they be really such into Parishes A. If the Law doth not make Non-Conforming Ministers Intruders by what Law doth he call them so The Law of the Land he vindicates from this Aspersion and we are sure the Law of God layeth no such crime to our charge For Ministers duly qualified and by the unanimous consent of a Christian People elected and call'd to be their Ministers are not intruders tho' their Election be not ratisy'd by the Civil Sanction else all the Ministers of the Gospel for the first 300 years of Christianity had been Intruders That a Christian People have power to Elect and call their own Ministers is according to the Primitive Patern Cyprian's Rule Lib. 1. Ep. 4. is consonant to Scripture viz. Plebs ipsa potestatem habet vel eligendi dig nos sacerdotes vel indig nos recusandi And even in Rome it self in Pope Leo's time it was a Rule Qui prae futurus est omnibus ab omnibus Elegatur And such we are able to make appear our Election to the Ministry to be 2. Nor hath the Parl. of Scotland made any Act against intruding into Parishes but against intruding into Churches and seizing upon Manses and Glebs which if N. C's here had done it 's possible they had both heard and felt that there are Acts of Parl. against such intruders The fourth instance of Moderation is that the Establish'd Church hath not forbid these Dissenters whom the Calamities of the late times had driven away to return and perform any Ministerial Acts in the places where formerly they held their Conventicles for want of a Legal Call A. Had Dissenters as obstinately refused to swear Allegiance to K. W. and Q. M. as his Episcopal Brethren did in Scotland we shou'd have had as little favour as the Non-jurant Clergy there have had and justly deserv'd it But why the Government of Scotland only shou'd be condemn'd for severity when both in England and Ireland the Non-jurant Bishops and Clergy have met with the same measure and yet he dates not tax the Government here or in England of severity upon that account so that he is either grosly impartial or a Jacobite in heart tho' he appear for King William The Fifth Instance of Moderation is That they have not here authorized or required the Mayors of Corporations and Justices of the Peace to remove all those who have intruded or shall intrude as they have done in Scotland A. If the Civil Magistrate were subject to the Authority of the Church we have cause to be confident of being otherwise dealt with than at present we are God be blessed for it We think he deserves a fee if he 'll make good that Dissenters may without counter acting Acts of Parl. enter and possess Churches and Tythes but then why makes he such a hideous out-cry against the Minister of Letterkenny for his intrusion His Sixth and last Instance of Moderation exceeding that of Scotland is that they have not ordered Writs of Rebellion against Dissenting Ministers in order to the removing them out of Parishes where they live and making them desist from exercising Ministerial Acts. A. For all this boasted of Moderation the time was when there were Writs out against all the Dissenting Ministers to apprehend them whereupon many were apprehended and imprison'd which is well known And we owe but little thanks to Church-men for the mercy we now enjoy But by this he insinuates that the Episcopal Clergy are by Writs and Capias's driven from living in any Parishes in Scotland which is a Calumny and by it we may see how safe his Majesty's Government is like to be under such Directors of Conscience who labour to possess his Subjects against him and his Government as cruel and severe notwithstanding all the Clemency he has us'd to such as are declar'd Enemies to his Authority The D. having triumph'd in the victory of the Establish't Church of Ireland over that of Scotland in point of Moderation seems to be mov'd with a Prophetick Spirit to â—oreteâ—l that in case such Revolution of Church Affairs should happen in this Kingdom as hath lately been in Scotland the V. and his Adherents would imitate the Presbyterians in Scotland and make the Episcopal Clergy desist from exercising any Ministerial Acts and Issue out Writs of Rebellion against them A. Either he fears what he supposeth will come to pass or not If he doth really fear such Revolution then we think 't were his wisdom to be preparing an Ark for saving himself and houshold tho it be no policy to declare his fears seeing thereby he incourageth Dissenters and weakens the hands of his Friends by representing us as a formidable party But if he believes no probability of what he supposeth he needs not trouble us or his party with such Prophecies for if he were not conscious to himself that he had deserved ill of Dissenters he would not fear ill from them To make his Prophecy probable he tells us that the Professors in Colleges of Scotland felt the rigor of the Presbyterian Visitation which he calls by the odious name of Inquisition practised upon the Professor of the College of Edinburgh in Aug. and Sept. 1690. according to an Act passed the 4th of July 1690. By which it is ordered that no Minister or Professor in any College or School shall be allowed to continue in the Exercise of his Function but such as shall subscribe to the Confession of Faith ratify'd by this present Parliament and submit to the Government of the Church now Establisht by Law A. To stigmatize the Visitors of the University's acting by his Majesty's Commission and Parliamentary Authority with the odious name of Inquisitors and the Visitation with the name of Inquisition doth palpably insinuate that tho the Heroick Ancestors of our King did drive the Inquisition out of the Netherlands yet he and his Queen have brought it into Scotland And tho he will swear he intended no such â—â—flection on his Majesty yet it 's too apparent he would make him and these acting by Authority under him successors to St. Dominick 2. He falsely attributes to the Church the Act of the State 3. When he wou'd prove a removal of Persons Episcopal from Civil Employments he instances in Professors of Divinity which are not esteem'd Civil Employments in Scotland 4. The ground of their removal was their refusing to swear Allegiance to K. W. and Q M. and the reason they gave for their refusal was that they were not crown'd K. and Q. of Scotland tho' they made no such scruple of swearing to K. James whether or no by justifying them in this he partake with them in their evil deeds let all Men judge 5. It 's highly hypocritical to rail at that as Sin in others which we applaud in ourselves as a Vertue for what more criminal is it in the Church of Scotland to oblige its Professors of Divinity to subscribe its legally Establish'd Doctrin and to submit to its
