the Virtues and Reputation of the Antients 4. In the Fourth place Cross not the Genius of your Youth Match their Talents well for if ye do not sâ—te their Studies to their Understandings it will be Drawing up Hill Going against the Grain or Swimming against the Tide that which will be gain'd will be little and with so much Labour and Time too as will not quit Cost It should be greatly the Care of those who have the Charge of Youth to make the Wayes of Learning Easie and Chearful which leadeth me to 5. My Last Observation Let all Honest Arts be used by Masters of Schools to provoke their Youth to Learning without much Fierceness or Beating For that Sort of Education has nothing of the Free and Generous Disposition in it which might be raised and improved in Youth by more Gentle and Reasonable Methods They that are taught to obey only for Base Fear make that Fear and not Reason the Rule of their Obedience and this grows in too many with their Age that they turn meer Mercenaries and worship Violence In short Make Instruction Easie Correction Reasonable Convince them of their Miscarriage with Mildness then Pardon them and finally excite them to Amendment by Smiles and Favour This awakens the Noble Part and excites Youth to effect that which may ingratiate them with their Tutors who if they at any time commit an Error should rather shew themselves affectionately Sorry for them than bitterly Angry Plato being greatly displeased with his Servant and going about to Correct him gave the Wand to one that stood by saying Do thou beat him for I am Angry Chastizement should be used with Reason and Reluctancy a Discreet and Cool Hand may direct the Blow right and hit the Mark when Men of Fury rather ease their Passion than mend their Youth especially if the Correction exceed the Fault for that hardens This very Bruitishness is more Injurious to the Nature of our Youth than usually their Instruction is beneficial Upon the whole Matter I take the Boldness to say That if we would Preserve our Government we must endear it to the People To do this besides the necessity of present Just and Wise things we must Secure the Youth and this is not to be done but by the Amendment of the Way of their Education and that with all Conceivable Speed and Diligence I say the Government is Highly oblig'd it is a sort of Trustee for the Youth of the Kingdom though now Minors yet will have the Government when we are gone Therefore depress Vice and cherish Virtue that through good Education they may become Good which will truly render them Happy in this World and a Good Way fitted for that which is to come If this be done they will owe more to your Memories for their Education than for their Being My THIRD and Last Reason for this Serious Supplication to the Civil Magistrate is so Great that I find Difficulty to express it 'T is the GLORY of that GOD that Made us that hath so often Deliver'd us and doth so plentifully provide for us who sent his Son into the World to Save us and waits every Day to be Good and Gracious to us But he hath so particularly and with that Transcendency set the Marks of his Favour upon you both in your Restoration and Protection as scarce any Age can parallel O! Let a Steady Virtue be the Return of these Mercies and a Pious Care to Retrieve and Encourage Morality the very Basis of our Government be the Humble Token of your Gratitude It is your Office ye do but comply with the Reason of your own Institution God expects it and Good Men beseech it from you There is much in your Power at this time to make this the ISLAND OF PEACE AND LASTING TRANQUILLITY Lose not the Present Opportunity Revive the Laws against these Gross Iniquities terrifie all Evil-Doers Cherish them that do well Provide for the Poor that their Stock may not be Abus'd nor their Cries pierce Heaven against you because of Neglect and God may yet Vouchsafe to spare us Your Sins said God of Old have with-held Good Things from you 't is Righteousness that exalts a Nation but Sin is the Reproach of any people Would ye Prosper then please God and if ye will please him ye must put away the Wicked from amongst you It was both his Complaint and the Cause of his Judgment in Former Ages There are found Wicked Men among my people they lay Wait as he that setteth Snares they set a Trap they catch Men as a Cage is full of Birds so are their Houses full of Deceit Therefore they are become Great and waxen Rich they are waxen Fat they shine They OVERPASS or OVERLOOK the Deeds of the Wicked they Judge not the Cause of the Fatherless yet they prosper These were no Small Folks but Men of Power such as got largely by the Government and employed their Authority to Enrich themselves and not to relieve the Oppressed I must needs say and can with great Truth That Mis-government is the Occasion though the Devil be the Cause of that Mischief and Ruin that attends Nations What Kingdoms hath God destroyed and Cities turn'd into Rubbish because of National Evils too much occasioned by the Remisness of Magistrates the slack Hand that the Rulers of Israel held over that Unhappy people made Way for their Unsubjected Passions and Corrupt Affections to break out into most Vile Impieties but if Men shall be left to their own Licentiousness to Commit Sin with Greediness and with Impunity both despise the Laws of God and Men all I can say is this God who is Jealous of his Glory the Great Avenger of his Law upon Rebellious Nations will with-hold his Mercies and hasten his Judgments upon us Hear the Word of the Lord said the Prophet Hosea ye Children of Israel for the Lord hath a Controversie with the Inhabitants of the Land by Swearing and Lying and Killing and Stealing and Committing Adultery they break out and Blood touches Blood therefore shall the Land mourn And by the Prophet Malachi God threatens that people thus I will come near to you and I will be a swift Witness against Sorcerers and against the Adulterers and against False Swearers and such as fear not me saith the Lord of Hosts Yea to that Degree was that Magistracy degenerated that they thought it a Vain Thing to serve God to keep his Commandments They called the Proud Happy yea they that workt Wickedness were set up they were Advanced to Places of Honour and Trust and they that tempted God were deliver'd But the Word of the Lord was unto them a Reproach they had no Delight in it They made a Mock at Sin laid Snares for the Innocent and like us made Men Offenders for a Word for a good Word a Word of Reproof or an Harmless Opinion Well but what followed Shall I not visit for these things saith the Lord shall
