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A31487
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Certain considerations tending to promote peace and good will amongst Protestants very useful for the present times.
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Moderate conformist.
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1674
(1674)
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Wing C1695; ESTC R8765
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24,369
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36
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CERTAIN CONSIDERATIONS Tending to promote PEACE AND GOOD WILL Amongst PROTESTANTS Very useful for the present Times LONDON Printed for Thomas Parkhurst at the Bible and Three Crowns at the lower end of Cheapside near Mercers-Chappel 1674. Considerations tending to promote Peace 1 Cons THat some of the most considerable ranks and orders of men from the Reformation of Religion amongst us have manifested a desire to have some Favour and Indulgence shew'd to Dissenters in point of Ceremonies c. 2. That Dissenters or Non-conformists have often been misrepresented to the World 3. The late Civil Wars in England were not begun for the extirpation of Episcopacy and Liturgy or to settle the Presbyterian Government here 4. That the Modern English Presbyterians as they are call'd cannot be charged with divers of the Principles imputed to those called Presbyterians in England in the dayes of Queen Elizabeth or to the Presbyterians in Scotland 5. That there have been since the first Reformation in England men of Parts Piety and Learning and of good esteem in the Church of God who have boggled or scrupled at something in Subscription or the Conformity injoyned or practised 6. That divers Dissenters in former times have found favour with the Bishops 7. That the Parliamentarians in the beginning of our Troubles declare to abhor and detest all designs of Deposing or Murthering His late Sacred Majesty 8. That the Non-conforming Presbyterians had both their hearts and hands in the Restauration of His present Majesty to His Royal Throne 9. Many Bishops Clergy-men and Scholars though Non-conformists to the late times then enjoyed Places of Profit notwithstanding 10. That it is the declared Doctrine of the Church of England in her 34th Article of Religion That every Particular or National Church hath Authority to ordain change and abolish Ceremonies or Rites of the Church ordained only by mans Authority so that all things be done to Edification 11. That if the New Impositions and the Ceremonies should happen to be legally taken away many Thousands who now stand aloof off would Joyn with our Church-Assemblies 12. That the use of force or violent coursos for by Matters in Religion ought by all lawful wayes and means to be shunned and avoided Certain Considerations tending to promote Peace and Good will amongst Protestants useful for the present Times INstead of Preface and to prepare the minds of men for such Considerations as follow I desire the Reader to read certain excellent sayings of the Reverend Dean of the Chappel now Primate and Metropolitan of all England in a Sermon of his Preached before the King June 28th 1660. and after Printed viz. I hat 's the best the most Christian Memorie which as Caesar forgets nothing but Injuries Again Let 's all seriously and sadly look back consider and bemoan one another for what we have mutually done and suffer'd from each other let 's all be sorry for it and all mend perfectly forgiving what 's past and returning to as great a kindness as ever and a greater then ever that so by all mutual good Offices we may make amends for former animosities Shall God saith he so great so glorious after so high so many Provocations descend to be at peace with us and shall we poor worms be at enmity among our selves for tristes and that to the hazard of all the comforts of this life and hopes of a better And further shall we retain the memory of former unkindnesses and make a publick Act of Oblivion which we expect a Publick Lye without either fear of God or shame of the world This is not to have peace or enjoy it but with great ingratitude to throw it at him again it is but to change one War into another the open into secret hostility into treachery and by pretending peace and kindness to smooth the way to supplantation and injury the most base Serpentine and unmanly thing in the world These Golden sayings premised I humbly offer these Considerations 1 Consid That some of the most considerable Ranks and Orders of men since the Reformation of Religion amongst us have manifested a desire to have some favour or Indulgence shewed to Dissenters in point of Ceremonies