Selected quad for the lemma: opinion_n
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A31526
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A certain way to prevent popery in England and effectually suppress all Jesuits & popish priests without giving them the vain-glory of pretending to be martyrs : publisht on occasion of some reprieves lately granted to condemned Romish priests : humbly offered to the consideration of the approaching Parliament at Oxford.
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Person of quality.
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1681
(1681)
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Wing C1763; ESTC R36297
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19,464
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16
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other places and by forewarning given of their approach they may be waited for at the Ports and from thence soon conveyed to a safe Lodging But whence shall the stream flow that must feed this Bounty It is a doubt easily satisfied If some Thousands of Pounds out of the Recusants Penalties be reserved in stock and committed by his Majesty into the disposition of zealous distributers who will not be afraid to conclude Perdat fiscus ut capiat Christus Neither need we seek any further succour to repair decayed Castles and therein to destray the charge of the Priests with a sure Guard to keep them than the aforesaid Forfeitures that by the Justice of the Law may be collected Which course if ever it come happily to be entertained and that Recusancy cause to be an ignominious prey to the Subjects the proceedings for Religion shall be less blamed and perhaps altogether unjustly accused by any graceless Gretzerus or Cacodaemon Johannes tincting their Pens in Gall and Vinegar For besides occasion of Calumniation given by Suits of that nature it is evident that many Recusants that would be Indicted for the King and the effecting of the Project aforesaid shall escape without punishment and be born out against the Power of a private person begging them to no other purpose than hath heretofore been used and albeit the Penalty be rated at 20 l. and Moneth yet was it never the Law-makers intent that such as were not able to pay so great a Summ should go Scot-free but that according to the proportion of their Ability they should do the penance of their Purses for their Disobedience whereas now if the Voice of the People which is said to be the Voice of God is to be credited the poorer sort is skipt over as if they ought no Souls to God nor Duty to their Soveraign a poor man saith one is to be pitied if he offend through necessity but if he do amiss voluntarily he is more severely to be chastised forasmuch as wanting Friends and Means to bear him out it sheweth that his Fault proceedeth from Presumption 10. Let us now presuppose that all the whole Regiment of Jesuits and Seminaries were lodged in safe custody may we then perswade our selves That Popery will vanish like a dumb Show I am clearly resolved that though it receive a great Eclipse notwithstanding without other helps the Kingdom of Antichrist will only lye hidden as a weed that seems withered in Winter and is ready to sprout out with the Spring Temporal Arms are Remedies serving for a time but the Spiritual Sword is permanent in Operation and by an invisible Blow works more than Mortal Man can imagine The Word of God carries this two-edged Weapon in its mouth which is to be used by faithful Ministers of the Church whom pure Zeal without respect to worldly Promotion or persons ought to encourage Of Judges the Scripture saith Estote fortes and daily we see that sitting in their Judicial Seats God inspireth them with greater Courage than when as private persons they are to give their Opinions No less is the Power of the Holy Ghost in his Servants that out of the Pulpit are to deliver his Embassage Let them therefore not be dismaid to speak out plainly and tell the truth without running a middle course between heat and cold Unprofitable descanting upon the Scripture with an old Postel or for want of better matter waste the poor time shut up in an Hour-glass with skirmishing against the worthy Pillars of our own Profession Rumour which is ever ready to take hold of evil hath raised a secret though as I hope a causeless suspicion that there should be some secret combination under-hand by changing the state of Questions to put us in our old days to learn a new Catechisme and when they have brought us out of conceit with the Reverend Interpreters of the Word to use us then as the Wolves mentioned in Demosthenes Apology handled the Shepherds when they had delivered up their Dogs Most sacred was that Speech of our most gracious King concerning Vorstius He that will speak of Canaan let him speak the Language of Canaan How can we draw others to our Church if we cannot agree where or how to lay our Foundation Or how may we cleanse the leprous Disease of Dissention which the Papists which are least assured to themselves and most doubtful of their Salvation are not ashamed to ascribe unto many of us I would not have Ministers indiscreet like Dogs to bark against all whether they know or know them not I like better the opinion of Aristotle who adviseth those that stand in guard of a place to be curst only to such as are about to endamage the City If Pursevants and other Civil-Officers would learn to keep this Rule they might go about their business with much credit The imagined fear of inviting the Romish Faction by force to deliver their Ghostly Fathers out of Prison moves me not a whit For I cannot believe that they esteem them at so dear a price that they would run the hazard by freeing others out of Hold to put themselves into their places Some will say That a man of straw is a head good enough for a discontented Multitude That the Papists are very Cholerick it appears sufficiently by their Writings Yet it hath pleased God to send those curst Cows short horns that when they could not finde a man of sufficiency to serve their turn they were fain to do Homage to Garnet's Straw forgetful as they are that such stubble cannot endure the Trial of Fire But unto us that ought to be Doers as well as Professors of the Gospel let this remain as a memorable Theoreme Religion is the Mother of good Order good Order is the cause of prosperous Fortune and happy Success in all Counsels and Enterprises Wherefore in what estate soever there wanteth good Order it is an evident Argument that Religion goes backward 11. I have ever held it for a kinde of Injustice to omit the execution of mean Laws made to prevent the effects of Idleness and then to apply main extremity of the Sword when the proling habit gotten by that Vice comes to light No less is the course uncharitable with pardon for this presumption be it spoken when we spare them that have no Religion at all and censure those that can give account of somewhat tending to that purpose He that is in Misery must be born withal if he speak miserably and when the Child from his Mothers Breast hath suckt nothing but Popery a man had need to be angry with discretion if he hear him speak in the voice of a Popish God calleth some by Miracle but the ordinary means is his Word If that means in many places of this Land be wanting of what Religion is it likeliest the people will be I suppose that few men will gainsay my Assertion that outward sense will direct them to Popery which is fuller of