Animadversions ON The Defence of the Answer To a PAPER INTITULED The CASE of the Dissenting Protestants of Ireland In Reference to a BILL of Indulgence from the Exceptions made against it TOGETHER With An ANSWER to A Peaceable Friendly Address TO THE Non-Conformists Written upon their desiring an Act of Toleration without the SACRAMENTAL TEST Phil. 4. 5. Let your Moderation be known unto all men the Lord is at hand Printed in the the Year 1697. To the Protestant Reader THe Publication of these Animadversions tho design'd some time ago had ceas'd if a late Pamphlet called A Peaceable and Friendly Address c. had not importun'd it For seeing some men judge it their Interest to mis-represent to the world them they 'r pleas'd to call N. Conforming Brethren as a factious and schismatical people whereby we are mis-apprehended and pre-condemn'd We cannot in justice to Truth and Innocence suffer such so to prey upon the Credulity of some and our Reputation as thereby to hazard their Souls and our Safety Yea compassion to our Adversaries in endeavouring the prevention of their being wise in their own conceit a case more despcrate than that of Fools obligeth us to vindicate our selves and inform mis-guided people with words of Truth and Soberness The people we plead for are not the Idle and Consuming Caterpillars of the Nation but Industrious Labourers Ingenious Artists and Honest Traders whose religious Principles will abide in their strength while one jâ—t or tittle of the Law of God indures becase they adore the fulness of the H. Scriptures as the perfect and only rule of Faith and Manners They believe the necessity of a standing Gospel-Ministry in the Church to whose directive Authority they submit themselves not by an implicit Faith but by a judgment of Discretion All God's holy Ordinances and instituted Worship they embrace but their Fear towards God is not taught by the Commandments of men Their doctrine bears conformity with that of the Reformed Churches abroad and harmoniously agrees with that of Ireland declar'd in her Convocation An. 1615 excepting in what relates to Prelacy and Ceremonies They are willing to give unto Caesar what is Caesar's and unto God what is God's They profess their Credenda Petenda and Agenda ought all to be regulated by the word of God These Principles we believe are able to abide a Fiery Tryal And as their Principles are true so their Petitions are modest Episcopal Grandeur Jurisdiction or Revenues is not demanded for their Ministers or by them A liberty to serve God according to these foresaid Principles with a relief from some Penal Laws formerly fram'd against them and that no new ones be forg'd to their preiudice is all they require And if such modest Requests may be with Christian Conscience deny'd a people of such Principles we leave to the determination of our Judge that standeth at the Door if Men should give sentence against us Animadversions On the Defence of the Answer to a Paper ENTITULED The Case of the Dissenting Protestants in Ireland c. WHen Diogenes trampled upon Aristippus's Cushion and insulted over himself in these words See how I trample on Aristippus's Pride he had this return thou dost it but with no less Pride So when the Defendant of the Answer c. salutes the Vindicator of the Dissenters Case with a charge of sourness and vanity of temper In the very entrance of his diseourse he discovers so much of the distemper in himself that if Civility coult not yet Conscience of the same evil in himself should have oblig'd him to treat his Adversary more decently But whether the sourness of his temper or his vanity to comprize an Iliad of Railing Accusations in a Nut-shell hath induc'd him with one breath to upbraid the Vindicator with sourness and vanity of temper dexterity in perverting little sincerity dising enuity injustice c. I determine not but if his Reasoning taâ—ent be equivalent to his Railing no Dissenter will be able to stand before him Lest he shou'd be suspected of transgressing the 9th Commandment he attempts to make good this charge by as he calls it A remarkable Instance of the Dissenters injustice to him viz. The phrase general Indulgence us'd by him which as he saith doth plainly signify no more than a legal toleration of Dissenting Protestants the Vindicator wrests to import a comprehension of all sorts of Religion Answ If this be Injustice he hath cause to fear that all who have sense to discern words will be injurious to him seeing General Indulgence natively signifies Indulgence to all sorts of Persons and Opinions And 't is improper to say that General Indulgence imports only toleration of Protestant Dissenters which is but Special unless Protestant Dissentors should comprehend all sorts which himself doth not assert As the Vindicator hath not wrested his Expressions so neither hath he misrepresented his Sense seeing all the arguments he useth against the Indulgence pleaded for militat only against an unlimited and general Indulgence of all sorts The next thing disgusts the Defendant is a rule laid down by the Vindicator that these are of the same Religion with the Establish't Church who subscribe her Doctriual Articles