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A37350
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Friendly advice to Protestants, or, An essay towards comprehending and uniting of all Protestant dissenters to the Church of England humbly offer'd to the consideration of this present Parliament, as the best expedient of this time to secure the safety, honours, and welfare of the king and kingdom / by a sober Protestant.
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M. D.; M. D.
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1680
(1680)
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Wing D60; ESTC R21201
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50,844
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68
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suspect I am certain that if you will govern your selves by them your Non-Conformity will be less dangerous to your Souls more excusable before God and less hurtful to the Nation I. Abstain from all disrespectful words slanderous reports base aspersions and railing accusations and unworthy imputations of our Government Worship and Orders of the Church Suffer not your suspicions of sin to break out into an open injustice and filthy language If your judgments be infected defile not your tongues with the same pollution Let a Christian moderation bridle in that liberty which men commonly give themselves of speaking any thing against that which they cannot phancy and let not your mistakes appear farther than your own Souls This restraint is most just reasonable and agreeing with the passages of Gods Blessed Word for it is but just that you should abstain from abusing that Church and Government which secures your Lives and Estates from which your Forefathers and many of you have received the advantage of being Christians It was a great ingratitude in one of the Sons of Noah to reveal and sport himself with the sight of his Fathers Nakedness It is as great an ingratitude in the English Subjects and deserves as severe a Curse to blaze abroad and delight to publish in every Company the suspected nakedness of their Mother the Church of Eagland from whose Breasts they have sucked many benefits It is very remarkable that when the Children of Israel were going into the Land of Canaan to live amongst the Heathens God gave them this Commandment for the preservation of the publick Peace of his People which would have been broken if they had by their unhandsom Language stirred up the Heathens jealousie for the Honour of their Gods Thou shalt not revile the Gods nor curse the Rulers of they People Exod. xxii 28. They differed in essential matters of Religion yet God would not suffer his People to rail against those false Divinities lest that might disquiet and disturb the publick tranquillity And for that very cause when the Jews were in Captivity in Babylon Jeremiah sent them a Letter by Gods Command To seek the peace of the City whither they were carried away Captives and pray unto the Lord for it for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace Jerem. xxix 7. The Jews were Gods People the Babylonians were Idolaters yet God would not suffer them to defame or speak any thing which might hinder the peace of that Kingdom Likewise it was observed by the Town-Clerk of Ephesus in his harangue to the People in their uproar That the Christians were neither Robbers of Churches nor yet Blasphemers of the Goddess Diana Acts xix 37. And the Heathens could commend the Christians for their moderation and discretion in this respect Justin Martyr And is it just that you my Brethren should be continually reviling and blaspheming that Worship and Religion whereof the establishment renders ye quiet in the possession of your Estates That Religion and Worship against which you have nothing but Suspicions and not such Allegations as the Jews had against the Babylonish and as the Christians had against the Heathenish Religion Our Peace I confess is not disturbed in that manner as theirs had been had they treated the Heathens as many of you do us for you have to deal with those Christians that look upon you as Brethren and can suffer affronts and disgraces with patience but our moderation excuses not the violent and uncharitable expressions and blasphemies too much in use amongst the indiscreetest of our dissenting Brethren Whatever therefore be your thoughts and suspicions of us let your words be modest and let them favour of that Christian Charity which we should entertain for one another II. Seek not to propagate your displeasures against our Church and Worship nor to gain Proselytes to your Sects You have but suspicions of sin to lay to our Charge no real Accusations no open Idolatry nor plain Superstition to fasten upon our Church and Worship though this suspicion as you pretend is sufficient to excuse your Non-Conformity it may not have the same effect upon others that which is but a suspicion in you shall assuredly be an Article of Faith in a Disciple for Error like the Snow-balls increaseth the farther it goes Education and Custom will cause your Children to abominate what you look upon to be tolerable if you bring them up in an aversion for it It is observed concerning hereticks and mistakes in Religion that their Disciples were far more the Children of Hell than their Masters and more violent and more extravagant in their deviations from the Truth Matt. xxxiii 15. It is therefore very dangerous to draw into the same groundless suspicions unexperienced Souls who are apt to improve mistakes to the disturbance of the publick and their own damnation If therefore you will not be in love with your prejudices take heed how you bring up your Children in such persuasions as may hasten their ruin and the Nations calamities And if you cannot prevail upon your selves to forsake your opinions be not so fond of your distemper to communicate it to others but encourage them in the performance of their duties III. Give not credit too unadvisedly to the ill reports that concern the Church and its Government for there is nothing that increaseth so much the displeasure against it as that wicked policy of our Adversaries They misrepresent us to the people and deal with us as the Jesuits in Spain do with the Protestants condemned to the fire they cloath them with Paper Coats and Caps all covered over with shapes of Devils and strange chimera's to render them more frightful to the vulgar sort thus do our subtil enemies cover us over with the figures of Devils Idolatry Superstition and Crimes which when well examined will appear to be only the effects of their malice rather than expressions of our deservings IV. Search with diligence into the differences between us take the assistance of Gods Holy Word inquire into our Practices and Belief and by Prayer endeavour to understand the Truth that you may learn to practise it We dare appeal to the Judgments of the most moderate of you we are no such Idolaters as some would have There is nothing of Superstition enjoyned in our Church we will be tried by Gods Word and the sound interpretation of the Holy Fathers Read over Mr. Hooker's Ecclesiastical Policy commended by our Royal Martyr Read his Opinion of our Church Worship and Government in his incomparable Book His judgment is worthy to be looked upon I have ever esteemed saith he the Church of England the best Profession of Religion because it comes nearest to Gods Word for Doctrine and to the Primitive Examples for Government In a Letter to the Prince of Wales Read Bishop Bancroft Downham Hall Bilson and Dr. Taylor against Presbytery in Vindication of the Church of England Read our later Disputations about the matters in
