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B07159
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A most humble supplication of many the Kings Maiesties loyall subiects, ready to testifie all civill obedience, by the oath, as the law of this realme requireth, and that of conscience; who are persecuted, onely for differing in religion, contrary to divine and humane testimonies as followeth..
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Murton, John.
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1621
(1621)
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STC 563.7; ESTC S95969
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22,236
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39
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as freely have permitted the Trâ—th as the Truth could have suffered falshood leaâ—â—â—â— it to God to punish there should not have bene 〈◊〉 trouble at all in the State and Common wealth Againe who is not well acquainted with the flourishing estates of the neighbour Nations and that divers who tollerate Religion their Weales States and Cities are well and peaceably governed Many sorts of Religions are in their Provinces yet no trouble of State no treason no hinderance at all of any good they have all one harmonie in matters of State giving unto Caesar his due and for Religion they suffer one another patiently doing one unto another as they would be done unto And if any object the troubles of France or of the Low Countries it is easily answered the fountaine of them is that those that hold persecution lawfull take up armes or raise tumults for which cause it is just in the Princes and States to punish such severely for the breach of the Civill peace not medling with them for matter of conscience None that we know but Papists and Protestants doe persecute and therefore are onely lettered but altogether without the Spirit of God to perswade that persecution is profitable for a State it being so wicked and unprofitable as hath beene proved CHAP. X. Kings are deprived of no power that God hath given them when they maintaine freedome of Religion in their Dominions VVE are not ignorant that the learned doe perswade Kings and Princes that they have power from God to maintaine Gods worship and service as well as civill peace and so are mainteyners of both Tables and to punish false worshippers with imprisonment death or otherwise as other malefactors of the second Table Now concerning the latter we freely acknowledge they have all of them power from God to make humane Lawes that be just for the government of their Kingdomes and compell their subjects to observe them and to punish the transgressors of them and we all are to be obedient of conscience for the Lords sake But here lyeth the difficultie where God hath given to all Kings charge over his worship and spirituall service For God is a Spirit and they that worship him must worship him in Spirit and Truth Ioh. 4. If all Kings have this charge and power then doe all Kings sinne in this save one if one for many doe not at all thinke it is their charge and so doe altogether neglect it and some doe thinke it is their charge and doe maintaine it one in one manner and another in another so that there can be but one that doe well in it if one for there is but one Truth all the rest doe sinne some for not maintaining it at all and some for maintaining it after a false manner for a false worship is worse then none And this one may verie well be doubtfull because he is as subject to erre as the others And if he doe erre and constraine his subjects amisse they shall perish for their sinne and their bloud shall be required at his hands The learned say that Christian Kings have the same power that the kings of Israel had to maintaine Mose Law in which observe no other kings had power oâ— charge to maintaine that Religion but onely the Kings of Israel and yet the Common weales did continue long and flourish to them and their seed afteâ— them to many generation but in these daies diver Kings say they are in the place of the Kings of Israel and say they maintaine the Religion of Christs Gospell yet differ so much as they count one another Idolaters and Heretiques for maintaining his way May it please your Majestie to give us leave to ask of your learned in what place of the word of Go your charge standeth Wee often reade of your charg in civill things and that your power is from God an hee hath given you a sword to punish evill doers and defend the innocent but not to support any Religion nor suppresse any Religion by your earthly sword now in the time of Christ But we reade that Kings have given their power and authoritie to the Beast Revel 17. to uphold an Antichristian Religion and their be ten or many of them that doe it Therefore it behooveth all Kings that doe by power and force uphold any Religion to suspect themselves lest they be of those ten that uphold the Beast and fight against the Lambe And also let them feare lest seeming to uphold true Religion they sit in the consciences of men where Christ should sit For Christ is the alone King of Israel without a fellow or substitute as your Majestie