this rule he 'll not allow to be true and that because there being three general parts of Religion viz. Doctrin Worship and Government unless we agree in all these we are not of the same Religion A. If the Rule be not good why do the Books of Articles in England an 1552 and 1562 and those in Ireland in 1616 unanimously declare that they were agreed upon in Convocation for avoiding of diversities of Opinions and for Establishing Consent touching true Religion Do not the Subscribers to the 6th Article concerning the sufficiency of holy Scripture for Salvation subscribe to the Worship and Government of the Church as well as to its Doctrin if they do not as the D. insinuates it must be because that Worship and Doctrin is not read in the holy Scripture nor may be proved thereby which is no honor to the Liturgy Ceremonies or Prelacy Dr. Stillinfleet in his Irenicum hath endeavoured to prove that Men may be of the same Religion and yet not under the same particular form of Church Government And I am persuaded 't will be hard for the D. to produce any Church that is or hath been in the world with which the Establisht Church of England doth exactly agree in Form of Worship and Government And thus by his Rule excluding us from the same Religion with the Establisht Church he doth also cut her off from Communion in the same Religion with any Church in the World The Anabaptists against whom the D. excepts as unfit to be comprehended in the Indulgence are of age let them speak for themselves we are none of their Advocates Yet the V's reason for including them and his Charity also was their being included in the Act of Indulgence for England An. 1689. And in a Bill
prepared by the Council of Ireland in my Lord Sydneys Government and approved by the K. Q. and council of England and Re-transmitted to be Enacted by the Parliament here in 1692. But if the Reason of his dissatisfaction with them be only their denying one of the Doctrinal Articles durst he be so Impartial he hath no less cause to look upon many of his Brethren Fathers and Sons of the Church as intolerable as the Anabaptists for they are too truly suspected to have no sincere veneration for several of the Articles And Bishop Bramhall hath taught us concerning the 39 Articles that the Church doth not define any of these Questions as necessary to be believed either necessitate praecepti or medii nor doth look upon them as Essentials of Saving Faith or Legacies of Christ or his Apostles but as pious Opinions fitted for the preservation of Vnity Stillingst Ratif p. 54 55. neither doth she oblige any man to believe them but not to contradict them Whence we may see what great esteem the great Prelates of the Church have for the 39 Articles Seeing then by such the Incarnation Death and Resurrection of Christ be not Essentials of Saving Faith but only pious Opinions why should Anabaptists be look'd on as intolerable for denying Infant Baptism when the Doctrin of Biptism is only a pious Opinion We notice this not in defence of Anabaptists but to lay open the D's gross partiality who knowing how little regard many Sons of the Church have for these Articles yet tacitly justifies them when he condemns others for the same or less faults But for this let him read Bishop Taylor 's Liberty of Prophecying p. m. 227. The V. asserted that the Bill pleaded for by the Dissenters would multiply no other Sects than those mention'd in it and tolerated by it which the D. tells hath little shew of Reason to recommend it and that because such a Toleration may occasion the Rise and Increase of many others not pleaded for To confirm which he instanceth Holland where in few years the Anabaptists spawned 50 Sects all under the same name A. The Reason giv'n to disprove the V's Assertion hath as little substance of Reason to recommend it as the V. had shew for what if Toleration to some Protestant Dissenters shou'd occasion the Rise of other Sects must it be therefore unreasonable to tolerate them By this way of arguing we might prove the Reformation from Popery yea Christianity it self Intolerable because they occasion'd the Rise of many Sects and most bloody Persecutions tho they were not the proper causes of these Evils even so the tolerating two or three can never be the cause of multiplying more if no other be tolerated save those two or three Further the Instance of Holland is disingenuously offered for he knows the Toleration there granted is nothing like what 's here desired seeing there are comprehended all sorts Jews Papists c. And therefore all multiply where they are equally tolerated but here only three are pretended But again his Inference with its Reason are neither fairly not prudently produced his Inference is That persons in Authority should deny an unlimited and irrestricted Indulgence to Presbyterians and Independents his Reason is lest the general and legal Allowance granted should be productive of many Sects which tho different from each other should disire to be called by their names to take away their reproach and that they might enjoy the benefit of the publick Toleration A. This Inference unjustly insinuate that on unlimited Toleration is desired when as in matters of Religion we are satisfy'd to be limited by the Law of God In matters Civil by the Law of the Land The imprudence of his Reason is that it militats as much against a legal Establishment as a legal Toleration and more for Experience reacheth us that many desire the Ruler's favour and to be called by the name of the Established Church and shrowd themselves under her cover both to take away their reproach and also to share of the Honour Rise and plentiful provision allow'd the Sons of the Church The D. being dissatisfy'd with the V's weakness or unwillingness to apprehend the mischievous consequences of this legal Toleration notwithstanding all he had said complains of him that he had propounded several Questions to little purpose among which