c. King Edward the 6th wrote a Letter to Archbishop Cranmer in behalf of Mr. Hooper elected Bishop of Gleucester RIght Reverend Father and Right trusty and Well-beloved Whereas We by the advice of our Council have called and chosen Our right Well-beloved and well worthy Mr. John Hooper to be Our Bishop of Gloucester as well for his great Learning due Judgment and long study both in the Scriptures and other profound Learning as also for his good discretion ready utterance and honest life for that kind of Vocation c. from Consecrating of whom We understand you do stay because he would have you omit certain Rites and Ceremonies offensive to his Conscience whereby ye think you should fall in Praemunire of Lawes We have thought good by advice aforesaid to dispense and discharge you of all manner of dangers penalties and forfeitures you should run into and be in any manner of way by omitting any of the same And these Our Letters shall be your sufficient Warrant and Discharge therefore Aug. 5th Given under Our Signet at Our Castle of Windsor the fourth year of Our Reign King James also wrote two Letters to Queen Elizabeth in favour of Non-conformists one whereof you may read in D. Fuller's History of the Church Book the 9th Page 203. After these King Charles the First of blessed Memory in His Answer to the Remonstrance of the House of Commons presented to Him at Hampton Court December the first 1641. saith as follows In differences amongst Our selves for matters indifferent in their own Nature concerning Religion we shall in tenderness to any number of our Loving Subjects very willingly comply with the Advice of Our Parliament that some Law may be made for the exemption of tender Consciences from punishment or prosecution for such Ceremonies and in such Cases which by the judgment of most men are held to be matters indifferent and of some to be absolutely unlawful And again in his Message of the 20th of Jan. 1641. His Majesty proposeth to both Houses of Parliament the security of the true Religion now professed in the Church of England and the setling of Ceremonies in such a manner as may take away all just offence In His Message of the 14th of February following His Majesty more fully expresseth himself viz in these words Because His Majesty observeth great and difficult troubles to arise in the hearts of his People concerning the Government and Liturgy of the Church His Majesty is willing to declare that he will refer that whole Consideration to the Wisdom of His Parliament which he desires them to enter into speedily that the present Distempers about the same may be composed Since His most Gracious Majesty that now is and long and long may he continue our Soveraign Lord and
Henry the Third sent Armies against them to destroy them and yet they came to his help as soon as they saw him in danger Is it not true that they saved his life at Tours and delivered him from an extream peril Is it not true that they never forsook him nor his Successors in the midst of the revolt and Rebellion of most part of the Kingdom raised by the Pope and the greatest part of the Clergy Is it not true that they have assisted him in all his Battels and helped much to raise the Crown again which was ready to fall Is it not true that they which persecuted the late King Henry the Fourth injoy this day the Fruits of the Services done by the Protestants Such a Judgment saith Dr. Du Moulin is of good weight coming from a wise King who was truly informed of the business of his Neighbours And if so then Dr. P. H. surely was mis-informed himself and hath misrepresented the Case of the French Protestants to the world in his late History of the Presbyterians as he hath also done of the Netherland and Scots For the Reformed Religion saith Dr. P. Du Moulin was spread in the Netherlands over the Seventeen Provinces many years before there was any thought of making an Union against the Spaniards and neither was that Union made upon the score of Religion but of State for maintaining their Franchises against the oppression of Spain As it was sufficiently justified by their chusing Francis Duke of Alenson a Roman Catholick for their Prince So here for a farther clearing of the Netherlands from Rebellion Mr. Cambden tells us that after Reasons had been urged before Queen Elizabeth to prove them Rebels Her Majesty resolved that it was both Christian Piety to relieve the afflicted Netherlanders embracers of the same Religion She professed and Wisdom to provide for the safety of Her People And again he tells us that Anno 1587. the States in Parliament where were the Bishops also congratulated Queen Elizabeth as for good Laws so for the French King and the Netherlands relieved 'T is worth the observation that Queen Elizabeth