THis usefull Treatise Entituled Religions Peace long since Presented by a Citizen of London to King JAMES and the High Court of Parliament then sitting I allow to be Reprinted Aprill 1. John Bachiler RELIGIONS PEACE OR A PLEA for Liberty of Conscience Long since presented to King James and the High Court of Parliament then sitting by Leonard Busher Citizen of London and Printed in the Yeare 1614. Wherein is contained certain Reasons against Persecution for Religion Also a designe for a peaceable reconciling of those that differ in opinion Rom. 14.5 10. One man esteemeth one day above another another man esteemeth every day a like let every man be fully perswaded in his own minde But why dost thou judge thy brother or why dost thou despise thy brother for we shall all appeare before the judgement seat of Christ LONDON Printed for John Sweeting at the Angel in Popes-head-alley 1646. TO THE Presbyterian Reader THis Treatise which as a supplication to King James and the Parliament was Printed in the yeare 1614. is for your good now againe re-printed the Author thereof Leonard Busher an honest and godly Man as I make no doubt will appeare to you in the perusall of his Booke intended two things therein First to make it appeare that the Bishops were not true Ministers or successive from the Apostles but rather a Siens or branch of the Popish stocke descended from the Romish Hierarchy to whom they owned their Instauration Ordination and Function Had this advice been believed and embraced by the Parliament then the mischiefes they have since practised much of the blood that hath been shed and the miseries that by their meanes have been brought upon us had in great measure been prevented but his Counsell was then slighted though by the wisdome of this present Parliament put in execution whereby we are secured for the future from the domination compulsion against Conscience and notorious cruelties of that sort of men Whence we may learne that what to a people at one time seemes strange and absurd and in no wise to be admitted of at another time appeares an acceptable truth the reason is because wee are not Masters of our owne understandings but suffer them to bee dull'd and corrupted till misery and the sting of oppression opens our eyes so that we embrace truth more out of necessity then choice The second thing his Discourse drives at is to make it appeare by Scriptures and sound Arguments that the onely way to make a Nation happy and preserve the People in love peace and tranquillity is to give liberty to all to serve God according as they are perswaded is most agreeable to his Word to speake write print peaceably and without molestation in behalf of their severall Tenets and wayes of Worship wholsome and pertinent Laws being made upon penalties to restrain all kinde of vice or violence all kinds of reproach slander or injury either by word or deed And though this advice likewise seemes not the best to some especially to you my Brethren in the Presbyterian way yet am I well assured that this Nation will never be happy but as hitherto it hath been so for the future it will be distracted with oppression and persecution and the faces of one sort of men set against another till liberty of Conscience be allowed Indeed a man would thinke we had beene school'd and whist long enough to it by our calamities for went whereof this age and that age and the other age and every age hath been miserable For want whereof the Apostles suffered martyrdome the Saints and godly of all times have been hunted like Patridges by birds of Prey And yet good men in the esteem of a great part of the world especially of the rich and powerfull they have suffered as evill-doers disturbers of the World Heretiques Schismaticks seditious Persons and those that put them to death have had the reputation of being maintainers of Truth and sound Doctrine so apt in all ages have the people been to mistake good for evill and evill for good The Plea for liberty of Conscience is no new Doctrine as old certainly as the blessed Word of God it selfe which gives us this unmovable foundation thereof That every Man should bee fully perswaded of the truth of that way wherein hee serves the Lord And though there has been struglings in all ages to make good this blessed birthright to all peacefull People yet through thePotency and subtlety of Popes Bishops and Ministers that preferred the advance of themselves and their usurped and abused Function before the good and welfare of the People we have been deprived of this blessing next to the manifestation of Gods love and goodnesse to us the most excellent and desirable in this world for want wherof and by means of its contrary Persecution this Vniverse esâ—ecially the Christian part thereof hath suffered continuall agony and earthquake Warres and its miseries have overspread all Lands States have been shaken and subverted Love meeknesse gentlenesse mercy the truest badges of Christianity have been dampned and banished and in their roomes cruelty