came the same he taught and practised as begore so did his Apostles after him for the weapons of his warfare are not carnal c. 2 Cor. 10.4 But he charged strictly that his Disciples should be so far from persecuting those that would not be of their Religion that when they were persecuted they should pray Mat. 5. when they were cursed they should bless the reason is because they that are now Tares may hereafter become Wheat tehy who are now blind may hereafter see they that now resist him may hereafter receive him they that are now in the Devils snare in adversness to the Truth may hereafter come to repentance they that are now Blasphemers Persecutors Oppressors as Paul was may in time become Faithful as he they that are now Idolaters as the Corinths once were 1 Cor. 6.9 may hereafter become true worshippers as they they that are now no People of God nor under mercy as the Saints sometimes were 1 Pet. 2.20 may hereafter become the People of God and obtain mercy as they Some come not till the eleventh hour Mat. 20.6 if those that come not till the last hour should be destroyed because they came not at the first then should they never come but be prevented And why do men call themselves Christians and do not the things Christ would CHAP. 7. Persecution for cause of Conscience is against the profession and practice of famous Princes First we beseech your Majesty we may relate your own worthy Sayings in your Majesties Speech at Parliament 1609. Your Highness saith It is a sure Rule in Divinity that God never loves to plant his Church by violence and bloodshed c. And in your Highness Apol. pag. 4. speaking of such Papists as took the Oath thus I gave a good proof that I intended no persecution against them for Conscience cause but only desired to secured for civil obedience which for Conscience cause they were bound to perform And pag. 60. speaking of Blackwel the Arch-Priest your Majesty 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 Highness Expos on Revel 20. printed 1588 and after 1603. your Majesty truly writeth thus Sixtly The compassing of the Saints and besieging of the beloved City declareth unto us a certain note of a false Church to be Persecution For they come to seek the Faithful the Faithful are those that are sought the Wicked are the besiegers the Faithful be besieged Secondly the saying of Stephen King of Poland I am King of men not of Consciences a Commander of bodies not of Souls c. Thirdly the King of Bohemia hath thus written And notwithstanding the success of the later time wherein sundry opinions have been hatched about the subject of Religion may make one clearly discern with his eye and as it were touch with his finger that according to the verity 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 means the issue hath been pernicious and the cause of great and wonderful Innovasions in the principallest and mightiest Kingdoms and Countries of all Christendom c. And further his Majesty saith So that once more we do 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 whosoever for matter of Religion no not they that profess themselves to be of the Roman Church neither to trouble or disturb them in the exercise of their Religion so they live conformable to the Laws of the States c. And for the practice of this Where is Persecution for cause of Conscience except in England and where Popery reigns and not there neither in all places as appeareth by France Poland and other places Nay it is not practised among the Heathen that acknowledge not the true God as the Turk Persian and others CHAP. 8. Persecution for cause of Conscience is condemned by the ancient and later Writers yea by Puritans and Papists HIllary against Anxentius saith thus The Christian Church doth not persecute but is persecuted and lamentable it is to see the great folly of these times and to sigh at the foolish opinion of this world in that men think by humane aid to help God and with worldly pomp and power to undertake to defend the Christian Church I ask of you Bishops what help used the Apostles in the publishing of the Gospel With the aid of what Power did they preach Christ and converted the Heathen from their Idolatry to God When they were Imprisoned and lay in Chains did they praise and give thanks to God for any dignities graces and favours received from the Court Or do you think that Paul went about with Regal Mandates or Kingly Authority to gather and establish the Church of Christ Sought he Protection from Nero Vespatian c. The Apostles wrought with their hands for their own maintenance travelling by land and water from Town to City to preach Christ yea the more they were forbidden the more they taught and preached Christ But now alas humane help must assist and protect the Faith and give the same countenance To and by vain and worldly honours do men seek to defend the Church of Christ as if He by his Power were unable to perform it The same against the Arians The Church now which formerly by enduring Misery and Imprisonment was known to be a true Church doth now terrific others by Imprisonment Banishment and Misery and boasteth that she is highly esteemed of the world whereas the true Church cannot but be hated of the same Tertul. ad Scapul It agreeth both with humane Equity and natural Reason that every man worship God uncompelled and believe what he will for another mans Religion or Blief neither hurteth nor profiteth any man neither beseemeth it any Religion to compel another to be of their Religion which willingly and freely should be imbraced and not by constraint for asmuch as the Offerings were required of those that freely and with a good will offered and not from the contrary Jerom. in Proaem lib. 4. in Jeremiam Heresie must be cut off with the sword of the Spirit Let us strike through with the arrows of the Spirit all sons and disciples of misled Hereticks that is with testimonies of holy Scriptures The slaughter of Hereticks is by the Word of God Brentius on 1 Cor. 3. No man hath power to make or give Laws to Christians whereby to bind their Consciences For willingly freely and uncompelled with a ready desire and chearful mind must those that come run unto Christ Luther in his Book of the Civil Magistrate The Laws of the Civil Government