he instanceth one viz. Whether the Popish Interest will be ever the stronger because there are more Protestants to oppose it and because their mutual forbearance will more unite their endeavors against the common Enemy so this the D. answereth 1st That tho the Popish interest will be sensibly weak and by the increase of Proteâ—ants of the same Communion yet it will be considerably strengthned by the multiplicity of Sects which Legal Indulgence generally promotes 2d That Dissenters on the grant of Legal indulgence will grow far more insolent and tumultucus than they were before as hath been observed in a Neighbour Kingdom A. To his first 't is plain that the increase of Protestants tho' not of the same Communion doth not considerably strengthen but weaken the Popish Interest for hath not the Increase of Protestants in Germany France Britain and Ireland since 1691 particularly in the North tho' of different Communion considerably weaked the Popish Interest Much more would the greater increase of the number of Protestants here in Ireland weaken them in their Civil and consequently in the defence and maintenance of their Religious Interests were they encouraged by a legal Indulgence And 't is too well known to be with modesty denied that the Popish Interest here hath been and yet is weakened by other hands than those of the Established Church only for he and all may know how formidable Vlster appeared to Tyrconnel and his Party in Winter 1688 and how undauntedly it resisted and foiled King James's Army and Reinforced Duke Sconberg's And he and every Man of sence knows the far greater Number there are Dissenters for the truth whereof we vouch Bp. King for 30000 in his Diocess and leaves him in his next to publish their Numbers in his own and Neighbouring Diocesses But bless't be God we are not divided in defending the British and Protestant Interest against a Popish Irish Interrest And I hope as the many Parties of different Religions and Interest now confederate against France do considerably weaken that King while they unite all in one to make him just and peaceable so will we the Protestants of Ireland against our common Enemy for the Union of many Parties Syncretizing against a common Foe is not that which strengthens the Adversary but when these several Parties divide in heart and hand by mutual conflict that impedes their joining for the common good which is the native Fruit of one prevailing Party's persecuting the rest And this the Papists labour to effectuat whose drudgery he and his Brethren do with all their might while they daily labour to keep us off and at under with
mechanick Priest-Missionaries that came into England would prove the truth of that Letter better which will be suspected till then by all that consider how hard it would be to perswade lazy Priests to undergo the long fatigue of learning Handycrafts which would do them little service without the language of the Land And they who know the strict scrutiny made by Presbyterians and Independants e're they admit any as members of their Congregations or Ministers will be more affraid that such should thrust themselves in the Establish'd Churches than ours His 3d. Argument to prove that Toleration to Dissenting Protestants will increase Popery is because 't is the cause of our Divisions whereof the Papists take great advantage For proof whereof he cites Mr. Baxter A. That Papists and all other Adversaries make their advantage by our Divisions is seen and bewailed by all good men with Mr. Baxter but that our mutual forbearance of one another in matters not necessary to Salvation was ever the cause of divisions Mr. Baxter hath nor taught but the contrary Yet if he desire an account of the true causes of our divisions he may learn them from one of the Ornaments of the Church of England the memorable Mr. John Hales of Eaton in his Tract of Schism page 201. Who teacheth us that all Schisms have crept into the Church by one of these three ways 1st Upon matter of Fact 2d Upon matter of Opinion 3d. On point of Episcopal Ambition I call that matter of Fact when something is required to be done by us which we know or strongly suspect to be unlawful So the first notable Schism of which we read in the Church contained in it matter of Fact for it being upon Error taken for necessary that an Easter must be kept and upon worse than Error if I may so speak for it was no less than a point of Judaism forc'd upon the Church upon worse than Error I say thought further necessary that the ground for the time of keeping that Feast must be the Rule left by Moses unto the Jews There arose a stout Question whether we were to celebrate with the Jews on the 14th of the Moon or on the Sunday following This matter tho most unnecessary most vain yet caus'd as great a combustion as ever was in the Church the first separating and refusing Communion with the last for many years together In this phantastical hurry I cannot see but that all the world were Schismaticks neither can any thing excuse them from that Imputation excepting only this that we charitably suppose that all Parties out of Conscience did what they did a thing which befell them through the Ignorance of their Guides for I will not say their Malice and that through the just judgment of God because through Sloath and blind Obedience men examin'd not the things which they were taught but like Beasts of burthen patiently couched down and indifferently underwent whatsoever their Superiors laid upon them Further page 210. For in these Schisms which concern Fact nothing can be a just cause of refusal of Communion but only to require the execution of some unlawful and suspected Act for not only in Reason but Religion too that Maxim admits of no Release Cautissimi cujusque praeceptum quod dubtias ne feceris And speaking of the second Councel of Nice where Image-worship was established where was the first remarkable Schism upon just occasion of Fact he