hardheartednesse respect of Persons Prisons tortures c. things that our blessed Lord and Master and his Apostles never prov'd unlesse upon their own afflicted bodies have had great sway for these many hundred yeares Hence is it that in stead of Peace we have frequently had the Sword in stead of sweet tranquillity love and affection hatred contention disaffection and the bitter fruits thereof hath reign'd amongst us and in all probability will reigne till God shall put it into the heart of the Parliament to make tryall for prevention thereof of this God-like way which in the ensuing Treatise is held forth I hope upon perusall thereof you that are my Brethren of the Presbyterian way will abate much of your misguided eagernesse in prosecuting your conscientious Brethren Consider I beseech you St. Paul before his conversion he was as zealous I make no question as any of you when he persecuted the Saints and (a) Acts 8.3 made havock of the Church that is of Gods People congregated together to worship and serve God when hee (b) Verse 3. entred into every house and drew out both men and women to put them to Prison when he (c) Act. 9.1 breathed out threatnings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord when he (d) Act. 9.2 procured Letters of the High Priest to goe to Damascus where if he found any of that way then the hereticall way in his account he might bring them downe to Hierusalem when he (e) Act. 8.1 consented to Stephens death In all these violent motions he was zealous and hearty and thought hee did God good service in the suppression of a rising Sect that were against the High Priests learned Rabbies and Doctors of the Law Ceremonies strict Injunctions and observations of the Judaicall and Priestly Law You see how farre mistaken zeale can goe Consider this I beseech
are found to do the same yea worse for it is greater tyranny for one Christian to force kil another then for Turks and Pagans to kil a christian for that is no such great wonder seeing it is a paganish part who have no better knowledge but Christians should have better knowledge and more mercy then to play the pagans against christians Note So also the Protestants when they complain of the Papists for their bloody and beastly persecution doe therein condemn themselves seeing they doe the same for which they blame others and so are rebuked of the Scripture which saith Therefore thou are inexcusable O thou man Rom 2.1.3 whosoever thou art that blamest another for in that thou judgest another thou condemnest thy self for thou that judgest doest the same things and thinkest thou this O thou man that judgest them which do such things and thou doest the same that thou shalt escape the judgment of God Fifteenthly because his Majesty and Parliament would not willingly themselves be forc'd against their consciences by the persecution of the Bishop of Rome and his Princes so I beseech them according to the law Christ hath injoyned Christians not by persecution to force other mens consciences against their wills by the irritation of the Bishops of our land Luk. 6 31. Or provocation Sixteenthly because persecution do cause men and women to make shipwrack of faith and good consciences by forcing a Religion upon them even against their minds and consciences and also do send them quick to the devill in their errors if that be heresie for which they are hanged and burned which to do is a most unchristian unnaturall King Edward was an enemy to persecution Act. Mon. pag. 1484. The Christian answer of King Edward Rev. 16.14 cruell and tyrannous deed and I am sure you would not be content to be so dealt withall your selves but indeed the Popish and Idol-bishops are the authors hereof against the people as well as of other persecution against the Princes For antichristian Bishops do draw Kings and Princes hereto against their mind as may appear by Edward the sixt that godly King of famous memory who being urged by his bloody Bishops to subscribe to the burning of a woman called Joane Butcher hee answered will you have me to send her quick to the devill in her error But when his blood-thirsty Bishops would have no nay he said againe to Bishop Cranmer I lay all the charge thereof on you before God and Cranmer said he had never so much to do in all his life as to procure it whereby I doe perceive that godly Kings are drawn to Battail against the Saints by antichristian Bishops and false Prophets who otherwise would rule and reigne more agreeable to the mind of Christ Also hereby may all men perceive that the Councell and Bishops could not satisfie the Kings conscience by their perswasion if they could have shewed him the word of God for burning that Christian it would have prevailed with that godly King and he might then of faith have consented but his answer showeth that he was not of their mind for all that they had said and therfore now if it please you to require of your Bishops warrant from the word of God for the persecuting of Christians or for forcing Prince and people to Church