take notice 1. That acknowledgments to unquestionable Truths such as calling him Lord that is the unquestionable Lord and God and praying to him as the only Lord and Saviour doth not entitle Men to the Kingdom 2. But doing the Will of God is not only prefer'd to the acknowledgment of him as Lord but made the only Condition upon which admittance into the Kingdom is granted And in the next verse he adds For many saith he will say to me have we not Prophesied in thy Name and cast out Devils and done mighty Works Perhaps Built Churches Hospitals c. in thy Name c. All which was not done by Infidels but by them whose Judgments and understandings as well as Opinions were strong concerning the verity of his Authority yet for all this Knowledge and Profession and at some times Enjoyment Depart from me c. was the Sentence grounded upon their evil works for tho' they knew much and professed much and enjoyed much too yet they were unholy hearers and not doers knowers of his Will but doers of their own and therefore shut out of the Kingdom Thus much from Christ himself in Vindication of the First Proposition Next let us hear what His Apostle as well as the Gentiles saith to the matter in hand see 1 Cor. 13. where he tells of Gifts as Prophesies Tongues Knowledge of all Mysteries Hospitality towards the Poor and Faith to Remove Mountains yea to lay down Life for Opinions sake yet all this he saith without Charity or Divine Love is but an empty Sound c. I hope my Authority is so far Unquestionable that I need seek for no farther Proof for my Assertion viz. That 't is not Opinion but Holiness was and is the design of Religion for without it Religion is no more than a Body without Breath or Spirit which will soon Putrifie to the anoyance of all that are near it Now if Holiness of Life was the universal Creed of all the Christian World and the Hearts and Heads of Men were as much taken up with thinking how they might Practise it as their Hearts and Heads are full of Matters of far less Moment I will not say what though all the Presses in Europe has been filled with it as well as many Goals crowded Goods spoiled and Lives lost about it it would be a happy day for us But that I may be plainly understood I add that by Holiness I mean such a Strict Aweful and Circumspect Life as with Detestation and Abhorrence shuns those Paths that leads to the Breach of Negative Precepts as well as with fervency of Spirit suitable to the Nobility of the cause is Studious to approve it self in the Performance of what is enjoyed to be done by the same Authority the other as above is forbidden and in short is no other than a Life conformed to the Will of God And that this is the great Design of Religion is reasonable to believe both from Reason it self Scripture and Divine Inspiration and he that so lives deserves the Protection of all Civil Governments being the best of Subjects for he never gives the Magistrate trouble Since he that bears the Sword is for a Praise to them that do well and is only a Terror to Evil Doers which such a Man is not From what hath hitherto been said these Considerations will naturally follow First That he that made us Holy and Good at first and put us in a Capacity so to continue and sent his Son to break our Bonds by his Death desires that out of our Laps'd State we may be Restored to Live in a perfect Union and Fellowship with him again to all Eternity Ezek. 18.32 and 33.11 Rom. 5.18 19. 1 Tim. 1.15 and 2.3 4 5 6. Titus 2.14 1 John 3.7 Secondly Nevertheless without doing his Will 't is impossible to injoy that Union and Peace c. Mat. 7.21 22. Thirdly That his Will is our Sanctification or Holiness Luke 1.74 75. 1 Thess 3.13 and 4.3 Rom. 6.19 22. 2 Cor. 7.1 Fourthly That he which hath ordained the End hath also provided the means Deut. 18.15 Ezek. 18.32 1 Tim. 1.15 Fifthly That that means is Primarily the Second Adam or Lord from Heaven by whom the universal Gift of Grace is bestowed on all Men prejudiced by the Fall of the First Adam Secondarily by the Holy Scripture and a Spiritual Ministry c. Rom. 5.18 19. Tit. 2.11 Ephes 4.11 12. Sixthly and Lastly This Gift so universally given is Grace for Grace Light for Light Spirit for Spirit to Spirit or Quicken us to Holiness and is as much the Common Privilege of all Men as all Men were damaged by Adam's Fall Luke 2.27 28 29 30 31 32. John 1.9 16. 1 Cor. 12.7 And if so there is no Reason for the Church of Rome or any other Church to impose Articles of Faith on others or Monopolize Religion or Truth to themselves since he that Lives conformable to this Gift is a Member of that Church that Jesus Christ is Head of And he that hath Faith herein hath the True Faith mentioned in the 10th of the Hebrews and is that Faith delivered to the Saints for which they are to contend but not Fight nor Persecute since the way of their contending for it was by Argument and Suffering and not Persecution according as the Apostle saith Gal. 5.14 The fulfilling of the whole Law is in Loving our Neighbour as our selves And vers 6. saith Circumcision nor Vncircumcision availeth nothing but Faith that worketh by Love But Creed making Works not by Love but Strife and Envy and is almost always followed by Persecution therefore not of the true Faith tho' made up of never so true words but is a Fruit