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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A64083	Bibliotheca politica: or An enquiry into the ancient constitution of the English government both in respect to the just extent of regal power, and the rights and liberties of the subject. Wherein all the chief arguments, as well against, as for the late revolution, are impartially represented, and considered, in thirteen dialogues. Collected out of the best authors, as well antient as modern. To which is added an alphabetical index to the whole work.; Bibliotheca politica.	Tyrrell, James, 1642-1718.	1694 (1694)	Wing T3582; ESTC P6200	1,210,521	1,073

by the Scripture as by Iosephus his Testimony that there was no more Divine Revelation after Malachi neither do the Books of the Maccabees Iosephus Sulpitius Severus or any other ancient Ecclesiastical Writer mention these Maccabees as Men inspired by God I grant indeed they might be excited by some Divine Impulse of Gods spirit to do what they did But this is so far from being at all Miraculous that I do suppose that divers great and good Men have been in our latter times of Reformation stirred up by the same Divine Spirit to undertake and perform extraordinary things for the Reformation of Religion and the deliverance of Gods Church and People And therefore as for the Vision or Dream which you mention it doth not appear that it was any more than an Ordinary Dream and if this might p●s● for a proof of a Divine Revelation I could quote you many such Dreams as this out of the Lives of Luther Calvin and divers others of the first Reformers whom I suppose you will not maintain to have had any express Revelation to do what they did contrary to the Civil and Ecclesiastic Laws of those Princes and States under which they lived And tho' t is true these Books are not held Canonical yet they were always esteemed in the Church as Sacred Writing as Written tho' not by Inspired yet by Pious Men and tho' they are not received in matters of Faith and Doctrine yet you know very well they are Commanded to be read in our Ch●r●●es as containing excellent Precepts and Examples in matters of Morality and therefore 〈◊〉 p●rhaps they would not be a good Authority to a Praesbyterian yet I hope we of the Church●s England cannot refuse them as Rules of Morality But I think we are now come to the last Instanc●●hat can be brought before the Coming of Christ and therefore pray will you now proceed with your Quotations out of the New Testament which I suppose you have ready for me M. I confess I am not able in a Story so imperfectly related as this of the Maccabees to prove they had Gods express Warrant for this Resistance and you on the other side produce b●t a Negative Argument that they had not viz because neither Iosephus nor the Book of the Maccabees expresly mention any such thing and yet for all that Mattathias might for ought that you or I know have acted in this matter by Divine Revelation since as the Rabbins suppose there was for a long time after the times of the Prophets a l●wer s●●t of Revelation given by God to some particular Men called Batcol that is the Daughter of the V●●ce which seems to have been some Private or inward Voice by which God Revealed his Will in some Particular Cases and we read that long after this Iosephus relates that H●rcanus the last good High-Priest of the Maccabean Race had the Gift of Prophecy by Divine Revelation And why his Great Grand-Father might not have it likewise I see no reason besides all this there might be other reasons that God might allow to the People of the Iews a greater Liberty of Resistance even without Cruel Authority to revenge the Profanation of his Temple and Religion being the Place where he was pleased particularly to place his Name than are allowed to us Christians at this Day who have no such Visible Temple nor are under such severe Obligations to extirpate Idolatry So that what Mattathias and the People of the Iews acted in this matter they might do it by the Right of Zealot● for the defence of the Law of Moses even as Phineas did who by killing Zimri and Cosbi for Fornication and Idolatry did that which in another occasion and at another time would have been down right Murder But be it as it will I think we Christians are by the Laws of the Gospel tyed to a stricter Subjection to the Supream Powers if it be possible than the Iews themselves were and whatsoever they might have done under Antiochus for their own defence and to avoid Persecution yet Iesus Christ doth now require Higher things of us and hath by his own Example as well as Precept forbidden us to Resist the Supream Powers for any Pers●cution for Religion whatsoever since he hath Ordained his Religion to be Propagated and desended by Sufferings and Persuasions and not by Force of Arms against the Will of the Supream Powers and if not for Religion the most Weight● of all Concerns surely not for any Temporal thing whatsoever But the Proof of this requires more time than this evening will afford without trespassing too much upon your as well as my own repose And therefore I should be glad of another Evening● conversation with you to free your Mind if it were possible from this dangerous Error and to bring you over to the true Belief and Practice of the Primitive Christians and of our Mother the Church of England who treids exactly in their steps F. I humbly thank you for your great Kindness to me and the Pains you have taken ●as also for what you intend to take for the better Information of my Conscience and therefore if you please and that you have no other occasion to draw you forth out of your Lodgings I will wait upon you again to morrow in the Evening about seven and shall think it a very proper Work for the Lords Day to have my Conscience better informed by those Testimonies which you say you will bring out of the New Testament and Waitings of the Primitive Fathers and Church Historians for my Instruction and if you can out of them prove to me that all Resistance whatever is unlawful I promise you upon the Word of an Honest Man to become a Proselyte to this Doctrine M. I humbly thank you Sir for your great Candour and Ingenuity and tho' I am no Profest Divine yet I hope by the help of the Scripture and those Quotations that I can produce out of the Fathers as also from the constant practice of the Primitive Church to prove these Doctrines of Passive Obedience and Non-resistance to be the true Antient and Apostolical B●●●s But it is now late and I will not trouble you any longer to night therefore shall take my leave of you and so Sir your Humble Servant F. Dear Sir good Night yours most heartily Well to morrow I will wait upon you as I appointed M. Pray be sure to come at your hour for I 'll expect you FINIS Bibliotheca Politica Or A DISCOURSE By way of DIALOGUE WHETHER Absolute Non Resistances of the SVPREAM POWERS be enjoyned by the Doctrine of the Gospel and was the Ancient Practice of the Primitive Church and the constant Doctrine of our Reformed Church of England Collected out of the most Approved Authors both Antient and Modern Dialogue the Fourth LONDON Printed for R. Baldwin in Warwick-Lane nea● the Oxford-Arms where also may be had the First Second and Third Dialogues 169● The Subject of the

