Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A48204
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A Letter to a member of this present Parliament, for liberty of conscience
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1668
(1668)
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Wing L1688; ESTC R17846
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7,435
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11
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take a view of their Establishment There were Converts of the Jewes and Converts of the Gentiles and of the Gentiles some were Proselytes of the Mosaical Law others of the profession onely of the Seven Commandments of Noah The Jews and such as did Judaise observed all the Mosaical Law as strictly as the Pharisees did they did circumcise and pay their vowes and worship in the Temple and offer Sacrifice and kept the Sabbath and the like So Origen * Judae iqui in Jesum Christum crediderunt non desciverunt a patri is legibus vivunt enim juâ—â—ta eas contra celsum sayes of those in his dayes Nor was this onely at Jerusalem where Judaism was National but at Alexandria and else-where where it was not so For St. Jerome (a) About Ecclesiastical Writers saith that Philo the Jew observed this at Alexandria Yet did the other converted Gentiles not Judaising live according to a Christianity superadded to the Seven Commandments and consequently differing in form of worship vastly It is true some went about to reduce them all to Uniformity but who were they Some of the Jewes mark that which believed in Christ Some Bibles only say they were Hharisees and yet strictly observed the Mosaical Law of the Sect of the Pharisees a Sect so much decry'd by Christ not the Apostles and persons spirited by the Holy Ghost Paul and Barnabas opposed it And what character doth the Scripture bestow upon this design of Uniformity In truth that they troubled the Church Acts 15. And behold the issue of these troubles The Synod of the Apostles and others guided by the Holy Ghost thus decide the Controversie They do not like this Uniformity of Worship and Liturgies for the Jewes had a Liturgy This is no part of the Visum est spiritui sancto nobis No they oblige them to a few and those such as were onely necessary For the Text however vulgarly corrupted and represented to establish Ecclesiastical Decisions as necessary yet in our Biblia Polyglotta (b) It is not in the manuscript of our Kings Library 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Beside these subsequent necessary things a candid work of the Bishops of our Church in a Lection stands corrected thus It seems meet to the Holy Ghost and us not to lay upon you any further burthen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 beside what is absolutely necessary that is say very learned Writers the Seven Precepts of Noah for who will believe the Holy Ghost thought it necessary to Salvation that we neither eat black Puddings or Rabbets That which follows is an illustration not restriction forbidding blood-shed * See Selden de jure Nat. lib. 7. cap. 12. You must note that the text speaks of things strangled and blood but by blood is meant blood-shed and things strangled is an addition to the text as the Fathers observe and the Biblia Polyglotta and the other clause of avoiding that which they would not have done to them is in old Copies and so repeated by Irenaeus and others as you may see in the place above in Selden as well as Idolatry and Fornication parts of the Law of Noah And further that Holy Synod adds And whatsoever you would not have done to your selves do not that to others which is a Decision I recommend to you in the like case the debate being there as well as here about Liberty of Conscience That Liberty which you would not be deprived of do not go about to deprive others of (a) For the precedent words include things necessary the following therefore must refer to the point of Ceremonial Conformity As to the tolleration under Christian Emperours I cannot but observe unto you Sir That it was the judgement of those primitive times and every where discovers it self in the Edicts of the first Christian Emperours and Fathers that Religion is not to be inforced but that every one should abound in his own sense and that all variety not onely of Opinions but diversity of Religions should be tollerated in the State if they were not destructive to Government In this point Tertullian (b) In his Discourse to Scapula is peremptory and Lactantius (c) In his Book de Justitia speaking of supporting Religion by Cruelty Oppression and blood-shed jam non defendetur illa sed polluetur et violabitur Nihil enim est tam voluntarium quam religio and agreeable to this is the Speech of Constantine (d) Related by Baronius in his Annals of the year 324. Inter divina et humana servitia hoc interest quòd humana servitia coacta sint divina outem voluntaria comprobentur to the Roman Senate the particular passages I would willingly recite were there not beside protracting this Discourse a great deal of pedantry in quoting Latin And I should be too tedious should I relate unto you all the Edicts made to this purpose by the subsequent Emperours which are Recorded in the Theodosian Code No learned Son of the Church of England can deny it And Chrysostome is positive that no Godly Emperour did Enact against the Pagans any such Laws as they did against the Christians No man versed in Antiquity can deny but that all the Sects of the Christians the Pagans and the Jews had a full Liberty of Conscience and Religion without being excluded from publick offices of Trust and Profit in the Senate Army and Court So that these times which our Episcopal Divines so much recommend unto our imitation when their Hierachy is concerned and their Ceremonies these times do clearly assert the lawfulness of a General Liberty of Conscience without subjecting the several dissenters to any penalties The Heathen had their Priests their Ponâ—ifices Augures Quindecim viros sacris faciundis Salios c. untill the time of Theodosius * Onuphrius descr arb tom lib. 2. The Arrians had their Bishops the Novatians their Bishops and Churches not to mention other Sects in the same Diocesses in which the more orthodox Bishops had also their jurisdiction and made up the national religion of the Roman Empire The Jewes also had their Academies and Patriarchs From all which I do conclude that it is lawful to enact for Liberty of Conscience and that such Acts are not inconsistent with Government nor subject to those inconveniencies many suggest since such Monarchies have flourished notwithstanding them All those conjectures are refuted by the aforesaid instances Nor need they trouble themselves to object that the Roman Empire had a standing Army to preserve the Peace and Authority of the Empire seeing that those of that Army were diversify'd by their several Religions and it is all one not to have any Army at all or to have one composed indifferently of the several parties that were to be kept under Having thus laid before you the judgement and practise of the best times it will not be amiss to reflect upon the several ways and endeavours have been used toward