burnt by a Decree in the face of the world by publick Justice did not a General Council of Constance sentence the Deposing Power as erroneous and scandalous although he were a Tyrant Have any other reformed Churches proceeded so far The Doctor doth well to cry Whore first and take no notice of the many standing objections in this and other things against his own Calvinistical party But what need I trouble Ink and Paper to examine this mans absurdities when I had taken but three hours to run them over they are encreased to so many I am come into a Labyrinth you may judg by his first ten lines wherein he committeth three first he saith His Majesty found it necessary for good of his affairs to grant freedom to all Dissentors If His Majesty found it necessary is not he presumptuous being a private man and a subject to make this invective he calls seasonable Discourse to impeach it to offer weak and lying motives to obstruct it Secondly what confidence hath he to utter so notorious an untruth as to say Now Priests openly act in all parts their functions In what City or Countrey Town hath he found them publckly preaching or praying Thirdly is it not absurd that being an ecclesiastick he should so mind us of Capital punishment who by the Canons should have no hand in blood He is much troubled at the Coâ—â—iers Crred viz. to believe as the Church believes Which gives a suspition he doth not believe or would not have his Parishoners believe one article of the Creed He calls charity and love but tempting charms as if he did not know or believe the Gospel where there be innumerable commands for it But then he comes a canting being suspitious his Book tends to Sedition and to breed feuds amongst us saith no price can be to great for peace but truth But what truth doth he mean the many imputed slanders in his Book or would he have truth separated from love peace and charity He cites Authors falsely as Thomas Aquinus Peron c. he hath false supposals viz. that Catholicks take away the Scripture give a half Communion make new Articles of Religion c. that indulgencies remit the guilt of sin and that the gifts of God are bought with money c. who ever writ more against such Simony than Catholick Authors or hold more plainly that sin is never forgiven without sorrow and repentance from God by the Merits and Passion of Jesus Christ So much for the Vnseasonable Discourse Now to overthrow from the foundation all other aspersions in this kind Let all impartial men consider first those criminations proceed originally from enemies and grand animosities of parties adverse Secondly Papists universally disown them Thirdly unrepentant traytors and implacable enemies are amongst their accusers and which most encourages them is their constant fidelity they might easily vindicate themselves from all such imputations by the putting their adversaries to the proof had they but liberty to question them and bring them to a trial For they never durst appear or shew their faces in an open and impartial audience We might admire where such deep malice could be found but much more how any prudence could believe them and that no reason or experience will restrain them How strange a wickedness is then the groundless censuring so highly and publickly so many noble and honourable personages so many eminently deserving subjects of his Majesty so many grave most venerable and most sacred personages in the world What account shall such give at the last day what is this less than persecution what mischiefs flow and are apt from such libelling by sad experience we have tasted the bitterness of the fruit The dreadful ruin of Hierusalem was brought about by such furious ones Josephus calleth the Zealots And should they still be countenanced it unavoidably bringeth incurable divisions for there is no certain rule of Justice with such persons Secondly It breeds an ill correspondence between our fellow subjects and makes them ill looked upon which violates civil unity so necessary for the peace and strength of a Kingdom Thirdly It disincourages Loyalty to see that after such testimonies it may be lawful for any at pleasure to brand them as Traytors publickly in Print Fourthly It tends to excite our Governours that they are not fit to be endured in any State Fifthly It must breed fouds between private persons all over England Scotland and Ireland 6. It is a reproach to Christian Religion when the world must see we have not so much justice and equity as Heathens have in their worldly Societies Seventhly It is a great cause of the persecution of Christians and the damnation of Persecutors being foolisher than the Devil who would build Christ's house or Kingdom by dividing it Mat. 12. And that which must sanctifie all this sin is the seeming interest of God and Religion to hinder the growth and increase of Popery If it was an untruth they spake it was for Religion if they did backbite and revile it was to preserve the hearers from errors aud infection If they used their reputation to murder love and make others odious and rejoiced in their sufferings and afflictions all this is but for defence of truth They think all this is a part of Christian zeal And this is a mark of Satans way of Reformation he doth it by dividing and teaching Christians to form odious thoughts of one another And when his meaning is to save you from heaven and truth he takes upon him he is only saving you from sin