periclitantium numerum multi enim omnis aetatis omnis ordinis utriusque sexus etiam vocantur in periculum vocabuntur neque enim Civitates tantum sed vicos etiam atque agros superstitionis istius contagio pervagata est So then they termed Christian Religion for the multitude would still keep the name of Truth and Religion to themselves the oppressed the lesser number must bear the name or title which they consent or conspire to cast upon them But the thing it self as to the persons at present dissenting from the established form is not unduly exprest And as it will be an act of Royal Clemency and like to the work of God himself to free at once so great multitudes of all ages sexes and conditions from the fears and dangers of those evils which they are fully satisfied they do not deserve so any other way of quitting the Governours of this Nation from those uneasie thoughts which an apprehension of such an effect of their Rule upon multitudes of subjects must needs produce will be very difficult if not impossible Shall the course begun in severity against them be pursued what generous spirits imployed in the execution of it can but be weary at last with undoing and ruining families of those persons whom they find to live peaceably in subjection to the Government of the Nation and usefully amongst their Neighbours meerly because they dare not sin against God in transgressing against that perswasion concerning his Will and Worship which he hath given unto them for they cannot but at last consider that no man erreth willingly or believes any thing against his light or hath other thoughts of God and his Worship than what he apprehends to be from himself or that any duty is accepted of God which springs from compulsion How much more Noble and Honourable will they discern the work of relieving men sober and peaceable in distress to be than to have the complaints and tears and ruine of Innocent men and their families continually reflecting themselves on their minds Nor is there any probability of success in this procedure for as Time hath alwayes made for Rule and incouragements which are solely in the power of Rulers have effected great compliance even in things religious so force and violent prosecution in such cases have been alwayes fruitless For it is known how much they are disadvantaged as to success in that the righteousness and equity of their pretended causes are alwayes dubious to unconcerned persons which makes them think that the true reason of them is other than what is pretended When they see men whom they apprehend as innocent and guiltless as themselves as to all the concernments of mankind in this world pursued with penalties equal unto those that are notoriosly Criminal they are greatly inclined unto commiseration towards them especially if at the interposition of the name and worship of God in the cause they judge for ought appears to them they fear God and endeavour to please him at least as well as those by whom they are molested And when they further understand that those whom they see to suffer such things as they account grievous and are really ruinous to them and their families do it for their conscience sake it strongly induceth them to believe that it must needs be something good and honest that men choose so to suffer for them rather than to forego For all suffering for Religion they know to be in the power and will of them that suffer and not of those that inflict penalties upon them for their Religion is their choice which they may part withal if they esteem it not worth the hazard wherewith it is attended Thus the Roman Historian tells us in the first sufferings of the Christians at Rome Quanquam adversus sontes Novissima exempla meritos for so he thought Miseratio Oriebatur tanquam non utilitate publica sed in sevitiam aliquorum absumerentur Nor is it a probable way of dealing with the consciences of men especially of Multitudes who are able to give mutual testimony and encouragement to one another yea in such a state of things dangers of times delight men and they find a satisfaction if not an honour in their miseries as having sufficient assurance that it is a glorious and a blessed thing to suffer things hard and dreadful in the world when they are conscious to themselves of no guilt or evil And therefore as severity hath hitherto got no ground on the minds of men in this matter no more is it like to do for the future And if it be proceeded in it cannot be avoided but that it must be perpetuated from one generation to another and a sad experiment be made who will first be wearied those that inflict penalties or those that undergo them And what in the mean time will become of that composure of the spirits of men that mutual trust confidence and assurance between all sorts of persons which is the abiding foundation of publick peace and prosperity Also what advantages have been made by some neighbour Nations what at present they further hope for from that great anxiety which the minds of men are cast into meerly and solely on the account of what they feel or fear from their dissent unto the publick worship which to themselves is utterly unavoidable is known to all But we have done and what are we that we should complain of any whom God is pleased to stir up and use for our exercise and tryal We desire in patience and silence to bear his indignation against whom we have sinned and for what concerns those wayes and truths of his for whose profession we may yet suffer in this world