Selected quad for the lemma: england_n
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A69910
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The Protestant conformist, or, A plea for moderation contained in a letter from one conforming minister to another : and his answer to it.
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N. Y.; N. D.
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1679
(1679)
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Wing D68; ESTC R4499
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12,308
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8
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of their own making that these valiant Champions are crowing over And to hear these inveigh against our first and most zealous Reformers for some different apprehensions or expressions about some abstruser and darker points which themselves have never studied nor understood and the Articles of the Church of England seem so much to favour is loathsom to sober minds and begets an opinion in those that have any prejudice against or are dissenters from the Church of England that we are returning again to Rome and enemies to the Reformation they first promoted Again the putting all dissenters in the same rank and bespattering them with the names of Schismaticks Factious and Seditious though many of them do not break communion with us to me seems very harsh and unreasonable if not unjust It 's well known to the world there be many learned sober godly men amongst them some whereof you and I have the happiness of a prositable acquaintance and sweet conversation with who though they be not satisfied to do some things the Law requires and which our Church might well spare if our Rulers saw meet to dispense with them that otherwise are as true to and some of them as zealous able Champions for the Doctrine of the Church of England as any of our selves This foolish dividing humour helps to widen and keep open the difference between true Protestants and mens distances from and unacquaintedness with each other makes them to look upon one another as Hobgoblins and frightful apparitions whereas a more familiar acquaintance and converse together would let men see that they are not such Bugbears and monsters as some fiery Zealots on both sides represent them to be When I came first to this place my Predecessor who was a Don Furioso against Dissenters and looked upon himself thereby as better qualified for the Preferment which he obtained told me I must beware of such persons in my Parish that were dangerous factious and turbulent fellows and of such a Minister who preached amongst them as a pestilent fellow and a mover of sedition But upon a little trial and observation I found they were the most serious diligent Auditors I had and upon a further enquiry after them and acquaintance with them I perceived they were such as lived most conscientiously in the practice of the great unquestionable duties of Christianity in all my Parish I saw none so charitably disposed upon any good occasion none more just in their dealings none more ready or willing to give me my just dues none more peaceable among their neighbours striving to prevent or compose differences none more careful to sanctifie the Sabbath to instruct their Children and Servants and to pray in their Families making conscience both of first and second Table Duties and in one word ready to every good work I wish I could say so of all those that glory to be stiled true Sons of the Church of England and which he commended to me as such whose zeal runs out mainly if not only for Rites and Ceremonies and will cry devoutly on the Lords day with us in the publick Liturgy Lord have mercy upon us miserable sinners and yet live all the week without any open or solemn acknowledgment of God in their Families And as for the Minister he gave such a character of I found him an holy learned modest self-denying man who seems to have no design but to get to Heaven himself and to get as many thither with him as possibly he can He is frequently my Auditor and I have much pleasing conversation with him It 's the grief of my soul that we cannot take such men into our Pulpits without offence who if they might but have that liberty would never run into corners as we now drive them And this Gentleman to shun all occasions of offence never Preaches in the time of our publick Service but the people come constantly to hear me and when we have done he Preaches to them and many others go to hear him which I am not offended at but rather bless God for such an helper in my work And truly we may talk what we will of the Church of England but if we do not take care to build up the Church of God and encourage men to serious diligence about the business of Salvation we may please our selves with such a notion but neither God nor man will be pleased with us It 's no part of our prudence nor interest I am sure none of our duty to widen the breaches and weaken the interest of true Protestants but rather to study all amicable and peaceable ways to bring things to a better composure and to strengthen one anothers hands against the common enemy It was no pleasing sight to me to see so many of our Function to shew so much zeal and heat at our late Election of Knights for this Shire to serve in Parliament for such a Gentleman who though he may be an honest Gentleman and might serve his Country faithfully for ought I know yet both you and I know that he is untried and a younger inexperienced man and never manifested that zeal and courage for the Protestant Religion and the Property of the Subject which are the two things at this time chiefly to be looked after as his Competitor hath done And whether he be sufficiently ballasted and fortified against the temptations he might meet with in such a station is doubtful to all especially to those that consider how the Papists generally fall in with him and the charge he is at whether at his own cost or others is not material to procure it I know both you and I are exposed to the censure of some of our Brethren for not voting with them and reproached for being for a Fanatick or Presbyterian though the Gentleman is known to hold communion with the Church of England and as conformable as the Law requires And truly if sobriety and seriousness and zeal for the Protestant Religion and the Properties of Englishmen must denominate men for Fanaticks and Presbyterians we shall give the party so stiled a great reputation and veneration in the minds of men and draw contempt upon our own heads and if we go on at this rate we shall make Ichabod to sigh out five groans more for our Church and instead of advancing the honour and reputation of the Church of England we shall but bring further odium and scorn and reproach upon her I know there are many worthy men of the Church of England whose sobriety and seriousness and learning and zeal and moderation doth appear to all men which are a grace and an honour to her but her spurious off-spring are as little pleased with them as with Dissenters themselves And because they will not rail at and revile and reproach them that differ from them in lesser things though the Apostle spends a whole Chapter to teach us forbearance in these things Rom. 14 and our Master hath set us a contrary
