Party act consistent with their own Principles and had a mind that the People should not blindly follow them they would be so far from hindering them by restraining the Liberty of the Press and Pulpit from examining the Reasonableness of those Opinions that are contrary to theirs that they would make it their Business to perswade them to it and obtain an entire Liberty for their Adversaries to preach and print what they think good 3. It was the Protestant Priests acting most apparently and most shamefully inconsistent with themselves that put a sudden stop to the Reformation which at first like a mighty Torrent overturned all that opposed it And here it is that the Church of Rome insults and saith That the Principles of the Protestants by which they endeavour to justify their Separation from her are so absurd that themselves are obliged to act contrary to them and do the very same things they condemn in her Thus the Persecution of the Popish Church has been kept in Countenance by the Protestants following her Example which otherwise would have appeared so odious that all must have abhorred her for it or else obliged her to grant that Liberty which would infallibly ruin her 4. As Persecution was the chief Cause of hindering the further spreading of the Reformation so to that we must impute that this was not more perfect and compleat For tho the first Reformers deserve very great Commendation for what they did yet it cannot be imagined that being bred up in Popish Darkness and Superstition they should be able to discern much less remove all those Corruptions that had been so long a gathering that could only be the Work of Time or Men inspired and therefore it 's no wonder there were so many different Opinions amongst them at first But had those that succeeded them instead of paying a blind implicit Submission to their Decrees and getting them established by Penal Laws taken the same Liberty in examining their Opinions as the Reformers did their Predecessors all Differences at least of any moment would in some Time have been composed which became impossible by the Clergy being obliged as they valued their subsistence to assert such Opinions right or wrong as were established by Law and by Persecution causing such Animosities and Prejudices amongst the different Sects that instead of examining one anothers Opinions sincerely and impartially they ran daily further into Ignorance Superstition Narrowness and Uncharitableness CHAP. VI. Of the Method to destroy not only Schisms and Heresies but Hatred and Uncharitableness amongst Christians notwithstanding their different Opinions BUT suppose few or none of the different Opinions that are amongst Protestants had been composed by their acting consistent with their own Principles yet there could not well be any Divisions or Schisms amongst them which do wholly arise from that Antiprotestant and impious Practice in imposing on others our own uncertain and dubious Comments as necessary Terms of Communion and requiring People to profess them on pain of Temporal or Eternal Punishment which is nothing less than making our own Opinions of Divine Authority and as necessary to Salvation as the express words of the Scripture which if Men did only make use of in any controverted Point in the publick Forms of Worship they might be of the same Communion for all their variety of Opinions And indeed nothing seems more absurd than that instead of the Expressions the infinite Wisdom of God thought fit to make use of Men should be so zealous for imposing on their Brethren their own Conceits especially of things they confess to be inconceivable and their own Explications of what they acknowledg to be inexplicable and their own Reason of what they own is above their Reason and their own meaning of what they confess their Words cannot reach the meaning But it 's no wonder that they that make themselves wiser than God in contriving Methods even opposite to those he requires to make Men embrace the Faith should think themselves better able to express that Faith than God himself and therefore condemn those as Hereticks who declare their Belief in the Terms of Truth except also they will admit their Expressions and Terms from which it 's by no means lawful to vary which shows that they put a greater value on them than on the Divine Word 2. To this they say they oblige People to use their Expressions in order to discover Hereticks But if God requires no more of a Christian than that he believes the Scripture and endeavours to find out the true Sense of it and to live according to it he that does this can be in no fault but is to all intents and purposes as safe in respect to his Eternal Happiness as if he were infallible and consequently is far from being a Schismatick or Heretick Tho the Imposers are not only Schismaticks by causing a needless Separation but Hereticks by their own definition of Heresy which is erring in Fundamentals and erring obstinately against Knowledg because when they have determined the Holy Scriptures to be the only foundation of Faith nevertheless they lay down certain