nothing do but Man's Comment instead of God's Text his Consequences Conclusions in the room of Sacred Revelation I cannot see how any Man can be obliged to receive or believe revealed Truths in any other Language than that of the Revelation itself especially if those that vary the Expression have not the same Spirit to lead them in doing so or that it appears not to me that they have the Guidance of that holy Spirit If the holy Ghost hath left Doubts in Scripture which is yet irreverent to believe I see not how Men can resolve them 't is the Work of that Spirit And since Men are so apt to Err Doubts are better left in Scripture than by us But it is to cross that Order of Prudence and Wisdom among Men who chuse to Conform their Expressions to the things they believe If any honest Man hath related a Story to me of something he hath seen and I am to declare my Faith about it if I believe the Fact I will chuse to deliver it in the Terms of the Relator as being nearest to the Truth Suppose a Father dying makes his Last Will and Testament and as he thinks so plain that there can be no Mistake made by the Executors but what is wilful if they instead of proving this Will and acting according to the plainness of it turn Commentators make more Difficulties than they find and perplex the whole Matter to the Children and Legatees and send them to the Law for their Right will we not esteem such Executors Ill Men and justifie those Persons concern'd in their Refusal of the Paraphrase God hath at sundry times and in divers manners by his Prophets his Beloved Son and his Apostles deliver'd to the World a Declaration of his Will and Testament but some have claim'd and taken to themselves the Keeping Explanation and Use of it so as those that chuse to be concluded by the Letter and Text of this Testament in its most important Points expose themselves to great prejudice for they are excommunicated from all other share in it than the punishment of the Breakers of it which is part of their Anathema who of all others are most guilty of Adding or Diminishing by undertaking to determin for others as well as themselves the Mind and Intention of the holy Ghost in it But if it be true as true it is that few have writ of the Authority of Scripture that do not affirm the very Penmen of it to be not only inspired by the Holy Ghost but so extraordinarily acted by him as that they were wholely asleep to their own Will Desires or Affections like people taken out of themselves and purely Passive as Clay in the hand of the Potter to the Revelation Will and Motion of the Spirit and for this End that nothing deliver'd by them might have the least Possibility of Mistake Error or Imperfection but be a Compleat Testament of the Will of God to men I cannot see which way such Men can excuse themselves from Great Presumption that will notwithstanding have the Wording of Creeds of Communion and reject that Declaration of Faith as insufficient which is deliver'd in the very Terms of the Holy Ghost and deny those Persons to be Members of Christ's Church that in Conscience refuse to subscribe any other Draught than their Lord has given them Two things oppose themselves to this Practice First The Glory of God the Honor of the Scriptures for it naturally draws people from the Regard Due to God the Scriptures begits too much Respect for Men their Traditions This was the Difficulty Christ met with and complained of in his time they had set up so many Rabbies to learn them Religion that the Lord of the True Religion could hardly find a place amongst them And what did they do They taught for Doctrines the Traditions of Men They gave their own and their Predecessors Apprehensions Constructions and Paraphrases upon Scripture for the Mind and Will of God the Rule of the Peoples Faith They were got near at this pass in the Church of Corinth when they cryed out I am for Paul I am for Apollo and I am for Cephas though they had not the same Temptation And that which followed then ever will follow in the like Case and that is DISTRACTION which is the Contrary to that Second thing that opposeth it self to this Practice and that is the Concord of Christians For Peace's sake consider it Lo here and Lo there always follow'd one of this mind and another of that As many Sects as Great Men to make and Head them This was the Case of the Jews and yet I do not hear that they devour'd one another about their Opinions and Commentaries upon Scripture but the Christians have done both Divided and Persecuted too First they have Divided and that mostly upon the score of Opinions about Religion they have not been Contented with the Expressions of the holy Ghost they liked their own better And when they were set up in the Room of Scripture and in the Name of Scripture SUBMISSION was required upon pain of Worldly Punishments This dissatisfied Curiosity this Unwarrantable what shall I say this Wanton Search has cost Christendom dear and poor England of any part of it I design not to grate upon any to revive old Stories or search old Wounds or give the least Just Occasion of Displeasure to those that are in Present Power yet I must needs say that Opinion on one side or t'other has been the cause of much of that Discord Animosity and Confusion that have troubled this Kingdom And it seems to have been the great Stratagem of Satan to prevent the spreading of the Glorious Gospel of Salvation in the World by taking men off from the serious pursuit of Piety and Charity Humility and holy Living Peace and Concord and under pretence of more raised Apprehensions and sublime Knowledge of Religion to put them upon introducing Curious and Doubtful Questions that have given occasion for Contention and Persecution This was no more uncondemned than unfore-seen of the Apostle Paul who exhorted his beloved Son Timothy To avoid those that doted about Questions those Men that would be thought Skilful Inquisitive Searchers after Truth such as love to exercise their Faculties and improve their Talents but let us hear his Judgment of which says he cometh Strife Railing Surmises perverse Disputings of men of Corrupt Minds And the truth is none else love such Disputings they who seek a daily Victory over the World the Flesh and the Devil and press fervently after Fellowship with God and that Consolation that ensues such an Employment of their time have very little to lose upon Contention about Words I could wish I were able to say that Vain Controversie were not our Case But this is not all the Apostle does expressly tell Timothy that if any man consent not to wholsom Words even the Words of our Lord Jesus Christ and
the Hypostatical Union in fine the Athanasian Creed and other Articles of Faith or Rites of your Church not so clearly express'd in Scriptures and not easie to be apprehended or assented to will not this poor Creature be look'd upon either as Infidel or Heretick renounced all share in Christ and Christian Fellowship because his Weakness or Understanding will not allow him to come up to the full Inventory of Articles believed and imposed by you Certainly you must either be partial and give him that Liberty you deny to Persons of equâ—l Tenderness or else you mustafter your present streightness conclude him Infidel or Heretick But I would beseech you that we may consider if this bears any Proportion with the Wisdom and Love of God in sending Christ into the World to save you and me The Apostle became All unto all to win some but this is becoming All unto none to force all he thereby recommends the Utmost Condescention that can be lawful but this use of Humane Authority about Faith seems to make it unlawful to Condescend As if Force were better than Love and Conformity how ever it become at it than Christian Condescention The Blessed Apostle had his Eye to the Good Intention and Sober Life of the Weak and used an holy sort of Guile to catch them he seems as if he â—…ssembled the Knowledge of those Averse Opinions which they held or the necessity of their embracing those Doctrines which as yet they might not believe He fell not to Debate and Canvass Points in Difference between them which instead of Union would have enflam'd the Difference and rais'd Contention No no He became all unto all that is He stoop'd to all Capacities and humbled himself to those Degrees of Knowledge that men had and valued that which was good in all and with this Sweetness he practised upon them to their further proficiency in the School of Christ These Allurements were all his Injunctions nay in this Case he makes it an Injunction to use no other Let us therefore says he as many as be perfect be thus minded and if in any thing ye be OTHERWISE minded God shall reveal even this unto you You shall not be impos'd upon stigmatiz'd or excommunicated for Want of Full Satisfaction or because you do not Consent before Conviction for God shall REVEAL it to you you shall see and know what you do and to God you shall owe your Knowledge and Conformity and not to Humane Authority and Imposition your Faith shall not be implicit nor your Obedience blind the Reason of your Hope shall be in you Pray let us compare this with the Language of our own Times where People cannot come up to the Prescriptions of men but plead the Liberty of Dissent though with never so much Sobriety and true Tenderness of Conscience they are upbraided after this manner Are you Wiser than your Superiours Were our Fore-Fathers out of the Way Did no body know the Truth till you came Are you Wiser than all our Ministers and Bishops and your Mother the Church Can't it content you to believe as she believes Is not this Pride and Presumption in you a Design to make and head Sects and Parties with the like Entertainment Now this is that which you your selves at least in the Persons of your Ancestors have stiled POPERY yea POPERY in the abstract the Sum-Total of that Mystery its great Master piece to wit IMPLICIT FAITH and BLIND OBEDIENCE If so then say I let us also have a care of Popâ—ry in Protestant guise for that Popery is likely to do us most Injury that is least suspected I beg you by the Love of God and Truth and as you would lay a sure Foundation Piece here and eternal Comfort to your own Souls that you would consider the Tendency of upbraiding and violently over ruling the Dissent of Conscientious and Peaceable People For if you will Rob me once of the Liberty of my Choice the Use of my Understanding the Distinction of my Judgment no Religion comes amiss indeâ—d it leads to No Religion 'T was the Saying of the Old King to the then Prince of Wales and our present King Make the Religion of your Education the Religion of your Judgment which to me is of the Nature of an Appeal from his Education to his Judgment about the Truth of his Religion And that Religion which is too tender to be examin'd is unsound Prove all things and hold fast that which is good lies an Impeachment against Imposition deliver'd upon Record by the Apostle Paul in the Name of the Holy Ghâ—st 'T was the same Apostle that commended the Bereans of Old for that they diligently searched the Scriptures whethâ—r those things delivered by the Apostles concerning the Messiah were true Nay Christ himself to whom all power was given in Heaven and in Earth submitted himself to the Test he did not require them to believe him because he would be believed he refers them to the Witness that God bore to him If I bear Witness of my self my Witness is not true He also sends them to the Scriptures pleads the Truth of his Authority from that of his Doctrine and Miracles If I had not done among them the Works which none other Man did And finally challenges them to convince him but of one Sin Which of you convinceth me of Sin and if I say the Truth why do ye not believe me He offers to reason the Matter and submit himself to Truth and well he might who was Truth it self But an IMPOSING CHURCH bears Witness of her self and will be both Party and Judge it requires Assent without Evidence and Faith without Proof therefore false Christian Religion ought to be carried on only by that way by which it was introduced which was PERSWASâ—ON If any man will be my Disciple let him take up his Cross and follow me and this is the Glory of it that it does not destroy but fairly conquer the Understanding I am not unacquainted with the Pretences of Romanists to Abâ—egation to a Mortified and Self denying Life and I do freely acknowledge that the Author of the German Theology Taulerus and Thomas a Kempis and others of that sort of Men in their Communion have written Excellent Practical Things but there is scarcely any thing of this Violent Popery in those Tracts On the contrary the very Nature and Tendency of them is Diametrically Opposit to the present Constitution of that Church and all others that practise Imposition in Religion And as it is one great Mark of the False Church to pervert the right End of True Doctrine so hath she excelled in the Abuse of that Excellent Word SELF-DENYAL For she hath translated it from Life to Understanding from Morals to Faith Subjugare intellectum in Obsequium fidei to subject the Understanding to the Obedience of Faith is the perpetual Burden of their Song and Conclusion of their Conferences But what is this Faith that