you shall finde not one Bishop yea not all of them together though assisted with their Ministers will be able to shew warrant from Gods word whereby to perswade your consciences thereunto Rom. 14.23 and whatsoever is not of faith is sin and whatsoever is not from Gods word cannot be of faith Seventeenthly because persecution of Christians by Christians doe not onely justifie Papists and teach the Jewes and Pagans to persecute Christians but also do teach the Papists and others that know not the mind of Christ and once get the upperhand to persecute those that persecuted them By Digby Catesby c. Mat. 11.29 Luk. 14 27. yea it is a means as we have had lamentable experience to set such as are forced to Church against their consciences at deadly hatred against the King and State and urgeth all them to treason and rebellion that have not truly learned Christ who himself was persecuted to death whose harmles crosse all true Christians must take up and whose gentle and humble steps they must follow and walk in or else they cannot be his disciples nor sheep of his pasture And neither can the Papists be perswaded that persecution is a sin so long as they and other Christians are also persecuted by the protestants seeing the Papists do build their persecution on the same ground with the protestants but both sorts of Bishops doe erre grosly as shall be shewed God willing when they make their defence except herewith their consciences bee convinced to yeeld as I wish they may for the salvation of their owne souls the peace both of Prince and people and the safety of the King and State In the mean while it is to be observed that those Bishops and Ministers which perswade the King and Parliament to burn banish hang and imprison for difference of Religion are blood-suckers and manslayers and such it cannot be denyed caused Kings Magistrates to be their executioners and tormentors in burning the Martyrs in former times even in the days of King Henry the eight and Qu. Mary as the books of Acts and Monuments will witnesse if they bee not burned and I ask the Bishops and their Ministers Act 4.19 if the martyrs should have obeyed the King and Queen rather then have suffered death And now I must humbly and with all reverence do beseech his Majesty and Parliament advisedly to consider among themselves whether the Prince or Princesse differing with the Church now in matter of conscience and religion The Bps. as the High priests force men to obey man rather then God Note well stablished by law in our land as the right noble Princesse Elizabeth did in Qu. Maries dayes do not incur the danger and cruelty of the law now as that worthy Princesse did then seeing that popish and cruell law standeth still in force in most points of Religion and who dare trust the Bishops and their adherents in such a case the matter lying in their hands Let it be supposed that the Princes heart should be moved by the Lord to embrace the Apostolick faith and discipline shall he be forced to beleeve as the Bishops do against his conscience shall he be constrained to submit to their government and discipline against his conscience shall hee live in vexation and persecution and in danger of his life by the Bishops and law stablished as the Princesse Elizabeth did yea it must be thus with our right noble Prince except there be partiality yea it wil be thus with his princely person except those popish and cruell laws be repealed and extinguished Wherfore I meekly intreat seeing death
whatsoever For whom also and for the whole common-wealth of all his kingdoms we ought to be diligent and ready to hazard and lay down not only our goods but also our lives at all times and occasions For Christ hath onely set us free from all ecclesiasticall laws and ordinances which himselfe hath not commanded in his last will and testament yea from the ecclesiasticall laws and commandments of the old Testament Col. 2.14 Heb. 8.23 how much more hath he set us free from the ecclesiasticall laws and ordinances of Antichrist but he hath not set us free from the morall and judiciall law of God for that the King is bound to execute and we are bound to obey and for want of the execution thereof Deut 17.18 20 there are in our land many whores and whorekeepers and many children murdered besides the death and undoing of many persons about whores Wherefore I humbly desire that the morall and judicial law of God may be practised and executed of all degrees both high and low without respect of persons according to the mind of Christ for the Lord will have that every man shall love him above all and his neighbor as himself and Christ saith Luk. 6.31 As ye would that men should do to you so do yet to them likewise Therfore as the King would not have his subjects to take away his life because he is contrary to them in religion so let not the King take away his subjects lives because they are contrary to the king in religion as you would not that men should force you to a religion against your consciences so do not you force men