Selected quad for the lemma: city_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A26073
|
A seasonable discourse against toleration with a preface wherein the nature of persecution in general and the unjust complaints of the dissenting parties concerning it in particular are distinctly considered.
|
Assheton, William, 1641-1711.
|
1685
(1685)
|
Wing A4041; ESTC R23636
|
62,270
|
115
|
out fit proper Laws for advancement of Trade and Commerce After all this we most humbly beseech your Majesty to believe That it is with extream unwillingness and reluctancy of heart that we are brought to differ from any thing which your Majesty hath thought fit to propose And though we do no way doubt but that the unreasonable distempers of mens spirits and the many Mutinies and Conspiracies which were carried on during the late intervalls of Parliament did reasonably incline your Majesty to endeavour by your declaration to give some allay to those ill humours till the Parliament Assembled and the hopes of indulgence if the Parliament should consent to it especially seeing the pretenders to this indulgence did seem to make some titles to it by vertue of your Majesties Declaration from Breda Nevertheless we your Majesties most Dutifull and Loyall Subjects who are now returned to serve in Parliament from those severall parts and places of your Kingdome for which we are chosen Do humbly offer to your Majesties great VVisdome That it is in no sort advisable that there be any indulgence to such persons who presume to dissent from the Act of Uniformity and the Religion established For these Reasons We have considered the Nature of your Majesties Declaration from Breda and are humbly of Opinion That your Majesty ought not to be pressed with it any farther Because it is not a promise in it self but only a Gratious Declaration of your Majesties Intentions to doe what in you lay and what a Parliament should advise your Majesty to doe and no such Advice was ever given or thought fit to be offered nor could it be otherwise understood because there were Laws of Uniformity then in being which could not be dispensed with but by Act of Parliament They who do pretend a right to that supposed promise put the Right into the hands of their Representatives whom they chose to serve for them in this Parliament who have passed and your Majesty consented to the Act of Uniformity If any shall presume to say that a right to the benefit of this Declaration doth still remain after this Act passed It tends to dissolve the very Bonds of Goverment and to suppose a disability in your Majesty and the Houses of Parliament to make a Law contrary to any part of your Majesties Declaration though both Houses should advise your Majesty to it We have also considered the nature of the Indulgence proposed with reference to those consequences which must necessarily attend it It will establish Schisme by a Law and make the whole Goverment of the Church precarious and the Censures of it of no moment or Consideration at all It will no way become the Gravity or Wisdome of a Parliament to passe a Law at one Session for Uniformity and at the next Session the Reasons of Uniformity continuing still the same to passe another Law to frustrate or weaken the execution of it It will expose your Majesty to the restlesse importunity of every Sect or Opinion and of every single Person also who shall presume to dissent from the Church of England It will be a cause of increasing Sects and Sectaries whose numbers will weaken the true Protestant Profession so far that it will at least be difficult for it to defend it self against them And which is yet farther Considerable those Numbers which by being troublesome to the Government find they can arrive to an Indulgence will as their Numbers increase be yet more troublesome that so at length they may arrive to a generall Toleration which your Majesty hath declared against and in time some prevalent Sect will at last contend for an establishment which for ought can be foreseen may end in Popery It is a thing altogether without precedent and will take away all means of Convicting Recusants and be inconsistent with the Method and proceedings of the Laws of England Lastly it is humbly conceived that the Indulgence propos'd will be so far from tending to the peace of the Kingdom that it is rather likely to occasion great disturbance And on the contrary That the asserting of the Lawes and the Religion establish't according to the Act of Vniformity is the most probable means to produce a settled Peace and Obedience throughout your Kingdome Because the variety of Professions in Religion when openly divulged doth directly distinguish men into parties and withall gives them opportunity to count their numbers which considering the animosities that out of a Religious Pride will be kept on foot by the severall factions doth tend directly and inevitably to open disturbance Nor can your Majesty have any Security that the Doctrine or Worship of the severall Factions which are all governed by a severall Rule shall be consistent with the Peace of your Kingdome And if any persons shall presume to disturb the peace of the Kingdome We do in all humility declare That we will for ever and in all Occasions be ready with our utmost endeavour and Assistance to adhere to and serve Your Majesty according to our bounden Duty and Allegiance My Brethren I Have now given you my Authorities viz. 1. The private Testimonies of twenty eminent Divines 2. The publick Testimony of the Presbyterian Ministers in the City of London Synodically met at Sion Colledge 3. The Authority of that Wise and Learned King James and his Privy Councill 4. The Votes and Reasons of the Honourable Commons Assembled in this present Parliament All which I have designedly ranked in this method that observing the order of nature and beginning ab imperfectiori I might gradually ascend to that which is more perfect for such I think the Reasons of the House will be found to him that dares attempt them i. e. Impregnable and unanswerable I Know not how it fares with other men I am no judge of their honesty or Knowledge but I am sure as to me the premises have appeared so considerable I should think the world might suspect either my Intellectualls or Moralls were I not thus apprehensive of so convincing a Light My Brethren that I may deal freely with you I am perfectly amaz'd and I had almost said scandaliz'd that men so eminent for Learning so noted for Piety and if we may beleive themselves it being one of their grand Topickes for Indulgence so considerable for Policy I say that these men should so warmely concerne themselves for this Thing call'd Toleration which as I hope the premises have evinc'd is not onely destructive both to Church State but also which prudent men would a little consider so directly contrary to their former Principles Practices I am very unwilling to make any unpleasing Reflections but 't is the Language of the world and I am not yet instructed to confute it that it is not a Toleration however pretended as the most advantageous method that can at present be employ'd but a Reformation that is as sad experience hath explained it a totall Extirpation of what ever is
