may be easily mistaken when we undertake to determine of the Fitness of them Thus having with submission to my Superiors offered my Opinion about this weighty Argument in the foregoing Propositions I hope I shan't be censured as immodest if I also add that I do not see but Governours might avoid the two Extremes in reference to Liberty of Conscience as it is called by having a constant regard to such like Rules And that the Governed on the other hand by doing the like might understand without much difficulty within what bounds they ought to confine themselves in Craving of their Governours or Expecting from them this kind of Liberty But I think it seasonable to suggest this one thing more to these that they would so behave themselves that those who have Power to grant it as far as is sitting might not be tempted to think it a thing onely adapted to the serving of Interest and by that means be the more inclined to a total Refusing of any such Liberty I mean that there be no Occasion given to what is so Commonly not without ground said viz. When 't is mens Temporal Interest to plead for Liberty of Conscience then they are Zealous for it but the Tables are no sooner turned but who like them against it Were we as honest as we should be we should be more fixed and constant and not so vary in our Principles as our Circumstances vary We should not in one Circumstance build what before we destroyed and in another destroy what we before built And so declare amidst all our Stir and Noise about Liberty of Conscience that we have either none at all or but very little Conscience But in the Conclusion of all I must not forget that which hath occasioned all this Discourse about Liberty of Conscience viz. that whatever that Liberty of this kind is which we have a Right to it is not a Branch of Christian but of mere Natural Liberty There is no Text of Scripture that mentioneth this as a Liberty of our Saviour's Purchasing and therefore no Christian may claim it as a Christian. 'T is due to men of all Religions who may be supposed to make Conscience of what they do and not only to the Professors of the Christian Religion And 't was always and in all places as much mens Right as it hath been since our Saviour's Appearance in the World and is in those Parts of it where his Gospel is received CHAP. XVI The Third Inference from our Notion of Christian Liberty viz. That Popery is the greatest Enemy in the World thereunto Where it is shewed First That the Church of Rome Robs those who are subject to her of that Natural Liberty which necessarily belongs to them as they are Men viz. That which consists in the free use of their Vnderstandings in matters of Religion That She will not permit men to Examine either her Doctrines or Practices by the Holy Scriptures nor yet to receive the Holy Scriptures themselves otherwise than upon her Authority The Wickedness of this exposed in two Particulars The alledging of Scripture for it shewed to be the grossest Absurdity Their great Text 1 Tim. 3. 15. spoken to Her Tyranny over mens Minds further shewed HAving now spoken to all the False Notions of Christian Liberty that I know of and discovered the intolerable Mischievousness of them as well as Falsity I proceed to another Inference from our Notion thereof namely Thirdly That Popery is a Religion if I honour it not too much in calling it so that is the greatest Enemy in the whole World to Christian Liberty Should all the wicked Wits in the World meet together to Consult and Complot how to Banish out of it this Liberty they could not devise more effectual means for the doing of it than those which are pitch'd upon by the Church of Rome And here we will shew First That She Robs those who Subject themselves to her of that Natural Liberty which necessarily belongs to them as they are Men or Reasonable Creatures And much more Secondly That She Robs them of that Liberty which it was the Design of our Saviour's Coming into the World and of all he did and suffered here to instate us in First That She Robs those who Subject themselves to her of that Natural Liberty which necessarily belongs to them as Men or Reasonable Creatures There is no Liberty so Essential to Humane Nature or so much its Inviolable Right as that which consists in the free use of our Understandings But a Papist is miserably tied up and inslaved here and that in those matters wherein it is of Infinitely the greatest Importance and Concernment to him that his Mind should be free namely in matters of Religion which have such a necessary influence into the Welfare of our Souls and our Eternal Happiness But notwithstanding that Injunction of S. Paul 1 Thes. 5. 21. Prove all things hold fast that which is good And that of S. Iohn 1 Epist. 4. 1. Beloved believe not every Spirit but try the Spirits whether they be of God c. This Church denieth to her Children all judgment of Discretion in Points of Religion at least except in this one Point the choice of the Church for their Guide which having Chosen they must follow her blind-fold all their lives after They must be Implicit Believers and Implicit Chusers She will 〈◊〉 and believe for them All their â—â—dgment and Faith must be resolved into hâ—rs as being if you will believe her 〈◊〉 and Uncapable of being either deceivâ—◠〈◊〉 self or of deceiving others And therefore to take our Saviour's 〈◊〉 to 〈◊〉 thâ— Scriptures except for the forementioned one thing nay for that too as we shall see anon is to put an Affront upon Her Authority and the Bereans who were so highly commended for so doing were guilty of great Sauciness and high Presumption And She takes the most successful course that can be thought of that you shall not Search the Scriptures by locking them up as She does and making the Bible so scarce a Book to be light upon where she hath Power enough to do it and in those places where her Power is Clipt by using a many wicked Artifices to keep the Vulgar from looking into it who are so miserably imposed upon by their wretched Priests as to think it a lighter sin to be Drunk or to commit Fornication and transgress many an express Law of God than to cast their Eyes upon the Holy Scriptures So well aware is this Church that a great part of her Religion is neither to be found there nor agreeable with them but as expresly as it can be done by words contradicted by them And as you may not Examine any of her Doctrines or Practices by comparing them with the Rule of Faith and Practice the Scriptures so neither which is but a necessary consequence from thence may you have any other Foundation for your Belief of the Books of Scripture themselves
