Secondly When it is hardly restrained it sheweth the World and the Flesh are too much it friends Thirdly When it burneth where lust pride and malice burn Fourthly When it carrieth you from those holy rules prescribed and pretendeth to come from a spirit which will not be tried but by Scripture It s a suspicious sign when it is contrary to the judgment experience and zeal of the generality of most well experienced sober godly Christians And so contrary to the ordinary working of Gods Spirit in others who are as good as you for this zeal cometh not from heaven For Gods Spirit is not contrary to it self But the true Catholick genuine Christian zeal appeareth in its own likeness in wisdome love humility meekness and and sobriety Provoketh hearers to love and good works Is not contentious reproachful injurious loveth virtue in a heathen Is kindled by humble meditations of Christs example to study and imitate him and his Saints in forbearance patience forgiving others and doing good Promoting Christian Religion with sincere and plain dealing winning men by Morality justice and charity and offending them by no unnecessary thing by no imputed calumnies sticking closer to justice and peace than to any party Owneth virtue and goodness that is in all parties and opinions Which will be a means to remove the animosities we are so apt to receive against dissenters and lessen our differences and disagreements The true means of gaining souls to God is the Gospellary way of meekness perswasion c. Christ and his Apostles appeared without words of mans wisdome assistance of Kings or Princes without fines imprisonments oaths c. By his admirable mildness he condemned all these politick Religions by using cruelty to support them If it had been otherwise I would have told you John 14 if the way of planting or preserving my faith had been by imposing penalties by cruel Oaths or watering it with the blood of Refusers I would have told you The son of man came not to destroy mens lives but to save them To wind up all in few words of what is said in this Book I desire no prudent man to give any credit further than his experience shall find true after diligent search made as concerns every one before he pass sentence If this be not enough to disabuse your credulity of criminations imputed without proof or probability let all impartial men judge whether you have not shaked hands with all morality For who can pretend any charity that will harbour detected calumnies or who can love truth that will not acknowledge it when represented The reasons above given I doubt not which would serve to clear the Catholicks from such aspersions before any just or reasonable Judg Pagan or Mahometan How much more ought they to serve among Christians who profess not only truth but charity which is the life of Religion and bond of perfection Hence saith the great Siracides blame no man before thou hast enquired the matter understand first and then reform righteously CONCLUSION IN Conclusion now of this Apologetick Discourse it will not be improper once again to mind you of the necessity we have to Christian love Seing the neglect of it and a persecuting hurtful spirit mistaken for zeal hath been and is the issue and consequence of all the immoderation feuds and antipathies we have one against another It is then the duty of every serious Christian to lay aside all vain jealousies idle suspitions rude severities and much more forged calumnies against any perswasion whatsoever The Authors and Meditators of such aspersions though they may pretend much Conscience and Religion can have none For S. James assures us that whosoever would seem religious and tempers not his tongue that mans religion is vain And in Leviticus 19. 15. It s commanded thou shalt not calumniate thy neighbour nor oppress him by violence It s against a divine precept to bear false witness or detect our brother it s against the lustre of Christian Religion it gives scandal abroad to the very Heathens it s against the peace and settlement of the Nation at home which must be conserved by mutual concord and unity of affection No moderate man that hath left any room in his breast for truth or charity in his heart can abet such fierce censorious unchristian tempers which have appeared of late which have made and still keep open our divisions and distances if the same sins are continued without repentance and if after such warning as the whole world ever scarce had the like we remain still self-conceited and arrogantly ignorant How heynous is our crime and how dreadful is the prognostick of our greater ruin and how guilty are those Ministers of the blood of Souls who tell not men of this sin and danger When I consider Christs precept of mutual love and the Apostle abridging it the whole duty of a Christian I cannot sufficiently wonder to see Christians in this present age so furiously to persecute and hate one another only on the account of Religion If we reflect upon the difficulties that encounter us in the way of truth and withall consider the shortness of our sight for here we see but in part and understand but in part There will appear more reason to endeavour the mutual assistâ—nâ—e and support than malitious destruction and ruin of one another To hate and vilifie others for their opinions is repugnant to Scripture which commands us to love our brother and not persecute him To despise our brother for his innocent mistakes or to constrain him to profess more than he is convinced of proceeds from a great tyranny and presumption I searched Evangelical records and there was nothing but mildness and soft doctrine I enquired into the breathings of the Spirit and they were all pacificatory I wondred from what Scripture-encouragement these men deducted their practices At last I was forced to conclude they were only pretended Chaplains to the Prince of peace And those Teachers