Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
religion_n	church_n	true_a	visible_a	7,129	5	9.3865	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A33237	Second thoughts, or, The case of a limited toleration, stated according to the present exigence of affairs in church and state	Clarendon, Edward Hyde, Earl of, 1609-1674.	1660 (1660)	Wing C4425; ESTC R15288	7,331	10

paenaltys prevails in order to an exterior Conformity in such to their Errour of Judgment it adds Hypocrisie whereby they become worse Christians and Subjects than before and where it does not so prevail it lays the Foundation of a Civil War by daily Exasperating so great a part of the Nation or rather begins it by continually Invading though under Colour of Law the Liberties and Goods of our fellow Subjects If it be Replyed that although being Prosecuted by the Law they may be irritated and dispos'd for mischief yet being Tolerated they will encreas in Strength and by Consequence encreas our Danger I answear that how great a Paradox soever it may seem at first sight yet most true it is that taking the whole Body together of the dissenters who are equally concerned in the Prosecution they are far more dangerous and powerfull to do Mischief when Prosecuted than when Tolerated For when they are all in a suffering Condition they are united together in one Common Cause and Concern of easing themselves from the pressure they are under and being so different in their other Principles this is the only point they can eenter in and Knit together into a Body and the only Band that binds them up in a Bundle But when they are Indulged and left Free the Cement of a joynt Interest being taken away they will naturally and necessarily fall in sunder and remain as divided in point of Faction and party as they are in tenets and principles Of this we have a fresh and convincing Example in the late Revolutions for before the War when all Sectaries and Nonconformists lived under the Curb and penaltys of the Law and high Commission Court they were all embodyed together as Fellow Sufferers in the Common Cause and appeared to the World but as one Sect and were generally known only by the Common Name of Puritans And to what Power and Strength they grew by this union was too fatally known by the Famous Mischiefs they did But afterwards having shaken off their Fetters and clapt them on their Masters when they were at ease and prosperity then did each Sect apart begin to set up its own Colours and the Distinctions of the Presbyterians Independents and Quakers grew visible to the World by their Divisions and Quarrels amongst themselves And I desire it may be observ'd that Monarchy and the Church were pull'd down by them at that time when by a preceding prosecution they had been united together and that the Church and Monarchy were then again restored when by Liberty and Prosperity those very Sects were fallen from one another and each had rankt it self in its own Canton and Division But now it remains to be considered whither these Dissenters and Nonconformists in Religion are any ways capable of being made Loyal and faithful to the Government I think there is but one certain Rule to resolve this and all Cases of a like Nature First allowing them to have common Sense it will evidently follow that if we can make it their Interest to be good Subjects they will not fail of being so whoever shall assign any Security but this for the Peoples Allegiance do in my Opinion but play with the Wind and pay us with Words I know that No Bishop no King has past for a Fundamental Maxime with some and that English Loyalty cannot consist but in the Church of England as it is now establisht And I suppose they go chiefly upon this Ground that true Allegiance must proceed from a rectified Conscience and a rectified Conscience from true Religion But I must begg their leave to dissent from them in this Particular All Men I confess should be obedient to their Lawful Governours for Conscience sake but all Men are not as they should be Man-kind in general is constantly true to nothing but their Interest how much that over rules Conscience in all Religions is but too visible in the World Yet I am far from denying but that many may be found who by the ty of Conscience only are sufficiently withheld from the enormous Crime of Rebellion But since no other Person can tell all pretending to it who these are and since every good Security must be apparent and visible I think in Foroexterno we ought to exclude Conscience or rather the pretense of it which is all we can know of it in another from being a sufficient warrantly of Allegiance To retourn therfore from this Digression to my former Proposition let Men be never so Differing in Matters of Religion certain it is they will all agree in this point of being Constant and true to their own Interest And therefore the great Art and secret of Government is to make it the Peoples Interest to be True and Faithful to their Governours Now 't is apparent that if all these Dissenters in Religion who at present lye under the Lash of the Law were so far indulged that they might live with Security of their Estates and Liberty of their Persons amongst us and peacably enjoy their Conscience in their own way of Religious Worship it would be clearly their Interest to be obedient unto and maintain that Government under which they are so Protected For none are so Dull but must understand that when they are in a quiet enjoyment of their livelihoods if Disorders and War should come upon them they must needs at least the Major part of them be greater Loosers than Gainers So that the Publick Peace will now become their private Interest And this is the only Basis and Foundation on which all Government can firmly be Establisht They who imagine that Vnity of Religion is absolutely necessary to Vnity of Interest must needs fancy to themselves such an Extraordinary Charm in the Peoples meeting together on Sundays in the Church that they cannot fall out all the Week after But we find by sad Experience that Persons of the same Religion Witness the Wars between Sweden and Denmark France and Spain Quarrel no less fiercely than others who are most distant in their Principles of Belief And they are Strangers in the Affairs of the World who have not learnt that Interest and not Religion makes all the great Enmitys and amitys both Publick and Private Our Neighbours of Holland who are very Competent Judges in Matters relating to Publick Advantage and Self-preservation by their practice sufficiently shew the Conscistency and expedience of Tolerating different Religions under the same Government France affords us the like Presedent And I fear till we follow their Example in England too I fear we shall not arrive to that Plenty and Power which both those States at present enjoy For Nature hath so placed this Island that whenever we are Masters at Sea we are Umpires of this part of the World so that we must always Rise or Fall in Plenty and Power as we encrease or decay in Traffick and Navigation Now upon a just Calculation t wil appear that the Sea-fareing Men and the Trading Part