Inferences from each of the Arguments of the foregoing Sections CHAP. X. Which treats of the First Inference from the First Proposition That the most Excellent Liberty doth consist in an Intire Compliance with the Laws of Righteousness and Goodness Or in Freedom from the Dominion of Sinful Affections Namely That those are most Vnreasonable and Depraved People who complain of the Divine Laws as intolerable Intrenchments upon their Liberty Where it is shewed First That upon supposition our Liberty were restrained by the Laws of God it would nevertheless be most unreasonable to complain upon that account Secondly That the Laws which oblige Christians do not restrain their Liberty pag. 127. CHAP. XI The Second Inference viz. That such a Freedom of Will as consists in an Indifferency to good or evil is no Perfection but the Contrary pag. 135. CHAP. XII Which Treats of one Branch of the First Inference from the Argument of the Second Section That in Freedom from the Dominion of Corrupt Affections doth that Liberty Principally or rather Wholly Consist which Christ hath purchased for us Namely that several Notions of Christian Liberty which have too much prevailed are false and of dangerous Consequence The First of which is That which makes it to consist wholly or in part in Freedom from the Obligation of the Moral Law Certain Texts urged by the Antinomians in favour of it vindicated from the sence they put upon them And the extreme wildness and wickedness of it exposed in Five Particulars pag. 143. CHAP. XIII A Second False Notion of Christian Liberty viz. That which makes it to consist in Freedom from the Obligation of those Laws of Men which enjoyn or forbid indifferent things This Notion differently managed by the Defenders of it First Some extend it so far as to make it to reach to all Humane Laws the matter of which are things indifferent Secondly Others limit it to those which relate to Religion and the Worship of God The 23. Vers. of the 7. Chap. of the 1 Epist. to the Corinthians cleared from giving any Countenance to either of these Opinions The Former of them Confuted by three Arguments And the Latter by four Vnder the Second of which several Texts of Scripture which are much insisted upon in the defence thereof are taken into Consideration An unjust Reflection upon the Church of England briefly replied to And this Principle that the imposing of things indifferent in Divine Worship is no Violation of Christian Liberty proved to be no ways Serviceable to Popery by considering what the Popish Impositions are in Three Particulars pag. 164. CHAP. XIV An Answer to this Question Whether the Prescribing of Forms of Prayer for the Publick Worship of God be not an Encroachment upon Christian Liberty Wherein it is shewed that this is not a Stifling of the Spirit or Restraining the exercise of his Gift And what in Prayer is not as also what is the Gift of the Spirit Whereby is occasioned an Answer to another Question viz. Whether an Ability for Preaching be properly a Gift of the Spirit pag. 198. CHAP. XV. A Third False Notion of Christian Liberty viz. that which makes Liberty of Conscience a Branch of it Two things premised 1. That Conscience is not so sacred a thing as to be uncapable of being obliged by Humane Laws 2. That no man can properly be deprived of the true Liberty of his Conscience by any Power on Earth That what is contended for is more properly Liberty of Practice than of Conscience The Author's Opinion in reference to this Liberty delivered in Ten Propositions That whatsoever Liberty of this Nature may be insisted on as our Right it is not Christian Liberty but Natural Liberty pag. 219. CHAP. XVI The Third Inference from our Notion of Christian Liberty viz. That Popery is the greatest Enemy in the World thereunto Where it is shewed First That the Church of Rome Robs those who are subject to her of that Natural Liberty which necessarily belongs to them as they are Men viz. That which consists in the free use of their Vnderstandings in matters of Religion That She will not permit men to Examine either her Doctrines or Practices by the Holy Scriptures nor yet to receive the Holy Scriptures themselves otherwise than upon her Authority The Wickedness of this exposed in two Particulars The alledging of Scripture for it shewed to be the grossest Absurdity Their great Text 1 Tim. 3. 15. spoken to Her Tyranny over mens Minds further shewed pag. 254. CHAP. XVII Where it is shewed Secondly That Popery is as great an Enemy as can be to Christian Liberty And First To that Liberty which our Saviour hath purchased for the World in general As 1. That it tendeth as much as is possible to the Corrupting of mens Souls by subjecting them to vile Affections This shewed in the general viz. in that it is apt to beget false Notions of God and more particularly in that it brings men under the Power of the Lusts of Malice Revenge Cruelty Pride and Ambition Covetousness Uncleanness Intemperance and the greatest Injustice and Unrighteousness 2. That it no less tendeth to Disquiet mens Minds with certain troublesome Passions pag. 272. CHAP. XVIII The Third Particular discoursed on viz. That the Admirable Method our Lord hath taken to Instate us in our Christian Liberty is made lamentably Ineffectual by Popery This shewed as to each of those four Particulars that Method consists of The Second Head briefly spoken to viz. That Popery is also the greatest Enemy to that Liberty Christ purchased for the Jews in Particular A Pathetical Exhortation to a higher valuing of the Priviledges we enjoy in the Church of England concludes the Chapter pag. 299. CHAP. XIX The Fourth Inference That he onely is a true Christian that looks upon himself as obliged to be no less Watchful over his Heart and the frame and temper of his Mind than over his Life and Conversation pag. 318. CHAP. XX. The Last Inference Viz. That the most Proper and Genuine Christian Obedience is that which hath most of Liberty in it namely that which proceeds from the Principle of Love to God and Goodness pag. 322 ERRATA PAge 247. line 15. for Six read Thirty Six Page 259. line 6. after Controversie add this Parenthesis if they could be ingenuous Page 287. line 17. after opportunities for add or in order to A DISCOURSE OF Christian Liberty The Introduction THERE is nothing toward which Mankind is more naturally or vehemently affected than Freedom and Liberty there is so great a value and price set upon it that Life it self is not thought too precious to be hazarded or laid down for it And many have rather chosen to die by their Enemies hands than to be inslaved by them It was the saying of Cato Malui mori quà m uni parere I had rather die than that one man meaning Iulius Caesar should Lord it over me And he was as good as his word he laid
besides her Authority She will have your Assent to their being of Divine Authority to depend wholly upon her Testimony Notwithstanding that God Almighty hath vouchsafed to the World marvellously full and plentiful Evidence thereof and such as is adapted to the capacities of all those who have the use of Reason but never once mentioned this as a part of that Evidence and therefore much less can it be thought the Whole How infinitely ill hath this Corrupt Church deserved at the hands of all Christians although this were the onely Abuse she had put upon them For to say nothing of her Horrible Pride and Uncharitableness in making the truth of the Scriptures dependent on her Testimony that her Pretence supposing her making her self the onely true Church this is the greatest injury imaginable to Christianity nor can she take a surer course than this to make all men Infidels And that upon these two Accounts First This Pretence of hers is immediately founded upon a Precarious and most Evidently false Principle viz. That of her Infallibility I dare appeal to those of her own Sons who have studied the Controversie whether there was ever a more shamefully baffled Cause in the World than this is Whether by their Infallible Church they mean with the Iesuits the Pope alone or with others the Pope with his General Council that is a pack of Bishops and Priests of his own Faction As the Psalmist saith If the Foundations be destroyed what shall the Righteous do So if this be the Foundation of our Christian Faith and that be proved to be a Rotten Foundation as nothing was ever proved if this be not then what shall we Christians do We