of the Flesh vers 19 20 21. and such Persecute those Born of the Spirit Gal. 4.29 In short that Faith which works by Love is the Immediate Gift of God that enables Man wholly to trust or depend without any manner of doubt with respect to his Body as well as Soul on the Invisible God but such an intire Trust and Depending cannot be where Purity of Heart is not And a Thousand Articles of Faith will not make one Heart clean it being made so only by that Spirit or Gift abovesaid So that he which hath the true Faith is not without the true Love for they are inseparable which worketh like Leaven every Man into Humility Patience and all other Vertues and against such there is no legal Law But to bring forth contrary Fruit such as Immorality Ambition Envy Wrath Persecution c. as it is no part of the Christian Religion so it is very unreasonable to number any such among the Religious Thus I hope I have made it plainly appear That 't is not Opinion but Holiness that answers the design of Religion 2dly That the Principles which leads to Holiness are few plain and reasonable and consequently all that are not so or from unquestionable Authority such as is the Holy Scripture
RELIGION AND Reason UNITED By a Lover of his Country LONDON Printed and Sold by T. Sowle in White-Hart-Court in Gracious-street and at the Bible in Leaden-Hall-street 1699. PREFACE Sober Reader THE Design of the following Discourse is an Essay to allay if possible the Heats and Animosities with which one Party or Religious Society treats another that if they cannot Vnite in Judgment they might for the Ease of the Government their own Interest and Benefit of Posterity Vnite in Affection For as we have not all alike outsides neither in Shape or Complexion no more are our Intellectual Conceptions And as it would be Madness to Quarrel about the first so it would be little less to Persecute about the last 'T is true the Primitive Christians were of one Heart and Mind but that which made them so was the Sword of the Spirit not of the Magistrate And where that Spirit rules it will produce the like Effects but without it 't is vanity to think of bringing People into such a Vnity but much more vain to think of Persecuting People into it Since 't is God that must Persuade Japhet to dwell in the Tents of Shem and till by him Men are so Persuaded the Magistrate loseth his Labour to force into that Tent or Church that at best is but supposed to be the True One. One thing I intreat my Reader viz. That he would endeavour Rather to Re-examine his Conscience and Education to know whether his Faith and Practices are Reasonable than value himself upon Church Membership Religion and Reason UNITED HAD Mankind no Innate Notions of a Deity or of the Immortality of the Soul of a future State of Rewards and Punishments 'T is reasonable to suppose that the greatest part would avoid troubling either their Minds or Heads about what is called Religion But this Language would be as universally heard and believed as expressed viz. Let us eat and drink c. for to morrow there 's an end of us we must die But since the contrary is most certain and that all the Inventions of Men and Artifices of Satan are not able to suppress or totally silence those Dreadful Alarms we are made to hear in our own Consciences it becomes our Interest as well as Duty to apply our selves with all fervency of Spirit to such a Course of Life as may first free us from that Perturbation of Mind which infallibly is sooner or later entail'd on an Evil Conscience And secondly obtain the assurance of a Lot in that future Peace Kingdom and Glory that shall have no end Religion then is that Science which perfectly to Understand and Practise is the only means for accomplishing the aforesaid end viz. quiet the Conscience here and assure the Soul of Blessedness hereafter True it is the Word hath often been abused and the intent of it not seldom mistaken yea to that degree that what God designed in it who is Just and Reasonable in all his ways for an universal Advantage to Mankind hath been engross'd and made the property of a Party who have been so far from Converting and Curing of Souls by it that it hath not failed of being the greatest Stumbling to those that have taken reasonable ways to save their own And this hath chiefly sprung from two Roots The First is the Immorality of those pretended Doctors whose pernicious Example have had this effect either to make the Observer conclude there is no such thing as Religion in the World but that talking of it is only a Political Contrivance to subject the People that they may be the more unlike to give their Superiours trouble in Governing them Or else that this Doctor is but a meer Quack who prates about Religion no otherwise in earnest than to get Money by it which what a vast Prejudice that is to the Cause of Religion in general is not hard to determine For if he that seems devoted to Religion gives no better Proofs of the Power and Vertue of it than only to Talk of Curing others whilst his own Distemper is so notorious no Marvel if others that are Afflicted despise both the Man and the Means the last as defective as the first a meer fopp Thinking Men who have the use of their Senses and believe the Service of God to be Reasonable as well as Religious are of the Judgment