a Parliamentary Session speaking of the Dukes Bill is not so well qualified for Westminster as Bedlam Ibid p. 25. 123. The Doctrine of taking away the right of Succession came from Rome the People had it from the Devil c. Ibid. 124. I bless God I have the Spirit of an English man and uy knoes due to God and the King shall never be yielded up to Usurpers come what will come Hanging Burning or any other or all the Torments that exercised the Patience of the Primitive Christians Ibid. p. 28. Query Query Whether this Blade be not more fool-hardy than valiant 125. Infinite Obligations lieth on us to the greatest thankfulness to our good God for rescuing these Nations from under the Roman Yoke and for these Miracles of Mercy which he hath wrought for us in blasting so many of their deep-laid Designs their late great Conspiracy and late Sham-Plots for the reducing us to our old Captivity Dr. Fowler 's Sermon p. 25. 126. He hath no participation of the God-like Nature and Life which is of a quarrelsom contentious uncharitable spirit Ibid. p. 27. 127. There are too too many among our selves that do little consult our Churches Interest nor consequently the Interest of the Protestant Religion but greatly disserve both by their intemperate Heats and branding all with the names of Fanaticks and Presbyterians who are not come up to their Pitch and in all things just of their Complexion although they be as obedient to both their Civil and Ecclesiastical Superiors as themselves Ibid. p. 28. 128. We ought by Love and Sweetness to encourage Men all we can and not by Sowreness and Censoriousness tempt those to depart from us who would gladly hold communion with us Ibid. 129. Where we find an inclination towards returning in any that have departed from us we should be glad to meet them half way in order to the bringing them over to us Ibid. 130. I do believe if all the Church of England were of this mind it would greatly lessen the number of Dissenters Ibid. 131. There are too too many Debauchees in the Nation who would be thought great Champions for the King and the Church but do infinite prejudice to both by mad and frantick expressions of their Zeal and mighty honour to Fanaticism by charging all with it that run not with them to the same excess of Riot Ibid. p. 29. 132. One would think that these whatsoever they pretend do really design nothing more than to make both the King and the Church as friendless as they are able Heaven help them both should they ever be so unfortunate which God forbid as to stand in need of this sort of People Ibid. 133. Indeed if Huffing and Healthing Cursing and Damning and giving vile Names would do the business then let them alone to protect the King and the Church but former experience hath assured us that those are the best Weapons that most of them can boast of their being good at A Neighbouring King and the Church of Rome may wish God's Blessing on the hearts of these Gentlemen but our own King whom God preserve and the Church of England have little reason to con them thanks for any service they are like to do them Ib. Query Query Whether Heraclitus the Observator and Thompson are then like to do the Church of England so much service as they pretend to And to shew that they act contrary to the King's mind I shall conclude with two passages of His Majesties Proclamation against Vicious and Debauched People We think it high time to shew Our dislike of those against whom We have been ever enough offended though We could not in this manner declare it who under pretence of Affection to Us and Our Service assume to themselves the liberty of Reviling Threatning Reproaching others and as much as in them lies endeavor to stifle and divert their good Inclinations to Our Service and so to prevent that Reconciliation and Union of Hearts and Affections which can onely with God's Blessing make Us rejoice in each other and keep Our Enemies from rejoicing There are likewise another sort of Men of whom We have heard much and are sufficiently ashamed who spend their time in Taverns Tipling Houses and Debauchos giving no other evidence of their Affection to Us but in drinking Our Health and inveighing against all others who are not of their own dissolute Temper and who in truth have more discreited Our Cause by the Licence of their Manners and Lives than they could over advance it by their Affection or Courage FINIS ☞ There is lately Published an ingenious Piece Intituled The Horrid Sin of MAN-CATCHING The Second Part Or further Discoveries and Arguments to prove That there is no Protestant Plot And that the Design of casting a Plot upon them by the Suborned Man-catchers was antecedent to the first discovery of the Popish Plot. Together with some further Discoveries concerning Mr. Booth Humbly Dedicated to the Right Honourable the Earl of Shastesbury Printed for H. Jones and are to be sold by most Booksellers Price Six-pence