of the Nation dos in a great measure consist of Non-conformists and that much of the Wealth and Stock of the Kingdom is lodged in their Hands who have no great Devotion for the present Liturgy Hierachy of the Church of England Wherefore we need go no farther to find out the cause of that general Damp upon Traffique and Commerce than the Strictness of our Laws upon that Sort of People by which some of them are Disabled and others Discouraged from Employing their Industry and their Stock for Carrying on the Trade of the Nation But whilst upon these Motives I plead for a Toleration of Non-Conformists thereby I intend no more than a bare Exemption from Penalties with a Liberty of Exercising their Religion under such competent Restrictions as shall be judged Necessary both to Secure the Publique from a Riot and Sedition and to put a Difference between their Conventions and the Religious Assemblies of the Church Established by Law Moreover I think it necessary that they should be Excluded from Offices and places of eminent Trust both Civil and Ecclesiastical Because should they be Admitted to an Equality of Power and Authority in the Kingdom their Oppression and Natural endeavour to Advance their own Ways in Religion might Tempt them to push forwards and Struggle for the Right-hand of Fellowship So as the Peace of the Nation might be Endangered I should here have closed up this discourse did I not find that many Reverend Members of the Clergy have been lately great Opposers of a Toleration which leads me to Consider whither the Admission of it be prejudicial to the Safety and Interest of the Church If we call to mind by what means True Religion was first Planted Propagated in the World we shall find that Force and Compulsion had no hand in the Work Both the Precepts and Example of our Great Master and his Disciples are directly Opposite to it For my part I think that Humane prudence as well as Christian piety Obliges their Successors to follow the same Method of reclaiming Dissenters by Gentleness and meek Exhortations according to the Direction of St. Paul For since the chief Designe and most incumbent Duty of the Church is to Convert Misbelievers and to bring back into the Fold those who have straied Away there is nothing so Necessary and Conducing to this Work as to procure in the Minds of Dissenters a good Opinion and esteem of the Charity and Paternal Care of those who undertake to Instruct them in the Right Way This was the Method of our Saviour himself who began his great Business of Converting Mankind by first Obliging the People with Temporal Blessings that so he might Win them to Spiritual Happiness for this Reason he Miraculously Fed so many Thousands in the Desert and so often Cured their Bodily Infirmitys in order to the Healing and Nourishing their Souls But the Infliction of Corporal punishment or pecuniary Mul●ts is so far from producing this effect of Love and Esteem in their Minds whom we are to make our Proselytes that it constantly begets an Aversion and Hatred in the Punished against the Authors and Promoters of this punishment so that Churchmen must either necessarily give over the design of Converting Dissenters which is a principal part of their Function or the practice of Abetting the Infliction of Penalties upon them If Excommunication which is a Seclusion from joyning with the Congregation in Religious Worship be the proper and just Punishment of Error in Religion according to all the Primitive Rules and Practice of Christianity is it not strangely preposterous that these Dissenters instead of being shut out should be violently forc't into the Church and even during their Non-Conformity of Judgment be compelled to a participation in Divine Worship with the Faithful by all those sharp paenaltys which the Law inflicts upon Recusancy Instead of the Gospel Rule which Commands us to avoid their company we set up a Law of our own which injoyns our meeting together even in the House of God whereby the partys compelled Act no less against their Conscience than the Compellers against the plain Letter of Scripture Methinks in this Case the Example of our Saviour ought to be our Rule Who in person Whipt out of the Temple those who came thither upon the Score of Interest and nor of Religion but always used the most Benign and Gentle means imaginable to Win people into the Church What can be more contrary to the Honour and Dignity of True Religion than that it should appear to stand in need of Force to draw Men to it We shew a mistrust of it's Verity when we dare not leave Men the liberty of their Judgement and Conscience in imbracing it Is not this that very Thing wherewith formerly we have so often reproacht our Adversaryes and have we not other lawful Advantages enough over all Dissenters and Sects without calling in the Brachium Saeculare to Confute our Opponents and using means much more becoming a preaching Collonel of Cromwels Army than a Prelate of the Church of England Have we not Truth on our Side the only Invincible Champion of Religion Are we not Establisht by the Law of the Land whereas others will at most be only Suffered Are not all Ecclesiastical Promotions in our Power and Occupation So that having the strongest Motives on our side both Temporal and Spiritual to bring Men fairly to us why should we keep up a Spanish Inquisition of Force and Violence and so discredit and Weaken our Cause whilst mistakingly we endeavour by undue means to strengthen it Let the Presbyterians meet in their Halls the Fanaticks in their Barns the Papists in their Garrets shall the Church of England Assembled in her Cathedralls fear the Competition of Rivals every way so inferiour to her in force of Arguments and Reason in exterior Decency and Gravity and in the Credit of Publick Authority It would Argue not only want of Courage but even Weakness of Faith and Reason too should we be Jealous that a permission granted to those Sects of having Publick Meetings would diminish the number of the Orthodox in our Religious Assemblys for as all contrarys are best set off distinguisht when together expos'd to Publick View we may Presume that nothing would more advantageously fill our Churches and Empty their Conventicles than a Liberty given them to appear in a full Light that so all Eyes might Judge of the Difference between Order and Confusion and between the Decency of our rational Worship Modeld according to the best Patterns of sound Antiquity and the Homeliness and clownish manner of their Addresses to Heaven form'd out of their own Fancy by a Cynicall kind of Pride which Scorns the Direction of their Primitive Guides Let us not therefore give them that only Advantage they have over us which is of suffering for their Religion for if we look into Scripture we shall find that Persecution in the Sufferers is one of the most conspicuous Marks of Truth and in the Inflicters of Error as most evidently appears in the Example of that great Apostle Saint Paul than whom before his Conversion none more Zealous and fierce in the Prosecution of Christians and after his Conversion none more Compassionate and Charitable towards his dissenting Brethren the Iews THE END