and the Parliament of England looked on the Presbyterians in Holland as of the same Religion with themselves notwithstanding the difference in Church-Government and Ceremonies Mr. Gattaker observes out of John Bodin an Ingenuous and Judicious Writer and a Papist himself an Author of good note amongst Papists and Protestants both a notable commendation of Geneva See Method Histor cap. 6. page 245 That of the Genevians saith Bodin is landable if ought in any Nation and that which makes a Common-wealth to flourish if not in Riches and Majestical Empire yet sure in Piety and Virtue to wit the Pontificial Censure so he calls the Ecclesiastical or Presbyterial Discipline In that City therefore no Harlotry no Drunkenness no Dancings no Beggars no idle persons are found The aforesaid Mr. Gattaker to clear those of the Genevian way from Sedition tells us a Story of Bishop Elmor Bishop of London in Queen Elizabeths Reign viz. that when one Preaching at Paul's Cross had inveighed bitterly against the Puritans as a crew of seditious and turbulent persons and had affirmed the Puritans to be worse than the Papists No quoth the Bishop he said not therein aright for the Puritans if they had me amongst them would cut my Rochet only but the Papists would cut my Throat The same Author Mr. Gattaker tells us that his Successor Bishop Vaughan when another in the same place was no less eager in the same Argument the Bishop said to a Gentleman of his inward Acquaintance who Dined that day with him as the Gentleman himself told Mr. Gattaker I wish I could have had the Preachers Tongue to day for some space of time in my Pocket The way is not to convert or convince that party by Invectives and untruths It is true they affect not the present form of Government they are for another but they seek it by Petition not by Insurrection or Sedition And further to balance Dr. P. H's testimony against the Calvinians and Presbyterians and to undeceive well-minded persons who read his History of Presbyterians and believe him on that subject as much as they do his Comment on the Creed it self It will not be amiss to cite here some passages out of Mr. Bedel afterwards Bishop Bedel in his Answer to Wadsworth who objected against the Reformed Religion what Dr. P. H. doth against the Calvinian Reformers viz. That they were the cause of Sedition and Rebellion You have wronged saith Mr. Bedel those you have named and either lightly believed or unjustly surmised your self touching Luther Calvin Knox the French and the Hollanders when you make them the raisers of Rebellion and shedders of blood whose blood hath been shed like water in all parts of those Countreys against all Laws of God and Man against the Edicts and publick Faith till necessity enforced them to stand for their lives Pag. 136. As for the War in Germany saith the same Author it began not till after Luthers death neither was it a Rebellion of the Protestants the truth is they stood for their Lives The Emperor with the help of the Popes both Money and Arms intended to root them out and although at the first the Emperor did not avow his raising Arms against them to be for Religion yet the Pope in his Jubilee published upon this occasion did not let to declare to the world that himself and Caesar had concluded a League to reduce the Hereticks by force of Arms to the obedience of the Church and therefore all should pray for the good success of the War So the same Author pag. 124. As for Calvin he saith he did not by his unquietness and Ambition revolve the State of Geneva unjustly expelling and depriving the Bishop of Geneva and other Temporal Lords of their due obedience and ancient inheritance for he came to Geneva 1536. but Bodin in his Second Book de Repub. Chap. 6. affirmed and that in the same year Geneva was established a State Aristocratical which was he saith 1528. Geneva changed from a Monarchy Pontifical into an estate Popular governed Aristocratically although that long before the Town pretended to be free against the Earl and against the Bishop c. Further whereas Mr. Wadsworth layes to the Hugonots and Ghenses of France and Holland the raising of Civil Wars shedding of Blood occasioning Rebellions Rapines Desolations principally for their new Religion Mr. Bedel afterwards Bishop Bedel Answers pag. 132. These poor people having endured such barbarous Cruelties Massacres and Martyrdoms as scarce the like can be shewed in all Stories are now accused by you as the Authors of all they suffered No no Mr. Wadsworth they be the Laws of the Roman Religion that are written in blood It is the bloody Inquisition and the perfidious violating of the Edicts of Pacification that have set France and Flanders in combustion An evident Argument may be for Flanders