THE Assenters Sayings PUBLISHED In their own Words For the Information of the PEOPLE Being in Requital of Roger L'Estrange's DISSENTERS SAYINGS By an Indifferent Hand LONDON Printed for Henry Jones 1681. The Epistle to the Reader In this Collection you will find Sayings of two sorts some Good and some Bad the Good are all spoken in favor of Dissenters by men of as much Piety and Learning as any have been in the Church of England since the Reformation Among the Bad ones you will find some Enthusiastick and Blasphemous some in favor of Debauchery c. In making this Collection I have taken care to avoid that which L'Estrange is so frequently guilty of in his pretended Dissenters Sayings viz. taking a line in one place two or three words in another and a word from another and drawing them head and shoulders into one Sentence which thus jumbled together speak quite contrary to the Author's sense and meaning So that to say the truth some of those Sayings are not the Dissenters but L'Estrange's Now here you will find the whole Sentence laid down in the words of the Author without the least alteration I shall conclude with my hearty Prayer to God That Assenter and Dissenter and all other Names of Division and Causes of Animosity may be taken away from among us for ever The Epistle to the Reader THE Design of the ensuing Collection is in some measure to put a Check to those Clamorous Outcries that are daily sent forth against the Dissenters especially in those two famed Pamphlets called The Dissenters Sayings c. And to inform the World That the Dissenters from the Church of England are no such manner of Persons as R. L. Heraclitus Club and the late fam'd William Gould cum multis aliis would represent them to the Common People for and there is nothing more plain than that many sober Assenters to the Church of England are Dissenters from them For you shall find many of these Sayings spoken in favor of the Dissenters by Men of more Brains and Learning and therefore more capable of judging than Roger L'Estrange and though being Guide to the inferiour Clergy as the Worshipful JEST-Ass was pleas'd to stile himself in a Letter to a young Divine at CAMBRIDGE he may with Authority correct them yet certainly he will not do so by those of the superior Clergy Men of far more Holiness and Piety whose Sayings are more to be regarded than the envious and malicious Railings of every prosligate Buffoon Men of far better Estates and larger Revenues whereby they are not so liable to be imposed upon by a debauch'd Companion or an imperious Strumpet a pressing Poverty or an insatiable Revenge a covetous Bookseller or a turbulent Clergy-man the one promising to pay well for his Copy and the other to make larger Contributions among those of his Tribe For it is apparent to all unprejudic'd Persons that the whole design and ultimate end of all his Writings is to promote the Roman Interest supply his Necessity and satiate his Revenge THE Assenters Sayings PUBLISHED In their own WORDS TO Inform the PEOPLE I shall Introduce the Reader with a Choice Collection of the Sayings of a Great Champion of the Assenters wherein he endeavours to prove K. C. the First to be the Third Person in the Trinity 2ly That there is no Salvation to be obtained out of the Church of England 1. THE first Objection is say they What doth your Scripture Proofs make for King Charles I answer With those that hate Him and the Truth the Proofs are of little or no force With such as love Him and the Truth the Proofs will prevail There are darker Proofs than these brought to prove the verity of our Saviour Jesus Christ Eccho to the Voice from Heaven Printed 1652. in the Preface 2. As the Jews will find Objections enough against the Gospel so many will find Objections against this King but let them take heed what they say against Him for Jesus knew that the Scriptures heretofore was dark and therefore he said to them that spake against his own Person then It was forgiven them but saith he Whosoever speaketh a word against the Holy Ghost it shall never be forgiven him Matth. 