Territories mainly opposes them nor have we any Law at all to my knowledge for which Jew Turk Heathen or the most grosse Heathenish Idolator is sequestrable nor any penall Oath against the most extravagant blasphemies that a loose wit can imagine and a prophane tongue utter as Ranters Antitrinitarians and the like what can be more destructive to the very foundation of Christianity then the prophane and scandalous blasphemies of Mr. Fry a late Member of Parliament who publikely in print not only denies but decides that Supreme Mystery of Christian Religion the sacred Trinity calling it a chaffy and absurd Opinion c. yet the mercy of the Parliament contented it self with a moderate and favourable punishment excluding him only from sitting amongst them and if his Dignity and publique Character had not rendred him obnoxious to the crime of scandall he might perhaps have remained as free from trouble as all the rest of his Opinion do who never yet have suffered the least molestation for the greatest exorbitances that can be devised In particular at the Quarter Sessions at Westminster on the 24. of June 1651. there wered five Ranters convented before Colonell Baxter and other Justices and sufficient proof that they had maintained that one Robins a Glazier was a Prophet and that his wife was with child of the Messias with such other blasphemous stuff but four of these not then absolutely asserting these Opinions nor yet denying them but evading the severall questions demanded of them by the Bench were discharged the fifth was committed as he well deserved not for his Opinions but for calling the Justices Traytors c. On the same day a gentle-woman great with child and some others were also convented for a supposed hearing of Masse on the day commonly called Christmas day 1650. at the then French Agents in Long Acre and though there was no direct proof that they were at Masse but at Mattins or Prayers before Masse yet Colonell Baxter did maintain against some other of the Justices that Mattins and Masse was all one and so the gentlewoman and the rest were fined one hundred marks a piece and sent to prison according to the rigour of the Statute in that behalfe formerly made the severity of which last proceeding and the partiality of the first needs no Comment Why must the Papist be thus singled out from all the rest and peremptorily forc't to this hard choice of either forfeiting his estate or forsaking his Conscience if we fear their encrease we overvalue their Religion if we doubt their disturbing us we undervalue our own strength abundantly sufficient are the means which God has put into our hands to secure our selves from a few disarm'd Papists abundantly sufficient were this only provision to exclude them from Offices of importance and execute severe punishment upon such as should actually attempt any thing to the discomposure of the State Nor can such gentlenesse and moderation towards quiet Recusants be justly accounted a toleration of them because I conceive that word signifies an absolute equality in all civill respects betwixt Subjects of different judgements in Religion else the present sufferings of Papists paying their two thirds might by the same frowardnesse be accused as a toleration whereas the Penalties indeed are altogether intolerable Not to inflict the utmost severity of punishment is not presently to be reputed an allowance of the crime God himself suffers all the sins we commit but approves none of them we our selves daily permit mischiefs to avoid in conveniences and for that reason we prohibit not Masse in the houses of Ambassadors nor pnnish usury though the Statute it self 13. Eliz. 8. brands it with the name of Vice and most Divines hold it a detestable sin expressely forbidden by the Law of God A conscientious way of setling Religion proposed IN the same place where God commands children to obey their parents he forbids parents to provoke their children Ephes. 6. And where he exacts fidelity in servants he likewise requires moderation in Masters nay more the text includes even bondmen and slaves enjoyning the Masters to forbear threatning knowing that their Master also is in heaven neither is there respect of persons with him thus clearly doth the Word of God condemn as well harshnesse and cruelty in Governours as stubbornnesse and treachery in Subjects so that there is also a tendernesse of conscience requisite on the Magistrates part to proceed sincerely and purely for the good of the people that he may truely say with the Apostle I seek not yours but you 2 Cor. 12. 1. and again verse 17. Did I make a gain of you by any of them whom I sent unto you in which two lines we are plainly advertised of the chiefe danger which Superiours ought carefully to avoid that neither themselves nor their under-Officers make a profit of mens consciences concerning matters of Religion Since therefore the only tolerable designe of the Corrector in such cases is the benefit of the sufferer it necessarily follows that before we can with the least colour of Justice inflict a penalty upon any different profession we ought to use all means possible to recover them to truth and therefore our first work should be to collect a body of positive Articles evidently contained in Gods Word and absolutely necessary to mans salvation it being very improper to pen the publike form of Faith in the Negative because my believing Christian truths makes me a Christian and not my disbelieving