that should have been saving lights were degenerated into firebrands Different Opinions in Religion might consist well enough with peace and publick safety would men be perswaded to be modest to keep them to themselves and not to fancy their conceits necessary to the rest of mankind to vex their neighbours provoke their rulers dissettle the government and disturb the peace for the propagation of them Unity and affection might be preserved amidst diversity of opinions if we do but consider that errors are infirmities of the understanding and no man is willing to be deceived So are not objects of our hatred but our pity We hate no man for being blind poor lame c. ignorance and infirmity require our compassion and our charity but nothing can justifie our rage and malice If we were infallible and all our opinions were certainties and demonstrations we might then have more pretence for our stifness rigidness and severities But to confess the infirmities of our own faith and understanding and
All Sides and Nations reproach us for it when the sensual and partial are so hardened in their self ishness that no warning can take off the Bias of their Judgments There is a kind of spirit in some which is so different from that charity which thinketh no evil that it thinketh nothing 1 Cor. 13. else concerning those that differ from them this is contrary to that charity which is not puffed up and doth not behave it self unseemly In that almighty God hath put enmity between the Seed of the Woman and the Seed of the Serpent we may gather that as the Seed of the Woman should be at enmity with the Seed of the Serpent so should it be at unity with it self If even with Infidels and Heathens the Servant of God must not strive but be gentle to all men apt to teach c. 2 Tim. 2. 24. How much more is Gods family and inheritance to be used with love and tenderness There is in many Christians a strange inequality of partiality Alas how often have I heard wise and otherwise prudent persons cry out against pride and partiality in others who in their next discourse have shamefully shewed it themselves making much of their own inconsiderable reasonings and vilifying urgent evidence And being so intent on their own cause that they could scarce have patience to hear another speak and when they have heard them their first words shew that they never well weighed the strength of his arguments but were all the while thinking what to say against him or how to go on as they had begun Many an errour is taken up by going too far from others Some giddy and heady Professors saith Doctor Gauden have been so eager to come out of Babylon that they are almost run out of their wits so jealous of superstition that they are pandors for confusion so scared with the name of Rome that they are afraid of all right reason and sober Religion so fearful of being over-righteous by following traditions of men that they fear not to be over-wicked by overthrowing the good â—oundations of honour order peace and charity fierce enemies indeed against the Idolatry of Antichrist but fast friends to Belial and Mammon to Schism and Sacriledg And thus mens judgments and practices are depraved by flying indiscreetly from others while they think more from whence they go than whether More favouring the separate zeal of Pharisees than the winning zeal of Christ calling themselves a godly people and are but a company of superstitious Pharisees or a sort of melancholy humorists who must sit because their neighbour stands or must go out of the way because their neighbour goeth in it They that will find out the bottom of any Religion must prepare themselves to carry a spirit thoroughly discharged of all animosities passions and false apprehensions which corrupt the judgment and raise a mist upon the most resplendent lights of truth If we were impartially willing to know the truth and did pray God in meekness of spirit we would avoid and not choose deceits and resist the light and provoke God to forsake our understandings Many Christians are as children tossed too and sro fluctuating 'twixt wind and water there is no other remedy for such or satisfaction or peâ—ce to their Consciences but Christ's precept and prescript to hear the Church to be of the number and in the community of the generality of agreeing Christians seing the generality of those that have a long and constant delivered Series of their Doctrines is more unlikely to be in error or forsaken of Christ than a few odd-conceited new opinions And this may be one rational means left us to find out the truth as Baxter confesseth in cure of Church c. to submit to that the most religious the most learned the major part of Christians ever taught or submitted to Whence Bishop Gauden noteth The primitive Churches were as careful to act in their outward Order and Government of the Church according to Apostolical pattern and traditional constitutions which were first the rule of the Churches practice as they were faithful to preserve the Canon of Scriptures which were after written and delivered without corruption to posterity Every one will confess that the true spirit of Christianity is meek peaceable gentle and yet how contrary is the practice the people of God are realous but of what not to consume and destroy one another not to hate and vilifie one another but they are zealous to love one another to forbear what is contrary to love zealous of good works patient temperate gentle c. the way of heavenly wisdom is meek peaceable and easie to be entreated by all offices of Rom. 12. 18. love inclined to good to all The spirit of false zeal is censorious hurtful dividing following the works of the flesh which are hatred malice Galat. 5. 