Apostles in those Books which by way of eminency we call the Scriptures So that whatever Worship is not according to those holy Oracles is not true and acceptable but false and vain In vain do ye Worship me c. It being an undoubted Truth That God hath as much right to appoint the way of his own Worship as to be Worshipp'd There are moreover we know two parts of Religion Credenda Agenda Truths to be believed and Duties to be performed in order to Salvation and in both these the Scripture is our Rule and Direction He therefore that is Punished either for believing those Truths or for doing those Duties the belief and performance of which holy Scripture requireth of him or he that is punished for not believing those things as Truths which are but falsities and lies or for not doing those things as Duties which are sinful and unlawful he I say who is punished upon these accounts is properly Persecuted The Case then about Persecution as it respects the Nonconformists is briefly this If those Instances for which they are punished be no way required of them in holy Scripture either for belief or practise and if it shall appear upon inquiry that the Church of England requires nothing of them that is in side Erroneous or in facto Impious if she neither enjoynes them to believe Lies nor to commit any Sin if nor so nor so let the world then judge where the fault lies and who they are that without Repentance must one day Answer which I fear is now little thought on for all those Separations and Divisions in the Church all those Distractions Confusions Wars Murthers Rapines c. the natural consequents of the former in the State which these poor miserable divided Kingdomes have so sadly experienc'd 'T will be replyed and I find it no unusual Plea That Preaching and Praying are necessary Duties But they are punished for Preaching and Praying Therefore they are punished for performance of religious Duties and consequently according to the now mentioned definition are Persecuted They tell us e Prop. for Saf of King and Kingd p. 10. There are certain inoffencive persons and they meaning their Rulers have really no more against them only that they meet and preach and pray together Innocent folks who are dragged to Prison for doing nothing in earnest but endeavouring to save their Souls That I may if possible convince my Brethren of the weakness and vanity of this plausible Argument I 'le give them my Answer I hope Methodically and clearly in these following Conclusions Concl 1. By Preaching and Praying as they are the Subject of our present Disquisition is meant the performance of them in publick not in private this latter being liberae observation is since every man of what perswasion soever may not only Pray with his own family when and how he pleaseth but also Preach or Instruct them and that without fear of punishment in what manner he thinks fit Concl 2. In Preaching and Praying there is considerable Substantia Circumstantiae Res Modus the substance of the Duty or the thing to be perform'd and the circumstances or manner of its performance Preaching and Praying quoad Substantiam are necessary necessitate Praecepti Medii i. e. God hath Commanded and the condition of the Church whilst Militant in viâ doth require that these Duties be attended Nor is the Substance only but also the Circumstances of these Duties in Thesi and in the general necessary i. e. when these Duties are considered in actu exercito whenever they are put into practice we must necessarily make use of Circumstances some or other Concl 3. These Circumstances however in Thesi necessary in Hypothesi and in Particular are not determined in Scripture which I do not mean as to their Lawfulness but as to their being duties if they be there must then be produc'd some clear and distinct Precept perpetually obligatory to the Church requiring our observance of such or such Circumstances for this and nothing else though other things are pretended can constitute a Religious Duty Thus though Prayer be a Duty yet whether it be a Set Form or Extemporary The Minister whether habited in a Surplice or without His Gesture whether kneeling or standing The Place whether in a Deske or at the Communion Table or at both So for Preaching whether in a Gown a long Cloak or a short How many Sermons in one day whether three or two or but one I say none of these or such like are determined in Scripture to be our Duties those who assert they are must produce the Command making them to be such for Duty and Command have a necessary Respect and Relation to one another Concl 4. These Circumstances though still free and indifferent quoad naturam being neither commanded nor forbidden yet must not be left undetermined quoad usum i. e. Private persons must not be left at liberty to do what they think fit in Circumstantials as if an agreement in Substantialls only were sufficient so as if there be but Preaching and Praying if these Duties be but performed one man may use a Set Form another may pray Extempore this Minister may wear the Surplice whilst his Neighbour rejects it as Popish and Antichristian Does not any man who hath not enslaved his Reason to support a Faction very easily observe that the bare mention of this Fancy such I am forc'd to call it is its own Confutation was it ever so much as thought on but in the heat of a Dispute Did ever any Constituted Church in the world allow such Liberty Are not my Brethren themselves convinc'd of the contrary If they deny it I could very easily refresh their Memories in so obvious a Theam I could turn them to their Directory and their Ordinances to enforce it c. but I spare them In short g Mr. Newcomes Serm. at Pauls Feb. 8. 