the errors that oppose it else he that believes nothing at all would be the best Christian In order to which collection the most religious way is that every one that will modestly may safely propose and discusse those difficulties he meets with in Gods Word and if after all possible diligences of study meditation and prayer no satisfaction or union follow in any point it is an evident sign the question is either obscure or unnecessary and then provide for the peace of the Common-wealth and submit the rest to the pleasure of God When we have agreed upon a summary of belief according to these three conditions positive evident and fundamental with which the Creed commonly call'd the Apostles suits best of any I ever saw then ought the Magistrates hold forth in the spirit of love and meeknesse those so clear and important verities and if any shall be found dissenting which I am confident will be very few let us follow the Apostles rule in punishing a gentle one it is indeed but powerfull 2 Thes. 3. 6. Withdraw from such a one that he may be ashamed and verse 15. esteem him not an enemy but correct him as a brother at worst rebuke him sharply Tit. 1. 13. and after the first and second admonition reject him Tit. 3. 10. that is leave him to the hardnesse of his heart if his conscience grow tender it will check if obdutate he will soon break out into lewdnesse and then be justly punishable by the Law as other
THE Christian Moderator OR PERSECUTION FOR RELIGION CONDEMNED By the Light of Nature Law of God Evidence of our own Principles JAMES II. XII So speak you and so do as they that are judged by the law of liberty for they shall be judged without mercy that have shewed no mercy Mille hominum species rerum discolor usus per me equidem sint omnia protinus alba Printed for H. J. in the yeer 1651. Persecution for Religion condemned WHen I consider how tenderly your Saviour Christ recommends the precept of mutuall love to all that professe his Name making it the Character of his followers By this all men shall know that you are my Disciples if you love one another John 13. 35. And when I reflect how highly the great Apostle Paul exalts the same Commandement abridging into this one precious â—â—â—â—…ble the whole duty of a Christian All the Law is fulfill'd in one word Thou shalt love thy Neighbour as thy self Gal. 5. I cannot sufficiently wonder to see most Christians in this present age with fire and sword persecute each other only upon the account of Religion how are we degenerated from the Primitive Believers who would rather have given their own lives to perswade their enemies to piety then sought to take away the lives of their Brethren to force them to Hypocrisie Yet hath it pleased the Lord Christ in our daies upon whom the ends of the world are come to infuse the like tendernesse into the brests of many conscientious and godly minded people of this Nation who seeing the deformity and unreasonablenesse of those cruell Maximes that preach ruine and destruction for the least difference in belief cease not to pray unto the God of heaven and solicite the Governors of the earth that an impartiall freedome and absolute incoercency in matters of Religion may be firmly and irrevocably establisht for all that professe the Gospell of Christ For incouragement of which holy design woven out of the bowells of mercy and for determent of those tempestuous spirits that with thunder and lightning strive to storm mens consciences I have indeavoured in this short discourse to demonstrate that Conscience-persecution amongst Christians is clearly repugnant to the Light of Nature the Law of God and the evidence of our own Principles Demonstrative Reasons against forcing of Conscience 1. SInce we have so happily shaken off that intollerable Yoke of Popish infallibility which neither we nor our Fathers were able to bear it is become to us not only tyrannicall but absurd to compell others to a way that our selves confesse may possibly be erronious we see one Parliament repeals those Articles of faith which a former enacted that form of worship which the Laws of the last age introduced is now generally exploded nay the very last Reformation setled with so solemn a Covenant and carried on with so furious a Zeal is already by better lights discovered to be meerly humane therefore deservedly laid aside The late Synods Confession of Faith hatch'd by so many years sitting is now learnedly examined and indeed for a great part solidly confuted by Mr. W. Parker and other learned persons in print how preposterous is it then to constrain a soul not only to forsake his conscience which may be truth but drive him contrary to his own heart to a way that may be error 2. Since the Word of God is the sole Rule of Faith and no humane authority so highly impowred as to bind up our assents to whatsoever interpretation it shall please to propose it clearly follows that as all the children of God have equall interest in the Testament of their Father so no one amongst them has any right to impose a force upon the judgement of his brother One holds Baptism of children to be necessary another esteems it unlawfull a third denies both these Opinions admitting well that it may but not that it must be done they conferre Texts look into Originall Tongues pray incessantly to God and professe solemnly the sincerity of their intentions yet after all their diligences and devotions stedfastly remain in their former perswasion truely for