Selected quad for the lemma: christian_n
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A48204
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A Letter to a member of this present Parliament, for liberty of conscience
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1668
(1668)
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Wing L1688; ESTC R17846
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7,435
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11
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the uniting the minds of men about Religion As to the Popish way of inforcing a general Uniformity it is so barbarous so unchristian and so generally rejected by Protestants that I believe you cannot endure an harangue in the behalf of the inquisition and to extoll the practises of Queen Mary's days were as absurd as to write an Encomium for Phalaris or Busiris or Nere. Another way of Uniting them hath been by contriving general forms and wayes not much unlike the Device of Comprehension if I understand it aright to which each party might subscribe but this way God never blessed but it proved like the fire-brands which with the cords united the tails of Sampsons foxes while their heads were at distance and being put into the corn they burnt it as this method hath set all Kingdoms on fire Nor is it Policy for instead of abrogating all it gives a countenance to all opinions it would extinguish How little are the controversies ceased between the Dominicans and Jesuites since the equivocal Council of Trent to which they subscribe and which both parties alledge So among Protestants how little are controversies extinguished by the dubious or general texts of Scripture nay are they not eternised by them how little doth the dubious Creed of the Apostles conduce to the deciding among Protestants or Socinians As to the uniting therefore of mens minds into one Religion it is impossible it is as impossible to make all mens consciences of the same extent and latitude as to make all mens shooes of the same size Different gifts make different professions since none is accountable for more then he hath received The weak are not to condemn the strong and the strong are to tollerate not destroy the weak This is Gospel and I hope you will make this to be Law Take away the condemning of the one and the oppression of the other and you will establish the Church rather then destroy it or the peace of this Nation Besides I desire you would observe that there is no president of any Liberty of Conscience granted on penalties for that unavoidably establisheth a faction for it is natural for mankind to desire to be at ease and to wish and upon occasion to endeavour its redress and relief from any grievance and it is as natural for such as reap benefit from the depression of others to strive to continue them in that oppressed condition from hence ariseth anger hatred malice and all uncharitableness and such contention as destroys a State If a Kingdom be divided how can it stand as all things different are not opposite no more is all distinction a factious division and destructive to the being of a Government All you make up one Parliament personal quarrels may ruine you but personal distinctions will not Contrarieties mutually expel each other out of the same subject by course of nature things disparat do not Since therefore a Popish Inquisition is barbarous and odious subscribing to general forms and opinions dangerous and ineffectual uniting mens minds into one religion impossible and no liberty granted upon penalties What other way is left us to unite but to allow each Church its several way of worship which kind usage with moderate endeavours and not imposing general opinions may in time as it was of old so far prevail with them to reconcile the differences among themselves that at last they may arrive to a mutual communion though not an exact Uniformity Thus the Millenaries of old and Fifth Monarchy men communicated with the other Christians and so it was with Mr. Mead and the Church of England Thus the baptized Christians and the Anabaptists (*) As Tertullion Nazianzen the Emperours Constantine and Valentinian made up one Church Thus the Judaising Christians and Gentiles communicated together So did the Arrians (†) V. Eusebius and Trinitarians And methinks it is odd that the Church of England should suffer our tutelar Saint to be St. George (a) As Calvin saith that Arrian Bishop and yet not allow the communion of any favour to an Anabaptist or fifth Monarchist Such a communion I say were to be wish'd and the only way we can hope for at present to unite us is to allow (b) Constantine and the subsequent Emperors maintained at their charge the variety of Religions Priests and Sacrifices As there had been at Antioch one Antioch one Apostle for the Jews and another for the Gentiles so there were afterwards in the same Cities besides the different Heathen Priests Bishops to the Novatians Arrians Donatists and Catholicks each Church its several way of worship they maintaining their Ministers all reproachful language and odious consequences imposed upon each party as well as odious names being prohibited as were the names of Heretick and Scismatick by Qu. Eliz. This course hath succeeded well for under it Religion grew and whilst Religion was no mans Interest it was scarce any mans Hypocrisie when truth had no other recommendations but its naked self such as imbraced it did it cordially Nor was it ever demonstrated or can be that the use of this Liberty did directly and necessarily introduce such factions as are inconsistent with any Government or Monarchy And if it were onely the abuse of it let us look to that since the Church of England so often inculcates to us that propter abusum non est tollendus usus for that were like the forbidding (c) Aristotle condemns that Paralogism of Anacharsis the Scythians to plant wine because wine might make them drunk To conclude all therefore Let us in our Law be as tender of Mens Consciences as our Common Law is of their lives which takes care rather that a thousand Criminals should escape then one innocent be destroyed FINIS
