The Zealous and Impartial PROTESTANT SHEWING Some great but less heeded DANGERS OF POPERY In Order to Thorough and Effectual Security against it In a LETTER To a Member of PARLIAMENT LONDON Printed by M. C. for Henry Brome at the Gun in S. Pauls Churchyard 1681. The Zealous and Impartial PROTESTANT SIR WE have discourst a great deal of the Popish Plot and the commonly acknowledg'd dangers of Popery On that side we are justly sensible of our Perils and have not much need of more Warnings to look about us But all the danger of Popery doth not lie one way it hath other Methods to advance its Interests besides Killing and Burning and of some of those I doubt we are not sufficiently aware Like the percht Phesant we look so intently at the danger that makes the loud Noise that we little heed the Enemy behind the Bush that is ready to shoot us off I remember I said when I last waited on you that there are ways in which Popery is silently promoted I shall now represent some of them to you with Honest and Impartial plainness as becomes one who is an hearty enemy to Popery in all the Steps and Methods of it And THe First occasion of our farther Danger that I shall mention is the present Diminution not to say Extinction of Reverence to the Authority of the Church of England and the Protestant Reformation by Law establish't Popery was not thrown out here by Rebellion Sedition or popular Tumults but this Church was in a regular way Reformed by the deliberate and grave Counsels of our Rulers These our Reformers purged out the Roman Corruptions and in their steads settled the Ancient Primitive Christianity which was establish'd by all the Authority of the Kingdom both Ecclesiastical and Civil and this Establishment in Doctrine Discipline and Worship is that by which we know the Church of England This our pious Reformers Kings and Parliaments by the advice of Learned Grave Divines Bishops and others setled and bound upon us by most solemn Sanctions this they fixt as the National Profession to stand so in all Times and not to serve only for a present Expedient as some talk in their Dream for their Reformation they founded upon the Holy Scripture and upon the Doctrine and Practice of the First and Purest Times of the Primitive Fathers and Councils Christ himself being the Corner-Stone And the Grounds being unalterable the thing setled on them ought in the main to be so and must have been so intended by those Excellent men who so well knew what they did and the Reasons of their so doing Here was our Religion now purged from Popery a Religion that in the whole Constitution of it hath the greatest antipathy to that corrupt Profession this is our old Protestantism that which was persecuted by Papists with Fire and Faggot that which divers of the Reformers themselves sealed with their Blood in opposition to Popish Idolatries and Superstitions This was the Way the Religion of the happy Elizabeth-Days which are yet so Celebrated so glorious among Protestants and that finally which was stood to contended for to the Death by the Royal Martyr King Charles the First Here then is the standing Bulwark against Popery this is Primitive Christianity restored our Anti-papistry The Protestantism we understand and can defend and the Establishment and Maintenance of this is our security against the Popish Depravations When we would destroy this some thing we must set up the Church of England is that which our Protestant Law-givers have erected have by so many Laws confirmed This now is twisted with our Monarchy and the whole frame of our Civil Government so that the overthrow of one will be the destruction of both If this Church should be overturned which God forbid confusion in the State must follow and then Anarchy and cutting Throats and 't is most likely Popery at last For when this Constitution is ruined we must to new Modelling And where shall we rest Every Pretence every Way hath as much right as any other of the Competitors and then we fall into a Scufle and endless Disorders and who but the Roman Church will get by that If this Fortification should be dismantled before we could get another in the place of it Popery in all likelihood would be with us Now this Bulwark we are many of us throwing down and taking away the Ordinance and Artillery Or rather we have done it in great part and have made the Church weak and defenceless The Authority the Coercive Power in effect is gone And what doth Vice or Humour or Faction care for Words Papers Arguments Excommunication is the penalty and we know how little that is made to signifie so that the Church is obeyed by as many as please and as long as those please Such as will not at all or but in this and that take their own course and there is but little remedy This is the plain sad truth Laws we have still but the multitude of Offenders with other things make all in a manner unpracticable The Authority of the Church and the Reverence is lost and gone the People dissolv'd and at loose They fear not they care not for Ecclesiastical Laws or Penalties They will follow their own Ways and the Teachers they have heap'd up to themselves and the few that are left with us are divers of them ready to be gone too as soon as they are punish'd or take Pet and the Governors and Ministers of the Church do not humour them So that the strength of the Church is broken little of the Fortress