would but walk by this rule do as they would be done by do as they would have others do unto them mete that measure to others as they would have others to mete unto them and to love their Neighbours as themselves for upon this hangs the Law and the Prophets it is a fulfilling the Law For the Law is fulfil'd in one word even in this thou shalt love thy Neighbour as thy self Gal. 5.14 If men did but duely observe and keep this then they would not be so fond and desirous to keep up compelling and persecuting Laws But I proceed to the fifth and that is this 5. That these Penal Laws have destroyed Love and Charity among Men a thing much to be desired and highly to be valued When these Laws lay asleep and were not put in force how peaceably and quietly did one Neighbour live by another how sweetly and friendly did one man converse with each other But no sooner did that Brat of Hell and of the Devil Persecution come amongst us but it put the whole Nation in a flame like Sampson's Foxes that did set all on fire they came near Judg. 15.4 5. then it was nothing but Whig and Tory Trimmer and Papist in Masquerade And in this firmentation was the Nation in till the King 's Gracious Declaration for Liberty of Conscience came forth flying amongst us That quench'd and put out these fires that the Penal Laws had kindled It brought peace to them that were in trouble ease to them that were weary and relief to them that were in distress It loosed the bands of them that were bound over and open'd the Prison doors to them that were shut up and sent Labourers into the Lord's Vineyard that stood still it put violence out of the hands of them that destroy'd and it filled the hearts of many with joy and their mouths with praises and thanksgiving First to God Almighty and then to the King for his great Wisdom Justice Mercy Goodness and Kindness towards his poor Subjects The good effects of this all good men see and rejoyce in Now if these Penal Laws were the great Make-bate amongst the People then the taking of them away will slay that enmity and bury all these reproachful names and terms that men have cast upon one another 6. In the sixth place Persecution is that which discourageth Trade and greatly destroys it It was that which brought the Trade into England and it is that which will carry the Trade out of England The Persecution that was heretofore in other Lands made the Trading-people flie over into these Lands who shewed the people here the way of making these Manufactures that are now made in such abundance and have proved so profitable and beneficial to these Kingdoms This is so well known that it cannot be denyed Now the same way that brought the Trade to us will certainly carry it from us When these Penal Laws were put in force did not many Trades-men leave the Land and Merchants and others in several Cities in this Kingdom did leave their habitations and were forced to remove to other places because of the Persecution that was then This is well known to most men Now as Righteousness exalts a Nation so Trade enricheth a Nation A proof of this you may see if you look over into Holland they granting Liberty of Conscience to all Persuasions this brought them a Trade and that Trade hath made them so great and rich that as it were from a small Worm they are become a great Mountain and from being Poor Distressed States they now call themselves the High and Mighty from begging and craving help of others to support them their Trade hath so supported them and encreased their wealth and strength that they strive to grasp the Trade of Nations into their own hands Now all these blessings they suck'd from the Breast of Liberty of Conscience Trade is a great part of the glory of a Nation It fills the King's Coffers with Treasure the Custom being one of the Jewels of his Crown It encreaseth Merchants and makes them great It enricheth the Shopkeepers and makes them wealthy It encourageth Shipping and Navigation that carries out the Manufactures of England and returns with rich Commodities and with Gold and Silver It sets thousands of hands at work and imploys the poor of the Land it encourageth Strangers and Forreigners to come and dwell amongst us to shew us their art and skill It advanceth the price of Land that the Nobles and Gentry have so great a part of This shews the great advantage of Trade that extends its benefits to every man. Now they that are for the keeping up of the Penal Statutes are not the Friends of the Common-wealth but Enemies to Trade because they are for Persecution Now he that runs may read and he that reads may see the evil of these Penal Laws I shall now come to the Objections that are usually made against the taking away of these Laws and answer them The first Objection is this Do you think that this Liberty and Toleration which you now enjoy is granted and given to you in love and kindness is it not to serve a turn and to bring about another thing Now my answer to this Objection is this If this work be of God then it is in love and kindness to the Dissenters But this work is of God as will appear to all men that do but consider well these three