hearts of subjects towards one another and that whether they be of the same way and judgement with themselves or different I dare not assert that it would make them all of the same way and mind neither do I believe it would yet I am confident it would do more towards this Catholick union than all the Laws and severities in the world can Mutual forbearance and forgiveness Christian kindness and discreet condescensions are the most warrantable and most effectual method for introducing uniformity and unanimity too which is much better into the Church of Christ But however Religion would certainly give a right disposition and teach men aright behaviour respective to each other whether friends or dissenters This principle would teach men to love their friends and accomplices only in the Lord as his members not as their own partizans Are not they strangely devoted to interest that will vindicate any thing in a partizan which they will declaim against in a dissenter And yet how is the sacred name of Christian friendship reproached every-where by reason of this partiality How much better did true Religion instruct the great Apostle to know no man after the flesh no 2. Cor. 5. 16. not Christ himself The same principle would not fail to cure the distempers of men respective to those that are of a different way and judgement from themselves whether of Pretestants towards Protestants or Protestants and Papists one towards another It would heal the distempered affections and behaviours of Protestants towards Protestants Were men throughly Baptized into the Spirit of Love and Wisdom which are so lively pourtrayed by the Apostles St. Paul and St. James that one might well be enamoured of the very description how certainly would all oppressions law-suits disputations about unprofitable and indeterminable points either be supprest or sanctified either not be or not be vexatious Not to speak of the oppression done by over-reaching stealing lying false-witness-bearing slanderous detrectations envious suggestions and malignant dissemination of doubtfull suspicions by which commonly poor men oppress the rich all which true Religion abhorrs There is a great oppression that goes uncontrolled in the World which is by the cruel engrossings and covetrous insatiable tradings of richer men What these are intentionally I will not say but that they are really and eventually as great oppressions as those inhumane depopulations and squeezing exactions which are so much inveighed against I doubt not But be they what they will or be they excused how they will I am confident that this Divine principle that powerfully springs up into everlasting life would mightily relieve the world in this respect in that it would moderate mens desires of corruptible riches forbid them to seek the things of this world any more or any otherwise than in consistency with and subserviency to their primary and most diligent seeking of the Kingdom of God it would make men seek the wealth of others even as their own and make private advantages stoop to the publick good I do verily believe that if there were none but good men in England there would be no poor men there Civil Laws may provide for the maintenance of the poor but the Law of Divine love a principle of Religion if it were universally obeyed would make men so nobly regardless of earthly accommodations that there would soon be room enough for all men to thrive into a sufficient stature and then being so grown they would covet no more In Law-suits if there were any men would seek the advancement of truth and not of their own cause and interest distinct from it And oh how excellently would it still the noise of axes and hammers about the Temple of God! It would take men off from vain speculations and much eagerness about unnecessary opinions by imploying them in more substantial and important studies The very being of Religion in the soul would indeed decide a world of controversies which the Schools have long laboured in vain to determine For I reckon that these Scholastical wars fitly called Polemicks like those civil dissensions spoken of by the Apostle Jam. 4. 1. James do for the most part spring from mens lusts that war in their members such as pride curiosity lasciviency of wit disobedience and unsubduedness of understanding and the like I have observed with great grief how the spirits of many men I had almost said sects of men run out wholly into disputes about Ceremonies pro and con about Church-Government about what is orthodox and what is heterodox about the true and the false Church which commonly they judge by something external and indeed separable from the essence of a true Church and hereabout is their zeal their conference and their very prayers themselves mostly bestowed Who can doubt but that Religion in the power of it would find men something else to do yea and if it could not perfectly determine these niceties yet it would much heal our dissentions about them and bring tears to quench the strange and unnatural heats that are amongst us and cause such dreadfull inflammations in our bowels But it may seem that there is such a fatal enmity and irreconcilable feud betwixt Papists and Protestants that nothing no not Religion it self can heal it And truly if we suppose that it is Religion that engages both parties in this enmity I think it will prove incurable But God forbid that this pure off-spring of Heaven should be so