Selected quad for the lemma: doctrine_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A36107
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A Discourse of toleration with some observations upon the late act of Parliament.
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1691
(1691)
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Wing D1610; ESTC R15512
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10,989
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12
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who delighted in the Writings of this Pious and Judicious Father should by degrees be drawn in to approve of the Origenian Hypothesis concerning this Point surely so small an Error in such a nice question would not render him unworthy of that Kindness which we willingly bestow on those who openly maintain Tenents of a far more mischievous Nature I might likewise instance in such as adhere to the Opinions of the Eastern Church since our Divines are generally very favourable to these Dr. Stilling fleet now Bishop of Worcester in his Vindication of his Answer to the King's Papers pleads in their behalf p. 23. Is it not says he a very hard case these should be excluded the Catholick Church and consequently from Salvation for not rightly understanding the subtilties of the distinction betwixt Nature and Person as whether Subsistence can be separated from individual Nature or whether an Hypostatical Vnion doth imply that the individual Nature doth lose its own Subsistence I appeal to the Conscience of any good Christian whether he thinks that Christ and his Apostles did ever make the knowledge of these things necessary to Salvation which the subtillest of their School-men are never able to explain to the Capacities of the far greatest part of mankind Now if any of this Opinion amongst us should urge this Argument for a Toleration I cannot think it would lose much of its strength Add to this that it looks a little severe when we have given so general a Liberty to tie Men up so strictly in the most nice and difficult point concerning which Dr Falknâ—r owns that the Athanasian Creed gives some explications which are not so necessary to be understood and believed by the meanest Capacities Lib. Ecc. c. 4. § 4. p. 146. Moreover by this Act most of the Dissenters are obliged to subscribe to they know not what For to understand throughly the Doctrine of our Church in this point they must be versed not only in our Articles Common-Prayer Book and Book of Homilies but even in the first four General Councils since we profess to believe what ever they have determin'd And Ibelieve there are but few even of their Teachers will pretend to be mightily acquainted with them As for the Papists though they are not included in this Toleration yet I cannot plead so much on their behalf because both their Doctrines and Practices are prejudicial to the publick Peace However I cannot but wish that we had rather excluded them the benefit of the Toleration upon the account of such of their Principles as undermine the very Foundation of Government such as these That the Pope has power to depose Heretical Kings or that Faith is not to be kept with Hereticks Then upon account of their believing Transubstantiation which is a meer religious Doctrine and the believing of which one way or the other injures no Man's private Right nor any ways disturbs the publick Peace But if we must have something about this absurd Doctrine let it be this That every Person who is tolerated shall declare that no one ought to be punished for holding either side of the question And I verily believe if the Papists were secure of enjoying the freedom of their Religion here disclaiming only such Doctrines as are inconsistent with the Government they would not be so violently bent to King James's Interest as to hazard the utter ruine of themselves and Families for his sake I pray God to encline our Minds to mild and moderate Councils For as the Bishop of Rochester says in the conclusion of his second Letter to the Lord Dorset To calm Mens Minds for the future to settle Affairs in a secure and lasting Peace most certainly a gentle generous charitable Temper is the best FINIS
A DISCOURSE OF TOLERATION With some OBSERVATIONS UPON The late Act OF PARLIAMENT Printed in the Year 1691. Advertisement IT will appear upon the perusal of the following Discourse that the Author of it attending only to what he conceived to be the Sense of the Act for Toleration and not having recourse to the exact Words thereof has a little mistaken that Statute For he says That all those are excluded from the benefit of this Toleration who do not believe the Doctrine of the Trinity as it is believed and taught in the Church of England Now the Clauses in the Act concerning this matter are in Page 309 and Page 317. In the former 't is provided that Persons in Holy Orders or pretending to Holy Orders Preachers or Teachers in Dissenting Congregations shall be free from the Penalties of the Act for restraining Non-conformists from inhabiting in Corporations and of the Act of Uniformity Upon condition only of their taking the Oaths and declaring their approbation of and subscribing to the Articles of Religion mentioned in a Statute made 13th Eliz. viz. the 39 Articles except the 34th 35th and 36th and some words of the 20th In the other Clause 't is enacled that the benefit of the Act shall not extend to any Person that shall deny in his Preaching or Writing the