things that is the time the way and the effects First then of the time when this King came to the Crown what were mens thoughts then The Sufferers they thought that their condition would have been worse the Persecutors they thought that their Trade would have been better The Sufferers they did not expect to have enjoyed that which they now enjoy it was above their Faith and beyond their hopes The Persecutors they did not believe nor fear that they should have seen and beheld the things they now see This great disappointment hath filled the one with joy and gladness and the other with rage and madness God hath overtaken his People with preventing mercies and hath reproved his enemies in the way he hath opened the mouths of this people to bless God and the King for this Liberty granted to them and hath tyed up the hands of Persecutors and this makes them blaspheme O let men praise the Lord for his wondrous works and let them know that the most High God doth whatsoever he pleaseth in the Kingdoms of men Psal 135.6 2. Of the way other Kings have given Liberty of Conscience to their Subjects because they were of their persuasions but this King gives Liberty of Conscience to all his Protestant Subjects though himself be of another persuasion and in this he out-shines in glory all the Crowned Heads that were before him The King thinks that our perswasion is the wrong and we believe that his is not the right nevertheless this does not lessen
we escape if we neglect so great Salvation Heb. 2.3 This is the work that every man should most pursue and that early and not to refer it and put it off to a dying hour O how unfit a time is that for so great a work Often-times Mens Speech is taken from them they would speak but cannot sometimes their reason is taken from them they are light-headed and speak they know not what surely that is not a proper season for men to make their peace with God. Can any man think that God Almighty will be so soon reconcil'd to him that hath lived a sinful wicked life all his days when he lyes on his death bed under the weight of all his sins when wrath is in his bosom and vengeance at his back I was told lately of a rich man that spake these words on his bed a little before he dyed I have left thousands for this Child and thousands for that Child but I have no treasures laid up for my self in Heaven To make them Rich I have made my self Poor to make them great I have made my self miserable and now my poor Soul is left to shift for it self what will become of it I know not O is not this the sad state and condition of many a Rich Man when he comes to dye A great man may enjoy much and yet he wants more than he enjoys he wants the favour of God an interest in Jesus Christ and that joy of the holy Ghost which is unspeakable and full of glory and that love of God which is better than life and that grace which is sufficient and assurance of that glory which God hath promised and Christ hath purchased O work while it is day for the night cometh when no man can work When once the Master of the House is risen up and hath shut to the door and ye begin to stand without and to knock at the door saying Lord Lord open unto us and he shall answer and say unto you I know you not whence you are Depart from me ye workers of iniquity Luke 13.25 26 27. O be therefore traders for heaven that God may be your portion Christ your gain Heaven your home and Glory your reward This then is the work of your Salvation to continue in well-doing seeking for Glory and Honour and Immortality Rom. 2.7 and Eternal Life But Glory Honour and Peace to every one that worketh good ver 10 11. For there is no respect of persons with God. Secondly A Generation Work. And you will say What is that Have you not known have you not heard has it not been told you God Almighty hath spoken to these Nations from Heaven by his mighty works which we have all seen and the Trumpet of his providences hath sounded this truth aloud in our ears To loose the bands of wickedness to undo the heavy burthens and to let the oppressed go free and that ye break every Yoke Isaiah 58.6 Who is there amongst us that hath not heard this voice The King that sits upon the Throne hath spoken to us by his late gracious Declaration for Liberty of Conscience Gamaliel by one argument silenced a whole assembly of persecutors that had agreed to slay the Holy Apostles And they took Counsel together to slay them Acts 5.33 Gamaliels argument was this Now I say unto you Refrain from these men and let them alone for if this counsel or this work be of men it will come to nought but if it be of God ye cannot overthrow it lest haply ye be found even to fight against God verse 38 39. Now the King by his gracious Declaration hath done much more for he hath silenced all the persecutors in three Kingdoms and tyed up their hands that they cannot smite with the fist of wickedness Many Thousands of Gods people in these Kingdoms have spoken also to you by the many humble addresses they presented to the King blessing God and thanking the King for this Liberty of Conscience which they now enjoy Persecution is a thing so ill in its nature so black in its name so bad in its effects and consequences so displeasing to God so hurtful to a Kingdom and so destructive to trade that modesty it self might restrain men from that hellish and devilish work though they had nothing of Christianity in them and this will appear farther because Blessed are they which are persecuted for Righteousness sake for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven Matth. 