or errors or corruptions of the Church By these notes and signs saith an English Divine you may easily perceive how the dividing zeal of such differs from the true genuine Christian Catholick Zeal If your zeal be raised for some singular opinion not for the common salvation moved by some personal interest honour or dishonour for strengthning a party c. And not to promote godliness the common cause of Christianity or general cause of pedce and piety A hurting burning zeal for execution of penal Statutes When it causeth you to revile backbite despise censure and zealously to make dissenters odious that hearers may abate their love When your zeal tendeth to hurt and cruelty and is greater for the adversaries destruction than your desire and prayer for his conversion It s a false zeal more inclined to their sufferings reproach or hurt with some secret desire of fire from heaven c. when it tendeth to separations divisions distances from our ancient Brethren This is the complexion of the proud false conceited and surly sort of professors which flyeth outward against the sins of other men and can live with pride selfishness and sensuality at home a contemptuous persecuting zeal kinled by inflaming censures of rash passionate Preachers First it is an ill sign when their censures are beyond the proportion of their understandings and their experience and prudence much less then others whom they censure
to give no candid allowance to others in many failings this is utterly inexcusable The way indeed may not be broad in respect of practice or sensual indulgence yet it hath a latitude in respect of judgment and circumstantial opinion A middle moderate paâ—ifick way He that stands in the middle path may extend the arms of his charity on both sides Extreams are dangerous Our affections ought to meet though our judgmenâ—s cannot Christian love is necessary but agreement in opinion is neither necessary nor possible Love and goodness prevail Where nothing else will these win and captivate the Soul And such conquests are more noble and better than either those of arts or arms Now to attain this excellent Catholick temper we are to love virtue in a Heathen and S. Paul 1 Cor. 7. saith If any brother hath a wife an Infidel and she consent to dwell with him let him not put her away what can be said more to oblige Christians to charity and meekness to forbear one another than an injunction of an Apostle to live peaceably even with an Infidel The excellency of christian love is preferred before all gifts and natural perfections Cor. 13. it is the image of God it is his vital Spirit infused into us and renders us most like to our Maker It is the Spirit of Angels and glorified Souls The Celestial Inhabitants live and abide in love sweetness and benignity Nor is that love confined to the blessed and glorified company but it sheds it self abroad upon the neather world And they are ministring Spirits for our good Heb. 1. 14. They so far love us that they can stoop from heaven to serve us for there is joy at the conversion of a sinner and consequently love to converted Saints care and pity for the rest of men Love and charity is the vital grace of Christian Religion and though mens understandings are convinced already that charity is their duty yet there is too much need to represent some of the vast heap of Injunctions that make it so to incline their wills I shall therefore briefly lay together a few of the chief instances of this kind Our Saviour urgeth it in his command John 13. 34. he maketh it a distinguishing note of his Disciples 13. 35. and enjoins them to love their enemies Mat. 3. 24. And the want of it the reason of the curse pronounced on those on the left hand at the solemn judgment Mat. 41. 42. This love and union was so recommended to all Christians by the Apostles that they inculcated nothing more than the necessity thereof Saint Paul attributed thereto all the persecution of Christian Religion saying qui diligit proximum legem implevit Rom. â—3 3. and Galat. 3. 22. reckons it five times over under the names of peace long-suffering gentleness goodness and meekness Gal. 22. 23. He advanceth it above all gifts and graces 1 Cor. 13. above prophecy and mysteries and knowledge of faith And the beloved Disciple Saint John attributes unto it our being born of God And the want of this an evidence of not knowing God and a sign of one that abideth in death 1 John 3. 14. he calls him a murderer that hates another 11. 15. a lyar if he pretend to love God and loveth not his brother 1 John 4. 20. we are commanded to be kindly affected one towards another and to be pitiful and courteous 11. 10. S. Peter exhorteth to mutual charity above all things mutuam charitatem ante omnia c. Pet. 1. 8. and 4. 