my part he that should advise persecution in such a case unlesse his fire brought light too with it to demonstrate the truth would scarce satisfie my suspition that his coals were fetcht from the infernall pit 3. If we reflect upon the difficulties that encounter us in the way to Truth for strait is the gate and narrow is the path and withall consider the shortnesse of our sight for here we see but in part and understand but in part there will appear more reason to endeavour the mutuall assistance and support then malicious ruine and destruction one of another However since all have neither equall depth of naturall judgment nor the same measure of supernaturall illumination but the spirit bloweth how and where it pleaseth we ought not to attempt so high a presumption as to despise or persecute our bâ—other for his innocent and blamelesse mistakes lest we be found to fight against God who is the free disposer of his gifts we know the way of man is not in himself Jer. 10. 23. but his steps are ruled by the Lord Pro. 20. 24. and therefore certainly did we bear a due respect to God we would be content to wait his leisure who has engaged himself by his Apostle Phil. 3. 15. If any man be otherwise minded God shall in time reveal even this unto him let us therefore entertain such an one who proceeds in the simplicity of his heart with milk till he grow stronger to digest strong meat 4. All compulsion upon the Conscience returns us flatly to our old slavery under the Prelates nay more to the implicite faith of the Papists with this only difference that we are worse then either because our consciences accuse us of doing that which we condemn in others for whatsoever I am constrained to swear or professe more then I am convinced of proceeds from as great a tyranny as the High Commission and is as blind an assent as can be match'd in the grossest Popery and dare we think that doing the same things we judge in others we shall escape the Judgement of God Rom. 2. 3. 5. Force is punishment and consequently not just unlesse the offence be voluntary but he that believes according to the evidence of his own reason is necessitated to that belief and to compell him against it were to drive him to renounce the most essentiall part of man his reason Why should we be commanded to try the spirits 1 John 4. 1. to prove all things 1 Thes. 5. 21. if there be not a faculty in the soul to judge for her self why are we enjoyned to hold fast that which we find to be best if after our most serious and deliberate election we shall be whipt out of our conscience by penalties To what purpose do we preach poor souls into just so much liberty of Scripture
Common-wealth and thereupon offer their earnest desires that all coercive Power and all civill Penalties for non-conformity be wholly repealed and some other provision made against such Papists as should disturb the publike peace Many and wonderfull are the deliverances which our good God has dispensed to his servants in reward of this their inclination to mercifullnesse yet amongst all the glorious appearances of the Lord for his people none can be found more eminent then the renowned victory over that rigid and severe Kirk-army of the Scots September 1650. who declining the mild counsell of our Saviour to possesse their souls with patience deservedly lost their lives by violence a fatall argument deciding manifestly this very controversie in favour of meeknesse where the maintainers of compulsion were no lesse ingeniously then cruelly confuted whilest assuming to themselves a Power to force our souls they could not so much as defend their own bodies In memory of which great Salvation from the pride and fury of the Presbyterian Priesthood the Parliament as a new Covenant of Thanksgiving for so seasonable a mercy in the same moneth enacted an abolishment of divers rigorous and penall Statutes contrived on purpose by the haughty Prelates to break the hearts of those whose consciences they could not bend which one Act has won more hearts to acknowledge and love the authority of the Parliament then all their stupendious victories have forced bodies to confesse and fear their Power and if it be not check'd by limitations and partiality in the execution will render them absolute Masters of all that understand their own felicity for what can be imagined more welcome to a Christian people newly delivered from an Antichristian bondage then to see themselves infranchised into a holy Liberty of proceeding sincerely according to their consciences in the Worship of their God Wherefore as we are full of joy for so excellent an Act by which as the Apostle saith we are called unto Liberty so we are full of hopes to be perfectly happy by the free and universal observation thereof without the least self-interest or respect of persons being so conformable to the constant received Maximes and solemn deliberate profession of the Parliament as appears by the Declaration of the Lords and Commons in answer to the Scotch papers 4 Mar. 1647. where folio 43. the Discipline of Ecclesiasticall Censures and all other punishmeuts for matters of Religion are disclaimed as grounded upon Popish and Prelaticall Principles not to be revived under any image or shape whatsoever and a little after folio 63. they proceed in the same sense We shall not be afraid at the day of Judgement that we have been more forward to set Christ at liberty then to cast him in prison it being better in our opinion