Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A67669
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The happy union of England and Holland, or, The advantageous consequences of the alliance of the Crown of Great Britain with the States General of the United Provinces
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R. W.
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1689
(1689)
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Wing W94; ESTC R24583
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52,058
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72
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lessen the Authority of the Church of England 'T is a strange thing that the Roman Catholics who hardly know their own Religion should pretend to teach us ours They have been told a thousand times that the Bishops and Presbyterians of England differ only in so slight Ceremonies which are nothing to the Essential part of Divine Worship and that there is more of Obstinacy and Misunderstanding between them then of real Cause of Dispute We have seen at the Hugue for this ten or twelve Years the Princess of Orange now Queen Mary of England repair indifferently sometimes to the Dutch or French Church and sometimes to her own Chappel The Prince no sooner arriv'd at London but he receiv'd the Communion in an Episcopal Church and gave a favourable Reception to the Presbyterian Ministers who went to Congratulate him We see every day several of the Episcopal Party Communicate with the Reformed on this side the Sea and our French and Holland Protestants joyn themselves with the Church of England Yet maugre all this the Romish Doctors would make us believe we are of two Religions And upon the same score because their Religion properly consists only in exterior Pomp in Images Relics Beds Rosaries Holy-water Monks of several Colours and such like Superstitious Exercises and Institutions and that those other things wherein they differ from the Protestants are only the Inventions of Italian Policy they imagin it to be the same with ours Whence it comes to pass that all the Speculative Opinions of our Divines are by those Gentlemen lookt upon as so many All the Confessions of Faith the Liturgies the Ceremonies in the Administration of the Sacraments the Varieties of Discipline the Orders and Habits of the Preachers if our Adversaries were so to be believ'd among us make so many different Sects For this reason it was that a certain Prelate who believ'd himself to be very witty has made a History of the Variations of our Churches and he had so great a desire to augment the Number that he bethought himself of ascribing to us as many Relics as he found Systems of our Ministers upon the Apocalyps the most obscure Book of all the New Testament Nevertheless we must acknowledge that the Headstrong Obstinacy of some of Ours and the remains of Ignorance and the Spirit of Antichristianism that will not yet out of the Bones of some that Envy our Unity have given occasion to these Calumnies The Western Church has mourn'd for above these ten Centuries under the Darkness and Yoke of Popery During which time there was Opportunity and Advantage enough to deepen the Superstitions and Impressions of Popery under so wicked a Master Add to this that since the Reformation we have not had a Prince whose Knowledg Piety and Puissance have been able to reconcile our Differences The Great Gustavus had conceiv'd such a Design in his Mind but he vanish'd like a flash of Lightning in the midst of his Victories It seems that God has reserv'd this Honour for William the III. and this Happiness till our Time God has sent this Prince into the World in a Country where the Spirit of Toleration has pass'd from the Magistrates to the most Learned Ministers He has call'd him to a Kingdom replenish'd with Learned and Pious Bishops who have for a long time preserv'd their Flocks in Peace by their gentleness and moderation The Prince at hi first Coming to the Government found Factions in the Church as well as in the State He has appeas'd both the one and the other The Persecution of the Reformed in France has open'd the Eyes of all their Brethren and has shew'd them the necessity of guarding themselves from the Fury of the Jesuits All these Conjunctures in my Opinion presage a happy Union of the Protestants As to what is said that the Prince of Orange is more absolute in the Vnited Provinces then any of his Predecessors is an Equivocation For ever since the Establishment of the Commonwealth the Hollanders have always born a very great Affection to the House of Orange but true it is that ever since William the Silent who laid the first Foundations of their Liberty this State never had a Prince whom they lov'd more then William Henry The reason is because he enter'd upon the Government at a time when the Hollanders seem'd to be ruin'd beyond recovery and yet he restor'd them to their former Grandeur However notwithstanding this signal Service done them the dread of War and certain vain Suspitions were the Cause that there was great Opposition made against a Levie of sixteen Thousand Men which the Prince most earnestly press'd for as better understanding the Designs of France then any of the Burgomasters of Amsterdam The Event demonstrated that never was any Opposition made upon such bad Grounds nor more Prejudicial to the State For Lewis the XIV boasted in the Edict which revokes that of Nantes that he had not made the Truce but to Exterminate the Protestants out of his Kingdom James the II. took that time to perplex the Church of England and to invade the Liberties of his People At length France threw off her Mask and broke the Truce as soon as she thought she could do it with Advantage That long Train of Delusions justify'd the Prince's Innocence shew'd that he had no other Aim in all his Designs but the Preservation of Liberty and the Protestant Religion and gain'd him the Hearts of all the Hollanders And I would fain know how long it has been a Crime for a Governour to win the Love of those who are under his Conduct Thus you may see how the first Prince William render'd himself Absolute and how the same Power came to be transferr'd to his Successors not by Usurpation but by preserving the Liberty of the Republic The form of Government is still the same the Elections are made by the usual Suffrages the Resolutions taken for the raising of Money making Peace and War Affairs of Trade Justice and Civil Government are all determin'd in the Assembly of Estates according to the Ancient Customs and we are ready to make it appear that for these fifteen Years last past that William Henry has sate at the Helm he has acted nothing but according to the Laws and by vertue of the power annex'd to his high Authority and Command As to what is reported that the Prince engag'd the States General in his Expedition for England without imparting to them his Design is a Calumny of his Enemies which has no other foundation but the Malice of those who are enrag'd that he did not make a discovery of that Fortunate Enterprize at such a time that they might have had more leisure to prepare to obstruct him And it is an easie thing to convince all Intelligent Persons of the Folly of this Objection Suppose this Revolution had been the Effect of long deliberation it was necessary before all other things 1. To be assur'd of the Inclinations