That 't is impossible for the Design of Religion to be answered until by a Purge of the Law these Blasphemers of God and Religion and Profaners of all that is Sacred be totally ejected and a Bar set at the Church Doors to prohibit every such Person from taking the Name of the Holy God or his Religion in their Mouths under any such Character And that this seems to fall under the Magistrates Observation and Correction as well as Cure is not hard to prove For if God will not hold him guiltless that takes his Name in vain ought not the Magistrate who is God's Minister of Justice look to it that none pass his Stamp of Approbation that are so absolutely Excepted against in the Declared Law of him the Magistrate Represents For if God saith I will not hold him Guiltless that taketh my Name in vain And the Magistrate saith otherwise what account can he give of his Trust and Stewardship And if he that is an Immoral Ecclesiastick don't take the Name of God in vain in the worst sense pray what is the Sin and Guilt Indeed there is one case in which it is not in vain and that is the same with the common Beggars viz. To get Money whose Prayers and Blessings are the same Minute turn'd into Curses and their Light into Profound Darkness if no Oil appears to continue the Lamp But to proceed if Men of Immoral Conversations shall be admitted or connived at by the Magistrate to be Pastors over the People to feed them with Holy Food 't is certain that in a little time Religion will be wholly lost and the People starved instead of being fed and destroyed instead of being saved for how is it possible for him to feed a Flock that never had ought to feed them withal And that the Immoralist hath nothing to feed them withal that is good is evident since himself to all goodness is a Reprobate Again no Man can lead another farther than he goes himself but how far the Immoralist is gone in the Way of God is not to be disputed Again the Blind are fit to be leaders to none and none but those that are so with a witness can esteem them fit for it But if such will follow them our Saviour tells us where the end of their Journey will be But who is a Blinder Creature than the Immoralist However none but the reverse to him can see God Therefore they that would go to God must have better Leaders or else they can never come to him The Second is Ambition it is a Passion that like Pharaoh's lean Kine devours all that comes
may be rejected without censure Since what is not of Faith in Point of Principles and Doctrine is Sin and since we are warned not to suffer Sin to lie on a Brother much more are we forbid to force him into it But to proceed that there is a Supreme Being from which we derive ours and by which we are upheld and protected is undeniable that we are under strong Obligations both of Gratitude Duty and Interest to pay Worship Obedience c. To this Supreme Authority is likewise unquestionable that a defect in Performance hereof renders us Culpable and that a Violation of his Laws is of that Provoking Nature that Justice cannot remit this we plainly saw verified in the Persons of our first Parents who were not only defective in their positive Duty but precipitated themselves into a Violation of that Negative Command their God gave them which Transgression cost them Dear viz. Loss of Paradice as the just Recompence of their Disobedience Nevertheless when Justice had thus punished for Sin Mercy was ready to commiserate when Justice had wounded Mercy was for healing Thus he that was Infinite in Justice was as Infinite in Mercy by promising and giving that Seed which should bruise the Head of him that had broken off poor Man from the true Root and Foundation of his Happiness and by the Operation thereof was he restored made whole and united to his Sovereign Lord again And this Seed Solomon calls Wisdom through which saith he Men were saved and Adam restored out of his Fall Wisd 10.1 This Wisdom or Seed was no sooner promised but gave Inwardly and Spiritually though not outwardly 'till the fullness of time that Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin and hereof all good Men through every Generation partook and were made so by the Power and Vertue thereof But when the unrighteous went away from her and would not be govern'd thereby in his anger he perished wherewith he murthered his Brother vers 3. Here was and is the Original of all Persecution about Religion ever since For by going from her Men lose that Allegiance and Duty that is incumbent on them by which they first make themselves Enemies to God secondly to Jesus Christ to whom all Power in Heaven and Earth is committed that he by his Authority might subject them to himself in Righteousness Holiness and Truth And Lastly by their Pride and Ambition Enemies to one another And this is likewise the true Reason there are so many Lo-heres and Lo-theres in the World and so much Irreligion Vnreasonableness Immorality and Hypocrisie as there is Nor can we reasonably expect it otherwise till Men come to that Principle in themselves that will subject them to their Maker and Redeemer And then as a Natural Consequence will there be true Love and Peace one towards another Now as was said in the beginning of this Discourse we are not left without a Witness viz. We are not left to our selves