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A41219 The resolving of conscience upon this question whether upon such a supposition or case as is now usually made (the King will not discharge his trust, but is bent or seduced to subvert religion, laws, and liberties) subjects may take arms and resist, and whether that case be now ... / by H. Fern. Ferne, H. (Henry), 1602-1662. 1642 (1642) Wing F802; ESTC R25400 33,929 69

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THE RESOLVING OF CONSCIENCE Upon this Question Whether upon such a Supposition or Case as is now usually made The King will not discharge his trust but is bent or seduced to subvert Religion Laws and Liberties Subjects may take Arms and resist and Whether that Case be now RESOLVED I. That no Conscience upon such a Supposition or Case can finde a safe and clear ground for such resistance II. That no Man in Conscience can be truly perswaded that the resistance now made is such as they themselves pretend to that pleade for it in such a case III. That no Man in Conscience can be truly perswaded that such a case is now that is that the King will not discharge His trust but is bent to subvert c. Whence it followeth That the resistance now made against the higher Power is unwarrantable and according to the Apostle Damnable Rem 13. Also that the shedding of bound in the pursuit of this resistance is Murder By H. FERN D. D. c. Wo unto them that call evill good and gool evill that put Darknesse for Light and Light for Darknessae Isa. 5. 20. O my Soule come not thou into their secret Gen. 49. 6. Printed at York by Stephen Bulkley 1642. To all Misse-led People in this Land HE that in these times will speak any thing to the People in behalf of the King is likely to doe it upon disadvantage and be heard with prejudice but they that would be profitably informed by what they heare must lend an equall Eare to what is spoken which I hope you will do being such for the most part as professe to make a conscience of your wayes I desire therefore of you into whose hands this Treatise shall come that you would receive it with mind and affection answerable to that wherewith it is offered to you free from partiality and private respects that you would consider Cases of Conscience are written out of Conscience And were a distressed Prince a fit object for flattery or this kind of instruction capable of such language yet is this a time for every man to informe and speak his Conscience and as many of you as shall reade me in this book will I hope conceive I had no other purpose in the publishing of it then to give testimony to the truth for the directing of your Consciences and the discharge of mine own I have therefore written it plainly without affectation of curiosity having a respect onely to your profit the Learned through the Land are sufficiently persawded and I may asure you all Ages have asserted this truth out of which I could have drawn a cloud of witnesses and presented them to your sight but thought it more expedient for your direction to shew you the cleare light of Divine Scripture and rectified Reason the onely rules of Conscience and if by these you shall be brought to see the crookednesse of the New Doctrine of these times and the uneven dangerous windings of this way of resistance I have gained the end of my desires and you have not lost by it One thing I must note as strange that to discourse upon this argument shouldbe thought as it is by many a worke altogether beyond the profession of the Divine Indeed popular States-men have alwayes held it very impolitick and unreasonable that Subjects should not in dangers imminent have means to save themselves by a Power of resistance and accordingly framed their principles and grounds of State as unquestionable We examine not the power or wisdome of Law-makers but when we receive their Law Declaration or Command and know it in terminis understand it in the sense it be its certainly it belongs to the Divine to consider whether it be against Gods Law and accordingly to instruct his people If it be agreed upon as a thing known in this State that the King is the higher Power according to St. Paul the Supreme according to St. Peter the Father of the Commonwealth according to the fifth Commandement surely it belong to the Divine to urge obedience honour and subjection according to those place and reprove resistance forbidden there Which obedience we acknowledge to be limited and circumscribed by the established Laws of the Land and accordingly to be yeilded or denyed to the higher Power if those Laws be not repugnant to the Law of God And for Resistance as we have not yet heard of any Law of the Land that commands or warrants it so we know that were there any Law or Ordinance made to enjoyn it such would not bind being against the Apostles expresse prohibition back'd with arguments drawn from the very reason of Goverment as shall be shewen in this following Treatise Be they who they will that present you with imminent dangers and work upon your fears that tell you of Fundamentall Lawes and give you rules of policy to captivate your reason when all that 's done it is the Divine that must settle the Conscience which will not be quiet if in yeilding obedience to any Law or Ordinance it comes to a suspicion that such an Ordinance of man entrencheth upon the word of God Let me tell you for I suppose you follow this way in the simplicity of your hearts how you are wrought upon by them that mis-leade you You are dealt with according to your generall desire of the continuance of true Religion and the Subjects Liberty not according to the particular grounds of safety which conscience doth require You are told the Gospel and your Liberties and all you have are in most imminent danger and without taking Arms for the defence irrecoverably lost and that this is lawfull by the Fundamentals of this Kingdom You must take all this upon trust without an expresse and particular warrant to rule and secure your Conscience against the expresse words of the Apostle forbidding resistance Rom. 13. You professe your selves enemies to Popery and good reason for it but why should you therfore be enemies to your King that declares against it too I would you could observe how under pretence of keeping out Popery you are led in this way of r●sistance by the like steps that brought Popery in For examine your hearts and try if the name of Parliament which is of honourable esteem with all be not raised to the like excesse of credit with you as the name of the Church is with the Papists if you have not within you a silent thought of infallibility in that great Councel and so with an implicit faith are ready to receive and maintaine what ever is concluded there if you be not drawn to believe your Prince is minded to overthrow Religion and upon such a supposall or beleif according to the very method of Jesuitical practises to take up Arms against him If you do not rest satisfied with your generall intention of a good end that is the defence of Religion not examining the meanes you now use to compasse that end like those that for the advancing