Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n
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A26455
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Advice to Protestant dissenters shewing 'tis their interest to repeal the Test, upon the offer the King makes by a firm settlement of liberty.
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1688
(1688)
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Wing A648B; ESTC R39886
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5,050
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12
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Advice TO PROTESTANT DISSENTERS Shewing 'T is their Interest to Repeal the Test upon the offer the King makes by a firm settlement of Liberty PENAL LAWS are of so ill a Consequence in the Hands of any Party and so uneasie to be parted with by that which predominates that 't is discretion in Dissenters to take this oppertunity for the Repeal now we have a Prince to joyn with us to do it when such an oppertunity may offer again is uncertain therefore to imbrace this will be their Interest at the next Sessions for upon better terms we are not like to obtain it because we have a Prince that wants it for his own Communion But 't will be Objected The Penal Laws will readily be consented to but that cannot be done without we take off the Test too the consequence of which will be greater Prejudice then the inconveniency of keeping the Penal Laws how that will appear when we consider the King has promised a settlement that is unalterable and indeed 't is his Wisdom so to do if he values the Liberty of his own Religion in an after Raign which may fall out to be in an Aversion to Popery that may then endeavour the suppressing it again 'T is from or however cannot be without the consent of the King that we must have this Liberty Is it equal to expect it from him without giving his Community the same Advantages Shall we ask that of him that we will not allow his 't is unfair Besides the Test in the nature of it is unreasonable because it puts a Man upon a temptation to deny that which he believes he cannot be saved without believing It may be Objected It only hinders them from getting or keeping in Offices If no more then that 't is unreasonable for 't will amount to nothing short of Persecution As for Example Suppose a Protestant has a Place in the Government worth Five Hundred pound a Year nothing but his Place to Live on upon reading Books or hearing Sermons or discoursing Papists he is perswaded to their Faith and so cannot take the Test upon his refusal he is turned out and render'd uncapable of procuring Maintenance for his Family if this is not a suffering for Conscience I know not what is Again since our Laws does not prohibit a Roman Catholick from being Heir to the Crown why should they be denyed having those of their Family or Guard of the same By our Laws none of that Perswasion can come near the Court for fear of endangering the Kings Person now who is the most sutuable Judge of the Kings Safety either himself or a part of his People I think all must allow him or else we act against our daily Experience and Practice for who of us would not chuse Servants for our selves By this we may see when things are made partial and not upon a Foundation of Equity and short of doing as one would be done by that one time or other it returns upon us 'T is an ill thing to Test upon Peoples Religious Perswasions if we must have them let it be upon an honest Foot viz. For the renouncing any evil Principle that is either immorral or pernitious to the State and then if any Man refuse to subscribe let him be dealt with accordingly this would be justifiable Why should any Dissenters boggle at the Repeal of the Test when 't will never be done but with them if so surely they have Wisdom enough to make things secure for the Protestant Interest and their own Security in a full enjoyment of their Religion Cannot they consider of such a method that may for the future secure us from any attemps that may be made upon the violation of that general Settlement 't is agreed on all Hands that Law only can secure us which makes our Test so great a Bulwork then if Law can secure us why may not the Wisdom of a Parliament think of another Security that may be more universal for to be sure that which takes in all Parties into its Interest is the best Policy for if any Party is excluded that to be sure will attempt upon invading the safety of the rest and if any one of these united Parties are Predominate the excluded will endeavour to work in with some or one of the Interests upon promise of bettering them that they may assist to exterpate that Association but if our Settlement is Universal and that no one Perswasion can Predominate but all in one united Interest if any Party should through Ambition desire to break this civil Bond and try to set up for themselves all the rest would joyn against any such attempt and through the disproportion of Number must of consequence be defeated so that upon the whole nothing can brake this general Liberty that is equally settled but Force and there can be no stronger Fence against that then Unity and Universallity It is the Interest of the Roman Catholicks to accept of this and be content with it being the only Policy they can use for their own Safety because they know their Number is but small and not able of themselves to do any thing that may procure them a better Settlement Now for People that really are for Liberty in Religion before hand to determine that the King will not concede to such a Settlement in Parliament I think be-speaks them void of Charity Was it the intent of any Protestants to give up the Test without an Equivolent but rely upon Promises that afterwards the Settlement should be made there would appear some grounds of Jealousie but as yet I never saw the Man that was so inclined but that which Repealed the one should Ratifie and Confirm the other if so then where 's the Trust I find there is a sort of People among Dissenters that harps upon this Point I presume they are such in whom the Church of England have by their skill prevailed upon by their Insinuations 'T is true a Man would not stop his Ears from any thing that was reasonable from any one but a wise Man would be very cautious of his Adversary or one that speaks from private Interest one if not both of these that Church will be found in as to the first I need not go far for proof their Severity when they had Power sufficiently proves it and their being now unwilling to part with it in a Parliamentary way confirms it As to the second part Private Interest first 't is certain they gain nothing by this Liberty for theirs is Established and the giving it to others will lesten them for if theirs is a reform from Popery the Dissenters are a reform from them Again shall we take the fair Offers of an Enemy that may never be capable if willing to perform what they promise rather then imbrace the present Kindness of the King who offers Liberty upon our own terms viz. lasting and unalterable by no meanes Providence has cast it unexpectedly upon