nor without some sense of a God nor of the Obligations we are under to him according to Holy Writ compare Mal. 3.5 with Acts 14.17 And this Witness will be faithful to us as well to Testifie against as for us according to our Deeds c. therefore call'd the Faithful and True Witness Accusing or Excusing us Rom. 2.15 Rev. 1.5 This is the Law written by the Finger of God in the Heart of Man This is the Divine Logos that speaks to and in the Soul in which is hid all the Treasures of Wisdom and Knowledge It is the true Light that enlightneth every Man that cometh into the World It is the Inspeaking Voice that saith This is the Way walk in it Isaiah It is to the World of Souls as the Sun in the Firmament is to Bodies gives Light and causeth Production It is the Inward and Spiritual Appearance of the promised Seed that Bruiseth the Head of the Serpent within us as it did outwardly in that Blessed Person viz. Jesus Christ when he Triumphed over him in our Natures for in him the Fulness was but in us by Measure every one according to the good Pleasure of God Finally this is that One Vniversaâ— Principle tho' express'd after many and by different Names of Light and Life which Impowers that Soul thaâ— receives it in perfect Love for its Guide and Monitor To Fulfil God's Holy Will which is our Holiness And as he that resists it incurs Damnation so he that Conforms to her Divine Instruction will not fail of obtaining an Assurance of that Incorruptible Crown of Blessedness which God the Righteous Judge freely bestows on every such Believing and Subject Soul 2 Tim. 4.8 By this time I hope I have made good my Second Assertion viz. That the Principles that leads to Holiness are not many nor perplexing the Brains or Vnderstanding but plain and familiar and answers the reasonable part of Mankind Since in it is nothing above the Reach of Right Reason to comprehend as in it is nothing below what is Essential to our Peace and Happiness here and Blessedness hereafter 3dly Since then it plainly appears the Religion of God's Making is not such a Mysterium Magnum as by some Persons it hath been Represented for what Reason I will not say though 't is not hard to guess I say since Religion has so much Reason in it and carries such clear Demonstration with it the making so many Tedious Unintelligible as well as Unreasonable Articles of Faith with this Anathema at the Tail of them viz. Without which 't is impossible for a Man to be saved has been a vast Prejudice to the credit of Religion in general tho' it hath gratified a Party whose Consciences are stretch'd so wide that nothing that has the appearance of Profit or Honour will make them Keck Yet at the same time the Man of Religion Indeed who makes Conscience both of his Words and Works chooseth rather to Suffer both Reproach and Persecution than Subscribe to what he cannot understand I cannot forbear thinking that most Religious People know there are many Points of Divinity which are most certainly Believed yet perhaps are rarely exprest And he that Believes them has the advantage and benefit of his Own Faith by his so having it to himself which ought not therefore to be imposed on another since all Truths profitable for us to know are not seen at once Nor are all Men a-like capable of understanding them Besides the common Prejudice of Education should be considered And therefore to dismember Persons from the Church purely for Errors they cannot help is very hard But to Unchristian them because they cannot Subscribe what they do not know nor are able to comprehend and which their Adversaries have only Conjectures about is so Barbarous Irreligious and Unreasonable that words are too short to set it forth But in my Opinion nothing can be more reasonable or tend more to the Promotion of Religion in general than for all Parties in Conjunction with the
Civil Magistrate to make that the Creed of all Perswasions which all Perswasions agree is Sacred and of Divine Authority to wit the Holy Scriptures And where any Difference shall arise about the Interpretation thereof the Civil Authority should Interpose to Oblige all Parties to Vnite in Interest viz. the Peace and Prosperity of the Nation if he could not Oblige them to Unite in Charity the Christian and Religious Bottom The First the Magistrate hath Power to command The Latter if we are true Christians cannot be denied But where either Party which is uppermost for the Wheel goes round shall exercise their Power first to exalt themselves in Honour and Wealth upon the Credit of Religion and secondly abuse that Power to make Traps for their Neighbours by cramming Creeds down their Throats which cannot be understood by them and which the others have no Authority from Holy Scripture to impose Most certain it is As it is to turn Persecutors for Religion when Religion it self forbids it and is in it self both Unreasonable and Irreligious so it is of that Provoking Nature that will inevitably draw down God's Righteous Judgments to the Desolation of that Kingdom or Common-Wealth where such Methods are taken and finally prove the overthrow of that Church which promotes such a Work But without looking for a Stroke from the Hand of Heaven 't is no good Policy since 't is the first Foundation to Schism For had not the Church of Rome imposed more than