which conquers the World and purifies the Heart by no means But 't is to believe that the Church of Rome is the True Church and the Pope Christ's Vicar and the Visible Head of that Church So as that Self denyal which relates to our Wills and Affections in a corrupt State they apply to the Use of our Understanding about Religion as if it were the same thing to deny that which we understand and know to be Evil which is the Christian Self denyal and to deny that very Knowledge and Understanding which is God's Gift and our Honour Whereas Religion and Reason are so Consistent as that Religion can neither be understood nor maintain'd without Reason For if this must be laid aside I am so far from being Infallibly assured of my Salvation that I am not capable of any Measure of Good from Evil Truth from Falshood Why I have no understanding or use of any which is the same All the Disadvantage the Protestant is under in this is that of his greater Modesty and that be submits his Belief to be tryed which the other refuses under the Pretence of unaccountable Infallibility to that Authority Reason decides So that whereas some people excuse their embracing of that Religion by urging the Certainty that is in it I do say 'T is nothing but Presumption For a man can never be Certain of that about which he has not the Liberty of Examining Understanding or Judging Confident I confess he may be but that 's quite another thing than being Certain Yet I must never deny but that every Christian ought to believe as the Church believes provided the Church be true but the Question is Which is that true Church And when that is answered as a Man may Unlawfully Execute a Lawful Sentence so he may falsly believe as the True Church believes for if I believe what she believes only because she believes it and not because I am convinced in my Understanding and Conscience of the Truth of what she believeth my Faith is false though hers be true I say it is not true to me I have no Evidence of it What is this Church or Congregation rather as worthy Tindal every where translates it but a Company of People agreed together in the sincere Profession and Obedience of the Gospel of Christ Now look what Inducement they severally had to believe and embrace the Gospel that we must have to joyn with them for as they made not one another an infallible Authority to one another upon which they first embrac'd the Gospel neither are we to ground our Belief thereof upon their Authority joyntly but as they had a Rule to believe and commune so must we have the same Rule to embrace their Communion So that that Church cannot be the Rule of my Faith that have the same Faith and Object for my Faith that she has I argue thus I must believe as the Church believes that is I must have the same Faith the Church has then I must have the same Rule because the Church can be no more the Rule of that Faith then she can be that Faith of which some would make her the Rule If then the Church has Faith and that Faith a Rule and that she can no more be the Rule of her own Faith then she can be that Faith it self it follows she cannot be the Rule of the Faith of her Members because those Members have the same Faith and that they in Society are this Church For that which is the Rule of the Congregation's Faith in general must reasonably be the Rule of every Member's Faith that makes up that Congregation and consequently of every Member that may hereafter adhere to it So that to talk of believing as the Church believes to flowrish upon that Self-denyal and Humility which takes all upon Trust and revile those with the bitterest Invectives that are modestly scrupulous and act the BEREANS for their Souls who think that Easiness of Nature and Condescention might be better bestowed and in this occasion ill-tim'd and dangerous is to put the Knife to the Throat of Protestancy and what in them lies to socrifice it to implicit Faith and blind Obedience For it cannot be denyed but that the great Foundation of our Protestant Religion is the Divine Authority of the Scriptures from without us and the Testimony and Illumination of the Holy Spirit within us Upon this foot the first Reformers stood and made and maintain'd their Separation from Rome and freely offered up their innocent Lives in Confirmation With good Cause therefore it is the general Consent of all found Protestant Writers That neither Traditions Councils nor Canons of any visible Church much less the Edicts of any Civil Session or Jurisdiction but the Scriptures only interpeted by the Holy Spirit in us give the final Determination in Matters of Religion and that only in the Conscience of every Christian TO HIMSELF Which Protestation made by the first publick Reformers against the Imperial Edicts of Charles the fifth imposing Church Traditions without Scripture Authority gave first beginning to the Name of Protestant and with that Name hath ever been received this Doctrine which prefers the divine Authority of the Scripture and Spirit to that of the Church and her Traditions And if the Church is not sufficient implicitly to be believed as we hold it is not what can there else be named of more force with us but the Divine Illumination in the Conscience or Conscience in the best Sense of the Word then which God only is greater But if any man shall pretend that the Scripture judges according to his Conceptions or Conscience for other men and that they must take their Religious Measures by the Line of his Direction such a person makes himself greater then either Church Scripture or Conscience And pray let us consider if in any thing the Pope is by our Protestant Divinity so justly resembled to Antichrist as in assuming Infallibility over Conscience and Scripture to determine as he thinks fit and so in effect to give God Scripture Magistrates and Conscience the Law To this they have without scruple applyed that to the Thessalonians Sitting in the Temple of God exalting himself above all that is caled God To check this exorbitancy the Apostle Paul demands Who art thou that judgest anothers Servant to his own Lord he stands or falls which sheweth with great Evidence that Christians of all sizes great and small are but Brethren and consequently all superiority Lordship and Imposition are excluded But if there be a Difference 't is in this that as Christ taught He that is greatest is to be Servant to the rest but what is more opposite to a Servant then a Lord and to Service then Injunction and Imposition and that on Penalties too Here it is that Christ is only Lord and Lawgiver who is only King of this inward Kingdom of the Soul And 't is to be noted that the Apostle
