Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A45861
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Indulgence not to be refused comprehension humbly desired : the Churche's peace earnestly endeavoured / by Philatheseirenes [sic].
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Philaletheseirenes.
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1672
(1672)
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Wing I154; ESTC R28943
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15,879
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28
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possible they might have been prevented and crushed in the beginning but since they have grown now so far other means must be used and not the same Methods followed with springing and overgrown Diseases Besides many of those that declared against such a Toleration if not all of them are dead and gone and there are others now who are postrati to those times who now suffer who were not capable of saying or doing any thing about publick mattters To all which I adde that our Episcopal Brethren if it should ever be possible that they should live under the same discouragement and disadvantage now from His Majesty or any of His Successors or the Law which the Presbyterians now do lie under and had a grant of their Liberty offered them in common with others if they would please to let us know what they would then do notwithstanding all their Declarations and Reasons against Toleration Indulgence and Comprehension at this time it is verily thought that the Presbyterians are 〈◊〉 so fully of their mind and principles therein that they would do accordingly CHAP IV. THe third Reason arises from the Nature of their Ordination and the necessity that lies upon such as are Ordained to preach the Gospel together with the solemn promise made by every Minister to preach according to his Duty notwithstanding all difficulties whatsoever Which Argument to my knowledge hath so far prevailed with many pious and peaceable men that they have thought it their duty to preach as they had opportunity notwithstanding all the Severities that have been enacted and exercised to the contrary Though it may be others out of the great reverence and respect they had to Laws and publick Authority and the great affection they bore to the Church it self and her peace and unity thought it more meet and reasonable for Orders sake to submit to their Censure and to suspend the exercise of their Ministry till it should please God to prepare their way to their work without misprisions or offences judging withal that the Wo before mentioned belongs to them that either through slothfulness neglect and slight their Duty when they have opportunity to preach or study or through treachery and cowardize run away from it for fear of Jews Heathens or Hereticks and doth not concern the Censures that are made in a Christian Church and State upon any of her Officers which for order and peace sake ought to be submitted to though they should be inflicted and denounced cum errante clave and this made many Ministers especially if not only of the Presbyterians to hold off in silence all this time which is some evidence of the Affection and Reverence which they bear to the Church of England But being now the censure and penalty is taken off and the way to their Duty opened and in a good measure cleared and the Kings Majesty who is in all Causes Ecclesiastical and Civil Supream Governour not only suspending the penal Statutes but also willing to approve and allow persons to preach the Gospel and places to preach in Considering their Ordination and Separation to the Work of the Ministry and the Obligation that lies upon them to their Duty from Gods precept promise and threatning I shall leave to consideration whether the Presbyterians that accept of such Licences go with or against their Consciences 4. Considering the Exigence and Necessity of the Church her affairs and straights require all the help and assistance that can be got or made for refuting Errors propagating of Truth and edifying all good men in the Faith and Knowledge of the Gospel And if the Kings Majesty at Sea or Land have occasion for Commanders or Souldiers in a present necessity he will not refuse even such as are disbanded nor ought they to cast off or deny their Duty when called to it for the Honour and Safety of their King and Countrey And therefore the Presbyterians make account in such a case as this is and in such naughty times and dayes as we live in when all kind of Vice Errors and Heresies do abound that they ought not to neglect their Duty but preach the Gospel licet non sit omnino secundum formam Statuti In a time of publick calamity all men can lay on their hands and employ their heads and ought so to do to prevent a common danger especially when they are encouraged to it and indulged in it by him that next to God Almighty hath the highest authority here on earth And for any one in such a case to say that men go against their principles if they proceed I wish such private and ill-laid principles were considered of if there be any such and how far they are obliging that seem to be so repugnant to and destructive of a common and publick good CHAP. V. NOw though these and many more Arguments of this Nature are and may be brought for the Presbyterians preaching of the Gospel though the Door be but half open considering also many of their pressing necessities and the straights which they and their Families are brought into by their long enforced silence Yet I must confess that notwithstanding all this great care and caution wisdom and prudence ought to be used in the use and improvement of this Liberty which His Majesty hath been pleased gratiously to grant As that those that are of the same Church may not seem by any means to fall from it by an unjustifiable separation or bear their people in hand that they begin and intend to proceed upon a new Church-State or that they were Ministers that had received another Ordination in specie than the Ministers of the Church of England now have and also for the prevention of mistakes conceits misrepresentations and new offences if they that are Licensed or frequent Licensed Meetings would have a reverence for and attend upon Gods publick Worship in Churches and Chappels at the usual times or as often as conveniently they may it would be a full answer to many unprofitable and ill-natured Scriblings a great evidence of the Presbyterians integrity of the tenderness of their Consciences and the constancy and consistency of their principles and of the great care which they have and all good men ought to have of the Honour and tranquility both of Church and State Or if considering the bitter and sore divisions that are amongst Fathers and Sons Brethren and Fellow-Labourers of the same Church and Ministry which tend very much to the endammaging if not the endangering thereof if the Reverend Bishops and others would but please to use what interest themselves or friends have or can make in this next approaching Session of Parliament that such Ministers as are loyal and sober pious and peaceable may come to their work again by some Act of Comprehension which hath been often moved and as often openly obstructed and secretly undermined that so there may be mutual condescentions on both sides in order to Charity and Unity I doubt not yet but