did not write this to a private Brother or in some special Case but to the Church as a General and standing Truth and therefore now as Authentick and proper as then And if this be true I cannot see how any or even the most part of the Church that are still but Brethren to the rest of one voluntary Communion and Profession can with any shew of Reason impose upon them and escape the Reproof of this Scripture for all Societies are to govern themselves according to their Institution and first Principles of Union Where there is Violence upon this part Tyranny and not Order is introduced Now since Perswasion and Conviction began all true Christian Society all Christian Societies must uphold themselves upon the same free Bottom or they turn Antichristian I beseech you here let us examine our selves faithfully and I am of belief that something of this will yet appear amongst us that shew great Reverence to that free Name But to make good their unreasonable conceit of Church Authority they object Christ's Words GO TELL THE CHURCH that is say they The Church is the Rule and guide of Faith whatever the Church agrees upon and requires your assent to and Faith in that you must necessarily believe But though as before 't is confest in a sense we must believe as the true Church believes yet not because she so believes but for the same Reasons that she her self does so believe because none can truly believe as she believes but must so do upon the same principles and motives for which they believ'd that first made up that Christian Church To talk of being the Rule and Guide in point of Faith is to contradict Scripture and justle Christ out of the Office which is peculiar to him and his Spirit he is given to his Church an Head that is a Counsellor a Ruler a Judge and is called a Lawgiver and says the Apostle The Children of God are led by the Spirit of God And he was Wisdom and Righteousness to the Church Apostolick and is so to his own Church all the World over Besides 't is absurd that the Church can be the Rule and Guide of Faith for as such she must be her own Rule and Guide the Faith of the Members being that of the Church which cannot be But what then can be the meaning of Christs words Go tell the Church Very well I answer 't is not about Faith but Injury that Christ speaks and the place explains it self which is this Moreover if thy Brother shall TRESPASS against thee go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone here is Wrong not Religion Injustice not Faith or Conscience concerned as some would have it to maintain their Church power if he shall hear thee thou hast gain'd thy Brother but if he will not hear thee then take with thee one or two more that in the mouth of two or three Witnesses every word may be established and if he shall neglect to hear them TELL IT UNTO THE CHURCH but if he neglect to hear the Church let him be unto thee as an Heathen man and a Publican Verily I say unto you whatever ye shall bind on Earth shall be bound in Heaven and whatsoever ye shall loose on Earth shall be loosed in Heaven c. The matter manner of which passaged eliver'd by Christ shews that he intended not to set up Church power about Faith and Worship unto which all must bow even without if not against conviction The word TRESPASS and FAULT prove abundantly that he only means private and personal Injuries and that not only from the undeniable signification and use of the word TRESPASS and FAULT but from the way Christ commands for accommodation viz. that the person wrong'd do speak to him that commits the Injury alone if that will not do that he take one or two with him but no man can think that if it related to Faith Worship I ought to receive the Judgment of one or two or three against mine own This has not been the practice at least not the principle of the most degenerated Church since the Primitive times for most if not all agree that nothing below the Church can detemine about matters of Faith and even many with reason cannot go so far yet Christ seems to fix a blame upon him that complies not with the Person he has offended but more if he refuse to give satisfaction after one or two have also intreated him therefore it cannot relate to matters of Faith and scruples of Conscience but personal and private Injuries Which is yet clearer from this part of Christ's saying viz. That in the Mouth of two or three Witnesses every Word may be established Which Implies a Tryal and Judicial proceeding as is customary in civil cases about personal and private Trespasses for it were not so proper to speak of Witnesses on any other account This is interpreted beyond exception by the Apostle to the Corinthians where he reproves and forbids them to go to Law one with another before Unbelievers arguing thus Do you not know that the Saints shall Judge the World and if the World shall be judged by you are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters This shews the meaning of Church Authority is those dayes and is a natural Exposition upon Christ's words in case of Trespass and Refractoriness Tell the Church And 't is yet the Practice of all sober just and quiet People raher to refer their Controversies to approved men than to tare one another to pieces at Law But it is worth our notice that as any Decision up on an arbitration oblieges only the Parties to sit down content with the awardment of such loss or gain as they the Arbitrators think equal as the next best way to accommodate differences and not that such awardment should alter their first Thoughts and Opinion they had of their right or force them to declare they are of the Arbitrators mind So is it most unreasonable where the Church is only an Arbitrator about Personal trespasses or umpire at most to imagine a Power to determine and impose Faith and that upon severe Penalties as well of this unto which Christ's Church has no relation as of the other World I say this very thing well weigh'd breaks all their Fallacies to pieces and decides the business beyond all contradiction between those that stand upon the Spirit within and the Scripture without on the one hand and such as meerly rest upon the Traditions of Men and Authority of the Church on the other hand For if in an Arbitration I am not bound to be of the Arbitrators mind though for Peace sake I submit to their Award and that the Church Power in this place controverted relates only to external and personal Trespasses Injuries or Injustices as the place it self plainly proves there can be no sense reason or modesty in the Earth on the part of those high Church men who
Moses to the Jews there arose a stout Question whether we were to Celebrate with the Jews on the fourteenth Moon or the Sunday following This matter though most unnecessary most vain yet caused as great a Combustion as ever was in the Church The West separating and refusing Communion with the East for many Years together In this Fantastical Hurry I cannot see but all the World were Schismaticks neither can any thing excuse them from that Imputation excepting only this that we charitably suppose that all Parties out of Conscience did what they did A thing which befell them through the Ignorance of their Guides for I will not say their malice and that through the just Judgment of God because through sloath and BLIND OBEDIENCE Men examined not the things which they were taught but like Beasts of Burthen patiently couched down and indifferently underwent whatsoever their Superiors laid upon them By the way by this you may plainly see the danger of our appeal unto Antiquity for resolution in Controverted points of Faith and how small Relief we are to expect from thence For if the discretion of the chiefest Guides and Directors of the Church did in a Point so trivial so inconsiderable so mainly fail them as not to see the Truth in a Subject wherein it is the greatest Marvel how they could avoid the sight of it can we without imputation of extream grosness and folly think so POOR SPIRITED persons competent Judges of the Questions now on Foot betwixt the Churches Pardon me I know not what Temptation drew that Note from me How these men will come off I can't tell they have ventured fairly and yet I think their case not hazard us at all you have them in three points plain First That relying upon the Clergy as Guardians of Truth to the People and the Peoples not examining the truth of things from them is not Apostolical but Apostatical Secondly That no Councils or Fathers ought to be the Rule or Judge of our Faith Thirdly That to save Souls every Man is a Priest that is the people are interressed in the Christian Ministry which is not tyed to Times Places Persons and Orders as under the Law but free to all that have obtained Mercy and Grace from God and therefore Peter calls the believers a Royal Priesthood So that every one is Priest to himself under the Gospel But all this I have mentioned with design if it be possible to beat men off that superstitious and dangerous Veneration they carry to the Names of Church Priesthood and Fathers as if they were to be sayed by them and not by Christ who is only Head and Saviour of the true Church And truly when I consider the wilde dependance some people have upon the Church whilst they know not what she is and make it a Principle not to Inquire I am amazed with what Confidence they expose their Souls This Principle it is and not Inquiry that makes men careless and unactive about their own Salvation But let none deceive themselves as they Sow they must Reap 'T is not to be saved to be within the Pale of any visible Church in the World That is putting an eternal Cheat upon our selves Ill things are Ill things within or without the pale that matters not and as Sin can't be Christened nor impiety reconciled to Christianity by no Arts of men so the Wages will be Death eternal Death To be therefore of the Church of which Christ is Head the redeemed regenerated Church of Christ is quite another thing then to be of any visible Society whatever for in all such Communions there are but too many that have no true Title to Christianity If then that Immaculate Church of which Christ is head be made up only of holy and regenerated Souls throughout the Societies of Christians this will adminster but little Comfort to those that presume upon their being within the Pale of the Visible Church But to proceed to those Scriptures that oppose themselves to humane Authority in matters of Faith c. There is one place of Scripture that is irreconcilable to Implicit Faith and Blind Obedience He that believeth hath the Witness In HIMSELF This general Rule respects no Persons 't is the Result of the Holy Ghost to all Believers Such have no need to go to Rome nor Winefried's Well to the Shrines of Saints the Priests nor the Church for a Proof of their Faith they have an Evidence nearer home they have the witness of their Faith and the Reason of their Hope IN THEMSELVES 'T is true this is a Private Judge but as it happens 't is one of the Holy Ghost's setting up of all things I confess most destructive to Papacy no doubt for here is a Judge in every man that sincerely believes to whom he must stand and fall in this and the other World For saith the same Apostle If our Heart condemn us God is greater then our Heart and knoweth all things Beloved if our Heart condemn us not then have we Confidence towards God The Witness in our selves discharges us The Spirit beareth Witness with our Spirits that weare the Châ—ldren of God and Sons of the true Church not she that hath fatted her self with the Flesh of Saints and died her Garments in the Blood of Martyrs who hath Merchandized in the Souls of men but of that Church who is Crowned with Stars and Cloathed with the Sun and has the Moon under her Feet a Church of Light and Knowledge of Understanding and Truth and not of Implicite Faith and Blind Obedience one that tramples upon all Sublunary Glory and not she that makes her Pretences to Religion a Decoy to catch the World Of like Tendency is that notable Passage of the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians Examine your selves whether ye be in the Faith prove your own selves Know ye not your own selves how that Jesus Christ is in you except ye be Reprobates Here is not a Word of the Pope nor an External Judge no humane Inquisition or Authority Examine your selves whether ye be in the Faith prove your own selves but which way shall we do this by Christ who is the great Light that shines in our Hearts to give us the Knowledge of God and our selves He that believes in him has the Witness in himself he is no Reprobate his Heart condemns him not To which I will add another Passage to the same Purpose in his Epistle to the Galatians But let every Man prove his own work then shall he have Rejoycing in himself alone and not in another FOR EVERY MAN SHALL BEAR HIS OWN BURDEN Here every man is enjoyned to turn Inquisitor upon himself and the Reason rendred shews the Justice of the thing because my Rejoycing must be in my self alone and not in another I stand and Fall to no man such as I sow I must reap at the Hand of God if Paul say true Mens Pardons are Vain and their
