is the World and the Civil States and several Nations thereof which howbeit the Bishop takes Nations for Churches by whole-sale here as if the words Church and Nation were Synonima's yet qua Nations are not Churches to grow together with the Wheat until the harvest or end of the World and that with this Caveat least men in the midst of their Busslings and busie minds mistaking should under a pretence of plucking up the Tares root out the Wheat it self also which what Kingdom or People soever doth Bishop Gaudens Counsel and Caveat to the contrary notwithstanding who sayes he is not for such a â—…ame permission of Tares to be among the Wheat least that good seed of Religion which is sown by the Publick Ministry by which he means no other then their own and fenced by Legal Authority should be â—…hoaked had better busie it self wholly about other and meer secular matters of wrong and wicked Lewdness which reason wills they should be Totally taken up with in the exercise of their Civil Power those being the things which not onely properly but indeed alone appertain to them to be exercised in or take Congnizance of For if the Wheat which are indeed those true worshippers only who worship the Father of Spirits who is a Spirit and seeketh such onely to worship him in Spirit and in Truth in reference unto whom all other outside worshippers are as nothing for what is the Chaff to the wheat saith the Lord and which onely must go into the garner when all chaffy Formalists must in this day wherein the Lord is sifting out the house of Israel from among the Nations or several Sorts of Professions as Corn is sifted in a Sieve fall to the ground be driven away with the Wind and burnt up with the unquenchable Fire of that great day of the Lord which now burns as a Oven against all Flesh and fleshly Christianities if we say the foresaid true worshippers be of God then they cannot be withstood in a way of Safety to it self by any Nation Sith to withstandâ—… them is not onely to resist that People which are the Chariots and Horsmen thereof but also to be found fighters against God himself against whom and his People it is as impossible finally to prevail as it was for Egypt to prevail against Israel which when God arose to Redeem them from their bondage increased upon them so much the more by how much the more they were opressed and intended to be for ever suppressed by them God himself taking part with his own chosen against the other who hath said he will give Kingdoms for their ransome and Nations for their Life rather then his own Seed shall go unredeemed We say that this were the way to setle all in Peace to change all setled Lawes that are for Persecution into a Law for the Tolleration of all Religions much more of that one which though it be struck at both by and before all the rest will be found at last to be the onely true one which yet must unavoidably suffer Violence in some place or other while that Principle of Persecution hath place in Peoples hearts for as all Nations are not of one and the same but of many respectively so all men are not of one and the same Religion in any one Nation whereupon in case it happen that any Nation by Law Establish that Religion which is not Truth that Nation suppressing by outward Violence all Religions besides its own whether that be Heathenish Turkish Iewish Popish Prelatical Presby erian or any other must necessarily ex officio in point of duty Persecute and tread down the Truth it self for if the Civil Magistracy as such ought de jure to root out all Religions but that which it judges to be Righteous and convenient then even those that are heathen Magistrates who would be no more as to that capacity of Magistrates then now they are if they should turn Christians must root out quoad posse all that 's Christian and every Magistrate being a Magistrate as well as any one the notion of Christian adding nothing to mens Power as Civil Governors according to that rule of quatenus ipsum which includes de omni what ever belongs to any thing as so belongs also to every thing that is so not onely those Nations which happen to be of the true Religion must Persecute all those that are found in false ones but each Nation that is found in any false Religion must seek the utter ruine not only of all the rest but even of those also which are Established in the Truth But this is the way which the Bishop in no wise approves of for any Nation or at least for this to renounce the unsound Principle of forcing under Penalties all Dissenters to conformity in Religion unto it self because saith he it is not consistent with the Piety Prudence Honour or Safety of a Nation and Church when it judgeth its Constitutions to be Religious Righteous and Convenient But what a contrary conclusion is this not only to all Scripture Reason as is shewed above but also to all common Experience in this our Nation in which it hath been seen in the dayes both of Edward the sixth Elizabeth and Iames his times neither can it be denyed by the Bishops themselves unless they will deny themselves to be conscientious Dissenters from that Popery which stood here of old how much it was for the piety prudence honour and Safety of the Nation which did before generally judge those Popish constitutions it was then establisht in to be Religious Righteous and Convenient and yet upon further and more mature deliberation saw good ground for the sake of that small yet more enlightned Protestant Party that dissented to change the then and long before establisht Lawes concerning their Mass and many other matters as the Statutes themselves declare at large The Bishop therefore by this reasonless Reason both condemns that course of all the Protestant Princes of England that changed the Popish Laws before establisht for the sake of tender Protestant Dissenters as not savouring of piety prudence nor yet either safe honourable or convenient for the Nation but also secondly justifies the Pope himself and all Popish Princes in Persecuting such Protestants against him as are found within these Precincts and Dominions and in not changing their establisht Laws against the Truth for their sakes sith as the Bishops judge the English Constitutions so to be whereby they stand So other Nations judge their own Constitutions to be Religious Righteous and Convenient and thirdly makes a fence against the spreading of all sorts of Protestanism not that only which is so at large but of that which is Christianity so truly called Moreover where ever the alteration of any suppressive Lawes for the sake of a few Dissenters tends to the encrease of Love and Amity Peace and Unity which is a better thing than Uniformity in a Nation the preservation of
