The Characters of the Books the Authour hopes he hath fully answered are thus explained P. means the Book called A Proposition for the Safety of the King and Kingdome c. D. P. is the Book called A Defence of the Proposition D. R. is A second Discourse of the Religion of England L. C. A. is a Book called Liberty of Conscience asserted and vindicated M. I. is a Book called Liberty of Conscience the Magistrate's Interest ANARCHIE REVIVING OR THE Good old Cause on the Anvile BEING A Discovery of the present Design to retrive the late CONFUSIONS both of Church and State in several Essays for LIBERTY OF CONSCIENCE By ABRAHAM PHILOTHEUS an English Protestant For the use of a Person of Honour Avolent quantum volunt paleae levis fidei quocunque afflatu Tentationum eò purior massa a frumenti in horrea Domini reponetur Tert. praescrip adv Haeret. LONDON Printed in the Year 1668. ANARCHIE REVIVING OR THE Good old Cause on the Anvile HONOURABLE SIR I Read the Books you sent me with some heed pretending some for the Interest of England others for the Safety of the King and Kingdome all for the publick Good which every good man would readily imbrace But in perusing the several Pleas I found the Question to be Whether the present Uniformity or former Toleration the present Order or former Confusions or at least a Mixture of these were the happiest Constitution for England So that what I expected to be an Olive-branch of Peace proved but a pricking Thorn fitted into a Crown to expose our Saviour and his Church a second time to vexation and pain 'T is strange that men should think a Parliament so glorious for forming a golden Scepter for Jupiter would be diverted to hammer out an iron Trident for Neptune Their Counsel like Barebone's Petition had suited another Rump whose Interest lay in breaking but not this present Parliament whose glory is to be Healers of their Nation Who-ever will search into the bottome of most of these mens Design shall find them while Cromwell and Vane are silenced with a Rope bold Advocates for the Good old Cause Some indeed speak the King fair but in as ambiguous language as the Covenant spake his Father as may be instanced in the Relative His and Le Roy le veult in the 87. page of the Proposition being when a keen sword shall be brought to decide the sense as intelligible of Deliverance onely expected from God as from the King And haply this and other Slip-knots were left on purpose to take the benefit of a Comma when time shall serve Others avouch plainly the Democratick Principles That Government rises from the People's Consent and is radically founded in them as the Authour of Liberty of Conscience asserteth p. 42. Not considering that in Adam's many hundred years Monarchy he never asked his Subjects Consent and had he not fallen he had prevented the French Design and continued Universal Monarch to the World's end And though the King hath prudently forbidden all publick Disputes concerning Prince and People's power this Authour ventures in many pages to circumscribe his Prince And for the Parliament though they are beholden to them for an Act of Oblivion whereby their forfeited Lives are secured yet so unkind are they that one of them professes himself not very carefull how he carries himself towards them Prop. pag. 4. he upbraids them for passing Acts against Innocent men p. 5. calling them Murtherers p. 74. and men of a hardy Conscience 't was too broad to say brawny p. 76. that esteemed trouble for sin a Romance and accusing them for incompetent Judges of a wounded Conscience as never acquainted with such things p. 77. he tells them the damned will cry out on their Acts as made to damn men p. 75. undertakes to convince the Parliament p. 19. And all of them strive to persuade them that their way will never doe with such like Rhetorick of which these Books are full Now for the Church besides their usual Crackers they constantly brand them with a formal spirit as may be seen in D. P. p. 16 73 106. not considering Saint Paul's description of formal men to be such as are traitorous heady high-minded creeping into widows houses and conventicling there of which I suppose none have confidence enough to charge the Episcopal Divines but these tender Consciences 'T was those he say 2 Tim. 3. 5. had a form of Godliness without the power But one of them runs a stranger Risque and accuses the great States-men or his Majestie 's Privy Council for not wise in several particulars 1. For not committing Sacrilege P. p. 48. That is for not taking Church-Revenues from Church-men 2. For not burying the Covenant fetched out of the Paw of the Northern Bear who first whelped it as honourably as the Jewish Worship that came from God P. p. 51. Thus is the Northern Thistle mated with the Olive of God's Temple 3. For not compounding for Episcopacy as if they had retrived the Committee for Sequestrations at Haberdashers-Hall And for the Bishops their sentence of Extirpation is past by him P. p. 51. who are farther threatned by them all but especially the Prop. p. 86. 