Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A29790
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The reasons of the new converts taking the oaths to the present government in a dialogue / by the author of the Reasons of Mr. Bay's conversion.
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Brown, Thomas, 1663-1704.
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1691
(1691)
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Wing B5073; ESTC R12615
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22,453
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34
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the Dr. has got such a pretty way of answering his own Books that 't is a thousand pitties any one else should take the trouble out of his hands Nay I am inform'd continues he that when he took the Oaths he desired to be sworn upon the Naked Gospel Freeman 'T is strange me thinks that the Dissenters should be angry with the Dr. for what he has done if their Zeal for the Government is real and sincere which 't is a Sin for us in the Country to question I wonder why they should quarrel with him upon this score since the influence of his Example for all they know may be serviceable to reduce the rest of his Brethren who at present dissent from us Tim. That does not signifie a farthing for besides their particular pique against the Dr. as he is a Member of the Established Church they would have neither him nor any one else who is not of their party be thought Loyal For all their former Bellowings and Cries against the Illegality of Monopolies yet at present they would willingly engross all the little Honesty and Loyalty that is left in the Nation into their own hands though by the By their Loyalty is compounded of such cross surly ill-natur'd Ingredients and is such an odd awkward sort of Loyalty that for all I can see to the contrary no Prince in Christendome is likely to be the better for it Freem A Dissenter's Loyalty is like the officiousness of a Rock at play who only lends you Mony in order to your ruin I pray Heaven it proves of long continuance but for my own part I am afraid it will last no longer than they find their Religion I mean their Interest concerned in it Tim. More than all this they 'l tell you that we owe the Sunshine of the Gospel and all the other Blessings of the late Revolution intirely to their Discretion and State-principles and that if these impracticable Doctrines of the Church of England concerning the Civil Magistrate had taken place we had by this time been utterly overwhelmed with Popery and Slavery Freem Why this is ten times over a more fulsome Plea than their pretensions to Loyalty They preserve the Protestant Religion Where or how or in what Reign that we may see it registred in our Almanacks I am sure they have contributed in all their pious Endeavours to make the Reformation as scandalous and despicable as any of the Fathers of the Society could have done They preserved it after a fine rate by their universal silence in the late Reign and their little low abject applications to Popery and now when the Enemy is beaten out of the field they make a great pother with a few Gleanings out of our own Authors and pretend the Victory is owing to their Assistance and Conduct Tim. Nay the Dissenters have not been wanting even in this Reign to do the Protestant Religion all the good service they can One of the Tribe in his Modest Enquiry as he called it very modestly advised the Rabble to knock all the Clergymen in the Head And another nameless Rascal in his Reflections upon the Miscarriages of our Navy that are printed by one of those godly wholesale Dealers in Scandal those scruple-selling Vermin of the Poultry has this remarkable passage viz. That there 's more Virtue and Honour to be found among the Rabble than the Gentry Rabble is likewise the word with their dear Brethren in Scotland and you may guess what a brave Religion we shall have of it at last if we follow these blessed methods and suffer it to be modell'd and fitted to the Inclinations of our judicious Rabble Freem Why prithee Tim you need not give your self the trouble at this time of day to acquaint me with any of the laudable Qualities of the Dissenters and especially of their Levites as for instance either with their wit which never appears but in their Similes and in interpreting the Prophets or with their Charity which is never extended beyond their own party or with their Modesty which is never visible but when they wink in the Pulpit or with their Sincerity which never appears but when they own themselves in their Prayers to be a pack of the damnedst Rogues in the World or with their Learning which never goes beyond a Dutch System and a little Herauldry or with their Sobriety which is never admitted to keep them company at their pious Friday Entertainments or with their Loyalty which was ever shown but by their promising to lend this King more Mony than they could raise and abusing the two last reigns or lastly with their Zeal against Popery which is never to be proved but by their continual Endeavours to undermine the Established Church But let me conjure you dear Tim to drop this nauseous fulsom subject for as I hope for mercy I am as weary of it as a Presbyterian Splitter of Cases is weary of a poor Brother that constantly comes every Sunday with his dozen troublesome Scruples to be resolv'd sub forma pauperis Tim. Thus you see Sir with what contempt and aversion the Dissenters in Town entertain the story of the Dr's Conversion now give me leave to add a word or two more concerning them and then I 'll have done You very well observe that they pretend to have abundance of Zeal for Their present Majesties so they do if you 'l take their own words for it they 'l tell you that no body keeps the Fasts and Thanksgiving days with that Devotion as themselves have done But for all this dear Friend of mine they are angry to see the number of the Kings Subjects increased if they see a Church-of England-man come over to the Government they immediately call him all the Rogues and Rascals in the World the Reason is plain they 'd willingly have His Majesty served by none but themselves and then they don't question to reduce the French King and demolish Popery in due time Besides if all the Church-of England-men had taken the Oaths they had lost their dearly beloved Topick of railing at them and I dare swear so well am I acquainted with a Dissenter's tenderness they 'd rather sacrifice all the Princes in the Universe than lose the precious opportunity of libelling and railing You are infinitely mistaken if you imagin that the Bishops would find better Quarter from the Fanaticks if they should ever take the Oaths no no they pray with all their Hearts that they may refuse the doing of it still for then they are in hopes to see their Order abolish'd and their Revenues divided amongst the Saints i. e. their old Oliverian Leases come in play again Of all which expectations they would be miserably disappointed if those immortal Patriots could prevail with themselves to comply Freem I don't pitty the Dr. however for being used after this unmerciful rate by those Sons of Schism for if it were my own case I should rather chuse to put that