Propositions as Fundamental that are not in the Scripture which is declaring against their own Principles and destroying the very Foundation they have laid so that instead of finding out others to be Hereticks they make themselves such by requiring a Divine Faith to their own imagined Deductions which how clear soever they seem to themselves to be drawn from Scripture appear quite contrary to others If a King going a far Journey should give certain Injunctions to his Subjects and appoint no Judg to determine any Dispute that should happen about interpreting them but that every one according to the best of his Skill should judg for himself and not act until he was fully perswaded in his own Mind Would not they that do this how much soever they were mistaken in interpreting his Injunctions have done all that he required And would not he be justly enraged at his return to see them for doing this beaten and abused by their Fellow-Subjects And what Reason therefore can there be urged why Christ should deal otherwise at his return to Judgment with your persecuting Heretick Starters and reward those Good and Faithful Servants the supposed Hereticks for following his Directions in judging of his Will according to the best of their Abilities 3. If the Predestinarians and Antipredestinarians who condemn one anothers Tenets as most impious may and ought notwithstanding their different Sentiments to continue in the same Church or if the Orthodox can so infinitely differ in Matters of Faith that one Party of them shall worship but one Infinite Almighty Being or Spirit and another three such and yet be of the same Communion and agree in the same Terms of Human Invention Why may not all since it 's scarce possible any should differ more widely join together in the same Communion if nothing be mentioned in those Matters wherein they
differ but in Scripture-expressions in which they all agree And is it not the Imposers that not only in the Arminian Controversy which has caused a Schism in the Protestant Countries beyond Sea but in all others that are guilty of the Separation For I do not see as that very Honest and Judicious Man Mr. Hales in his Tract of Schism observes That Opinionum varietas Opinantium unitas are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or that Men of different Opinions may not hold Communion in Sacris or both go to the same Church Why may not I go if occasion requires to an Arian Church so there be no Arianism expressed in their Liturgy and were Liturgies and publick Forms of Service so framed as they admitted no particular and private Fancies but contained those things in which all Christians agree Schisms on Opinions were utterly vanished And let me add that not only Schisms or Heresies but all Hatred Animosities and Uncharitableness would be destroyed For then the Clergy since it would be their common Interest to unite together would maintain Peace Love and Kindness amongst themselves and preach the same to the People who would never were they but left to themselves hate or molest one another for meerly speculative Opinions which make but little impression on them especially too when they did not create any Divisions or Schisms amongst them nay then all Opinions of Moment I mean those which Men cannot neglect examining into without a Fault would being handled without Prejudice or Passion quickly be rightly understood and those of little or no Moment which are chiefly kept up by the Hatred and Animosities of the different Sects and the Artifices of the Priests soon fall to the Ground And this is the sense of the ablest Champion that the Protestant Religion could ever boast of the brave Chillingworth who tells us Ch. 3. n. 8. If Men would be themselves and be content that others should be in the choice of their Religion the Servants of God and not of Men if instead of being zealous Papists earnest Calvinists rigid Lutherans c. they would become themselves and be content that others should be plain and honest Christians if all Men would believe the Scripture and freeing themselves from Prejudice and Passion would sincerely endeavour to find the true Sense of it and live according to it and require no more of others than to do so not refusing their Communion to those that do so would so order their Publick Service of God that all may without Scruple or Hypocrisy or Protestation against any part of it join with them in it who does not see that seeing all necessary Truths are plainly and evidently set down in Scripture there would of necessity be amongst all Men in all things necessary Unity of Opinion and notwithstanding any other Differences that are or could be Unity of Communion and Charity and mutual Toleration by which Means all Schism and Heresy would be banished the World and those wretched Contentions which now rend and tear in pieces not the Coat but the Members and Bowels of Christ with mutual Pride and Tyranny would speedily receive a most blessed Catastrophe So Chap. 4. n. 16. This presumptuous imposing of the Senses of Men upon the Word of God the special Senses of Men upon the general Words