blaspheamed It is not Religion but indeed the want of it that begets this implacable animosity whatever is pretended Cruel Religion Bloody Religion Selfish Religion Envious and Revengeful Religion Who can choose but cry out of the blasphemy of this contradiction at the very first hearing Nay I dare affirm it without haesitation that the more Religious any Protestant or Papist is the more abhorrent he is from brutish savageness wicked Revenge and devilish Hatred The Church of Rome judges the Reformed Hereticks are not fit to live and why Not because they live not well but because they cannot think and believe as they do And is this the genuine product of true Religion Nothing less For a desire of ruling over mens Consciences and of subjecting the faith of others to themselves is certainly competible to a meer natural man nay to the Devil himself who is as lordly cruel and imperious as any other The Reformed Churches on the other hand are I doubt generally more offended at the Papists for their persecutions of them than for their real persecuting and Crucifying Christ afresh by their sins and so consequently do rather write and fight against them than either pitty or pray for them I hope there are as many well-spirited Christians in England at least proportionably as in any Church upon earth and yet I fear there are far more that could wish the Papists out of this world than that earnestly desire that they might be fitted for and so counted worthy of a better And doth
complaint and the most dreadfull charge which the Protestants bring against the Papists is their immanity and most unchristian cruelty exercised against all whom they can but make a shift to esteem Hereticks and they on the other hand alledge that the interest of Religion and the Catholick faith doth require it and that they do not so properly murder men as sacrâ—fice John 16. 2. them to the honour of God It will be proper to spend a little time at least to clear Religion of this blame that as wisdom is at all times justified of and in her children so she may be sometimes justified by them especially when the aspertions are so monstrous foul And indeed she hath sufficiently instructed us how to justifie her from all such imputations having so fairly pourtrayed Jam. 3. 14 15 16 17. her self by the pen of the Apostle James both negatively and affirmatively She is void of strise envyings bitterness and every evil work but she is pure peaceable gentle easie to be entreated full of mercy and good fruits without partiality and without hypocrisie This is the proper description of heavenly wisdom or pure Religion And oh that all Christians would estimate themselves to be wise according to their consonancy and conformity thereunto Then I would easily believe that none would be Papists in practice whatever they might be in opinion What Sirs is the God of Christians become like unto a Devil that he should delight in cruelty and drink the blood of men Is the butchering of reasonable creatures that reasonable service which he requires Is the Rom. 12. 1. 2 Cor. 6. 15. living sacrifice of your own bodies turned into the dead sacrifice of other mens It was wont to be said What communion hath Christ with Belial And is the Prince of Peace now become very Sathan the author of enmity malignity confusion and every evil work Did he shed his blood for his enemies to teach us that goodly lesson of shedding the blood of ours Did he come to seek and to Luke 9. 56. save that which was lost to set us an example that we might seek to destroy and that only to repair our own losses Be it so that the Protestant Churches have apostatized from you this I hope is not a greater crime than the apostasie of mankind from God which yet he expiated not with the blood of the Apostates but with his own Religion was formerly a principle springing uâ— into eternal life How is the world changed that it should now be a principle springing up into Massacres and temporal death or is Religion now become a principle springing up into secular power worldly dominion temporal greatness and all manner of flâ—shly accommodations This was of old the description of sensuality and a heathenish genius Mat. â— 6. 32. For after all these things do the Gentiles seek Are there so many mighty engines in the Gospel to engage the hearts of men to believe profess and obey it And must they all now give place to Fire and Sword Are these the only Gospel-methods of winning men to the Catholick faith What are we wiser for Christ or more zealous than he himself was Did he forbid fire from heaven Luke 9. 55. and will you fetch it even from hell to consume dissenters Did he sheath the sword that was drawn in his own defence and set a dreadfull seal upon it too 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mat. 26. 52. all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword And will you adventure to draw it in a way of revenge and persecution and count it meritorious too as if you should therefore never perish because you take it Is it not written in your Bibles as well as ours that no murderer shall enter into the Gal. 5 21 1 Joâ— 3. 