14. This our charity gentleness goodness meekness c. ought to extend to all men universally without limitation but especially to all Christians as Christians because such are the more special objects It must not be consined by names and the interest of parties or sects but ought to reach as far as Christianity it self To love those that are of our way humour and opinion is not charity but self-love and it is not for Christs sake but our own It is rare to meet with serious Christians who are not so deeply engaged in some party or other as to darken their judgments and pervert their affections as to all the rest What company can you come into but all their discourse is to stigmatise dissenters what bitter lyes what invectives have been raised against most grave solid and ancient Christians how blindly do they look on all that is good in those that differ from them how partially do they aggravate the faults of all that are against their way and how small a thing will serve their turn to excuse the faults of their own party and they think all this is a part of Christian zeal as if Christians engaged in a war against themselves And when all men should know them to be Christs Disciples by loving one another most men may perceive that contrary to the essence of Christianity they endeavour to make each other odious So that though I see never so much eagerness for an opinion I shall never call that zeal or religion without the conscience of christian love Yea though such men should sacrifice their lives I should not think them martyrs and in this I have the warrant of the great Apostle 1 Cor. 13. 3. though I give my body to be burned and have not charity it profiteth nothing Even those that killed Christ and his Apostles did it as a duty and a part of service of God John 16. but believe it it is Apostacy to fall from love your Souls die when charity dyeth that which killeth love and charity killeth all grace and holiness The opinions principles sidings practices which destroy love destroys your Souls O what a loathsome sacrifice is it to the God of love if we must leave our gift at the altar till we are reconciled to our offended brother what a gift is theirs who are unreconciled to almost all Churches of Christianity Young unexperienced Christians are ignorant of Satans wiles thinking when a wrathful enemies heat is kindled in them even against men of ancient principles that it is a zeal of Gods exciting spirit and that it is your duty or that you should be luke-warm in the cause of God and truth if you did it not when alas it hath more of wrath than love The white Devil is a killer of Souls as well as the black And now considering the express recommends and injunctions of all the aforesaid and many other places of holy writ to this grand duty of Religion if any can quiet their Consciences and yet continue in the contrary persecuting spirit and practice they have found a way to escape all Laws of God and may conceit themselves religious though they live in the works of the flesh hatred variance sedition c. Gal. 3. 22. There was never a more seasonable time to tell men of this great sin than when the temptation to it is greatest when God hath been so frequently dishonoured by it when the world doth ring of it
Judicature in abetting any contrivance or disturbance to common peace or civility Proceeding on the premises the title of the first Chapter will be CAP. I. Persecution on the score of Religion is utterly Condemned and unlawful IMposition Violence and Persecution for matters meerly relating to Conscience directly invades the divine prerogative for God alone is Lord over the Conscience it is his just Claim and priviledg for as Solomon saith no man hath power over Conscience Luther Eccles in the Book of Civil Magistrates saith the Law of them extends no farther then Body and Goods for over Conscience God alone ruleth in the same Book in the building of the Temple saith he there was no sound of Iron heard to signifie that Christ will have in his Church a free and willing people not compelled by human Laws and Statutes God hath exempted the soul out of your Commission c. The Cause and reason why Judicatures of men are appointed and set up are that Magistrates should be Ministers of protection and praise to them that do good and of terror and revenge of those that do Evil in matters to outward practise but to exceed these limits imposing nice and doubtful oaths not having the Conditions required in Scriptures on the Consciences of men and other pressure and penalties concerning their souls only of which Christ alone Challengeth the propriety is neither lawful nor warrantable it is Gods prerogative to punish for Conscience who hath only propriety in the Soul unto whom all must give account in spiritual things For Religion is a virtue hath God for its immediate object when according to all Divines it is not within the vierge of humane Cognizance because the Soul is not liable to our tribunal Keckerman a learned Writer saith that the Bond between the Magistrate and Subject is essentially Civil The saying of King Stephen the wise King of Poland is Observable that he was King of men not of Consciences Commander of Bodies not of Souls The practise of persecution meerly for conscience hath been disavowed and condemned by divine authority and holy writ by the Primitive Fathers by many of the most famous Princes in the world by our own principles and concessions by the wisest greatest and Best States in ancient and modern times as the Jews Romans Egyptians Germany Holland nay the Turks and Persians Polish and Bohemian Kings Marcus Aurelius a Pagan permitted tolleration to Christians Antâ—niâ—â— Pius Emperor so called for his great piety whose Empire God blessed with greater peace and felicity then any Pagan Empeperor had before or after him for the favour he shewed to Christians in taking of the many and Cruel persecutions suffered under his Predecessors Forbad no man should be accused for their Religion affirmed that the great Earthquakes and other Calamities wherewith the Empire was afflicted proceeded of the justice of God for the injuries done to the Christians as it is manifested by a Copy of the edict related by Eutrop. l. 10. Gratian Jovianus Caesar Emperors permitted various Religions the old Romans offered the Jews Liberty on condition they would be faithful Theodosius and Gratian most Christian Emperors were contented to tollerate the Arrians At Hierusalem in Christ time were two Sects living sociable the Pharisees and Sadduces in Germany these hundred years Papists and Lutherans live together in France Calvenists are permitted How oft the French King gave Edicts of pacification is set down in Laval l. 3. Solomon permitted the Hittites Hivites Perizites and Jebuzites to live quietly under his Reign as Grotius observeth on the 1 of Kings 19. 