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A44672 The Case of the Protestant dissenters represented and argued Howe, John, 1630-1705.; Stretton, Richard, 1631 or 2-1712. 1689 (1689) Wing H3020; ESTC R21354 7,346 6

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THE CASE OF THE Protestant Dissenters REPRESENTED and ARGUED Licensed and Entred according to Order THEY are under one common Obligation with the rest of Mankind by the universal Law of Nature to Worship God in Assemblies Men of all sorts of Religions that have ever obtain'd in the World Jews Pagans Mahometans Christians have in their Practice acknowledg'd this Obligation Nor can it be understood how such a Practice should be so Universal otherwise than from the Dictate and Impression of the Universal Law. Whereas the Religion profest in England is that of Reformed Christianity some things are annexed to the allowed Publick Worship which are acknowledged to be no parts thereof nor in themselves necessary but which the Dissenters judg to be in some part Sinful They cannot therefore with good Conscience towards God attend wholly and solely upon the Publick Worship which the Laws do appoint The same Laws do strictly forbid their assembling to Worship God otherwise Which is in effect the same thing as if they who made or shall continue such Laws should plainly say If you will not consent with us in our superadded Rites and Modes against your Consciences you shall not Worship God Or if you will not accept of our Additions to the Christian Religion you shall not be Christians and manifestly tends to reduce to Paganism a great Part of a Christian Nation They have been wont therefore to meet however in distinct Assemblies and to worship God in a way which their Consciences could approve and have many years continu'd so to do otherwise than as they have been hindred by Violence It is therefore upon the whole fit to enquire Q. 1. Whether the Dissenters are to be blamed for their holding distinct Meetings for the worship of God For answer to this It cannot be expected that all the Controversies should be here determined which have been agi●ated about the Lawfulness of each of those things which have been added to the Christian Religion and Worship by the present Constitution of the Church of England But supposing they were none of them simply unlawful while yet the misinformed Minds of the Dissenters could not judg them lawful tho they have made it much their Business to enquire and search being urg'd also by very severe Sufferings which thorough a long Tract of time they have undergone Not to refuse any means that might tend to their Satisfaction they could have nothing else left them to do than to Meet and worship distinctly as they have For they could not but esteem the Obligation of the Universal Natural Divine Law by which they were bound solemnly to worship God less questionable than that of a Law which was only Positive Topical and Humane requiring such and such Additaments to their worship and prohibiting their worship without them The Church of England as that part affects to be called distinguisht from the rest by those additionals to Christian Religion pretended to be indifferent and so confest unnecessary hath not only sought to Engross to it self the Ordinances of Divine Worship but all Civil Power So that the Priviledges that belong either to Christian or Humane Society are inclosed and made peculiar to such as are distinguisht by things that in themselves can signify nothing to the making of Persons either better Christians or better Men. Q. 2. Whether the Laws enjoyning such Additions to our Religion as the exclusive Terms of Christian worship and Communion ought to have been made when it is acknowledged on all hands the things to be added were before not necessary and when it is known a great number judg them Sinful and must thereby be restrained from worshipping the True and Living God A. The Question to any of common Sense answers it self For it is not put concerning such as dissent from any Part of the Substance of Worship which God hath commanded but concerning such Additions as he never commanded And there are sufficient Tests to distinguish such Dissenters from those that deny any substantial Part of Religion or assert any thing contrary thereto Wherefore to forbid such to worship that God that made them because they cannot receive your devised Additions is to exclude that which is necessary for the meer want of that which is unnecessary And where is that Man that will adventure to stand forth and avow the hindering of such Persons from paying their Homage to the God that made them If we thus expostulate the matter on Gods behalf and their own will you cut off from God his Right in the Creatures he hath made Will you cut off from them the means of their Salvation upon these terms What reply can the matter admit 'T is commonly alledg'd That great deference is to be paid to the Laws and that we ought to have forborn our Assemblies till the publick Authority recall'd the Laws against them And we will say the same thing when it is well proved that they who made such Laws made the world too And by whose Authority were such Laws made Is there any that is not from God And hath God given any Men authority to make Laws against himself and to deprive him of his just Rights from his own Creatures N●r if the matter be well searcht into could there be so much as a pretence of Authority derived for such purposes from the People whom every one now acknowledges the first Receptacle of derived governing Power God can 't is true lay indisputable Obligation by his known Laws upon every Consci●nce of Man about Religion or any thing else And such as represent any People can according to the Constitution of the Government make Laws for them about the things they entrust them with But if the People of England be askt Man by Man will they say they did entrust to their Representatives their Religion and their Consciences to do with them what they please When it is your own turn to be represented by others is this part of the Trust you commit What Dr. Sherlock worthily says concerning a Bishop he might and particularly after doth say concerning every other Man He can be no more represented in a Council than at the Day of Judgment every Man's Soul and Conscience must be in his own keeping and can be represented by no Man. It ought to be considered That Christianity wherein it superadds to the Law of Nature is all matter of Revelation And 't is well known that even among Pagans in the setling Rites and Institutes of Religion Revelation was pretended at least upon an impli'd Principle that in such matters humane Power could not oblige the Peoples Consciences We must be excused therefore if we have in our Practice exprest less Reverence for Laws made by no Authority received either from God or Man. We are therefore injuriously reflected on when it is imputed to us That we have by the use of our Liberty acknowledg'd an Illegal Dispensing Power We have done no other thing herein than we did