take a view of their Establishment There were Converts of the Jewes and Converts of the Gentiles and of the Gentiles some were Proselytes of the Mosaical Law others of the profession onely of the Seven Commandments of Noah The Jews and such as did Judaise observed all the Mosaical Law as strictly as the Pharisees did they did circumcise and pay their vowes and worship in the Temple and offer Sacrifice and kept the Sabbath and the like So Origen * Judae iqui in Jesum Christum crediderunt non desciverunt a patri is legibus vivunt enim juâ—â—ta eas contra celsum sayes of those in his dayes Nor was this onely at Jerusalem where Judaism was National but at Alexandria and else-where where it was not so For St. Jerome (a) About Ecclesiastical Writers saith that Philo the Jew observed this at Alexandria Yet did the other converted Gentiles not Judaising live according to a Christianity superadded to the Seven Commandments and consequently differing in form of worship vastly It is true some went about to reduce them all to Uniformity but who were they Some of the Jewes mark that which believed in Christ Some Bibles only say they were Hharisees and yet strictly observed the Mosaical Law of the Sect of the Pharisees a Sect so much decry'd by Christ not the Apostles and persons spirited by the Holy Ghost Paul and Barnabas opposed it And what character doth the Scripture bestow upon this design of Uniformity In truth that they troubled the Church Acts 15. And behold the issue of these troubles The Synod of the Apostles and others guided by the Holy Ghost thus decide the Controversie They do not like this Uniformity of Worship and Liturgies for the Jewes had a Liturgy This is no part of the Visum est spiritui sancto nobis No they oblige them to a few and those such as were onely necessary For the Text however vulgarly corrupted and represented to establish Ecclesiastical Decisions as necessary yet in our Biblia Polyglotta (b) It is not in the manuscript of our Kings Library 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Beside these subsequent necessary things a candid work of the Bishops of our Church in a Lection stands corrected thus It seems meet to the Holy Ghost and us not to lay upon you any further burthen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 beside what is absolutely necessary that is say very learned Writers the Seven Precepts of Noah for who will believe the Holy Ghost thought it necessary to Salvation that we neither eat black Puddings or Rabbets That which follows is an illustration not restriction forbidding blood-shed * See Selden de jure Nat. lib. 7. cap. 12. You must note that the text speaks of things strangled and blood but by blood is meant blood-shed and things strangled is an addition to the text as the Fathers observe and the Biblia Polyglotta and the other clause of avoiding that which they would not have done to them is in old Copies and so repeated by Irenaeus and others as you may see in the place above in Selden as well as Idolatry and Fornication parts of the Law of Noah And further that Holy Synod adds And whatsoever you would not have done to your selves do not that to others which is a Decision I recommend to you in the like case the debate being there as well as here about Liberty of Conscience That Liberty which you would not be deprived of do not go about to deprive others of (a) For the precedent words include things necessary the following therefore must refer to the point of Ceremonial Conformity As to the tolleration under Christian Emperours I cannot but observe unto you Sir That it was the judgement of those primitive times and every where discovers it self in the Edicts of the first Christian Emperours and Fathers that Religion is not to be inforced but that every one should abound in his own sense and that all variety not onely of Opinions but diversity of Religions should be tollerated in the State if they were not destructive to Government In this point Tertullian (b) In his Discourse to Scapula is peremptory and Lactantius (c) In his Book de Justitia speaking of supporting Religion by Cruelty Oppression and blood-shed jam non defendetur illa sed polluetur et violabitur Nihil enim est tam voluntarium quam religio and agreeable to this is the Speech of Constantine (d) Related by Baronius in his Annals of the year 324. Inter divina et humana servitia hoc interest quòd humana servitia coacta sint divina outem voluntaria comprobentur to the Roman Senate the particular passages I would willingly recite were there not beside protracting this Discourse a great deal of pedantry in quoting Latin And I should be too tedious should I relate unto you all the Edicts made to this purpose by the subsequent Emperours which are Recorded in the Theodosian Code No learned Son of the Church of England can deny it And Chrysostome is positive that no Godly Emperour did Enact against the Pagans any such Laws as they did against the Christians No man versed in Antiquity can deny but that all the Sects of the Christians the Pagans and the Jews had a full Liberty of Conscience and Religion without being excluded from publick offices of Trust and Profit in the Senate Army and Court So that these times which our Episcopal Divines so much recommend unto our imitation when their Hierachy is concerned and their Ceremonies these times do clearly assert the lawfulness of a General Liberty of Conscience without subjecting the several dissenters to any penalties The Heathen had their Priests their Ponâ—ifices Augures Quindecim viros sacris faciundis Salios c. untill the time of Theodosius * Onuphrius descr arb tom lib. 2. The Arrians had their Bishops the Novatians their Bishops and Churches not to mention other Sects in the same Diocesses in which the more orthodox Bishops had also their jurisdiction and made up the national religion of the Roman Empire The Jewes also had their Academies and Patriarchs From all which I do conclude that it is lawful to enact for Liberty of Conscience and that such Acts are not inconsistent with Government nor subject to those inconveniencies many suggest since such Monarchies have flourished notwithstanding them All those conjectures are refuted by the aforesaid instances Nor need they trouble themselves to object that the Roman Empire had a standing Army to preserve the Peace and Authority of the Empire seeing that those of that Army were diversify'd by their several Religions and it is all one not to have any Army at all or to have one composed indifferently of the several parties that were to be kept under Having thus laid before you the judgement and practise of the best times it will not be amiss to reflect upon the several ways and endeavours have been used toward