to a religion against their consciences and as it is the duty of subjects to seek the conversion of their king State by the word of God and not his and their destruction by fire and sword So it is the duty of the King and State to seek the conversion of their Subjects by the word of God and not their destruction by fire and sword as the Pope and his Prelates doe teach Note whose vassals therein both Emperors and Kings as well as people have beene a long time both to the destruction of themselves their subjects For who knoweth not that Prelates and priests have perswaded Subjects to destroy their Kings and Princes as wel as Kings Princes to destroy their subjects 1 Cor. 3.17 6.19.20 but I pray them both to take notice that the Scripture saith he that destroyeth the Temple of God him will God destroy Let not therefore Kings Princes nor Subjects bee any longer perswaded to destroy one another through the subtletie of Bishops and their ministers who most of them onely seeke the security of their owne pompe and glory and the stablishment of their spiritual thrones therein for so long as they may confirm that they passe not who perish whether King Prince or people Again therefore I humbly pray his Majesty and Parliament to repeale and make void all popish lawes and canons and to see the moral Iudiciall law of God Frederick Iohn Palsgraves said that under pretext of the holy-ghosts office of correction little else was sought then to reigne over the consciences of the Magistrates subjects like as in the accursed popedom is come to passe c. both firmly enacted and carefully practised after the minde of Christ and them shall Christs spirituall throne be stablished in the hearts and consciences both of King Prince and People so as the Church Christs spirituall Kingdom shall increase in the knowledge of faith and obedience thereof with all love peace and charity one towards another And the common wealth of his Majesties Kingdoms will flourish and prosper and also his throne be constantly stablished both to him and his Heires throughout all his Dominions in a sure land of peace and love th' one with and towards another to the glory of God and the comfort of his Majesty and of all his Subjects and also to a famous and excellent glorious pattern of government to all Kingdoms Nations and Countries round about as in the daies of Salomon King of Israel For if the holy lawes of Gods word be practised and executed after Christs will then shall neither King Prince nor people be destroyed for difference in Religion then Treason and Rebellion as well as burning banishing hanging or imprisoning for difference in religion will cease and be laid down then shall not men women and youth be hanged for theft then shall not the poor same sick and weak ones be stocked and whipped neither shall the poore stranger fatherlesse and windowes be driven to beg from place to place neither shall the lame sick and weake persons suffer such misery be forsaken of their kindred as now they be then shall not murder whoredome and adultery be bought out for money then shall not the great defraud and wrong the small neither the rich oppresse the poore by usury and little wages then shall not men bring up and inherit others children instead of their owne neither shall an honest man be forced to live with a whore instead of an honest wife nor yet an honest woman be forced to live with a whorekeeper in stead of an honest husband Then shal not servants be forced from marriage by bonds nor yet be bound to servitude longer then six yeers neither shal they be brought up contrary to covenant nor posted from one quarter or one yeare to another for their freedom and in the end be forced to buy it of their Masters or else to goe without it too Then shall neither Prince nor people be disinherited for not being of the Church Note wel neither shall they be held lawlesse persons though excommunicated neither shal any man dare kil them as now they may and be quit by law neither shall any man feare to have his mouth stopt for preaching the truth then shall no man need to flee out of his native Countrey and Fatherland for persecution sake then shall all men live in peace under his owne vine Act. 15.28.29 21.25 lauding and praising God honoring and obeying the King Then also will no bloud be eaten among Christians whereby the Jewes should have just cause to stumble or be offended neither should any reliques of the ceremoniall law as Tithes and offerings c. be any longer in use whereby the Jewes should be hardned in their unbeliefe Jewes kept back from the faith by persecution and kept from the faith of the Messiah Then shall the Jewes inhabit dwel under his Majesties Dominion to the great profit of his Realmes and to their furtherance in the faith the which we are bound to seeke in all love and peace so well as others to our utmost endeavour for Christ hath commanded to teach all nations c. and they are the first Lastly then shall not so many Men and Women be deceived by false Ministers neither by their