as the State believes But if the Church cannot use force in Religion for this reason because she cannot Infallibly determin to the Conscience without convincement much less can a few Doctors or the Civil Authority use force where they can much less judge Unless you would make them the Civil Executioners of your displeasure that have no Civil Power to give them such Commission and to be sure no Ecclesiastical to any Force or Violence about Religion For the Papist by judging his Principles punishes them that believes not as the Church believes though against Scripture but the Protestant who teaches every one to believe the Scripture though against the Church persecutes against his own Principles even them that in any particular so believe as he in General teaches them to believe This is hard but true upon the Protestant for what is plainer then that he afflicts Those that according to his own Doctrine believe and honour holy Scripture but against it will receive no humane Interpretation though Universal Them I say who interpret Scripture to themselves which by his Position none but they to themselves can Inter-pret Them that use the Scripture no otherwise by his own Doctrine to their Edification than he himself uses it to their punishing and so whom his Doctrine acknowledges true Believers his Discipline persecutes as Hereticks To sum up all at this time If we must believe as Caesar appoints why not then as the Church believes But if not as either without Convincement pray how can force be lawful Let me recommend one Book to you that of Right claims a place with you and that is Bishop Taylor 's of Lâ—â—erty of Prophecy never answer'd that I have heard of and I have reason to believe never will be attempâ—ed for indeed it is Unanswerable That was the Judgment of a Bishop under Persecution I could be glad if it might be the practice of Bishops in their power I may say the same of J. Tillotson's sober and seasonable discourse before the Commons on the fifth of November And the truth is I am the more earnest with you at this time because I find that God daily shows us he has great good will to poor England O why should we drive him from us by our disobedience to him and our Severities to one another He has lately put a price into our hands and continues to prove his Favours upon us all depends upon a sincere Reformation and our perseverance therein To give Testimony of this let us with our whole Hearts turn to Goâ— and keep his holy Law and let us but be jealous of his Glory by punishing Vice and cherishing Virtue and we may assure our selves he will interest himself in our safety Of this we cannot doubt for he who has begun to do it under our Disobedience will not desert us in our sincere Repentance And as this is our Duty to God without which we vainly hope for deliverance so is there a duty we owe to one another that is the next Requisiâ—e to our Preservation Let all Aspeâ—ities be avoided Nick-Names forbidden and the oppressed Protestant deliver'd Receive the noble Principle of Liberty of Conscience on which the Reformation rise For in vain do we hope to be deliver'd from Papists till we deliver our selves from Popery This Coertion upon Conscience and Persecution for Religion are that part of Popery which is most justly hated and fear'd And if we either fear or hate Popery for its Cruelty shall we practise the CRUELTY we fear or hate it for God forbid this were the way to be deserted of God and left to their Cruelty The same Sins will ever fix the same Odium and find the fame Punishment where-ever they are If they burnt your Ancestors don't you strip and starve your Brethren Remember the many Thousands now perseâ—uted in this Kingdom for the sake of their tender and very peaceable Consciences Husbands are unnaturally separated from their Wives and Parents from their Children their Corn Cattel and Houshould stuff swept away perhaps at the Instigation of some lewd and indigent Informer or to please the maliâ—e of an ill dispos'd Neighbour In the mean time many once sufficient are expos'd to Charity the fruits of their honest Labour and Bread of their Children being now made the Forfeiture of their Conscience Friends and Country men there is deep Doctrine in this present Providence examine it well that you may reap the benefit of it And among the rest let me tell you this is not the least part of it that God is shewing you Mercy that you may shew Mercy and has awaken'd you at the brink of the Pit that you may help your Brethren out of it Be wise and considerate 't will be much your own fault if you are not happy And truly I have no manner of scruple but God will preserve us if wâ— will not cast away our selves For our own Sins and Folly can only direct the hand that seeks to Stab us and shall we make it succesful to our own ruin Let us therefore turn away from all Impiety let the Magistracy discourage and punish it and let us forhear and love one another If we begin with God we shall end with God that is with Success Else be assured we shall only inherit the Wind of our own Invention and be deserted of him then when we shall most want him In short reverence the present providence though your Lives have not deserv'd it let your Lives now be grateful and not abuse it Pursue your advantages throughly but wisely be as temperate as zealous and to your Enemies as generous as just Insult not over ill men for the sake of their ill Principles but pity their unhappiness whilst you abhor the cause of it let them see that you had rather inform then destroy them take more pleasure in their Conversion then your own Revenge This will be the greatest coufutation upon them that they be taught the Goodness of your Religion by the mildness of it and by its mercy the Cruelty of their own The Indian Atabaliba rejected the Romish Baptism because of the Spanish Tyranny whence it was usual with those poor Americans to desire they might not go to Heaven if the Spaniards went thither I know there be little Arts used to prevent Protestant Union and that in a Protestant Guise and 't is a Trick not of yesterday to put one Party of Protestants upon devouring four or five that both the Protestant Church may have the Odium of Eating or Devouring her own Children that another Interest behind the Hangings may find the more easie and creditable access to the Chair 'T is the Men of this Strain though under disguise that now seek to distract you and to effect it the better old Stories must be had up Acts of Olivion violated the dead disturb'd their Tombs rifl'd and they hal'd out of their Graves to receive a new Sentence That Condemning the Living of that interest
which are not Convenient but rather giving of Thanks For this ye know that no Whoremonger nor Unclean person nor Covetous man who is an Idolater hath any inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and God Let no man deceive you with vain Words for because of these things cometh the Wrath of God upon the Children of Disobedience be not ye therefore pertakers with them and have no fellowship with the Unfruitful Works of Darkness but rather reprove them See then that ye walk Circumspectly not as Fools but as Wise redeeming the Time because the Dayes are Evil. Ephes 5 3 4 5 6 7 11 12 15 16. I shall Conclude with these two Passages Marriage is Honorable in all and the Bed Undefiled but Whoremongers and Adulterrers God will judge The other is this But the Fearful and Unbelieving and the Abominable and Murtherers and Whoremongers and Sorcerens and Idolaters and all Lyars shall have their part in the Lake which burneth with Fire and Brimstone which is the Second Death This alone ought to deter all People who have any respect for Holy Scripture and do believe the Mind of God to be declared therein Let then both Cities Courts Houses and Streets be swept of such Iniquity let the Law have its course let not God be provoked to destroy us and let all such turn to God by unfeigned Repentance that Sobriety Chastity and Vertuous Conversation may return again among us so shall we escape the Wrath that for this with other Enormities is ready to break out against us The Third Crying Sin of this Land is its Great Excess and that in several Kinds In Apparel in Furniture in Feasting An Excess is the Mis-using of any thing by not observing a Moderation that which is lawful in it self may be Abused in the Use of it What is more Allowable yet what is more Abused than Cloths and Victuals The End of Apparel is to cover Nakedness keep People Warm Distinguish Sexes but the End is perverted 't is used more for Ornament for Pride for Lust to beget Esteem and to draw Honour to the Person that wears it A Mean an Effeminate a Wretched way to Honour yet such was the Folly of the Age that few things are yet more Reverenced it opens Doors gets Access obtains Dispatches carries away the Cap and the Knee from most other Pretences The Truth is this Vanity abuses the Reason of Just Respect for True Quality if plain is not to be known among Fine Cloths But it does not only Confound all Reasonable Distinction and those Civil Degrees that are among People but it begets Pride they think themselves some Body if they are Fine Plain Cloths must give them the Way and the Wall and keep its Distance too It introduces Effeminacy and excites to Wantonness it provokes to Prodigality and leads People to Idleness But there is a sort of Madness in it too for 't is not so much the Apparel as the Trimming not the Cloths but the Cut the Mode the Figure and as often as this changes Cloths grow Useless that are not half worn out This is an Iniquity against the Good of the Government as well as against God and there is so strong a Temptation in it that not a Few turn Naught to be Fine as well as the Fine turn Naught In short there is no Good Prudence or Conveniency in this Excess the Law of God and of the Land is against it The third Chapter of Isaiah is almost intirely employed against it in which God does not only rebuke the Haughty Looks the Wanton Eyes and Enticing Mean and Behaviour of the Women of those Times but declares his Resolution to Take away the Bravery of their Ornaments Chains Bracelets Rings Jewels and Changeable Suits of Apparel and that their Perfume should be turned into a Stink and instead of a Girdle there should be a Rent and instead of Well-set Hair Baldness and instead of a Stomacher a Girding of Sack-cloth and Burning instead of Beauty Thy Men said God shall fall by the Sword and thy Mighty in the War and her Gates shall lament and mourn she being desolate shall sit upon the Ground This was also the Sin of Tyrus as ye may see Ezek. 27. For Pomp and Pride she excelled in those days she boasted in her Splendor and sumptuous Living her Buildings were Lofty her Furniture Stately her Apparel Costly but her End was Terrible and her Destruction very Great And God expresly threatens by his Prophet Zephaniah I will punish the Princes and the Kings Children and all that are clothed with strange Apparel What is this strange Apparel is it New Fashions then we are guilty with a witness Or is it the Fashions of strange Countries it is still our own Case We have been more Careful to receive the Law from France for our Clothes than from Christ for our Conversation and so Prevalent is the Humor of that Country with us and Powerful the Ascendant it hath over us that we seem to be French-Men only we live in England But in this as also in all other things the Christian Religion excells and that for the Good of Civil Society It reproves this Excess limits the Vain Mind of Man and teaches that decent Plainness which becomes the Providence and Gravity of Civil Government Hear the Language of the holy Apostles in whose Doctrine we all pretend to believe I will therefore saith St. Paul that Women adorn themselves in Modest Apparel with Shamefacedness and Sobriety not with Broidered Hair or Gold or Pearls or Costly Array but which becometh Women professing Godliness with Good Works The same Doctrine is repeated by the Apostle Peter who speaking to the Christian Women to whom he wrote Let not your Adorning be in that Outward Adorning of Plating the Hair and of wearing of Gold or of putting on of Apparel but let it be the hidden Man of the heart in that which is not corruptible even the Ornament of a Meek and Quiet Spirit which is in the sight of God of great Price For after this manner in the Old Time the holy Women also who trusted in God adorned themselves Would to God! I could say for the Women of our Age that they trusted in God too and adorned themselves with no other Ornaments than what agreed with the Modest and Humble Plainness of these Christian Times But the Law of the Land as well as the Christian Law reproves this Excess they only want to be refresht and inforced by the Care of our Superiors were they Strictly put in Execution it would not only prevent much Mischief and enerease the Wealth of the Kingdom but make Private Men in a little time thank the Just Severity of the Government For it will help to keep them within Compas to preserve which is one way to encrease their Estate to enlarge their Trade provide better for their Children and open their hands more Liberally to the Poor And this I am sure God