to the Laws and Statutes of this Realm before the Ordinary or any other having power to take such Presentments or Indictments or if the Minister petty Constable or Church-wardens or any two of them shall at any time hereafter complain to any Justice of Peace near adjoyning the place where any person complained of shall dwell and the said Justice shall find cause of suspition that then any one Justice of Peace within whose Commission or Power any such person or persons shall at any time hereafter be or to whom complaint shall be made shall upon notice thereof require such person or persons to take the said Oath And that if any person or persons being of the age of eighteen years or above shall refuse to take the said Oath duly tendered unto him or her according to the true intent and meaning of this Statute that then the persons authorized by this Law to give the said Oath shall and may commit the said Offender to the common Jayl c. Where we see that if any take the said Oath at their first apprehension they are not to be committed or if they being committed take the said Oath at the next open Court they are be set at liberty if they will not take the said Oath to be in a Premunire as is at large in the Statute declared and as is daily practised with Papists and others Ant. The Kings Majesty requireth your Allegiance to be testified by your coming to Church Ch. I pray let me demand this Question Doth the King require my coming to Church to worship and serve God or to worship and serve the King If to worship and serve the King I am ready to obey if to worship and serve God which none can do but of conscience the King himself saith he never intended to lay any thing to the charge of any for the cause of conscience and this coming to Church being a cause of conscience if not he why do you lay any thing to my charge for the same And therefore you wrong his Majesty in thus affirming for his Highness requireth only my faithful allegiance to be testified by the aforesaid Oath and therefore hath ordained it as I shall shew by his Highness own testimony If I should come to Church and not in conscience but for other respects as many Papists and other Hypocrites do to God it were most abominable and what faithfulness can be hoped for in such towards his Majesties Person and State Can any godly wise man think that he that playeth the dissembling Hypocrite with God that he will do less with men and will not work any villany if it were in his power and therefore herein you compelling me by tyranny to bring my body whereunto my spirit cannot be brought you compel me to hypocrisie with God and man for if my heart were not faithfull in sincerity to his Majesties Crown and Dignity as I take God to witness before whom I must be condemned or justified it is these courses would rather harden my heart to work villany than otherwise Now for his Majesties many Testimonies in his Writings they are worthy to be recorded with thankfulness to the Highest for guiding his heart and pen to write such things In his apology for the Oath of Allegiance pag 4 he saith speaking of such Papists as took the Oath of Allegiance And I gave a good proof that I intended no Persecution against them for conscience cause but only desired to be secured of them for evil obedience which for conscience cause they were bound to perform And pag. 60. speaking of Blackwel the Arch-Priest he saith I never intended to lay any thing to the said Arch-Priests charge as I have never done to any for cause of conscience And pag. 127. he saith First for the cause of their punishment I do constantly maintain that which I said in my Apology That no man either in my time or in the late Queens ever dyed here for his conscience for let him be never so devout a Papist nay though he profess the same never so constantly his life is in no danger by the Law if he break not out into some outward act expresly against the words of the Law or plot not some dangerous or unlawful practice or attempt c. Where we may see in short what is the whole sum that he requireth And in his Majesties Speech at the last Session of Parliament Anno Dom. 1609. where he saith he sheweth his Subjects his heart he saith thus I never found that blood and too much severity did good in matters of Religion for besides it is a sure Rule in Divinity that God never loves to plant his Church by violence and bloodshed natural reason may even perswade us and daily experience proves it true that when men are severely persecuted for Religion the gallantness of many mens spirits and the wilfulness of their humours rather than the justness of their cause makes them take a pride boldly to endure any torments or death it self to gain thereby the reputation of Martyrdom though but in a false shadow A most undoubted Truth which if be as most manifest it is by the Testimony of the holy Ghost throughout Christs Testament as before is proved then how cursed are all the rank of you that continually break this sure Rule of God thus confidently acknowledge by his Majesty planting your Church by violence and bloodshed forcing many thousands against their consciences to be of your Church and to receive your Sacraments by all the persecutions that would follow if they do not yeeld and those that fear God more than men and dare not yeeld casting them into noisom Prisons amongst most wicked Blasphemers of God to the wounding of their souls dividing them from their Wives Children and Families and from their Callings some an hundred miles and more utterly consuming that substance they have which sustaineth the blood of them their Wives and Children seldom or never affording them Release but either by yeelding to you against their consciences or else by consuming their bodies to death in Prison Banishment or the like leaving them and their Wives to horrible temptations of Adultery by parting them and their Wives and to all manner of evil in taking them from their Callivgs and so leaving them in continual Idleness Is Gods Church thus planted or do Christs Disciples thus plant Indif Oh I see this spiritual power is little inforiour cruelty to the Romish spiritual power I pray how or when was this set up Ch. Henry the eight casting off Pope Clement the seventh and so the Popes Power anno 1534 set up this Spiritual Power under him See Acts and Mon. pag. 1201 c. Indif I pray you shew the likeness between these two spiritual powers Ch. I will do my best endeavour which is but small First the Romish spiritual Power doth make Laws to the Conscience and compel all thereunto by Excommunication Imprisonment Banishment Death and the like
