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B07159
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A most humble supplication of many the Kings Maiesties loyall subiects, ready to testifie all civill obedience, by the oath, as the law of this realme requireth, and that of conscience; who are persecuted, onely for differing in religion, contrary to divine and humane testimonies as followeth..
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Murton, John.
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1621
(1621)
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STC 563.7; ESTC S95969
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22,236
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39
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instructing them with meeknesse that are contrary minded proving if God at any time will give them repentance that they may acknowledge the truth and come to amendment out of the snare of the devill c. 2. Tim. 2. vvhich plainely sheweth that repentance must continually be waited for and not constreyned by persecution for repentance is the gift of God and cannot be constrained at mans pleasure Fiftly Christs Kingdome is not of this world Ioh. 18. neither are the vveapons thereof carnall but Spirituall 2. Cor. 10.4 And therefore the worldly weapons of earthly Kingdome cannot accomplish the things of Christs Kingdome The reason of all these are Because they who are now tares may hereafter become wheate they that now resist him may hereafter receive him they that are now in the devils snare even adversaries to the truth may hereafter come to repentance some come not till the eleventh houre Mat. 20.6 If those that come not to the last houre should be destroyed because they come not at the first then should they never come but be prevented CHAP. VII The Testimonies and practises of famous Princes against persecution FIrst your most excellent Majestie saith in your exposition upon Revel 20. ch First Printed in Edenborough 1588. after in London 1603. Sixtly the Compassing of the Saints and besieging of the beloved Citie declareth unto us a certaine note of a false Church to be persecution For they come to seeke the faithfull the faithfull are those that are sought the wicked are the besiegers the faithful the besieged And in your Highnesse speech at the Session of Parliament 1609. you say It is a sure rule in Divinity that God never loves to plant his Church by violence and bloudshed And in your Majesties Apologie for the Oath of Allegeance pag. 4. you say I gave a good proofe that I intended no persecution against them for conscience cause but onely desired to be secured of them for civill obedience which for conscience cause they were bound to performe And Pag. 60. speaking of Blackwell the Arch-priest your Highnesse saith It was never my intention to lay any thing to the said Arch-priests charge as I have never done to any for cause of conscience c. And in your Majesties Meditation upon the Lords Prayer your Highnesse adviseth that in the matters of Gods worship we should not doe that we doubt Also that noble Prince The King of Bohemia hath written thus Notwithstanding the successe of these latter times wherein sundry opinions have beene hatched about the subject of Religion may make one clearely discerne with his eye and as it were touch with his finger that according to the veritie of holy Scripture and a Maxime heretofore held and maintained by the ancient Doctors of the Church That mens consciences ought in no sort to be violated urged or constrained and whensoever men have attempted any thing by this violent course whether openly or by secret meanes the issue hath beene pernitious and the cause of great and wonderfull innovations in the principallest and mightiest Kingdomes and Countries of all Christendome c. For which cause his Majestie saith So that once more wee doe protest before God and the whole world that from this time forward we are firmly resolved not to persecute or molest or suffer to be persecuted or molested any person whatsoever for matter of Religion no not they which professe themselves to be of the Romane Church neither to trouble nor disturbe them in the exercise of their Religion so they live conformably to the Lawes of the State c. And for the practise of this thing it is well known that many great Monarchs Princes and States suffer Religion free and doe not constraine the conscience of any man by bodily persecutions not onely Heathen Princes as the Turk and Persian but even Catholique Princes and many Protestant Princes also CHAP. VIII Divers Testimonies of inferiour men against persecution HIllar contra Auxen The Christian Church doth not persecute but is persecuted and lamentable it is to see the great follie of these times and to sigh at the foolish opinion of this world in that men thinke by humane aid to help God and with worldly pompe and power to undertake to defend the Christian Church J aske you Bishops what help used the Apostles in the publishing of the Gospell with the aide of what power did they preach Christ and converted the Heathen from their idolatry to God When they were in prisons and lay in chaines did they praise and give thankes to God for any Dignities Graces and Favours received from the Court Or doe you thinke that Paul went about Regall mandates or Kingly authoritie to gather and establish the Church of Christ Sought he protection from Nero Vespation whose envie and hate against Christ made the Gospell and the acknowledgement thereof more to flourish The Apostles wrought with their hands for their owne maintenance travelling by land and water from Town to Citie to preach Christ yea the more they were forbidden the more they taught and preached Christ but now alas humane helpe must assist and protect the faith â—nd give the same countenance with and by vaine and worldly honours doe men seeke to defend the Church of Christ as if he by his power were not able to performe it Hill con Arian The Church now which formerly â—y enduring miserie and imprisonment was knowne to be a â—rue Chruch doth now terrifie others by imprisonment banishment and miserie and boasteth that she is highly esteemed of the world whereas the true Church cannot but be hated of the same Ambrose in his booke of Widowes The Church oâ—ercommeth the power of the adversarie not with worldly but with spirituall weapons which are powerfull before God â—o cast downe holds and spirituall wickednesses Damasc 3. sent cap. 33. The Gospell is preached â—hrough the world which overcame not the adversaries â—hereof through the sword or by warre but a few naked poore unlearned and scourged people confounded and brought to nought the wise men of the world for how shall â—he Church otherwise have Martyrs if she her selfe martyred others Ierom. in proaem lib. 4. in Ieremiam Heresie is to be cut off with the sword of the Spirit let us strike thoâ—ow with the arrowes of the Spirit all sonnes and disciples of misse-led heretiques that is with Testimonies of holy Scripture the slaughter of Heretiques is by the word of God Tertul. ad Scapul It agreeth both with humane equiâ—ie and naturall reason that everie man worship God uncomâ—ompelled and beleeve what he will for it neither hurteth nor profiteth any man another mans Religion or Beleefe neither beseemeth it any Religion to compell another to be of their Religion which willingly and freely should be imbraced and not by constraint for as much as the offerings were required of those that freely and with a good will offered and not from the contrary Brentius upon 1. Cor. 3. No man hath power to make or
