Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A66485
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Reflexions upon a pamphlet intituled, An account of the growth of deism in England together with some considerations about the Christian religion.
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Willis, Richard, 1664-1734.
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1696
(1696)
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Wing W2816; ESTC R38311
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32,108
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81
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thing is capable of a double Construction he must not presently suppose the worst especially he must have a Care that he don't as is too often done tack his ill Construction to the thing and so represent it as part of the Matter of Fact 4. Though a thing bereally ill he ought to make so much Allowance for Ignorance or Prejudice or it may be Passion or other Infirmities as a good Man may be guilty of and to consider whether some of these may not justly be brought in to alleviate the matter 5. That he should at least let every Man bear his own Burthen and no more not censure one for the Fault of another or bring in a whole Body of Men for what concerns only some and it may be but a few of them Had our Author observed these good Rules we should hardly have seen this Pamphlet And now I have mentioned these I believe I may leave it without fear of any great Danger from it However I shall take notice of some Paragraphs in it before I proceed to what I farther designed His first Instance that he gives of the Progress of Deism is taken from the time of King Charles the First Page â— for from that time chiefly begins the Hatred of the Party against Clergyment His Instance is of a Young Gentleman sent to travel into Popish Countries and principled by his Tutor to have a Care of Popery because it 's a Religion which in almost all its Branches is only calculated and designed to serve a Turn c. Well the Young Gentleman when he has done his Travels returns to Old England and finds Archbishop Laud and the Presbyterians quarrelling about Power and this gives him a Prejudice against the Religion of his Country and so he turns Deist Now sure this Young Gentleman had not a good Tutor or else he discharged him as is commonly done too soon I suppose when he was sent to Spain or Italy his Tutor did not bid him disbelieve the Apostles Creed because the Errors of Popery were invented to serve a Turn but his Meaning was That he should have a Care and not easily without good Evidence believe any thing that had such an Objection against it And he was in the right to bring this Caution home with him If they were quarrelling about Power not to believe either till he had examined the Matter But there were a thousand other things in which they agreed and which did not serve the End of Power or any other Interest why did he throw them off But especially Why did he throw off the Holy Scriptures before he knew whether their Master did encourage them in such ambitious Designs Page 7. It was not very wisely done in a Matter of such Concernment Page 5. Yet this was one of our Author's Men of Probity and Sobriety But I rather think his Manners were corrupted in his Travels and so he had no great mind to Religion otherwise he would not have parted with it so easily As for Archbishop Laud who is struck at here and so often in this Pamphlet I shall not pretend to justifie all he did if he were guilty of Miscarriages he suffered severe enough for them and the Party might now very well let him rest But as for his Zeal in defending the Government of the Church were it in it self an indifferent matter what the Government of it should be yet since Episcopacy was Established it would not have been very wise without Good Reasons to have hazarded so many Evils as might come by a Change But he had this farther to say for himself that his Zeal was to preserve that Government which the Church of Christ had universally had in all Ages from the Apostles Days that which apparently had been the Government in England ever since there were Christians here that Government under which this Church had been reformed and had so long flourished and therefore that one in his Place should have betrayed his Trust had he not done all he could to preserve it Our Author invidiously takes notice of the Bishops Courts Style c. Page 6. If the Nation has thought fit to shew their Respect to their Religion by bestowing some Honours or Conveniences on the Ministers of it which they cannot and do not pretend to by the Laws of Christ it will be a hard matter for this Author to shew any Reason why they may not make use of them But as for what follows it is very surprizing and shews that our Author should have taken some Care to know the Principles of the Church better before he railed at it so much His words are these Page 7. But the Bishop is the Higher Power because by the Principles of Episcopacy he can Excommunicate the King i. e. forbid him the very Conversation of his Subjects and thereby render them uncapable to make good their Oath of Allegiance in yielding their Aid and Assistance It is like enough some may be of Opinion that it is the Duty of a good Christian Bishop or Minister to refuse giving the Holy Sacrament even to a King if he be notoriously Scandalous in his Life but to Excommunicate him so as to forbid him the Conversation of his Subjects is to Depose him at least if he remains contumacious which upon second Thoughts our Author himself will hardly take to be the Doctrine of the Church of England It is not my intent to follow him through every particular of such a loose discourse but only to take notice of what occurs most remarkable He does in several Places fall upon the business of the Persecution of Dissenters to which I shall make no other Reply but that I am sorry that all Parties have given each other so much Provocation and have therefore been so apt to be hard upon one another at every little Advantage the Times afford and I am very sorry that so much Heat and Animosity still remains on all Sides and is still like to do if Men go on to write such Books as these of our Author on purpose to inflame He expresses himself very angry at the Test and calls it a Church-device to which I shall make no other Answer but that it is not an Act of Convocation but an Act of Parliament and when made looked upon to be a good Act by Persons not thought to be much influenced by the Counsels of Church-Men And after all it will be a hard Matter for our Author or any else to give any good Reason why a State or Kingdom may not to preserve Unity and consequently Peace and Quiet give that Encouragement to the Established Religion That none shall enjoy any Office of Honour or Profit who is not of it and who does not as a Testimony of that bring a Certificate of his actually joining in Communion with it in the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper And I would be very glad to see so much Moderation in those who dissent from the