is left standing besides the dead Walls and even these many would have down too Down with it down with it even to the ground is the Cry This is a sad part of the state of our Church and this its weak almost ruined Condition hath no doubt been the great temptation to many to desert it Every Constitution every Government ought to have Authority and Power or it is Precarious and will be in a little time Contemptible And ours having been made so by the loss of its strength and due force no wonder if it falls into disesteem even among divers that formerly revered it No wonder if these being so prejudiced betake themselves to a Church which hath Authority hath Power They have been brought up perhaps under a fense of the necessity of Ecclesiastical Government and Authority of the Obedience and Reverence that is due to the Church and its Constitutions and of the Mischiefs Schisms and Confusions that arise from the want of these And then observing that our Church is so weakned so disabled so despised and affronted they bid adieu to it and betake themselves to that Corrupt Idolatrous Church that yet hath Authority hath Rule over its Members This Sir I dare say hath been one of the chief occasions of the late increase of Popery and Papists and the revolt of so many from the Reformed Communion For one and
rest that equally pretend How shall it get hold upon the Consciences of men or will we have a Religion without having Conscience concern'd What ever is set up as Religious Security against Popery must stand on the grounds of Scripture right Reason and the best and purest Antiquity Popish Corruptions do all consist in departure from these If what we endeavour to establish be impeachable by Scripture Reason or Antiquity we destroy our own Grounds and disable our own Arguments against Popish Depravations Upon these then we must stand by these we must establish and if these things are so what can we desire what can we think to have but our Old Protestant Legal Constitution of the Church of England What but this which is agreeable to Scripture Reason and Primitive Christianity as hath been proved by many learned men to the shame both of Papists and Phanaticks of all sorts accommodate to our Civil Government wrought into our Fundamental Laws suited to and sufficient for all our needs sober in its Principles moderate in its Government and Discipline Its Articles are not imposed on the Conscience as all Fundamentals and of necessity to Salvation as Popish and Presbyterian Principles are but as pious wholsome Doctrines Articles of Consent for the avoidance of Controversies and Disputes its Prayers are Grave and Serious without affectation or doubtful Tenents Its Ceremonies few ancient decent declared to be in themselves alterable and indifferent its Power is owned to be only Spiritual what other any Ecclesiasticks have is acknowledg'd to be the favour of Kings it invades no rights of Princes it secures Obedience to Government and the interests of Societies Its Penalties are all for Correction not Destruction it punisheth none for bare Opinions it readily receives Offenders into its Bosom on repentance it is not forward to denounce Curses against Dissenters It is very Candid Charitable and Ingenuous to other Churches it was reformed by just Authority with great Temper and avoidance of Extreams These particulars and a great many more to the same general purpose have been fully proved by the learned Asserters of our Church and lately in a particular worthy Discourse of the Moderation of the Church of England which is so much opposed because so unhappy to be so little understood It will much concern us now especially to study and consider this Constitution which is the only mean between dangerous Extreams that and that only which can be made to stand Other Models are Romantick Vnpracticable they may entertain the imagination of phantastical busie unquiet Innovators but will never be brought into a constant settlement of Practice or be made any security to us against Popish Superstitions This by the Grace of God and Wise Sober Counsels and Endeavours the Church of England may And if any Mercy yet remain for so sinful a People it will be made so It is I am sure the duty of every Friend to his Country of every hearty enemy to Popery in his place to endeavout it Especially Sir such Gentlemen as you Representatives of your Country in Parliament I humbly think are concern'd to Consult and Act your part in order to it We honour you and thank God for your great Zeal against Popery you will effectually express it to your future Glory and your own and the Nations lasting Security and Happiness by endeavouring to make firm and to fasten our Foundations by helping up the decayed Banks and Dams which the Wisdom and Piety of our Kings and Parliaments have made against the Inundation of that Ocean of Errors and Superstitions by labouring to build up our almost ruined Walls and to fortifie our Bulwarks viz. To strengthen the Religion of our Protestant Reformation by Law Establish'd that it may be yet more firmly and securely settled This Sir I hope you in particular will endeavour and not give occasion for that Reproach that your Zeal is not for the safety of your Religion but of your Lands You cannot secure the latter but by making the former safe nor do this I humbly believe any other way Your Father Sir and other Relations