outward Penalties to punish and Persecute the Saints who to themselves who are not of the Light and Day but Night and Darkness seem Sinners then they are Condemned in themselves as men not faithful trusty or honest to their yet Erring Consciences about those Lawes of men against Christs Disciples in the Execution of which they dinily Divine they do God service but if they do act according to their own thoughts whilst they think in their Conscience as Paul once did they do God good service when they kill his Servants then they can never flee from that Wrath which is to come upon all the ungodly and Children of Disobedience who are found Rebelling against the Light and revelling in the ruines of its Children which Wrath is no other then the Condemnation of Hell it self the Lake of Fire the due Portion of all the abominable ones which is the Second Death Rev. 21. Rev. 22. The best way to escape this Snare is for all men to take heed which must be by following the Light within of that Spirit of Truth it self which by degrees leadeth all that faithfully follow it into all Truth that the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Iudgement of their Conscience be according to Truth first and then as B. G. sayes truly indeed to act accordingly for while men say they have fellowship with God and do him service yet walk in Darkness besides the Light of God in themselves in which God himself is manifesting his own minde more or less in each mans Conscience they lie and do not the Truth 1. Iohn 1. howbeit there is the most hopes of them that when in the same Zeal as Saul of old they Persecute the true Church of God do it yet ignorantly and in unbelief that all such as have now any hand in Persecuting and spoiling us who excepting that new-nick name of Quakers by reason of which we are not yet known so to be are in truth the self same Church and sort of Christians as were of old Persecuted by Saul and others and in Imprisoning and Impoverishing us through simple ignorance may obtain the same Mercy that Paul did is the hearty wish and true desire of our Souls who can say of such as Christ also did Father forgive them for they know not what they do and with Stephen while they were stoning him Lord lay not this their sin to their Charge But if there be any that believe we are the People of God and yet Persecute us out of meer malice against his Image which they hate having by long Custome and exercise of themselves in murderous and bloody wayes contracted so compleatly to themselves that Image of their Father the Devil who hath begotten them from God and Goodness to the doing of his own will who was a Murderer and a Lyar from the beginning so that now they cannot but contradict the known Truth and blaspheme against the Holy Spirit of it through what Vessel soever it utters it self the Sin of such being evidently unto Death we are not bid to pray for that it having forgiveness neither in this World nor in that to come yet we leave them to stand or fall to their own Master Having in part discovered the Pittifulness of some of those Pious and specious pretences of Pitty and Christian Charity to the Quakers which Bish Gauden makes and under which as under a Vizard he seeks to hide the severity of his Visage we shall proceed to unmask him further by some observation of some other Passages much what to the same purpose in both his Book and his Epistle Bish. He saith in his Epistle pag. 4. Thus the Cudgol Sword Prisons and Banishments Plundring and Sequestrations were the Late Cruel and Flagellant Methods of our most Tyrannous Times which had nothing of Reason Law or Religion to support them but these are not in my Iudgement either the first or the fittest means to Confute the falsities of mens Private Opinions or to rectifie the obliquities of their inconform but Innocent Actions flowing from them upon the account of Conscience and Plea of Religion Answ. By these words Bish. Gauden seems to give his Countrymen and fellow Christians to understand that as the Times are changed so in his Opinion ought to be also the Method of proceeding against the Quakers and other dissenters from themselves and that as we were dealt with then but very unjustly by the Cudgel Sword Prison Banishment Plundrings and Sequestrations proceeding from the Tyrannousness of those Times from men void of Reason Law and Religion so now it ought to be onely by good life and sound Doctrine from such as have true Reason Law and Religion intimating also that the Case is not so desperate as to need any such sharp inflictions seeing it is but to Confute the falsities of mens Private Opinions and to rectifie the obliquities of their inconform yet Innocent Actions unto which saith he there must be more tender and softer applications accounting it no less then even unreasonable and unchristian to follow the Example of Tyrants in such proceedings so that hereby one would think there were some good ground to judge that this Bishop and Father of the Church so called would prove a Tender Nursing Father indeed that did with no small disdain decline all kinds of Cruelty and Persecution yet notwithstanding behold how in the very next words he unsaith in effect all that again in this wise Viz. Bish. It may be as just as necessary to represse by Legal Coerciâ—…ns and Penalties those Petulant obstinacies which do resist all safter applications and endanger the Publick Tranquility by giving Affroâ—…ts to setled Religion or obstructions to the proceeding of Iustice by Established Lawes By which words he not onely gives us to discern as Ex pedâ—… Herculem ex unque Leonem what is his rigid resolution and harsh disposition towards tender Consciences notwithstanding his desire to be counted of a Contrary Complexion but also like an unskilful builder plueks down with one hand what he built up newly with the other for howbeit these words of his are not de sure applicable to us who are called Quakers we having never been found in any Petulant obstinacies nor resisted in any sence all softer applications nor ever yet endangered the Publick Tranquility by affronts yet the Bishop writing the said words with reference to them and falsely applying them de facto to the Quakers whom throughout his Book as well as here he seeds with a Bit and a Knock makes void as well to the Contradicting of himself as to the Interdicting of that Liberty he would â—…ain be believed to allow the Quakers what he himself had said immediatly before so ministreth to us just occasion of Iealousie that by those words of his viz. resist affronts obstructions c. he intends no other then our denyal of Obedience the Bishops meere minds and wills and bare non-submission to such Lawes of men as without wounding and
