to base Secular ends Who if once arriv'd to a pretended unappealable degree of Hierarchy presently exalt themselves above all that is called God These are so far from being Faithfull Subjects of Christs Kingdom that they are the very enemies of Christ For if the Governours of the Church of Good Shepherds become Ravenous Wolves And instead of Reducing the Strays to the Flock in the Spirit of meekness they shall by their Pride and Haughtiness Drive the Sheep from thence what a sad account will they have to make hereafter to the Great Shepherd of Souls How guilty the Pope and his Ecclesiasticks have been of this Charge I shall not need declare But so long as the Governours of the Church execute their High Calling according to Christs Prescript the Practice of the Apostles and Primitive Bishops with Humility Sobriety Hospitality Gravity and Moderation there is yet great hopes that the Governed the People may yet bring forth the blessed Fruits of Love Peace Joy Obedience Long-suffering Goodness Faith Meekness and Temperance Thirdly Let us enquire whose Kingdom they belong to who would destroy all those whom they account the Enemies of Christs Kingdom with other weapons than He hath allowed of Of all Feuds those about Religion are the fiercest And therefore 't is well the Captain of our Salvation hath told us what kind of Armes we are to use in its Defence otherwise the Christian Camp through the Perversness of the Commanders had made but one common Field of Bloud Lukewarmness in Religion or an Indifferency to All Religions is as bad as if we profess'd none at all To maintain our Religion by Cruelty or Injustice is worse than if we profess'd none at all He who denies a God only proclaims himself a Fool But we want a name to distinguish him by who makes God the Author of Impieties or his Religion a Countenancer of Injustice He who out of Zeal to God robbeth Caesar of his Dues were it in his power would de-throne God and set himself up in His Room Jesus answer'd My Kingdom is not of this world What then shall we think of His pretended Vicar who impudently claimeth a Right to all the Kingdoms of this world Who whilst he hypocritically stiles himself a servant of the meanest of the servants of Jesus Christ Usurps the Power of deposing Kings and disposing of their Kingdoms To deal sincerely with you I think this Impious Practice to be one of the most Irrefragable Arguments to prove him to be The Anti-Christ That whereas some have taken a great deal of Pains to prove Him so from the obscure Prophecies of Daniel And others with great Labour and Difficulties have applied all the Phaenomena and Characters of the Apocalyptical False Prophet to the Pope This is a more sure and compendious way of stamping upon him the Mark of the Beast Christ was both a King and a Priest His Priestly Office in the most solemn manner He conferr'd upon the Apostles His Kingly He left where He founded It Delegated by His Father upon the Emperours of the world and confirm'd that Delegation to us by His own Obedience to Them Now then if the Pope out of Great solicitude for the Churches committed to His charge makes any unjust Attempts upon their Regalities He strikes at the Kingly Office of Christ and endeavours Solvere Jesum the Dissolution of Jesus as the Vulgar Translation and those Greek Copies it follows have it Now since He dares not pretend to this Power immediately from Christ for He cannot find any such Donation amongst all the Rights He pretends to as St Peters Successor His Indirect Power and in Order to Spirituals will not serve his Turn For to suppose the worst That the Kings of the earth should stand up and take Council together to destroy Christs Kingdom shall therefore his Holiness add Impiety to their madness by Deposing them and absolving their Subjects from their Obedience If he does he is so far from being Christs Vicar That he is a Barabbas and though he may escape as Barabbas did Punishment in this Life yet that eternal Vengeance which pursues Robbers and Murtherers will overtake him in the other All that the Governours of the Church can do in this Extremity is to Advise Admonish Rebuke with all Gravity and Humility to set before them the Folly and Danger of such Councils and the certain Destruction which always attends them And if such with all other Christian means prove ineffectual they having discharg'd their Duty must commit Themselves and Their Cause to God in Tears Fasting and Prayers And in those very Prayers they must remember more especially their Persecutors Lastly if God so willeth in a Patient suffering the Loss of Life These are the only justifiable weapons by which the Church of Christ opposeth Her Enemies And now give me leave in a few words to bring all home to our selves None of us have been so closely Immur'd in our Studies but we must have observ'd something of the present State of Affairs How that our Church hath two Potent and Restless Enemies to Encounter the Romanists and the Presbyterians with all the Inferior Sects that