well observeth in your Highnesse Apologie Christ is the Churches Monarch and the Holy Ghost his Deputie But we know that they will answer us your Charge is in the Law of Moses for in the Gospell they have no colour for Rom. 13. maketh nothing for this purpose Caesar being a Heathen King to whom God gave no authoritie nor sword for matter of Religion They say the children of Israel were commanded to destroy all the inhabitants of the Land Deut. 7. lest they intice them to serve their gods Exod. 23. And false Prophets to be slaine Deut. 13. These are their strong holds For answer unto which First the sinns of these people were full and the Lord would destroy them and give their possessions to Israel but the sinns of the refusers of Christ are not full untill the end Secondly the children of Israel had a speciall command from the Lord to destroy them but the kings of Nations have no command at all to destroy the bodies of the contrarie minded they are forbidden to plucke up the tares Mat. 13. Thirdly the Canaanites would have rebelled against Israel and have destroyed them but the contrarie minded will not rebell against their Kings all that doe let them be cut off Fourthly the Heads and Rulers of Israel could command and compel the people to observe those carnall Rites Ordinances of the Law but the Heads of the Nations cannot compell their Subjects to beleeve the Gospel for faith is the gift of God which faith if they want all that they doe in Gods worship is sinne Rom. 14.23 Heb. 11.6 therefore they cannot compell any to worship because they cannot give them faith for which cause the Lord in wisedome see it not meet to charge Kings with a dutie which they cannot performe For to acceptance with God there must be a willing mind 1. Cor. 9. and faith but seeing it is not in their power to work either of these but the worke of God alone as your Majestie saith in Parl. 1609. God will never require it at their hands The bloud of the faithlesse and misbeleeving shall be upon their own heads for he that will not beleeve shall be damned Againe seeing they grant the law of Adulterie Theft and the like to be changed and is not now to be exacted according to that Law for the Iudicials were but for that time place and person as your Majestie observeth in Parl. 1609. why should not this Deut. 13. be changed also for the causes aforesaid as also because Christ and his Apostles hath expresly forbidden it as hath beene proved reserving for such a sorer punishment Heb. 10. For if that Law should now be exacted all Kings would be deprived of many their faithfull subjects and the Cities of their habitation with all their substance that is therein must be burned with fire and made a heape of stones for ever vvhich God forbid This wee hope your Majestie and the rest in Authoritie may see there is no comparison between the Kings of Israel under the Law and the Kings of Nations in the time of the Gospell in matters of Religion Many things might be writ to prove that Kings are not deprived of that power which God hath given them by suffering the Freedome in Religion as also the high impietie of all such as force the conscience by persecution But this may suffice the Almightie blessing it which with your Kingly and Honourable Consultations wee commend unto the King of Kings with our uncessant prayers for such successe as may tend most to his glorie and the prosperous estate of this Kingdome The Kings Majestie loyall subjects in all lawfull obedience unjustly called Anabaptists
instructing them with meeknesse that are contrary minded proving if God at any time will give them repentance that they may acknowledge the truth and come to amendment out of the snare of the devill c. 2. Tim. 2. vvhich plainely sheweth that repentance must continually be waited for and not constreyned by persecution for repentance is the gift of God and cannot be constrained at mans pleasure Fiftly Christs Kingdome is not of this world Ioh. 18. neither are the vveapons thereof carnall but Spirituall 2. Cor. 10.4 And therefore the worldly weapons of earthly Kingdome cannot accomplish the things of Christs Kingdome The reason of all these are Because they who are now tares may hereafter become wheate they that now resist him may hereafter receive him they that are now in the devils snare even adversaries to the truth may hereafter come to repentance some come not till the eleventh houre Mat. 20.6 If those that come not to the last houre should be destroyed because they come not at the first then should they never come but be prevented CHAP. VII The Testimonies and practises of famous Princes against persecution FIrst your most excellent Majestie saith in your exposition upon Revel 20. ch First Printed in Edenborough 1588. after in London 1603. Sixtly the Compassing of the Saints and besieging of the beloved Citie declareth unto us a certaine note of a false Church to be persecution For they come to seeke the faithfull the faithfull are those that are sought the wicked are the besiegers the faithful the besieged And in your Highnesse speech at the Session of Parliament 1609. you say It is a sure rule in Divinity that God never loves to plant his Church