15 Kingdom of God And do you think by murders to propagate this Kingdom upon earth and have a more abundant entrance into it your selves hereafter Can hell dwell with Heaven shall bloody cruelty ever come to lodge in the bosome or lye down in the sacred arms of eternal love Be not deceived Sirs with a false Heaven but take this for an indubitable and self-evidencing Aphorism of truth No soul of man hath any more of Heaven no nor ever shall have than he â—e hath of God and of his pure placable patient benign and gracious nature And this is that everlasting life which a Religious principle is alwayes springing up into so that hereby it appears plainly that Religion in the power of it would heale these feaverish distempers also and so restore a most excellent constitution both personal and political It may seem possibly that I have toyl'd too much in these discoveries and happily my pains may prove ungrateful to many but may it please Almighty God that they may prove vindicative of Religion reâ—â—aurative of the sickly and lapsed Ecclesiastical or political state yea or medicinal and profitable to any single soul of man I shall venture to estimate it against an age of pains And if it should prove that by all this toyl I have caught nothing as the Luk. 5. 5. weary Disciples complained of old nevertheless being well assured that I have a word of God for my encouragement I will let down the Net once again and so finish these Epistolary pains with an earnest hortatory address to all that shall peruse them Let nothing satisfie your souls Christians let nothing administer rest or settlement to your hearts that is common to the natural man or competible to the meer animal life There are a great many high strains of zeal and seeming devotion by which many men judge themselves to be some great ones and concerning which they are ready to say These things are the great power of God which if they be well rifled into will be found to grow upon no better root than natural self and to spring from no higher principle than this animal life It is impossible for me to give an exact Catalogue of all these many of them I have occasionally recorded in the latter end of this ensuing Treatise to which yet many more might be added if I had a fair opportunity But at present let me in general commend to you this description made by our Saviour of true Religion as the Rule whereby I do earnestly entreat you faithfully to examine your selves your actions affections zeal confidence professions performances Let me speak freely All pomp of worship all speculative knowledge though never so Orthodox is as dear to the animal life as the divine and all external modells of devotion submiss confessions devout hymns pathetical prayers raptures of joy much zeal to reform indecencies in worship or superstitions a fierce raging against the political Antichrist do as well agree to a natural man as a spiritual and may be as fairly acted over to see to by a meer selfish carnal principle as by that which is truly divine When Diogenes
blessfull state of any Kingdom I will speak freely let it light where it will that principle that springs up into popular applause secular greatness worldly pomp and bravery flesh-pleasing or any kind of selfexaâ—tation which is manifold is really contradistinct from that Divine principle that Religious nature that springs up into everlasting life And certainly notwithstanding all the recrâ—minations and self-justifications which are on all hands used to shuffle of the guilt these governours must lay aside their fullen pride as well as the people their proud fullenness before the Church of God be healed in its breaches purged of Antichristianism or can probably arrive at any sound constitution or perfect stature But I suppose Religion will not have its full and desirable effect upon a Nation by healing the sickly heads of it except it be like the holy oyle powred upon the sacrificer's head which ran down also upon the skirts of his Psal 133. 2. garment Therefore Secondly It is indispensably requisite for the through healing and right constituting of any political body that the subjects therein be thus Divinely principled This will not fail to dispose them rightly towards their governâ—urs and towards one another 1. Towards their Governours There are many evil and perverse dispositions in subjects towards their Rulers all which Religion is the most excellent expedient to rectifie The first and fundamental distemper here seems to be a want of due Reverence toward these vicegerents of God upon earth which easily grows up into something positive and becomes a secret wishing of evil to them This fault as light as some esteem it was 2 Sam. 6. 16. Prov. 30. 16. 1 Joh. 3. 15. severely punished in Queen Michal who despised her Lord King David in her heart and her barren womb went down to its Sister the grave under great reproach And if an ordinary hatred be so fouly interpreted by the holy Apostle Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer surely disloyal and malignant dispositions towards governours must needs have a fouler face and we may say by a parity of reason whosoever hateth his Prince is a Rebel and a Regicide Now this distemper as fundamental and epidemical as it is the spirit of true Religion will heal and I think I may say that only For I know nothing in the world that hath nay I know that nothing in the world hath that Soveraignty and dominion over the dispositions and affections of the soul as this principle throughly ingrafted in the soul doth challenge to itself This alone can frame the heart of man into that beautifull temper and complexion of love and loyalty that he will not curse the King no not in his conscience no Eccles 10. 