should go and when he is Old he will not depart from it This is prov'd to us every Day but it is in the Wrong Way in the Way of Idleness Wantonness and Impurity of Manners 't is worth While and High Time to make the Experiment the other Way to try what the Suppression of Vice and the Encouragement of Virtue will do in this our Superiors must begin and give their Example as well as shew their Power There is scarcely any one thing that so much needs the Wisdom of the Nation in the Contrivance of a New Law as the Education of our Youth whether we consider the Piety or Prudence of our Manners the Good Life or Just Policy of the Government There is such an Example of what Industry may do in the Practice of the Jesuits that I hope the Present Conjuncture will make the Proposal of the thing more Welcome to you That the Interest of the Jesuits is the Greatest in the Roman Church and Empire is so far from being doubted that all Protestants wish it were 't is our Trouble rather than our Scruple it may be some other Orders are of the same Mind being much Ecclipsed since the Rise of this Great Interest Ye know they appeared about the time of the Reformation and apply'd themselves with all Conceivable Industry to secure the Tottering Papacy against the Progress of it In this Attempt they Ventur'd so much farther than any of their Predecessors in the Church that they have been esteem'd of Merit the Great Ministers and Governours of the Chair for some Last Ages Indeed they have almost Engross'd the whole Power of Church and State to them all other Orders seem but Small Retailers their Great Politicians their Philosophers Orators Historians and Mathematicians are generally found amongst this Society so that we scarce see any thing of Note come out from Men of that Religion which is not subscribed E. S. J. The Fame and Apprehension of their Extraordinary Learning and the Arts they have to recommend it have made their Order the Choice of most Princes and Men of Quality of that Religion for the Education of their Children in whom they have Carefully instill'd with their Instructions and Principles that peculiar Respect to their own Society as hath greatly serv'd to the Advancement of it when they have grown to Age and Power But that which above all other Stratagems hath prevail'd to extend their Dominion in the Roman Church has been their Erecting of Schools where they have Colledges for the Free Education of Youth The very Doing of it Gratis makes it look like Charity with the Poor that have little to give and with the Rich that seldom love to part with Money to be sure it is no Objection Thus Obliging the Parents they next fall to making themselves Grateful with the Children and here they Exercise not a little Skill They Strictly Observe the Divers Humors and Dispositions of their Schollars and take great Care not to baulk their Capacity by Cross or Unsuitable Studies But when once they are fix'd every Youth according to his Genius it is not Easie to be believed what pains they take to Allure them to their Studies how they will Tempt them with Childish Rewards and Excite them to their Book by raising an Emulation among them So that to Excell is more than a Rod and Victory than any Chastisement whatever By these Arts they fit all Capacities with Suitable Study and Cultivate them to the Pitch of Learning they are Capable of and all with that Obligation upon the Youth to Love them that from thence forward they become Partial Devotees to the Advancement of the Honor and Interest of that Society To Conclude they have got into their Hands the Education of the Generality of the Youth of the Romish Religion in every Country from the King to the Peasant and being Masters of them when Boys they turn Governors and Confessors to them when they are Men so that all seem to have fallen into their Hands and being but one Entire Interest throughout the World and maintaining a most punctual Correspondence they must needs have the Knowledge and Disposal of the Affairs of States and Kingdoms by that Share they have in the Counsels of Princes and that great Reliance that is upon their Judgment and Ability This if we regard only the Romish Religion shews great Wit Design and Industry but if we consider well how Formidable these Arts render them to Protestant Kingdoms it will become us to use our utmost Prudence to Secure our selves And there seems not to me a more Effectual Remedy than a Wise and Virtuous Education of our Youth In order to it let us improve Methods not inferior to theirs but for better Ends Let us use our Skill to improve the Childrens Natural Abilities to excite them to Virtue and Endear the True Interest of their own Country to them I will briefly set down what at present occurs to me as a good Way of Education 1. First Let Care be taken To breed up Youth in MORALITY for Virtue prepares the Mind helps the Understanding and gives Industry to compass this Let no Books be used in Schools in which there may be the least Indecency there were and not without Reason Ancient Canons against the Reading of such Heathen Authors and not a few Learned Sober Men have rebuked that Practice amongst us It is an Affront to Christianity yea to our Natures to fetch our Wit or our Manners from them It were well if some Tracts of Moral Virtues and Invectives against Vice were written in those Languages we would have Youth to learn for in such Discourses they might obtain Good Manners with the Languages whereas by tying up Schools to Heathen Authors our Youth has learned Base Obscenities and a Corrupt Conversation 2. In the Next place I would propose some of the easier Parts of Mathematicks and the Knowledge of Plants and Natural Bodies to be compos'd on purpose after a Familiar Manner that they may be Instituted in the Knowledge of Nature and learn Things at the same time they learn Words 3. The Last Sort of Books which I would recommend and are in my Opinion most suitable to their Maturity of Age and Understanding are such as relate to the Histories and Transactions of our own Kingdom the Interest of the True Protestant Religion and Civil Policy amongst us But because there are very few if any of these Discourses extant it were Worth the Care of our Superiors and an Act deserving Praise That some Skilful Socer and Judicious Men were set to work for the Composure of some small Tracts of this Nature and as an Appendix to the whole that there might be a Summary of the Most Virtuous and Infamous Actions of Former Times with the Rewards and Punishments they have received from God and Just Government that by the Power of Example they may be deterr'd from Vice and provoked to an Honest Emulation of
Man the second Adam with his Holy Life and Works so shall the Fruits of his Spirit shine through us which are Love Joy Peace Long-suffering Patience Gentleness Faith Meekness Temperance for they that are Christ's have Crucified the Flesh with the Affections and Lusts They hear his Voice that leads them out of the Concupiscencies of this Vile World and they follow him and he gives unto them Eternal Life and a Stranger they will not follow The World the Flesh and the Devil make up this Stranger and those that are carried away by this Stranger are in an Unreconciled State to God and so dying must inevitably perish VVell then will be true Christians Have we Faith then let us take the Advice of that good man Peter Let us add to our Faith Virtue and to Virtue Knowledge and to Knowledge Temperance and to Temperance Patience and to Patience Godliness and to Godliness Brotherly-Kindness and to Brotherly-Kindness Charity For says he if these things be in you and abound they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the Knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ But he that lacketh these things is blind and cannot see far off and hath forgotten that he was purged from his Old Sins Wherefore the rather Brethren give Diligence to make your Calling and Election sure for if ye do these things ye shall never fall For so an Entrance shall be ministred unto you abundantly into the Everlasting Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ The Fourth Great Ecclesiastical Evil is Preferring HUMANE AUTHORITY above Reason and Truth This the next Evil which is the Last now to be considered to wit Propagation of Faith by Force Religion by Arms are the Two Legs upon which the false Church hath in all Ages under this degeneracy we find the Jewish Church at Christ's coming and he complains of it Ye teach for Doctrines the Traditions of men ye seek to kill me a man that has told you the Truth But I challenge the whole Account of Time and Records of the World which are come to the hands of this Age to tell me When where and by whom these Principles have been receiv'd improv'd and us'd with any sort of Proportion or Comparison with the Practice of that Church which has long prided her self with the Name of Catholick and Christian And yet I could wish nothing of these Two Ill Principles had found any place amongst us that call our selves Protestants for to them are properly owing most of that Ignorance Superstition Idolatry Animosity Persecution and Blood-shed that have been among Christians since the Christian Profession hath grown to any Power in the World I shall consider them severally respecting us and in their due Order with as much Brevity as well I can That Humane Authority hath been preferred above Reason and Truth that is That the Apprehensions Interpretations Conclusions and Injunctions of Men have been reputed the great Necessaries or Essentials to Salvation and Christian Commâ—ion insomuch as a Sober and Reasonable Dissent hath been too often over-rul'd not by VVeight of Argument or Evidence of Truth but by the Power and Numbers of Men in Ecclesiastical Office and Dignity is that I may say Modestly in some Degree true among us The First Church Evil reprehended in this Discourse may begin the Proof and give the first Witness upon this part of the Charge viz. That OPINIONS have been maâ—â— ARTICLES of Faith that is the CONSTRUCTIONS and CONCLUSIONS of MEN from Sacred VVrit and not the TEXT it self have been injoyn'd impos'd as ESSENTIAL to Eternal Salvation and External Christian Communion Insomuch as no Reason Scripture or purest Antiquity have suffer'd to prevail against such Determinations and too often not enough to excuse those that have pleaded for a Conscientious Dissent from them the Authors of them either resting upon the Authority of their own Judgments or conforming themselves to the Example of Ages less pure and clear I Conscientiously refuse to name Parties because I am tender of giving the least Offence but upon a Just Observance of those Revolutions of Protestancy that have been amongst us we may see with what Stiffness not to say Obstinacy several Models of Religion and Draughts of Creeds have been contended for I would beseech every Party in Christ's Name to look into it self for I don 't because such are best able if they will be Impartial and put no Cheat upon themselves to make the Application However I will name those Points about which the Authority of Man as it seems to me has been so Positive of God as to his Prescience and Predetermination Of Christ as to his Natures and Personality and the Extent of his Death and Intercession Of Free Will and Grace Of Faith and Works Of Perseverance and Falling away Of the Nature of the Church And Lastly of the Dignity and Power of the Clergy And if men please but to lay their Hands upon their Hearts and cast their Eyes upon the Scriptures if they will but use the Light that God has afforded them and bring such Debates and Results to the Test of that Light and the Sound Form of Words the Holy Ghost hath preserv'd amongst us I need not take the Employment upon me of pointing to Humane Authority among the several Parties of Protestants as to these points nothing will be clearer For it is about the Meaning of this and the Intention of that place of Scripture the Contest hath been and is and how to maintain and propagate those Conceits So that the falling out is in the Wood of our own Opinions and there the Contention is kindled that consumes all about our Ears O that we would be but impartial and see our over-plus to the Scriptures and retrench that redancy or keep it modestly for 't is an horrid thing that we Protestants should assume a Power of ranging our apprehensions with the Text and injoining our Imaginations for Indispensible Articles of Faith and Christian Communion But the next proof of the prevalency of Humane Authority amongst us Protestants is The great Power and Sway of the Clergy and the Peoples Reliance upon them for the Knowledge of Religion and the Way of Life and Salvation This is such plain Fact that almost every Parish proves it Is not Prophecy once the Church's now engrost by them and wholly in their hands Who dare publickly preach or pray that is not of that Class or Order Have not they only the Keys in keeping May any body else pretend to the Power of Absolution or Excommunication muchless to constitute Ministers Are not all Church Rites and Priviledges in their Custody don 't they make it their proper Inheritance Nay so much larger is their Empire then Caesars that only they begin with Births and end with Burials Men must pay them for Coming in and Going out of the World To pay for dying is hard Thus their Profits run to the Grave and that which is
