to give no candid allowance to others in many failings this is utterly inexcusable The way indeed may not be broad in respect of practice or sensual indulgence yet it hath a latitude in respect of judgment and circumstantial opinion A middle moderate paâ—ifick way He that stands in the middle path may extend the arms of his charity on both sides Extreams are dangerous Our affections ought to meet though our judgmenâ—s cannot Christian love is necessary but agreement in opinion is neither necessary nor possible Love and goodness prevail Where nothing else will these win and captivate the Soul And such conquests are more noble and better than either those of arts or arms Now to attain this excellent Catholick temper we are to love virtue in a Heathen and S. Paul 1 Cor. 7. saith If any brother hath a wife an Infidel and she consent to dwell with him let him not put her away what can be said more to oblige Christians to charity and meekness to forbear one another than an injunction of an Apostle to live peaceably even with an Infidel The excellency of christian love is preferred before all gifts and natural perfections Cor. 13. it is the image of God it is his vital Spirit infused into us and renders us most like to our Maker It is the Spirit of Angels and glorified Souls The Celestial Inhabitants live and abide in love sweetness and benignity Nor is that love confined to the blessed and glorified company but it sheds it self abroad upon the neather world And they are ministring Spirits for our good Heb. 1. 14. They so far love us that they can stoop from heaven to serve us for there is joy at the conversion of a sinner and consequently love to converted Saints care and pity for the rest of men Love and charity is the vital grace of Christian Religion and though mens understandings are convinced already that charity is their duty yet there is too much need to represent some of the vast heap of Injunctions that make it so to incline their wills I shall therefore briefly lay together a few of the chief instances of this kind Our Saviour urgeth it in his command John 13. 34. he maketh it a distinguishing note of his Disciples 13. 35. and enjoins them to love their enemies Mat. 3. 24. And the want of it the reason of the curse pronounced on those on the left hand at the solemn judgment Mat. 41. 42. This love and union was so recommended to all Christians by the Apostles that they inculcated nothing more than the necessity thereof Saint Paul attributed thereto all the persecution of Christian Religion saying qui diligit proximum legem implevit Rom. â—3 3. and Galat. 3. 22. reckons it five times over under the names of peace long-suffering gentleness goodness and meekness Gal. 22. 23. He advanceth it above all gifts and graces 1 Cor. 13. above prophecy and mysteries and knowledge of faith And the beloved Disciple Saint John attributes unto it our being born of God And the want of this an evidence of not knowing God and a sign of one that abideth in death 1 John 3. 14. he calls him a murderer that hates another 11. 15. a lyar if he pretend to love God and loveth not his brother 1 John 4. 20. we are commanded to be kindly affected one towards another and to be pitiful and courteous 11. 10. S. Peter exhorteth to mutual charity above all things mutuam charitatem ante omnia c. Pet. 1. 8. and 4. 14. This our charity gentleness goodness meekness c. ought to extend to all men universally without limitation but especially to all Christians as Christians because such are the more special objects It must not be consined by names and the interest of parties or sects but ought to reach as far as Christianity it self To love those that are of our way humour and opinion is not charity but self-love and it is not for Christs sake but our own It is rare to meet with serious Christians who are not so deeply engaged in some party or other as to darken their judgments and pervert their affections as to all the rest What company can you come into but all their discourse is to stigmatise dissenters what bitter lyes what invectives have been raised against most grave solid and ancient Christians how blindly do they look on all that is good in those that differ from them how partially do they aggravate the faults of all that are against their way and how small a thing will serve their turn to excuse the faults of their own party and they think all this is a part of Christian zeal as if Christians engaged in a war against themselves And when all men should know them to be Christs Disciples by loving one another most men may perceive that contrary to the essence of Christianity they endeavour to make each other odious So that though I see never so much eagerness for an opinion I shall never call that zeal or religion without the conscience of christian love Yea though such men should sacrifice their lives I should not think them martyrs and in this I have the warrant of the great Apostle 1 Cor. 13. 