must then acknowledge our selves a Generation of most Credulous Fools and that our Faith is vain If the Foundation be tottering the whole Superstructure must fall to the Ground But so fond is this Unsatiably Covetous and Ambitious Church of her Great Diana Infallibility by the Pretence whereof she hath raised her self to such a Height and Grandeur that she is well content if that must fall that our Saviour and his Apostles both the Old and New Testament should fall with it And she hath done all that lies in her to make it necessary that those who shall have the wisdom to reject her Ridiculous Doctrine of Infallibility should at the self-same time renounce Christianity If Popery were Chargeable with no other Crime as it is with innumerable others and many of them intolerable I say were it Chargeable with no other Crime but the making our Belief of the Authority of the Books of Scripture to be founded on the Infallibility of the Romish Faction we ought to be as zealous for the Preventing its Reestablishment in this Nation from whence it hath happily been twice Expelled as we are desirous to Preserve the Christian Religion Secondly The Romish Churche's making her Authority the sole Foundation of our Belief of the Scriptures makes the Testimony of the Spirit to the Truth of Christianity in our Saviour when on â—arth and in the Apostles and others in the Primitive Ages to be now perfectly Insignificant I think it makes them to be so as to the Church Representative for she pretends to her Infallibility and consequently to her Infallible Assurance of the Truth of Christianity as an immediâ—te Gift of the Holy Ghost therefore what need hath she of the Testimony of Miracles But as to Private Christians I can by no means understand in what stead they stand them for if the Churches Authority be necessary to their believing the truth of the Scriptures and therefore to their believing that there were those Miracles really wrought which the Writings of the Apostles tell us of then why may they not without any more ado make her Authority the immediate ground of their Assent to the truth of Christianity It is said that the truth of the Matters of Fact are not knowable at this distance such as whether there were such Persons as our Saviour and his Apostles whether they performed such Miracles and the Apostles wrote such Books c. but by the Tradition of the Church because no such Matters are to be known at any considerable distance but by Tradition To this it is Answered that it is one thing to believe the Matters of Fact upon the Churche's Tradition and another to believe them upon her Authority founded upon her Infallibility Now this latter we reject but adhere to the former as a Ground of our belief of those things But then by the Tradition of the Church we are far from meaning that of Rome onely We mean the Catholick Church or the whole Collective Body of Christians throughout the World from the Apostles times down to this present Age of which the Roman Church is but a Part and therefore does Impudently in appropriating Catholicism to her self and that a very Vitiated Part too and that Church Representative an exceedingly small Part. And we receive the Tradition of the Catholick Church as a Ground as I said of believing these Matters not as tâ—e Ground because we take in another Tradition viz. that of those who are out of the Church and Enemies to Christianity the Iews especially In short we believe those and the like matters of Fact upon the same ground that we believe all other wherein Religion is not concerned but there are Circumstances which give the Tradition of Christian matters of Fact a mighty Advantage above other Traditions as unquestionable Assurance as these give men when they are General and Uninterrupted But 't is well known to all who are not strangers to the Popish Writers what lamentable work they make in proving the Testimony of the Church to be the foundation of our Faith concerning the Authority of the Scriptures This Proof they fetch out of the Scriptures themselves and their main Text for this purpose and for the Infallibility of their Church is those words of S. Paul 1 Tim. 3. 15. where he calls the Church the Pillar and Ground of Truth But what a manifest Circle is this We ask them how it appears that the Scriptures are the Word of God They answer it appears from the Testimony of the Church We ask again how it appears that the Testimony of the Church is true They reply it appears from the Scriptures And so they prove the Authority of the Scriptures by the Testimony of the Church and then wheel about again and prove the Authority of the Church by the Testimony of the Scriptures But again We can either be certain of the truth of these words of S. Paul setting aside the Authority of the Church or we cannot be Certain If we can be Certain why then not of the truth of the whole Scripture as well as of this single Text If we cannot be certain of the truth of this Text without the consideration of the Churche's Authority what Folly or rather Knavery is it to make this Text an Argument to prove the thing
offend any I shall be sorry for it but must withal take leave to tell the offended that it is an Evidence of exceeding great Weakness not to say worse to be Angry with those who endeavour in the Spirit of Meekness to convince us of our Dangerous Mistakes But such is the Fate of Conscientious opposing Popular and Prevailing Errors that it seldom meeteth with better success than kindling the Passions and sharpening the Tongues and Pens too of those who are most obliged to be thankful for it But Wisdom is justified of her Children But however it be taken it was never more seasonable nor ever scarcely so Necessary to do our utmost towards the rectifying of Peoples Apprehensions about matters of this nature when our Contentions and Animosities about little things mostly things very little in themselves and so great a Defection from our Church merely upon the account of such things as are no where condemned by the Law of God nor are opposed by any express or plain Text but by exceedingly laboured and far fetch'd Consequences have given our Adversaries such Advantage against us and do them far greater service than all their open Attempts or secret wicked Plots and Conspiracies through the infinite Goodness of God to us have hitherto done God Almighty grant that that saying be not to be applied to us ere long which was used of our Predecessors the Britains when their intestine Quarrels had occasioned their being Vanquish'd by the Romans viz. Dum singuli pugnant Vniversi vincuntur While they severally contend and quarrel with one another they are all overcome by a Common Enemy I must confess when I consider what Excellent Treatises have of late been published fraught with Unanswerable and the most convincing and affecting Arguments to perswade our Brethren of the Separation to ease us in a great measure of our Fears of Popery or Confusion by Returning to the Communion of that Church wherein most of them were Baptized and when withal I observe what little Success those Treatises have had I have as faint hopes as can be that so small an endeavour as this should do any Service But however it is some satisfaction to my Mind to express my Good Will But we are told by some that we may thank the Church of England if ever the Pope be again our Master and particularly that Principle of Hers we have been now defending viz. that Imposing of Indifferent things in the Worship of God is no Violation of Christian