1646. pag. 18. There is scarce any difference so small and inconsiderable but the divulging and propagating of it may prove dangerous and pernicious and in the event intollerable Therefore to allow private persons the Liberty to order these Circumstances in the publick Worship pro modulo Conscientiae as their own Conscience perhaps humour or interest shall Dictate is the ready way to destroy all Order and Government in the world And this I hope is sufficiently made plain to any man that will but read and consider in the following Collections Well then to rise yet a little higher Since it is necessary that there must be some Circumstances made use of in the exercise of these Duties Preaching and Praying it being impossible to perform any Action and therefore Religious Action without them and since Scripture hath determined nothing either by requiring some as necessary or forbidding others as unlawful and since to leave them undetermin'd for private Persons to do what seems good in their own eyes is apparently destructive both to Church and State
the most part odious I think it might easily appear without disparagement be it spoken That there are as Honest Religious Zealous good men that have willingly and chearfully submitted to the Church of England as the best of them all that have oppos'd the same Our Pious-Fore-fathers to whom under God we owe the purity of our Religion and some of which embrac'd a Stake had more moderate apprehensions then the present Generation For when the Tyranny of the Church of Rome had forc'd them to a Separation and that in Obedience to God who commands us neither to believe Lies nor to commit Sin neither of which they could avoid by continuing in Communion with her though they left many of her Ceremonies the number of them being great and burthensome yet they thought fit to retain some others of them and that for Order and Decency in the Service of God If it be replyed as usually it is That the Reformation being carried on by those that were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 made of the same Clay and subject to the like passions with others was at best but small and imperfect it being beyond the wit and power of Man either to foresee or remove all Inconveniences on a sudden and therefore that it was the Duty of After-Ages to perfect and complete what they had so happily begun by removing this Rubbish out of the House of God To this I Answer That the Topick of Reformation is too large for a short Preface and beyond my designe onely this by the by I wish that Protestants of whatsoever Perswasion would be more sparing in their Reflections upon our first Reformers for besides the advantage that is hereby given to the Romish Party we ought to consider That abuses are easier complain'd of then redress'd and possibly had the men of this Age been in their stead and under the same Circumstances I do much question if we may take an estimate by their late transactions whether they would have brought the work to so good an Issue as through Gods Blessing they then did But no more of this T is sufficient for my present purpose That since the cause of their Separation from Rome was to avoid her Pollutions 't is evident That these Ceremonies which they thought fit to retaine were in their Judgment no part of them or any other way unlawful the which if my dissenting Brethren will but grant not to talke now off their inexpedience of which neither they nor I must be Judges as it is a fair step to end our Differences so it hence avoidably follows That if some pious men have refus'd the Ceremonies others of as great piety have Conform'd to them if some Learned have disputed others as Learned have defended which may for ever Silence that Branch of the Objection viz. The Learning and Piety of their Parties Nor is there much more weight in that other part of the Objection drawn from their persecutions and sufferings which comes now to be considered A Pretence indeed very plausible and popular for besides its subtle Insinuations upon a natural score we being all obliged by that common bond of Humanity to compassionate those that are in any misery and trouble witness those usual resentments even for a Thief upon the Gallows it hath this farther advantage That wherever in Scripture the word Persecution is mentioned and that either with some Promise annex'd for the support of Gods people who otherwise might despond under such gloomy dispensations or of some Judgment denounced to restrain the fury of their Persecutors I say wheresoever such passages occur as they do frequently in holy Writ they have learned the Art by imposing upon a credulous Vulgar to make the World believe that they are those persecuted Saints for whom those promises are recorded and that all such persons as are any way employed though in Obedience to Authority to suppress them are Persecuting wretches on whom sooner or later all those Judgments threatned shall certainly be inflicted I shall not in the least offend them with any harsh Invectives such Reflections though some ease indeed to a burthen'd mind being very little to the Substance of a Cause but shall only beg their Patience and Charity whilst I endeavour to undeceive them by assuring them in plaine English what without Repentance they will one day find true That they are not Persecuted as Saints but punished as Malefactors And this I shall through Gods assistance undenyably prove in this Method 1. By fixing the Notion in laying down a clear and distinct definition of Persecution 2. By considering how far those present Sufferings to which our Nonconformists are obnoxious do agree with it or differ from it Persecution for Religion for of such onely I now treat may not unfitly be thus described T is an eager violent inflicting of outward temporal Evils for the exercise of true Religion I call it eager violent inflicting so the Lat. c i. e. continue seu continuato motu sequor inimico affectu insequor continuò assidue quaero Mart. Lex Philolog Persequor and the Gr. d i. e. