Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
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A26073
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A seasonable discourse against toleration with a preface wherein the nature of persecution in general and the unjust complaints of the dissenting parties concerning it in particular are distinctly considered.
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Assheton, William, 1641-1711.
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1685
(1685)
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Wing A4041; ESTC R23636
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62,270
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115
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Westminster by Authority of Parliament AGAINST Toleration To Our Reverend Learned and Religious Brethren the Prolocutor and the rest of the Divines Assembled and now sitting at Westminster by Authority of Parliament These present Reverend and beloved Brethren WE are exceedingly apprehensive of the desirableness of our Churches Peace and of the pleasantness of Brethrens Unity knowing that when Peace is set upon its proper Basis viz Righteousnesse and truth it is one of the best Possessions both delectable and profitable like Aaron ointment and the dew of Hermon It is true by reason of different lights and different sights among Brethren there may be dissenting in Opinion yet a What is the keeping conventicles or private meetings but separating from our Church communion why should there be any separating from Church-Communion The Churches Coat may be of diverse colours yet why should there be any rent in it Have we not a Touch-stone of Truth the good word of God and when all things are examined by that word then that which is best may be held fast but first they must be known and then examined afterward If our dissenting Brethren after so many importunate intreaties would have been perswaded either in zeale to the truth or in sincere love to the Churches peace and unity among Brethren or in respect to their own reputation by faire and ingenious dealing or b Yet the Ministers of this perswasion made as little conscience of their Subscriptions Promises yea Oaths of Canonicall Obedience to their respective Diocesans in Conscience to their promise made with the Ministers of London now five years since or any such like reasonable consideration at last to have given us a full narrative of their Opinions and Grounds of their Separation we are perswaded they would not have stood at such a distance from us as now they do But they chose rather to walk by their own private lights than to unbosome themselves to us their most affectionate Brethren and to set themselves in an untroden way of their own rather then to wait what our Covenanted Reformation according to the word of God and c Shew us the example of one reformed Church which alloweth her Ministers liberty not to use her establishd Rites and Ceremonies examples of the best reformed Churches would bring forth But the offence doth not end here it is much that our Brethren should separate from the Church but that they should endeavour d This is plainly our Brethrens designe and endeavour at this time to get a warrant to Authorize their Separation from it and to have Liberty by drawing members out of it to weaken and diminish it till so far as lies in them they have brought it to nothing this we think to be plainly unlawfull yet this we understand is their present designe and endeavour Wherefore Reverend Brethren having had such large experience of your zeale of Gods glory your care of his afflicted Church your earnest endeavours to promote the compleat Reformation of it and of your ready concurrence with us in the improvement of any means that might be found conducible to this end we are bold to hint unto you these our ensuing Reasons against the Toleration of Independency in this Church 1. The desires and endeavours of Independents for a Toleration are at this time extreamly unseasonable and preproperous for 1. The Reformation of Religion is not yet perfected and setled amongst us according to our Covenant And why may not the Reformation be raised up at last to such purity and perfection that truly tender Consciences may receive abundant satisfaction for ought that yet appears 2. It is not yet known what the Government of the Independents is neither would they ever yet vouchsafe to let the World know what they hold in that point though some of their Party have been too forward to challenge the London Petitioners as led with blind Obedience and pinning their soules upon the Priests sleeve for desiring an establishment of the Government of Christ before there was any Modell of it extant 3. We can hardly be perswaded that the Independents themselves after all the stirs they have made amongst us e The Presbyterians although often pressed thereunto will not declare wherewith they would be all concluded how far they mean to goe and where to stay in their desires of Toleration and condescention are as yet fully resolved about their own way wherewith they would be concluded seeing they publish not their modell though they are nimble enough in publishing other things and they profess Reserves and new Lights for which they will no doubt expect the like Toleration and so in infinitum It were more seasonable to move for Toleration when once they are positively determined how far they mean to goe and where they mean to stay II. Their desires and endeavours are unreasonable and unequall in divers regards 1. Partly because no such Toleration hath hitherto been established so far as we know in any Christian State by the Civil Magistrate 2. f It 's notorious Presbytery would not in the late times tolerate Episcopacy Partly because some of them have solemnly profest that they cannot suffer Presbytery and answerable hereunto is their practise in those places where Independency prevailes 3 And partly because g To grant indulgence unto a few would offend many more of all Parties Why may not Independents and all other Sectaries desire the same favour in case they provide Readers or Churches to grant to them and not to other Sectaries who are free borne as well as they and have done as good service as they to the Publick as they use to plead will be counted injustice and great Partiality but to grant it unto all will scarce be clear'd from great impiety III. Independency is a Schisme 1. h Ye already do in case your Toleration be granted will draw our members from our Congregations which ye acknowledge true Churches Independents do depart from our Churches and so acknowledg'd by themselves 2. They draw and seduce our members from our Congregations 3. i Ye do in effect set up Separate Churches They erect separate Congregations under a separate and undiscovered Government k Ye receive not the Sacraments except some few in our Churches but 〈◊〉 private meetings They refuse Communion with our Churches in the Sacraments 5. Their Ministers refuse to preach among us as Officers 6. Their members if at any time they joyne with us in hearing the Word and Prayer yet they do it not as with the Ministeriall Word and Prayer nor as the Acts of Church Communion l No Schisme is to be Tolerated as ye grant But Presbytery is a Schisme Now as much as Independency wâ—â— by you declared to be Then Therefore according to your own grounds it 〈◊〉 not to be Tolerated Now we judge that no Schisme is to be Tolerated in the Church * Schismes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1