flight I answer God preserved Moses and the rest in their flight till the time was come that he imployed them in his service then in no case he would suffer them to flie as when Moses manifested his exceeding backwardness to the Lords work in helping his People out of Bondage using many excuses the Lord was very angry with him Exod. 4.10 15. And whither out Saviour flie when the time came that he was to shew himself to Israel Luk. 1.80 If any of these men can prove the Lord requireth no work at their hands to be done for his Glory and the Salvation of thousands of ignorant souls in their own Nation let them stay in foreign Countries But I trust Gods People have learned not to say the time is not yet come that Babel should be destroyed and the Lords House builded but that the time is come to build the Lords House and not to dwell in ceiled houses Hag. 1. or any way to seek our outward promotion which if it be granted that the time is come not only to come out of Babel but to destroy her all these objections are nothing except they prove that when God called any of his People to his Work they left it for fear of trouble This doctrine was not approved of God when the time came that his Adversaries were to be rooted out and that his People had gotten some victory The Rubenites and the Gadites could have been content to have remained to their most peace and commodity Num 32. but Moses said unto them Shall your Brethren go to war and ye tarry here where fore now discourage ye the hearts of the Children of Israel c. sharply reproving them as an increase of sinful men risen upon their fathers steads still to augment the fierce wrath of the Lord and Moses would not be satisfied until they had promised that they would go with their Brethren to the Lords work and would not return to their houses till they had accomplished the same And the Angel of the Lord doth say Curse ye Meroz curse the inhabitants thereof because they came not to the help of the Lord to help the Lord againsst the Mighty Judg. 5.23 Also because the men of Jabesh Gilead came not up to the Lord to help their Brethren against the wicked men of Gibeath all the men were destroyed and all the women that had lien by men Judg. 21.11 no excuse whatsoever could serve Did God thus respect his Work and People then as all must put to their helping hand and none must withdraw their shoulder lest others were discouraged and is there no regard to be had thereof now but any occasion as fear of a little Imprisonments or the like may excuse any both from the Lords work and the help of their Brethren that for want of their society and comfort are exceedingly weakned if not overcome If answer be made They perform their duty in both that they do the Lords work the pastor feeding his flock and the People walking in fellowship one towards another I demand Doth the Lord require no more work of them doth he not require that they should help to cast down Babel If reply be made They do it by their Books I answer That may be done and their Lights shine by their mouthes and conversations also among the wicked which is the greatest means of converting them and destroying Antichrists Kingdom They overcame not by flying away but by the Blood of the Lamb and by the Word of their Testimony and they loved not their lives unto the death Rev. 12.11 Gods People are the Lights of the World a City set on a hill a Candle set on the candlestick giving light to all that come in Mat. 5 and therefore must shine by their Persons more than by their Books And great help and encouragement would it be to Gods People in affliction of Imprisonment and the like to have their Brethrens presernce to administer to their souls or bodies and for which cause Christ will say I was in Prison and ye visited me in Distress and ye comforted me and unto those that do not so according to their ability Go ye cursed Mat. 25. If men had greater love to Gods Commands or the Salvation of thousands of ignorant souls in our Nation that for want of instruction perish than to a little temporal affliction they would never publish nor practise as they do in this thing Thus have I in short shewed you my poor ability in these things And for all other things we hold as the lawfulness of Magistracy Gods blessed Ordinance And Christ our Saviour taking his flesh of the Virgin Mary by the wonderful work of the holy Ghost c. You may see them in our Confession in print published four years ago Indif Many that be called Anabaptists hold the contrary and many other strange things Ch. We cannot but lament for it so did many in Christs Churches in the primitive times hold strange opinions as some of the Corinths denyed the Resurrection and in many of the Seven Churches were grievous things which the Lord by his Servants warned them of upon pain of his displeasure and removing of his Presence from them nevertheless others professing the same general Cause of Christ were commended Indif Well you will yet be called Anabaptists because you deny Baptism to Infants Ch. So were Christians before us called Sects and so they may Iohn Baptist Jesus Christ himself and his Apostles Anabaptists for we profess and practise no otherwise herein than they namely The baptizing of such as confess with the mouth the belief of the heart And if they be Anabaptists that deny Baptism where God hath appointed it they and not we are Anabaptists But the Lord give them repentance that their sins may be put away and never laid to their charge even for his Christs sake Amen AN HUMBLE SUPPLICATION TO THE Kings Majesty As it was presented 1620. To the High and Mighty KING JAMES By the Grace of God King of Great Brittain France and Ireland To the Right Excellent and Noble PRINCE CHARLES Prince of Wales c. To all the Right Hanorable NOBILITY Grave and Honorable JUDGES and to all other the Right Worshipful GENTRY of all Estates and Degrees assembled in this present Parliament Right High and Mighty Right Excellent Noble Right Honourable and Right Worshipful AS the Consideration of that divine Commandment of the King of kings Let Supplications Prayers Intercessions and giving of Thanks be made for Kings and for all that are in Authority that we may lead a quiet and a peaceable life in all Godliness and Honesty doth cause in us a daily practice thereof in our secret Chambers for you all as in duty we are bound of which the searcher of all hearts beareth us witness so let it be pleasing unto your Majesty and the rest in Authority that we make humble Supplications and Prayers to you for such our bodily miseries and wants as