fight under their Banner We have been sufficiently Alarm'd by the Hellish Plots of the one And we have by sad Experience felt the unsupportable Tyranny of the other Yet God forbid that we should serve Them as they would do Us Defend Our Religion by the same unwarrantable Practices by which they would Destroy It. The Reformed Religion of the Church of England as it has the most of Primitive Purity in worship Doctrine and Discipline so hath it of Christian Loyalty of any other Religion in the world And 't is our Happiness to live under as Gracious a Prince as ever Sway'd the English Sceptre since the Conquest Who has through his whole Reign been more Tender of the Liberty and Property of the Subject than of his own Prerogative Whence then these Hideous Murmurings and Complainings in our Streets Whence these Daily Outcries and Fears of being led into Captivity Are they not from hence that there are a sort of restless ungratefull people amongst us who under pretence of Securing the Protestant Religion would ruine the Church of England the best and surest Guard against Popery Who by wheadling the People with the specious Names of Liberty and Property would undermine Monarchy the strongest bullwark against Tyranny and Arbitrary Power But is it possible that the same cheats should pass twice upon a Nation in the same Age Have we so soon forgot the Miseries and Desolations of the late Usurpation or
This were to blast the Laurels of so many Christian Kings as got Renown in their glorious Attempts against the Barbarians But that the Equity of Christian Arms is establish'd upon the Gospel appears in that St John Baptist though under the most rigorous exercise of a Spiritual Life did not command the Soldiers when they enquired of Him of the means of salvation to lay down their Arms or desert their Colours But only to be contented with their pay to abstain from Violence and Unjustice i. e. That they should not abuse their power into Tyranny and make their strength the Rule of their Actions Because also the Apostle saith the Magistrate Beareth not the sword in vain which He must do if it were not Lawfull for him sometimes to draw it Because Christ commanded St Peter to put up his sword thereby to give a check to private Revenge shall it not therefore be Lawfull for Magistrates to draw theirs to retaliate Publick Injuries Therefore as to those Sayings of some ancient Fathers which are urg'd by some to oppose the Lawfullness of Christians going to War 1. 'T is answer'd First They only shew the Opinions of some Private Doctors and not the sense of the Catholick Church That they were such Doctors as affected an harmless kind of singularity and lov'd to be reputed the Founders of some more Sublime and Magnificent Opinions as Origen Tertullian c. Lastly That they were not always consistent with themselves as will appear to any one who shall compare their Writings on this subject 2. Secondly The Primitive Christians did often times refuse at least decline Listing themselves in the Wars by reason that the circumstances of the times wherein they liv'd did oblige them to such conditions as were not so well consistent with their holy Profession so Josephus tells us the Jews desired an exemption from Military Expeditions least by their being in conjunction with Aliens they should not be able punctually to observe the Rites of their Law for they might be compell'd to bear Arms on the Sabbath or in their marches exceed the journey of that day The like Dangers Tertullian might object to the Christians against the Wars of his time Non convenit sacramento divino humano signo crucis Diaboli castris lucis castris tenebrarum in my Opinion saith he your Baptismal Vow and the Military Oath are not consistent neither can ye fairly bear the sign of the Cross and the Roman Ensigns alluding to the Oaths which the Soldiers were injoyn'd to take by the false Gods whose Images probably they wore in the Banners 3. Thirdly Let it be considered that the Primitive Christians were inflam'd with so much Zeal to all Holy and Sublime performances that with them Evangelical Counsels had the force of Precepts They esteemed nothing difficult which tended to perfection In which persuasion they exhorted to coelibacy forbid second Marriages refused all places of Dignity and publick Trust some of them understood that place Swear not at all in a Literal sense they oftentimes chose rather to loose their right than go to Law and thought it praise worthy in Christians to abstain as well from sharing in the Triumphs of War as the pleasures and profits of Merchandise Not that they look'd upon these as forbidden by the Law of Christ but because in their exalted Judgments and pious Raptures they thought the contrary more rewardable and highly acceptable to God As for those places of Scripture which seemingly forbid all kind of Revenge or Resistance which recommend the suffering of injuries and indispensably injoyn Beneficence Love and mutual Friendship When they are well consider'd they imply no