of God and laying them on Mens Consciences under the equal Penalty of Death and Damnation this vain Conceit that we can speak of the Things of God better than the Words of God this deifying our own Interpretations and tyrannous enforcing them upon others this restraining the Words of God from that Latitude and Generality and the Understanding of Men from their Liberty where Christ and his Apostles left them is and hath been the only Fountain of all Schisms of the Church and that which makes them immortal the common Incendiary of Christendom Ridente Turca nec dolente Judaeo Take away these Walls of Separation and all will quickly be one Take away this persecuting burning cursing damning of Men for not subscribing to the Words of Men as the Words of God require of Christians only to believe Christ and to call no Man Master but him only Let those leave claiming Infallibility that have no Title to it and let them that in their Words disclaim it disclaim it likewise in their Actions In a word Take away Tyranny which is the Devil's Instrument to support Errors Superstitions and Impieties in the several Parts of the World which could not otherwise long withstand the Power of Truth I say take away Tyranny and restore Christians to the just and full Liberty of captivating their Understanding to Scripture only and as Rivers when they have a free passage run all to the Ocean so it may well be hoped by God's Blessing that Universal Liberty thus moderated may quickly reduce Christendom to Truth and Unity But to add a greater Authority even that of the Apostles themselves who tho they were to teach the People the Christian Faith before they baptized them into it nay it 's impossible any should be of the Christian Church before he knew the Faith that must make him a Christian yet they required no more of those that before believed the Unity of God to qualify them to be Members of the Church than to believe Jesus to be the Christ and that God has raised him from the Dead and the Doctrine of Repentance And upon this Belief which all Christians profess they constantly admitted both Jews and Gentiles into the Church and consequently whilst this Belief remains they are not unqualified to be Members of the Church except Men have a Right now-a-days to disown those for Brethren and Members of the Church that the Apostles owned as such But They are indeed as Mr. Chillingworth observeth the greatest Schismaticks who make the Way to Heaven narrower the Yoke of Christ heavier the Differences of Faith greater than they were made at the beginning by Christ and his Apostles they talk of Unity and aim at Tyranny and will have Peace with none but their Slaves and Vassals 4. But it 's said A Heretick after two or three Admonitions is to be rejected or more properly avoided therefore Difference of Opinions will hinder Men from being of the same Communion By a Heretick is not meant one that thrô the weakness of Understanding is in an Error but an immoral Man that acts against his Conscience for the Apostle describes him as one that 's conscious of his Crime as being condemned of himself on whom Admonitions might have a good Effect or if they should not be sufficient yet that the Trouble and Disgrace of being shunned by his Brethren might reclaim him which Methods could have no such Effect if his Fault had been a meer Error of the Understanding And Heresy cannot but be a Fault of the Will because it 's called a Work of the Flesh and damnable which a meer Error of the Understanding by no means is And
enable them tho they stood alone to be a Match for their most potent Enemy when perhaps otherwise we may sometime or other be in danger of being oppressed by him And when a troublesome Neighbour encreases in Riches and Strength we are very much wanting to our selves if we do not to our utmost endeavour to do the same All that the Government would suffer by a Naturalization would be to have not only the Number of its Subjects in which consists the Riches and Strength of a Nation encreased and them also under as strict an Obligation of Loyalty and Duty as any of the Native Subjects but its Revenues also augmented by not only more of the Exciseable Commodities being consumed but by the vast Encrease of Trade which must proportionably increase the Customs All the Disadvantage the Natives would receive by such an Act would be that by a quick Vent and Consumption of the Products of the Country the Value of all home Commodities would be raised Land and Houses yield greater Rents and Money by its Encrease and quick Circulation be plenty and those that have a mind to dispose of their Estates would the Number of the Chapmen being so much encreased sell to a much greater Advantage and all the Purchase-Money the Foreigners give would be an additional Treasure to the Nation But it requires a just Treatise to show what I have not as much as time to hint at here all the Advantages we should receive by a Naturalization Act Therefore I shall only answer an Objection of some who tho they cannot but own that it would be advantageous to the Nation yet are against it upon an