12.32 That is against his appearance in this King John 14.26 Jer. 9.28 which thing is so clear that all the Mysteries of God are opened by it So that now an Angel swears that time shall be no more for Ignorance to shelter under Rev. 10.7 Ibid. 3. For this King is that Key of David by which all Secrets was locked up Isa 22.22 Rev. 3.7 and by which Key all now is opened for this Day of Light was appointed to be in a King and therefore it is said in Heb. 4.7 he limiteth a day saying in David To day after so long time giving to understand that the Day was not the Apostles Time nor David's time but our time Ibid. 4. Christ signifies Anointed in English and I hope none will deny the King to be the Lords Anointed the Lord our Lord is the Lord Jesus and the King is the Lord 's Anointed or in Greek his Christ for all knows that Christ is a Greek word and one of the most learned Bishops in England upon the hearing of my Book read before him gave this sentence of Approbation upon it That he wished that all Men were of my mind and for the Third Person all the true Ministers in the King's Dominions fifteen years ago gave him the place of the Third Person saying of him to God the Father in their Prayers CHARLES by thy Grace and Providence King of great Britain France and Ireland Defender of the true Ancient Catholick and Apostolick Faith next under Thee and thy Son supream Head and Governour Ibid. 5. Here they place the King to be next to Jesus Christ making no mention of the Floly Ghost except they meant Him to be the King Ibid. 6. The Holy Ghost is the Chief Governour of the Saints on Earth by the Apostles Testimony for when the Decree is sent to the People of God Acts 15.28 it runs thus It seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us to lay upon you no other burdens than these And for the Ministers words by the orational sense of them we must understand them thus That by the King they mean the Holy Ghost and third Person or else we must understand thus That they do not acknowledge the Holy Ghost to be the third Person for they spake of God the Father and of God the Son and King Charles to be next and immediate under the Father and the Son Ibid. 7. Here they put out the Holy Ghost from being the third Person except they mean him to be signified to us in the King's Person which may very well be for Christ himself in the first place where he speaks of God's sending the Holy Ghost saith he John 14.16 I will pray the Father and he shall give you another Comforter and
preverting the Nation and forbiding to give Tribute to Caesar c. But how shall they prove the Indictment Why that 's the easiest thing in the World it is but looking out and they are always at hand some Knights of the Post some false Affidavit-men catch-Poles and false Evidence and the Sham-plot is perfected the Indictment prov'd and the business done Therefore all heads to work especially the Chief-priests they must be in at a dead lift and Elders and all the Councel sought false witness against Jesus to put him to death but found none Yea though many false witness came yet they found none That was hard but at the last came two false witness And these did the business for which they came for which they were hired and they were Caesar's Evidence and swore for Caesar and swore the matter home and these catchers carried the cause against the greatest Innocence Mighty glad no doubt were the Chief-Priest and Elders and Councel and mightily caressed and much made of were these two sham Evidences and false witness that swore home especially after the former false witness miscarried in the Attempt as not having got their lesson sufficiently by heart They had needs be men of cunning and ability that can swear thorow-stich and cleaverly mixing some Truth and probable Circumstances amongst many and amongst the main Lie There is art in daubing Ibid. p. 23. 68. From a Lion a Tiger a Woolf or a Serpent we may make some defence and provision but this kind of Snake is Anguis in herba no fore-sight no caution no prudence no innocence can defend from the sting of this forked venomous and murdering Tongue except a man abandon all society with Man-kind Ibid p. 23. 