for me to judge that this man does rashly and unadvisedly if he shall arise and contradict Is not the Spirit able to reveal somewhat to him which he hath hidden from thee Now if the Spirit have revealed somewhat to him and to that end revealed it that he might contradict that by his means the thing may be revealed to the Church shall I say that he hath done rashly in obeying the holy Ghost And if thou think otherwise verily thou art not perswaded that the Spirit is the Author and Teacher of this Knowledge but that all the praise thereof is due to Studies Watchings and the Wits of men And if this be thy judgment I tell thee again That thou art not only unworthy to be the sole Speaker but worthy rather to be the only person not permitted to speak in the Congregation And that thou mayst the better understand that the most Unlearned ought to be allowed to speak consider God will have himself to be acknowledged the Author of his own gifts he will not have his praise attributed unto our Studies or Wits but unto himself But if the man that hath spent all his Life in Study speak wisely it is not attributed to God but to study In word perhaps it may be attributed to God yet not without a vehement Reluctancy of our Judgment and this is that which I say God will not abide But if so be thou shalt hear a wise word come out of the Mouth of some unlearned Person thou must needs whether thou wilt or no acknowledge God to be the Author thereof So when God was minded to give unto â—srael a Victory against the Midianites under the Conduct of Gideon and Gideon had gathered together Thirty Thousand Men lest the Israelites should boast that they had gotten the Victory by their own Strength and not by the Assistance of God which might have been conceived if Gidean had fought with so numerous an Army he would not suffer him to have above Three hundred that it might appear that he was the Cause of the Victory and not the Number or Valour of those that fought Now besides the Glory of God hereby great Profit does accrue to the Church For if the People shall see now one man now another endued with the Spirit beyond all Expectation many will thereby be encouraged to hope for the same Gift if they shall ask it many will learn and profit and it will thereby come to pass that when Occasion shall be to choose a Minister the Church shall not need to call strange and unknown Persons to that Office but she may have of her own such as are fit to be chosen Men whose Conversation and Manners are sufficiently known And when the number of such as are able to prophesie shall be great the Church will not be forced to use such Pastors as from their very Childhood have proposed to themselves such Offices as the reward of their Studies and addicted themselves to the study of Scripture and Religion no otherwise then they would have done to some Trade whereby they meant in time to get their Living So that a Man can expect but very few of them to prove other then Mercenary or Hireling Pastors Now that it was the Custom of the Jewish Church that all might thus Prophesie we may hence conjecture in that it is upon Record Luke 4. how our Lord upon the Sabbath day decording to the Custom came into the Synagoguge took a Book and expounded a place of Esay and how being twelve years of Age he sate at Jerusalem in the Temple among the Doctors and did aispute For he could not so do by vertue of any ordinary office forasmuch as his Age was uncapable neither did the Doctors know who he was Yea rather our Lord in so doing must needs make use of the power which was granted to every one to speak It remained in the Christians Congregations until the times of Constantine at the least Forasmuch as we have these words of Eusebius the Writer of Church affairs to that effect If any man inspired by the Grace of God should speak unto the People they all with great silence fixing their Eyes upon him gave such attention as if he had brought them some Errand from Heaven So great was the reverence of the hearers such order was seen among the Ministers One after another another after him Neither was there only two or three that Prophesied according to what the Apostle said but to all was given to speak so that the wish of Moses seems rather to have been fulfilled in them when he said Would God all the People might Prophesie There was no Spleen no Envy the gifts of God were dispensed every one according to his ability contributing his assistance for the confirmation of the Church And all was done with love in such sort That they strove mutually toâ—honour each other and every one to prefer another before himself But to the end this common prophecying may be profitable to the Church we must diligently mark what the Apostle advises For a sure thing it is that the Pride of Man is so great that whatever hath once fallen from him he will by any means have it stand for a Truth neither can he suffer that any man should infringe the same So that if he might be permitted to judge that last spake it will be a Miracle if a man in his Life time should see any one give way to him that contradicts him What is Paul's advice therefore in this case Let two or three Prophets speak and let the rest judge He will not therefore have the same Persons to be Parties and Judges And he adds a little after And the Spirit of the Prophets is subject to the Prophets for God is not the Author of dissention but of Peace So that as soon as any man hath spoken his own mind he ought to rest himself satisfied with the judgment of the rest and not obstinately to make no End of contending if this be not done a sure thing it is there will be no end of strife But what if any man will not be content to submit to the Judgment of the rest Verily I would avouch that being sharply admonished that he disturb not the Congregation and that he go not against the command of the Apostle or rather of our Lord commanding the Spirits of the Prophets to be subject to the Prophets he ought to be cast out of the Society though he should hold the prime place in the Congregation The people likewise must frequently be admonished that liberty for any one to speak in the Congregation is not therefore granted by the Apostle to the end every one should speak what comes to his Tongues end as if he were in a Market but whereas he gives liberty to him to speak to whom any thing is revealed he would have all Rashness and Impudence to be laid aside He that reverences not the Church of God let
