toward the Vindication of Atheism then all that ever went before ye and he that overlooks our Story from 1640 to 1660 will find matter not only to stagger a Weak Christian but to put a Wiseman to a Second Thought and make him Exclaim with the Prophet Lo These are the Ungodly These Prosper in the World and These have Riches in Possession Then have I cleansed my Heart in vain and washed my Hands in Innocency To see the same Men Swearing to day with their Hands lifted up unto the Lord in a Holy Covenant to Defend and Preserve His Majesties Person And a while after with the same Consecrated Lips blessing that Cursed Vote that manifestly led to his Destruction The Vote of Non-Addresses To see Ministers like so many Pulpit-Weather-cocks shifting from Party to Party till they have run through every Point of the Compass Swearing and Counter-Swearing And when the City was split into more Factions then Parishes still to maintein that the whole Schism was Acted by the Holy Ghost To find the Pulpit Trading only in dark and Oraculous Delusions instead of plain and saving Truths and the Pretended Messengers of Peace turn'd Agents for Blood To hear and see all This and More and the Cause prosper too What could the Invention of Man add more to this Temptation to Apostacy Lastly Your Necessitated Toleration Necessitated I say for you could never have Crush'd the Government without it started so many lewd Opinions that it was some Degree of Modesty for fear of a worse choice e'en to be of No Religion at all And without Dispute many People finding it left to Indifferent of what Religion they were became Themselves as Indifferent whether they were of Any or No. So that the Scandal which you would spitefully fasten upon the Persons of some of our Party is found to be Radical and Constitutional in the very Elements of yours Neither is it All that your Imputation is misplaced but I am afraid you 'l find your self in Another Mistake Which of the Two do you account the more Tolerable SCANDAL or Schism N. C. If by SCHISM you mean A Refusal to joyn with That Church where I cannot Communicate without Sin And if by SCANDAL you intend such Actions as are of evil Example and minister Occasion to our Neighbour of Falling I think 't is easily Determin'd that the One is not to be suffer'd and the Other not to be condemn'd C. I do not speak of This or That sort or degree of Schism and Scandal but in the just Latitude both of the One and the Other That is to say without more Circumstance Which do you take for the more Tolerable Mischief of the Two N. C. Truly betwixt a Perverse Separatiâ—…n and a Notoriâ—…us Scandal I think the Choice is hard but I rather incline against the Scandal C. Now if ye will believe Sir Francis Bacon Schism is Both Heresies and Schisms says he are of all others the greatest Scandals yea more then Corruption of Manners Consider it as it stands in Opposition to Unity which is the Bond both of Religion and Society What can be more Scandalous then that which renders Religion Ridiculous And That 's the Effect of Schism To see so many Sects grinning one upon another and yet All Pretending to the same One and Infallible Spirit Beside that Schism seldome or never goes alone and in Truth it is but Sedition in a Disguise For we find that our Scrupulous Dissenters can with much Ease and Unity Agree in a War though not in a Ceremony N. C. And may there not be Conspiracies in Scandal as well as in Schism There with an Evident Design to bring Contempt upon Religion Whereas Here we find at least a Colour and Pretense to uphold it Further the Sins which I accompt Scandalous are many of them Lebell'd at the Prerogative of God Himself and in short the Question is not properly and simply betwixt Schism and Scandal but betwixt Schism and all other Sins whatsoever that may be Propagated by Conversation for That 's the Latitude of Scandal Again let me observe from your own Mouth that Heresies are Scandals and several Heresies you know both by the Laws of God and Man are Punish'd with Death He that Blasphemeth the Name of the Lord shall be put to Death From whence you may gather some Difference sure betwixt the Heinousness of the On and of the Other C. You will proceed by a very Uncertain Rule to measure the Sin by the Punishment for Political Laws regard rather Publique Conveniences then Particular Cases of Conscience A Man shall lose his Life for Picking a Pocket and but hazzard his Ears for a False Oath But if you 'l refer the Matter to the Iust and Infallible Iudge of all the Woâ—…ld to God Himself look but into that Dreadful Judgment upon the Schism of Korah Korah Dathan c. rose against Moses with Two hunâ—…red and Fifty Captains of the Assembly famous in the Congregation and said unto them Ye take too much upon You since all the Congregation is Holy even every One of them and the Lord is among them Wherefore then lift ye your selves above the Congregation of the Lord And what follow'd