Liberty And that this Principle will open a door to Popish Conformity if we should be once more so unhappy as to be brought into Subjection to the Roman Yoke To these I Reply in the First place That 't is unconceiveable how any thing but Malice or the thickest Ignorance can charge the Church of England with serving the Interest of the Popish Religion For is any thing more Notorious than that almost all the opposition that hath either heretofore or of late been made against Popery hath been by the Bishops and the other Clergy of this Church To say nothing of what the Separating Party have done though not upon that Design to promote Popery which would be as large as unpleasant a Theme to insist on what have they done in defence of the Reformed Religion against Popery Have they all of them put together done the half quarter part of that Service in this kind that One Excellent Dean of our Church hath done Truly I much doubt it And I think I may adventure to say that all the Reformed Churches together can hardly shew of their own so many Learned and Judicious Treatises against the Body and the several Parts of Popery as our single Church can shew of Hers. Again Is any thing better known than that the Priests and Jesuits and Popish Faction do at this time spit all their Venome and bend all their Force against the Church of England and indeed always have done This sheweth that they are well aware though so many among our selves will not acknowledge it but would have the World think the directly contrary that our Church is the most Formidable of all their Adversaries In short Who needs Arguments to convince him that the Church of England is at present our onely Bulwark against Popery As ever since the Reformation she hath been acknowledged by our Brethren beyond Sea to be the strongest and most impregnable upon several accounts But Secondly as to this Principle of our Church that Imposing of Indifferent things in the Worship of God is no Violation of Christian Liberty it is a most weak and ignorant furmise that it should in the least befriend Popery Those little understand what Popery means that think thus For First There is nothing more plainly demonstrable than that many of those things which are imposed by the Roman Church are far from being Indifferent in their own nature but the grossest Corruptions as contrary to the Doctrine and Practice of the first Ages of the Church and which is far more as contrary to the Laws of God and our Saviour Christ as is Darkness to Light I have given a Catalogue in the Design of Christianity of the chief of these with Remarks upon them and thither I refer the Reader that needs satisfaction Secondly Other of Her Impositions which are Indifferent in themselves are made to change their Nature by the Notion under which they are enjoyned by her That Church enjoyns no Indifferent things as such as ours doth all she imposeth as appears by her 34 th Article but as made necessary by Divine Authority She pretending to the Infallible Guidance of the Holy Ghost in all Her Decrees and Constitutions And therefore expects your Receiving them as you do the Holy Scriptures with a Divine Faith and the self-same awful Regard and Reverence I might add too that several of her Rites and Ceremonies are imposed under a most Superstitious notion either as Sacraments conveying Grace or as having some special Virtue in them to atone the Divine Majesty or to scare away the Devil c. Thirdly It is my opinion too that though their Ceremonies were never so innocent in themselves yet the Multitude of them doth make them in the lump to cease to be Indifferent My reason is because it is unconceiveable to me but that so great a Number must needs so employ the Mind in the Worship of God as that it is not possible to be intent thereupon and consequently must frustrate at least in a great measure the Design of Worship But this is no Reason to a Papist who cannot be thoroughly so and acknowledge the necessity of exercising the Mind in Divine Worship For his Holy Mother hath taught him this mad and impious Doctrine That the Sacraments confer Grace ex opere operato from the work Done and so are differenced from those of the Old Testament they conferring Grace ex opere operantis from the work of the Doer as also that a mere general
many thousands of good Christians And it is well known that their principles are such as that they cannot be true to them and not think themselves bound in Conscience to Stab and Poison Burn and Massacre all without exception whom they call Hereticks whensoever an opportunity is put into their hands S. Paul as cruel a persecutor of Christians as he was before his Conversion did then think not onely that he did what was lawful but that he did his duty too For saith he Acts 26. 9. I verily thought with my self or I was verily perswaded in my Conscience that I ought to do many things contrary the Name of Jesus of Nazareth Among which things he reckoneth in the two following verses Shutting up many of the Saints in Prison and giving his voice against them to be put to death and compelling them to Blaspheme No man is able to imagine what dismal Effects Superstition and Enthusiasm may have upon the Mind and Conscience So that this will be easily granted me by men of any Sobriety that that which they call Liberty of Conscience must be limited by Governours if they will have any concern for the Honour of God the Welfare of Religion the Safety of the Community and the Preservation of Government it being impossible that there should be any such thing as Government if all shall be exempt from Punishment who shall plead Conscience for their Disobedience nay though they should be known to plead it never so truly Now it being so evident that Conscience may and must be restrained in its Liberty we clearly gain one point by it and that no small one viz. That Liberty of Conscience is not to be necessarily allowed under the notion of Liberty of Conscience For this Liberty as such is not an inviolable Right if it be not to be claimed in all cases without exception Secondly As to that which we call the other Extreme of over-great Severity in Restraining this Liberty no man surely will question but that there may be an erring on this hand also But how to steer betwixt Scylla and Charybdis these two extremes is I think one of the greatest difficulties And requires a conjunction of the greatest Prudence with as great Goodness But as to what measures in the general are to be taken we will adventure modestly to suggest our Thoughts in the Propositions that follow Prop. 2. No such Liberty of Conscience for so for fashions-sake wee 'l call it is by any means to be allowed as is apparently injurious to the Community and such a Liberty as can have no ill publick influence in the Church or State both may and ought to be granted The welfare of the Community with respect to both its Civil and Spiritual Interests is the business and design of Government and the welfare of particular persons as they are parts of the Community Therefore not to grant to particular persons as much Liberty of what nature soever as is consistent with the general Good or Well-being of the Whole is to hold the Reins too strait and to be over-severe and Arbitrary But it must be left to the iudgment of our Governours what measure and proportion of Liberty may be safely vouchsafed with respect to the Interest of the Community both because they are to be presumed the fittest Judges of this affair and because it is wholly inconsistent with