5.10 Now if they be blessed that are persecuted then they that persecute are cursed If Heaven be the reward of faithful sufferers for Conscience sake towards God then Hell will be the portion of persecutors 2 Thes 1.6 If persecution be a thing so evil and bad let us consider then what these Penal Laws and Tests are and what they have done or has been done by them 1. First then These Penal Laws have arm'd your Enemies and put Weapons into their Hands to destroy you that are Dissenters When you were in the hands of your persecutors they neither pity'd you nor spar'd you but broke open your Doors and entered into your Houses taking away your Money and Goods and at some places not leaving the Poor People a Bed to lye on nor a Stool to sit on forcing you to attend from Sessions to Sessions and from Assize to Assize still keeping them bound over and putting many into Prison and there keeping them long and some so long till they dy'd And at that time they told you that it was not they that spoil'd you of your goods but the Laws it was not they that shut you up in Prison but the Laws it was not they that punish'd and destroy'd you for your Consciences towards God but the Laws This was that persecutors said then and this is that they say now it was the Laws that destroyed you and not them The King by his Declaration hath put Violence out of their Hands that they cannot hurt you and do you pray to God that he might put Violence out of their Hearts that they may not hate you and take hold of this opportunity that God hath put into your Hands by all Just and Lawful means that those Laws may be destroy'd that have destroy'd so many people This makes men bold to commit the greatest wickedness when they have Laws to encourage them and bear them out This said the Jews that Murdered our Lord and Saviour John 19.7 We have a Law and by our Law he ought to dye Dan. 6.15 And this was the thing that cast Daniel into the Den of Lyons namely the Law of the Medes and Persians And this was that encourag'd Haman to contrive the destruction and ruin of so many thousand Jews at once Esther 3.8 The Law being on his side and against them And this is that the Prophet Micah complain'd of That the Statutes of Omri were kept up and all the works of the house of Ahab Micah
6.16 Now if the Penal Laws be so hurtful who then can plead for their continuance 2. Secondly these Penal Laws have given great encouragement to the Informers Good men will not labour for nothing and bad men will stick at nothing All is Fish that comes to their Net and they will Fiâ—h though they catch the Devil and their own damnation together These Laws allowing the Informer a third part of the money that is got from the people Matth. 26.14 15. that go to quiet and peaceable Meetings there to worship the Lord in spirit and in truth Judas for the love of thirty pieces of silver sold his Lord and Master into the hands of Betrayers and Murderers Esth 3.9 13. Ahasuerus to gain ten thousand Talents of silver consented and commanded that the best people in all his Kingdom should be destroy'd by cruel and bloody hands Achan to purchase a Wedge of Gold and some silver brought upon himself and Family destruction and troubled and disquieted all Israel By this you may see what men will do when there is money in the case These Penal Laws did set a great many hands at work but none were so industrious as the Informers for that sort of Vermine crawl'd up and down every where and were a plague to all people wherever they came hunting and searching up and down to find out Meetings that they might prey upon the people and get what money they could from them And this was their Trade to set up a work-house for Hell. Now when the Penal Statutes are taken away this Trade will be for ever destroy'd Who will plead for these Penal Laws that they may be kept up surely none but they that had a hand in robbing and spoiling their poor Neighbours 1. Joh. 5.15 In the sense of the Apostle John Whosoever hateth his Brother is a murderer and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him You may see by this Text who are the Murderers And if men shall be sent away with a Curse into Everlasting Fire for not relieving and comforting the People of God when they were in distress and sought unto them that were full and rich but they had no bowels of compassion in them What do you think will become of them at that day that have robb'd and spoil'd the People of God in this day Oh that such men would give glory to God by Repentance and satisfaction to their poor Neighbours by an acknowledgment to them of the wrong they have done them 3. The third Reason why these Penal Laws ought to be taken away is this because