12. variance leading the way to cruelty and persecution Where is persecution but from thinking ill of others abhorring and not loving them robbing men of the priviledges of Christians not leaving them common liberty of men and subjects nor to plead for themselves This destroying cruelty leaveth them neither and will not suffer them to enjoy so much liberty as Heathens and Infidels may enjoy or as S. Paul did under such condemning them to the loss of the greatest Act. 28. priviledges on earth and to be left out with the dogs publicans and heathens Is persecution worthy all the calamitous divisions in Christendom and the blood of so many thousands shed for conscience sake and enduring the outcries of the imprisoned and banished and their prayers to Heaven from mens hands and the leaving such a name upon record to posterity as is usually left in History on the authors of such sufferings besides the present regret of mind in the calamities of others and sad divisions and destructions of charity which cometh hereupon Will force cure disagreements and errors better than evidence of truth and love will do will they be so cured without a greater mischief Is not the work to be done for saving mens Souls and shall any be saved against his will will penalties change the judgment in matters of religion is he any better than a knave or hypocrite who will say or swear to do that through fear which he thinketh God forbiddeth him and feareth may damn his Soul is it the honour of Church or Kingdom to be composed of such and are the lives of Kings peace of Kingdoms Estates c. competently secured where God is not feared more than fines or corporal punishments Is this to teach in love to instruct in meekness it is certain whosoever swerves from the dictate of his Conscience commits a sin Rom. 14. So they that endeavour to force or draw any man to profess or act contrary to what his Soul believes are as deeply guilty of the same crime We are all infirm and of imperfect understandings therefore we ought not to be too imperious or too censorious toward other dissenters lest you James 3. 12. receive a greater condemnation take heed you fall not into the hands of the living God They shall be judged without mercy who have shewed no mercy The rod of discipline must be used but it must be done only to the scandalous and so done that it may appear to be Christs own work and upon his interest and his command and not either arbitrarily or for our selves Christ teacheth us not to use violence when we speak for him but to beseech men in his name to be reconciled to God 2 Cor. 5. And men would more easily be perswaded to believe that Religion to be from God whose Professors they saw to be god-like The whole Gospel is a revelation of the love of God and a Messias of peace and very opposite to envy and animosity all principles which are against universal love are against God and holiness it is Love which is predominant Fear is subservient and that fear which is contrary to love is vice I dare proclaim true piety love humility and prudence may happily heal a great many dissentions and the wounds which rash injudicious zeal hath made that to the proud carnal and uncharitable seem incurable and the cessation of unnecessary impositions might cease the saddest distractions of the Nation Oppression maketh a wise man mad saith the Preacher Eccles 7. 7. Conscience Persecution then among Christians is clearly repugnant to the Law of God the Light of Nature and evidence of our own principles For the sake then of Christ who purchased the weakest with his blood for the sake of those who are in danger of turning to Atheism for the sake of the poor distracted Nation for the sake of the King that he may have comfort in his Subjects of governing a quiet peaceable people and for your own sakes that you may give up account to God of your principal and most Christian duty and not make Apocriphal all those Texts of Scripture and plain injunctions to charity and love above cited and Rom. 14. 2 3 4. and 15. 34. Matt. 25. 40. 1 Phil. 15 16 17. Let then the Scripture Reason and Experience the Petitions and Tears of the distressed intreat you to moderation Rom. 3. 16. let the deformity and unreasonableness of the cruel maxims of persecution bringing nothing but destruction and misery be a determent to all tempestuous spirits let the conscientious and godly-minded people out of the bowels of mercy and compassion sollicite the Governours of the earth and pray unto heaven for an impartial freedom That eternal Majesty who raised so brave a fabrick of such indisposed materials that controuls the waves and checks the tumults of the people let his mercy be implored for speedy succour to the distressed for unity and charity to the divided That the rod of Aaron may blossom that the Tabernacle of David may be raised that the subtil and envious may be caught in their own snare that the result of all afflictions may be the greatening of his Glory and the exalting of his Scepter Amen FINIS
religiously plead for a Liberty seditiously and factiously to broach to others any new opinions he pleaseth Nor may any part of men though never so godly carry on any design though it may be better than what at present may be by any violent irregular and disorderly ways For every Christian duty hath its Bounds beyond which it is not true and virtuous Liberty but inordinateness and excess Some mens pedantick incivilities to the Consciences of others may be instructive to us as to convince the necessity of setting out true bounds of Liberty which should not be granted on other terms then as far as it conduceth to Gods honour and the Peoples good For if publick power should suffer arrogant ignorance excess of passion perversness of will to come to its full rudeness and extent tumultuary numbers and brutish Power will soon make good private presumptions and cover over the most impotent Lusts passions and ambitions of men with the pleas and outcryes of Christian Liberty For that is no other freedome then that as water enjoys when it