'T is matter of sorrow to me that so sober a man as that Authour is should run out into such intemperate expressions against Authority especially the Presbyterians having declared in their Address to the King that every good man in things he conceives to be sins will be very tender of the honour of Superiours In a word all that advise the King compared to them are judged persons of mean counsell as the Prop. phrases it p. 46. You see these Icarus's upon the wing they hope to kiss the Sun if their wings be but fastned by an Act of Parliament Nor is their kindness to all these great Interests together much larger then to them distinct For they most scandalously reckon Church and State King Lords and Commons the true Representative of every individual person in England to be but a Party and match them with Presbyterians Independents Quakers or what other Party will pretend to Conscience Nay D. P. p. 57. affirms the Non-conformers to out-balance that is his word the Conformers so trifling a thing to them is a King in Parliament And farther D. R. p. 5. calls it an unhappy Errour when Parties speaking of the Episcopal take themselves to be the whole or equivalent and act accordingly Such ill Logick these men conceive it that the Legislative power of a Nation should swell into a conceit of being equivalent to some mushrome Sect. Surely thus to libell Governors is not the way to convert them to our humour unless we conceive them to be Spaniels made pliable by Abuses Can we guess these Writers of the Scottish Foot-mark that plead so hard for Syncretism a thing so hatefull to that Party that Love at Vxbridge Treaty would have no Peace for fear lest they should mix Light and
tell the mind of the Prince better then his Embassadour And therefore S. Paul charges the Hebrews c. 13. v. 7. to follow their faith that have the charge over them Fifthly The Jew was under the obligation of Conscience as well as the Christian yet no Liberty was granted to him to publish or practice what Opinion he pleased for Heb. 10. 28. he that despised Moses Law died without mercy under two or three witnesses and is the Gospell of less moment then Moses's Law But L. C. A. p. 33. replies a greater punishment even Damnation is inflicted for contempt of the Gospell Very true but so was it for contempt of the Law of Moses too The temporal Judge kills for Murther and the eternall Judge damns and so did they then for damnable Doctrines that murthered Souls Sixthly Men may use their judgment and follow their own light and try what they will onely let them keep it to themselves as Hester did her Religion in the Court of King Ahasuerus Seventhly This Argument is no less strong for the Magistrate to prosecute Dissenters if he believe in his Conscience that he is bound to promote the Glory of God to propagate Truth and to destroy those Boars and Foxes that strive to root up the Vine or to pick off the Grapes In a word to follow an erroneous Conscience is sin and for the Magistrate to indulge a man in sin is no less cruelty then that of King Philip to bring up his Wife's brother Alexander in all kind of Debaucheries that he might effeminate him and so deprive him of his Kingdome In this case S. Hieron Com. in Ezek. 18. would cry out and every good Christian with him Nolo talem misericordiam Domine Now then manum de tabula 't is time to conclude Onely I pray leave to propose to this present and Honourable Parliament the ensuing particulars which if they conduce not to quiet yet certainly not to quarrell if they have little of Mercury they shall have nothing of Mars in them and therefore I presume will be patiently heard by a Parliament whose Discretion vies with their Justice and both seem to be Conquerours A true Parliamentum pacificum Antipodes to the Parliamentum insannum Never any met with a more dreadfull Disease never any made a more perfect Cure A Parliament that have been infinitely provoked yet know no Passions but by their Names A Parliament that is like to verifie Lucian's Character of England Ver. hist. l. 2. that 't is Insula fortunata Campi Elysti When Julius Caesar entered it captus amoenitate loci redire noluit He resolved to live and die here With such a Parliament what Caesar would not take up the same Resolution Yet Carneades tells us wise men contrive Laws and fools judge of them and therefore no wonder if some repine that doat onely on Liberty of Conscience Let such hear that discreet Heathen telling them 'T is optimus Reip. status ubi nihil deest nisi licentia pereundi 'T is a happy want to be without temptation to sin Caesar in l. 3. Com. de bello Gallico observes every man to be a Rebell by nature Omnes homines naturâ libertati studere conditionem servitutis odisse In English No man would be ruled if he could rule Obedience is not of nature but of grace therefore 't is In bonos facile est imperium It must be Gold if superlatively ductile Which proves our seeming spiritual men to be too natural their temper is so ungovernable Authority had need wear Hedging-gloves when they meddle with these scratching Thorns These discontented spirits breath so hot in the face of Authority that they make the cheeks of their reputation blister But all sober men will consider how many and wide Differences this Parliament hath composed how many Swords they have sheathed how many Grievances they have removed how gently they have touched the strings of our Concord what pains they have taken to modell Oaths so as men might disown nothing but opposition to the Government and must needs declare That this Parliament under his MAJESTIE's influence have been the Healers of our Breaches and