were zealous Adherers to this Excellent Church and suffered much for their King and It being very sensible of these truths You inherit their great Estate and I hope you do these their Virtues You had through God's Blessing and their Care a pious Education in this Protestant Way this you still profess and I hope will adhere to on all occasions You see the Churches Enemies on the other side those that so lately destroy'd it the King Government and all are now as bufie as ever and seem to be confident to do their Work again they are always stirring and industrious in our Difficulties and Dangers these are their opportunities Their business also is to destroy us which if they could effect they would by that make way for Popery which they seem so earnest against You cannot but observe how they out-rage traduce abuse and flie at the poor distressed Church of England the Fathers and Sons of it They think themselves so secure of succeeding that they do in a manner declare already They have been always seeking Pretences and are now glad at heart of the Popish Plot because of the opportunity and advantages it gives them and 't is as plain as Light that they would use it to ruine us the other way and if they succeed we are as certainly undone I hope you will not be so intent on one Danger as to neglect and oversee the other Yea we fall at last into the same which we most fear if they once drive us into Confusions in Religion which must unavoidably follow the destruction of the Church of England So that with great reason I may affirm that these Enemies of it are promoters of Popery notwithstanding the loud noise they make against it I hope when it pleaseth God and the King that the Parliament shall meet You with the rest of our Patriots will consider for the Confirmation and I stablishment of our Legal Protestant Constitution against the dangers of Fanatical Confusions as well as those of Popish Superstitions Whether the great Assembly of our Representatives shall think fit to desire some smaller Alterations and Abatements for the gaining reasonable Dissenters some will never be satisfied or not it is not for me to conjecture All sober Sons of the Church of England will no doubt acquiesce and be content with what the Wisdom of the Nation shall think fit But when that Point is resolv'd whether one way or the other 't is to be hoped Strengthening and Settlement with such Allowances or without will follow that we may not be always floating This is the longing expectation of all Wise and Good men and it must be Moderate Grave Religious Counsels that must contrive and effect this Happiness for us Many such no doubt will be offer'd at your Meeting I hope you will go with the Healers of our Breaches and not with the
want of Authority in the Church and respect to its Ministers are plain and acknowledg'd occasions of our Dangers Never was a People so Broken so Divided What numerous names of Sects have we and scarce any one at Unity within it self all subdivided and broken into diversities that want names We have raked up all the old Heresies and added new Monsters formerly unheard of All that the Phancies all that the Phrensies of conceited and distracted men can invent are Doctrines of Religion and Grounds of Sect-making among us And all are zealous for their particular Conceits all call their own imaginations by the most sacred names Light God's Truth Gospel Ways Holy Mysteries Daunings Illuminations Refinings and a world more of such fondness by which they are infinitely puff'd up in their own Phancies as the only Knowing the only Spiritual Christians and taught to scorn all other Doctrines and Ways as beggarly Rudiments Elements of this World and Carnal Reasonings at the best yea generally to rail bitterly at them as Lyes Popish Babylonish Antichristian trash Doctrines of Devils and such like and consequently to hate and bitterly to revile all different Judgments especially those that are uppermost Establish'd or countenanc'd by the Government now chiefly the Church of England but if any one of them were got into the place it would be the same thing all the rest would flie upon it and tear it with their utmost Rancour Vehemence and Reproaches Which state of things among us is infinitely Scandalous to the Protestant Religion to which they all pretend And those that leave us clamorously object that there is no end of our Factions and Divisions That 't is a sign our Church is not the true one since it is so broken shattered divided Which Divisions they think and say are either the natural consequents of our departure from them or the Judgment of God upon us for that Separation See say they what you Protestants are a medley of wild disagreeing Sects as different from and as fierce one against another as against us one in Name but in Principles in Affections in your particular ways infinitely diverse infinitely opposite You have no Principles are fastned to no Foundation float up and down like the Waves of the Sea still rouling from one Sect to another Whereas we Catholicks are one Body an Edifice firmly built upon the Authority of the Church having no such Fractions among us but being as a City that is at unity in it self By such suggestions to which our Divisions give too much colour they deceive the Hearts of the Simple and draw multitudes into their Snares And as our Divisions promote Popery by way