Apprehension it may be prejudicial to Religion But I think I have already proved that no Part of Religion can be opposite to or inconsistent with the Good of Societies but on the contary the promoting the Publick Good is the chiefest Part of it And if to supply the Wants of the Poor and Needy be the greatest Duty viz. of Charity and to visit the Fatherless and Widows in order to relieve their Necessities be pure and undefiled Religion it must be so in the highest manner to prevent Peoples falling into Want and Poverty And whatever contributes to this especially when it tends to the Support not only of a few but of a whole Nation must be the Duty of every one to promote that is a lover of his God his King and his Country And whatsoever is inconsistent with doing this is so far from being a Matter of Religion that it must be either sinful in it self or by the Circumstances that attend it become so and therefore by no means is to be opposed to the Good of a Nation And indeed nothing can be more strange than to suppose God has commanded any thing inconsistent with the Publick Good Yet without this Supposition not only Persecution Humane Sacrifices and absolute Passive Obedience the most pernicious Doctrines that can be but no other destructive Ones could have prevailed And it 's this monstrous Absurdity that Jacobites are guilty of in thinking they are obliged to sacrifice the Peace and Happiness of a Nation to the Interest of a particular Person But I shall conclude only adding That I hope what I have said will not displease the Magistrate since I have no other Intent than to hinder him from committing one of the greatest Sins Humane Nature is capable of and which cannot but turn to his Prejudice here as well as hereafter And as to the Clergy This cannot displease those that have what the Bishop of Sarum in his Preface to Lactantius calls Lay Pity since I have endeavoured to show how much they are in the right in abhorring Persecution and how causlesly they are for that Reason hated as generally they are by their Brethren And for those that are for Persecution the greatest Kindness I could do them was to represent as fully as I could in so short a Discourse the fatal Tendency and Consequence of that Doctrine that they may repent of it which if I any ways contribute to I think my Pains happily bestowed if not I yet hope a Reward from him who accepts the hearty sincere endeavour of those that do their best to promote Peace and Charity which if any hinder or obstruct it 's the Duty of all good Christians to pray that God would abate their Pride asswage their Malice and confound their Devices that there may be Glory to God on High Peace on Earth and good Will towards Men. A POSTSCRIPT concerning the Letter to a Convocation-Man I Must beg the Reader 's pardon for further trespassing on his Patience in making some Remarks on a Pamphlet entituled A Letter to a Convocation-Man I mean as to that part of it which under the Pretence of giving Reasons for the Sitting of a Convocation rails at a Toleration in Matters simply Religious and endeavours to deprive Men of the Right of Judging for themselves about Religious Doctrines and Opinions 1. The Author of this Letter P. 3. affirms That the Indifference of all Religion is endeavoured to be established by the Pleas for the Justice and Necessity of a Vniversal unlimited Toleration Which Assertion were it true would make the King and Parliament indifferent whether they were Quakers since they have given them a Toleration But it 's so far from being true that there cannot well be a greater Demonstration of Mens not thinking all Religions indifferent than a desire to be tolerated in the Profession of that they judg the best Did they suppose all Religions equal it would be indifferent to them whether there was a Toleration since they would be sure to avoid all Persecution by being of the Magistrate's Religion 2. The Author P. 19. saith Tho the Clergy have no Power of changing adding or diminishing the Law of God yet the applying this Law to particular Cases explaining the Doubts that may arise concerning it deducing Consequences from it in things not explicitly determined already by that Law and the enforcing Submission and Obedience to their Determinations are the proper Objects of their Power and Jurisdiction who are to act by ordinary and natural Means such as Assembling Debating and by majority of Voices Deciding But here I must demand Who shall judg whether what the Clergy thus determine be either adding changing or diminishing the Law of God If the Priests to be sure they will not say their Determinations are so But if I must judg then I ought to reject their Determinations if I believe them not consonant to Scripture but if I think them agreeable to it then I must believe them not for the sake of their Determinations but because I judg them to be so and consequently I must be guided by my own Reason in all things of Religion If by the Doubts that may arise be meant any thing that admits of dispute there is scarce any thing so clear but what may or does and if in all such Cases I