where the case is not very clear to leave God to deal against many errours then to use his authority for the suppressing of one truth the weapons of fasting and prayer being both more Christian and more available in such cases then those of force and violence and yet more fully if possible in another Declaration in answer to the letters of the Scotch Commissioners 17. Feb. 1648. As for the truth and power of Religion it being a thing intrinsecall between God and the soul and the matters of Faith in the Gospell being such as no naturall light doth reach unto we conceive there is no humane power of coertion thereunto nor to restrain men from believing what God suffers their judgements to be perswaded of Words of that solid weight and precious value as deserve to be ingraven with letters of gold and religiously observed for ever by all tender consciences as an Oracle Conformable to the aforesaid Principles is that excellent Doctrine and advise set down by Mr. Parker and his Brethren in their Examen of the late Synods Confession of Faith in these words page 128. Liberty of Conscience may be infringed first by seeking by violent means to alter conscientious mens judgments and their present perswasion for it is the office of him who is the Lord of Conscience to lighten and change mens minds when and how he pleaseth Phil. 3. 15. Let us therefore as many as be perfect be thus minded and if in any thing you be otherwise minded God shall reveal this unto you 2. By inciting another by like forcible means to will and act against his Conscience and much more by imprisonment mulcts terrours or threats Rom. 14. 15. 20. 21. For this is to make him destroy his soul ver. 20. 23. 3. We may not disturb the peace of mens Consciences or make their hearts sad with our invectives or menacing them causlesly with terrors from the Lord Ezechiel 13. 32. Because with lies ye have made the hearts of the righteous sad whom I have not made sad c. And in page 230. thus But we would not have you assume to your selves or attribute unto others a Power to Lord it over mens Faith and Consciences especially when men walk obediently towards those that are in places of Rule and Authority and live a godly sober honest peaceable and unblameable life If men will do wickedly and defend a Liberty in Christ so to do let them be liable to the Sword of Justice for so doing But far be it from us so much as by example to draw a weak brother a Saint and fellow-servant of the Lord whom no man can accuse but for his differing judgement to do any thing against Conscience whereby he should condemn himself as the Apostle speaks Rom. 14. How much more ought Governours to be tender and abstemious in the use of violent and coercive means to precipitate men into such perillous and destructive courses All authority is given of God for mens welfare and much more for the preservation and not the destruction of the soul By these considerations I conceive is clearly demonstrated the freedome of a Christian soul in her commerce for heaven which since the mercifull bounty of God holds forth indifferently to all the cruell covetousnesse of man ought not to obstruct to any surely it is the worst of Monopolies to lay Impositions upon the way to Paradise Christ by his death removed the Angell that chased from thence our first parents and shall any of us take the Flaming Sword into our hands to sheath it in the bowells of a poor Pilgrime who with a sincere heart travails to the same Countrey only because he goes not in our company In my Fathers house are many Mansions saies Christ why may there not be as many paths that lead to them If they that have no Law shall be judged without the Law certainly they that unblameably mistake the Law shall be tryed according to those Expositions which appeared unto them to be the meaning of the Law-giver for the sense is the Law and not the letter specially having so gracious a Judge who has already declared by his Apostle 2 Cor. 8. If there be first a
but when to those dishonorable imputations are joyned intolerable penalties both upon our lives and estates and not only against the then living Catholikes but all their Posterity to this very day surely it must needs appear the most harsh and severe proceeding that ever was practised in the world wherefore I shall close this second Letter with my humble prayers to the gracious Redeemer of our souls that you would cease to impute all our faults to our Religion and we begin to commit no other fault but our Religion so should we happily overcome our own infirmities and fully satisfie your jealousies When I had well perused this Gentlemans discourse and attentively read his letters I must freely confesse I could not have believed that either the Papists had suffered so much from us or been able to say so much for themselves I doe not mean in order to prove the truth of their Religion but the unreasonablenesse of our persecution since really to my understanding our jealousies of their obedience seem as unnecessary unto us as prejudiciall to them for I am confident there is no Religion in the world but by good Laws against breach of Peace and due execution of them may be made consistent with any Kingdome or Common-wealth whatsoever who more opposite in belief then Christians Jewes and Turks yet we see by experience that Jews are not inconsistent with the Government of Christians nor Christians with that of the Turks no not such Christians as are here in question