us therefore let us not refuse it least we be found dispisers of our own Mercies by waiting for that from the Church of England that they will not hold themselves obliged to perform for upon whom if we should confide can we rely or who is that Agent for them that they will hold themselves obliged when capable to perform that Engagement for my part I am at a loss to find that Person or Party But some may Object Let us be careful that we disoblige not them least they reckon with us another Day As to that let us consider what we are a doing and how we do it as to what 't is Liberty only to Worship our God securely without interruption either by Fines or Imprisonments next how that we do it legally and not with any prejudice or desire of infrlnging them of theirs Now if they are displeased at this we are sure 't is not from a Christian Spirit that they act and they will be found doing as they would not be done by for no Man that is Religious desires to be restrained from the exercise of it but I need not spend time to treat of Liberty of Conscience to Dissenters for that most Men either through Conviction or Pollicy will consent to but the taking away the Test is the great debate for say the Church of England and those that give ear to their Insinuations If that is gone there can be no securety o the Protestant Religion Now as to that in a Roman Catholick Raign what service is it are they keep for all that out of Offices and Places of Trust No but although we cannot prevent them of that yet the keeping them out of the Legislative Power is our Security but let me ask them one Question Have they not often charged them with these Doctrines viz. Not keeping Faith with Heriticks or that they are not obliged or don 't account that of any value or tye to them that they promise to us and farther what ever they do to us provided 'tis to serve Holy Church let the Act be ever so immorral 't is Meritorious if we consider this I cannot see that great Bulwark in the Test that many would have us believe for if they may have Indulgences for these enormities I cannot believe they will be so squemish at the Test when they find the Promotion of their Church so mightily depends upon taking it so that I have reason to believe the Church of England either to be short sighted or intends not well to Dissenters that endeavours so industriously to keep them from joyning with the King in Establishing a General Liberty for if the Papists finds that the Dissenters breaks with them upon this Civil Union will not they be obliged to betake themselves to the suerest way they can for their own security which I conceive will then consist in one of these two Points the first To get a Dispensation to take the Test or else to bring the Church of England into their Interest As to the first the Church of England tells us as above They can do things Tantamount but if they have abusied them in their Tenets and they should refuse that way but should fall in with them what Security can they give us that they will not accept of them into their Favour since our Prince is of that Perswasion who knows but their antient pretence to Loyalty may spring again if so from whom must we expect Kindness for of theirs we have had woful experience and for the Romanists 't is better joyning them when we can serve them then to expect Favour from them when we have deserted them Oh that Dissenters would but be wise and take Liberty upon their own terms and their own making rather then to depend upon those that have been and are our Enemies for whatever they promise now I look upon it but the effect of Policy not of Kindness that we may be wheedled out of our present certainty for hopes of Kindness when they may be capable to give it but if they should so prevail upon the easiness of Dissenters as to refuse the present oppertunity when suffering comes upon us again we shall be obliged to take it patiently first for Conscience next for our Follies sake I have for all this no ill will to the Church of England but do wish well to her also all that I desire is that their ill Nature together with the assistance of Penal Laws that have put them upon doing wrong to their Reproach that she would now consent to the taking away that that when the same ill Nature predominates again may disable them from doing what they have been so prone too for a Man that is convicted of an Evil will endeavour to shun the oppertunity of a Temptation and until the Church of England comes so far that is to be willing to part with that Pestilence they have been so infected with I cannot conceive any Reformation among them For a Man to tell me that has been given to Drunkenness that he is Reformed yet cannot forsake the Tavern and his Familiers that continued in that excess I should have but small hopes of his Reformation and although he might decline Drinking for the present I should only judg it some Indisposition for no Man loves to keep up that which he Loathes so it I would abandon Persecution I shall be willing to part with that which would tollerate me in it for fear of a Temptation and when we see the Church of England willing to part with all Penal Laws for Religion we may have hopes they are not in love with Severity and till then 't is in vain to pretend to the contrary for Actions speaks louder then Words and Performance is better then Promises I look upon it a meer wheedle in the Church of England to tell us they are for giving Liberty of Conscience and yet oppose the Tests being taken away for to be sure they conclude themselves safe in the offer for me to offer that which I imagine will not be accepted is almost the same with no offer which is the case of them As for Example If I proffer a Man Fifty Pounds to be received of a Person that 't is at his pleasure to pay it or no and 't is evident the doing it will prove inconvenient to his Affairs how unlikely would it be that he should comply with the payment Just so is the offer the Church of England makes to the Dissenters they promise to Repeal the Penal Statutes which they cannot perform but with the Concurrance of the King and is it likely it should be obtained that way without taking off the Test too for can we expect he should set us quite free and continue Bonds upon his one Communion 'T is easie for Men to offer that which is out of their power to give and hard to get such Men to part with what is in their power to keep but thanks be to God if the Dissenters will 't is in the Kings and their power under God to make themselves easie whether the Church of England will or no. With Allowance London Printed and Sold by Andrew Sowle at the Three Keys in Nags-Head-Court in Grace-Church-Street over-against the Conduit 1688.