Government for every private person to be his own Judge But as I need not add Governours are obliged as they will answer it to their Judge not to be hasty in making a judgment but to do it with the greatest wariness and deliberation because their being mistaken in this point may happen to be of very evil and mischievous consequence Prop. 3. It is a very plain case that men ought to have the Liberty of enjoying their Opinions to themselves without their being extorted by penalties from them This follows from the foregoing proposition and if that be true this can't be false For if such a Liberty ought to be granted as hath no ill Aspect upon the Community then no Body should be compelled to discover his Opinions because whilest they are kept within a mans own Breast they can do no hurt to other Folk and if they discover themselves by Overt-Acts as the Lawyers speak there is no need of using violent means for the Extorting of them Which is the cruel practice of the Roman Church and our own Nation knew it by sad experience in the Reign of Queen Mary How many excellently good Christians were then Sentenced to the Stake for their mere Refusing to Subscribe to their as wicked as false Doctrine of the Sacrifice of the Altar Prop. 4. To make Sanguinary Laws against mere Dissenting from the publick Establishment that is when Dissenting from it is not accompanied with a Factious Schismatical and Seditious opposition to it is without controversie Antichristian Tyranny Of all the indefensible practices of the now mentioned Church there is none that makes the Title of Antichrist more due to her than her prosecuting with Fire and Faggot and all manner of Cruelties men who are guilty of no other crime but that of renouncing Communion with her in her gross Corruptions But suppose her Terms of Communion were as agreeable as they are contrary to the Word of God yet would her putting men to death for their bare not submitting to those terms speak her to be utterly destitute of the true Christian Spirit And to deserve that Reprehension which her mild and gentle Master gave to his Disciples for desiring him to call for Fire from Heaven to destroy the Samaritans for refusing to receive him viz. Ye know not what manner of Spirit ye are of for the Son of man came not to destroy mens lives but to save them And if our Saviour was so offended with those Disciples for making that motion though He knew 't was not made deliberately but in a sudden fit of passion and that kindled too by the quick resentment they had of an high affront that was put upon his Sacred person how highly must it needs provoke him to see Christians destroying their Brethren in cool bloud and that not for so hainous a crime as Renouncing his Religion but for not being Christians of their Mode and Form Which possibly considering all their circumstances particularly their Education the prejudices of which it is the most difficult thing in the world one of them to overcome their Parts Complexions c. may be more their misfortune than their fault Besides Sanguinary Penalties or the using of extreme Rigour of any kind to compel men to come over to our way of Religion are the most improper means to effect that end that of Lactantius being as great a Truth in all Ages as it was in his and the two foregoing when the Church was subject to the Heathen Persecutors viz. Religion is a thing to which no man can be forced the Will is perswaded by
in Controversie by when the truth of this Text is questionable upon the same grounds that the truth of the Scriptures in general is Again When they say that the Testimony of the Church is the Ground of this our Faith they tell us that by the Church they mean the Church of Rome and that She onely is the True Church We reply that there are a many Societies of Christians in the World that hold no Communion with the Church of Rome and Each of these calls it self a True Church and therefore how shall we know that they are none of them so but that the Church of Rome alone is They tell us that this Church alone hath the Notes and Characters of the True Church We ask again how it doth appear that those Notes and Characters they give are true and genuine and if they are that their Church onely hath them Here they are forced to fly again to the Scriptures and produce us some which they would have us believe are very pertinent to the purpose though none but those who see by their Light are able to discern any such matter But whether they be to the purpose or no is no part now of our Enquiry but this is that which we shew from hence how still they are intangled in their own Net and Run round in a Circle Yet once again these People would perswade us that there is no knowing the Scriptures to be of Divine Authority but by the Testimony of their Church whenas 't is impossible to know that there is any such thing in being as a Church but by the Scriptures And thus you see what prime Christians these Romanists are what Worthy Catholicks If there were no better Champions than these for the Authority of the Scriptures or the Truth of Christianity Atheists and Infidels long since would have filled all Places As it is well known how they abound in the Popish Countries and most of all in Italy and of all Italy most in Rome And but for Old Mother Ignorance whom they have a marvellous Fondness for as well they may their Holy Mother the Church would by this time have had but a very small number of Children or Friends But I would this had been the worst on 't as alas it is not For Multitudes among them being well aware that they are merely imposed on and being Acquainted with no better than an Implicit Faith and thinking that no more is to be said for Christianity than they learn from them shake off both their Popish and Christian Faith together But we must not let that forementioned Text wholly pass on which is laid such mighty Stress for the proving of the Infallibility of the Roman Church which gives her such a plausible Pretence for the Enslaving of Mens Minds and Understandings The whole Verse runs thus with the Verse foregoing Thâ—â—e things write I unto thee hoping to come unto thee shortly But if I tarry long that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thy self in the House of God which is the Church of the living God the Pillar and Ground of Truth According to Episcopius his reading of these latter words it is not the Church that is here called the Pillar and Ground of Truth but God manifested in the flesh justified in the Spirit c. in the next Verse For he makes that 15. Verse to conclude with living God Verses and Pointings being arbitrary and The Pillar and Ground of Truth to begin the next Verse thus The Pillar and Ground of Truth and without controversie the great Mystery of Godliness is God manifested in the flesh c. But there is no need of using any artifice to make these words unserviceable to the design of proving the Infallibility of the Church of Rome for all that can be gathered from them is no more than this That the Church is the support of that Truth which is necessary to Salvation viz. the Doctrine of the Gospel That which preserveth it in the world is the Churches constant profession of it and standing up for it That is this is the External and Visible means whereby this Truth is kept from perishing and being lost Or according to Grotius The Church doth uphold and lift up the Truth it causeth it not to slip out of mens minds and also to be beheld far and near For the Testimony of many good men who all say that they