overbears and overflows her Banks and Bounds and such as the envious and malitious Devils affects and are most impatient not to enjoy nor may they be touched or curbed by any authority in Church or State be their extravagancies never so blasphemous but presently they make great clamours of persecution as if all were persecutors who helped to bind a Mad-man or put a roaring drunkard into the Cage The vitious are not to be counted into the sort of meer Dissenters Socinians who are enemies to the Blessed Trinity Atheists who hold Principles destructive to Christianity and those Parties whose Religion forbids subjection and carries an opposition to civil Government and Commands by Fire and Sword to erect their new Spiritual Kingdom And those who hold forth notions and conceptions reforming or wholly changing the state of Religion and Government and in order to that shake even the frame of Civil things to which they think themselves no longer bound in subjection then they want a party strong enough for opposition nor will they easily be perswaded that it is the sin of Rebellion carries the face of reformation easily dispensing with obedience to men where they pretend amendment before God putting on Sheeps Cloathing to no other purpose but the renting of Christs seemless Coat Sow to themselves leaves of frivolous pretences dispute Preach Plead Clamour about moderation and Liberty when all the immoderation is in themselves contend to have priviledges prerogatives freedome regulated so and so yet would they examine themselves nothing needs more regulation then their own judgments opinions and humours There be others of hotter tempers more Cholerick Constitutions and feaverish complexions have such ferocious Spirits like pampered Horses whom no ground will hold dayly neighing after novelties who love to be moving in the troubled waters of secular affairs who seem most impatient of any order or publick rule in which they have not some stroak or influence ready to undo whatever is done without them their Brest is full of turbulent and seditious Spirits as the Cave of Aeolus of Winds Forgetting what Spirit becomes followers of the Gospel whose heads are prone to move their hearts with Specious novelties quick excitations and zealous resolutions which soon after like salt-streams descend and fall upon their Lungs provoking them violently to the spreading their opinions to others till they see the Children of their brains prove meer abortions To the misguided activity of such even Ministers the Commonalty may owe much of its troubles These only and the like most truly forfeit their Christian private Liberty to the publick discretion and power who will not or cannot use it but to the publick detriment Beware then of Compliances with and indulgence to all sorts Sects and Schisms pleaded for as if it were a part of Christs Legacy and Peoples Liberty to be tolerated in any Actions or Opinions never so pernicious Saint Paul beseecheth the Romans to mark those that Cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine received Rom. 4. 6 17. As an absolute unity in judgment is not to be attained in this Life so an universal or absolute Liberty is not to be permitted or indulged in things injurious to God Toleration of all things is a destructive principle to State and Church a Cloak to Licentiousness ushereth in Atheism and Libertinism Transports Men oft-times to such excesses beyond those bounds of duty which as Subjects we ought to observe Hath many Latitudes evasions and distinctions to unravel the Cords of any Oaths and untwist the Bonds of any Covenant or Protestations Those who are most pregnant and impatient of holding in their Opinions on the pretence of Truth do but proudly esteem their own understandings pretious to vend some raw and indigested notions The Devil usually pretends Truth to Cover his Lyes Clamour must not prevail but reason Is it to follow the direction of Christ to Preach on the House-top If there were a Nero or Dioclesian at the Helm who should threaten to mingle our Blood with our Sacrifices if you had your Antelencana and should flock into Caves of the Earth to worship Christ your zeal would be more tolerable True Christian toleration extends not to matters of an extern nature wherefore Magistrates may use a Coercive hinderance from publick Meetings without impeaching it When Subjects have expressed a due Regulation in it then is a King in Capacity to shew a God-like benignity and Power in granting the things they ask as conducing to God's honour and the Peoples Good nor is it rational to be granted on other terms For Religion cannot be defended by transgression of God's Commands which are the rule of it The true Liberty of conscience of any man consists in a Constant tendency or intention to the Supream end and those holy regulations which God hath prescribed as it stands in referrence to God its Creator and its Neighbour Wherein a Christian is free to declare and utter them to know consider meditate of and believe whatever Truth God hath revealed When he is free to declare and utter them in such a holy way which Charity Sobriety Modesty Order and Gravity allow or conferring so with others as may have some savour of Reason and Religion in an humble and holy desire to learn or teach in a regular not in a rude insolent and imperious way A wise humble Christian is never far from his refuge and when pursued and urged beyond what he thinks agreeablt to good Conscience he is not to seek for or take Foxes shifts subtil windings or sinful coverts Is more willing to hear then earnest to object and labours to acquiesce in others satisfaction as well as his own becomes all things to all men in regard of things Civil and extern CAP. V. Whether the Romanists have not a just and equal title to Toleration SUch is the multiplying of that breath giving Life which God hath cast upon slime