to approve our consciences unto him and to leave the event of all unto him who will one day judge the world in righteousness We know that we are poor sinful worms of the earth in our selves meet for nothing but to be trodden down under the feet of men but his wayes and the purity of his Worship are dear unto him which he will preserve and vindicate from all opposition In the mean time as it is our duty to live peaceably with all men in a conscientious subjection unto that Authority which he hath set over us we shall endeavour so to behave our selves in the pursuit and observance of it as that whereas we may be evil spoken of as evil doers Men may be ashamed beholding our good Conversation in Christ and give Glory to God in the day of Visitation Whatever is ours whatever is in our Power whatever God hath intrusted us with the disposal of we willingly resign and give up to the Will and Commands of our Superiours but as to our Minds and Consciences in the things of his Worship and Service he hath reserved the Soveraignty of them unto himself to him must we give an account of them at the great Day nor can we forego the care of preserving them intire for him and loyal unto him without a renunciation of all hopes of acceptance with him and so render our selves of all men the most miserable May we be suffered herein to be faithfull unto him and the everlasting Concernments of our own Souls we shall alwayes labour to manifest that there is no way or means of Peace and Reconciliation among those who profesting Faith in God through our Lord Jesus Christ yet differ in their Apprehensions about sundry things some way or other belonging thereunto that is appointed by him and may expect a Blessing from him but we will readily embrace and according as we are called improve to the utmost And if herein also our Endeavours meet with nothing but Contempt and Reproach yet none can hinder us but that we may pour out our Souls unto God for the accomplishment of his blessed and glorious Promises concerning that Truth Peace and Liberty which he will give unto his Church in his appointed time For we know That when He shall rise up to the Prey and devour the whole earth with the fire of his Jealousie He will turn to the people a pure language that they may all call upon the Name of the Lord to serve him with one consent that the Earth being filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the Waters cover the Sea his glory shall be revealed so that all flesh shall see it together and then shall all his people receive from him one heart and one way that they may fear him for ever for the good of them and their children after them by vertue of the everlasting Covenant And for our own parts whatever our Outward Condition be we know he will perfect that which concerns us and he will not forsake the work of his own hands because his mercy endureth for ever FINIS
they suffered in the days of Constantius unto whom the words of Hillary in this case are worthy consideration Let saith he your Clemency take care and order that the Presidents of the Provinces look to Publick Civil Affairs which alone are committed to them but not meddle in things of Religion And again Let your gentleness suffer the People to hear them teaching whom they desire whom they think well of whom they choose GOD TEACHETH rather than BY FORCE EXACTETH the Knowledge of Himself and ascertaining the Authority of his Commands by Works of Power DESPISETH ALL COMPELLED Confession of Him If Force be used to compel Men unto the True Faith the Bishops that profess it would interpose and say God is the God of the whole World he needs no compelled obedience nor requires any such Confession of him He is not to be deceived but to be well pleased Whence is it then that persons are taught how to worship God by Bonds and Perils These are the words of Hillary But the same Persons suffered more during the Reign of Valens who was disswaded from Cruelty against the Christians by Themistius a Pagan Philosopher on the Principles of Common Reason and Honesty plainly telling him That by the way he used he might force some to venerate his Imperial Robes but never any one to worship God aright But the best Emperours in the mean time bewailed those fierce Animosities whereby every Sect and Party laboured to oppress their Adversaries according as they had obtained an Interest in Imperial Favour and kept themselves from putting forth their Authority against any Dissenters in Christian Religion who retained the Foundation of the Faith in any competent measure Valentinianus by publick Decree granted liberty of Religion unto all Christians as Zosomen testifies Lib. 6. Ammianus Marcellinus in his History observes the same Gratian made a Law that Religion should be free to all sorts and sects of Christians except the Manichees Eunomians and Photinians and that they should have their Meetings free as both Socrates and Zosomen acquaint us Neither have they been without their Followers in those Ages wherein the Differences about Religion have risen to as great a height as they are capable of in this World Nor will Posterity be ever able to take off the lasting Blot from the Honour of Sigismund the Emperour who suffered himself to be imposed upon by the Council of Constance to break his word of Safety and Liberty to John Hus and Jerom of Prague And what did Charles the Fifth obtain by filling the World with Blood and Uprores for the extirpation of Protestantism Notwithstanding all his Victories