by their dissolute Example debauch'd the People insomuch that men run an Hazard to be Virtuous This made their Destruction Easie to those whom God sent against them which were the Mores occasion'd by the Last of these Kings dishonouring Count Juliano ' s Daughter In the Time of his Calamity in vain did he expect the Aid of those that had been his Flatterers and the Companions of his Vices His Security the Effect of his Luxury was his Ruin For whilst he thought he had no body to Subdue but his own People by Abusing them he Cut off his own Arms and made himself an Easie Prey to his Real Enemies And so he perisht with his Posterity that had been the Cause of the Mischief which befel that Great Kingdom However so it came to pass that the Remainder of the Goths mixing with the Antient Spaniards to that Day distinct recovered the Liberty and Reputation of the Kingdom by an Entire Reformation of Manners and a Virtue in Conversation as Admirable as the Vices by which their Fathers had fallen were Abominable But the present impoverisht State of Spain can tell us they have not continued that Virtuous Conduct of their Ancestors the Increase of their Vices hath decayed their Strength lessened their People and their Commerce But why should we overlook our own Country that whether we consider the Invasion of the Romans Saxons or Normans Neglect of Virtue and Good Discipline and the present Inhabitants giving themselves up to Ease and Pleasure was the Cause if Gildas the Brittain and Andrew Horn may be credited for as the First bitterly Inveighed against the Loosness of the Brittains threatning them with all those Miseries that afterwards followed so the Last tells us that the Brittains having forgotten God and being over-whelm'd with Luxury â—nd Vice it pleased God to give the Land to a poor People of the Northern Parts of Germany called Saxons that were of plain and honest Manners God is Unchangeable in the Course of his Providence as to these things The like Causes produce the like Effects as every Tree doth naturally produce its own Fruits 'T is true God is not Careless of the World he feeds the young Ravens clothes the Lillies takes Care of Sparrows and of us so as not an Hair of our Head falls to the ground without his Providence but if Men despise his Law hate to be Reformed spend their Time and Estate in Luxury and persist to work Wickedness he will visit them in his Wrath and consume them in his sâ—re Displeasure To Conclude Wars Bloodshed Fires Plunders Wastings Ravishments Slavery and the like are the Miseries that follow Immoralities the Common Mischiefs of Irreligion the Neglect of Good Discipline and Government Nothing weakens Kingdoms like Vice it does not only displease Heaven but disable them All we have said proves it but above all the Iniquity and Voluptuousness of the Jews God's Chosen who from being the Most Prudent Pious and Victorious People made themselves a Prey to all their Neighbours Their Vice had prepared them to be the Conquest of the First Pretender and thus from Free-men they became Slaves Is God asleep or does he Change shall not the same Sins have the like Punishment at least shall they not be punisht Can we believe There is a God and not believe that he is the Rewarder as of the Deeds of Private Men so of the Works of Government ought we to think him Careful of the Lesser and Careless of the Greater this were to suppose he minded Sparrows more than Men and that he took more Notice of Private Persons than of States But let not our Superiors deceive themselves neither put the Evil Day afar off they are greatly Accountable to God for these Kingdoms If every poor Soul must Account for the Employment of the small Talent he has received from God can we think that those High Stewards of God the Great Governours of the World that so often Account with all others must never come to a Reckoning themselves yes there is a Final Sessions a General Assize and a Great Term once for all where he will Judge among the Judges who is Righteous in all his ways There Private Men shall answer only for themselves but Rulers for the People as well as themselves The Disparity that is here will be observed there and the Greatness of such Persons as shall be then found Tardy will be so far from Extenuating their Guilt that it will fling Weight in the Scale against them Therefore give me leave I do beseech you to be Earnest in my Humble Address to you why should ye not when none are so much concern'd in the Good Intention of it Thus much for the First Reason of my Supplication My SECOND Reason urging me to this Humble and Earnest Supplication is the BENEFIT of POSTERITY I would think that there are few People so Vicious as to Care to see their Children so and yet to me it seems a plain Case that As we leave the Government they will find it If some Effectual Course be not taken what with Neglect and what with Example Impiety will be entailed upon our Children Certainly it were better the World ended with us than that we should transmit our Vices or sow those Evil Seeds in our Day that will Ripen to their Ruin and fill our Country with Miseries after we are gone thereby Exposing it to the Curse of God and Violence of our Neighbours But it is an Infelicity we ought to bewail that Men are Apt to prefer the Base Pleasure of their Present Extravagancies to all Endeavours after a Future Benefit which besides the Guilt they draw upon themselves our Poor Posterity must be greatly injur'd thereby Upon this Occasion I shall take the Freedom to say something of Education The Truth is we are so much out of Order in the Education of our Youth that I wish I could say that we had only the Sin of Neglect to answer for I fear the Care has rather been to Educate them in a Way of such Vanity as ends in great Inconveniencies here and must needs find Vexation of Spirit hereafter Our Universities have made more Loose than Learned and what Extravagancy is begun there is Usually perfected Abroad or at our own Inns of Court at Home that now and then afford us a few Able Lawyers but the Generality are like the Man of Old who return'd home Seven times Worse than he went out The Genius of this Nation is not Inferior to any in the World 't is Industrious 't is Wise 't is Honest 't is Valiant yet Soft and Merciful And without Partiality we have had Men that have excelled in Every Worthy Qualification But I must needs say it has been more owing to the Goodness of God in the Disposition of our Natures than the Prudence and Care of those who had the Charge of their Education It was the Saying of a Wise Man Train up a Child in the Way he