differ in these particulars Their Controversies were concerning the abolished Ceremonies of the Jews or the prophane practices of the Heathen Idolaters ours are about the Lawful Decent and Religious Ceremonies of Christians Their Controversies were about such matter as were in themselves scandalous as eating of things sacrificed to Idols partaking with the Idolaters in a Heathen Temple or observing the Fasti and Nefasti days of good or ill luck according to the Roman persuasion but our Disputes are for such things as all acknowledge to be harmless and innocent The Romans were newly Converted to Christianity and therefore many weak in Faith were not to be discouraged by the liberty other men allowed themselves we in England methinks should be well grounded and setled in the Christian Religion and not to be discouraged from its Profession by every trifle The things in Controversie were never enjoyned or looked upon by the Rulers of that Church as fit to be practised and of any decency in Gods Worship our matters in dispute are approved by the Authority of the Nation and every true hearted English Soul is bound by the undeniable Laws of God as well as by Mans Laws and for the credit of the Nation as well as for the preserving of publick Peace and Unity to Submit and Conform Do you think in Conscience that in our case if S. Paul did live amongst us that he would bid you not Conform Because you are damned if you Conform doubting He that tells you in the former Chapter vers 16. Be of the same mind one towards another Mind not high things but condescend to men of low estate Be not wise in your own conceits And in the fifteenth Chapter vers 5. Be ye like minded one towards another that ye way with one mind and with one mouth glorifie God even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ Think ye that he would have opened so wide a gap to Non-Conformity and to the sinister designs of Apostats and Hereticks Think ye that he would have given this liberty to disturb the Churches Peace to these Sons of Tumult and Division to tell them that a groundless suspition of sin in the practices of the Church or the bare pretence is sufficient to justifie their irregularities disorders schisms separation and disobedience to the Commands of their Superiors He that tells you that ye must needs be subject for Conscience sake would he have said that a naked excuse or a meer immagination of sin in the things enjoyned frees you from all subjection and gives you liberty to disobey the Magistrate in indifferent mattres Are you to prefer your wilful suspitions or groundless fancies to the declarations of your Brethren and Christian Rulers to imagin sin in that which they think not only lawful but also needful to be practised This General Rule Whatsoever is not of Faith is Sin vers 23. is misapplied to our case and is not to be allowed as a lawful excuse for the omission of an apparent duty for there are none of our Non-Conformists but might easily attain to that Knowledge and Faith which might justifie their Unity with us Were they living amongst the Canibals or in the darkness of Popery or Heathenish Idolatry where none were able to remove their doubts to satisfie their minds and inform their Consciences this plea might be so long allowable till they were able to gain more knowledg Calig aut in Sole Quinctil But for them to shut their eyes to all the beams of light and their ears to all the Reasons Arguments and Persuasions of the Doctors of the Church of England and to say we are blind we don't believe we are not persuaded and therefore our Conformity without Faith would be a sin is a most ridiculous pretence unto which meer necessity drives them who are obstinately resolved to the contrary Suppose a Heathen or a Papist should have had the same advantages as you have to understand the Truth and as strong invitations to make profession of the Gospel would you allow them this pretence to excuse themselves from embracing the Gospel Why did not the Presbyterians and Independents approve of this Plea in those whom they cast out of their Assemblies for Religions sake and would not admit them to communion Men must take heed in this corrupt Age of such general Rules which the Devil is wont to wrest to promote his own wicked purpose But in this case you will say what shall we do what course shall we take for our Consciences have gotten such a command over us and our judgments through such like persuasions that we can enjoy no peace within our breasts if we comply with you in things so contrary to our principles We are as much afraid to hear your prayers as to worship before an Idol of Stone or Timber to see a white Surplice as to assist at Mass to have a Cross upon our Childrens foreheads as to receive the marks of the Beast In a word we are as much afraid to submit our selves to your Worship and the Government of Bishops as to Apostatize from Christ and forsake Christianity This fear and these persuasions cannot easily be overcome what advice therefore would you give us that we in this case might take that Course which may agree in some respects with our obligations to our Superiors and favour us a little in our weakness that we may not do any thing to disturb the peace of our Consciences which you say are mis-led CHAP. V. Seasonable and Christian Advices for our Non-Conforming Brethren who are possessed with such strong prejudices against the Church of England that they cannot easily overcome them and a Reconciliation proposed I Will freely grant what you would have us believe that you are afraid by a compliance with our Church to wound your Consciences or to act contrary to your persuasion which you think to be well grounded and that by such a proceeding you should disturb the quiet of your Souls as when Conscientious men commit a sin against Gods Laws Yet my Brethren in this case your resolved Non-Conformity is not warrantable nor agreeing with Christian prudence because your Superiors to whose Judgments Reason and Duty teaches you to yield a little condemns it as prejudicial to the publick and because it is so apparently destructive to Peace and all Christian vertues which Unity and Uniformity in Religion are wont to nourish in a Society Therefore in this case for your own quiet and the publick Peace I advise you my Brethren to observe a medium between a strict Conformity and a Non-Conformity until such time as you can be better informed and to practise these following Rules which will infallibly give your Souls and Consciences satisfaction and answer in some respects your obligations to your Superiors under God as well as secure the publick peace of the Church However I am certain you are bound by Gods Holy Word to observe these Rules that though the case were as you