Selected quad for the lemma: power_n
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A26073
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A seasonable discourse against toleration with a preface wherein the nature of persecution in general and the unjust complaints of the dissenting parties concerning it in particular are distinctly considered.
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Assheton, William, 1641-1711.
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1685
(1685)
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Wing A4041; ESTC R23636
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62,270
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115
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there be no Divisions amongst them perfectly joynd together in the same mind and in the same judgement If therefore upon inquiry it do appeare That the Magistrate hath Power to make Constitutions for the better ordering of those Circumstances about which Scripture hath determind nothing whether wee must use or not use them and if Offenders against these Constitutions are justly punishable it undenyably follows that in punishing such Violaters of his Laws the Magistrate doth not Persecute but execute Justice and that those Persons who are thus reflected upon are not Persecuted as Saints but Punishd as Malefactors The very Case of our Nonconformists here in England The Summary of these Conclusions that my Reader may the better apprehend them to be both Consequent and Evident is this Preaching and Praying are necessary Duties Which cannot be performd without Circumstances These are not determind in Scripture Nor must be left undetermind Therefore by the Supream Magistrate Who to effect this makes Laws and Constitutions These have Penalties annexd to be inflicted on the Disobedient The infliction of these Penalties is the execution of Justice and the Magistrates Duty But no Persecution Therefore those Persons that suffer these Penalties are not injuriousely Persecuted but justly Punish'd Quod erat Demonstrandum I cannot at all doubt but the weakness of my Brethrens Argument to any unprejudic'd Reader begins now to appear However I will repeat their Syllogisme once more and then let the World judge who is in the Right Preaching and Praying are necessary Duties But N. C. are punish'd for Preaching and Praying Therefore They are Punish'd for necessary Duties and consequently are Persecuted I Answer first by distinguishing the Major Preaching and Praying quoad Substantiam are necessary Duties i. e. It s necessary that these Duties be perform'd Quoad Circumstantias they are not necessary i. e. though these Duties be perform'd yet it is not necessary to perform them in such or such a manner Thus though Prayer be necessary yet that it should be Extemporary or without a Form is not necessary or that the Minister should be without a Surplice is not necessary So for Preaching though it be a Duty yet to preach or hear a Sermon in a Conventicle of two or three Thousand or to expose my self to Sufferings and perhaps a long Imprisonment to the neglect of my Profession and thence the ruine of my Family for which I am bound to provide I say to throw my self upon all these Inconveniencies only to hear a Sermon from A. B. or C. D. when I may safely hear a much better from an Orthodox Minister is so far from being necessary that it may justly 〈◊〉 Who hath required these things at your hands That Secondly I Answer by denying the Minor which is utterly false and untrue They are not punished for Preaching and Praying they being punishable for their neglect but they are punished for not observing those Circumstances about Preaching and Praying which Authority requireth of them or they are punished for not performing these Duties in such a manner as their Governours require or more plainly yet they are punished for not observing and submitting to those Constitutions which their Governours have Established for the better ordering of these Duties The Obligation of which Constitutions because they are much oppos'd I 'le endeavour to confirm by this one Consideration Bonum non oritur nisi ex integrâ Causâ There must be a concurrence of all requisite Conditions to make a thing good Now the Conditions required to the Validity of a Law are not unduely exprest by the four Causes Efficient Material Formal Final and That Law which is not Defective in any one of these is Valid and Obligatory But such are the Constitutions of the Church of England Therefore c. 1. Respectu Causae Efficientis there is sufficient Authority and Legislative Power 2. Respectu Materiae the things enjoyn'd are not unlawful as being contrary to any Law any former Obligation 3. Respectu Formae there is sufficient Promulgation 4. Respectu Finis Publick Peace and Safety by restraining Disorders Tumults Contentions which might arise from Difformity in Worship is the very Reason and End of their being exacted Object But is not Conscience violated and Christian-liberty infringed by these Ecclesiastical Constitutions since they determine us precisely ad unum in the use of Indifferent things which God and Christ have left free ad utrumlibet Answ I Answer referring my Reader for farther Satisfaction to Bishop Sandersons seventh Sermon ad Pop. pag. 384. That there is no Subject of England whatever is pretended to the contrary but hath the Liberty of his Conscience or to speak more intelligibly may worship God according to his Conscience i. e. in such a way and manner as his Conscience his judging Faculty judgeth most acceptable provided always that he keep his opinions to himself or to his Family and make them a Rule only for his own private Practice But if such a man will go publish his Opinions and entangle the Consciences of others and seek to draw Disciples after him and make a Party and cause Divisions and Dissentions amongst his Majesties Subjects and trouble the Publick he is to be restrain'd he is not to be tolerated Object l Mr. Calamys Ser. before the Lords Dec. 25. 1644. pag. 38. Will you allow the Magistrate to Tyranize over mens Consciences Answ By no means But I believe it is the Duty of Magistrates to keep men from infecting their Subjects with Soul-destroying Errours If thou hast an Heretical Opinion have it to thy self and the Magistrate will not nay cannot meddle with thy private Conscience But if thou labourest to infect others with thy Grace-destroying Opinions I doubt not but the Magistrate is bound to keep thee from spreading thy Infection to the undoing of the Souls of his Subjects If he may lawfully shut up a man that hath the Plague upon his body that he may not Infect others why not a man that hath the Plague of Heresie upon his Soul that so he may not destroy the Souls of Thousands Shall a Master in a Family have power to put away a Servant that is tainted with a grosse Opinion and yet not be called a Tyrant over that Servants Conscience And shall not the chief Magistrate of a Kingdome have Power to put out of his Kingdome at least to shut up from doing hurt one that is his Subject and polluted with Blasphemous Heretical Idololatrical Opinions Is not the Kingdom the Magistrates House and Family These are the means that are to be used to cure the distractions of England The Lord give us grace to put them in practice But this and the other party will reply That they are neither Heretical nor Turbulent and therefore what is all this discourse to them I Answer No man must be Judge in his own Cause every man therefore is to be supposed such that when his Place requires it refuseth by publick Oaths