by violence and bloudshed And in your Majesties Apologie for the Oath of Allegeance pag. 4. you say I gave a good proofe that I intended no persecution against them for conscience cause but onely desired to be secured of them for civill obedience which for conscience cause they were bound to performe And Pag. 60. speaking of Blackwell the Arch-priest your Highnesse saith It was never my intention to lay any thing to the said Arch-priests charge as I have never done to any for cause of conscience c. And in your Majesties Meditation upon the Lords Prayer your Highnesse adviseth that in the matters of Gods worship we should not doe that we doubt Also that noble Prince The King of Bohemia hath written thus Notwithstanding the successe of these latter times wherein sundry opinions have beene hatched about the subject of Religion may make one clearely discerne with his eye and as it were touch with his finger that according to the veritie of holy Scripture and a Maxime heretofore held and maintained by the ancient Doctors of the Church That mens consciences ought in no sort to be violated urged or constrained and whensoever men have attempted any thing by this violent course whether openly or by secret meanes the issue hath beene pernitious and the cause of great and wonderfull innovations in the principallest and mightiest Kingdomes and Countries of all Christendome c. For which cause his Majestie saith So that once more wee doe protest before God and the whole world that from this time forward we are firmly resolved not to persecute or molest or suffer to be persecuted or molested any person whatsoever for matter of Religion no not they which professe themselves to be of the Romane Church neither to trouble nor disturbe them in the exercise of their Religion so they live conformably to the Lawes of the State c. And for the practise of this thing it is well known that many great Monarchs Princes and States suffer Religion free and doe not constraine the conscience of any man by bodily persecutions not onely Heathen Princes as the Turk and Persian but even Catholique Princes and many Protestant Princes also CHAP. VIII Divers Testimonies of inferiour men against persecution HIllar contra Auxen The Christian Church doth not persecute but is persecuted and lamentable it is to see the great follie of these times and to sigh at the foolish opinion of this world in that men thinke by humane aid to help God and with worldly pompe and power to undertake to defend the Christian Church J aske you Bishops what help used the Apostles in the publishing of the Gospell with the aide of what power did they preach Christ and converted the Heathen from their idolatry to God When they were in prisons and lay in chaines did they praise and give thankes to God for any Dignities Graces and Favours received from the Court Or doe you thinke that Paul went about Regall mandates or Kingly authoritie to gather and establish the Church of Christ Sought he protection from Nero Vespation whose envie and hate against Christ made the Gospell and the acknowledgement thereof more to flourish The Apostles wrought with their hands for their owne maintenance travelling by land and water from Town to Citie to preach Christ yea the more they were forbidden the more they taught and preached Christ but now alas humane helpe must assist and protect the faith â—nd give the same countenance with and by vaine and worldly honours doe men seeke to defend the Church of Christ as if he by his power were not able to performe it Hill con Arian The Church now which formerly â—y enduring miserie and imprisonment was knowne to be a â—rue Chruch doth now terrifie others by imprisonment banishment and miserie and boasteth that she is highly esteemed of the world whereas the true Church cannot but be hated of the same Ambrose in his booke of Widowes The Church oâ—ercommeth the power of the adversarie not with worldly but with spirituall weapons which are powerfull before God â—o cast downe holds and spirituall wickednesses Damasc 3. sent cap. 33. The Gospell is preached â—hrough the world which overcame not the adversaries â—hereof through the sword or by warre but a few naked poore unlearned and scourged people confounded and brought to nought the wise men of the world for how shall â—he Church otherwise have Martyrs if she her selfe martyred others Ierom. in proaem lib. 4. in Ieremiam Heresie is to be cut off with the sword of the Spirit let us strike thoâ—ow with the arrowes of the Spirit all sonnes and disciples of misse-led heretiques that is with Testimonies of holy Scripture the slaughter of Heretiques is by the word of God Tertul. ad Scapul It agreeth both with humane equiâ—ie and naturall reason that everie man worship God uncomâ—ompelled and beleeve what he will for it neither hurteth nor profiteth any man another mans Religion or Beleefe neither beseemeth it any Religion to compell another to be of their Religion which willingly and freely should be imbraced and not by constraint for as much as the offerings were required of those that freely and with a good will offered and not from the contrary Brentius upon 1. Cor. 3. No man hath power to make or