she had Authority from Holy Scripture for the Protestants could have had no reasonable Colour for their Revolt but the first is true and so is the last Again had the Church of England imposed no more than the Holy Scripture had warranted Her in Matters of Faith nor any Discipline but what might reasonably be Collected from them Nor any other Practices by her Clergy than what was Honest Just and of Good Report as becomes Ministers of Jesus Christ the Dissenters Separation had been a Ridiculous Thing Whereas it appears now to be so Grounded that the Strength of the Church is not able to Convince nor Confute them In short if the 39 Articles were not half so many as they are and more clear than some of them appear to be And if the Creed commonly called Athanasius's were reduced to that of the Apostle's or Nicene-Creed which as they are less Perplexing so they are as Substantial and would engage more to unite in the Truth thereof who are now too often rather Stumbled than Excited to be Religious It would tend more to Peace if not Unity Again if the Presbyterians Assembly of Divinity had not made such a horrid Blunder in their Westminster Confession of Faith as they did by Asserting such and such Principles for Orthodox with pretended Authority from Holy Scripture which upon Examination no more answered their design than the first of Job proves the Divinity of Christ they might at that time have enlarged their Dominion and like the Jews made Proselytes of the Covenant in abundance But wherâ— People see first an Arbitrary Power to impose and secondly so much weakness in their Proofs no marvel if they were left also as they left others Nor had the Synod of Dort any better success especially in Holland where the Remedy prov'd worse than the Disease Nor was England free from the dire Effects thereof But as W. P's Address to Protestants pag. 62 and 63. saith The mournfullest part of that History is the ill Usage the Bishop oâ— Landaff and others had who werâ— acknowledged to be sound in the Faith of those Times viz. the Calvenist yet if at any time they appeared Moderate in Behaviour and Gentle in their Words desiring rather an Accommodation with the Remonstrators than to encrease the Difference to the Prejudice of Religion in general Gomarus and his Followers not observing the Rules of Debate in so grave an Assembly fell foul of the Bishop c. Reproaching their Tenderness and insinuating the Charge of Treachery c. against those more Vertuous but less Bitter and Stingy Persons than themselves But without Raking in the Ruins of time 't is evident that the several Councils Convocations Synods c. that have been called to settle Articles of Faith have rarely avoided Exercising such a Dogmatical Power to the straining the Principles of Religion beyond not only the Line of Holy Scripture but the Staple of Reason and common Sense And therefore no wonder if the World be filled with Schisms In days of old the Ancient Land-Marks were not to be removed without a severe Penalty and most certain it is neither wider nor streighteâ— must we set them than the Holy Meâ— of old did unless by the same Authority they had And how that was thâ— Holy Scripture plainly demonstrates And until That be our general Creeâ— without far-fetch'd Consequences wâ— cannot reasonably expect to be freâ— from the trouble that attends whaâ— is called Schism and where that is Persecution commonly follows foâ— Non-conformity though it be but tâ— an Image and not the true God Anâ— what a Prejudice that is to the State to be torn in pieces by Factions woful Experience hath taught us This with the Immorality and Ambition oâ— the Clergy in King James the First Time laid the Foundation for thâ— Ruin of his Son and with him Threâ— Kingdoms according to F. O. in hâ— Observations on K. J's Reign Ouâ— Divines saith he for the generality did Sacrifice more to Bacchus than Minerva Again nor did the notorious Debauchery of the Episcopal Clergy add a little to the Rent made by those called Puritans Nor did the sudden Translations of Bishops from less to greater Fees give time to visit sufficiently their respective Charges being more intent upon the Receipt of such Taxes as a long abused Custom had Estated them in than upon Reformation For from the Pulpit came all our future Miseries God not being served there as he ought c. I take the more notice of this because himself was no favourer of Puritanism but of the other side For the Security therefore of the Government Ease of the Magistrate and Peace of the People Creeds not to be found in Holy Scripture and an Ambitious and Immoral Clergy by the common Voice of Mankind should be totally Rejected Which leads me to my Fourth Proposition viz. That Liberty of Conscience is every Man's Birth-right 4thly By Liberty of Conscience is not meant a Liberty to Licentiousness for no Man that is Compos Mentis will pretend Matter of Conscience to commit Wickedness But by Liberty of Conscience I mean for every Man to go to what place he please to worship God in that way he is persuaded is the Right Way and to hear that Preacher that he likes best As for Instance I cannot see any Prejudice to the State to Indulge the Jews in the Exercise of their Religion which of all Perswasions has the least Reason to desire or expect it yet we find our