adversaries which must be watched and suppressed for ye bear not the sword in vain ye are Gods Ministers attending continually upon this very thing Magistrates and Ministers have as ye see one common style of Office that ye in your place and we in our Function and Order should mind and promove the things of God ye by the Sword and we by the Word you are keepers of both Tables the first and great commandment as well as the second that is like unto it both come sometimes as occasion is under your cognizance a P. 51. And ye know what a brand sticks to this day upon Gallio though an Heathen Magistrate that he cared not for the matters of the Law and Worship according to the Law when question was brought no though there were insurrections and tumults upon that occasion and for Gamaliels counsell Refrain from these men and let them alone for if this counsell or this work be of men it will come to naught but if it be of God ye cannot overthrow it lest happly ye be found even to fight against God b If this be true the Auth of the Prop. for King and Kingdome shewed more zeale then knowledge when having mentioned the Counsell of Gamalielhe thus addes though it be found within the Bible yet it is not of like Authority with one of Solomons proverbs or maximes of Policy it hath no otherwise the approbation of God for good then the designe of Pharaoh or I wish to the Lord the great Ministers of our state woâ—ld be content to be no wiser men then Gamaliel P. 36. the crafty counsell of Achitophel which are also recorded in the scripture it will not consist with other rules of the word and hath been condemned as unsound and unsafe by many godly and wise men we have more sure words of scripture out of which we draw the doctrine of the Magistrates power and duty in the matters of God and Religion then the loose speech of such a Neutralist and time serving Politician as Gamaliel was Go on therefore I beseech you as you began take us the little foxes as well as the ravening wolves c p. 26. These be they who seperate themselves sensual not having the spirit They Boast indeed much of the spirit but they manifestly do the works of the flesh They plead for liberty but it is licentiousnesse Liberty of Conscience they term it but it is Liberty of practise that every man may do what is good and right in his own eyes They pretend to nothing but Piety and Godlinesse and seem as if they would be content if they might but have a bare subsistence in the profession of it So did the Jesuites to learning when they first appeared upon the Stage but when they had once insinuated themselves into the good Opinion of Princes and States how well they answered the expectations and required the kindnesse of those who nursed them up all the Christian world sees and feâ—ls to their cost at this day They aske But Connivence and Toleration but if they once meet in a confluence and find themselves strong enough to run in a streame let but a damme be Pitcht down to restraine or oppose their madnesse or men follow not on to indulge and gratiâ—y their humour it would soon appeare whether oâ—â—o they would rage swell get over or bear down afore them all that should stand in their way They did seem a while to cry up the Order of Parliaments and of the Civil Magistrate and have their persons in admiration but meeâ—ly for advantage that so they may get above all Ecclesiasticall Authority when they are once up to their height what they will do with the Ladder they hope to climbe and ascend by is not hard to conjecture They reckon themselves the VVheat in the field and when once they are ripe they will easily be content to have all that threshed of by which they received their growth Ye have heard of the fable of the Snake and the Countryman that brought it unto the fire I shall not need to apply it Already they begin to remove the old land markes and Straiten their bounds they deny their claime up to an high water marke and make their bankes and inclose for themselves to the very channel side But whether it be holden fit or seasonable that these Libertines be decried for my part I cannot yet discover by any activenesse to suppresse them onely seeing the evil and foreseeing the mischiefe I have given the warning that at least I may deliver mine own soule I pray God the remedy be not deferred till it be too late and ye be driven to play an after-game to an extreame hazard and disadvantage a Mr. Willam Good Serm before the Comm March 26. 1645. Loâ—d printed for C. Meredith 1645. P. 36. I doubt not but your Souls abhor that bloody Tenet to the soules of men That it is the duty of the Magistrate to Tolerate all Religions You have carried out the Dust behind the door and this Opinion will bring all the mire in the streets into the house of God againe Cambyses had a lust to marry his sister and his Counsellers told him there was no law whereby to do it But with all they told him there was a law that the Kings of Persia might do what they list and by this he might marry his Sister What is it that shall be unlawfull if this be lawfull for every man to make a Law and Religion for him selfe Put some stop by your Authority to the growth of Errours that are destructive to the power of Godlinesse and let not this suspend your sanction because some that broach them pretend to Godlinesse an enemy the more like he is to a freind the more dangerous a The third use of Confutation it is of the Remonstrants a Sure this Gentleman is mistaken I alwaies thought Remonstrants and Arminians had been the same Arminians Socinians who endeavour from my M. Thomas Thorowgood Serm before the Commons at a solemn fast Dec. 25. 1644 his Text Phil. 4. v. 5. Let your moderation be known unto all men Lond printed for Chr. Meredith 1645. p. 10 Text to get countenance for that Babylonish Errour the allowance of all opinions as if because the Apostle saith let your moderation be known unto all men therefore all mens conceits must bee born with in Religion and every one suffered in what he supposeth to be truth It is a cunning and cousening devise that strikes in with corrupt nature but because it offers violence to my Text I cannot be true to it or you if somewhat be not added by way of vindication and it shall be in these six particulars First is it probable that our Apostle who elswhere almost every where is so zealous for Vnity against Schismes should in any sort Tolerate them and so voluntarily open a wide doore for division in this very Epistle he writes