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hesychius 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 do fully denote they both signifie so to follow as a Hunter doth his Prey who pursues it till he takes it But because these terms eager and violent do only agree to one sort of Persecution viz. That which is furious and rageing it being sometimes more mild and moderate and since definitions do express the nature but not the degree of the thing defined as when we define Calor we take no notice of it in summo I shall therefore omit these words eager and violent and then the definition I suppose unquestionably stands thus Persecution is an inflicting of outward temporal Evils for the exercise of true Religion Outward temporal Evils either upon the Body as Banishment Imprisonment Tortures Death or upon the Estate as Pecuniary Mulcts confiscation of Goods or upon Reputation and good Name as Slanderings Revilings Reproachful Speeches For the exercise of true Religion which is the Ratio formalis the Constitutive difference whereby Persecution is distinguished from all other violences whatsoever For let the greatest Reproaches and Indignities usher in the most exquisite Tortures and those be concluded by a Death as cruel as the utmost Malice on Earth or Fury in Hâ—ll can contrive yet unless these Tortures be eo nomine inflicted for the sake and cause of Religion we may call them merciless inhumane unnatural Cruelties or any such like name as can most fitly express them but not Persecution By Religion that I may yet more fully explaine the Definition I mean the Worship of God by true Religion the worshipping of him according to his Will the which Will though heretofore variously delivered and in different Dispensations yet those extraordinary ways of Conveyance being now ceased it hath pleased the Goodness and Wisdom of God to deliver in Writing by the Ministry of the Prophets and
conscientia liganda then ligat but certainly the Devil in the Conscience may be nay he must be bound or else you act not according to that vigour that Christ hath put into your hands nor according to that exactness that Christ requireth at your hands It is true indeed which is so much talked of that Christ alone must reign in the Conscience but it is as true also that he doth so by the Power that he hath put into the hands of the Magistrate as well as by his word and spirit c M. Thom Watson before the Com Decem 27. 1649. p. 17. Lond. Printed for Ra Smith at the Bible in Cornhil 1649. If Conscience be a sufficient plea the Papist will come in for a Childs part Conscience must have a Rule it binds only virtute praecepti by virtue of a precept If Conscience goes against the Word Deponenda est talis Conscientia Get conscience better informed a M. Hughes Serm. before the Com May 26. 1647. p. 34. Lond. Printed for John Roth well at the Sun fountain in Pauls Chyard I must say that the Toleration of all things must be a destructive Principle to the State or Church where ever it be allowed Experience hath shewed us no less in Kingdoms and Churches Called by Gods name These are only suggested which need a larger Treatise to state fully Ye Servants of Christ take heed of yeelding to the pretences of Conscience the Devil and not Christ hath his Throne there And no stronger hold for him than Conscience if he once take it Christ will not suffer him to shelter there therefore ye may not so much as in you lieth Doe not other States as some of the united Provinces Dub. tolerate all these Heresies and protect them and yet they prosper who more I desire not to deal with other States unless I might do Sol. them good I am now only called to our own yet others being made exemplary a word in soberness and truth may not offend I suggest only these thoughts 1. Can any man say that prosperity is a sign peculiar unto Truth then let Rome come in and speak more than any for outward prosperity 2. Are not spirituall wickednesses as odious to God as carnall and are not these Heresies such which God condemnes as works of the flesh inconsistent with the Kingdome of Christ 3. Hath God made an end yet of visiting Nations for the sinnes of them when God hath done judging were a better time to urge this Example then now I pray God the evill day may not overtake those States the good Lord cause the Cup of trembling to pass by them and purge their iniquities peaceably But I am pressed in Spirit to say God hath not spared such State Polities which have sought their own rise by the ruine of God and his Truth Witness Jeroboam the Son of Nebat who made Israel to sin And he bids sin that doth not hinder Qui non vetat peccare cum potest jubet Sen. it when he can Gods Truth my beloved and not mans example must be the Rule if Heresies yet must be let us mourn for what we cannot help it is a miserable necessity when not allowed it will be rejoycing in iniquity either for State or Church willfully to tolerate a M. Ed. Calamy Ser. before the Ld Mayor Jan. 14. 1645. p. 3. Though God hath given us glorious victories over our Enemies yet the Churches of Christ ly desolate Church-Reformation is obstructed Church-Discipline unsetled Church-Divisions increased The famous City of London is become an Amsterdam Separation from our Churches is countenanced Toleration is cryed up Authority lyeth asleep b Ser. before the Lords Dec. 25. 