their relation to and communion with the Church of England or not which indeed is ridiculous and contradictious For the truth is they seem such as I am acquainted with to be so far from desiring to know whether they may go against their principles or not that they would not though they might have a particular dispensation for it but desire to comport themselves as they have hitherto done towards their Mother the Church of England with all duty and good manners and to have their actions at the offers of their duty pass without offence or mis-representation CHAP. II. THerefore the Question in my opinion ought to be this Whether the Presbyterians considering their great endeavours and desires to enjoy a Legal Indulgence and Comprehension by the Law of the Land as to some Scholastick and disputable points betwixt them and their Superiors Fathers and Brethren which are not essential to the government of Church and State the government whereof many of them upon their Oaths have obliged themselves not to alter and not being yet able to proeure it and having given sufficient testimony of their Sobriety and Peaceableness these ten years last past may not at this time accept of His Majesties Indulgence in His Declaration without offence or self-contradiction For the clearing whereof it is necessary to premise these things 1. That the interest of the Church of England both as to the being and well-being of it ought to be promoted and encouraged by all the Members and Ministers thereof and all safe means and wayes as speedily and as effectually undertaken as may be for the advancement thereof considering her danger from Papists and Phanaticks which offer to swallow up all the one by an Infallible Supremacy the other by an Infallible Spirit and both vain and counterfeit 2. Those persons which you call Presbyterians which have been secluded from their Ministry these years past by the Act of Uniformity are not conscious to themselves of any inward principle of Opinion or Disaffection contrary to the Church of England and that many of them in all Counties have so behaved themselves by attending upon the worship of God as it is now establish'd in publick that the Ministers of their several parishes may and will testifie with them of the decency and inoffensiveness of their carriage and attendance hitherto though it may be some others where there have been no Churches or Ministers scandalous and unprofitable may have adventured sometimes to have preached in private for the Service of such a destitute people and for some maintenance too happily for themselves and Families which otherwise might have starved the manner of their Education unfitting them for manual Labour and all this without any affront to the Laws or enervation of the strength and Doctrine of the Churches to which they severally belong therefore are not altogether unfit to be comprehended in any Act Statute License or Indulgence which may further the settlement and tranquility of the Church 3. And if so it is not unsafe but profitable at all times to strengthen its interest and multiply and encourage such Ministers and Members as are ready in their Consciences and by their study diligence and peaceableness to do as much good as they can since Turks Papists and they of the separation are all for the encrease of their number and the Church in the primitive times looked upon it as its Glory that there were added to it daily such as should be saved and Jews Gentiles and discontented persons were then converted and after their Conversion Ordination and Usefulness in the Church were encouraged notwithstanding some minute differences in Disposition and Opinion And methinks the Church of England should not at any time look upon it for her honour and peace to narrow her own Interest and perplex her Followers with unnecessary Subscriptions Impositions or Altercations especially considering these Presbyterians are still so ready to stick by her living and dying notwithstanding all their discouragements and disappointments when as others fall in with her more for her Dividends than her Doctrine and if a man may see any thing in its causes will make it appear so if ever she should be in danger 4. Small and little considerations ought not for ever to keep the breach and wound open considering how these smaller matters were dispensed with not only in the Apostles times and by persons and superiours who were divinely inspired but also in after-Ages when differences arose about these little things and were very hot and high at the beginning yet were very fairly and prudently taken up when both sides had spent their heats as particularly in the business of Easter which Irenaeus though of Victor's mind did endeavour to compose by a fair and fraternal Indulgence non molliter Victorem ipsum reprehendebat as Eusebius tells us for being so fierce and imperious in a Custom of that nature And it is likely the Papists would allow many things which they peremptorily enough insisted upon in the beginning of the Reformation as Priests Marriages and the Sacrament in both kinds could they have the Church of England theirs as it was before And why our men should not do the like to their Brethren of whose peaceableness and soundness in the Faith they have had so good experience for the Churches increase and glory especially in minutioribus hisce I understand not why they should not be as tender of all her Members and Ministers and endeavour with as much prudence and indulgence to keep them together in a true Church as her ancient predecessors did and her Enemies and Underminers still do Yea considering withall that with some persons they do it daily and such things are connived at and indulged even amongst Conformists themselves one way they have in Cathedrals another in Parochial Churches some pray towards the East others do not so some bow others bow not why then should there not upon the same ground be the same dispensations in other reputed Indifferences That which hath been done may be done again in cadem materia Considering withal that the substantial peace and unity which this brings along with it and is now obstructed is really better than the external decency and order which the strict imposing of these â—nnâ—oâ—ssaries may promote And besides it is also said that even some of the very Doctrinal Articles of the Church of England themselves are so cautiously and temperately warded for peace sake that even they that have different sentiments and apprehensions thereof may and do subscribe them And if this Liberty may be given in Doctrine wherein the Subscribers dispute pro and con why may it not also in Ceremonies and Mods of Worship especially if the peace of the Church so require it I shall leave to my Betters to consider and determine 5. Though great expectations have been that more might have come in in all this time that the Church of England might have been more glorious in her Numbers