tells us The schismatical Party was the Synod it self and such as conspir'd with it for concerning the use of Images in Sacris 1. It is acknowledgby all that it is not a thing necessary 2. It is by most suspected 3. It is by many held utterly unlawful Can then the injoyning the practice of such a thing be ought else but abuse or can the refusal of Communion here be thought any other thing than duty here or upon the like occasion to separate may peradventure bring personal trouble and danger against which it concerns every honest man to have pectus bene preparatum so that in these cases you cannot be to seek what you think or what you have to do His 2d sort of Schism arising upon occasion of variety of Opinion is thus It hath been saith he the common disease of Christians from the beginning not to content themselves with that measure of Faith which God in Scripture hath expresly afforded us but out of a vain desire to know more than is revealed they have attempted to discuss things of which they can have no light neither from Reason nor Revelation neither have they rested here but upon pretence of Church Authority which is none or Tradition which is for the most part but figment they have peremptorily concluded and confidently impos'd on others a necessity of entertaining conclusions of that nature c. After he tells were Liturgies and publick Forms of Service so framed as that they admitted of no particular and private Fancies but contained only such things as in which all Christians do agree Schisms in opinions were utterly Vanished for consider all the Liturgies that are or have been and remove from them whatsoever is Scandalous to any Party and leave nothing but what all agree in and the event shall be that the publick Service and Honour of God shall no ways suffer whereas to load our Publick Forms with the private fancies upon which we differ is the most Sovereign way to perpetuate Schism unto the Worlds End Prayer Confession Thanksgiving Reading of Scripture Exposition of Scripture Administration of Sacraments in the plainest and simplest manner were matters enough to furnish out a sufficient Liturgy tho' nothing either of private Opinion or of Church Pomp of Garments of prescribed Gestures of Imagery of Musick of matter concerning the Dead of many superfluities which creep into the Churches under the Dream of Order and Decency did interpose it self For to charge Churches and Liturgies with things unnecessary was the first beginning of all Superstition and when scruple of Conscience began to be made or pretended then Schism begun to break in If the spiritual Guides and Fathers of the Church would be a little sparing of incumbring the Churches with superfluities and not over-rigid either in receiving absolute Customs or imposing New there were far less danger of Schism or Superstition and the inconveniency were likely to issue would be but this they should in so doing yield a little to the imbecillities of Inferiors a thing which St. Paul could never have refused to do in the mean while where ever false and suspected Opinions are made a piece of the Churches Liturgy he that separates is not Scismatick for it 's alike unlawful to make profession of known and suspected falsehoods as to put in practice unlawful and suspected Actions The third Cause of Schism is Episcopal Ambition p. 218 saith he Aristotle tells us that necessity causeth but small Faults but Avarice and Ambition are Mothers of great Crimes Episcopal Ambition
hath made this true for no occasion hath produc'd more continuing and more sanguinary Schisms than this hath done the Sees of Alexandria of Antioch of Constantinople and above all of Rome do abundantly shew this much and our Ecclesiastical Stories Witness no less of which the greatest part consists in factionating and tumultuating of Great and Potent Bishop c. This Episcopal Ambition shewed it self especially in two Heads one concerning plurality of Bishops in one See another the Superiority of Bishops in divers Sees As to the first he tells us That the general Practice of the Church since the Original of Episcopacy as now it is was never to admit at once more than one Bishop in one See and to prevent Spiritual Polygamy neither would they admit of two Cathedrals but from the beginning it was not so for even at Rome and Hippo there were two Bishops at one time neither doth it savour of Vice or Misdemeanour that it should be so still their Punishment sleeps not who go about unnecessarily and wantonly to infringe it But the other head of Episcopal Ambition concerning Supremacy of Bishops in divers Sees one claiming Superiority over another as it hath been from time to time a great Trespasser against the Churches Peace so it is now the final Ruin of it the East and West through the fury of the two prime Bishops being irremediably separated without all hope of Reconcilement and beside all this mischief is founded on a Vice contrary to all Christian Humility without which no Man shall see his Saviour for they do but abuse themselves and others that would perswade us that Bishops by Christ's Institution have any Superiority over other men further than that of Reverence or that any Bishop is Superior to another further than positive Order agreed upon amongst Christians hath prescrib'd for we have believed him that hath told us that in Jesus Christ there is neither high nâ—r low and that in giving honour every man should be ready to prefer another before himself which sayings cut off all claim most certainly to Superiority by title of Christianity except men can think that these things were only spoken to poor and private men Nature and Religion agree in this that neither of them have a hand in this heraldry of secundum sub supra all this comes from composition and agreement of men among themselves wherefore this abuse of Christianity to make it lacquy to ambition is a vice for which we have no ordinary name and an ordinary one we