Restorers of paths to dwell in To continue the Parliament's candour and fidelity 't is humbly conceived necessary 1. To discountenance for the future as they have now done all attempts for the Lawlesness the Authours here answered plead for I need adde no Reasons their own in 1662. given to the KING are the Quintessence of the Nation 's Reason and therefore must be eternal Yet I may say 1. If Scrupling and Faction repeal Laws then are they acknowledged stronger or honester then the Government Secondly If Subjects see that Coyn pass for currant they will bid it for what-ever Law they take distast at 3. If the Parliament be unconstant to themselves men will judge their Acts not to be the product of great Judgment grave Counsels and good Conscience but rather of Levity and Humour especially when an Act shall be repealed that was settled with great debate printed Reasons and deep Resolutions to stand by it I conceive though a Parliament be acknowledged fallible yet an Act so carefully formed comes near an Infallibility 2. 'T is absolutely necessary for the Parliament to stand by the Liturgie 1. Because they have solemnly declared in their Act of Uniformity that it is comfortable to all Christians profitable to this Realm fruitfull in procuring God's blessings an honour to the Reformed Religion and the neglect of it scandalous and dangerous If this were true in 1662 't is no lesse in 1668. 2. In respect of the People's happiness who have the same means and way to Heaven with their Prince their Nobles the reverend Judges the most reverend Bishops Doctors and Learned men of the Land The meanest man sails to Heaven in the same Bottome with the greatest and wisest So that if men conscienciously use it all must swim or all sink together 3. In respect of the Ministry whose tender Consciences must needs otherwise be filled with great anxieties for fear lest their private parts skill reasoning wisedom and direction should not be sufficient to convey so many Souls as they have charge of safely to Heaven from which they are in a great measure delivered by the Liturgy the studied assistence of the whole Church of England by which their Flock is fed and guided in the same manner in their Devotions with the best accomplished man of the Kingdome men of the greatest parts having no higher way for the daily Sacrifice then they 4. In respect of the Papists who may justly complain of our Persecutions in this last Century of years for their not coming to our Worship since we our selves at last think it unfit for use Yea in so doing this Parliament would declare their Predecessors Persecutors and condemn all former Parliaments except the Rump as well as themselves for unconscionable Acts yea and with them condemn the very Reformed Religion in this Kingdome
the Powers take that wicked example of the Rump and set up Committees and Sequestrations we should soon find our richest Zelots shrink Ninthly Beza openly protests coram Deo ipsius Angelis quas hodie corruptelas passim in Ecclesia Dei maximo cum luctu ferre cogimur eas omnes ab hac tanquam scaturigine exortas quòd Principes c. in his Haeret. mort puniendis pag. mihi 160. He found all the Schisms and Heresies of the Church to spring from the negligence of Princes in not taking care to punish them And doth not England see them to be the product of licencious times when there was no Rod of Discipline in the Magistrate's hand Tenthly 'T is true the Sword cannot force the Conscience proximately but it may remotely It cuts the body and thereby frights the Soul It works on the outward man by Passion but on the inward by Compassion It cannot keep men from believing but it may from publishing Errours It can confine the Infected from communication though it cannot drive out the Contagion L. C. A. p. 29. says we must not punish men for want of the Holy Ghost and supernatural Gifts True but we may for striving to poison their own Souls by coveting the Rats-bane of Heresies or for distilling their poison into other mens breasts But of this more anon 6. Their next Argument is The English Religion hath been under an ill name Serious men have ranked it with Popery P. p. 31. Non-conformers believe it because you persecute c. p. 34. To this I say I esteem it not worthy an answer being rather Railing then Reasoning and may be used against any way of Worship whatsoever Was Christianity the worse because Julian the Apostate called it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Christ the worse because ranked with Publicans and sinners or did not the Pharisees that reproached him look as grave as these serious men What if Pilate's malice will rank Christ with two Thieves on the Cross was he not therefore a child of God What if Cyprian be called Koprianus They that reckoned Popery and Prelacy all one reckoned also their Prince a Papist God grant they doe so no more Plato in Cratylo tells us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He that gives a name ought first fully to understand the thing but most of them that ranked Popery and Prelacy together neither knew one nor the other May not the Papists as well judge them and us both that we hate the power of godliness in them because we persecute them as these do us Yea and may not the Quaker argue from the same Topick Yet 't is Idolatry we dislike in the Papist Atheism in the