Papists As concerning the Doctrine we charge upon them of the Popes power over Supreme Magistrates I had the fortune some few years since to meet with a paper that clearly answered all my difficulties wherein were written the negative subscriptions of many English Recusants against these three following Propositions as no part of their Faith or Religion the Subscribers being both in number and quality sufficient to represent the whole body of them in this Nation 1. That the Pope or Church hath power to absolve any person or persons from their obedience to the civill and politicall Government establisht or to be establisht in this Nation in Civil and Politicall Affairs 2. That by the command or dispensation of the Pope or Church it is lawfull to kill destroy or do any injury to any person or persons living within the Kings Dominions because that such a person or persons are accused condemned censured or excommunicated for Errour Schisme or Heresie 3. That it is lawfull in it self or by dispensation from the Pope to break promise or oath made to any of the foresaid persons under pretence that they are Heretiques These they utterly disclaim and renounce as no part of their belief professing under their hands their readinesse to abjure if the State should so require the practise and execution of them all which gave me so much the more satisfaction by how much it was besides my expectation nor have I now any thing to say against them upon that account And indeed if we consider these differences between us impartially our suspitions are not only confuted but shamed by our own daily experience for we trust Papists in all Negotiations as indifferently as Protestants nay even our Travellers and Merchants beyond Seas where the Papists are Masters converse and traffique securely with them and yet I never heard the least complaint of any one single Protestant's being cheated by them upon pretence of exemption or dispensation and therefore since they practise not that part which may sometimes be profitable I cannot think they hold to no purpose that which is alwaies prejudiciall For my small experience in the world all the objection that ever I heard of against the credit of our Papists was their being disabled by sequestrations to pay their debts not taught by their Religion to deceive the Creditors If their Doctrines were so destructive to civill Society as our accusations pretend how comes it to passe that all our fundamentall Laws were enacted by them who invested the Supreme Authority of this Nation with so honourable Priviledges and yet provided so prudently for the just security of the people against the unjust incâ—oachments of Prerogative from whom have all those excellent customes and Statutes of this Nation descended upon us is it possible we should derive all the ancient Priviledges of Parliament and Liberties of the Subject contained in Magna Charta c. from the times their Religion governed the Land and yet say now their Religion is inconsistent with the Government of the Land as it is very true that sometimes the Popes power here was abused to support a temporall interest so it is evident to those that know History that his mediation has been often available both for the preventing and reconciling of our differences as well with our neighbouring Kingdomes as amongst our selves Nor is it possible that any Modell of Government should be absolutely proof against all exceptions but in the experience of five or six hundred years some abuses wil certainly happen whence it is easie for a severe observer to gather objections enough to puzzle the most able and politique Statist in the world to answer especially if they be managed with dexterity and eloquence amongst a half-witted and stubborn people who neither can guide themselves nor will be led by others not blind enough to be ignorant where they are and yet too short-sighted to see whether they go unhappy chiefly in this that they are tender in the sense of any present evill and wholly incapable of foreseeing the destruction that followes their impatience Hear what is charitably said of Papists in the foresaid Examination of the late Synods Confession of Faith page 266. The Papists believe in the same God with the Protestants even in the Father the Son and the holy Ghost though they differ in some Articles or branches of Articles of their belief and in their way of worship yea some of the Papists are regenerate conscientious and vertuous persons Wherefore I humbly conceive our Magistrates and Ministers ought sincerely to enquire into the truth of things and make a conscience of judging or preaching otherwise then secundum probata and not upon bare jealousies or the blind opinion of the vulgar condemn any free-born member of this Nation farther then he shall be proved to be guilty Nor do I believe it reasonable to charge every unjustifiable action of particular Papists or extravagant opinion of any private writer amongst them upon the whole Body of their Religion The Decrees of their Councells they professe to be the only absolute declarers of their Faith amongst whose determinations there are faults enough which they strive to defend no need of imposing upon them errors which they flatly deny Let us lay our hands upon our own hearts we our selves want not our capriches and exorbitant conceits which oughâ— not to be imputed to the whole reformed Religion but to the imperfection of humane nature easily deceived with the colour of