20. The Novatians saith Baxter were tollerated and loved by the sober Catholick Emperors because they had tollerable principles when many others were otherwise dealt withal and S. Martin and Sulpitius Severus refused to be of their Councel for inciting the Emperor to the way of blood corporal violence The Turk permitteth Christians Persians and Aethiopians in his Dominions Venetians suffereth Jews amongst them as the King of Spain did the Moors till necessity forced him to expel them by the Inquisition It s a false proposition proceeding from Gall and Spleen only to breed an exulceration in the hearts of the people that Catholicks Protestants c. may not be tollerated in a well governed wealth the wiser sort will not endure so gross a paradox dayly proved false before their eyes It was a notable observation of a wise Father that those that perswaded pressure of Conscience were commonly therein interressed themselves for their own end And most that now plead against tolleration would plead as much for it if they were once under the hatches and their Religion discountenanced By Power and we that once thought the imposition of a directory unreasonable a restraint from our way of worship Vnchristian do not the same reasons remain in vindication of indulgence to others if you will have liberty to maintain your own opinions why should not reason tell you others will exspect the like for themselves Protestants Calvinist Presbiterians c. living in popish Countries will plead for tolleration Our first reformers were great Champions for liberty of Conscience as Wicliffe in his remonstration to the Parliament the Albigensis to Lewis the eleventh and twelfth of France Calvin to Francis the First Luther to the several Dyets under Frederick and Charls the Fifth our ancient Protestant Divines Musculus Osiander Sâ—ermius The Protestants in Swetia desired tolleration as Chytraeus sheweth in his Chronicle 1595. and Belloy in Apol. saith that Melanchton consented Erasmus laboured to prove the necessity of it While Popery was prevalent in England the Pope being then reputed Vicar of Christ in spiritual things yet notwithstanding so much liberty was given that no man suffered death for opposing his dictates in Religion and then in the 2. of Henry the fourth a Statute being made against the Lollards the Commons petitioned the King it might be repealed and by complaint of the Commons it was then in part repealed in Stat. Hen. 8. A wise Emperor told Henry the third King of France there was no greater sin then to force mens consciences for such as think to Command them supposing to win heaven do often loose what they possess on earth King James in his speech to the Parliment saith that it is a sure Rule in Divinity that God never planted the Church by violence or Bloodshed Much less saith the wise Sir Francis Bacon ought the Sword to be put in the peoples hands to persecute nourish sedition authorize conspiracies c. for that is but to dash the first table against the second and to Consider men as Christians as we forget they are men The wise Romans in Case of Religion were very tender and Cautious for when Cato was Consul and it seemed necessary to the Senate to suppress with violence the disordered Ceremonies of the Bacchinals brought in by a strange Priest into the City he withstood that sentence alleging there was nothing
so apt to deceive men as Religion which always presents a shew of Divinity and for that Cause it behooved to be very wary in Chastising the professors thereof least any indignation should enter into the peoples minds that somewhat was derogated from the Majesty of God Others More freely have not spared to place Religion I mean that which is ignorantly Zealous amongst the kind of frenzies which cannot be cured otherwise then by time given to divert and qualify the humour of the conceit Whence Levia said to Augustus Visne Muliebre Concilium Let severity sleep a while and try what what alteration the pardonning of Cinna may procure The Emperor hearkned to her Counsel and thereby found his enemies mouths stopped and their Malice abated A soft gale of wind oft allaies a great storm the warm Sun will prevail more with the traveller then cold and boisterous winds The Goats blood will break the Adamant which the hardest hammers cannot do Chronical diseases are not cured by physick and motion but by time and rest It fals out many times that the remedy is worse then the disease and while we go about to cure the State we kill it and instead of purging out the peccant humour of the body politick we cast it into a Calenture or burning feaver This was not unknown to that wise and good Emperor Theodosius