Quaker and Obstinacy in both Were these men true Gold yet may they be cast into the fire to purge out remaining Dross I know not what Protection God hath given to Errour Schism Pride Self-conceit Rebellion c. in the breast of an Hypocrite yea or real Saint more then in any other If the Magistrate must be a terrour to evil-doers then sure to spiritual evils because the greatest of all evils Nor are any the less to be punished because they call themselves the Godly Party since Authority proceeds on matters of fact and palpable evidence I leave this Objection as trifling and proceed to their 7. Which is That Liberty of Conscience raises Courage in Souldiers P. p. 45. It breeds generous spirits M. I. p. 8. The Sectaries Obstinacy is England 's best Courage It wrought all our Changes Prop. p. 46. It makes men for ever irreconcilable to all Impositions M. I. p. 13. To which I reply First It appears by the Omnipotency ascribed to Liberty of Conscience that it is the Sectaries God whom they adore not for his Justice but for his Power It is the best overturning Tool in nature and therefore its Advocates ought to be carefully looked to and timely suppressed Thirdly An Argument drawn from Strength against a Government is no better then a Threat I hope tonant sine fulmine their Threats are but Crackers Fourthly To grant all that is true in this Argument it amounts to no more then that the Devil is strongest when he fights from that Fort called Conscience Men thus possest with a spiritual frenzie are alwaies stronger and more mischievous then at other times But must we make a League with the Devil to be of the stronger side Fifthly I confess this Liberty is a terrible thing for no man knows what to call his own while this Freedom is in use So true is that Maxime Cui plus licet quà m par est vult plus quà m licet Give the Slave a Sword and he will slash his Master Sixthly The Pleaders are deceived with that usual fallacy of non causa pro causa For 't is a strong presumption of being God's people and favoured by him that raises valour to so great a pitch and this is a stale trick in the world All Nations consulted their Gods by Birds Intrails c. gave their Souldiers some Omen or other of divine favour which made them presume of Victory and so to run any hazard whatsoever What made Severus's Souldiers so undaunted but the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that he told them he had The 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 made Constantine to be the Great and his Souldiers invincible 'T was Cato's errour that he would not deceive himself and Souldiers with a fine story brought from the Oracle of Delphos where he was and much urged by his Army to inquire for want of which they were conquered before they fought whereas some pious cheat would have made them more terrible then Bellona her self Curtius observes that it much furthered Alexander's Conquests that he was voiced to be the Son of Jupiter Hammon 'T was the strong conceit of Saintship in Oliver and his deluded Army grounded on these Ministers encouragements their Officers frequent and fiery Prayers and their high pretence to Responses from Heaven that joyned with good Suits of Armour and the City Purse made that Army so mettlesome Toleration was scarcely pretended in their most bloudy conflicts but was the Itch of an insolent Army too highly pamper'd with Loyal bloud Again seventhly The Turks are a valiant people in War and Cromwell was but a Pygmy to Mahomet the great yet none will say Turks are for Liberty of Conscience And surely the Roman valour hath left monuments of its Greatness in a very large tract of the world yet none opposed Liberty of Conscience more then they in their most flourishing times if you will believe Liv. Dec. 4. l. 9. who says A Romanae reip initiis negotium fuisse Magistratibus datum ut sacra externa fieri vetarent Sacrificulos vatésque foro circo urbe prohiberent vaticinos libros conquirerent combureréntque omnem disciplinam sacrificandi praeterquam more Romano abolerent If these mean it restrictively of England let them tell us whether we deserved the name
gentis bellicosissimae better when the Rebellious Army was on foot or 400 years before when Ireland Wales France Scotland c. were subdued by us But eighthly These men rightly account for Liberty of Conscience shewing that it is a more successfull device for the blowing up any Government then the Powder-Plot was But 't is a strange argument to commend it to the King because it murthered his Father and to the Parliament because it overturns Government 'T is certain 't is the most fatal Wild-fire of a Nation and a sworn enemy to all Government and its genuine issue are Factions and Dissensions whilst each party struggles to promote his way It distracts the vulgar who tend strongly to a Settlement and invites the Gentry into Faction to become the Head of that Party are most like to receive them It cuts off the Magistrate at the half leaving him no more of the Subject but the outward man And could we but see the face of it without a vizard we should discern it to be Vngovernableness One of these Advocates calls it the mad Earl of Warwick then Bedlam is fittest for it and thither the Honourable House of Commons having voted it for me let it goe Here I cannot but observe the pretty Artifice of the Prop. p. 