more than a prohibition of private Revenge of Inferiors resisting their Superiors of one Christians going to Law with another upon frivolous matters especially when there may be danger of giving offence to an unbeliever or else they are to be look'd upon as extraordinary counsels to some men who by reason of the Dignity of their Function are obliged to higher and more exemplary Acts of Piety Lastly as to that famous Prophecy of Isaiah which without doubt relates to Christs Kingdom and is thus recorded They shall beat their swords into plow-shares and their spears into pruning-hooks Nation shall not lift up sword against nation neither shall they any more learn war It must either be understood conditionally that such indeed should be the happy State of the world would all men embrace and practise the Christian Religion For then there should be no more Wars or rumours of Wars Janus's Temple should be for ever lock'd up and an universal Jubile should overspread the face of the earth or else if you will have it understood in a Literal sense we are yet to expect and pray for the joyfull accomplishment of it as we are for the general conversion of the Jews and the coming in of the fullness of the Gentiles To conclude this point all Ages do agree in the Lawfullness of a War where there is the Authority of the Prince a just cause a good intention and where only warrantable means are used for the obtaining the End But I think I might have saved my self the trouble of proving my first Position for though some of the ancient Fathers might be so nice and scrupulous in this matter that they could not upon any terms be persuaded to go to War least they should be forc'd to shed the bloud of others though they were most generously prodigal of their own our latter Ages have produc'd Christians of a more sanguine complection and warlike principles our modern Gospellers following the steps of their Captain Ignatius Loyala who instituted a Religious Order according to the Discipline which he had learnt in the Camp having it seems received clearer Illuminations and larger Commissions than the prime and immediate Apostles of Christ have thought it expedient to propagate their Religion Vi Armis and to trust more to the material than the sword of the Spirit for why should not Knox enter the List who was a Ringleader of those commotions in which he had miserably involv'd his Country or why should Calvin or Beza be excus'd who have left behind them Positions to justifie the Proceedings For their tumultuous and inormous Practices are no more a-kin to the regular peaceable and autorative Reformation of the Church of England than Babel is to Jerusalem Now as Quarrels about Religion are of the highest and nearest concern so if once they come to be decided by the Sword we shall find them attended with the most dire and hellish outrages If Curse ye Meroz be the word of Command Touch not mine Anointed and do my Prophets no harm will be found but a weak defence for Crowned Heads and Pastoral hands And we have by sad experience learn'd that those peacefull Ministers of the Gospel as they hypocritically stil'd themselves whom the Sacred Oaths of Allegiance and Supremacy could not oblige to
taken from Him And after all let it be added for our comfort If our Religion be that of the One Holy Catholick and Apostolick Church If it be that which our fore-Fathers learn't from the Apostles which the Apostles learn't from Christ which Christ learn't from God as I am firmly assured Ours of the Church of England is Then 't is founded upon a Rock against which the Gates of Hell shall never prevail 't is Christ's own promise and He hath hitherto made it good in all Ages of the world and will do unto the Consummation thereof when the Spouse shall meet her glorious Bridegroom and be presented to him without spot or wrinkle 2. 'T is not Lawfull but highly impious in Christians to Rebel against their Sovereign under the specious pretence of defending their Religion because thereby some of the most Fundamental Points of Christianity are overthrown There is nothing more contrary to the Laws of Christ nothing forbidden under severer Penalties than Rebellion He that resisteth the Power resisteth the Ordinance of God and they that resist shall receive to themselves Damnation There is nothing more agreeable to the Laws of Christ nothing encouraged with more glorious Rewards than suffering for Righteousness sake Blessed are they who are presecuted for Righteousness sake for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven If then we resist the Higher Powers under pretence of securing Religion we fall under the Damnation of the worst of Rebels and lose the Reward of the most Noble Martyrs He that raiseth Parties to promote Sedition and disturb the Peace of the Civil Government is a Traitour to Christ a Deserter of the Cross a Subverter of His Kingdom and were it of this world would endanger its final Overthrow If any crime of this nature had been prov'd against St Paul when He stood