received these Doctrines and Precepts from the Apostles must needs have great force and efficacy upon those who are not obstinate and contumacious So that First This Great man seems to understand by the Church in this place onely that which was most Ancient But Secondly There is no reason at all to understand by the Church here onely the Church Representative but the whole Body of Christians must necessarily be meant It being called the House of God but the Apostles Bishops and Pastors are called the Builders of the House and Governours never the House it self And besides the Church which is here called the Pillar and Ground of Truth is that over part of which Timothy presided That thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thy self in the House of God c. that is as a Bishop and Pastor in it Thirdly If it should be understood of the Church Representative 't is however intolerable impudence to make it onely the Roman But Fourthly This Text makes nothing to the purpose of Infallibility in the Church of Rome's sence understand by the Church of the living God which Church you please especially if you do not limit it to the First Age As is plain from what hath been said and it needs no more words to make it plainer Now how can we have greater assurance that the Church of Rome is an Arrant Impostor than this one thing gives us viz. That She will not allow us the Liberty of judging for our selves The Great Apostle S. Paul allowed this Liberty to the Corinthians in those words I speak as unto wise men judge â—e what I say 1 Cor. 10. 15. And dare they say that he overshot himself in that saying or passed a mere Complement upon the Corinthians 'T will not be at all strange if they do considering how many worse things several of them have said of this Apostle But I say this Church will not permit us to see with our own Eyes but we must take the whole of our Religion upon trust that is upon her bare word pin our whole Faith upon her Sleeve and receive the most Fundamental Articles upon her Warrant and Authority Nay though she would seem to give us leave to use our Reason in the choice of our Church yet neither doth she this really but what she gives with one hand takes away again with the other in that she will not suffer us to judge of the sence of Scripture and consequently not of those Texts whereby she pretends to prove her self the onely true Church For if we be
God Almighty with pronouncing five words must needs Conciliate Veneration from the People to them And also what a mighty Awe and Reverence their taking of Auricular Confession from People of all Ranks lying prostrate before them must necessarily beget in their minds towards them And to other Instigations to pride too many to be now instanced in may be added their priviledge of taking the Sacrament in both kinds whereas the greatest men of the Laity may not presume to touch the Cup. And then for the Monks and Friers what a Gratification of Pharisaical Pride is the Opinion that the Silly Vulgar have of their Extraordinary Sanctity by means of the many Ceremonies of which some are peculiar to one and some to another Order which are devised for no other purpose but to make up a Mock-shew of wonderful Humility Contempt of the World and Mortification And to the Lust of Pride we next add that of Covetousness this is no less gratified by the Popish Religion than the other And no wonder for Covetousness is a Pander and Pimp to Pride Indeed the whole Systeme of Popery is mainly contrived for the heaping up of Wealth This is manifestly designed in their Doctrine of Purgatory Of the Merit of good Works The Popes Indulgences and his prodigious Grants of Pardons The prohibition of Marriage to Priests Their many Spiritual Fraternities c. But I must not take liberty to enlarge here for innumerable are the Ways and Methods of the Papacy and that are interwoven with the Popish Religion for scraping together the Wealth of the World So notoriously guilty is that Church of the crime which S. Paul charged the Seducers with Tit. I. II. viz. Teaching things that they ought not for filthy lucres sake She hath infinitely out-done all Societies and Bodies of men that ever were in the World in the Politick Trade of Grasping and Accumulating Riches and that which makes it far the more abominable varnisht over with a Form and mighty shew of Godliness though in the mean time She sticks at no means though never so unrighteous and abominably wicked to accomplish her End The Sect of the Pharisees her famous Predecessors Who made long Prayers to devour Widows houses were in comparison of Her very silly Novices at this Artifice and sorry Bunglers Which should I make out by proceeding to Enumerate the rest of the Particulars as hath been now intimated I should hardly know where to make an End Then for the Lust of Vncleanness what greater encouragement can a Beastly Creature have to give it its full Swinge and Liberty than Holy Church gives him As also what dangerous and next to unavoidable snares doth she lay in the way of those mens Chastity who would be glad to live honestly As to the Encouragement she gives to the satisfaction of this Lust what can be greater than to make simple Fornication a Venial Sin That is in the Popish sence of that phrase a mere Peccadillo all of which kind put together Bellarmin will tell you cannot equal one Mortal Sin nor destroy Charity Nor deprive us of Gods favour etiamsi nullum pactum esset de Remissione although there were no Covenant of Grace And whereas it will be replied that though such sins expose not to the torments of Hell yet they do to those of Purgatory which are sufficient to scare a man from them and particularly from this of Fornication I add this as another great Encouragement to the commission of it viz. The exceeding light Penances that are ordinarily imposed for it such as going a little way bareâ—â—â—â— A little piece of Money So often Repeating so many Prayers c. But can there be greater Encouragement given than his Holiness his not bare Connivence at but Toleration of publick Stews or Bawdy-houses even at his own door and Sharing with them in their wicked Gains Nay Chemnitius tells us for which he quotes the Authority of Sleidan that the Popes Legat himself had lately in a publick Writing both defended in his own behalf and commended to others that horrid Wickedness for which Sodom with the neighbouring Cities was destroyed by Fire In short there is a thousand times greater discouragement given in and by the Church of Rome to Holy Wedlock the special means appointed by God for the preservation of Chastity than to Vncleanness of what kind soever and even the most Vnnatural as might largely be shewed The Holy Fathers of the Council of Trent have the impudence to oppose Chastity to Matrimony in their Ninth Canon of the Eighth Session Which leads me to shew likewise what Snares are laid by that Church and what next to invincible Temptations to the sin of Uncleanness she exposeth innumerable People to As imposing Vows of perpetual single Life upon all Priests Monks Friers and Nuns most of which live idly and fare plentifully And giving the Priests the most inviting Opportunities for the commission of Fornication and Adultery that can be There being not a Female of ripe years but is obliged once a year at least to be alone with a Priest for Auricular Confession And whensoever they please to apply themselves to them upon that pretence 't is a Sin for Parents Husbands c. to prohibit them By which means there is no sort of