of Scandal and the ill opinion they beget of the Reformation so they do the same by giving the Papists positive and direct opportunity to play their Game They put themselves into all shapes and disguises among our Sects and under those Vizards drive us on towards more Confusion and disseminate their own Doctrines under other Names and Appearances with great advantage to their Cause So that while there are such Separations and Conventicle Meetings among us Popery is still carrying on The Popish Agents will creep into Houses they will hide and shelter themselves under those pretences and drive on their Business by them So that there is no way for us to come to any assurance against Popery but by Vnion by which the Scandal will be removed and the advantages that we give our Enemies by our Divisions But this considering how things are may seem utterly unpracticable union and agreement in Opinions is certainly unfeisable it never was in the World it never will be But yet some External Vnion Subjection Truce fairness among the different minds may And how is that to be attain'd Must all Dissenters from the Church be supprest Or must they have a general Toleration The ordering this Matter must be left to the Wisdom of our Governours only in general I say something must be done for the removing the mischievous effects of our Divisions I will not pretend to direct but I 'le give you my opinion in two things 1. Toleration is not the way Liberty of Conscience must be given there is no help for that no power on Earth can invade it for Liberty of Conscience is liberty of Practical Judgment and the freedom of that none can take away Liberty of Practice then is the thing in dispute that consists either in professing our private Opinions or our walking in private Ways contrary to Establishments and as to these too strictly speaking our Liberty cannot be taken away For whatever the Laws or Penalties are men will still retain natural power and liberty to profess what they believe and to act according to that profession The question then is of Political Liberty whether they should not be determined by Laws and bounded by Prohibitions and Penalties in Ecclesiastical Matters as well as others And so it will come to this whether there should be any Government in the Church or not For if there be a Government there must be Laws if there be Laws there must be Penalties annext to the violation of those Laws otherwise the Government is precarious and at every ones mercy that is 't is none at all the very nature of Government requires Restraints and the bounding the liberty of Practice and to strive for Toleration is to contend against all Government Let it be tried in the Civil State in Armies in Schools in any Societies or publick Bodies And see what work it would make with them None certainly could stand under the practice of such a Principle For if Penalties are forborn to any why should not all expect it when there is occasion And all may have the same pretence when they need it If no one is to be punish'd for doing that which is agreeable to his Conscience or not doing that which is contrary to it every one will quickly learn to say that the thing he would do is his Conscience and the thing he dislikes is against it And 't is impossible for all the wisdom in the World to tell but that it may no one can judg that but a man's self So that here is an effectual loose and out-let to all Government in the Church yea and in the State too For Conscience is as much concern'd in the Duties of the Second Table as in those of the First Conscience void of offence towards God and towards men Acts 24. 16. And there is no Statute of the Realm that can be made but men may find a pretence of Conscience against it And if Conscience every man's peevish humoursome erring Judgment which he will call by that name be so sacred that no one must be punish'd that follows it then every one may be excused when he thinks fit to plead this and so good-night to all Laws and Governments of all sorts If a man steals anothers Goods the Law would punish him But saith he I did
the most immediate consequent of want of Power in any Church is general Carelessness and Neglects and the loss of all Solemnity in Worship Congregations will be thin and their Deportment and publick Devotions negligent and indecent which greatly scandalize the regular and truly devout who are therefore the more easily tempted to put themselves among those with whom there is more appearance of decence and solemnity in the exercise of Religion This hath been a Rock of offence and Stone of stumbling The way to remove it and to prevent the further Mischiefs would be to Establish the Church of England and to give it Authority We are at present very zealous against Popery thanks be to God for any true Zeal against false Worship but methinks too much of our Zeal is only Negative we are for throwing down Popery but we talk little of establishing any thing and while 't is so our Zeal is lame and imperfect and will never effect any thing to purpose If we will secure our selves against Papism effectually we must fix and establish some Constitution of Religion that may be a constant Fence against it Popery we will not have so far we are right but what are we for Something we must Popery will not be run down by Atheism if we have no Religion or none Establish'd which will come to