and Successes which for a while smiled upon Him his whole Design ended in loss and disappointment Ferdinand his Brother and Successor made wise by his Example kept constant the peace of the Empire by a constant peace granted to the Consciences of Men. His Son Maximilian continually professed That the Empire of Conscience belonged unto GOD alone wherein He would never interpose And upon the Return of Henry the Third of France out of Poland He gave Him that Advice to this purpose which it had been happy for that Prince if He had understood and followed before He came to dye But then even He also having the severe Instruction given Him of His own Experience left that as His last Advice to his Councellors That they should no more with Force interpose in the matters of Religion Rodulphus who succeeded Maximilian by the same means for a long time preserved the peace of the Empire And after he had by the perswasions of some whose interest it was so to perswade him interdicted the Protestants in Bohemia the use of their Religion upon the tydings of a defeat given to his Forces in Hungary by the Turks he instantly replyed I looked for no other issue since I invaded the Throne of God imposing on the Consciences of Men and therefore granted them their former Liberty Doth not all the World behold the contrary issue of the Wars in France and those in the United Provinces begun and carried on on the same account The Great Henry of France winding up all the differences thereof by granting Liberty to the Hugonots laid a firm Foundation of the future Peace and present Greatness of that Kingdom Whereas the Cruelty of the Duke D'Alva and his Successors implacably pursuing the Netherlands to ruine on the same account hath ended in the utter loss of sundry Provinces as to the Rule and Authority that he and they endeavoured absolutely to inthrone and rendered the rest of them scarce worth the keeping The World is full of Instances of the like kind On the other hand When by the crafty Artifices and carnal Interests of some the Principle of External Coercion for lesser Differences in matters of Christian Religion came to be inthroned and obtained place in the Emperial Constitutions and Laws of other Kingdoms the main use that was made of it was to drive Truth and the purity of the Gospel out of the World and to force all men to center in a Profession and Worship framed to the Interest of some few men who made no small advantage of it According as the Power and Purity of Religion decayed so did this perswasion get ground in the Minds of Men untill it became almost all the Religion that was in the World That those who submitted not unto the Dictates of them who by various wayes obtained a mixture of Power Civil and Ecclesiastical into their hands should be destroyed and rooted out of the Earth This Apostacy from the Spirit Principles Rules and Commands of the Gospel this Open Contradiction to the Practice of the Apostles their Successors first Churches best and wisest Emperours attended with the woful consequents that have ensued thereon in the ruine of Souls proscriptions of the Truth Martyrdom of thousands and ten thousands commotions of Nations and the destruction of many of them We hope will not be revived in these dayes of Knowledge and near approach of the Judge of all We trust that it will not be thought unequal if we appeal from the example of the Professors of Christianity under its wofull Degeneracy unto the first Institution and publick instance of its Profession especially being encouraged by the Judgement Example and Practice of many Wise and Mighty Monarchs in these Latter Dayes The Case is the same as it was of old no new Pretences are made use of no Arguments pleaded for the Introduction of Severity but such as have been pretended at all times by those who were in possession of Power when they had a mind to ruine any that dissented from them That the end of their Conventicles was for Sin and Uncleanness that the permission of them was against the Rules of Policy and Laws of the Empire that they were Seminaries of Sedition that GOD was displeased with the confusion in Religions introduced by them that Errors and mis-apprehensions of GOD were nourished in them
which they profess or that their interest therein is of less concernment unto them than that of others from whom they differ is but a groundless surmise But it is yet further objected that the indulgence desired hath an inconsistency with publick peace and tranquility the other head of the general accusation before mentioned Many fears and suspitions are mustered up to contribute assistance unto this objection also For we are in the field of surmises which is endless and boundless Unto such as make use of these pretences we can truly say that might we by any means be convinced of the truth of this suggestion we should not only desist from our present supplication but speedily renounce those very principles which necessitate us thereunto For we assuredly know that no divine truth nothing really relating unto the worship of God can cause or occasion any civil disturbances unless they arise from corrupt affections in them that profess it or in them that oppose it And as we shall labour to free our selves from them on the one hand so it is our desire and prayer that others may do so also on the other which will give sufficient assurance to tranquility But we are moreover wholly freed from any concernment in this objection in that He who is undoubtedly the