The Earth open'd her Mouth and swallow'd them up with their Families and all the Men that were with Korah c. A Fire came out from the Lord and Consumed the Two Hundred â—…nd Fifty Men that Offer'd the Incense This set the Multitude a muttering against Moses and Aaron saying Ye have killed the People of the Lord. See now what came of This Muttering too Fourteen Thousand Seven Hundred of them were consumed by a Plague You have here not only a Dreadful Instance of God's Wrath against Schism but against a Schism also carry'd on in the Stile of Our present Non-Conformists Two Hundred and Fifty Captains of the Assembly Famous in the Congregation Which Our English Translation renders An Intelligent Sober sort of Men Numerous among all Ranks c. These rose against Moses and Aaron and said unto Them Ye take too much upon You. The Congregation is Holy and the Lord is among Them Wherefore do ye lift your selves above the Congregation of the Lord What is This but the Language of Our Age the common Objection against the Bishops for Lording it over God's Heritage The Consequences I leave before you N. C. Give me leave now to pass an Observation upon your whole Discourse You seem to have been very Punctual and Methodical in the Distribution of the Parts of it A Toleration or No Toleration was the Question An Universal Toleration you found too Wide A Limited Toleration too Narrow and yet after all This your Opinion was that a Toleration under such and such Modifications and Restrictions might be admitted Upon which Terms I was content to come to an Issue with You. Now since This Lender of a Compliance You have not proceeded Methinks with that
Law of Animal Beings as it is of Rationals the Lowest This Law Sensitive is no other than the Manifestation of God in the Creature for what Sense does Nature does and what Nature does God does N. C. But what is That Power all this while which you call NATURE C. It is the Ordinary Working of God in all his Creatures by Virtue of which Divine Impression and Influence Every thing is moved to seek the Utmost Perfection whereof it is Capable As for the Purpose The Perfection of MAN is the Congruity of his Actions with his Reason which is Nothing else but That which we call VIRTUE The Perfection of BEASTS lies a degree lower For they are only mov'd by a Sensual Impulse towards what is Convenient for them and when they have it They Rest. N. C. When People are gravell'd they fly to their Impulses and Occuâ—…t Qualities Where lies the Difference I beseech you between Their Impulse and Our Choice C. Their Impulse carries them on through a Sensitive Search not any Dâ—…liberative Discourse And there is no Eâ—…ection neither at last But only the Simple Prosecution of a Determinate Appetite without imagining any Proportion betwixt the Means and the End N. C. But still we find that there is a Proportion and the Motion appears to us according to the Method of Reason And a very Orderly Proceeding from a Question to a Resolution C. Is it Reason think ye that makes a Dog follow his Nose and Hunt for Meat when he is Hungry Or will you call it Choice if he leaves a Turfe for a Bone Now if you ask how This comes about He is guided by Instinct toward the End and Sense carries him thorough the Means N. C. But why should the same Process of Means and the same Application of Causes be ascribed only to Instinct in Brutes and to Reason in Man C. You are to take notice that all Naturâ—…l Operations are Regular and Ordinate by what Means soever performed But it does not follow because the Method is according to Reason that therefore the Instrument must be Reasonable But to mind what we are upon The Law of Self-Preservation is a Law common to Beasts with Men but not of Equal Force and Obligation for Their Sovereign Interest is Life Ours is Virtue And therefore your late Argument for Defensive Arms under Pretense of that Extremity was but a Brutish Plea For if the Consideration of Virtue be not above That of Life Where lies the Advantage of Our Reason N. C. But when the Death is certain and the Virtue doubtful Who shall decide the Point C. In a Case abstracted from the Ties and Duties of Religion and Government every Man's Reason sits as Iudge upon his own Life As for Instance You are in the Hands of Thieves and only This Choice offer'd you either to take a False Oath or to lose your Life Your Conscience tells you that you must rather Perish then Forswear your self But if you can preserve your self without Violence to a Superiour Duty you are your own Murderer if you do not Thus far I think we are safe and I suppose agreed that every Individual is to Govern himself by his Natural Conscience But when the several Particulars come to be bundled up in One Community the Case is otherwise N. C. I am sorry to hear you say That Why should not every Man be Govern'd by his own Conscience as well in Consort as in Solitude as well in Company as by Himself Or will you have