which conquers the World and purifies the Heart by no means But 't is to believe that the Church of Rome is the True Church and the Pope Christ's Vicar and the Visible Head of that Church So as that Self denyal which relates to our Wills and Affections in a corrupt State they apply to the Use of our Understanding about Religion as if it were the same thing to deny that which we understand and know to be Evil which is the Christian Self denyal and to deny that very Knowledge and Understanding which is God's Gift and our Honour Whereas Religion and Reason are so Consistent as that Religion can neither be understood nor maintain'd without Reason For if this must be laid aside I am so far from being Infallibly assured of my Salvation that I am not capable of any Measure of Good from Evil Truth from Falshood Why I have no understanding or use of any which is the same All the Disadvantage the Protestant is under in this is that of his greater Modesty and that be submits his Belief to be tryed which the other refuses under the Pretence of unaccountable Infallibility to that Authority Reason decides So that whereas some people excuse their embracing of that Religion by urging the Certainty that is in it I do say 'T is nothing but Presumption For a man can never be Certain of that about which he has not the Liberty of Examining Understanding or Judging Confident I confess he may be but that 's quite another thing than being Certain Yet I must never deny but that every Christian ought to believe as the Church believes provided the Church be true but the Question is Which is that true Church And when that is answered as a Man may Unlawfully Execute a Lawful Sentence so he may falsly believe as the True Church believes for if I believe what she believes only because she believes it and not because I am convinced in my Understanding and Conscience of the Truth of what she believeth my Faith is false though hers be true I say it is not true to me I have no Evidence of it What is this Church or Congregation rather as worthy Tindal every where translates it but a Company of People agreed together in the sincere Profession and Obedience of the Gospel of Christ Now look what Inducement they severally had to believe and embrace the Gospel that we must have to joyn with them for as they made not one another an infallible Authority to one another upon which they first embrac'd the Gospel neither are we to ground our Belief thereof upon their Authority joyntly but as they had a Rule to believe and commune so must we have the same Rule to embrace their Communion So that that Church cannot be the Rule of my Faith that have the same Faith and Object for my Faith that she has I argue thus I must believe as the Church believes that is I must have the same Faith the Church has then I must have the same Rule because the Church can be no more the Rule of that Faith then she can be that Faith of which some would make her the Rule If then the Church has Faith and that Faith a Rule and that she can no more be the Rule of her own Faith then she can be that Faith it self it follows she cannot be the Rule of the Faith of her Members because those Members have the same Faith and that they in Society are this Church For that which is the Rule of the Congregation's Faith in general must reasonably be the Rule of every Member's Faith that makes up that Congregation and consequently of every Member that may hereafter adhere to it So that to talk of believing as the Church believes to flowrish upon that Self-denyal and Humility which takes all upon Trust and revile those with the bitterest Invectives that are modestly scrupulous and act the BEREANS for their Souls who think that Easiness of Nature and Condescention might be better bestowed and in this occasion ill-tim'd and dangerous is to put the Knife to the Throat of Protestancy and what in them lies to socrifice it to implicit Faith and blind Obedience For it cannot be denyed but that the great Foundation of our Protestant Religion is the Divine Authority of the Scriptures from without us and the Testimony and Illumination of the Holy Spirit within us Upon this foot the first Reformers stood and made and maintain'd their Separation from Rome and freely offered up their innocent Lives in Confirmation With good Cause therefore it is the general Consent of all found Protestant Writers That neither Traditions Councils nor Canons of any visible Church much less the Edicts of any Civil Session or Jurisdiction but the Scriptures only interpeted by the Holy Spirit in us give the final Determination in Matters of Religion and that only in the Conscience of every Christian TO HIMSELF Which Protestation made by the first publick Reformers against the Imperial Edicts of Charles the fifth imposing Church Traditions without Scripture Authority gave first beginning to the Name of Protestant and with that Name hath ever been received this Doctrine which prefers the divine Authority of the Scripture and Spirit to that of the Church and her Traditions And if the Church is not sufficient implicitly to be believed as we hold it is not what can there else be named of more force with us but the Divine Illumination in the Conscience or Conscience in the best Sense of the Word then which God only is greater But if any man shall pretend that the Scripture judges according to his Conceptions or Conscience for other men and that they must take their Religious Measures by the Line of his Direction such a person makes himself greater then either Church Scripture or Conscience And pray let us consider if in any thing the Pope is by our Protestant Divinity so justly resembled to Antichrist as in assuming Infallibility over Conscience and Scripture to determine as he thinks fit and so in effect to give God Scripture Magistrates and Conscience the Law To this they have without scruple applyed that to the Thessalonians Sitting in the Temple of God exalting himself above all that is caled God To check this exorbitancy the Apostle Paul demands Who art thou that judgest anothers Servant to his own Lord he stands or falls which sheweth with great Evidence that Christians of all sizes great and small are but Brethren and consequently all superiority Lordship and Imposition are excluded But if there be a Difference 't is in this that as Christ taught He that is greatest is to be Servant to the rest but what is more opposite to a Servant then a Lord and to Service then Injunction and Imposition and that on Penalties too Here it is that Christ is only Lord and Lawgiver who is only King of this inward Kingdom of the Soul And 't is to be noted that the Apostle
for me to judge that this man does rashly and unadvisedly if he shall arise and contradict Is not the Spirit able to reveal somewhat to him which he hath hidden from thee Now if the Spirit have revealed somewhat to him and to that end revealed it that he might contradict that by his means the thing may be revealed to the Church shall I say that he hath done rashly in obeying the holy Ghost And if thou think otherwise verily thou art not perswaded that the Spirit is the Author and Teacher of this Knowledge but that all the praise thereof is due to Studies Watchings and the Wits of men And if this be thy judgment I tell thee again That thou art not only unworthy to be the sole Speaker but worthy rather to be the only person not permitted to speak in the Congregation And that thou mayst the better understand that the most Unlearned ought to be allowed to speak consider God will have himself to be acknowledged the Author of his own gifts he will not have his praise attributed unto our Studies or Wits but unto himself But if the man that hath spent all his Life in Study speak wisely it is not attributed to God but to study In word perhaps it may be attributed to God yet not without a vehement Reluctancy of our Judgment and this is that which I say God will not abide But if so be thou shalt hear a wise word come out of the Mouth of some unlearned Person thou must needs whether thou wilt or no acknowledge God to be the Author thereof So when God was minded to give unto â—srael a Victory against the Midianites under the Conduct of Gideon and Gideon had gathered together Thirty Thousand Men lest the Israelites should boast that they had gotten the Victory by their own Strength and not by the Assistance of God which might have been conceived if Gidean had fought with so numerous an Army he would not suffer him to have above Three hundred that it might appear that he was the Cause of the Victory and not the Number or Valour of those that fought Now besides the Glory of God hereby great Profit does accrue to the Church For if the People shall see now one man now another endued with the Spirit beyond all Expectation many will thereby be encouraged to hope for the same Gift if they shall ask it many will learn and profit and it will thereby come to pass that when Occasion shall be to choose a Minister the Church shall not need to call strange and unknown Persons to that Office but she may have of her own such as are fit to be chosen Men whose Conversation and Manners are sufficiently known And when the number of such as are able to prophesie shall be great the Church will not be forced to use such Pastors as from their very Childhood have proposed to themselves such Offices as the reward of their Studies and addicted themselves to the study of Scripture and Religion no otherwise then they would have done to some Trade whereby they meant in time to get their Living So that a Man can expect but very few of them to prove other then Mercenary or Hireling Pastors Now that it was the Custom of the Jewish Church that all might thus Prophesie we may hence conjecture in that it is upon Record Luke 4. how our Lord upon the Sabbath day decording to the Custom came into the Synagoguge took a Book and expounded a place of Esay and how being twelve years of Age he sate at Jerusalem in the Temple among the Doctors and did aispute For he could not so do by vertue of any ordinary office forasmuch as his Age was uncapable neither did the Doctors know who he was Yea rather our Lord in so doing must needs make use of the power which was granted to every one to speak It remained in the Christians Congregations until the times of Constantine at the least Forasmuch as we have these words of Eusebius the Writer of Church affairs to that effect If any man inspired by the Grace of God should speak unto the People they all with great silence fixing their Eyes upon him gave such attention as if he had brought them some Errand from Heaven So great was the reverence of the hearers such order was seen among the Ministers One after another another after him Neither was there only two or three that Prophesied according to what the Apostle said but to all was given to speak so that the wish of Moses seems rather to have been fulfilled in them when he said Would God all the People might Prophesie There was no Spleen no Envy the gifts of God were dispensed every one according to his ability contributing his assistance for the confirmation of the Church And all was done with love in such sort That they strove mutually toâ—honour each other and every one to prefer another before himself But to the end this common prophecying may be profitable to the Church we must diligently mark what the Apostle advises For a sure thing it is that the Pride of Man is so great that whatever hath once fallen from him he will by any means have it stand for a Truth neither can he suffer that any man should infringe the same So that if he might be permitted to judge that last spake it will be a Miracle if a man in his Life time should see any one give way to him that contradicts him What is Paul's advice therefore in this case Let two or three Prophets speak and let the rest judge He will not therefore have the same Persons to be Parties and Judges And he adds a little after And the Spirit of the Prophets is subject to the Prophets for God is not the Author of dissention but of Peace So that as soon as any man hath spoken his own mind he ought to rest himself satisfied with the judgment of the rest and not obstinately to make no End of contending if this be not done a sure thing it is there will be no end of strife But what if any man will not be content to submit to the Judgment of the rest Verily I would avouch that being sharply admonished that he disturb not the Congregation and that he go not against the command of the Apostle or rather of our Lord commanding the Spirits of the Prophets to be subject to the Prophets he ought to be cast out of the Society though he should hold the prime place in the Congregation The people likewise must frequently be admonished that liberty for any one to speak in the Congregation is not therefore granted by the Apostle to the end every one should speak what comes to his Tongues end as if he were in a Market but whereas he gives liberty to him to speak to whom any thing is revealed he would have all Rashness and Impudence to be laid aside He that reverences not the Church of God let