1644. p. 13. It would seem a wonder if I should reckon how many seperated Congregations or rather Segregations there are in the Citty what Churches against Churches c. the Lord Knows that I mention these things with a sad heart c ut supra p. 4. Divisions whether they be Ecclesiasticall or Politicall in Kingdomes Citties or Families are infallible causes of Ruine to Kingdoms Citties and Families d p. 14. Hereby the hearts of People are mightily distracted many are hindred from Conversion and even the Godly themselves have lost much of the power of Godliness in their lives I say the hearts of People mightily disturbed while one Minister preacheth one thing as a truth of the Gospel and another Minister Preacheth the quite Contrary with as much Confidence as the former a P. 17. If Divisions be so destructive to Kingdoms Cities and Families this reproveth those that are the Authors and Fomentors of these Divisions that are now amongst us These are the Incendiaries of England If he that sets one house on fire deserveth hanging much more they that set a whole Kingdom on fire If he that murders one man must be put to death much more he that Murders three Kingdoms Mark them saith the Apostle Rom. 16. 17. that cause divisions and Offences contrary to the Doctrine which ye have Learned and avoid them Avoid them as the greatest enemies of England These are like the Salamander that cannot live but in the fire of contention These are of a Jesuiticall spirit And no doubt the heads and hands of the Jesuits are in all our Divisions b P. 33. Take heed of the Land-destroying opinion of those that plead for an illimited toleration of all Religions even of Turkisme Judaisme c. The Lord keep us from being poysoned with such an Error * This Text Mat. 12. 25. Every Kingdom divided against it selfe is brought to Desolation riseth up against it for it will divide a Kingdome against it self It will rend it in a thousand pieces It is a Doctrine directly contrary to your late Oath and Covenant A Doctrine that overthroweth all Church Government bringeth in Confusion and openeth a wide door unto all irreligion and Atheisme For at the same door that all false Religions comes in the true Religion will quickly get out and if it be as good for a man to live where nothing is lawfull as where all things are lawfull surely it is every way as uncomfortable to live where there are all Religions as where there is no Religion at all c P. 37. It is your Duty Right Honourable whom God hath betrusted with great Power to suppress these Divisions and Differences in Religion by your Civil Authority as farr as you are able least you are accessary unto them For God hath made you Custodes utriusque Tabulae Keepers not of the second Table only as some fondly imagine but of the First Table also and not only Keepers but vindices utriusque Tabulae Punishers also of those that transgress against either of them For you are the Ministers of God for good and Revengers to execute wrath upon him that doth evill Rom. 13. 4. and God hath deputed you for the Punishment of evill doers and for the
printed for Luke Fawne at the Par. rot in Pauls Church yard 1647. There is a word of Exhortation behind and I beseech you suffer it First to you Honourable and noble Patriots who are called to be Reformers and healers of a poor broken Kingdom Doth not indeed the punishing and suppressing of spirituall whoredomes against God Idolatrie Heresie Blasphemie and the rest doth it not belong unto you as well as the punishing bodily whoredomes theft murder c doth it indeed belong to you only to looke to the civil peace and to let Religion and truth and the worship of God stand or fall to their own master fight God fight Divell fight Christ fight Antichrist catch that catch can you have nothing to do but to stand by and looke on say so then speake out publish it in your Declarations to the world and let the People of England know that it is the right and liberty to which the Subjects of England are borne that Every man hold what he please and publish and preach what he holds that it is the birth-right as some would have it of the free born people of England every man to Worship God according to his own Conscience and to be of what Religion his own Conscience shall dictate Do so and see Fathers and Brethren how long your Civill peace will secure you when Religion is destroyed how long it will be ete your civill peace be turned into civill war for no doubt if this once be granted them but they may in good time come to know also there be them that are instructing them evē in these principles too that it is their birth-right to be freed from the power of Parliaments and from the power of Kings and to take up armes against both when they shall not vote and act according to their humours Liberty of Conscience falsly so called may in good time improve it selfe into liberty of Estates and liberty of Houses and liberty of wives and in a word liberty of perdition of souls and bodies Right Honourable and worthy Gentlemen I cannot stand to dispute this only would I know of you are Idolaters and Hereticks and Blasphemers and Seducers are they evill doers if so then look to your Charge Rom. 13 4. Rulers must be a Terror to evill Doers unless ye mean to bear the sword in vaine And if you will God will not and if God take the Sword into his own hand once as he seems to be a doing of it he will smite to purpose he will execute vengeance throughly both upon the evill doers and upon you that have not been a Terrour to them Oh therefore up and be doing that ye may deliver the Kingdome out of the hand of the Lord for it is a fearfull thing to fall into the hands of the living God O let not your Patience I hope it is no more all this while be interpreted a Connivence and your Connivence be taken for a Toleration it may be the Kingdoms ruine but it will be your sin a Ser before the Com Feb. 19. 1645. p. 25. Fathers and brethren how will ye call this keeping of Covenant with God Had we a Parliament of Apostate Julians of whom it is reported that at what time he opened the temples of the Heathenish Gods he set open the Christian Churches call'd home all the Christians whom he had banisht both Orthodox and Heretick and gave them as we call it Liberty of Conscience but as Austin more truly phraseth it b Aug. Ep. 166. vid. Ammian Marcel lib. 22. p. 208. 