best and most competent Judge of what will contribute to the peace of the Kingdom and what is inconsistent therewith and who is incomparably most concerned in the one or the other even the King's Majesty himself hath frequently declared his Royal Intentions for the granting of the indulgence desired who would never have been induced thereunto had he not perfectly understood its consistency with the peace and welfare of the Kingdom And as our confidence in those Royal Declarations hath not hitherto been weakened by the interveniency of so many occasions as have cast us under another condition so we hope that our peaceable deportment hath in some measure contributed in the thoughts of prudent men unto the facilitating of their accomplishment And as this will be to the lasting renown of his Majesty so it will appear to be the most suitable unto the present state of things in this Nation both with respect unto it self and the Nations that are round about us And we think it our duty to pray that his Majesty may acquire those Glories in his Reign which none of his subjects may have cause to mourn for and such will be the effect of clemency and righteousness We find it indeed still pretended that the allowance of meetings for the worship of God how ever ordered and bounded will be a means to procure and further sedition in the Common-wealth and to advantage men in the pursuit of designs to the disturbance of the Kingdom But it were equal that it should be proved that those who desire this indulgence have such inclinations and designs before such pretences be admitted as of any force For our parts we expect no liberty but from his Majesty's favour and authority with the concurrence of the Farliament which when we have obtained as at no time what ever our condition be have we the least thoughts or inclinations unto any sedition or publick disturbance so having an obligation upon us in the things of our greatest interest in this world we know not from what sort or party of men more cordial adherence unto and defence of publick peace and tranquility can justly be expected For where there are more causes and reasons of compliance and acquiescency than there are on the contrary it is rationally to be supposed that they will prevail And to surmise the acting of multitudes contrary to their own Interests and acknowledged obligation of favour is to take away all assurance out of humane affairs Neither is there any colour of sound reason in what is pretended of the advantage that any may have to promote seditious designs by the meetings of the Dissenters pleaded for in the worship of God For doubtless the publick peace will never be hazarded by such designs whilst they are managed by none but such as think to promote and carry them on in assemblies of promiscuous multitudes of men women and children unknown too for the most part unto themselves and to one another But these things are spoken because they have been wonted so to be other considerations to confirm them are none Conscience Interest sense of obligations the only safe rules amongst men to judge by of future events all plead an expectation of the highest tranquility in the minds and spirits of men upon the indulgence desired And there lies a ready security against the pretended fears of the contrivance of sedition in assemblies of men women and children strangers to one another in a great measure by commanding all Meetings to be disposed in such a way as that they may be exposed to all and be under the constant inspection of Authority As for other courses of Severity with respect to the peace and prosperity of the Kingdom it may not be amiss a little to consider who and what are the dissenters from the present establishment For the persons themselves they are mostly of that sort and condition of men in the Common-wealth upon whose industry and endeavours in their several ways and callings the trade and wealth of the Nation doth much depend And what advantage it will be to the Kingdom to break in upon them unto their discouragement fear or ruine we suppose no man can divine Those who think there are enough for the work without them and that their exclusion will make room for others doth gratifie indeed thereby some particular persons intent upon their own private advantages which they would willingly advance in the ruine of their neighbours but scarce seem to have taken a right measure of the state of the whole For whereas it may be sometimes there may in some places be too many of them who manage the affairs of Trade and Commerce when their concerns are drawn unto a head and a readiness for their last exchange that there should be so of those that do dispose and prepare things also to bring them unto that condition is impossible It cannot then be but that the continuance of so great fears and discouragements upon men as those which their dissent from the established way of worship doth at present cast upon them must of necessity weaken the Nation in that part of it wherein its principle strength doth lie Neither are they a few only who will be found to be concerned in this matter which is not to be despised Pliny a wise Counsellor writing to Trajan a wise and renowned Emperour about Christians who were then the objects of the publick hatred of the world desires his advice upon the account of their Numbers not that they were to be feared but unmeet to be punished unless he intended to lay the Empire waste Visa enim est mihi res digna consultatione maxime propter