69. Men may keep these Snakes and but perhaps neither out of their Bed-chamber scarcely out of their Houses however not out of publick Houses Churches Courts of Judicature Exchanges and publick Assemblies so that if they can but bring good proof of the Circumstances as that they were at such a time in such a Church Assembly Exchange publick meeting in Court City or Country let them alone to swear what they heard there These I say are the great Plague the non-such Pests of all Society the common Nusance no former Age that I read of can parallel ours for improvement of Vice and Mischief What Blockheads were the French-mens Ancestors in the Art of poysoning in comparison of the present skill and dexterity What Blockheads were the Irish the Native Irish in all Arts and Mysteries imaginable in former Ages But now how ingenious though some of them are but Bunglers still and enough to destroy a neat well-laid and well-contriv'd Plot in the management for want of skill in a subtile Intrigue but time and good Tutors may improve them if there be first a willing mind Ibid. 70. The sin of setting Snares to catch men is so common too too common God knows in these days such shamming trepanning that scarce any honest man in England of any Eminency but has or may have cause to say with holy David Every day they wrest my words Ibid. p. 26. 71. Some think our Divisions are so great that they will not have a shorter period than the Wars and Miseries of Greece of the end whereof the Oracle of Apollo being consulted replyed They shall surcease when they should double the Altar at Delphos was Cubique form which is impossible Yet I have other thoughts more faith and better hope that our Distractions will find a happy Conclusion and the depth of Plots and Sham-plots in good time be fathom'd sounded to the bottom and discovered yet truly I think as is said of the Altar at Delphos a period and end of our Distractions is impossible till all Popish Altars Popish hopes and Popish claim by the Pope and his Emissaries to these Kingdoms of England Scotland and Ireland and the Propagation of his Superstition amongst us be extirpate and rooted out nay root and branch for there always were Popish Plots in the Reigns of all our Kings ever since the Pope's Supremacy and Vsurpation have been rejected and whilst there is a fair prospect and hopes of Redemption of this Golden Fleece though they be but Glimpses there will be Popish Plots and Conspiracies except they Apostatize from the Principles of Popery Ibid. p. 28. 72. Better a thousand times if possible to die a true Protestant and a true English-man by the Sham-plots false Witnesses and Popish Machinations than willingly to enslave a man's self and Posterity Soul Body Honour Honesty Religion and Estate to Arbitrary and Popish sway I put them together for like Hippocrates's Twins they are born and live and die together Ibid. p. 34. 73. 'T is senceless to doubt the being of a Popish-Plot that never ceas'd since Hen. 8. in England But now by Coleman's Letters it infallibly appears that they never had such blessed hopes of converting these Three Kingdoms since the Bon-fires in Smithfield in Queen Maries days as now at this time now that And the more impudently they deny so clear a truth the more cause we have to abominate the Villany of that Religion that hardens men in Lies or Equivocations even to death and the more they deny it after such apparent and manifold conviction the more suspicious and dangerous it is by the combined endeavours to conceal it and to turn the edge thereof upon the Protestants Ibid. p. 35. 74. Indeed no man can deny but 't is politickly and craftily done to endeavour to put out the eyes of those men that are most quick-sighted to discern their dark mysterious and hellish Intrigues Or if they could but be Godfreydiz'd strangl'd hang'd or stabb'd the business would be done as effectually and to all intents and purposes Especially if the Sham-evidences would but be improv'd and manag'd with some Lawyer 's Hackneytongue whose Conscience is so often sold pro con right or wrong for Plaintiff or Defendant who bids most and who comes first prostituted and set to sale when Merchandize is indifferently and equally madeof Truth and Falshood the Snare of catching men would be the stronger and the Feat more currant Ibid. p. 36. 75. A Christian is bound to choose the Communion of the purest Church and not to leave that for a corrupt one though called never so Catholick Sillingfleet's Idolatry of the Church of Rome p. 8. 76. Ecclesiastical Laws must be imposed so as to leave our liberty unharmed Bishop Taylor 's Cases of Conscience p. 301. 77. Laws of burden are alwaies against Charity Ibid. p. 310. 78. Ceremonies oblige no longer than they minister to the end of Charity Ibid. p. 314. 79. Ecclesiastical Laws must ever promote the Service of God and the good of Souls but must never put a Snare or Stumbling-block to Consciences The Authority which the Lord hath given is for Edification Ibid. p. 323. 80. Though significant Ceremonies can be for Edification to the Church in some degree and in