A MOST HVMBLE SVPPLICATION OF MANY THE KINGS MAIESTIES LOYALL SVBIECTS READY TO TEStifie all civill obedience by the oath as the Law of this Realme requireth and that of conscience Who are Persecuted onely for differing in Religion contrary to divine and humane testimonies as followeth Prov. 21.13 He that stoppeth his eare at the crying of the poore he shall also crie and not be heard Printed 1621. This Book belongs to The New-England Library Begun to be collected by Thomas Prince upon his entring Harvard-College July 6. 1703 and was given by said Prince to remain therein for ever TO THE HIGH AND MIGHTY Prince Iames by the grace of God King of Great Brittaine France and Ireland our Soveraigne Lord on earth TO THE EXCELLENT AND NOBLE Prince Charles Prince of Wales c. To all the Right Honourable Nobilitie Grave and Honourable Iudges and To all other the Right worshipfull Gentrie of all estates and degrees assembled in this present Parliament Right High and Mighty Right Excellent and Noble Right Honourable and Right Worshipfull AS the consideration of that divine commandement of the King of Kings given to every poore Saint 1. Tim. 2. Let supplications prayers intercessions and giving of thankes bee made for Kings and for all that are in authority that wee may leade a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honestie doth cause in us a daily practise therof in our secret chambers as of duetie we are bound of which the searcher of all hearts beareth us witnesse so let it be pleasing to your Majestie and the rest in authority that we make humble supplications and prayers to you for such our bodily miseries and wants as are upon us in that it is in your power to redresse them and especially at this present in this Honourable Meeting assembled for the publique weale of all your loyall subjects Our miseries are long and lingring imprisonments for many yeres in divers countries of England in which many have dyed and left behind them widowes and many small fatherlesse children taking away our goods and other the like of which we can make good probation not for any disloyaltie to your Majestie or hurt to any mortall man our adversaries themselves being judges but onely because wee cannot assent unto and practise in the worship of God such things as we have not faith in which if wee should doe we should greatly sinne against the most High Heb. 11.6 Rom. 14.23 as your Majestie well observeth in these words It is a good sure rule in Theologie that in the matters of the worship of God Quod dubitas ne feceris according to Pauls rule Rom. 14. Let every man be fully perswaded in his minde If we were in errour in these things courses of afflicting our bodies for conscience cause are not of Christ but of Anti-christ as hereafter is most plainely shewed And if no Church be the rule of faith but onely the holy Scriptures as the learned Protestants doe truely confesse and that therefore the doctrine of the Church of Rome that All must beleeve as the Church beleeves and so practise or else be cruelly persecuted be most ungodly then how can they avoide the like censure that practise the same things contrary to their own judgement For the learned Protestants doe say it is high crueltie for the Papists to constraine them to practise those things in Gods worship which they have not faith in nay which they know to bee evill with imprisonment fire and fagot c. and therefore why may not we saie it is as great crueltie for the learned Protestants to constraine us to practise those things in Gods worship which we have not faithin nay which we certainely know to be evill with lingring imprisonment losse of goods and what other cruelties they can procure against us of your Majestie and the civill State If the learned say they have the truth and we are in errour that resteth to be tryed by the true touchstone of the holy Scriptures If the learned be our Iudges the verdit must needs goe against us If their sayings be a safe rule for us to be saved by wee will rest upon them and then why may not the sayings of the Papists be as sure also and they be the Protestants Iudges and so bring us all to beleeve as the Church beleeves The iniquitie of which we have discovered as brieflie as wee can beseeching your majestie and all that are in Authoritie to heare us It concerneth our eternall salvation or condemnation and is therefore of great importance For what can a man give for the ransome of his soule Oh be pleased to remember the saying of that Great and good man Iob ch 29. I delivered the poore that cryed and the fatherlesse and him that had none to help him the blessing of him that was readie to perish came upon me and I caused the widowes heart to rejoyce I was a father to the poore and When I knew not the cause I sought it out diligently I brake also the jawes of the unrighteous man and pluckt the prey out of his teeth Our prayers are and shall be for you day and night to that God of glorie by whom you Raigne and are Advanced that hee will put into your hearts to let these things enter into your thoughts and then wee doubt not the evidence of them being such that you will be moved to repeale and make voide all those cruell Lawes that persecute poore men onely for matters of conscience Not that we any way desire for our selves Papists or others any the least libertie from the strict observation of any civil temporall or humane law made or to be made for the preservation of your Majesties Person Crowne State or Dignitie For all that give not unto Caesar that which is his let them beare their burden But we onely desire that God might have that which is his which is the heart and soule in that worship which hee requireth over which there is but one Lord and one Lawgiver Iam. 4.12 who is able to save it or to destroy it which no mortall man can doe It is not in your power to compell the heart you may compell men to be hypocrites as a great many are who are false hearted both towards God and the State which is sinne both in you and them The vileness of persecuting the bodie of any man onely for cause of conscience is against the word of God and law of Christ it is against your Majesties profession against the profession and practise of other Princes The ancient and latter approved Writers witness against it so doe the Puritanes or Calvinists yea the establishers of it The Papists themselves inveigh against it So that God and all men doe detest it as is herein declared And therefore in most humble manner wee doe beseech your Majestie your Highness your Honours your Worships to consider of it and doe as God directeth you in his Word that cannot lie Let