3. though I give my body to be burned and have not charity it profiteth nothing Even those that killed Christ and his Apostles did it as a duty and a part of service of God John 16. but believe it it is Apostacy to fall from love your Souls die when charity dyeth that which killeth love and charity killeth all grace and holiness The opinions principles sidings practices which destroy love destroys your Souls O what a loathsome sacrifice is it to the God of love if we must leave our gift at the altar till we are reconciled to our offended brother what a gift is theirs who are unreconciled to almost all Churches of Christianity Young unexperienced Christians are ignorant of Satans wiles thinking when a wrathful enemies heat is kindled in them even against men of ancient principles that it is a zeal of Gods exciting spirit and that it is your duty or that you should be luke-warm in the cause of God and truth if you did it not when alas it hath more of wrath than love The white Devil is a killer of Souls as well as the black And now considering the express recommends and injunctions of all the aforesaid and many other places of holy writ to this grand duty of Religion if any can quiet their Consciences and yet continue in the contrary persecuting spirit and practice they have found a way to escape all Laws of God and may conceit themselves religious though they live in the works of the flesh hatred variance sedition c. Gal. 3. 22. There was never a more seasonable time to tell men of this great sin than when the temptation to it is greatest when God hath been so frequently dishonoured by it when the world doth ring of it
THE ADVOCATE OF CONSCIENCE LIBERTY OR AN APOLOGY FOR TOLERATION RIGHTLY STATED Shewing The Obligatory Injunctions and Precepts for Christian Peace and Charity Adversus invidiam nil prodest vera dicere â—a est enim calumniatoris natura in crimen vocare omnia probare vero nihil Demosthenes They shall be judged without mercy that have shewed no mercy James 2. 12. Thou shalt not calumniate thy Neighbour nor oppress him by violence Levit. 19. 13. Printed 1673. PROOEMIUM THe long and grand debate about Toleration of late so oft and so fiercely discussed pro and con by some universally condemned and exploded by others with as much eagerness affirmed and approved One party writeth â—opiously of the mischiefs which will follow Toleration the other writeth as copiously of the necessity of it How to reconcile these two extreams is hard and difficult especially when a preposterous zeal to one side or other doth first set so great a sally in our wills and understandings How many and hâ—w great have been the feuds and still are of this tottering and broken age there is no man so happy as to be ignorant And it is very strange and very sad that an age which hath so much of light and faith in the pretence should have so little love and charity in the practoce For how much of the Christian World is now in Sects is a thing which requireth more lamentation then proof Now in this general Combustion It s every Christian's duty to bring what water he can to throw upon the flames it s the office of all peaceable men to endeavour tâ—e quenchiâ—g of these intestine Confâ—agrations to supple and allay the rancour and swelling of this Epidemical evil He that can stand unconcerned and deny his service to love and peace and wounded Christ may soon find he hath lost even that which he thought to win Had all that profess the Gospel in England made Conscience of Schism forbearing to judge and despise those that are not of their opinion loving them still as Brethren and Christians not censuâ—ing them as profane Antichristian-idolatrous c. our breaches had never been so great nor lovers of peace and truth so much caâ—se to lament We have Enemies enough abroad in the world though Christians be not at variance with themselves Did we conscientiously apply our selves and make it our business to practice viâ—â—ues govern our passions and subdue our appetites and self wills in order to the glory of God we should find work enough in our own hearts to imploy and neither have time nor occasion to quarrel with others making Enemies when we have so many within our selves Did we understand our danger or our duty and seriously mind either we should not be so eager against those whom we ought to consider as friends upon the account of our relation to God and the tie of common nature and obligations of divine precepts and practice of the best times and hope of future happiness I confess it is a thing unnatural for one Christian to afflict another and that which is most to be lamented for those who think themselves the Salt of the earth who instead of preserving the world from Pâ—trefaction and concurring to heal the dividing principles rather joyn with calumniators encouraging them in misreports being glad to hear of any miscarriages and very ready to take up any light rumours and are willing tongues of slanderous fame as if God had need of their mâ—lâ—â—â—ous calumnies to his glory These are vices and immoralities impious and detestable against which every good Christian ought to manifest his resentment and be warned to indignation by them Many confident reports