Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A37480
|
Compulsion of conscience condemned wherein is plainly demonstrated how inconsistent it is with Scripture, the fundamental laws of England, and common equity &c. / by Tho. De-Laune ...
|
De Laune, Thomas, d. 1685.
|
1683
(1683)
|
Wing D890; ESTC R8872
|
35,062
|
47
|
Laws require from their Protestant Country-men who disagree in nothing from these forreign Brethren but only in Language I mean with respect to Articles of Religion so that lie that will charge the present Prosecutions upon the Church of England does charge her at one and the same time with severity to our own Natives and Charity to Strangers of the same Profession Now since it is not to be presumed that the Church of England would act with such Partiality and Condradiction may we not rationally conclude that this unseasonable Prosecution when Popery is watching all opportunities to Ruine Conformists as well as Nonconformists is to be charged only on some particular Self-seeking persons or such as do not calmly consider what the Circumstances of things are The Judgment of His Majesty and the Resolves of our last Parliaments all true Patriots and Church-men that have given security to the Government by taking such Tests and Oaths as the Law requires are convincing demonstrations that 't is not the Church and State but some certain persons that care not how the World goes so their present ends be acccomplished are Authors of the severeties some feel from the Execution of such Laws as stand lookt upon rather to be forborn by publick Votes as aforesaid And which 't is hop'd that August Assembly King Lords and Commons when His Majesty will be pleased to call a Parliament will mitigate to the great joy of many Innocent Subjects that mind only their own particular Concerns and quietly submit to the Establish'd Government SECT VI. AT the writing of this there came to my hands a Paper newly published with this Title A Second Argument for a more full and firm Vnion amongst all good Protestants wherein the Nonconformists taking the Sacrament after the manner of the Church of England is justifyed c. In a Letter to a Friend Because the Scope of it is not only to magnifie the Church of England which I do not in the least reflect upon but also to fix an Odium upon Dissenters and render them more intollerable in the Eye of the Government than the Charity of many Pious and Learned Conformists either desire or think seasonable I have thought it agreeable to the Nature of my Subject to leave a few modest Remarks upon it And 1. If the Conversion of such Dissenters as are mentioned p. 1. be really the Effect of Conviction of mind without any sinister ends I shall not blame them for walking according to their Light for that were to contradict the Design of these few Sheets viz. The Exercise of a Charitable meekness towards our weak Brethren But if it be meerly for fear of the Penal Prosecution there likewise mentioned it is probable that the Advocates of such a practice viz. to Conform to such things as they before cry'd down as not Evangelical or at best think still to be doubtful will hardly prove Martyrs Temporizing is Diametrically opposite to the Nature of Christianity And such as are for selfish worldly ends list themselves among the purest Professors of Evangelical Truths are justly branded with the Ignominious Name of Hypocrites But whether these Men do it out of Conscience or for any By-ends The Lord only knows for he is the Searcher of Hearts and there we leave it The Expressions p. 2. are so perplext and unintelligible that I cannot well pick out the meaning of it If by Sons of Leviathan bating the unusualness of the Phrase be meant the Romish Clergy the Paper then supposes such to be Instructors among the Dissenters and of great Influence overthem But that isno less than a malicious and groundless Slander And I Challenge this Author to justifie the surmise by any Demonstrative Instances Or 2. If it means the Teachers of the Dissenters for one of these it must be who are represented as frighting the people from Conformity and scaring them out of Church by calling it and its Ministers Antichristian let the Author produce the Words or Writings of any eminent Nonconformist Preacher or Preachers that have branded the Church of England with that Odious Epithete and I will joyn with him to abhor the Calumniators All Sober Dissenters universally agree that the Romish Hierarchy is the Antichrist spoken of in the Scripture and it was lately well proved in a Treatise Intituled Schematologia by a Dissenting Preacher And for them to make the Church of England another Antichrist is not only disconsonant to their publick and avowed Principles but the highest violation of that Charity and Divine Principle of Love which they owe to their Christian Conforming Brethren that agree with them in all the substantial parts of the Faith and differ only in Circumstances confessedly indifferent by the very Imposers I am surprized to find such a Scheme of Divinity in this Paper p. 3. as I never yet saw or heard from a Protestant Writer All things necessary to Salvation are peremptorily laid down by this Author in these four particulars upon which take a few Notes 1. The Learning of a good Catechism to aid and conduct their Faith 2. A good and well Composed Form of Prayer to discharge their Devotion 3. To hear Learned and Good Men Preach to revive and quicken them to Duty 4. To Square and Regulate their Lives by Moral Precepts or the Law of Nature Here 's the sum total of what 's necessary to Salvation in this Authors Opinion But he is not content Dogmatically to make so Diminutive a Reduction of Christianity but will also ensure your Soul for you in these words The which meaning the said particulars whosoever shall humbly and carefully observe constantly and Conscientiously perform we that we is himself as if he had been the Representative of the Church of England will assure them Salvation and undertake to Answer to God for them and be content to stand chargeable with their Blood if they do miscarry c. 1. As to the First 't is confessed that Catechistical Instructions were used in the Primitive Times and since and that if rightly managed it is a necessary expedient to Inform the Judgments of the Ignorant But I never yet knew that it was made to lead the Van of such Articles as are necessary to Salvation before It is a means indeed which as the Spirit of God Influences may be Instrumentally subservient to Convert the unconverted But 't is meer Popery to Attribute any such Virtue to it as if the meer Learning of a bare Form of Catechistical Questions and Answers were a thing necessary to Salvation and this I take to be the Papers meaning The way of Catechising in the Primitive Ages of Christianity was for some of the Church Elders to call the Youth and other Ignorant Persons together at some certain Times and examine them concerning the Faith alwaies explaining what was obscure to their weak understandings nottying themselves to any Form but administring their Questions and shaping their Instructions as the Capacity of the Catechumeni required