would from hence wring and extort the Power of defining resolving and imposing upon all people under temporal and eternal punishment Articles of Faith and Bonds of Christian Communion I Conclude this of the Church with saying that 't is not Identity of Opinion but Justice not Religious Uniformity but Personal Satisfaction that concerns the text and therefore Reason sober Consciencâ— and good Sense may at any time lawful insist upon their claim to be heard in all their Scruples or Exceptions without disrespect to that excellent Doctrine when rightly understood Go tell the Church To this let me add somthing about this great Word CHURCH Some men think they are sure enough if they can but get within the pale of the Church that have not yet consider'd what it is The Word CHURCH signifies any Assembly so the Greeks used it and it is by Worthy Tindal every where translated Congregation It has a two fold sense in Scripture The first and most excellent Sense is that in which she is called the Body and Bride of Christ In this respect she takes in all Generations and is made up of the Regenerated be they in Heaven or on Earth thus Ephes 1. 22. 5. 23 to 33. Col. 1. 16 17. 18. Heb. 12. 22 23. Rev. 21. 2. Chap. 22. 17. Here Christ only can be Head this Church is washed from all Sin not a Spot nor a Wrinkle left ill men have nothing to do with this Church within whose pale only is Salvation nor is this Universal and truly Catholick Church capable of being conveen'd to be told of Wrongs or Trespasses The other use of that Word in Scripture is alwayes referred to Particular Assemblies and Places that is the Church which by Christ's Doctrine is to be told of Personal Injuries and whose determination for Peace sake is to be adhear'd to must of necessity be the adiacent or most contiguous company of Christian Believers those to whom the Persons in difference are by external Society and Communion related and that such private and distinct Assemblies are so called the Church is apparent from the acts and writings of the Apostles the Church of Jerusalem Antioch Corinth Ephesus Galatia Thessalonica Crete c. peruse these places Acts 5. 11. 9. 31. 11. 22 26. 14 23 27. Rom. 16. 5. 1 Cor. 1. 2. 4. 17. 14. 4. Rev. 2. 3. Chap. By which it plainly appears that the Universal visible Church so much bragg'd of for the Rule and Judge of Faith c. is an upstart thing and like mean Families or ill got Goods it uses false Heraldry to give it a Title For the Apostoilick times to which all others must vail and by whom they must be tryed know no such conceit and the Truth is it was then first started when the Pride of one man made him ambitious and his Power able to bid for Headship Empire and Soveraignity 't was then needful to his being Universal head that he should first have an Universal body But suppose such a Church there were 't is utterly Impossible that such a Church could be called together in anyone place or at any one time to be told or to determine of any thing so that yielding the thing by them desired it is useless and impracticable to the ends they desire it for But alas who knows not that loves not to be blind that the Church among them is the Priesthood the few cunning men govern the Majority and intitle their conceits the Canons of Christ's Church and humane Power and Force the Policy and Weapons of this world must back their decrees And all this comes from the Ignorance and Idleness of the People that give the Pride and Industry of the Clergy an opportunity to effect their crafts upon them For so mean spirited are the People as to take all upon trust for their Souls that would not trust an Arch-Bishop about a slit Groat 'T is prodigious to think what Veneration the Priest-hood have raised to themselves by their usurpt Commission of Apostleship their pretended Successions and their CLINK CLANK of extraordinary Ordination A Priest a God on Earth a Man that has the Keys of Heaven and Hell do as he says or be damn'd what power like to this The Ignorance of the People of their Title and Pretences have prepared them to deliver up themselves into their hands like a Crafty Usurer that hedges in the Estate on which he has a Mortgage and thus they make themselves ever in Fee to the Clergy and become their proper Patrimony So that believing as the Church believes is neither more nor less then Rooking men of their Understandings or doing as ill Gamesters are wont to do get by using false Dice Come come 't is believing as the Priesthood believes which made way for that offence wise and good men have taken against the Clergy in every Age And did the People examine their bottom the ground of their Religion and Faith it would not be in the Power of their Leaders to cause them to Err an implicit Veneration to the Clergy begun the Misery What! Doubt my Minister arraign his Doctrine put him to the Proof by no means but the Consequence of not doing it has been the Introduction of much false Doctrine Superstition and Formality which gave just occasion for Schism for the Word has no hurt in it and implies only a Separation which may as well be right as wrong But that I may not be taxed with partiallity or upbraided with sigularity there are two Men whose Worth Good Sense and True Learning I will at any time engage against an entire Convocation of another Judgment viz. Jacobus Acontius and John Hales of Eaton that are of the same mind who though they have not writ much have writ well and much to the purpose I will begin with Jacobus Acontius at large and do heartily beseech my Readers to be more then ordinarily intent in reading what I cite of him their Care and Patience will be requited by his Christian and very acute Sense It remains that we speak of such Causes of the not perceiving that a Change of Doctrine is introduced as consist in the Persons that are taught Now they are cheifly two Carelesness and Ignorance Carlesness for the most â—part ariseth hence In that the people trust too much to their Pastors and per swade themselves that they will not slip into any Error and that therefore they have small need to have an Eye over them but that they are bound rather to embrace whatsoever they shall hold forth without any curious Examination Hereunto may be added many other businesses whereunto men addict themselves For that Saying is of large extent Where mens Treasure is there is their Heart and that other No man can serve two Masters Now how it may come to pass that after a people hath once had a great Knowledge of Divine Truths the said Knowledge may as it were vanish away besides that Cause which