very strong prâ—sumptions may all prove injurious and false when it comes to the tryal This very age doth experimentally confute how many impeaceable zealoâ—s have written and uttered false things that had neither trutâ— nor ground at all in them Extravagant crimes have been imputed on the most ancient Christians And this is done without Christ's way of a regular process of a just tryal and hearing when the accused is not permitted to answer or heard speak for himself So that there must be a sin and injustice in the Calumniator the believer and reporter How can we think that unbelievers and Infidels should think well of them that speak so ill of one another to represent Christians like a company of mâ—dâ—nen that are tearing out the throats of one another or like drunken men who one day fight and wound each other and the next cry out of their wounds and yet go on in their drunken fits to make them wider I had thought that in general calamities every man should have laid his hand upon his own heâ—rt and suspect himself to be that Acham that troubles the Camp that Jonah that occasions the Stâ—â—m and not like guilty Ahab lay the fault of troubling Israel on good Eâ—ias Now when Bellona shakes her bloody whip over this Kingdome it becometh all good Christians and subjects to leave their feuds litigations discords and animosities To lay aside all uncomely rigour and severities Like the good Samaritan to be free of their oyl and sparing of their vinegar To confider some way to engage all hearts and hands in this Nation unanimously not to multiply disincouragements by penal inflictions to square out some milde moderate pacifick way wherein truâ— liberty of Conscience or Toleration properly taken 〈◊〉 Which I will prove in this following Tractate not only lawful but necessary and obligatory as relating to sâ—veral Religions in this Kingdome But because this virtâ—e is better â—lucidated by shewing the vitiousness and exorbitancies of the opposite extreams I will first prove Persecution on the meer soore of Religion unlawful and to be condemned To be against Policy Piety and our own Principles Secondly I will shew that Liberty or Toleration rightly understood is necessarily to be permitted but improperly taken to be disavowed and condemned Thirdly To undeceive many weak and ignorant I shall make it appear against the prejudices passions mistakes and blind errors of these sad divided times that the Romanists have as great a right and title to Toleration as any other Sect whatsoever Lastly Solving all the Modern and common Objections to the contrary With a conclusive exhortation to all pious well-minded and charitable Christians The Question Stated Note by Persecution imposition and restraint we only mean the strict requiring to believe this to be true or that to be false c. and upon refusal to swear or conform to incur the penalties enacted in such Cases But by these terms we do not mean any coercive let or hinderance into publick Meetings By Liberty of Conscience we understand only a meer liberty of mind in believing or disbelieving this or that Doctrine so far as may refer only to religious matters in a private way of worship which are not destructive to the nature and grounds of Christian Faith nor tending to matters of an external
Secondly When it is hardly restrained it sheweth the World and the Flesh are too much it friends Thirdly When it burneth where lust pride and malice burn Fourthly When it carrieth you from those holy rules prescribed and pretendeth to come from a spirit which will not be tried but by Scripture It s a suspicious sign when it is contrary to the judgment experience and zeal of the generality of most well experienced sober godly Christians And so contrary to the ordinary working of Gods Spirit in others who are as good as you for this zeal cometh not from heaven For Gods Spirit is not contrary to it self But the true Catholick genuine Christian zeal appeareth in its own likeness in wisdome love humility meekness and and sobriety Provoketh hearers to love and good works Is not contentious reproachful injurious loveth virtue in a heathen Is kindled by humble meditations of Christs example to study and imitate him and his Saints in forbearance patience forgiving others and doing good Promoting Christian Religion with sincere and plain dealing winning men by Morality justice and charity and offending them by no unnecessary thing by no imputed calumnies sticking closer to justice and peace than to any party Owneth virtue and goodness that is in all parties and opinions Which will be a means to remove the animosities we are so apt to receive against dissenters and lessen our differences and disagreements The true means of gaining souls to God is the Gospellary way of meekness perswasion c. Christ and his Apostles appeared without words of mans wisdome assistance of Kings or Princes without fines imprisonments oaths c. By his admirable mildness he condemned all these politick Religions by using cruelty to support them If it had been otherwise I would have told you John 14 if the way