Doctrine of the Blessed Trinity as it is declared in the aforesaid Articles of Religion So that none but publick Preachers c. are comprehended in these Restrictions All that are not so may believe what they please concerning the Trinity without being excluded from the benefit of this Act. And so indeed may Preachers too Only they must not teach publickly any thing contrary to those Articles which they are to subscribe and declare their Approbation not Belief of A learned Prelate of our Church Dr. Jer. Taylor in excuse for the many Divines of our Church who tho' they incline to the Arminian Opinions touching Free Will and Predestination yet subscribe to the 39 Articles which manifestly favour the contrary Doctrine viz. that of Calvin which is embraced by most sorts of Dissenters in some of his Writings tells us That those Articles were never designed as Declarations of Truths necessary to be believed but as Articles only of Peace which no Subscriber should oppose or preach against And that this is not only the Sense of one Doctor but indeed the general Sense of all the Church of England especially in the matter of the Trinity appears by her admitting us to both the Sacraments without requiring any Declaration of our Belief in that point so as it is explained in the Creed called Athanasius's or in the 39 Articles Now just what those Articles are by this Doctor lookt upon to be in respect to the Clergy of the Church of England such by this Act are they and particularly the Doctrine of the Trinity as it is explain'd in them made to the Dissenting Ministers Articles I mean of Peace and no more Thus it appears indeed that the Act does not as this Writer says exclude all Persons from the benefit of this Toleration who believe not the Trinity as 't is taught in the Church of England But nevertheless it must be confest that all his Reasonings hold good against the Act upon account of the restraint it lies upon Ministers in their preaching For if in a speculative point where all Parties pretend to have Scripture Authority and Reason on their side the Teachers of all Perswasions are obliged to subscribe to the Decisions and Explications of one only Party and not to teach or preach tho' both themselves and their Congregations may believe things contrary thereunto there seems still sufficient reason for this Writers Assertion That this Act of Toleration is not comprenensive enough And that it not being built upon the true Principle viz. That Liberty of Conscience is a Natural Right and that therefore Conscience ought not in any wise to be forced its Foundation is too narrow to support it and it cannot last long A Discourse of Toleration c. THE Gospel was at first planted and propagated by mild and gentle Methods Our Saviour did not send out his Disciples arm'd with Swords or Spears or any other Instruments of War Their Weapons were wholly Spiritual Charity and Humility Kindness and Condescention were the Arms which the first Preachers of Christianity made use of to conquer the World and bring it into Subjection to Christ By these means was the Christian Religion spread over the World And it overcame all Opposition by the irresistable force of Truth only And though the forward Zeal of after-Ages has prompted them to call in the Foreign assistance of Force and Power yet Experience shows That their Endeavours have very rarely been Crown'd with Success which we need not wonder at because it is very Natural that Religion should be preserved by the same means by which it was at first produc'd For my part I am so far from envying the Dissenters the Liberty they now enjoy or being angry with the Parliament for passing the late Act in their Favour that I think they have done us of the Church of England a Kindness in it as well as the Dissenters Since now we no longer lie under any Obligation of troubling or disquieting our Neighbours for Matters of Religion This Act cannot but calm all Minds that are truly dispos'd to Peace and still those peevish Animosities which were occasion'd by the Miscarriages of some few weak or passionate or interessed men whose over-hasty Zeal carried them beyond the true Rules of Conduct We all now know who it was set those weak men a-work and made Tools of them to do a business which they they never dream'd of But now they have seen their Error and repented And we hope that the good Nature of the Dissenters will not Father a persecuting Spirit upon our whole Church by reason of the Mistakes of some few unthinking men in it But methinks I could have wish'd that the Act had been more Comprehensive For I fear that it being built upon too narrow a Foundation it cannot last long Since by this Act several Persons are still liable to the Lash of the Law upon the account of their bare Opinion in matters of Religion For upon the same grounds that these are excepted succeeding Parliaments may think fit to except others whom they judge to hold Opinions equally false and dangerous and so more and more by degrees till at length the whole Toleration dwindles into nothing For if it be once allow'd That some persons may justly be punished for Mistakes in Judgment in such things as have no relation to Civil Affairs it will be very difficult to assign any good Reason why others should be wholly exempted from the Penalties of the Law and not be punished for holding false Opinions provided the Government shall at any time so think fit It seems a strange Paradox that men should contend for Liberty of Conscience