by the Dead they might be deserted of those that to say we cannot be safe without them If any thing Sober and Judicious be propos'd for allaying Asperities accomodating Differences and securing to Prince and People a just and legal Union of Interest as our Government requires we must presently be told of 41. and 42. as if there were a sort of Necromancy in the numbers or that the naming of those Figures long since made Cyphers by an Act of Oblivion hath power enough to lay the active and generous Spirits of our times but they will find themselves mistaken in their black Art and that things as well as times are chang'd the Mask is off and he that runs may read Men in their Pleas and Endeavours for Truth Justice and Sincere Religion will not be over born or stagger'd by such stale and trifling Reflections rarely used of late but to palliate wretched Designs or dilcredit good ones with men of weak Judgments though perhaps of loyal Principles I beseech you let us not be unskilful in these Tricks that we may not be mistaken or abused by them I cannot tell a â—ime in which the Minds of all sorts of Protestants have been so powerfully and unanimously engag'd to endeavour a good Understanding between the King and People And as I am sure it was never more needed so let me say no Age hath put a richer Price into the Hands of Men or yielded a fairer Occasion to fix an happy and lasting Union upon in order to which let me prevail with you that we may study to improve this great Principle as the necessary means to it viz. That God's Providence and our own Constitution have made the Interest of Prince and People ONE and that their Peace and Greatness lie in a most industrous and impartial Prosecution of it Those that teach other Doctrine as that the Prince hath an Interest apart from the Good and Safety of the People are the sole men that get by it and therefore find themselves oblig'd to study their mis-understanding because they only are disappointed and insecured by their Union Experience truly tells us that such Persons have another Interest than that which leads to a common Good and are often but too artificial in interesting Princes in the success of it but prudent and generous Princes have ever seen that it is neither safe nor just and that no Kingdom can be govern'd with true Glory and Success but there where the Interest of the Governour is one with that of the Governed and where there is the strictest Care to steer all Transactions of State by the Fundamentals or first and great Principles of their own Constitution especially since swerving from them hath alwayes made way for Confusion and Misery in Government Our own Stories are almost every where vext by this Neglect To Conclude and sum up the whole Discourse If you will both cure present and prevent future Grievances it will greatly behove us to take a most deliberate and unbyass'd View of the present state of Things with their proper Causes and Tendencies Let us confront our Ecclesiastical Matters with the plain Text and Letter of Holy Scripture this is PROTESTANT and let us compare our civil Transactions with the antient Laws and Statutes of the Realm this is ENGLISH And I do humbly and heartily beseech Al mighty God that he would so dispose the Hearts of Prince and People as that now Foundations may be laid for a Just and Lasting Tranquility to these Nations AN APPENDIX Of the CAUSES of PERSECUTION I Impute all Persecution for Religion to these Seven insuing Causes though properly speaking there is but one Original Cause of this Evil and that is the Devil as there is but one Original Cause of Good and that is God The first Cause of Persecution is this That the Authors and Users of it have little or no Religion at Heart they art not subject to the ground and first Cause of true Religion in their own Souls For it is the part of true Religion to humble the Mind break the Heart and soften the Affection To him O God! wilt thou have regard said one of Old who is of a broken Heart and a contrite Spirit and that trembles at thy word not one that breaks Pates and plunders Goods for Religion Blessed are they that Mourn said Christ they shall be comforted not those that sell Joseph and make Merry Blessed are the poor in Spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of God those that are low in their own Eyes not such as devour and damn all but themselves Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the Earth such as are gentile and ready to help and not Tyrannize over Neighbours Blessed are the Merciful for they shall obtain Mercy what then shall become of those that are Cruel under pretence of doing it for Gods sake Blessed are the Peace-makers for they shall be called the Children of God then Disturbers and Destroyers of their peaceable Neighbours shall not be called so Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after Righteousness for they shall be filled but not those that hunger and thirst after our Corn and Cattel Houses and Land for Conscience sake And Blessed are you says Christ when Men shall Revile and Persecute you c. then not those that Revile and Persecute others and those Sober and Harmless not one Blessing to this Conscience-hunting Doctrine and Practice that devour the Widow and Orphant for Religion Were men inwardly and truly Religious they would have that low Opinion of themselves that tender regard to mankind that awe of Almighty God that none of these froward Passions would have any sway with them But the mischief is unmortified Passions pretend to Religion a Proud Impatient Arrogant mind would promote it then which nothing of Man is more remote from it and mistaking the Nature of Christ's peaceable Religion which if the Apostle James say true is to visit the Fatherless and widow and keep our selves unspotted of the World They turn Widow and Fatherless out of House and Home and spot themselves with the Cruelty and Injustice of usurping their poor patremony the Bread of their Lives and Sustenance of their Natures such men as these are devoid of natural Affection their Religion has no Bowels or they are without Mercy in the Profession of it which is the quite contrary to true Religion that makes us love Enemies do good to them that hate us and kindly entreat those that despightfully use us and so much stronger in Souls truly Religious is the power of Love to Mankind then any Self-revenging Passion that from an humble and serious reflection upon the Mercies and Goodness of God to them they do not only suppress any rising of Heart against their Persecutors much more against peaceable Dissenters but with much softness charity commiserate their Ignorance and Fury offering to inform them and praying that they may be forgiven This is to be Religious and therefore