before the judgment seat not Felix but He himself must have trembled at the sight of his Accusers And how would the rest of the Apostles have been confounded when they were brought before Governours and Kings for his Name had they been found guilty of Plots against the State or putting the world into an Uproar as was falsely laid to their charge For might not the Judges before whom they stood have given them this or the like Reproof You who call your selves the Disciples of that Master who taught Blessed are the Peace-makers do you disturb the Government You that pretend to be the Subjects of that King who renounc'd all earthly Sovereignty do you Tumultuously affect Dominion Your Master commanded you to Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesars and do you withhold from Him the just Tribute of your Obedience Next the Miracles which He wrought his peaceable conversation his exemplary Patience his Precepts of Obedience had almost persuaded us to turn Christians But hearing of his unexampled Charity and humility in praying for his very Crucifiers when He hung on the Cross we could not but altogether confess that He was a very just and Holy Person But what perverse followers are ye of so good a Master What a scandal to his Cross and contradiction to your Profession And were He now upon earth He must either disown his own Doctrine or you for his Disciples Your turbulent Behaviour hath justly provok'd Caesar to unsheath his Sword of Justice to deliver you over to the Executioners His Consuls have Rods for the Backs and Axes for the Necks of you the vilest of Impostors And you deserve to be treated with greater severity than any other sort of Enemy The rude Scythians seem more capable of the Emperours Clemency for they profess cruelty Outrage and Barbarity by long custom are become natural to them But for you who profess Gentleness Civility and Condescension who pretend to know nothing save Jesus Christ and him crucified who to assure the Empire of your Loyalty and Fidelity have inforc't Obedience upon a Principle of Conscience as well as Wrath and entail'd eternal Damnation upon the violation of it who to assure us that you had no sinister Designes upon the Estates of other men have forsaken your own Possessions for you at last to be found guilty of Insurrection Tumult and Violence makes you fall more unlamented than Catiline or the most cursed Conspirators ever did In short you have done what in you lay to make good the Treasons which were falsely laid to your Masters charge much more than the Scribes Pharisees chief Priests and Lawyers those Crafty Managers of his Tryal were able to do I know not what Evasions may have been found out since by the Theologo-Politico's of our Age but sure I am the Apostles could never have avoyded this just Reprimand for they had every one of them fall'n under that worst of Condemnations ex ore tuo serve nequam out of thy own mouth thou wicked servant thou art condemned Thirdly 'T is not Lawfull but highly impious for Christians to Rebel against their Sovereign disturb the Government or use violence under the specious pretences of securing their Religion Because It ought to be preserv'd and continued in the world by the same methods it was at first propagated Now setting aside those mighty Works which our Saviour wrought to convince the Jews that He was the true Messias whom their Prophets had foretold should come into the world and the Heathens that He was a Person of greater worth acted by a more Divine Principle than any of their most celebrated Masters of Wisdom Setting aside this his Divine Power What was there that did more recommend his Religion to the world than the kind Aspect It had towards the Peace and Prosperity of the Empire Than the security It gave to the Civil Magistrate by the Obedience it taught and the Protection it might reasonably hope for under them by a Practice conformable to that Doctrine This consideration makes it a greater wonder to me that the Roman Emperours held out so long before they yielded Obedience to Christs Sceptre than that Constantine the Great came in so early to make good that Prophecy Kings shall be nursing Fathers c. Among all the Arguments which the Noble Apologists used to persuade the Emperours and their Ministers of State to forbear persecuting the Innocent Christians produce me one which carries the least shew of menace or force along with it when they had both Numbers and Arms to have disputed their cause O let not the Example of the noble Thebean Legion ever be forgotten They persuaded them that it was for their safety to cherish and protect such Subjects as gave such daily Instances of their valour by suffering joyfully the most cruel Deaths that it was for their Interest as well as their Glory to embrace that Religion which bred such couragious and yet such Obedient Loyal Professors who could endure the most exquisite Torments rather than deny their Religion because they knew if ever they rebell'd their Master would deny them Among all the