make them the first breachers of it whereas you may find that it was the opinion of the whole Convocation for many years before ever those Divines or that Gentleman began to Preach or write upon this subject Nor were these the only men who maintained these Principles but Archbishop Usher and Bishop Sanderson whom I suppose you will not reckon among your flattering Court Bishops have as learnedly and fully asserted those Doctrines you so much condemn as any of that party you find fault with and have very well proved all resistance of the Supream Powers to be unlawful not only in absolute but limited Monarchies Of the Truth of which you may sufficiently satisfie your self if you will but take the Pains to read the Learned and Elaborate Treatises written by those good Bishops viz. The Lord Primate Usher's Power of the Prince and Obedience of the Subject and the Bishop of Lincoln's Preface before it as also the said Bishop's Treatise de Iura nouto written whilst he was Doctor of the Chair in Oxford F. I must beg your pardon Sir if I have never yet seen or heard of that Convocation Book you mention much less of the opinions therein contained since there is no mention made of their proceedings in any History or Record of those times either Ecclesiastical or Civil as I know of But this much I am certain of That these Determinations or Decrees you mention call them which you please never received the Royal Assent much less the confirmation of the King and Parliament one of which if not both is certainly requisite to make any opinion either in Doctrine or Discipline to be received by us Lay-men for the Doctrine of the Church of England otherwise the Canons made in 1640 would oblige us in Conscience tho' they stand at this day condemned by Act of Parliament so that however even according to your own Principles you cannot urge this Book as the Authoritative Doctrine of the Church of England unless their Determinations had received the Royal Assent which you your self do not affirm they had for you very well know that as in Civil Laws no Bill is any more than waste Parchment if once the King hath refused to give his Royal Assent to it so likewise in Spiritual or Ecclesiastical matters I think no Decrees or Determinations of Convocations are to be received as binding either in points of Faith or Manners by us Lay-men till they have received the confirmation of the King and the two Houses of Parliament or otherwise the consequence would be that if the King who hath the nomination of all the Bishopricks and Deaneries as also of most of the great Prebendaries in England of which the Convocation chiefly consists should nominate such men into those places which would agree with him to alter the present establisht Reformed Religion ●n Governmen● and to bring in Popery or Arbitrary Power the whole Kingdom would be obliged in Conscience to embrace it or at least to submit without any contraditio● to those Canons the King and Convocation should thus agree to make which of how fatal a consequence it might prove to the Reformed Religion in this Kingdom this Kings choice of Bishops and Deans such as he thought most fit for his turn would have taught ●s when it had been too late M. You very must mistake me Sir if you believe that I urge the Authority of this Book to you as containing any Ecclesiastical Canons which I grant must have the Royal Assent but whether that of the two Houses of Parliament I very much question since the King without the Parliament is Head of the Church and diverse Canons made under Queen Elizabeth and King Iames are good in Law at this day tho' they were never confirmed by Parliament But I only urge the Authority of this Book to you to let you see that these Doctrines are more Antient than the time you prescribe and also that the Major part of the Bishops and ●lergy of the Church of England held these Doctrines which you so much condemn long before those Court Bishops or Divines you mention medled with this controversie and I suppose we may as well quote such a Convocation Book as a Testimony of their sense upon these subjects as we do the French Helvetian or any other Protestant Churches Confessions of Faith drawn up and passed in Synod of their Divines tho' without any confirmation of the Civil Power F. If you urge this Convocation Book only as a Testimony and not Authority I shall not contend any further about it but then let me tell you that if the Canons or Decrees of a Convocation though never so much confirmed by King and Parliament do no further oblige in Conscience than as they are agreable to the Doctrine of the Holy Scriptures sure their determinations without any such Authority can only be look'd upon as the Opinions of so many particular private Men. And tho' I have a very great Reuerence for the Judgments of so many Learned Men yet granting those Doctrines you mention to be contained in this Book I think notwithstanding that we may justly examine them according to the Rules of Reason and express Testimonies of Scripture by either of which when I see you can convince me of the falshood of my Tenets I shall count my self happy to be be●●er informed But as for those Treatises of Bishop Us●er and Bishop ●anderson which you now mentioned I must needs confess they are learnedly and elaborately writen and tho' I am against Rebellion as much as any man and do believe that subjects may too often be guilty of it yet am I not therefore convinced that it is absolutely unlawful in all cases whatsoever even in the most Absolute and Arbitrary sort of Civil Government for the People when violently and intolerably opprest to take up Arms and resist such unjust violence or to join with any Foraign Prince who will be so generous as to take upon him their deliverance So that though I freely acknowledge that those good Bishops you mention were very Pious and Learned men ●im ●hat I bear great reverence to their memories yet doth it not therefore follow that I must o●● them to be Infallible or as great Polititians as they were Learned Divines or that they understood the Laws of England as well as they did the Scriptures or Fathers and perhaps there may be a great deal more said on their behalfe than can be for divers others who have since W●●een and Pr●● so much upon those subjects for if you please to consider the times of their writing those Treatises you will find them written about the beginning or middle of the late Civil Wars which they supposed to be beg●n and carried on contrary to all Law and Justice under the pretenced Authority of the two Houses of Parliament against King Charles the First and therefore it is no wonder if they thought themselves obliged to Write very high for the Prerogatives