men scarcely in all Christendom so infamous for Filthiness as the Popish Priests And what a snare their Example must necessarily be to the Laity I need not say I might instance in other high provocations to Lust and Wantonness which the Clergy and Laity of that Church must thank her for As her excessive number of Holy days whereon the Laity at least must be idle whether they will or no. And which considering how they are observed as well within the Church as out of it do generally not at all serve the purposes of Religion and considering the Liberty that is allowed are only opportunities for making provision for the flesh to fulfil it in the Lusts thereof And as for the Carnivals the business of them is to commit all manner of Wickedness with greediness and with the greatest Secrecy and Security And therefore I need not distinctly shew what Liberty that Church gives to the Sin of Intemperance the highest provocative to Lasciviousness Lastly For that of the grossest Injustice and Vnrighteousness no men in the world have such Encouragement to make no bones of it as have the Children of the Church of Rome Diverse of whose Practices and Principles are exactly fitted for so Execrable a Design as the extirpating out of mens Minds all sense of Justice or Common Honesty As particularly the Pope's claiming a Power to dispense with the most Solemn Oaths and frequent exercise of that Power in Absolving Subjects from their Allegiance to Heretical Princes and otherwise That truly Catholick principle that Faith is not to be kept with Hereticks which a Council of Constance put in practice upon poor Iohn Husse The Doctrine of Equivocation and Mental
Reservation which takes away all Security and Confidence in one anothers words and tends to the destruction of Humane Society This Doctrine is not proper to the Iesuits but as Father Parsons saith in his Treatise tending to Mitigation hath been received in the Roman Church for Four hundred years And if you take in the professed Principles of that their most Renowned Order which improve that Doctrine so far as in some cases but especially in those wherein their Religion is concerned to make it Lawful or at least Venial to back Equivocations with Sacred Oaths and horrible Imprecations and that before a Court of Judicature at least if it consists of Hereticks of the practising upon which we have had among our selves of late most Amazing Instances If I say you take in these principles which are now collected out of their Books into Pamphlets and exposed to the View of every Body as also those very many other which are to be seen in the Iesuits Morals you will say that should we rake Hell for Doctrines to make men Devils there can none be found more Effectual for the purpose than those wherewith we are furnished by the Church of Rome And so much shall suffice to be spoken to the First Particular viz. That Popery tendeth as much as is possible to the debauching our Souls by bringing them into subjection to Vile Affections in discoursing on which we have studied to be as brief as can be Secondly Popery no less tendeth to Disquiet mens Minds with certain troublesom and tormenting Passions We have shewed in the First Section that all Corrupt Affections and therefore the forementioned to which all may be reduced are of a very tormenting nature In saying therefore now that Popery tends to disquiet men with certain troublesom Passions I design a distinct head of Discourse viz. That the better and wiser any man of that Religion is the more will his Mind be disturbed by a many Points thereof particularly with Fear Shame Anxiety and Solicitude And First For the Passion of Fear what can so excite this or make a man so much a Slave to it as the Popish Doctrine of Purgatory Whosoever doth really believe that there is a life after this must needs be more or less solicitous about his state in that life and according to the degrees of that his Faith will his solicitude be greater or less Now the belief of that Doctrine must necessarily be accompanied with great fear of Death which as the Apostle saith makes those who are under the power of it all their life-time subject to Bondage For as the pains of Purgatory are taught to be so dreadful and terrible as to equallize those of Hell except onely in the duration of them and how long each particular person may lie there before he be released whether scores or hundreds of years as also what degrees of Torment shall be allotted to him is the greatest uncertainty so no man can have any rational assurance let him lead never so strictly holy a life of escaping this place of Torment No nor the least hope neither from such a life if it be short of absolute Perfection as whose is not And as for the Efficacy of Penances and Indulgences it is impossible for any one who ever thinks seriously about the concerns of his Soul and understands any thing of Religion at least not to be full of diffidence what it may amount to Those are such monstrous Cheats the former for the most part of them and the latter all of them that such as are not much short of Brutes for Folly or of Devils for Wickedness can never be so blinded as to promise to themselves the least benefit or advantage from them and much less that which is promised by the Pope and the Priests Again what a Slavish Fear and Dread of God as a Revengeful Being must needs possess the Minds of those who have imbibed the Church of Rome's Doctrine concerning Whippings and Scourgings and other severe Penances viz. That they are necessary not onely for Mortification but likewise for Satisfaction in the Popish sence of that word But what a Spirit of Bondage are they under then from Dread of God's Vengeance in believing as they are bound that God will not Remit the punishment of Sin where the Guilt of it is washed away with the Bloud of Christ upon the performance of the conditions of the New Covenant which is as Nonsensical as False that he will not Remit it I say to such so far as to excuse them from intolerable Temporary Torments in the other World except he hath other satisfaction given him in this life by themselves nor from Torments of a Vastly long duration except it be given him by others after their decease Their Church is so well aware with what horrible Dread and Fear this Doctrine must necessarily affect poor credulous Fools that she hath invented it for that very reason because by this means she brings them into the most Slavish subjection makes her self Mistress of their Purses and is enabled to have her fill of Tyranny over their Consciences their Souls and Bodies What tongue can express the Devilishness of such Practices Next for the Passion of Shame The necessity of all People's of both Sexes Confessing to the Priest which is enjoyned by the Council of Trent to be done once a year at least and that of all their Actual sins and not onely so but also of all their purposes and desires to commit them nay and inclinations too what violence is hereby done to the Modesty of all such as have not arrived to the height of impudence This is to use the words of the Learned Doctor More as if all the modest Maids and grave Matrons in the Parish should strip themselves stark naked and in that manner humble themselves before their Priest once a year Which would look like a piece of unsupportable Tyranny And yet as he proceeds this extorted Confession upon pain of Damnation not to conceal any thing is not the stripping of a man to his naked body but the stripping him of his body that they may see his naked Heart and so by the force of this Superstition break into those secrets which it is onely the due priviledge of God Almighty to be acquainted with c. And Lastly What Anxiety and Solicitude must those Papists minds needs be tormented with who are at all concerned about their Eternal State by reason of these following Doctrines viz. That of the Dependence of the Efficacy of Sacraments upon the Priests intention That of Confession now mentioned decreed in the Trent Canons viz. That the Penitent must not onely confess every Mortal sin which after the strictest search he can call to mind but even his particular sinful thoughts his secret desires and every circumstance which changeth the nature of the sin And that of their distinction of sins into Mortal and Venial to pass by many others As for the