has the least Tincture of that Sect. So that it is both Prudence and Charity not to Scandalize other People through an Affectation to imitate our Enemies in certain Words and Practices which tho indifferent in their Nature become baneful and mischievous because offensive to others 4. That the Genius of our Age which is very much improv'd in understanding and the Genius of the Christian Religion which relates all to the Soul and Conscience require few Ceremonies 5. However that some are necessary to prevent the Contempt of Divine Worship and its Ministers These are the propositions that seem to me very profitable for the Peace of the Church and which I judge to be so very clear that I need not go about to prove them The Reader also I hope will pardon my not drawing any Consequences from them in regard I write for a Re-union and for that I do not desire to give any Party an occasion to Quarrel with me Besides there is no Person of a clear judgment but can apply them himself and for others they would be wrangling with me at every Turn As to the manner how Jesus Christ is present in the Eucharist there is no Controversie perhaps so vain nor more easie to be determin'd tho the Gentlemen of the Roman Communion imagin it to be the Foundation of our separation All the Protestants agree that this Sacrament is a Symbol of the Death of Jesus Christ a Commemoration of his Sacrifice and a Pledge of the remission of our Sins that the Body and Blood of our Crucify'd Saviour which are given us therein are the Nourishment of our Souls that we do not participate thereof but by Faith and that the wicked do not receive Jesus Christ but only the Consecrated Signs to their Condemnation That Jesus Christ is not present but during the use of the Sacrament that he is not to be there ador'd that the Bread and Wine continue to be Bread and Wine after the Sacrament and that we are not to pay any Religious Homage to those Material Elements So that all the difficulty is to know how Jesus Christ who as Man is in Heaven can be at the the same time upon the Earth and present with the Faithful every time that they Communicate worthily Upon which particular since the Scripture has not told us any thing we should do well to be silent When I consider and contemplate the unsearchable ways of God I cannot conceive how two understanding Persons and endu'd with true Piety can raise disputes about Predestination and Grace The same Person who knows not either how Speech is Form'd or by what Springs we our selves move will undertake to teach others now God govern's the World and what he has determin'd in reference to their equals But to confound the Pride of Human Wit it so falls out that the more we reason upon these things the more we find that our understanding fails when we strive to search beyond the bounds of Divine Revelation If they uphold Predestination to be absolute they make God the Author of sin destroy Liberty and all Religion If it be suppos'd conditionally we cannot unfold the fore-knowledge of God nor give any good reasons for the varieties of his favours Therefore let Men keep close to that which is plain and to what the Scripture informs us in express Terms That God knows all things and disposes of all things as he pleases himself That being the Master of Events he is also of the heart of Man Nevertheless that Man is free that is to say that he has Power to restrain his judgment in respect of True or False of Good or Evil. That the habit of Ignorance and sin decreases this Liberty and that it increases by the good use which a Man makes of this understanding and divine Assistance That God grants his Favour to all those that desire it and so it is our duty to pray to him to obey him and to exhort others so to do to impute all that is Evil to our selves and all that is good to the Inspirations of the Holy Spirit This is that wherein all Christians agree and the whole being duly consider'd the dispute is reduc'd to one Impenetrable question It is a greed that God shares out his benefits very variously and that he distributes to some more to some less The difficulty is to know whether God affords Grace sufficient to save all and every Particular Man in case they make a good use of it And who can affirm it Precisely at least who can pretend to know the bottom of every Mans heart and the degree of the Efficacy of that Assistance which he has receiv'd I will not undertake to describe the Qualities to be requir'd in those that shall be employ'd to accomplish this Union I make no question but a fit choice will be made of Persons of a Genius and Integrity more then ordinary I shall only say 't will be more difficult to take care of making a good choice They who have render'd themselves odious to one of the Parties by their Writings embitter'd with Gall are incapable to discharge this trust how learned soever they may be There are some soaring Wits who sway'd by I know not what Fantastical conceits many times neglect things of great Importance and apply their Studies wholly to Trifles There are some so in love with Novelty that they would overturn all things else to introduce a supposition of their own Invention Others under the Specious pretence of a Universal Union would reduce Christianity to Ideas so confus'd and general that natural Morality and Religion would with great difficulty be preserv'd entire Happy is he that can observe a just Medium If France were humbl'd Peace once settl'd England and Holland strictly United and the Protestants at rest we should soon see the DOWNFAL of POPERY But least the Roman Catholics should be offended they are to know that this is no desir'd in reference to what they look upon as the Fundamental part of their Religion Let them pray to the Saints let them adore the Sacrament Images and Relics if they think fitting let them observe all their Ceremonies let them acknowledge the Pope for Head of the Church this is nothing at all to us We will be content so that they will but solemnly renounce in express Terms and in a General Council certain Opinions which the moderate among them openly deny but yet are generally put in Practice 1. That it is in their power to Excommunicate and depose Heretic Kings stir up their Subjects to rebel against them dispose of their Kingdoms to others and rid their hands of Princes suspected by Assassination or otherwise 2. That Promises and Oaths made to Heretics are of no value that they are not oblig'd to keep faith with them and that they may be Persecuted and exterminated at all times as occasion shall offer At least that the Church of Rome in a Body shall Anathematize all those