60. persuading us to believe that if Liberty of Conscience be granted Episcopacie would drain all the Sects If Episcopacie could drain the Sects without an Act of Uniformity to assist it why not with it But alas a disease is infectious but so is not health we may get Heresies by contagion but seldome Truth S. August tells Boniface experientiâ edoctus nullâ re magìs quà m Severitate Donatistas Circumcelliones in officio contineri Sure these Seas of Errours never so much overflowed their Banks till the Rumpers pull'd up the Sluces and whether Liberty made our Factions dwindle let the world judge 'T is too true a Proverb Opportunity makes the Thief To set open the door is not the way to keep Errours out 8. Their eighth Reason is 'T is a sin to make men act against Conscience for Force either debauches Conscience or brings Persecution on mens bodies or estates either of which do make the Forcer guilty L.C.A. p. 45. 'T is a greater sin then lying stealing whoring c. P. p. 74. You were better stab him p. 73. He is damned that is made to doe what he thinks not lawfull and he may never recover his Conscience again p. 75. To this we answer first All this Argument is as strong for Toleration of Papists as for any else yet these men do unitedly deny liberty to them So that certainly they conceive it not a sin or else are content to damn themselves to suppress the Papists Secondly They know that Papists Quakers and Anabaptists do declare it against their Consciences to come to our Churches and hear our Sermons yet L. C. A. pag. 48. and elsewhere asserts that the Magistrate may without sin compell men to hear Sermons Did he therefore believe himself and this Argument to be true it did ill become him to give the Magistrate that direction If you force the Quaker to come to Church according to this Argument you debauch his Conscience c. Thirdly This Argument we are not concerned in for we plead not against liberty of believing or loving but of professing and practising Errours We say with Cic. to Marcellus l. 4. ep 9. Dicere fortasse quae sentias non licet tacere planè licet Were their Case that of the Roman Senate Senatus ad otium summum vel ad summum nefas vocaretur Plin. l. 8. ep 14. they might save their Consciences by doing nothing If the Libertines fansy it a false Doctrine they are required to believe let them hold their peace and all is well Laws can make men hide though not hate their Errours 'T is true Conscience ought not no nor cannot be touched but yet mens practices must not be allowed Thus Beza determines this Case Vt non sit punienda animi opinio neutiquam tamen ferenda est pestilens impia professio Conscience is that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that can't be bound but mens lips may be sealed their tongues may be tied and their bodies moved from Conventicles to Church c. and that is all intended Fourthly If the Powers could or some men would make themselves act against the false suggestions of their Consciences they would find it a saving rather then a stabbing Act. For 't is a false suggestion that of M. I. p. 7. That he that is true to an erroneous Conscience is true to God for then are all the worshippers of Sun Moon and Stars true to God then was Adam true to God when he was beguiled to eat the forbidden fruit The truth is Conscience is indeed God's Officer but the Devil hath bribed it to his devotion and 't is no felony to thrust the Devil out of what he hath no right to But I have spoken to this part elsewhere Fifthly Say that Persecution were great Cruelty to them that are in Errour yet 't is better one then all to perish Surgeons never scruple cutting off one member to save all the rest 'T is certain Kindness to Errour is Cruelty to Truth Charity to the Wolf is Murther to the Sheep Permission to Conventicles is Persecution of the Church Indeed D. P. p. 114. tells you he pleads the Cause of our Lord i. e. that his Name may be blasphemed without fear of punishment that any Worship be it never so antiscripturall may be offered him without controul He farther adds that he and his Partner plead for mercy c. to wit that the Wolf may be gently dealt with who worries the Lambs in Christ's fold that the Serpent may be protected to seduce Adam to his Damnation Yet certainly 't is a sinfull patience to suffer God's Vineyard to be rooted out What glory is it to shew tenderness to the Weed that suppresseth the Corn He is no cruel Shepherd that kills the incurable Sheep to save the Flock from infection Haereseos says Erasmus in praef ad Hieron ep ea est insimulatio in qua tolerantem esse impietas sit non virtus Sixthly For Gamaliel's advice to let men alone Beza says ex veris principiis falsam elicit consequentiam and Calvin on the place upbraids him for a doting and deceitfull Counsellor Whose answers I leave with these Pleaders supposing they will be more gratefull then any I can give Seventhly to conclude This very Argument in the Magistrate's mouth rises up in judgment against all our opposers for supposing the Magistrate's Conscience commands him as it ought to doe to take care of the Honour of God to punish Blasphemy to nurse the Church to be a terrour to evil-doers to lay out his talent of Power for God to endeavour God's glory and the suppressing of sin If he should observe his Conscience he must punish these men if not