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A58378 Reflections upon that act of the Gloucester Common-Council which occasioned Dr. Fowler's printing his Discourse of offences : together with A short reply to the late scandalous queries offered to the Reverend Dean of Canterbury. 1683 (1683) Wing R724; ESTC R2255 7,405 15

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REFLECTIONS UPON That ACT of the GLOUCESTER Common-Council Which occasioned Dr. FOWLER' 's Printing his Discourse of Offences Together With a short Reply to the Late Scandalous QUERIES offered to the Reverend Dean of Canterbury LONDON Printed for Henry Mortlock at the Phoenix in St. Paul's Church yard 1683. REFLECTIONS Upon the ACT of the Gloucester Common-Council c. THere is nothing about which the world is more generally mistaken than in the false Notions it has of Greatness and Power For those commonly are esteemed the most fortunate and mighty that make their strength the Law of Justice that have Power to do mischief and cannot be called to an Account for it and that by a boisterous irresistible Fury dare to oppress others without any fear of punishment in this world or thoughts of it in the next But this is a Greatness that more properly belongs to Beasts and Birds of prey than either to men or Christians If there be any truth in the Laws or Attractives in the Example of our Blessed Lord and Saviour those ought to be esteemed the only Heroick Spirits who dare do their duty though dangers attend it who have that entire Command over their Inclinations as not to be moved to any unchristian unseemly passions but with a Lamb-like meekness and patience can under the heaviest oppressions and provocations absolutely yield and submit themselves to the providence of the Almighty who judges righteously and tries the reins and the heart Jer. 11.20 And finally who can express the most fervent charity to their bitterest enemies blessing those that curse them obliging those that revile them and with the same ardent zeal praying for the Souls of their persecutors as they do for their own 'T is to be hoped that these Gloucester Gentlemen whatever passions have of late clouded their Judgments and like a false Optick represented those objects to be of the same colour as the Glass which they looked through yet time has not confirmed but lessened and allayed their enmity against the Reverend Author of the Sermons concerning Offences who I assure you is neither the Author Procurer or Publisher of this Paper and now the heat of their Anger is somewhat abated and the dog days are ended they will with some cool and sedate thoughts reflect upon the Order made by them Aug. 20. 1683. wherein they charged Dr Fowler in his Sermons to countenance Sedition and Faction and to Preach things that tended to the disturbance of well affected men in their City and therefore whenever he Preached at the Cathedral Church none of them would go thither with the Sword in their Formalities to hear him but to some other Church in the City to hear a Loyal Orthodox Divine who was to be paid at the City Charges This Charge differs no more from what was imputed to Christ and his Apostles than the late Association does from the Solemn League and Covenant For our Blessed Saviour was represented as an enemy unto Caesar John 19.12 And his Apostles after him as pestilent Fellows movers of Sedition and such as turned the world upside down for preaching down the Jewish and Pagan Idolatry and Superstition just as Dr. Fowler Countenances Sedition and Faction by preaching down that which is Popish and Anti-Christian But is it so in very deed that the 35 year of King Charles the second is to evacuate the Law that was made in the 25 of his Reign Then the wisdom of his Majesty with the advice of his great Council of Parliament for preventing dangers which might happen from Popish Recusants made a Law that all Mayors Aldermen Sheriffs Common-Council-Men c. were to undergo a Test wherein they were to declare their Belief that there is not any Transubstantiation in the Lords Supper in the Elements of Bread and Wine at or after the Consecration thereof And are Romish Emissaries less active and dangerous now than they were ten years that are past Had the Papists ever such advantage against us since the Reformation as is now given them in the late Conspiracy by our Sectaries and Democratical Male-contents who Stile themselves Protestants though they are as far from being so as the Apostate Spirits from being Angels of Light Why then must that Clergy Man be voted Factious and Seditious whose Sermons are no other than a Confirmation of the Truth of your Oaths and who delivers no other Doctrine from the Pulpit than what is solemnly sworn by you in your Court How shall dangers be prevented that may happen from Popish Recusants if Ministers are trecherous to the Souls of the people and forbear to fore-warn and antidote them against the pernicious Doctrins of the Roman Church What will become of our Book of Homilies and Liturgy if we must undergo such heavy Censures for preaching against the rebellious and novel principles of Papists According to your vote they must both of them be disused in Churches For all the Hay and Stubble Errors and Superstitions that make up the Roman Religion are displayed and confuted in those two venerable Volumes For shame then disown your prejudices and rectify your mistakes What your passions moved you to Enact let your more sedate Judgments incite you if not to abrogate yet to suppress Do not by continuing in so strange an indiscretion make your want of Charity to be as apparent as your want of Knowledge But to come unto a more close arguing The matter of your Order which some if not most in the Common Council were against the very minute it was made as we are informed in London is either true or false if false you ought to retract and repent of it and to make the Reverend man Reparaion for the injury and disgrace you designed against him If true the Law is open let Deputies be impleaded and the offender proceeded against with the utmost rigour and Severity He is now actually possessed of some hundred pounds per An. In Church-preferments and the loss of those which he ought to suffer if your Accusation be just would prevent the trouble and charge of having some other Loyal Orthodox Divine to preach before you when he a scends the Pulpit of the Cathedral Nay to send him a begging together with his Wife and Children would be a punishment so adequately proportioned to his supposed Crimes that it might slake the rage of his most malicious enemies and would infallibly incapacitate him for ever Preaching Sermons amongst you that countenanced Sedition and Faction neither would the well affected men of your City be any more disturbed by his Harangues from the Pulpit And you may be assured that the main end that the Doctor proposes to himself in the publication of his Sermons is not only to vindicate his own Innocency but to furnish your zeal with matter to make good your charge against him And if you desist from the prosecution of him he and some others in the world will be apt to think that either you are afraid and dare