the Church contained in good nurture and Ecclesiastical censures will much more prevail to muzzle Popery than any fresh devices whatsoever Neither do I think it blame-worthy to affirm that our Cause hath taken harm by relying more on the Temporal than the Spiritual Arms for while we trusted that Capital punishments should strike the stroak we have neglected the means which would for the most part have discharged the need of such severity The Oath of Allegiance is not offered generally to Servants and mean people who if they had taken the Oath by Absolution of a Priest might recoyl from it or change their opinion at leisure without any ready means to discover their Legerdemain That Oath I fear will not be often pressed and to them that shift from place to place how can it be tendered The principal Papists now cover themselves in the crowd of the multitude but if we can discover the affection of the multitude they easily will be unmasked and being singled out rest ashamed of their nakedness which under correction of better judgment may be effected if every new comer to inhabit in a Town and servants newly entertained within a week or fourteen days be caused to repair to the Minister there in presence of the Churchwardens and other honest men to subscribe unto such brief and substantial Articles concerning Faith and Allegiance as shall be according to Gods Word and Justice ordained to distinguish the Sheep from the Goats In Forreign Countries every Host is bound to bring his Guest before an Officer there to certifie his name with the occasion of his coming and intended time of his abode in those parts and in case he stay longer he must again renew his Licence So curious and vigilant also are they to keep their Cities from Infection that without a Certificate witnessing their coming from wholsome places they may not escape the Lazeretto No less ought we to be watchful to prevent the contagion of our Souls than other Nations are of their Bodies Every thing is hard and scarcely pleasing in the beginning but with time some such course may be readily put in execution which I propound rather as matter for better heads to work on than peremptorily to be insisted on in the same Terms But lest any charge me with temerity that when I desire to know the multitudes inclination by the means aforesaid I satisfie my self with their Parrots Language pronouncing it knows not what I think it not impertinent to put them in mind that heretofore I have required instructions both precedent and subsequent and am ever of the mind That although all this cannot be done at once yet it is necessary always to be doing our best knowing that not to go forwards in Religion is the ready way to go backwards It is not the outward obedience of coming to Church that discovers the inward thought of the Heart it is the confession of the Tongue that must utter these secrets And where the Curates are insufficient or the Parish great I wish they had Catechists to assist them maintained by the Purses of the Recusants which Pension being collected for Gods Cause will free us of scandal though it grieve them to pay the Spiritual Army waged against their own Stratagems Surely by giving them way in petty matters they are grown to be very masterful in their Party Plato affirmeth That the Popular State proceeded from the Licence which the people took to make immoderate applauses in the Theaters when as by arrogating that immunity without controlement in place of their Governours and perceiving the Nobility to joyn with them in the same passions they thought their Heads as worthy to Govern as any of those that were made out of the self-same mould In like manner while we suffer ignorance openly to maintain such petty glimpses of Popery as are thought to be scarce worthy to be look't at and in small matters run an indifferent course which neither make sure Friends nor feeble Foes unawares they take the bridle from us and eat out Religion as it were by an insensible Gangrena Principiis obsta serò medicina paratur Cum mala per longas convaluere moras For by sufferance of breaking smaller Laws People are emboldned to set the greater at nought To comprehend all things in a Law which are necessary to the Reformation I neither hold it profitable nor expedient yet it is discretion to provide for the most important smaller matters whereof the Laws speak not are to be commended to the discretion of Parents Masters and other reverend persons who by example and advice may prepare younglings by Education and Custom to obey the Laws especially such as are in high place ought in this behalf to be like Caesars Wife Non solum crimine sed etiam criminis suspitione vacare and with circumspection to behave themselves that the world may conceive in requiring obedience to God and their Soveraign that they hold the multitude rather for companions than slaves if great men take another way they may seduce many by example though by words they express not their concealed opinions Tace loquere said God to Moses it is the speech of the heart that utters more than words and syllables and in our Common Laws it is held Maintenance when a great Personage onely by his presence countenanceth a Cause Neither let us secure our selves with this Argument The Papists are plyable in small matters ergo they will yield in greater and because they took no Arms in 88. therefore it were needless curiosity to suspect them now for who knows not that small baits are used to take the greatest Fish Vt cum esca una etiam hamus devoretur Wariness is the sinews of wisdom and nothing is more dangerous than to be secure in matters of State therefore for the Laws already made I wish that the most effectual of them which least concerns life may be executed for better it were not to make them than by neglect to set them at liberty seeing many offences there are which men would abstain from if they were forbidden but when a strict commandment is avoided without punishment thereout springs an unbridled Licence hardly to be reformed by any rigour To conclude I say freely that whoso endeth his days by a natural death he shall be subject to receive many mens dooms for every particular offence but when for Religions sake a man triumpheth over the sword that one eminent vertue razeth out the memory of other errours and placeth him that so dyeth in Paradice if common opinion may be lawfully vouched which glory having many followers and admirers awaketh even dull spirits to affect their footsteps and to sell their lives for the maintainance of the same Cause I need not envy the name of a Martyr to the Jesuit for his Cause if it be rightly weighed will blanch that Title but I desire to have all those lineaments defaced which may compound that counterfeit Image in prosecuting of which purpose if I have failed in my advice and by confused handling intricated the question I humbly request that a wise mans verdict may mitigate the heaviness of that censure It is neither good to praise bad Counsels because of their good success nor to condemn good Counsels if the Events prove not fortunate lest many be animated to advise rashly and others disheartned to counsel gravely Illi mors gravis incubat Qui notus nimis omnibus Ignotus moritur sibi Senec. Trag. His death deserveth more than common blame Whom all men knew too well and yet alone Alas he dyes unto himself unknown FINIS