209 Edit Hen Valesii Defence of the Prop. calls this of Julian a brave and Politick thing p 98. Libertatem perditionis Liberty to destroy themselves for that was his Policy and end namely by liberty of all Religions Eo modo putans Christianum nomen posse perire de terris c. to destroy the True and the Professors thereof too Or had we a Parliament of careless Gallio's we should not wonder but for a Parliament of Christians Protestants Professors the Choisest the most active that could be cull'd out of a Christian State the like not under heaven that these things should be done and you hold your Peace and be able to keep your places and not to put on Righteousness as a Breast-plate and the Garments of Vengeance for your Cloathing as it is said of God this makes the Churches abroad to wonder what Englands Parliament is a doing and all at home that love the Lord Jesus Christ more then their own Interests and Notions to be filled with unspeakable trembling and astonishment to wit what God means to do with this poor bleeding Church and State a Ser. before the Comm. Aug. 22. 1645. p. 29. If you mean that England shall be turned into a wildernes and be over-run with Atheisme and Heresie and Prophaneness and Blasphemy you may hold your hands and you need not do it long b Ser. before the Comm Feb. 19. 1645. p. 25. The Errors and Innovations under which we so much groan'd of later years were but tolerabiles ineptiae tolerable trifles childrens play compared with these damnable doctrines Doctrines of Devils as the Apostle calls them Polygamy Arbitrary Divorce Mortality of the Soule No Ministery No Churches No Ordinances No Scripture yea the very Divinity of Christ and the Holy Ghost questioned by some denyed by others And the very foundation of all these laid in such a Schisme of Boundless Liberty of Conscience viz Believe what you will and Preach what you Believe and such Lawless separation of Churches and all these not only whispered in Corners but Preacht on the house top yea publisht in Print before your faces with so much virulency and impudence that I verily believe no Age since the Apostles time could ever parallel a Sermon before the Commons May 26. 1647. p. 25. There be a Generation of men in the Land that stand up for all kind of false Worship that every man may Worship God after his own Conscience or if they will not own it in words at length they will have it in figures And if they may not are ready not only to cry but to act Persecution and that to purpose for while they cry Persecution gladio oris they are ready to act persecution ore gladii I pray God it may never be englished b M. John Lightfoot Ser before the Comm. Aug. 26. 1645. p. 30. Lond-printed for And. Crook at the Green Dragon in Pauls Chur yard 1645. There is great talk of and pleading for Liberty of Conscience for men to do in matters of Religion as Israel did in the booke of Judges whatsoever seemeth good in their own eyes and how that proved there there are sad stories that relate I shall not goe about to determine the question whether the Conscience may be bound or not though for mine own satisfaction I am resolved it may and do hold it a truer point in Divinity that errans
Praise of them that do well 1. Pet. 2. 19. There be some that would blot out halfe your Commission and restrain this good and evill to Civil good and to evils only against men But this is against that generall Rule Non est distinguendum ubi Lex non distinguit Where the Law doth not distinguish there must not we distinguish Tell me I beseech you Shall it be lawfull for Magistrates to punish those that destroy mens Bodies but not those that destroy mens Souls Shall they be blamed for suffering men to draw people away from obedience to the Laws of the Land and to themselves and not also for suffering men to draw away people from the Truth of the Gospell and from the ways of God such as Hymenaeus and Philetus who overthrow the Faith of some and their words eat as a Canker shall Christian Magistrates take up the Maxime of Tiberius Deorum injurias Diis curae esse Let God himself take care to vindicate himself from injuries committed against God as for mee I will just like Gallio take care of none of these things Can Christian ears endure such Language Doth not God Prophesy Isaiah 49. 23. That in the New Testament Kings shall be our Nursing Fathers and Queens our nursing Mothers And how can a Christian Magistrate discharge that duty aright if he hath not power from God to punish those that would poyson the souls of his weak Children with Heresies and soul destroying opinions Will you allow the Magistrate to Tyrannize over Object mens Consciences By no means But I believe it is the duty of Magistrats Answ to keep men from infecting their Subjects with soul destroying Errors If thou hast an Hereticall Opinion have it to thy self and the Magistrate will not nay cannot meddle with thy Private Conscience But if thou labourest to infect others with thy Grace-destroying Opinions I doubt not but the Magistrate is bound to keep thee from spreading thy infection to the undoing of the Souls of his Subjects If he may lawfully shut up a man that hath the Plague upon his body that he may not infect others why not a man that hath the Plague of Heresie upon his Soul that so he may not destroy the souls of Thousands Shall a Master in a Family have power to put away a Servant that is tainted with a gross opinion and yet not be called a Tyrant over that Servants Conscience and shall not the chief Magistrate of a Kingdome have power to put out of his Kingdome at least to shut up from doing hurt one that is his Subject and polluted with blasphemous Hereticall Idolatricall Opinions Is not the Kingdom the Magistrats house and Family a Ser. before the Comm. Octob. 