the same the Roman Religion will prevail at long run in despight of us Some Religion the worst will be too hard for none at least 't will have mens Hearts and then above half the work is done We must not think to keep out Popery by meer brutal force as the Heathens attempted to extinguish Christianity If we would go the right the effectual way we should endeavour it by professing by settling a better a more Catholick more ancient more holy Religion than theirs A bad Religion is most effectually driven out by a good not by none Well something must be establish'd And what do we desire Would we have Presbytery That is new that is different from the Primitive usage of the Christian Church that is unformed yet by the very Nation of the Patrons 't is an Idea different as every mans phancy is the men themselves have not yet agreed upon the Scheme and God knows when they would agree if the Matter were left to them and when that is done What may it cost us before it can be establish'd How long may it be before the People are well reconciled to the Novelty And if ever it be establish'd the Ecclesiastical Supremacy is gone from the right place and indeed the Royal Power every where is lost The King is a Subject He hath only changed his Lord one for many the Pope for the Synod and Elders The Gentry and People are ipso facto Slaves and then we have talkt and contrived well for Liberty Let Presbytery be considered where it hath been in Geneva Scotland little Essays of it in England and then let any tell me if it be not so He that owns not this knows it not We shall then neither Marry nor take a Servant nor dispose of a Child nor order any of our Domestique Affairs without the cognizance and arbitrement of the Elders Every word we speak every thing we do must come under their censure and be exposed to their Chastisement It will in short be a Yoke to our Necks which neither We nor our Children will ever be able to bear And I doubt not but those that understand themselves and it will be ready to say We would not have this Let those that know it not read the late History of Scotland and then speak if they would But what then would we be at Is it Independency we would have This is a thing different from the practice of the whole Christian World unknown to Ancient or later Times except here in the days of Rebellion and in New England now Popery takes away one of the Elements from the Laity in the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper this takes away both Elements from all but a very few for they impropriate the Communion to their separated Company Popery takes away part of one Sacrament these take away the whole of both Sacraments for they allow not Baptism to be Administred but to the Children of their own Sect. Popery keeps the Scriptures up in an unknown Tongue and these make it a dead Letter a nothing to all but those that have their Spirit to understand and interpret Popery damns all the World that is without the pale of their pretended Catholick Church and these unchurch unchristian all but a few Hypocrites Phanatiques of their own sort One of them Lewis Du Moulin Cromwel's Historian in Oxford hath writ a Pamphlet lately to prove That not one in an 100000 nay probably not one in a Million since Adam shall be saved and that one is an Independent no doubt Popery requires auricular Confession to a Priest and these require a particular Story of every mans Conversion before their Congregation as the first necessary condition of Communion Popery pretends that the Roman Church is Infallible and these reckon every one of their private Spirits to be little less So that this in many things symbolizeth with and is as intolerable as Popery it self and what the Tyranny of it is may be read in the Story of our late Confusions particularly in the History of Independency And New England can let us know how gentle they are where they have Power and how much for Liberty of Conscience for they there Hang up their own Off-spring the Quakers for professing and living to the Principles that they themselves teach And both Presbyterians and Independents agree with Papists in this also viz. In binding the heavy burdens of their own disputable and some of them impious and absurd Doctrines upon the Minds and Consciences of men under the penalty of being Vnchurch'd and Ruined They are both severe Inquisitors into mens Opinions and will allow no latitude of thinking beyond their dear Orthodoxy contain'd in their large Confessions of Faith which are Creeds they make over and above the Apostolick and Primitive ones as the Papists do teaching for Doctrines necessary fundamental Doctrines the Traditions of men those of their own Party These therefore I suppose and hope will not suit us I am sure they will not suit either Monarchy in Government nor the Liberty of the Subject No they will comport with nothing but Democracy or Anarehy both which are Tyrannies and the worst sort And I believe few or none of the intelligent English Gentlemen can think of them But what then can we desire what can we propose to have Is there some know not what yet to be found out Is there any new Models yet to be invented unknown unpractised in any Age or Nation of the Christian World Many there are in the Brains of conceited men whose Wind-mill shall be set up What shall give it Reverence and Authority What shall secure it against the