will not give it lest you should take so transcendent a vice for a trivial Thus the Memorable Mr. Jo. Hales And would to God all would consider his words most seriously by which we may see what are the true causes of Schism and who are the Schismaticks Whence also it will appear that a publick Indulgence to weaker Brethren in matters not necessary and suspected to be unlawful is no cause of Divisions but on the contrary an ambitious claim of Superiority imposing private Opinions and commanding suspected Practices are the true causes of them and ever will be The D's 4th Argument against Publick Indulgence is That they have not only fatally conduced to the perverting a considerable number of Protestants but also effectually hindred the conversion of many Papists who tho sensible of many gross Errors in Principles and ungodly Practices in the Worship enjoyn'd them by Rome yet have been so highly scandalized by the Divisions amongst us that they have rather chosen to continue in them c. A. Had not the D. trusted more to the Rhetorick than Logick of this Argument he had conceal'd it being a Sophism as they call it of non causa pro causa and is no stronger than this the legal establishment of one of the divided parties perverts many and hindreth the conversion of Papists because they are scandalized at our Divisions for a legal toleration of some is not the cause but consequent of our Divisions seeing Divisions must be before the necessity of a Toleration to the Parties divided 2dly If our Divisions scandalize the Papists as I am perswaded they do he may enquire at the Memorable Mr. John Halos who are the Dividers and to whom the Woe is due that belongs to such as cause Offences 3dly Such Papists as are sensible of gross Errors in Principles and ungodly Practices in the Worship enjoyned them and yet continue in them would have had the same object on against Christianity it self had they lived in Corinth in the days of the Apostles for then were Divisions nor do I see what loss the Church sustains by want of such Converts as can live for Union's sake in gross Errors and ungodly Practices whereof they are convinced And why Division should terrify them from Conversion I see not seeing if they will be converted to us they must divide from Rome 4thly But what if the rigid severity of the domineering party of Protestants against all who differ from them be the cause of Offence Sure Intelligent Papists are not ignorant of the Divisions among themselves but neither Party being permitted to bite and devour each other except by Pen and Ink they glory in their Union notwithstanding these Divisions Bishop Hall in his Letter to Mr. Laud afterward Archbishop Laud expostulating with him about his unsettledness in Religion hanging betwixt the Romanists and Protestants upon the account of our Divisions tells him Whither will ye go for Truth if ye will allow no truth but where there is no Division To Rome perhaps famous for Unity famous for Peace See now how happily ye have chosen how well have you sped So their Cardinal Bellarmin himself a Witness above exception under his own hand acknowledgeth to the world and reckons up 237 contraâ—â—â—â—â— of Doctrin amongst the Romish Divines no they are no more peaceable but more subtil they fight more closely within doors all our frays are in the Frield our strite is in Ceremony theirs is in Substance so the Decad 3 Ep. 5. The D's 5th Argument to prove that this legal liberty to Protestant Dissenters will advance the Popish Interest is taken from the different state of Denmark and Swedland from that of the United Provinces in reference to the numbers of Papists in these Countreys For as the strictness of the Laws against those who differ from these Established Churches hath been remarkably effectual for the rooting out of Popery from amongst them so the unlimited Toleration granted in Holland to all sorts of Religions hath multiplied the Papists there c. A. As the strictness of the Laws in Denmark and Sweden are remarkable for rooting out Popery so are they for rooting out all Protestants save Lutherans And if their strictness be their perfection we can tell him of more perfect Laws viz. the Laws of the Holy Inquisition which are as soveraign prophylactick for the Established Churches of Spain and Italy as these of Denmark and Sweden are so that he
true he Petition'd the Assembly who referr'd his Case to the Presbyteries of Lanerk and Hamilton where he had formerly been officiated but was by them rejected for his Immoralities which himself knows and all have cause to believe seeing Bishop Foley late Bishop of Down and Connor did for gross Immoralities fully proven against him deprive him of his Curacy he had got in the Parish of Dunean in the County of Antrim So that if he was barbarorsly robbed by Presbiterians in Scotland he has met with as little mercy from his Brethren in Ireland as the Records of the Diocess of Connor can testify His third Exception to these Gentlemens Letter is to these words in it viz. So far are they in Scotland from exercising severities against men for being Episcopal in their Judgment that a great part of the Ministers of that Kingdom who injoyed not only the Protection of the Government but the free and Publick Exercise of their Ministry together with the legal Established maintenance before the first of September last were or professed to be of the Episcopal Perswasion and had not at that time so much as taken the Oath of Allegiance to his Majesty and yet of these no more is required for their continuance in their Parishes than that they take the said Oath of Allegiance and Assurance and that they behave themselves worthily in Doctrine Life and Conversation as appears by the Act of Parliament past July 16. 