22. 1644. p. 26. This is a certain Rule That all the Sins of the Kingdom which are committed by your connivence or allowance are the Parliament Sins and they call for a Parliament Repentance And therefore I beseech you search and try your hearts and consider how far you are accessary to the sins of the Kingdome that so you may be wrought up not only to a personall but a Parliament humiliation And if it doth appear that you have taken more care in setling your own Liberties then in setling of Religion If you have taken more care to build your own houses then Gods house this is a crying Sin and this makes you accessary to a Thousand Sins that are commited in the Kingdome Againe if you do not labour according to your duty and according to your power to suppress the Errors and Heresies that are spread in the Kingdome all these Errors are your Errors and these Heresies are your Heresies and they are your Sins and God calls for a Parliamentary Repentance from you for them this day You are the Anabaptists and you are the Antinominians and it is you that hold That all Religions are to be tolerated c. And these are your Errors if they sptead by your Connivence For the Sins of the Sons of old Ely are imputed to old Ely himselfe And when the People of Israel had prophaned the Sabbath Nehemiah contended with the Nobles of Judah for suffering them and tells them that it was they that did prophane it because they suffered the People to prophane it Neh. 13. 17. It was none of the Old cause that the People should a M. Ric. Baxter Holy Common-wealth Addition to Pref. Prop. 6. Lond printed for Tho Vnderhil at the Anchor and Bible in Pauls Ch yard 1659. have Liberty and the Magistrate should have no Power in all matters of Gods Worship faith and Conscience And as it is not the Old Cause so it is not a Good Cause For first it contradicteth the expresse Revelation of the will of God in the holy Scriptures Moses had to do in matters of Religion as a Magistrate and so the ruling Elders of Israel that assisted him And so had the Kings of Israel and Judah as is well known insomuch that in Asa's days they covenanted to put him to Death that would not seek the Lord God of Israel 2. It tendeth to the ruine of the Commonwealth and therefore it is no good cause How God was provoked By Aarons Calfe and by his Sons that offered strange fire which the Lord commanded not Lev. 10. what was the effect what benefit the Calves at Dan and Bethel brought to Israel and Jeroboams house and the high places and other Errours about worship brought to the Princes and People of Judah we need not particularly recite Law and providence are quite changed if Toleration of false Worship and other abuses of Religion tend not to the ruine of the Commonwealth If Magistrates must give Liberty for all to propagate a false Religion then so must Parents and Masters also for their Coercive power is rather lesse then the Magistrates then more and they are no more Lords of faith or Conscience But if all Parents and Masters should give such a Liberty it would be a crime so horrid in the nature and effects as I am loath to name with its proper Titles A pari it tendeth to the destruction of an Army to give liberty to all men to do their worst to draw them to Mutinies and Rebellion It tends to the ruine of Families that all have liberty to do their worst to tempt the Sons to Theft and drunkennesse and the wife and Daughter to whoredome It tends to the Destruction of the Commonwealth if there be liberty for all to perswade the the People to Sedition and Rebellion And therefore it must tend to the destruction of the Church and mens souls and consequently of the Commonwealth in the cheif respects if all have leave to do their worst to preach up infidelity Mahometanisme Popery or any false Doctrine or Worship against the great and necessary Truths I leave it therefore to the judgement of all men that are not fast a sleep in their security and utterly unacquainted with the advantages
of the Papists whether this designe of engageing the Magistrate by a fundamentall constitution not to meddle with matters of faith and Worship but leave them all to Christ alone be not the present setting up of Popery in England and the delivering all the fruit of our labours Prayers and victories into the Papists hands Obj. But Liberty for Popery and Prelacy is stil excepted Answ by whom But if there had been an exception against Popery put in it would have been to little purpose as long as a generall Rule is laid down that condemneth that exception For if it be the standing Rule That matters of Religion and faith and all matters of Worship are out of the Magistrates power to say then that Popery shall be excepted from Liberty is to say the Magistrate shall intrude into the proper Office of Christ to restraine the Papists Well seeing these things are so that sin will find a Mr. Tho Horton Ser before the House of Peers Dec. 30. 1646. Lond printed by F. Neile for Sam Gellibrand at the Brazen serpent in Pauls Ch yard 1646. p. 35. out us let this be the use wee make of it to be carefull to find out it and to begin with that first This is that which lies upon us all But especially to speake a word in Season upon those which have the Government of Kingdomes and Commonwealths committed unto them These had need to find out sin more especially for the safety and welfare of that State which they have the ordering and managing of a P. 36. First their own Personall Sins b p. 37. 