it that our Duty to God ceases in the Act of becoming Subjects to a Civil Power C. As to your Conscience you are as free now as you were before But your Body is no longer your Own after you are once enrolled a Member of a Society And here 's the Difference You were your own Servant before and now you are the King 's For what is Government but the Wisedom Resolve and Force of every Particular gather'd into One Under standing Will and Body And This comes up to what I have already Deliverd that Whatsoever God has left INDIFFERENT is the Subject of HUMANE POWER N. C. But who shall be Iudge of what 's Indifferent C. Let That be Examined the very next Thing we do You are already satisfied that an Authâ—…rized Iudge is absolutely Necessary in Order to the Peâ—…ce of Church and State and to the Ending of all Publique Differences But we are not yet resolv'd about Our Iudges Or if we were yet in Regard they are but Men and so may Erre Infallibility being departed with Christ and his Apostles in lieu of which Living and Infallible Guides God has in Providence given us a Plain and Infallible Rule We are now to make Enquiry how far a Private Judge may be allow'd to Oppose or Differ from a Publique in Case of a Reluctant Conscience and in some sort to Iudge his Iudge N. C. You say very well For place the Ultimate Decision where you will It is as you said before an Infallible Determination as to the Strife but Not so as to the Truth and comes at last to This that every Man in some Degree re-judges his Iudge If I be fully convinc't either that the Command is Sinful in it self or the Opinion Wicked I am neither to Obey the One nor to Embrace the Other as being tied up by a General Obligation of rather Obeying and Believing God then Man Nay more If in Obedience to the Magistrate I commit a Sin against God and do it ignorantly too That very Act in Ignorance is Criminâ—…l If I had the Means of being better inform'd For No Humane Respect câ—…n justifie an Offence against God Now if I am bound to do Nothing that is Ill I am likewise bound before I do any thing to satisfie my self whether it be Ill or No For otherwise I may follow a False Religion for a True and be Damned in the End for not minding what I did This do I take for Proof sufficient that No Man is so Implicitely Obliged to rely upon other Mens Eyes as totally to Abandon the Direction of his own Or so unconditionally to swear Obedience to other Mens Laws and Perswasions as to hold no Intelligence at all with that Sacred Law and Faithful Counsellâ—…r which he carries in his own Bâ—…som C. I am so far from advising you to reneunce your Reason that on the contrary I would have you absolutely guided and concluded by it and only to Obey for Quiet sake so far as you can possibly Obey in Conscience N. C. What if a Single Person hit that Truth which a General Council misses Which will you have him follow Truth or Authority C. I would have him follow Truth with his Soul and Authority with his Body But it is not for so remote a Possibility as This is to bring the Fansies and Imaginations of a Private Spirit into a Competition with Resolutions of Law And yet for the Possibility sake We 'l take the very
Opinion in his Grand Declaration of Aug. 12. 1642. where he complains of the Tumultuous Assemblies of Brownists Anabaptists and other Sectaries Indep But still you will find in the same Page that These very People were Animated and Countenanced by Presbyterians and Acted as the Creatures and Servants of That Interest Presb. Can you say that the English or Scottish Preshyters did ever go about to Dissolve Monarchy Indep Yes And I do aver that the Nineteen Propositions of Iune 2. 1642. were as much a Dissolution of Kingly Government as the very Act it self of March 17. 1648. for Abolishing it And the Uxbridge Propositions were to the same purpose Presb. You know very well that after the New-Modelling of the Army the Presbyterians were able to do nothing and this was a good while before the King went to the Scots Indep Let us see then how the Presbyterians behaved themselves after his Majesty cast himself into the Protection of the Scotch Army before Newark in May 1646. Notice was Immediately given of it to the Two Houses by the Commissioners of the Army Importing their Adherence to the Covenant and Treaty and that they had no fore-knowledge of his Majesties Coming The English Army presently March'd with 5000 Horse and 〈◊〉 toward Newark and our Brethren fairly retreated with the Prey in the Foot toward Newcastle After This Both Parties stood at Gaze for several Months but not without a World of Tedious Papers betwixt the Scotch Commissioners and the Two Houses touching their Ioynt Right in Disposing of the Person of the King But in the Conclusion The Presbyterians Compounded the Controversie for the Sum of 400000l In May they took their Sovereign into their Protection In the December following they Sold him and in February they Deliver'd him up And All This According to their COVENANT Presb. They must needs Deliver him up when they could Keep him no longer Indep They had at that time the City of London to Friend a Balancing Vote in the House of Commons a Considerable Mixture in the Army Scotland behind them Entire if ever the Kings Interest came in Play And at least Ten Thousand Men in a Body The Royal Party over and above So that here was no visible Force to over-awe them And Lowdon himself acknowledged as much at a Conference Octob. 