1695. Before the D. can answer this he throws himself into a paraxism of astonishment at those who pretending to be more then ordinary strict and holy Ministers of Jesus Christ and the most faithful Servants of the God of truth that they can allow themselves the liberty of willfully misrepresenting the most notorious matters of Fact and the plainest State of publick Affairs and flatly contrary to truth and the mind of the writer of which he offers to prove the V. scandalously guilty But had he rightly pitcht on the guilty and as truly confest his own fault as he faâ—sly accuseth the V. he might have deserv'd compassion to cry out against those Sins in others which we nourish in our own Bosoms is hypocrisie But in answer to these words he first concedeth a matter of Fact viz. That the Episcopal Clergy in Scotland have enjoyed the free Exercise of their Religion and quiet possession of their Parishes c. which indeed many in the North yet do But saith he 1. These Instances are but seeming favours 2. They be produc'd as arguments of the moderation of the Presbyterian Government whereas they are nothing else but the effect of the weakness of the Party A. If the Protection of the Government in the free and publick Exercise of Religion with the Legally establisht maintenance be but seeming favours Let the Dissenters here have only such seeming favours and we shall promise in their name real thanks for the same But 2. He might have own'd them real favours had he consider'd on whom they were confer'd even the Abetters of Viscount Dundee's Rebellion For by his silence to the third Paragraph of that Letter viz. That at the Abetters of Viscount Dundee's Rebellion were or pretended to be of the Episcopal perswasion as have also all those that have made any Publick Commotion in that Kingdom since this happy Revolution he tacitly confesseth the truth thereof But thirdly that these favours were the effects only of the Presbyterian parties weakness will not be so easily believed by considering men for why should the Party be able to destroy the Root the Bishops and their prelacy and yet not be able to Lop off the Branches is improbable These sure who could extirpate prelacy in the North had Power to drive out Curacy there too But to make it evident that it was not the effect of weakness but their moderation they have now driven out all that rebellious brood who had contemn'd the King's Clemency and Churches moderation Yet farther had the Church of that Kingdom been weak the State was not but could easily extirpate them for he is mightily mistaken of Scotland if he thinks that many of that People would be Martyrs for Prelacy That the Episcopal Party in the North are a formidable Party and therefore kept it depends on the Credit of his Informers for were they such as he saith they 're neither stout nor kind in suffering their Reverend Fathers to be laid aside Why might not the Children who were able to secure themselves being so formidable been willing also to defend and continue their Fathers Yet his reason to prove them a formidable party viz. That part of Scotland on the North of Tay is known to be little less than the half of the Kingdom is not very formidable for if the Highlands and Isles of Scotland be comprehended in this his Geography may hold good but his reason 's lame for he will have little Credit of many of the Episcopal Highlanders who possess more Land than Religion And that the Episcopal Party there is eleven to one depends on the veracity of his Informers who we see are no friends to his Reputation and will at last cause him to turn Bankrupt of it if he continue to give such Left-handed News-mongers such Credit For deduce from the number Papists the most of whom are in the North he must abate of the proportion for in the Shires of Sutherland Stranaver Ross and Murray there might be and hath been a force which was a terror to it's Enemies raised to defend the Settlement of State and Church Besides all this considerable numbers are in every part of that Country and these as strict as any in Scotland by which we see he 's little acquainted with the State of that part of the Kingdom These favors then werenot the effect of weakness but the genuine supple fruit of the Clemency and Moderation of that Church which by long experience of the evil of oppression which is apt to make wise men mad are resolved upon it as the surest method to secure themselves and indeed their moderation is that which now is become most formidable to their wisest Enemies and the true cause why not the same moderation but distinct courses were taken with the Episcopal Câ—ergy in the North and in the West is because the Ministers in the North were generally men of better Learning and Lives and less concern'd in these Cruelties and Oppressions by which the West was harassed and so having done less harm were more favoured while those in the West met with Adonibezek's Reward Now from all this let the Reader judge if the D. had just cause for his so rash judging the Vindicator His 2. Reason to prove the V. scandalously guilty of Disingenuity and representing things contrary to Truth and his certain knowledge is that there are no Acts of Parliament in favour of the Episcopal Clergy save that of July 16. 1695. And therefore leaves it to the Reader to judge what sort of usage