Tim. A very pretty Consort I'faith So I don't question but what between the Politicks of the Justice and the Impertinence of your Lawyers and the pious Ejaculations of your Female Companion you found your self as uneasy as a blundering Cit amongst the Verse-repeating Beaux of Wills Coffee-house or the Chair-man of a Committee amongst his Herd of Country Petitioners But setting this Business aside prithee tell me how thou hast done this long while for unless I am mistaken 't is above three Years since we saw you last in Town Freem Why truly Tim. I live after my old laudable Custom still sometimes I divert my self with a chearful Bottle and sometimes pass away an Hour or two with an honest old Author for to say the truth your new Gentlemen scarce deserve a Reading I pay my Taxes without repining do what good I oan amongst my Neighbours never trouble my self with other Mens business and though the Duty I owe to their present Majesties will not permit me to talk so scandalously and disrespectfully of the two late Reigns as some Hot-headed Sots have done yet I am as well satisfied with the present Establishment and as Zealous for the prosperity of Old England as the forwardest Courtier who has made his Fortune by the Revolution and consequently is obliged to stand up for it as well upon the score of his interest as his choice Thus I have answered your Question and now prithee let me know what News you have in Town Tim. A right Country Gentleman's Question I'faith for the first thing he generally asks you is What is the News As the Country Ladies when they come up to Town enquire in the first place Which is the newest Play or Lampoon Which is the Topping Mistress of the Court or the most fashionable Suit of Ribbons at the Exchange Well then to satisfy your Curiosity you must know that there has lately happened a very remarkable Change or Conversion call it which you please of a certain Person here in Town which no Body could ever have imagined or expected and now I leave it to you to conjecture what it is Freem A Conversion and that a very remarkable one too Why then I fancy Tim. that your Friend Mr. Bay's is returned to his Primitive Church Tim. Nay the Lord knows which is Mr. Bay's Primitive Church but prithee why dost thou trouble thy head about a Poet's Religion for as we say a Beggar is never out of his way so a Poet is never out of his Religion Freem Well then a discarded Jacobite Captain turn'd an humble retailer of wicked Bottl'd Ale and Brandy the Discarded Recter of Exeter turn'd a Friend of Athanasius or the never to be forgotten Apostate turn'd a Defender of Passive Obedience Tim. No. Freem A Physician turn'd a Zealous Expounder of the Bible or a Sworn Friend to Scoth-Cloth reconciled to Lawn-Sleeves Or a City Usurer turn'd a Refunder of his ill-gotten Estate Tim. No. Freem A Son of Slaughter at White-Chappel converted to the observation of Fish-days or an old inveterate Republican turn'd a stiff Assertor of Monarchy Tim. No but you had best consult Mr. Ferguson to resolve your last Question Freem Is Dr. Oates reformed from his usual way of raskalling people and return'd to the use of his Memory and good Manners on the sudden or has that bloody Sweareâ— refused to take the new Oaths Tim. Why don't you know that in a late Auction of Paintings there was a Picture of the Dr's to be seen where he was represented like a Blackamore with a Glocestershire Parliament Man a washing him in order to make him rectus in Curia by the same token that it was called the Labor in vain Freem Is the Red-fac'd Chaplain-maker of Whitehal reconcil'd to the choice of honest Divines and renounced taking mony for places Or have any of the topping Sons of Schism by the Bribe of a good Deanry or Bishoprick been converted to the Liturgy Tim. No no but hark you Friend of mine you had best have a care what you say Sons of Schism Why I tell you every man amongst them disowns the word and say that thanks to the new Laws they are as much an established Church as you know which was Freem Is there then no difference between tolerating and establishing After this rate the Bear-Garden and Play-house may all in good time pretend to be established Parliamentary Assemblies But to go on Is there any of the New Interpreters of Daniel and the Apocalyps converted to Sense and Reason Or any of the Modern Comprehension-men converted to a good Opinion of the poor suffering Ceremonies of the Church Tim. No not a single Man among 'em as far as I can hear Freem To conclude then Is the Vicar near Charing-Cross convinced there 's not so much Bawdry in the Service of Matrimony as without it Is any noted Sâ—â—â—â—ian turn'd a Friend to Faith Or any of the good people of Doctors-Commons to unlicencâ—d Marriges Is a 〈…〉 â—arlon turn'd a friend to Cleanliness Any Court 〈…〉 â—â—nen and no back-biting any litigious Attorney to 〈◊〉 And Arbitrations Any thrice married Widow to impotence Any of the Town Criticks to Modesty Or lastly any Alderman that was begotten on a Bulk to Heraldry and Pedigrees Tim. No you have not hit the point after all Freem Why then the Devil take me if I am able to guess what is the matter To pursue this point any further I find would be as endless a piece of trouble as to reckon up all the dull stupid senseless passages on the Conference at the Brasiers shop in Long-Acre or in Sh-dwel's Panegyricks or to give you a List of all Dr. Pain 's pretended Reasons for Alterations or all the Similies in the Plain Dealer Therefore let me once for all intreat you dear Tim. to put me out of my pain and let me know what mighty business it is you have to communicate Tim. Prepare then with Reverence and Attention to receive what I am going about to deliver for give me leave to tell you Sir now we are nose inter nose the saying is 't is the most surprizing unexpected piece of News you ever heard in all your Life Freem Lord what a deal of insignificant flourish and preparation is here to usher in it may be but a foolish story at last Why by and by thâ—â— wilt perswade me that the Monument last week took a pair of Oars to go and plead the Cities Cause against the Orphans at the Kings-Bench or that the two old pastboard Giants at Guildhal have laid their Heads together to confute Baker's Chronicle or Wood's Oxford Antiquities Tim. Nay Sir since I find you begin to be somewhat must and all that like Father Teague in the Play when the outside of the door was put upon him I am resolved to ease you of your trouble immediately Know then for a certain truth that one of the most celebrated Divines we have in Town I must not give my self