as to that will be this because my Work is not to disapprove the Communion of the Church of England but to intreat the Prosecutors to shew Christian Compassion to peaceable Dissenting Protestants that this Author would if he writes a Third Argument resolve me a few plain Quaeries 1. Whether the positive Rules set down by the Soveraign Legislator with respect to his Ordinances are not to be observed by Christians exactly without any Addition or Substraction as near as can be 2. Whether it be not an Impeachment of the Divine Wisdom to suppose his Laws imperfect Or that he stands in need of Spiritual Privy Council to Regulate and Establish the Circumstances of his Lordship 3. Whether if the said Divine Laws be perfect and unalterable as they certainly are any quiet and Conscientious Dissenter ought to be punished for Non observance of such Ceremonies as are confess'd to be of a meer Humane Original 4. Whether it be an Argument of Piety for such as have got on the warm side of the Hedge to pelt dirt at those that cannot stride so largely or jump over so nimbly as they do For my part I thought and still think that the things necessary to Salvation may be comprehended under this short Sentance viz. To Love God with all our Hearts and our Neighbours as our selves which is the Epitome of Christian Religion and a Compendium of the first and second Table Faith in Christ Jesus the Saviour of the World who is God Co-equal and Co-essential with the Father and a Life and Conversation suitable to the Sacred Rules of the Scriptures of Truth which comprehends Morality and Duties purely Divine too do constitute a Christian And if this Mans Scheme of Religion mentioned before be true which as far as I can see reaches no further then to what the Law of Nature teaches then he may throw away that superfluous thing called the Bible and study Seneca and Hobs his Leviathan c. Certainly this Author has but a despicable Opinion of Faith though the Scripture says That 't is impossible to please God without it when he cannot afford it a little room among his things necessary to Salvation only supposes Men to have it by which I have ground to suspect that the Faith he means is nothing but some kind of Moral perswasion or other that being suitable to the rest of his Discourse His little Pedantick Dilemma's to justifie the Communion of the Church of England p. 4 5 6 7 8. are meerly frivolous because no sober nor wise Dissenter as far as I can see Condemns that Communion 'T is only some things respecting the Circumstances of Administration that they disallow as being not so exactly Quodrate with the Rule Therefore let this Author if he will do any thing to the purpose leave beating the Air and draw a parellel between the Communion he justifies and what is written of it in Scripture 1. Respecting the persons Administring 2. The persons receiving 3. The manner how 4 ly The Time when And 5 ly To what end And if he makes them agree then he will Convert all the Dissenters in that great Point for which they suffer But if they do not agree then let this Dilema-maker give us some Reasons for the Disparity and by what Authority the alteration was made Or else in good earnest let him e'en appear bare-fac'd and blunder it out in plain English That the Laws of God are subservient to the Institutions that Humane Policy thinks fit to superadd I would withal intreat the Author to bless the World with a like parallel about Infant-baptism that he may reduce those Dissenters that have no good Opinion of it But now comes the Mortal Wound as he thinks have a care poor Phanaticks Here the greatest number of them are affirm'd to hold Principles dangerously Heretical and most abominably abusive of the most Holy and Blessed God yea they ungod him This is most sad indeed but wherein I pray By making him the greatest Author of mischief folly c. by their idle Dreams about his Peremptory and Eternal Decrees Oh! There'sthe business this is the excellent and stupendious folly fine Rhetorick which he admires at Here you see how he brands the poor Dissenters for the most abominable of Hereticks and how does he prove it Why he Fathers an Opinion upon them which none but a mad-Man will own and then pours you out a long winded Rhapsody of such Devilish Consequences as are able to scare abody out of all Charity with the Dissenters For my part if I had thought it had been such a Damn'd thing to believe That God fore-ordain'd whatsoever should come to pass I would never have done it Well but the Author is pelting soundly at his Man of Straw and the Odium is thrown upon the greatest part of the Dissenters What I shall say in reply is this 1. If there be any body guilty of this Heresie viz. That God is the Author of Sin I heartily leave him at this Authors Mercy for I look upon that Opinion to be no better then he represents it But 2. He is too uncharitable to charge the greatest number of the Dissenters with it who for any thing I find Discourse only of the Decrees of God as Predestination Election c. as the Scripture represents and as the greatest part of the Church of England holds 3. I could wish that Men were temperate and modest in writing and discoursing of these great Secrets of Gods Decrees and forbear to Extort Consequences with such violence from doubtful and obscure places Men have got such an Itch to Espouse some Darling Opinion or other that no reason can remove them from it though Christianity languishes in the very Vitals of it by these Brawls and Animosities I have known too many that won't trouble their Heads with the most certain and most Important Duties of the Gospel that instead of reading the Commandments and the plain Practical Parts of Scripture will needs be making Comments upon the obscurest Allegories of the Prophets and the Revelation of St. John Pray what necessity have we to confound poor simple Christians with those School Tricks which much Idle and Licentious Wits pester the Church of Christ It was enough for the Apostle to know nothing but Jesus Christ and him Crucified as was said and 't is most assuredly true that whatsoever is necessary to Salvation is so plainly laid down in the Scripture that the meanest Capacity may by the aid of Divine Grace understand it 'T is therefore a dangerous piece of wantonness to be peeping into the Secret Cabinets of the Almighty and I am sure such Fooleries have done much mischief in the World For 1. 'T is enough for us to know that the Lord God hath chosen a people for himself viz. such as believe in him and obey his Laws and that he will Eternally save them And 2. That such as reject his Grace and Mercy and disobey his Gospel will fall