since the Revolution attested by several persons of known Prudence and Integrity in the North who have given an account of many hard things against two Ministers there both doctrinal and practical the first of these is Mr. Liston late Minister of Letterkenny the 2d is Mr. William Holms Mr. Liston is accused First of constant declaring the Church of England Popish and Antichristian 2. Praying for its destruction 3. Preacb'd against its Feastivals and said that they worshiped the Devil 4. Discharg'd his Hearers to entertain any Conformists as Servants but allow'd them to keep Popish Servants 5. That he perswaded the Parents of a Gentlewoman who had conformed to deny her Meat Drink and Lodging and to hang her for her Apostacy 6. He abus'd the Legal Incumbent and pull'd him out of the Church of Letterkenny A. Were this heavy charge as fully proven as it 's confidently alledged it would not amount to all that 's intended thereby viz. To make all the Dissenting Ministers of the North odious to the Government as a factious and violent people no more than the Simony Adultery Drunkenness habitual Non-Residence and neglect of Office prov'd against the Bishop and Clergy of Down and Connor at the late Regal Visitation will prove all the Clergy of Ireland guilty of the same crimes Tho some are of opinion that those on whom that Tower of Siloam fell were not the only Sinners but if other Diocesses had umdergone the same Ordeal these condemned might have some comfort in having more companions If any desiderate proof of this they shall have satisfaction from more Authentick Records than these produc'd to prove Mr. Liston's Lybel 2. Had he design'd impartial justice in this matter he had been as particular in naming the witnesses as he is in naming the accused and their crimes for before judgment pass the Law allows the Accused to see their Witnesses to know if they have any exceptions against them but by his hiding them he gives the world ground to suspect they are not evidence beyond exception And seeing the Civil Law denies them to be good evidence or have been but lately reconcil'd for this cause in offensus affectus iestiam queritur ne irati nocere cupiant laesi ulcisci se velint We have cause to suspect the Evidence for those who persecute men when alive and reproach them when dead are not their friends Yea all this evidence is but on hear-say seeing we have it from Conforming Clergy who could no otherways know what he Preach'd and Prayed constantly but by others testimony And the Law saith Testimonium quod ab aliena relatione dependet non valet And indeed to accuse a man long after his death as here Mr. Liston is when yet while alive he was not pursu'd though the Law both Civil and Ecclesiastical was open to them and the faults if proved punishable by the Judge is contrary to the Light of Nature and Law of Nations which teach that Citatio defensio sunt juris naturalis and condemn no man uncited unheard The Civil Law says that sententia contra mortuos ferenda non est for that were cum larvis pugnare to fight with mens ghosts which is neither Humanity nor Religion And several of the things asserted are so improbable that they must be scant in Charity who believe them As for the 2d Instance of Mr. W. H. It 's an arrow out of the same quiver the person being a Probationer upon the rumor of what is here alledg'd was call'd to account for it but vindicated himself sufficiently whereby it appears we incourage no such intemperate and indiscreet actions amongst any of our persuasion but bring them to account for it and we know by whose industry all the Aurea Legenda that can be collected in that part of the Countrey are confidently published with teste meipso From these Instances he draws as he calls it an undoubted conclusion that if Dissenters had the uncontrolable liberty of a legal irrestrictive Indulgence they wou'd be most turbulent insolent and tumultuous which he proves by the representation made by the House of Commons to King Charles the 2d above 30 years ago as we heard before A. Were these two Instances as true as we have made them appear to be false and malicious his conclusion might be doubted as much as a conclusion from the many Instances of Simony Adultery Drunkenness and constant Non-Residence judicially proved at the late Regal Visitation at Lisburn to prove all the Clergy of Ireland guilty of these Crimes and seeing he can produce no Instances of intemperate speeches and illegal violences of Dissenters in the North except these two pretended this may satisfie the Government how far we are from such a distemper as he reproaches us with tho we have had provocations from the intemperate speeches of some Clergy-men As for his only strong Argument his fear of the increase of the power and number of Dissenters and therefore the Establish't Church should not be over-fond of these seeming Protestants A. His Party hath no cause to thank him for his policy for by representing the Dissenters as so formidable a party he encourageth them and weakens the hearts and hands of his Brethren by these frightful Prophesies If he be so really affraid of our power and increase his wisdom will be seasonably to yield and unite with us For these penal Laws have not lessened our numbers or weakened our power seeing since their commencement we are in Ireland 100 to one and if upwards of 100 years experience of the absolute insufficiency of these Laws to prevent the daily growth of Dissenterâ— from the Establish't Church will not convince him of their being useless Engines to defend it we cannot help him more than these do his cause The V. having urg'd That a Legal Indulgence was needful in case another Rebellion which God forbid should happen else what Gentleman among us wou'd rise for others to command or wou'd Tenants cheerfully rise with them on whom they have no dependance and in whom they can as little trust The D. tells us there 's no danger of that for the generality of the Nobility and Gentry of the North are Conformists their Landlords and Acquaintances and men of great Estates to manage that A. If the Nobility and Gentry that are Conformists who in the late troubles promised fair things to Dissenters shou'd by the importunity of some of the hotter Clergy be over-persuaded contrary to their own moderate temper and interest to forâ—eit that place they have now in the esteem of Dissenters it would be impossible to induce reasonable men to trust them in a time of War who had deceiv'd them in a time of Peace But we hope the Nobility and Gentry value as and their own interest more than to sacrifice both to some implacable men for Ceremonies It would be no prudence to provoke such multitudes which in times of confusion little regard such distinctions as in Peace