of Government by all laudable Means to preserve Sincerity for without it there can be no Faith or Truth in Civil Society Nor is this all for its a Maxim worthy of Caesar's Notice NEVER TO THINK HIM TRUE TO CAESAR THAT IS FALSE TO HIS OWN CONSCIENCE besides raped Consciences treasure up Revenge and such Persons are not likely to be longer Friends to Caesar than he hath Preferments to allure them or Power to deter them from being his most implacable Enemies 11thly There is not so ready a Way to Atheism as this of extinguishing the Sense of Conscience for Worldly Ends destroy that Internal Rule of Faith Worship and Practice towards God and the Reason of my Religion will be Civil Injunctions and not Divine Convictions consequently I am to be of as many Religions as the Civil Authority shall impose however untrue or contradictory This Sacred Tye of Conscience thus broken farewel to all Heavenly Obligations in the Soul Scripture Authority and ancient Protestant Principles Christ may at this Rate become what the Jews would have had him and his Apostles be reputed Turners of the World up-side down as their Enemies represented them and the godly Martyrs of all Ages so many Self-Murderers for they might justly be esteem'd Resisters of Worldly Authority so far as that Authority concern it self with the Imposition of Religion because they refused the Conformity commanded even to Death And it may not be unworthy of Caesar's Consideration if from these Proceedings People are tempted to infer there is nothing in Religion but Worldly Aims and Ends because so much Power is abus'd under the Name of Religion to vex and destroy Men for being of another Religion that he hazards the best Hold and Obligation he hath to Obedience which is Conscience For where they are taught to Obey for Interest Duty and Conviction are out of Doors By all Means let Conscience be sacred and Virtue and Integrity though under dissenting Principles cherisht Charity is more powerful than Severity Perswasion than Penal Laws Lastly To the Reproach of this Course with Wise Men it hath never yet obtain'd the End desir'd for instead of compliance the Difference is widened the Sufferers are pitied by Spectators which only helps to increase the Number of Dissenters for whoever is in the Wrong few think the Persecutor in the Right This in all Ages having been the Issue of severe Prosecution of Dissenters for Matters of Religion what a Cruel Troublesom Thankless Succesles Office is it for Caesar to be imployed in May he take better Measures of his Authority and Interest and use his Power to the Encouragement of all the Virtuous and Industrous and Just Punishment of the Lazy and Vicious in all Perswasions so shall the Kingdom Flourish and the Government Prosper Church Power supposeth a Church first It will not be improper therefore to examine first What a Scripture New Testament Church is and next what is the Scripture-Power belonging to such a Church A Scripture-Church as she may be called Visible is a Company or Society of People believing professing and practising according to the Doctrine and Example of Christ Jesus and his Apostles and not according to the Scribes and Pharisees that taught for Doctrine the Traditions of men They are such as are Meek in Heart Lowly in Spirit Chast in Life Virtuous in all Conversation full of Self-denyal Long-suffering and Patient not only forgiving but loving their very Enemies which answers Christ's own Character of himself Religion and Kingdom which is the most apt Distinction that ever can be given of the Nature of his Church and her Authority viz. MY KINGDOM IS NOT OF THIS WORLD Which well connects with Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's and unto God the things that are God's It was an Answer to a very suspitious Question for it was familiarly bruitd that he was a King and came to possess his Kingdom and was by some called the King of the Jews The Jews being then subjected to the Roman Empire it concern'd Pilate Caesars Deputy to understand his pretentions which upon better information he found to center in this My Kingdom is not of this World else would my Subjects fight for me As if he had said these Reports are a meer perversion of my Peaceable and Self denying Intentions an Infamy invented by malicious Scribes and Pharisees that they might the better prevail with Caesar to Sacrifice me to their hatred and revenge I am Caesar's Friend I seek none of his Kingdoms from him nor will I sow Sedition plot or conspire his Ruin no Let all Men render unto Caesar the Things that are Caesar's that 's my Doctrine for I am come to erect a Kingdom of another Nature then that of this World to wit a Spiritual Kingdom to be set up in the Heart and Conscience is my Throne upon that will I sit and rule the Children of Men in Righteousness and whoever lives Soberly Righteously and Godlily in this World shall be my good and loving Subjects and they will certainly make no ill ones for Caesar since such Virtue is the end of Government and renders his Charge both more easie and safe then before Had I any other Design then this would I suffer my self to be reproached traduced and persecuted by a conquered people were it not more my Nature to suffer then revenge would not their many provocations have drawn from me some Instance of another kind then the Forbearance and Forgiveness I teach certainly were I animated by another principle then the perfection of Meekness and Divine Sweetness I should not have forbidden Peter fighting saying Put up thy Sword or endoctrinated my Followers to bear Wrongs but revenged all Affronts and by Plots and other Stratagems have attempted Ruin to my Enemies and the acquest of worldly Empire and no doubt but they would have fought for me Nay I am not only patiently with Pity to Enemies sensible of their barbarous Carriage towards me for my Good Will to them for their Eternal Happiness I only seek but I fore-see what they further intend against me they design to crucifie me And to do it will rather free a Murderer then save their Saviour They will perform that Cruelty with all the Aggravation and Contempt they can deriding me themselves and exposing me to the derision of others for they will mock my Divine Kingship with a Crown of Thorns and in my Agonies of Soul and Body for a Cordial give me Gaul and Vinegar to drink But notwithstanding all this to satisfie the World that my Religion is above Wrath and Revenge I can forgive them And to secure Caesar and his People from all Fears of Imposition whatever Authority I have and how many Legions of Angels soever I might Command both to my Deliverance and the Enforcement of my Message upon Mankind I resolve to promote neither with worldly Power
for it is not of the Nature of my Religion and Kingdom And as I neither assume nor practise any such thing my self that am the great Author Promoter and Example of this Holy Way so have I not only never taught my Disciples to live or act otherwise or given them a Power I refuse to use my Self but expresly forbad them and warn'd them in my Instructions of exercising any the least Revenge Imposition or Coertion towards any This is evident in my Sermon preached upon the Mount where I freely publickly and with much Plainness not only prohibited Revenge but injoyned Love to Enemies making it to be a great Token of true Discipleship to suffer Wrongs and conquer Cruelty by Patience and Forgiveness which is certainly a great Way off Imposition or Compulsion upon other Men. Furthermore when I was strongly bent for Jerusalem sent Messengers before to prepare some entertainment for me and my Company in a Village belonging to the Samaritans and the People refused because they apprehended I was going to Jerusalem though some of my Disciples particularly James and John were provok'd to that Degree that they asked me if I were willing that they should command Fire from Heaven to destroy those Samaritans as Elias in another Case had done I turned about and rebuked them saying Ye know not what Manner of Spirit ye are of for am not come into the World to destroy Mens Lives but by my peaceable Doctrine Example and Life to save them At another time one of my Disciples relating to me some Passages of their Travails told me of a certain Man they saw that cast out Devils in my Name and because he was not of their Company nor followed them said he we forbad him as if they had thereby served and pleased me but I presently testified my Dislike of the Ignorance and Narrowness of their Zeal and to inform them better told them they should not have forbid him for he that is not against us is for us My Drift is not Opinion but Piety they that cast out Devils convert Sinners and turn Men to Righteousness are not against me nor the Nature and Religion of my Kingdom therefore ought to be cherisht rather then forbid That I might sufficiently declare and inculcate my Mind in this Matter I did at another Time and upon a different Occasion preach against all Coertion and Persecution for Matters of Faith and Practice towards God in my Parable of the Sower as my Words manifest which were these The Kingdom of Heaven is likened unto a Man which sowed good Seed in his Field but while Men slept his Enemy came and sowed Tares among the Wheat and went his Way but when the Blade sprung up and brought forth Fruit there appeared the Tares also so the Servants of the Houshoulder came and said didst thou not sow good Seed in thy Field from whence then hath it Tares he answered an Enemy hath done this the Servants said unto him wilt thou then that we go and gather them up but he said NAY lest while ye gather up the Tares ye root up also the Wheat with them let boâ—h grow together till the Harvest and in the Time of Harvest I will say to the Reapers gather ye together first the Tares and bind them in Bundles to burn them but gather the Wheat into my Barn And that I might not leave so necessary a Truth misapprehended of my dear Followers or liable to any Mis-constructions my Disciples when together desiring an Explanation I interpreted my words thus He that soweth the good Seed is the Son of Man the Field is the World the good Seed are the Children of the Kingdom but the Tares are the Children of the Wicked One the Enemy that sowed them is the Devil the Harvest is the End of the World and the Reapers are the Angels This Patience this Long Suffering and great Forbearance belong to my Kingdom and the Subjects of it my Doctrine speaks it and my Example confirms it and this can have no possible Agreement with Imposition and Persecution for Conâ—cience 'T is true I once whipt out the Prophaners of my Father's Temple but I never whipt any 〈◊〉 I call'd I cry'd to every one that thirsted to come and freely offer'd my Assistance to the Weary and Heavy Laden but I never impos'd my Help or forced any to receive me for I take not my Kingdom by Violence but by Suffering And that I might sufficiently deter my Followers from any such Thing as I profess my self to be their Lord and Master so have I commanded them to love one another in a more especial Manner But if instead thereof any shall grow proud high-minded and beat or abuse their Fellow-Servants in my Religious Family when I come to take an account of my Houshold he shall be cut asunder and appointed his Portion among the Unbelievers Behold the Recompence I appoint to Imposing Lordly Persons such as count others Infidels and to make them such Believers as themselves will exercise Violence towards them and if they prevail not will call for fire from Heaven to devour them and if Heaven refuse them will fall a Beating and Killing and think it may be they do God good Service but their Lot shall be with Unbelievers forever Nay I have so effectually provided against all Mastery that I expresly charged them not to be many Masters for one was their Master I told them that the greatest amongst them was to be Servant to the rest not to impose upon the rest nay that to be great in my Kingdom they must become as gentle and harmless as little Children and such cannot force and punish in Matters of Religion In fine I strictly commanded them to love one another as I have loved them who am ready to lay down my Life for the Ungodly instead of taking away Godly Men's Lives for Opinions and this is the great Maxim of my holy Religion He that would be my Disciple must not crucifie other Men but take up his Cross and follow me who am meek and lowly and such so enduring shall find Eternal Rest to their Souls this is the Power I use and this is the Power I give How much this agrees with the Language Doctrine and Example of Jesus Christ I shall leave them to consider that read and believe Scripture but some affected to present Church Power and desiring their Ruin that conform not to her Worship and Discipline will object That Christ did give his Church Power to bind and loose and bid any Person agrieved tell the Church I grant it but what binding was that with outward Chains and Fetters in nasty Holes and Dungeons nothing less Or was it that his Church had that true Discerning in her and Power with him that what she bound that is condemned or loosed that is remitted should stand so in God's Sight and Christ's Account But tell the Church and what then observe Christ's