for Peace even passionately but with with mighty power Phil. 2. 1. 2. If there be any consolation in Christ if any comfort of Love if any fellowship of the spirit if any bowells and mercies fullfill ye my joy that ye be like-minded having the same Love being of one accord and of one mind And in the next Chap. 3. 16. Let us walk by the same Rule let us mind the same thing expressions different from all licentious Tolerations The same Apostle abounds in serious Dehortations from Schismes and dissentions Rom. 13. 12. 16. 17. and as carnall 1 Cor. 3. 3. and in other places And he doth very often exhort with earnest words and arguments not only that we be like-minded Rom 15. 6. Phil. 2. 2. and of one mind 2 Cor. 13. 12. but of the same mind 1 Cor. 10 10. joyned yea joynted together in the same mind and in the same judgement And is here the least approbation of that multiplying Doctrine Neither will that excuse so long as they all breath Christ tend to the advancement of Christ it matters not but let S. Paul answer this Objection also is Christ divided 1 Cor 1. 13. Consider it well and season your Consideration with that of our Master Christ himselfe Mar. 9. 50. Have salt in your selves and have Peace one with another If we were preserved by humility from the corruptions of self-opinion it would be no hard matter to embrace unity Secondly such allowance would prove destructive to holiness both Personall and Domesticall Omnis Religio nulla Religio would soon be the same Suppose the Husband of one Opinion the VVife of another the Children it may be of one or two other and the Servants of as many more what shall the Master of the house do here how perform the Family duties diversity of Opinions like so many hatches interrupting their prayers 1 Pet. 3. 7. chopping all devotion and piety in pieces As the Duke of Wittenberge was wont to say New Garments introduce new manners new manners bring in new men and new men thrust out the old so new Opinions suffered will devour the old and the Toleration of every Religion will destroy all Religion and in conclusion leave no Religion at all Thirdly this Liberty is inconsistent with civil tranquility the bleeding condition of our own nation at present is a living almost a dying witnesse of this and if that one Religion of Popery so tolerated as it was hath brought in upon us so many destructions what will that multiplication do but hasten desolation without recovery for every part would endeavour to support it selfe to the prejudice of the rest et dum de Religione certatum est Regio dum de caelo terra amissa as it was said long since Fourthly the late Bishops of Ireland may put this Liberty to silence and shame for when not long since a Toleration of Popery in that Kingdome was proposed they said To give the Papists a Toleration is a grievous sin and will make us accessary to all their Abominations and the perdition of all seduced soules Fiftly this may be currant Doctrine amongst the Turks and a Defence of Prop. p. 20 highly commends this judgement of the wise Emperour Soly. man and is sorry that his Adversary is of another humour the grand Seignior told his Mufti that is his chief Priest As a garden is beautified with variety of of flowers so his Empire would be adorned with diversities of Religion Let such Toleration find allowance in the Turk's Paradise it shall never I trust be planted in the Paradise of God Sixthly Wee have undertaken all in the National Covenant the establishment of Uniformity and how can that stand with this Omniformity indeed Nulliformity I understand not it was a prodigiouse thing in the dayes of Jeremiah the Prophet Jer. 2. 28. according to the Number of thy Cities are thy Gods O Judah here would soon appear another kind of multiplying and increase but though this fancy be never so plausible Divine providence hath shut it out of our campe by our Covenant b M. Humph. Hardwick Ser. before the Comm June 26. 1644. Lond printed for Chr. Meredith 1645. P. 43. A thing pleasing to God and profitable to the Kingdomes by which there is and through Gods blessing may be the most famous blow given to the whore of Babylon and her Bastard Impes that ever yet was now to have this sticke among us or laid aside whilst Malignants and Sectaries live in our Bosome blessing and in secret applauding themselves that they have neither taken this nor any of your former protestations This is our case and I appeal to wiser Judgements whether this may not be the way to lessen the honour and Authority of the high court of Parliament a M. Arth Salwey before the Com Octob. 25. 1643 p. 19. Lond. printed for Chr. Meredith 1644. Consider I beseech you Worthy Christians that the vowes of God are upon you you have abjured Neutralitie in your late Solemne Covenant far be it from any of you to glory in luke warm indifferency as if it were a piece of singular Policy You have with your Tongues renounced this Neutrality as detestable Follow the Lord in promoting a National Reformation You have an admirable Patterne the zealous Prophet Elijah I wish from my soule that a double portion of his spirit may be given unto you that you may act in his power and spirit Elijah oppos'd Idolatry and Oppression so do ye down with Baals Altars down with b Arch-Bishops Bishops Deans Chapters c. Baals Priests do not I beseech you consent unto a Toleration of Baals Worship in this Kingdome upon any Politicke consideration whatsoever Give me leave to be your humble Remembrancer The mouths of your Adversaries are opened against you the hearts of your true freinds are griev'd that so many c Honest Royalists Delinquents are in Prison and yet but very few of them brought to their tryal d M. Williā Reyner before the Com. Aug. 28. 1644 Lond. Printed for Sam. En. derby 1644. p. 12. Ye cannot preach nor pray e Errours Hersy them down directly and immediately well that which the Word cannot do the Sword shall that which the water cannot wash out the fire will burn out unto this particular the Apostle applies this very f Haggai 2. 6. 7. Text in part namely concerning the shakeing of the heavens c an Earthquake as we have heard was appointed to shake down the Ceremoniall ordinances now if this were necessary for the abolition of that divine Worship which had sometimes been by Gods own holy Institution how much more shall that which hath beene of human Invention yea the very fumes and fogs of the bottomlesse Pit to Gods infinite displeasure and dishonour be tumbled down with violence and vengeance to hell from whence it came a M. Thomas Case Serm before the Comm May 26. 1647. p. 33. Lond