6. 1646. If any such Course shall be taken says he or any Demand made for Rendring of his Person which cannot stand with his Honour and Safety or which cannot consist with our Duty Allegeance and COVENANT nor with the Honour of That Army to whom in time of his Extreme Danger he had his Recourse for Safety It cannot be Expected that we can be Capable of SO BASE AN ACT And if to shun this and avoid occasion of Quarrelling between the Kingdoms He shall go to Scotland and resent his Expulsion out of England and crave the Assistance of That Kingdom for Recovery of his Right to This Crown He may in a short time raise such Forces in Scotland and Ireland as with the Assistance of Forreign Princes these Kingdoms may be made a Field of Blood c. By This it appears Evidently that They were under no Necessity of Delivering the King And you may now see their Opinion of the Action it self If it be Contrary say the Scotch Commissioners to the Law and Common Practise of Nations to Delivâ—…r up the meanest Subject fled to them though it be for the Greatest Crimes How much more would the World abroad condemn our Army for a BASE DISHONOURABLE Act if they should Deliver up their Head and SOVEREIGN having cast himself into their Hands to be Disposed of at the Arbitrâ—…ment of another Nation Presb. But yet you saw that they Condition'd for his Honour Freedom and Safety Indep That 's a Shuffle For upon such Terms did they render him that they might have cast a Sheep into a Herd of Wolves with as much Confidence and Likelihood of Safety You are here to distinguish the Fâ—…ction of Scotland from the Nation No Country affording greater Instances of Honour and Loyalty Nay I have heard even on This Occasion that upon the Kings Earnest Desire to go for Scotland It was carried in the Negative but by Two Voices Presb. Can you Imagine that if they had apprehended any Danger to his Râ—…yal Person they would not have ventur'd their Libes a thousand timeâ—… over to have sav'd him Indep No no But on the Contrary They Foresaw the Danger debated it and yet expos'd him Nay which is still worse they reserv'd him for it Were not his Majesties Friends kept from him by a strict Order at Newcastle Was he not Spied and Guarded for fear of an Escape And upon Information that He intended one Was not a narrower Watch set over him That they foresaw the Danger is confest by the Chancellor Himself Lest we should walk in the Dark says he upon Obscurity of Ambiguous Words I shall desire that the Word of Disposing of the Kings Person may be rightly understood For Dolus versatur in Universalibus For to Dispose of the Person of the King as Both Houses or Both Kingdoms shall think fit may in some sense be to DEPOSE or WORSE And in a Speech to his Majesty he goes yet further If your Majesty says he shall refuse to assent to the Propositions which God forbid you will lose all your Friends lose the City and the Country and All England will joyn against you as one Man And when all hope of Reconciliation is past it is to be feared they will Process and Depose you and set up another Government Upon your Majesties refusing the Propositions both Kingdoms will be Constreined for their mutual Safety to Agree and Settle Religion and Peace without you which to our unspeakable Grief will ruine your Majesty and your Posterity And if your Majesty reject our Faithful Advice and lose England by your Wilfulness your Majesty will not be permitted to come and ruine Scotland Presâ—… These Propositions I suppose were of Absolute Necessity to the Well-Being of the Publique they would never have been brought in Competition else with the Kings Freedom Life and Dâ—…gnity Indep The King was first to Iustifie the Prâ—…ceedings of the Two Houses and to deliver up to Death Beggery and Infamy his Whole Party 2. To Settle the Militia of England and Ireland in the Hands of the Parliament for Twenty Years giving them Authority to raise Men and Moneys 3. To make vâ—…id all Honours since 1642 and no Peers admitted for the future to Sit â—…nd Vote in Parliament but by Consenâ—… of Both Houses who were likewise To dispose of all Great Places and Offices of Honour in England and Ireland 4. His Majesty was to Swear and Sign the COVENANT and Command the taking of it throughout the Three Kingdoms Abolishing Episcopacy and Settling Religion as Both Houses should Agree Upon his Majesties Refusal to Sign These Propositions the Scotch Declaration of Ian.