those that Persecute for Religion are Irreligious 2dly The next Cause of Persecution is the gross but general Mistake which People are under concerning the Nature of the Church Kingdom of Christ for the lamentable Worldliness of mens minds hath put them upon those Carnal Constructions which have made way for all the external Coertion and Violence used by bad and suffer'd by good Men on the score of Religion from the beginning And no wonder if ordinary Persons tumble upon this Construction when the Disciples of Jesus shew'd themselves so ill read in the Mysteries of his Kingdom that after all the Intimacy they had had with him they resrain'd not to ask When shall the Kingdom be restored to Israel They look't abroad had a Worldly Idea in their minds Jew like they waited for external Deliverance from the Power of the Romans rather then an Internal Salvation from the Dominion of Satan and interpreted that to Worldly loss and freedom which did relate to the loss and Redemption of the Soul but Jesus taught them better things yet so as not to deny or flatly discourage and rebuke them that though true might have been more then they could have borâ— therefore he winds off with them upon the Time and the Season of the thing knowing that the Time was at hand that they should be better taught and satisfied of the nature of his Kingdom unto which he referred them When the Spirit of Truth comes it shall lead you into all Truth c. That the Kingdom of Christ is not of this World has been before observed and the Reason is so great that all men of common Sense must allow it upon Christ's Principle for says he then would my Servants fight for me truly implying that because the Kingdoms of this World are evidently set up and maintained by Worldly Force and that he will have no Worldly Force used in the Business of his Kingdom therefore it is not of this World Consequently those that attempt to set up his Kingdom by Worldly Force or make that their Pretence to use it are none of his Servants they are truly but Men of this World such as seek an Earthly and not an Heavenly Kingdom themselves and not Christ Jesus Where by the way let me observe That though the Jews to engage Pilate the more easily to their side impeach't Christ of being an Eâ—â—e my to Casar they were Enemies and He a Friend to Caesar for he came to reform the Lives of Men to make them better Subjects to obey Caesar not for Fear but for Conscience sake so would Caesar's Provinec have been easie and safe But the Jews would have had him Caesar's Enemy one that should have forcibly rescued them from Caesar's Power they waited for a Captain General to begin the Revolt and with an high Hand to over bear and captive Caesar as he had done them and 't is more than probable that his Appearance being to another End they therefore rejected him their Heart being set upon this But to return Christ told his Disciples that he had chosen them out of the World how not to converse or live bodily in it no such matter but he had chosen or singled them from the Nature Spirit Glory Policy and Pomp of this World How Persons so qualified can make a Worldly Church or Kingdom unless they desert Christ's Doctrine is past my Skill to tell So that the Capacity that Christians stand in to Christ is Spiritual and not Worldly or Carnal and therefore not Carnal or Worldly but Spiritual Methods and Weapons only are to be used to inform or reclaim such as are Ignorant or DisobediÌ„ent And if we will give Antient Story credit we shall find that Worldly Weapons were never employed by the Christian Church till the became Worldly and so ceast to be truly Christian But why should I say the Church the most abused word in the World her Leaders have taught her to eâ—â— and that of believing as the Church believes is so far from being true in point of Faith as well as Reason that the Church her self his ever believed as the Clergy that is the Priests believed since that sort of Men have practised Distinction from and Superiority upon the Laity He that will peruse the Ecclesiastical Story delivered us by Eusebius Pamphili Secrates Scholasticns Evagrius Ruffinus Sozomen c. will find but too many and sad Instances of the Truth of this In short Peoples apprehending the Church and Kingdom of Christ to be Visible and Worldly like other Societies and Government have thought it not only to be Lawful but Necessary to use the Arts and Force of this World to support that Church and Kingdom especially since this Interest of Religion hath been embodied with that of the Civil Magistrate for from that time he hath been made Custos utriusque tabulae and such as offend though about Church Matters have been reputed Transgressors against the State and consequently the State interested in punishing the Offence Whereas had Christians remain'd in their primitive Simplicity and Purity in the Self-denying Patient and Suffering Doctrine of Christ Christianity had stood in Holy Living not in Worldly Regiment and its Compulsion would have been Love its Arms Reason and Truth and its utmost Rigour even to obstinate Enemies or Apostates but Renouncing of their Communion and that not till much Forbearance had been used to them To sum up all The Kingdoms of this World stand in outward Bodily and Civil Matters and here the Laws and Power of Men reich and are effectual But the Kingdom and Church of Christ that is chosen out of the World stands not in Bodily Exercise which the Apostle says profits little nor in Times nor Places but in Faith and that Worship which Christ tells us is in Spirit and in Truth to this no Worldly Compulsion can bring or force men 't is only the Power of that King of Righteousness whose Kingdom is in the Minds and Souls of the Just and he rules by the Law of his own free Spirit which like the Wind Bloweth where it listeth And as without this Spirit of Regeneration no man can be made a Member of Christs Church or Kingdom so neither is it in the Power of Man to command or give it and consequently all Worldly force employ'd to make men Members of Christs Church and Kingdom is unnatural and ineffectual I could be very large upon this point for 't is very fruitful and so much the cause of Persecution that if there were never another to be assign'd this were enough for upon due consideration it must needs meet with every mans Judgment and Experience I will here add the sense of memorable Hales of Eaton upon this subject When our Saviour in the Acts after his Resurrection was Discoursing to his Disciples concerning the Kingdom of God they presently brake forth into this Question Wilt thou now restore the Kingdom unto Israel Certainly this Question betrays their
Ecclesiasticks consider the Civil Magistrates share herein for though the Church-Men are principally guilty that being profest Ministers of a Religion which renounces and condemns Force they incite the Magistrate to use it both to impose their own Belief and suppress that of other mens yet the Civil Magistrate in running upon their Errands and turning Eexecutioner to their Cruelty upon such as dissent from them involves himself in their Guilt That in this Protestant Country Laws have been made to prosecute men for their Difference and Dissent from the National Worship and that those Laws have been executed I presume will not be denyed for not only our own Histories since the Reformation will furnish us with Instances but our own Age abounds with Proofs Thousands have been Excommunicated and Imprisoned whole Familes Undone not a Bed left in the House not a Cow in the Field nor any Corn in the Barn Widows and Orphants Uncommiserated no regard had to Age or Sex and what for only because of their Meeting to Worship God after another yet not a less Peaceable Manner then according to the Way of the Church of England Nor have they only suffered this by Laws intended against them but after an excessive rate by Laws known to have been never design'd against them and only intended against the Papists and in these Cases four times the Vallue has not served their turn we can prove 60 l. taken for 13 l. and not one Penny returned as we made appear before a Committee of the late Parliament which is the Penalty of four Offences for one to say nothing of the gross Abuses that have been committed against our Names and Persons by men of ill Fame and Life that have taken the Advantage of our Tenderness and the present Posture of the Law against us to have their Revengeful and Covetous Ends upon us And though yet unredrest not a Session of Parliament has past these Seventeen Years in which we have not humbly remonstrated our suffering condition we have done our Part which has been patiently to Suffer and modestly to Complain 't is yours now to hear our Groans and if ever you expect Mercy from God deliver us The late Parliament just before its Dissolution was preparing some Relief for us if that Parliament could think of it yea begin it we hope you will finish and secure it To remove all Scruples or Objections that Politically or Ecclesiastically on the part of the State or the Church may be advanced against us in this request I shall divide this Discourse into these two Parts First Caesar's Authority next the Church's Authority about Force in things that relate to Faith and Conscience with my Reasons briefly to both Our blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ did long since distinguish the Things of Caesar from the Things of God in his plain and notable Answer unto that ensnaring Question of the Jews about paying Tribute to Caesar Render saith he unto Caeâ—ar the things that are Caesar's and to God the Things that are God's that is Divine Worship and all things relating to it belong unto God Civil Obedience to Caesar God can only be the Author of right Acts of Worship in the Mind this is granted by all therefore it is not in the Power of any Man or Men in the World to sway or compel the Mind in Matters of Worship to God Where this is attemped God's Prerogative is invaded and Caesar by which Word I understand the Civil Government hath All. For he doth not only take his own Things but the things appertaining to God also Since if God hath not Conscience he hath nothing My Kingdom says Christ is not of this World nor is the Magistrate's of the other World Therefore he exceeds his Province and Commission when ever he meddles with the Rites of it Let Christ have his Kingdom he is sufficient for it and let Caesar have his 't is his Due Give unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's and to God the things that are God's Then there are things that belong not to Caesar and we are not to give those to him such are Gods things divine things but those that belong to Caesar and his Earthly Kingdom must be of Duty rendred to him If any should ask me What are the Things properly belonging to Caesar I answer in Scripture Language To love Justice do Judgment relieve the Oppressed right the Fatherless be a Terror unto Evil-doers and a Praise to them that do well for this is the great End of Magistracy But perhaps my Answer shall be reckoned too general and ambiguous and a fresh Question started Who are the Evil-doers to whom the Civil Authority ought to be terrible But this ought in my Judgment to be no Question with men that understand the Nature of Civil Authority for those are the Evil-doers that violate those Laws which are necessary to the Preservation of Civil Society as Thieves Murderers Adulterers Traytors Plotters Drunkards Cheats Vagabonds and the like mischievous and dissolute Persons Men void of Virtue Truth and Sincerity the Foundation of all good Government and only firm Bond of human Society Whoever denies me this must at the same Time say that Virtue is less necessary to Government than Opinion and that the most Vitiated Men professing but Caesar's Religion are the best Subjects to Caesar's Authority consequently that other Men living never so honestly and industriously and having else as good a Claim to Civil Protection and Preferment shall meerly for their Dissent from that Religion a Thing they can't help for Faith is the Gift of God be reputed the worst of Evil-doers which is followed with exposing their Names to Obloquie their Estates to Ruin and their Persons to Goals Exiles and Abundance of other Cruelties What is this but to confound the Things of Caesar with the Things of God Divine Worship with Civil Obedience the Church with the State and perplex human Societies with endless Debates about Religious Differences Nay is not this to erect new Measures to try the Members of Worldly Societies by and give an Accession to another Power then that which is necessary to the Constitution of Civil Government But that which ought to deter wise Rulers from assuming and exercising such an Authority is the Consideration of the pernicious Consequences of doing so For First It makes PROPERTY which is the first and most fixt Part of English Government floating and uncertain for it seems no Conformity to the Church no Property in the State and doubtless the Insecurity of Property can be no Security to the Government Pray think of that 2dly It makes me owe more to the Church then to the State for in this Case the Anchor I ride by is not my Obedience to Laws relating to the Preservation of Civil Society but Conformity to certain Things belonging to the Doctrine and Discipline of the Church so that though I may be an honest industrious English man a great Lover of my Country and an