20. not though he were well assured that there were no winged â—eâ—â—enger to tell the matter An other distemper in Subjects respective to their Governours is Impatience of bearing a yoke Which is an evil so natural to the proud and imperious spirit of man that I believe it were safe to affirm that every irreligious subject could be well content to be a Prince however there may be many who utterly despairing of such event may with the Fox in the Fable profess they care not for it From this principle of pride and impatience of subjection I suspect it is that the rigid Chiliasts do so scornfully declaim against and so loudly decry the carnal ordinances of Magistracy and Ministry not that they do verily seek the advancement of Christs Kingdom which indeed every disorderly tumultuous proud impatient soul doth ipso facto deny and destroy but of themselves To whom one might justly apply the censure which Pharaoh injuriously paâ—â—es upon the children of Israel with a little alteration Ye are proud therefore ye say let Exod. 5. 17. us go and do Sacrifice to the Lord. This distemper the power of Religion would excellently heal by mortifying ambitious inclinations and quieting the impatient turbulencies of the fretfull and envious soul by fashioning the heart to a right humble frame and cheerful submission to every ordination of God You will see in this Treatise that a right Religious soul powerfully springing up into everlasting life hath no list nor leisure to attend to such poor attainments and sorry acquests as the Lording it over other men being feelingly acquainted with a life far more excellent than the most Princely and being overpowred with a supream and Soveraign good which charms all its inordinate ragings and laying hold upon all its faculties draws them forth by a pleasing violence unto a most zealous pursuit of itself A principle of humility makes men good subjects and they that are indeed probationers for another world may very well behave themselves with a noble disdain towards all the glories and preferments of this The last distemper that I shall name in Subjects toward their Governours is Diseontents about conceited misgovernment and mal-administration which commonly spring from an evil and finister interpretation of the Rulers actions and are attended with an evil and tumultuous zeal for relaxation Now this distemper as great as it is and destructive to the well-being of a body politick true Religion would heal both root and branch Were that noble part and branch of Christian Religion universal Charity rightly seated in the soul it would not suffer the Son of the bond-woman to inherit with it it would cast out those irefull jealousies sowre suspicions harsh surmises and imbittered thoughts which lodge in unhallowed minds and display itself in a most amicable sweetness and gentleness of disposition in fair glosses upon doubtfull actions friendly censures or none at all kind extenuations of greater faults and covering of lesser For this is the proper genius of this divine principle to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or very unbelieving of evil and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or easily entertaining of good reports gladly interpreting all things to a good meaning that will possibly admit of such construction or if you will in the Apostles phrase Charity is not easily provoked thinketh no 1 Cor. 13. 5. evil And as Charity doth put up this root of discontents so will faith allay and destroy those discontents themselves which are about misgovernment and ill administration This noble principle administers ease and satisfaction to the soul if she happen to be provoked For it will not suffer her long to stand gazing upon second causes but carries her up in a seasonable contemplation to the supream cause without whom no disorder could ever befall the world and there commands her to repose her self to wit in the bosome of infinite wisdome and grace waiting for a comfortable issue He may well be vext indeed that has so much reason as to observe the many monstrous disorders which are in the world and not so much faith as to eye the inscrutable providence of a benign and all-wise God who permitteth the same with respect to the most beautifull end and blessed order imaginable
this spring from a Religious principle think ye or a selfish Doth it not agree well to the animal life and natural self to be tender of its own interest and concernments to wish well to its own safety to defend it self from violence May I not allude to our Saviours words and say If ye hate them that hate you Mat. 5. 46. how can that be accounted Religious Do not even the Publicans the same I doubt we know not sufficiently what spirit we should be of The power of Religion rightly prevailing in the soul would mold us into another kind of temper it would teach us as well to love and pitty and pray for Papists Mat. 5. 44. Rev. 19. 20 21. as to hate Popery I know the Prophesie indeed that the Beast and the false Prophet shall be cast alive into the lake burning with brimstone and the remnant shall be slain with the sword of him that sate upon the horse But in as much as that sword is said to proceed out of his mouth I would Eph. 6. 17. Hos. 6. 5. gladly interpret it of the word of God which kills men unto Salvation However let the interpretation of that Text and others of the like importance be what it will I reckon it very unsafe to turn all the Prophesies and threatnings of God into Prayers lest haply we should be found to contribute to the damning of mens souls Yea when all is 2 Thes 2. 