of planting or preserving my faith had been by imposing penalties by cruel Oaths or watering it with the blood of Refusers I would have told you The son of man came not to destroy mens lives but to save them To wind up all in few words of what is said in this Book I desire no prudent man to give any credit further than his experience shall find true after diligent search made as concerns every one before he pass sentence If this be not enough to disabuse your credulity of criminations imputed without proof or probability let all impartial men judge whether you have not shaked hands with all morality For who can pretend any charity that will harbour detected calumnies or who can love truth that will not acknowledge it when represented The reasons above given I doubt not which would serve to clear the Catholicks from such aspersions before any just or reasonable Judg Pagan or Mahometan How much more ought they to serve among Christians who profess not only truth but charity which is the life of Religion and bond of perfection Hence saith the great Siracides blame no man before thou hast enquired the matter understand first and then reform righteously CONCLUSION IN Conclusion now of this Apologetick Discourse it will not be improper once again to mind you of the necessity we have to Christian love Seing the neglect of it and a persecuting hurtful spirit mistaken for zeal hath been and is the issue and consequence of all the immoderation feuds and antipathies we have one against another It is then the duty of every serious Christian to lay aside all vain jealousies idle suspitions rude severities and much more forged calumnies against any perswasion whatsoever The Authors and Meditators of such aspersions though they may pretend much Conscience and Religion can have none For S. James assures us that whosoever would seem religious and tempers not his tongue that mans religion is vain And in Leviticus 19. 15. It s commanded thou shalt not calumniate thy neighbour nor oppress him by violence It s against a divine precept to bear false witness or detect our brother it s against the lustre of Christian Religion it gives scandal abroad to the very Heathens it s against the peace and settlement of the Nation at home which must be conserved by mutual concord and unity of affection No moderate man that hath left any room in his breast for truth or charity in his heart can abet such fierce censorious unchristian tempers which have appeared of late which have made and still keep open our divisions and distances if the same sins are continued without repentance and if after such warning as the whole world ever scarce had the like we remain still self-conceited and arrogantly ignorant How heynous is our crime and how dreadful is the prognostick of our greater ruin and how guilty are those Ministers of the blood of Souls who tell not men of this sin and danger When I consider Christs precept of mutual love and the Apostle abridging it the whole duty of a Christian I cannot sufficiently wonder to see Christians in this present age so furiously to persecute and hate one another only on the account of Religion If we reflect upon the difficulties that encounter us in the way of truth and withall consider the shortness of our sight for here we see but in part and understand but in part There will appear more reason to endeavour the mutual assistâ—nâ—e and support than malitious destruction and ruin of one another To hate and vilifie others for their opinions is repugnant to Scripture which commands us to love our brother and not persecute him To despise our brother for his innocent mistakes or to constrain him to profess more than he is convinced of proceeds from a great tyranny and presumption I searched Evangelical records and there was nothing but mildness and soft doctrine I enquired into the breathings of the Spirit and they were all pacificatory I wondred from what Scripture-encouragement these men deducted their practices At last I was forced to conclude they were only pretended Chaplains to the Prince of peace And those Teachers that should have been saving lights were degenerated into firebrands Different Opinions in Religion might consist well enough with peace and publick safety would men be perswaded to be modest to keep them to themselves and not to fancy their conceits necessary to the rest of mankind to vex their neighbours provoke their rulers dissettle the government and disturb the peace for the propagation of them Unity and affection might be preserved amidst diversity of opinions if we do but consider that errors are infirmities of the understanding and no man is willing to be deceived So are not objects of our hatred but our pity We hate no man for being blind poor lame c. ignorance and infirmity require our compassion and our charity but nothing can justifie our rage and malice If we were infallible and all our opinions were certainties and demonstrations we might then have more pretence for our stifness rigidness and severities But to confess the infirmities of our own faith and understanding and