fall'n from mee God he knows it and t is my comfort when the world condemnes mee I have no designe to exasperate any man but to reforme him If this do not satisfy for some men are very hard to please take this farther Apology in the words of that Reverend Person now mentiond whose Piety and Moderation I wish his Brethren would imitate y Mr. Baxter ut supra p. 251. 253. Woe to the Land and People that can multiply Sin and cannot Repent And woe to them that pretend Repentance and love to be flatter'd in their Sin and cannot endure to be admonish'd but take all the discoverys of their Sin to be injurious reproach Among the Prophane wee take this to bee a deadly sign of Impenitency And is it so bad in them and good in us It is part of my Office to cry with holy Bradford REPENT O ENGLAND and to say after Christ Except ye Repent ye shall all likewise Perish And can I call men to Repent when I must not dare to tell them of what nor to mention the Sin which is most to be repented of I use all this Preface because I know that Guilt and Impenitency are touchy and tender and galled and querulous and such will bestow the time in backbiting their Monitor which they should bestow in lamenting their sin But shall I therefore forbear and betray their Souls and betray the Land through cowardly Silence Must I shew that I hate Professours by not admonishing them Lev. 19. 17. when I must shew that I love the looser sort by my sharp reproofs Must I not fear them that can kill the Body and must I fear to displease a professed Christian calling him to repentance in a time of Judgements Read on now with these Memento's in your eye And if after so plain a Premonition you will venture to charge mee with that which I disclaime do it at your own perill I stand or fall to the Judgement of God and look for a better reward then the Hypocrites which is To have the good Opinion of men be they Professours of Piety or Profane And with me by Gods grace it shall hereafter be accounted a small Thing to the hindering of my Fidelity to Christ and mens souls to be judged of men 1 Cor. 4. 3. And if there should be any Pastors of the Churches who instead of concurring to heal the Flocks of these dividing Principles shall rather joyne with Backbiters and encourage them in their misreports and slanders because it tendeth to the supposed interest of their Party or themselves let them prepare to answer such unfaithfulness to their Consciences which will shortly be awakned and to the great Shepherd of the Flock who is at the door and who told even the Devills Agents that a House or Kingdom divided against it self cannot stand but is brought to nought Matt. 12. If alas alas experience hath not yet not yet not yet done enough to teach them this TOLERATION Disapprov'd and Condemn'd c. Humbly presented to the serious Consideration of all Dissenting Parties My Brethren THE Lord Jesus who knows all our Hearts and before whose great Tribunal both you and and I must one day appeare is my witness that the cheif designe of my present undertaking is the Peace and welfare of the Church the continuance of the Gospel and the eternal Salvation of pretious and immortal Souls I do therefore much hope though we are all naturally impatient of opposition that you will favourably receive and seriously consider these plaine yet well meaning lines which have no other patronage then the charity of the Author and the candor and piety of those persons to whom they are directed The solemnity of this Preface as it may raise your expectations so it may possibly invite your riosity to inquire who or what manner of person I am that have taken the confidence of so important an Address And though the knowledge of my name would signifie little I being not so considerable as that it should add any weight to my performance yet that I may in some sort gratify such obliging Readers as I hope to find you I shall farther acquaint you that though I am not a person very ambitious to be known yet upon occasion I shall either publickly own and vindicate or if duely convinc'd as publickly recant my present opinion and in short to secure you and Apologize for my selfe since concealed names are ever suspitious I do solemnly protest that I am no scoffer at Religion nor railer at true Piety that I love an honest religious good man that endeavours to save his soul and come to heaven under what profession soever I find him that I will pitty and according to my poor ability rectify but never make sport with his errours and mistakes and herein I doe readily subscribe to the learned L a Advertisements touching the Church of England in his Refuse â— 165. Verulam That to turne Religion into a Comedy or Satyr to search and rip up wounds with a laughing countenance to intermix Scripture scurrility sometimes in one sentence is a thing very far from the devout reverence of a christian and scant beseeming the honest regard of a sober man Two principal causes saith this honourable person have I ever known of Atheisme curious Controversies and prophane scoffing And no less do I admire what I hope you will grant I have endeavoured to transcribe that incomparable saying of the judicious b The Preface to hiâ— Eccl Pol Sect. 2. Hooker There will come a time when three words uttered with Charity and meekness shall receive a far more blessed Reward then three thousand volumns written with disdainful sharpness of Wit But if an irregular heat which I will yet endeavour to suppress should some little display it selfe it being very difficult to contend coldly and without Affection about things which we hold dear and pretious and certainly the Peace of the Church is eminently such if Passion and Interest should obtrude themselves under the notion of Zeale which God knows is no less common then fatal mistake in the management of our Controversies I do then humbly beg of you that you would seriously consider the following Words of the fore-cited good man that the manner of mens writings must not alienate our hearts from the Truth if it appear they have the Truth Having now as far as 't is judged convenient given you an account of the Author t' will in all likelihood be next demanded since this Subject hath been of late so fully and as some think unanswerably discust what convincing Reasons I have to trouble either my Brethren to read or my self to write so common and whilest proposalls are on foot so unwelcome a discourse Really my Brethren did I nor fear that such frequent protestations might seem too affected or that Conscience and Reality might be mistaken for humour and designe I would once more call the searcher of all Hearts to witness