who could not be perswaded to extirpate or use violent courses against the Arrians knowing how dangerous it would prove to the state if the quietness thereof should be disturbed Lucretius the Poet when he beheld the act of Agamemnon that could endure the sacrificing of his own daughter exclaimed tantum Religio potuit suadere malorum what would he have said if he had known and seen the Christian Bloodshed and Violence in Religion in these times he would have been ten times more Epicure then he was We read of Sabbacus a Heathen King of Aethiopia who being by dreams admonished that he could not possess himself of the Kingdom but by the slaying of the Priests he chose rather to lay aside the Claim and to refer the government to twelve wise men How much more will it become Christians not to lay the foundation of Religion upon the Carkasses spoils and ruins of their distressed neighbors relations and fellow Subjects It hath been an ancient aphorism of State and Wisdome of the greatest Princes punire raro it was ascribed to Augustus Caesar as a title of honour nunquam Civilem sanguinem fudisse and Seneca who lived under a Tyrant saith frequens vindicta paucorum odium reprimit omnium irritat Aristotle saith those are ever held to be most godly Laws that are least Sanguinary and yet maintain Order The Kingdome of Christ is not carried on after the fashion of this World with arms and engines of War to be erected on the bones and Sepulchres of our Brethren and Fathers The Throne of Christ is not supported as Solomons on both sides with Lyons and Tygres Bears and Wolves instead of Lambs and Doves as if we should change our meek patient crucified Messias and had got some Muzzian a Mahometan God of Forces who is to be served in Buff Coats and Armour It was a great blasqhemy when the Devil said I will ascend and be like to the highest but it is a greater blasphemy to personate God to bring him saying I will descend to be like the Prince of Darkness with furies and persecutions nay what is worse to make the Cause of Religion as is proved by experience this last Century descend to the Cruel and inhumane murthering of Princes butchering of the People racking of Consciences by Oaths and Sequestrations surely this is to bring down the Holy Ghost instead of likeness of a Dove into the shape of a Vulture or Raven and to set out for the Barque of a Christian Church a Flag of a Barque of Pirats and Assasinates or to bring in an armatum Evangelium Christian Religion in Compleat Armour and Christ marching like Alexander Hannibal or Caesar it is hard to pick out Letters of Mart from the Gospel or to have any Commission to kill or slay Jesus Christ in order to reform Whence a learned divine of our English Church saith it is a squalid reformation that is besmeared with the blood of Christians it is against the honour order unity and majesty of a reformed Church to persecute and to be like those canes sepulchrales violating the bones and ashes of the dead Persecution setteth a man as far from a true Christian temper as burning Feavers do from natural heat and health when once a male contented member is grieved then the rest of the body is sensible and secretly arm for opposition all cry pity any should suffer for their conscience and silently say among themselves sors hodierna mihi Cras erit illa tibi there being necessary connexion between Civil Liberty and that which is Spiritual and who would divest any of their spiritual do alarm them with just Causes of loosing their Civil The nature of man however in hot blood it be thirsty of revenge yet in a cooler temper it hath a kind of nausea or distaste of taking the lives even of the most Nocent insomuch that in Assizes or Sessions an Offender can hardly be condemned whom the pity of many will not after a sort excuse with laying of impositions on the Judge part on the Jury and much on the accusers Hence the name of a Serjeant or Pursuivant is odious and the Executioner esteemed no better then an enemy of mankind and if such as are tender of their reputations be very scrupulous personally to arrest men for civil actions of debt they will be more unwilling instruments of drawing their Bodies to the Rack and Gallows especially when any colour of Religion is pretended in defence In Counsels concerning Religion that advise of the Apostle should be prefixed ira hominis non implet justitiam we are to consider we deal with men and not with beasts man is to be treated humanly and a Christian christianly with all reason and charity and of tender Consciences ought to be had a tender respect man is sensible of gentleness may be obliged to quietness by humanity Whereas if you take violent courses and fight against the errors of the times with prisons dungeons fetters oaths c. they will make men the greater hypocrites and be occasion of intestine division and bloodshed experience can speak somewhat in this behalf which hath evidently desâ—ryed within the current of few years that severity in Religion hath years caused the long known and manifest miseries of this Nation Hence one of our late Divines saith it is sufficiently known what the immoderation of a preposterous zeal male contentedness ambition and force hath both machinated and perpetrated to the destraction well nigh destruction of Church and State The impudence and imprudence of inconsiderable rash spirits in their actions passions and pretences for the Gospel