those that Persecute for Religion are Irreligious 2dly The next Cause of Persecution is the gross but general Mistake which People are under concerning the Nature of the Church Kingdom of Christ for the lamentable Worldliness of mens minds hath put them upon those Carnal Constructions which have made way for all the external Coertion and Violence used by bad and suffer'd by good Men on the score of Religion from the beginning And no wonder if ordinary Persons tumble upon this Construction when the Disciples of Jesus shew'd themselves so ill read in the Mysteries of his Kingdom that after all the Intimacy they had had with him they resrain'd not to ask When shall the Kingdom be restored to Israel They look't abroad had a Worldly Idea in their minds Jew like they waited for external Deliverance from the Power of the Romans rather then an Internal Salvation from the Dominion of Satan and interpreted that to Worldly loss and freedom which did relate to the loss and Redemption of the Soul but Jesus taught them better things yet so as not to deny or flatly discourage and rebuke them that though true might have been more then they could have borâ— therefore he winds off with them upon the Time and the Season of the thing knowing that the Time was at hand that they should be better taught and satisfied of the nature of his Kingdom unto which he referred them When the Spirit of Truth comes it shall lead you into all Truth c. That the Kingdom of Christ is not of this World has been before observed and the Reason is so great that all men of common Sense must allow it upon Christ's Principle for says he then would my Servants fight for me truly implying that because the Kingdoms of this World are evidently set up and maintained by Worldly Force and that he will have no Worldly Force used in the Business of his Kingdom therefore it is not of this World Consequently those that attempt to set up his Kingdom by Worldly Force or make that their Pretence to use it are none of his Servants they are truly but Men of this World such as seek an Earthly and not an Heavenly Kingdom themselves and not Christ Jesus Where by the way let me observe That though the Jews to engage Pilate the more easily to their side impeach't Christ of being an Eâ—â—e my to Casar they were Enemies and He a Friend to Caesar for he came to reform the Lives of Men to make them better Subjects to obey Caesar not for Fear but for Conscience sake so would Caesar's Provinec have been easie and safe But the Jews would have had him Caesar's Enemy one that should have forcibly rescued them from Caesar's Power they waited for a Captain General to begin the Revolt and with an high Hand to over bear and captive Caesar as he had done them and 't is more than probable that his Appearance being to another End they therefore rejected him their Heart being set upon this But to return Christ told his Disciples that he had chosen them out of the World how not to converse or live bodily in it no such matter but he had chosen or singled them from the Nature Spirit Glory Policy and Pomp of this World How Persons so qualified can make a Worldly Church or Kingdom unless they desert Christ's Doctrine is past my Skill to tell So that the Capacity that Christians stand in to Christ is Spiritual and not Worldly or Carnal and therefore not Carnal or Worldly but Spiritual Methods and Weapons only are to be used to inform or reclaim such as are Ignorant or DisobediÌ„ent And if we will give Antient Story credit we shall find that Worldly Weapons were never employed by the Christian Church till the became Worldly and so ceast to be truly Christian But why should I say the Church the most abused word in the World her Leaders have taught her to eâ—â— and that of believing as the Church believes is so far from being true in point of Faith as well as Reason that the Church her self his ever believed as the Clergy that is the Priests believed since that sort of Men have practised Distinction from and Superiority upon the Laity He that will peruse the Ecclesiastical Story delivered us by Eusebius Pamphili Secrates Scholasticns Evagrius Ruffinus Sozomen c. will find but too many and sad Instances of the Truth of this In short Peoples apprehending the Church and Kingdom of Christ to be Visible and Worldly like other Societies and Government have thought it not only to be Lawful but Necessary to use the Arts and Force of this World to support that Church and Kingdom especially since this Interest of Religion hath been embodied with that of the Civil Magistrate for from that time he hath been made Custos utriusque tabulae and such as offend though about Church Matters have been reputed Transgressors against the State and consequently the State interested in punishing the Offence Whereas had Christians remain'd in their primitive Simplicity and Purity in the Self-denying Patient and Suffering Doctrine of Christ Christianity had stood in Holy Living not in Worldly Regiment and its Compulsion would have been Love its Arms Reason and Truth and its utmost Rigour even to obstinate Enemies or Apostates but Renouncing of their Communion and that not till much Forbearance had been used to them To sum up all The Kingdoms of this World stand in outward Bodily and Civil Matters and here the Laws and Power of Men reich and are effectual But the Kingdom and Church of Christ that is chosen out of the World stands not in Bodily Exercise which the Apostle says profits little nor in Times nor Places but in Faith and that Worship which Christ tells us is in Spirit and in Truth to this no Worldly Compulsion can bring or force men 't is only the Power of that King of Righteousness whose Kingdom is in the Minds and Souls of the Just and he rules by the Law of his own free Spirit which like the Wind Bloweth where it listeth And as without this Spirit of Regeneration no man can be made a Member of Christs Church or Kingdom so neither is it in the Power of Man to command or give it and consequently all Worldly force employ'd to make men Members of Christs Church and Kingdom is unnatural and ineffectual I could be very large upon this point for 't is very fruitful and so much the cause of Persecution that if there were never another to be assign'd this were enough for upon due consideration it must needs meet with every mans Judgment and Experience I will here add the sense of memorable Hales of Eaton upon this subject When our Saviour in the Acts after his Resurrection was Discoursing to his Disciples concerning the Kingdom of God they presently brake forth into this Question Wilt thou now restore the Kingdom unto Israel Certainly this Question betrays their