38. Secondly they are to find out also the sins of the Kingdome I have already Administer'd some help in this performance by the hint of those Sins before mention'd all which I humbly desire may be taken into serious Consideration and especially which grows so much upon us and which threatens so much evil to us the Sin of Libertinisme and Toleration which is the ring-leader of all the rest and involves all others with it O that this should ever be once mentioned amongst us here in England who have enjoyed so much of the Gospell of Truth as wee have done derived to us from our Godly fore-fathers sealed to us by the blood of the Martyrs prosecuted with so many Blessings and victories and Gratious successes both of former and latter times to the admiration both of Enemies and Friends is this the fruit and issue of all that God hath done for us and do all overtures of Reformation come to this Surely God cannot but take it very ill from us that we should but incline and leane hereunto As he said to David of his building of the Temple Thou didst well that it was in thine heart and accordingly was well pleased with him So will he say to us of our Contrary carriage That it is ill that it is in our heart if so be it be come so far as I hope it is not What when we have so much appeared against Popery and Superstition shall wee now begin to think of Indifferency and Toleration Certainly it 's but a sorry exchange of a Bad Religion for none Although indeed it will be no exchange but rather a further Confirmation Toleration of all other Errours doth but strengthen Popery amongst the rest which will at least think so well of it self as to come in for a Childs Part. a M. Lazar Seaman Ser. before the Comm. Sept. 25. 1644. Lond printed by E. G. for J. Rothwell at the Sun in Pauls Ch yard 1644 p. 41. There is a Generation who look for much at your hands and yet ask nothing I mean by way of humble Petition When they find you or themselves in such a posture as that they cannot be denied it may be you may hear of them Besides the many loose prophane and scandalous Ministers there are a new sort risen amongst us who have thrust themselves into the Lords Vineyard It 's no less then Persecution so they commonly give out to desire that their suspitious Opinions may be examined according to the word of God and they commanded to forbear the publishing and spreading of them for the present There be many dangerous Books abroad dangerous at least ' I le say no more Liberty of Conscience The Bloudy Tenent The compassionate Samaritan John Baptist b p. 44. Consider also c Solomons His failings and beware of them 1. He had many Wives d 1 Kings 11. 3. even seaven hundred Wives Princesses and three hundred Concubines Let not us have as many Religions There 's some Analogy between the one and the other 2. There was in his daies first a Connivance at Idolatry then open Toleration and withall Apostacy These Wives turned away his heart after other Gods v. 4. He built an high place for Chemosh the Abomination of Moab and for Molech the Abomination of the Children of Ammon and likewise did he for all his strange Wives v. 7 8. Observe the Gradation first Connivance then open Toleration herewithall Apostacy a M. Matth. New comen Ser before the Parliament Sept. 12. 1644. Lond. printed for Ch Meredith 1644. p. 31. No Reformation of Religion now now nothing will satisfy some but a Toleration of all Religions and all Opinions Church-Government Discipline is to some a fiction to others Tyranny and Persecution Ah Brethren this is a Provocation and will be a Provocation for this God may turn us into the Wilderness again b P. 36. We are grown beyond Arminianisme Brownisme Anabaptisme we are come I mean many among us to down-right Libertinisme There are two Opinions which if encouraged and they are encouraged if connived at will open a door to Turcisme Judaisme Atheisme Polytheisme any monster of Opinion The one is That every man is to be left to the Liberty of his own Religion an Opinion contended for by the Bloody Tenets John Baptist Liberty of Conscience and the like Pamphlets An opinion most pernicious and destructive as to the Souls of men so to the Common-weale of the Kingdome Libertas illa quidlibet credendi saith Gerard nihil aliud quam Libertas errandi c. That Liberty of believing what men will or of holding what Faith they please is no other then a liberty of erring and of erring in a matter that concerns the eternall Salvation of the Soule wherein to erre cannot but be most dangerous and destructive Diversity of Religion dis-joynts and distracts the minds of men and is the Seminary of perpetuall hatreds jealousies Seditions Warres if any thing in the World be and in a little time either a Schisme in the State begets a Schisme in the Church or a Schisme in the Church begets a Schisme in the State That is either Religion and the Church is prejudic'd by Civill Contentions or Church controversies and disputes about Opinions break out into Civill Warrs Men will at last take up Swords and Spears instead of Pens and defend by
Reformation Performance of our Covenant and Benefit of present and succeeding Generations From Sion-Colledge Lond. Decemb. 18. 1645. Subscribed by Us your Affectionate Brethren and Fellow-labourers in the work of the Ministry to whom Truth and Peace is very pretious The Judgement of King JAMES and His Privy-Council against Toleration Transcribed verbatim out of Judge Crooks Reports Term. Mich Anno 2. Jacobi Parag. 