example which we are commanded to follow 1 Pet. 2.21 23. and we are called hereunto 1 Pet. 3.8 9 they reckon them no true friends to the Church of England But I hope you and I have not so learned Christ as to be shamed or frighted out of our duty by such as know not what they say nor whereof they affirm We are satisfied in our Consciences to conform to the Discipline and Ceremonies of the Church of England and judg the things required not tanti to make us lose the liberty of our Ministry for not conforming to them Though we dare not so severely censure others who profess they cannot in conscience submit to them And they have manifested the truth of their profession by exposing themselves and families to wants and necessities to scorns and reproaches for not doing of it For men may talk what they please but I can never believe that learned sober godly wise men as bating their differences their greatest enemies must confess many of them to be should meerly out of wilfulness humour peevishness and faction keep off from these things to expose themselves and families to so many troubles and inconveniences for nothing For how censorious soever we are against them I wish for the honour of the Church of England it be a groundless censure of some no enemies to the Church of England I can assure you that profess to fear that if ever Popery should be established by a Law in England which God forbid there would not be that number of Nonconformists to it as was found at St. Bartholomews 1662. You and I may heartily wish that they saw things with our eyes But whilest men have such different apprehensions of things and the Apostles rules are so express in this case Rom. 14.5 and again vers 22 23. we dare not but observe those excellent rules the Apostle gives us in that Chapter which we could earnestly desire all our Brethren would study and practice and to as many as walk according to these Rules mercy and peace shall be upon them as upon the Israel of God It 's sad to see how we gratifie the Papists and serve their designs and when one Plot hath miscarried they are so successfully carrying on another and laugh in their sleeves to see what fools they can make of us to have their work done to their hands and can fail faster and safer with a side wind than they could with a full gale Oh how they hug themselves to see Protestants set together by the ears and like Solomon's foolish woman pulling down her house with her own hands How many daily under the vizard of the Church of England by specious Pamphlets and cunning insinuations would make Protestant dissenters seem worse than Papists So that whosoever shall but offer to speak of any danger from the Papists or move for a vigorous prosecution of the Plot he is presently branded for a Fanatick and opposed by them that pretend to be of the Church of England as the most dangerous of the two If the Dissenters had been convicted of conspiring to take away the Kings life to subvert the Government to alter the Established Religion had a score of them been Executed at Tyburn upon that account what could have been spoken or written more severely against them A stranger that knows othing of the late Plot taking his measures and making his judgment by the Popular out-cry and clamour which some that profess to be of the Church of England make from the Press and in discourse against them cannot possibly believe otherwise than that Coleman was a Presbyterian and Whitebread Ireland Gavan Harcourt and Turner were all ejected Ministers at St. Bartholomews And this course of theirs doth more amaze the observing world because Mr. Dugdale hath openly sworn it at the Trial of Whitebread c. That it was the opinion of them at Paris and St. Omers to fling all this upon the Presbyterians that is the death of the King That if any thing of that nature should happen they should be ready to give the first alarm and give it out that it was those still King killing Presbyterians that had done the fact Like Nero of old that set Rome on fire thinking he could never have a better prospect of it than by its own light and then to lay it upon the Christians and as our Powder-plotters had their Proclamations ready if their design had taken to have laid it upon the Puritans And so they thought they should have brought the Episcopal party into their company to revenge themselves upon the Presbyterians To which the Lord Chief Justice returned It was pretty advice indeed to have it first laid on the Presbyterians that they might get the Episcopal to join and cut them off and then their own Throats should be cut For if they could get these old Fanaticks dispatched out of the way which if we may believe them that have turned from them to us and been the Discoverers of the Plot they hate and fear as much as any of us they would quickly find out new and fresh Fanaticks and some are ready to think the name of Protestant would soon be lost that we must be all termed Papists or Fanaticks Now I must confess to you when I compare these things with the words and practices of some that would be thought white-boys of the Church of England all the blood of my body flys into my face and it 's either shame or anger or a passion mixt of both that sent it thither to observe how ready they are to close with this Jesuitical Artifice and to turn their spleen and indignation upon those whom notwithstanding the more minute differences amongst us I dare not but own as brethren and esteem as zealous Protestants as our selves In a word if the Dissenters be guilty of this Damnable divellish Plot let 'em die for it if innocent why are they reviled for it And should we tempt them to think there is very little difference between guilt and innocency that whoever is in the fault they must bear the blame Sir it concerns us now to speak or for ever to be silent and to warn our people that they do not gratifie the Papists in this design To conclude Ministers in Scripture are stiled Watchmen and we had need to warn our flocks of their danger and they are stiled Fishers and whilest others fish for Flaces let us fish for Souls We need not envy them their Pluralities and Dignities and Preferments that slight and scorn the moderation we profess if God will but enable us to be diligent and faithful in our work and make us instrumental to do good to Souls it will be a greater honour and comfort to us when we come to die than all their worldly advantages will be to them Dear Brother Farewell Let you and I take the Apostles Exhortation 1 Pet. 5.2 3. Feed the flock which is amongst us taking the over-sight thereof not by constraint but willingly not for filthy lucre but of a ready mind neither as being lords over Gods heritage but being ensamples to the flock and when the chief shepherd shall appear we shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away And this is the highest ambition of Sir Your unworthy Brother and Fellow-labourer N. D. Septemb. 22. 1679.