Admirer of the Government I live under yet if I refuse to profess the Religion that either now is or hereafter may be imposed be it never so false that is all one I must neither enjoy the Liberty of my Person nor the quiet Possession of my Estate 3ly This not only alters the Government by sacrificing Mens Properties for that which cannot be called a Sin against Property nor an Offence to the Nature of Civil Government if any Transgression at all but it narrows the Interest and Power of the Governours For proportionably what Number they cut off from their Protection they cut off from themselves and the Government not only rendring a great Body of People Useless but provoaking them to be Dangerous to be sure it clogs the Civil Magistrate in his Administration of Government making that necessary which is not at all necessary to him AS CAESAR It is a Sort of DUUMVIRATESHIP in Power by which the Civil Monarchy is broken for as that was a Plurality of Men so this is a Plurality of Powers and to speak treely the Civil Power is made to act the Lackey to run of all the unpleasant Errands the froward Zeal of the other sends it upon and the best Preferment it receives for its Pains is to be Informer Constable or Goaler to some of the best Livers and therefore the best Subjects in the Kingdom Oh what greater Injustice to Caesar then to make his Government vary by such Modes of Religion and him to hold his Obedience from his People not so much by their Conformity to Him as to the Church 4thly This is so far from resembling the Universal Goodness of God who dispenses his Light Air Showres and comfortable Seasons to all and whom Caesar ought alwaves to imitate and remote from increasing the Trade Populacy and Wealth of this Kingdom that it evidently tends to the utter Ruin of Thousands of Traders Artificers and Husband men and their Families thereby increasing the Charges by increasing the Poor of the Nâ—tion 5thly This must needs be a great Discouragement to Strangers from coming in and setling themselves amongst us when they have Reason to apprehend that they and their Children after them can be no longer secured in the Enjoyment of their Properties then they shall be able to prevail with their Consciences to believe that the Religion which our Laws do now or shall at any time approve and impose is undoubtedly true and the Way of worshipping of God which shall at any time be by our Laws enjoyned is and shall be more agreeable to the Will of God then any other Way in which God is worshipped in the World 6thly That way of Worship we are commanded Conformity to doth not make better Livers that 's a Demonstration nor better Artists for it cannot be thought that going to Church hearing Common-Prayer or believing in the present Episcopacy learns Men to build Ships or Houses to make Clothes Shoes Dials or Watches Buy Sell Trade or Commerce better then any that are of another Perswasion And since these things are Useful if not Requisite in Civil Society is not prohibiting nay ruining such Men because they will not come to hear Common-Prayer c. destructive of Civil Society pray shew me better Subjects If any object Dissenters have not alwayes been so the Answer is ready do not expose them protect them in their Lives Liberties and Estates for in this present Posture they think they can call nothing their own and that all the Comforts they have in this World are hourly liable to Forfeiture for their Faith Hope and Practice concerning the other World Is not this to destroy Nature and Civil Government when People are ruined in their Natural and Civil Capacity not for Things relating to either but what are of a Supernatural Import 7thly This deprives them of Protection that protect the Government Dissenters have a great Share in the Trade which is the Greatness of this Kingdom and they make a large Proportion of the Taxes that maintain the Government And is it reasonable or can it be Christian when they pay Tribute to Caesar to be preserved in an Undisturbed Possâ—ssion of the Rest that the Rest should be continually exposed for the peaceable Exercise of their Consciences to God 8thly Neither is it a Conformity to True and Solid Religion such as is necessary to Eternal Salvation wherein most parties verbally agree but for a Modification of Religion some peculiar Way of Worship and Discipline All confess One God One Christ One Holy Ghost and that it is indispensably requisite to live Soberly Righteously and Godlikely in this present evil World yet is one prosecuting the other for his Conscience seizing Corn driving away Cattel breaking open Doors taking away and spoilng of Goods in some places not leaving a Cow to give poor Orphants Milk nor a Bed to lie on in other Places Houses have been â—…ept so clean that a Stool hath not been left to sit on nor so much as working Tools to labour for Bread To say nothing of the Opprâ—brious Speeches Bloody â—lows and Tedious Imprisonments even to Death it selâ— through Nastiness of Dungeons that many Innocent People have suffered for their peaceable Conscience only 9thly But this Way of proceeding for Maintenance of the National Religion is of an ill Consequence upon this account Heaven is barred from all further Illuminations Let God send what Light he pleases it must not be received by Caesar's People without Caesar's Licence and if it happen that Caesar be not presently convinced it is of God at this rate I must either renounce my Convictions and lose my Soul to please Caesar or profess and persevere in my Perswasion and lose my Life Liberty or Estate to please God This hath frequently occur'd and may again Therefore I would entreat Caesar to consider the sad Consequence of Imposition and remember both that God did never ask Man Leave to introduce Truth or make further Discoveries of his Mind to the World and that it hath been a Woful Snare to those Governments that have been drawn to employ their Power against his Work and People 10thly This Way of Proceedure endeavours to stifle or else to punish Sincerity for Fear or Hopes Frowns or Favour prevail only with base Minds Souls degenerated from true Nobleness Every Spark of Integrity must be extinguisht where Conscience is sacrificed to Worldly Safety and Preferment so that this Net holds no Temporizers Honest Men are all the Fish it catches but one would think they should make but an ill Treat to such as reckon themselves generous Men and what is more Christians too but that which renders the Matter more unjustifiable is the Temptation such Severity puts upon men not hardy enough to suffer for Conscience yet strongly perswaded they have Truth on their Side to desert their Principles and smother their Convictions which in plain Terms is to make of Sincere Men Hypocrites whereas it is one great End
to Youthful Lusts flee them by all means for they draw to Strife to Heats Animosities Envy Hatred and Persecution which unbecome the Man of God for says the Apostle He must not STRIVE but be gentle unto all men apt to teach patient be their Rank Notion Opinion or Faith what it will he must not be fierce nor censorious much less should he persecute or excite Caesar to do it for him no such matter he must be apt to teach and inform the Ignorant and in case it succeed not he ought not to be outragious or go about to whip or club it into him he must be patient that is he must not think to bend things to his own Will or Time but commit his honest Edeavours to God's Blessing that can raise of the Stones of the Street Children unto Abraham The Want of this Patience has been the Undoing of all But some will object O but it is not Ignorance 't is Obstinacy and Opposition Hardly judg'd my Friend but admit it were so here 's a Recipe for the Malady too and that of the Apostle's prescribing Observe the following words In MEEKNESS instructing those that OPPOSE themselves if God peradventure will give them Repentance to the acknowledging of the Truth Then not Fining Plundering Beating Stocking Imprisoning Banishing and Killing even OPPOSERS themselves for Religion unless there is a Way of doing these things with Gentleness Patience and Meekness which I confess I and I think no Body else ever heard of But as the Apostle gives Timothy another Method then is now used by the Sons of Violence for reclaiming Opposers so the Reason of the Counsel makes all other Wayes unlawful viz. If God peradventurâ— will give them Repentance to the acknowledgment of the Truth I would hereupon enter the List with a Persâ—cutor Is Repentance in my own Power or is it in thine to give me the Apostle sayes neither 't is God's Gift alone If God peradventure will give them Repentance c. since Repentance then is in the Case and that God alone can give it of what use are Violent Courses which never beget Repentance on the contrary they have rarely fail'd to raise Prejudice and beget Hardness But was this the Evangelical Rule and Practice Yes that it was Oh then whence comes Imposition Force Cruelty Spoil of Goods Imprisonments Knocking 's Beatings Bruisings Stockings Whippings and Spilling of Blood for Religion What Church is that whose Officers are so far from clothing the Naked as that they strip the Clothed from feeding the Hungry that they take their Bread from them and those poor Widows and helpless Orphans too and so remote from visiting the Sick and Imprisoned that they drag away their Beds from under them and cast their Persons into Prison for Conscience sake Nay they haled away an Honest Man from a Meeting to Goal at Reading a while since not permitting him to TAKE LEAVE of his poor Wife newly delivered and in a DYING Condition though she much desired it and liv'd but just by the Meeting house whence they took him In fine what are they that for no other Cause pass such Dreadful Excommunications as render the Excommunicants little better then Outlawed Persons subjecting their Civil Natural Rights to their Pride Passion Interest or Revenge unless they will purchase their Enjoyment at the dear rate of giving their own Consciences the Lye For what else can be the Consequence of conforming to that I do not believe Is not this to destroy sincere Men and make and save Hypocrites Oh that such as are concern'd would soberly consider if any Thing is so Scandalous to True Religion as FORCE Who can think that Evidence Good that is extorted And what a Church is that which is made up of such Proselytes or that employes such Means to make them 'T is base Coyn that needs Imposition to make it current but true Mettal passeth for its own intrinsick value O where is that Christian Meekness Patience and Forbearance How many have been ruined that were never exhorted and Excommunicated before they were once admonished This is not to serve God but Worldly Interest it s quite contrary to Christ's Counsel and Doctrine He came to save and not to destroy Nature to magnifie his Grace You pretend to hate J. Calvin's unconditional Reprobation yet practise it If you say no Conformity is your Condition I answer that it s as unreasonable to require an impossibility as cruel to damâ— Men for not doing it For as you say his Doctrine makes Gâ—d to command them to repent that cannot repent and yet damn them if they repent not So you injoyn Men to relinquish their present Faith and Worship and conform to yours which is not in their power to do yet damn them in a temporal respect if they refuse it For you make such an unavoidable Dissent punishable with the Destruction of Mens Liberties and Estates You had better leave off valuing your selves upon the Mercy and Well-natur'dness of that Tenet of the Universal Love of God to Man kind till you love more then your selves and abomâ—nate that the Church of England should be such an Elect to the Civil Government as utterly reprobates the rest as you pretend to detest the like Injustice in J. Calvin's Notion of Election and Reprobation And the Truth of it is this helps on Atheism as much as any Enormity in the Land when Witty Men not willing to take Pains to examine after the Truth and Excellency of Religion behold Men that call themselves Christ's Ministers and the Apostles Successors and Followers to affect and seek Government and yet twice deny it when they go to receive it That some others grow Lordly live Voluptuously and watch after the biggest Preferments not being excited by most Service for God but Earthly Power and Wealth for themselves and at the same Time persecuting Men of more Self-denyal for Matsters of Opinion about Faith and Worship toward-God so that No Conformity to this Church No Protection from the State Which among Protestants is so much the more unreasonable First Because they by these Courses implicitly own and assume the highest Infallibility and Perfection and yet deny any such Thing For it supposes that nothing is Truer nothing Perfecter or else they both persecute Men to embrace a Fallible and Inperfect Religion and with cruel Penalties provide against any thing more true or Infallible and the greatest Injury to the World that can be for it is a plain Endeavour to frustrate all those excellent Prophecies and gracious Promises God has given and the holy Scriptures declare of the latter Days But Secondly It exposes you to the lash and scorn of the Papist unavoidably for at this rate you that with reason think it Ignorance and Irreligion in the Papist to imagin himself discharged in God's account by believing only as the Church believes conceive your selves at the same time justified by believeing only as a few of your own Doctors or else