all tending to entertain the several Humours of all men and to work what kind of Effects soever they shall desire c. So that where is mad Licentiousness more countenanced in the whole World than it is by this Church And where are poor Mortals made such miserable Slaves as She makes them And consequently how can there be a greater Enemy than the Romish Church is to that which we have proved to be the true and most Excellent Liberty And now is it possible that after the reading of the foregoing Account of the unsupportably Tyranny the intolerably Corrupt Principles and most Abominable Practices of the Church of Rome we should not be very greatly affected with the Priviledges we enjoy in the Church of England And with the infinite Goodness of God to us in giving us our Birth and Education in a Church which affords us all the Advantages of which that Church like a cruel Step-Mother robs her Children We live in a Church which lays before us the Scripture Arguments for our Confirmatiâ—n in the Christian Faith which obligeth us to receive the Faith of Christ upon the self-same Grounds and Motives that are proposed by our Saviour and his Apostles and upon no other We live in a Church which not onely gives us free leave but likewise enjoyns us to read the Holy Scriptures and deprives us of no part of them We live in a Church which requires us to receive nothing as an Article of Faith upon her bare Authority that assumes nothing of Inâ—allibility to her self but freely gives us the Liberty of trying all things That imposeth nothing upon our Belief or Practice as necessary to Salvation but what is in the plainest and most express terms to be found in the Bible That makes the Scriptures a complete Rule of Faith and adds not one syllable of her own to supply their defect That takes no Liberty in her Constitutions but such as she believes to be agreeable to the General Apostolical Rules of doing all things decently and in order and to Edification and imposeth these not as of Divine Institution or as necessary in their own nature but onely as Expedient for the more solemn grave and decorous Management of the Publick Worship of God This being left by Christ and his Apostles to the Prudence of the Governours of each particular Church We live in a Church which Abominates the Worship of God by Images allows no Prayers to Saints or Angels but onely to the true God by the alone Mediation of our Lord Iesus Christ. We live in a Church which renounceth all Merit of good Works and teacheth us to expect Salvation onely for the sake of Iesus Christ and through his Righteousness but gives not the least countenance to Licentious practices or Remissness in good Works and teacheth the absolute necessity of purging our selves by the Assistance of the Divine Grace from all Filthiness both of Flesh and Spirit in order to our being made capable of God's Complacential love here and Glory hereafter Lastly whereas I might be exceedingly large upon this subject we live in a Church wherein we want no necessary help for the building us up in our most holy Faith or our having the Design of our Saviour's Religion happily effected in us namely the Reformation of our Lives and our being Renewed after the Image of God which consisteth in Righteousness and true Holiness O that at length we could become more eflectually sensible of the blessed priviledges the Divine Goodness vouchsafeth to us of the Church of England lest we be made to Prize them by the Loss of them Lest our general monstrous Ingratitude and lamentable Unprofitableness under them and the Wantonness Peevishness and Causless Separation of Multitudes from the Communion of this Church provoke the Divine Majesty to put our Necks once more under the Iron Yoke of those Tyrants which made such Vassals of our Fore-fathers If that dismal day should again come as God grant it may not with what Sorrow and Grief of Soul shall we reflect upon our neglecting and despising such happy Opportunities as we now enjoy What would we not then gladly part with to regain them when we are deprived of them And O that our several divided Parties were capable of being perswaded to consider Sedately and Seriously before it be too late what their Gain will be by the Fall of our Chuch when themselves and their Religion lie buried together in her Ruines CHAP. XIX The Fourth Inference That he onely is a true Christian that looks upon himself as obliged to be no less Watchful over his Heart and the frame and temper of his Mind than over his Life and Conversation I Shall now return to more immediately practical discourse for what remains of this Treatise which is far more pleasing to my self than that I have been employed in for several of the past Chapters as necessary and seasonable as that is also Fourthly From our Notion of Christian Liberty this is another manifest Inference viz. That a true Christian is one that looks upon himself as obliged to be no less watchful over his Heart than over his Life and Conversation to take as great care to cleanse the inside of the Cup and Platter to use our Saviour's expression as the outside to be as vigilant over his Affections as over his outward Behaviour to be as Solicitous about purging himself from all immoderate Love of the things of this World as about procuring them by warrantable and lawful means The true Christian makes as much Conscience of Lusting after a Woman and cherishing impure thoughts as he doth of Lascivious and Wanton Practices Of harbouring Revenge in his Breast and bearing ill will to any as of repaying Injury with injury He needs not to be made sensible that 't is no less his duty to forgive and love his Enemies than to forbear reviling them or doing evil to them that 't is as indispensably necessary to be low in his own Eyes and to think meanly of himself as to beware of a haughty and supercilious carriage towards others that he cannot more safely Covet than he can Steal his Neighbours goods that he is as much bound to bring his Will into subjection to the Will of God under the severest Providences as to forbear Murmuring Repining and Charging of God foolishly He who is a Christian in deed as well as in name placeth Religion in Governing his own Spirit no less than in any External performances or forbearances of what nature soever in putting away from himself all Wrath Bitterness and Sourness no less than in abstaining from uncivil deportment towards his Brethren This man doth not think it more necessary to do good works than to do them from a good principle And he is as much concerned about Loving of God as about Doing what he hath commanded him and Forbearing what he hath forbidden him He no less endeavours to Hate sin than not to Commit it and to be in love