13. Part. 2. p. 37. MEmorandum that by command from the King all the Justices of England with diverse of the Nobility viz. The Lord Ellesmere Lord Chancelor the Earle of Dorset Lord Treasurer Vicount Cranbourne Principall Secretary the Earle of Nottingham Lord Admirall the Earles of Northumberland Worcester Devon and Northampton the Lords Zouch Burghley and Knowles the Chancellor of the Dutchy the Arch-Bishop of Canterbury the Bishop of London Popham chief Justice Bruce Master of the Rolls Anderson Gawdy Walmesly Fenner Kingsmill Warberton Savill Daniell Yelverton and Snigg were assembled in the Star Chamber where the Lord Chancellor after a long Speech made by him concerning Justices of Peace and his Exhortation to the Justices of Assize and in discourse concerning Papists and Puritans Declaring how they both were disturbers of the State and that the King intended to suppress them and to have the Laws put in execution against them Demanded of the Justices their Resolution in three things First Whether the Deprivation of Puritan Ministers by the High Commissioners for refusing to Conforme themselves to the Ceremonies appointed by the last Canons was Lawfull Whereto all the Justices answered That they had conferred thereof before and held it to be lawfull Because the King hath the Supream Ecclesiasticall Power which he hath Delegated to the Commissioners whereby they had the Power of Deprivation by the Canon Law of the Realm and the Statute of 1. Eliz. which appoints Commissioners to be made by the Queen doth not confer any new Power but explain and declare the ancient Power And therefore they held it clear That the King without Parliament might make Orders and Constitutions for the Government of the Clergy and might deprive them if they obeyed not And so the Commissioners might deprive them But they could not make any Constitutions without the King and the divulging of such Ordinances by Proclamation is a most gratious Admonition And for as much as they have refused to obey they are lawfully deprived by the Commissioners ex Officio without Libell Et ore tenus convocati Secondly Whether a Prohibition be grantable against the Commissioners upon the Statute of 2. H. 5. if they do not deliver the Copy of the Libell to the Party whereto they all Answered That that Statute is intended where the Ecclesiasticall Judge proceeds Ex officio ore tenus Thirdly Whether it were an offence punishable and what punishment they deserved who framed Petitions and collected a multitude of hands thereto to prefer the King in a publick cause as the Puritans had done with an Intimation to the King That if he denyed their Suite many Thousands of the Subjects would be discontented Whereto all the Justices answered that it was an offence finable at discretion and very neer to Treason and Felony in the punishment for they tended to the raising of Sedition Rebellion and discontent among the People To which Resolution all the Lords agreed and then many of the Lords declared That some of the Puritans had raised a false Rumour of the King how he intended to grant a Toleration to Papists which offence the Justices conceived to be heinously finable by the Rules of the Common Law either in the Kings Bench or by the King and his Councill or now since the Statute of 3. H. 7. in the Star-Chamber And the Lords severally declared how the King was discontented with the said false Rumour and had made but the day before a Protestation unto them That he never intended it and that he would spend the last drop of blood in his body before he would do it and prayed that before any of his Issue should maintain any other Religion then what he truly professed and maintained that God would take them out of the World VOTES c. OF THE Honourable House of COMMONS Feb. 5. c. 1662. Upon Reading His Majesties Gratious Declaration and Speech c. Die Mercurii 25. Feb. 15. Car. R. Resolved c. Nemine contradicente That the humble Thanks of this House be returned to His Majesty for his Resolution to Maintain the Act of Vniformity Resolved c. That it be presented to the Kings Majesty as the Humble Advice of the House That no Indulgence be granted to the dissenters from the Act of Vniformity Most Gratious Soveraigne THe Knights Citizens and Burgesses of the Commons house of Parliament did with great joy receive your Majesties most Gratious Speech at the opening this Session of Parliament And being thereby invited to consider of their Declaration of the Twenty sixth of December last they have with all Sobriety Duty and Affection examined the grounds thereof and do by me present unto your Majesty their most hearty Thanks for the same and humble Advice thereupon both which I do beseech your Majesty that you will vouchsafe me to deliver in their own words May it please your most excellent Majesty Wee your Majesties most Dutifull and Loyall Subjects the Knights Citizens and Burgesses of the House of Commons in Parliament Assembled having with all fidelity and obedience considered of the severall matters comprized in your Majesties late Gratious Declaration of the 26 of Decemb. last and your most gratious Speech at the beginning of this present Session Do in the first place for our selves and in the names of all the Commons of England render to your Sacred Majesty the Tribute of our most hearty Thanks for that infinite Grace and Goodness wherewith your Majesty hath been pleased to publish your Royall intentions of adhering to your Act of Indempnity and Oblivion by a constant and Religious observance of it And our hearts are further enlarged in these returnes of Thansgivings when we consider your Majesties most Princely and Heroick Professions of relying upon the Affections of your people and abhorring all sort of military and arbitrary Rule But above all wee can never enough remember to the honour of your Majesties Piety and our unspeakable Comfort those solemne and endearing Invitations of us your Majesties Subjects to prepare Lawes to be presented to your Majesty against the growth and encrease of Popery and withall to provide more Laws against Licentiousness and impiety at the same time declaring your own Resolutions for maintaining the Act of Uniformity And it becomes us alwaies to acknowledge and admire your Majesties Wisdome in this your Declaration whereby your Majesty is pleased to resolve not only by sumptuary Laws but by your own Royall example of frugality to restrain that excess in mens expences which is grown so generall and so exorbitant and to direct our endeavours to find