they have destroy'd Religion and open'd a door to let in Debauchery and Prophaneness upon the People of these Lands the sad effects of which we see at this day Religion is the glory of a People the interest of a Kingdom and that which exalts a Nation Prov. 14.34 Now that which destroys religious men destroys Religion but that these Penal Laws have destroyed great numbers of religious People since they were made is evident and plain to all that know any thing These Penal Statutes have been the Fiery Serpents that have slung and bit the People of God as they past on their way through this Wilderness to the heavenly Canaan Numb 21.6 These have been the Thorns in their sides that have prick'd and scratch'd many These have been a Yoke which neither us nor our Fore-fathers were able to bear Because that Amalek fell upon God's Israel as they past along in the way God commanded Moses to write this for a memorial in a Book and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under Heaven Exod 17.14 King Saul had a commission from God to do this work Go and smite Amalek and utterly destroy all that they have and spare them not but slay both Man and Woman Infant and Suckling Ox and Sheep Camel and Ass But Saul did not do this work so fully as God had commanded him and therefore he lost two Kingdoms an earthly Kingdom and an heavenly Kingdom first his Life and then his Soul 1 Sam. 15.3 23 26 28. Persecutors are but one people in all Ages they rise up in the Spirit of Cain and allow of the deeds of their Fore-fathers and are the Children of them which have killed the Prophets and are guilty of all the righteous bloodshed upon the Earth from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of the last murdered Saint This blood hath cryed long and loud for vengeance on Persecutors and God Almighty will give a full and speedy answer to it this will be but a bad plea for Men when they shall appear before Almighty God nor but little comfort to them in this world when they are on a sick Bed that they had Laws for what they did For if a Law be sinful and bad as these Penal Laws are this will not bear a man out The Jews were under Righteous Laws and yet wicked But these men have destroy'd the Righteous by Wicked Laws Destroy'd them in their Estates destroy'd them in their Liberties destroy'd them in their Relations and destroy'd many in their Lives By this you may see what these Penal Laws are O let all good Men say of these Penal Laws as Samuel said to Agag And Samuel said As thy Sword hath made Women childless so shall thy Mother be childless among Women 1 Sam. 15.33 4. Fourthly These Laws which are called Penal Laws have destroyed Liberty and Property that which was spoken by the Prophet Joel concerning the Caterpillers and Locusts and Palmer-Worms and Canker-Worms the same may be said of these Penal Laws That which the Palmer-Worm hath left hath the Locust eaten and that which the Locust hath left hath the Canker-Worm eaten and that which the Canker-Worm hath left hath the Caterpiller eaten Joel 1.4 Now this was a Judgment that was upon the Land and a Plague upon the People of Israel all this may be truly apply'd to the case in hand for what one Law left the other took and amongst them swept away all that the people had that of twenty pound a month took away their Property and for not coming to the Sacrament they lost their Liberty by another Law and a third shut them up in Prison during Life and a fourth if they would not abjure and leave the Land then they were to be hang'd up as Felons These were your Penal Statutes that were then put in force and execution against you are these Statutes fit to be kept up now think you Where is the man that would be impo'd upon himself and forc'd and compell'd where is the man that would be persecuted and oppress'd and robb'd of his Liberty and Property Every man values that at a high rate and all partys are for Liberty every man is for Liberty for himself and his own party though he will not allow it to others now if all men
his Power and Authority over us nor diminish our Duty and Obedience to him God hath put this into the Heart of the King that all the Yokes and Bonds and Burthens that have been laid upon Conscience or on men for their Conscience sake towards God in the former Reigns to be broken and for ever removed Is not this a wonderful work of God to have all this done at once which could never be done before and we have reason to think that it would never have been done by any Prince but this O let no man say that there is a new King risen up that knew not Joseph or that there is a Joseph in the Land that will not know Pharaoh O let this Liberty be thankfully received and wisely improv'd that Gods glory may be advanced that the Justice wisdom kindness and goodness of the King may be acknowledged as the great instrument in the hand of God in a work so great and good as this is towards his People 3. Of the effects no man can say now in this our Israel that the Gates of Liberty are shut up against him The Righteous Nation that keeps the truth may now enter in Isa 26.2 No man can say now in these Kingdoms That the Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence Mat. 23.13 Every Man may now enter into it that will. No Man can say now in City or Countrey that the evil Angels hold the Winds that they cannot blow that is Persecutors Every Man may now sit under the breathings of Gods Spirit in the Ministry of the Word Rev. 7.1 and serve him without fear Many hundreds have been let out of Prison that were before shut up many thousands that were before troubled and prosecuted are now quiet and in peace many hundreds are now Labouring in the Lords Vineyard preaching the Word of God up and down every where and there be many thousands of Souls that do attend and hear the Word of God preached to them Have not many thousands of the People in these Nations own'd and acknowledged this to be the Work of God in their Addresses to the King Now by all this you may see that it is the work of God then it is in love and kindness to the Dissenters let this then serve for an Answer to this Objection The second Objection is If these Penal Laws should be taken away then Popery will come in upon us By this Objection then I perceive the thing that you fear is the coming in of Popery and the way that you will take to keep it out is to continue the Penal Laws Now this being an evil way may bring that evil upon you which you fear Numb 13.28 to 33. This evil way the Israelites of old did take when they were afraid of the Canaanites And they said one to another Let us make a Captain and let us return into Egypt Num. 14 4. Verse 29. 1 Cor. 10. Now this being an evil way brought that evil upon them which they feared Your carcasses shall fall in this wilderness This evil way did King Saul take when he was afraid of the Philistines Then said Saul unto his servants 1 Sam. 28.5 8 9. Verse 7. Seek me a woman that hath a familiar Spirit that I may go to her and enquire of her and his servants said unto him Behold there is a woman that hath a familiar Spirit at Endor Now this being an evil way brought that evil upon him and his Sons which he feared So Saul died and his three Sons and his Armour-bearer and all his Men that same day together 1 Sam. 31.4 5 6. This was the evil way that King Zedekiah did take when he was afraid of the Chaldaeans Jer. 38.19.20 he would not hearken to the word of the Lord by Jeremiah the Prophet But he fled and went forth out of the City by night by the way of the King's Gardens by the Gate betwixt two walls and he went out the way of the Plain Jer. 39.4 This being an evil way did bring upon him and his house all that evil which he feared Then the King of Babylon slew the Sons of Zedekiah before his eyes in Riblah and he slew all the Nobles of Judah and he put out Zedekiahs eyes and bound him in Chains to carry him to Babylon Jer. 39.6.7 This evil way did the Jews take in the days of our Saviour and in the days of the Apostles when they were afaid of the Romans John 11.48 The Romans shall come and take away both our Place and Nation To save themselves from the Romans they kept up Persecution and did slay Gods faithful Witnesses Mat. 23 35. Acts 7.32 and were betrayers and murderers and did endeavour to overthrow the work of God and the faith of the Gospel Luke 21 6 26. Now this being an evil way also brought all that evil upon them which they feared And are you still for the keeping up of compelling and persecuting Laws because you are afraid of Popery Is this the way to keep it out Never yet did any people take an evil way to save themselves from the evil they feared but it brought it upon them I have here shewed you this at large and I have also shewed you the evil of these Penal Laws Take heed therefore lest you bring upon your selves that evil which hath befaln others you must not keep up that which is bad for fear of worse you must not do evil that good may come of it you must not commit sin to keep out Popery you must not keep mens Consciences in Chains for ever that is the work of the next World and not this the Gospel will not allow that any man should suffer in his Body or in his Estate by persecuting Laws for the errors of his mind nor that any man should forfeit his Free-hold for being of a wrong perswasion He that spake as never man spake said Let the Wheat and the Tares grow both together until the Harvest Mat. 13.30 Mat. 15 13. John 16.8 2 Cor. 5.11 It is Gods work to pull up the Spirits work to convince it is mans work to perswade by sound arguments and to allure by a good Conversation men from a bad Religion to a better and from a wrong Religion to the right A man does not believe as others believe and cannot believe as others would have him believe but he believes as he sees cause to believe The question then is not so much what hath been done nor what some men would have to be done but what is best to be done to keep out Popery for that is your fear If I should give you counsel will you hearken to it and if I give you advice will you take it First then if you will keep out Popery do you amend your ways and your doings Jer. 7.3 and turn unto the Lord by a true and sincere repentance You have heard of the Judgments of God which have been