hath been even now alleadged we shall in another place make discovery of some other Reasons We shall for the present add only this one That the people themselves are in a perpetual kind of Mutation some daily dying and departing others succeeding and growing up in their stead Whence it comes to pass That since the Change which is made in every Age is small either the people cannot perceive it or if they do observe it yet they esteem it not of such moment as to think fit to move any Difference thereabout This thing also is of very great force to keep the people from taking notice of a Change in Doctrine when men shall perswade themselves that they are not able to judge of matters of Religion as though it is it is not and other words used in Scripture do not signifie the same which they do in common discourse or as if nothing could be understood without some great Knowledge in the Tongues and Arts or Sciences and as if the Power of the Spirit were of no efficacy without these Helps Whereby it cometh to pass that whilst they think they understand not even those things which in some sort they do understand being expressed in most clear and evident words they do at length arrive to that Blockishness that they cannot understand them indeed so that though they have before their Eyes a Sentence of Scripture so clear that nothing can be more evident yet if they to whose Authority they in all things subject themselves shall say any thing point-blank opposite thereunto they will give credit unto them and imagine themselves not to see that which they see as clear as the Light And by these means verily it comes to pass That when the Doctrine of Religion is corrupted the Mutation is not discovered Furthermore when the Doctrine is once begun to be changed it must needs be that out of one Error another should spring and propagate infinitely and God for Just Reasons of his own blinding them men bring upon themselves so great Darkness and slip into such soul Errors That if God out of Mercy open a mans Eyes and let him see those Errors he lives in he can scarcely believe himself or be perswaded that he was ever enveloped with such blind Errors Which thing is as true and as well to be seen in Men of greatest Learning Experience If thou shalt thorowly peruse the writings of some of the School-men as they call them thou shalt in some places meet with so much Accuteness as will make thee admire Thou shalt see them oftentimes cleave a fine Thred into many parts and accurately Anotomise a Flea and a little after fall so foully and avouch such Absurdities That thou caâ—st not sufficiently stand amaz'd wherefore we must obey that Advice of the Poet Principijs obsta sero medicina paratur Cum mala per longas invaluere moras Resist betimes that Med'cine stayes too long Which comes when Age has made the Grief too strong Now there is need of a double Caution viz. That there be no Change made in the Doctrine when it is pure And if any Change be made that there be notice taken of it Now look what Change is made in this kind all the Blame is laid upon those whose Office it is to instruct the People for though themselves are the Authors of the Change yet will the people impute it to the Ministers Sleepiness and want of Care at least It concerns therefore the Pastors and Teachers to be Eagle eyed and to be very well acquainted with those Causes whereby the Change of Doctrine becomes undiscovered and to have them at their Fingers ends and to be wary that on no hand they may miscarry Now it will be an excellent Caution for the keeping of Doctrine pure if they shall avoid all curious and vain Controversies If they shall set before their Eyes the scope and end of all Religious Doctrine and likewise a Series or Catalogue of all such things as make to the attainment of that End of which we formerly spake if they shall affect not only the matter it self but also the words and phrases which the Holy Ghost in Scripture makes use of and exceedingly suspect all different Forms of speaking Not that I would have them speak nothing but Hebraisms for so their Language would not be plain nor intelligible but I wish that they will shun all such Expressions as have been invented by over-nice Disputants beyond what was necessary to express the sence of the Hebrew and Greek and all those Tenets which men by their own Wits do collect and infer from the Scriptures Now of what Concernment this will be we may gather by this Instance The Papists think it one and the same thing to say The Church cannot err and to say in the words of our Lord Wheresoever two or three shall be gathered together in my Name there will I be in the midst of them Yet is the Difference very great which may thus appear forasmuch as in case any one shall conceive the Church to be the Pope Cardinals and Bishops anointed by the Pope he hearing the aforesaid Sentence will judge that whatsoever they shall decree ought to be of Force But if he shall rather mind the words of our Lord and shall consider that those kind of men do regard nothing but their own Commodity Wealth and Dominion he will be so far from so understanding them that peradventure not being able to allow the Deeds and Practices of these Men he will come to hope from those words That if himself with some other good Men loving God with their whole Heart shall come together and unanimously implore the Assistance of God shall be better able to determiâ—… What it is that ought to be believed and practised for the attainment of Salvation then if they should persist to put their Confidence in such Pastors Now this Rule that the words of the Scripture ought to be used rather than any other is then especially to be observed when any thing is delivered as a certain and tryed Truth or as a Rule of Faith or Life or out of which any other thing is to be inferred For in Expositions and Explanations as there is need happily of greater Liberty so is there less Danger if it be taken For whenas the Word of God and the exposition thereof are at one and the same time both together in view as it were there no man can be ignorant that the Exposition is the word of Man so that he may reject it in case it seem impertinent And look by what means a man may hinder the Doctrine of Religion from being changed by the self-same he may find whether it be chang'd or no. Now every man ought to compare the Doctrine of that Age wherein he lives with no other Doctrine then that which was out of question spotless which is the Doctrine of the Apostles Wherefore notwithstanding that in our Age the Gospel is as