12. said concerning the reprobating decrees of God and his essential inflexible punitive justice and all those Texts that seem to speak of Gods revenging himself with delight are interpreted to the utmost harshness of meaning that the cruel wit of man can invent yet it remains a sealed and to me a sweet truth I have no pleasure in the Ezek. 18. 32. chap. 33. 11. death of him that dyeth saith the Lord God and again As I live saith the Lord God I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked Wherefore to wave all those dreadfull glosses that do rather describe the bitter and revengefull ingeny of man that makes them than interpret the pure and perfect nature of God upon whom they are made let us attend to that beautiful character that is every where given of Religion which is Exod. 32. 32. Numb 11. 29. Rom. 92 3. Luke 19. 10. Acts 10. 38. Rom. 5. 6. our highest concernment in the person of Moses of Paul and of Christ Jesus himself the Author and exemplar of it who by his incarnation life and death abundantly demonstrated the infinite Benignity and compassionate ardours of his soul towards us when we were worse than Papists as being out of a possibility of salvation without him and let that mind be in us which was in him also Though it be not directly our Saviours meaning in my Text yet I believe it is reductâ—vely that this pure and divine principle Religion springs up into everlasting life not only our own but other mens also But however Religion is described sure I am it is most unnatural to the Religious soul that is regenerated into the pure spirit of piety pitty and universal charity to be of a cruel fierce revengeful damning disposition And therefore whatever are the Ranting and Wrathful strains of some mens Devotions I beseech the Reader to endeavour with me that Charity towards mens souls may go along in conjunction with zeal and piety towards God when we present our selves before the throne of his grace And so I am confident it will if we pray sincerely to this purpose viz. That God would cause the wickedness of the wicked to come to an end that he would consume the Antichrist but Convert the Papist and make the wonderers after the beast to become followers of the Lamb I doubt there are many that think they can never be too liberal in wishing ill to the Papists nay they count it a notable argument of a good Protestant I had almost said an evidence of grace to be very raging and invective against them Alas how miserably do we bewray our selves in so doing to be nothing less than what we pretend to by doing it For are not we our selves herein Antichristian whilest we complain of their cruelties our own souls in the very act boyling over with Revengefull and scalding affections If we do indeed abhor their cruelty because it is contrary to the holy precepts of the Gospel and the true Kingdom of Christ we ought to be as jealous at the same time lest any thing like unto it should be found in our selves otherwise are we not carnal For meer nature as I have often said will abhor any thing that is contrary to it self and will not willingly suffer its delicate interest to be toucht The Apostle tells us that no man speaking by the Spirit of Christ calleth Christ accursed 1 Cor 12. 3. But I doubt it is common to curse Antichrist and yet by a spirit that is Antichristian I mean carnal selfish cruel and uncharitable For there is a spiritual Antichrist or if you will in the Apostles phrase a Spirit of Antichrist as well as a political 1 John 4. 3. Antichrist and I doubt the former prevails most in the world though it be least discerned and bann'd Men do by Antichrist as they do by the Devil defie him in words but entertain him in their hearts run away from the appearance of him and in the mean time can be well enough content to be all that in very deed which the Devil and Antichrist is All this evidently appears to be for want of the true power and spirit of Religion which I commend for so great a healer even the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of our distempers Perhaps no Papist will find in his heart to read this Epistle written by a Heretick yet possibly too some one or other may therefore I will adventure briefly to prescribe this same medicinal Divinity to them also though perhaps I might be excused upon another account all that which I have hitherto said to distempered Protestants being rightly enough mutatis mutandis applicable to them But moreover whereas they value their Church and the truth and rightness of it by its universality and prosperity the power of Religion would make men to value themselves and their adherents only by the divine impressions of piety and purity and to account such only worthy of the glorious title of Apostolical and children of God who are sincere followers of the Apostles wherein they were followers of Christ viz. in true holiness and righteousness Are they industrious and zealous for the Proselyting of the world and spreading of their interest far and near And are not all wicked men yea and the Devil himself so too The fairest and most flourishing state of a Church is nothing to God and so consequently not to a godly soul in comparison of those excellent divine beauties wherewith Religion adorneth the world But whereas the greatest