only upon the score of Religion without such an exceptions clause as he intermingles among this his most merciful and pittiful matter whereby he snatches back again all his Christian Charity and Pitty and ingrosseth it onely to himself and his own Party viz. farther then is necessary for the cure of offenders and the Conservation of the publick Peace under which clause of curing offenders and preserving the Publick Peace the very Pope himself who pretends to Pitty and Christian Charity as much in words as the Prelates does not onely Ushers in but secures it self amongst his own Children from the censure of that bloody Tenet of Persecution for cause of Conscience under all that Severity Wrath and Rigor that he hath ever exercised towards those Dissenters from his See and Counsel Chair that have at any time fallen under his Clerical Cruelties Then he would not err on the right hand as he seems to do to himself though in reality he is far from it his Error being yet very much rather on the left but walk uprightly by that right golden Rule of Chaist which he commends but comes not near the Practice of which onely hath in it the true Humanity of a man and the Charity of a Christian viz. to do as he would be done unto for the Primitive Christians did so indeed and as they would not have had the Iewes their own Country-men Persecute them as they did so they never did Persecute any nor would they had they had the outward Power so to do no not Iews that denyed Christ upon the score of that both then and still blasphemous Religion of theirs in order to such an end as the cure of Offenders and preservation of the Publick Peace for they knew 't was the publick preservation of Truth which was the onely thing that would break that Nations publick peace and that nothing was so safe for the Civil Powers and so clearly consistent with their Peace as to let the Truth and its Children alone for the sufferings of which by persecution among them when they had filled up the measure of their fathers who slew the Prophets Wrath at last came upon them to the uttermost But this Bishop who I am sure would have his own way have perfect Liberty would have It and It only to have not onely all Liberty but all outward Emoluments and Advantages also in a way exclusive of all others to whom he would indeed have Facility and Gontleness exercised with abhorency of all Severity and Rigors upon the score of Religion onely yet with this bit in their mouth whereby he can pull in all he gives and grants viz. So far onely but no further than is necessary to the curing of Offenders as he counts all dissenters are in one sence though to go round again some not offending but obeying God in another and than is for the conservation of the publick Peace Neither is he less unrighteous in condemning the Innocent with the guilty and giving Sentence against a People whom he confesses to be as elsewhere he doth possibly of no evil minds at present for what they may be in future time before they are so He would think it unjust if we should say he and his Brethren let them say what they will and speak in never so much simplicity and appear never so harmless yet are not to be trusted in their most innocent smiles on us because as some called Bishops have formerly so these in present being though Facile and Gentle yet may hereafter prove Bloody and Deceitful And thus he manifests himself though called a Father to be not only without Compassion but without the Spirit of Iudgement and a sonnd Mind also and if we were indeed ignorant and out of the way of Truth as we are not we find him not such a High-Priest as is truly touched with the feeling of our Infirmities as knowes how to have compassion on the Ignorant and on such as are out of the Way Nevertheless that he may seem the more excusaâ—…ble after he hath pleaded seemingly for indulgence in his counterplea for non-indulgence again he covers and coulers himself over very frequently with such pretences as this that followes Bish. The insolent and seditious Expressions that bring 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and violent Actions especially in Pulpits and Presses ought with great Penalties to be suppressed there being nothing more unreasonable than for any man rudely to Blaspheme and Reproach that Religion which his Prince and Country profess Answ To blaspheme and reproach that Religion which the Scripture doth profess to be the true one as Iames 1. and which Christ the King of all Princes of the Earth and his People profess which is to keep unspotted of the World is more unreasonable than to blaspheme that which at a venture a mans Prince and Country Professes for That most assuredly is the true and pure Religion undefiled before God while 't is more then possible that This last may be a false one and by so much the more unreasonable by how much more it 's unreasonable to speak evil of Good than of Evil it self Secondly As to this passage let every other dissenting party as far as they are found Innocent vindicate themselves but if this be spoken with reference to the Quakers to whom the Bishops Book mainly doth relate the thing is sooner said than proved that any such insolent or seditious Expressions from whence as from the Cause thereof any Tumultiousness or Violence hath proceeded have been yet found among the Quakers or that we are found such rude Blasphemers or Reproachers which things we justisie not in any where they are found yet are able to justisie our selves as not guilty of ought that can justly come under such a notion on a true account but since we who look better both to our Spirits and to our Speeches than to give way by either to the sowing of Sedition Tumults Rudeness Blasphemy Reproach or Violence against any men for their Religion are falsely counted as sowers of such things as Blasphemers and Reproachers of that Religion which our Prince and Country do profess for no other Cause then our testifying to the Truth and our publishing that Gospel of Peace that brings out of all War and Strife and for declaring against the meer Traditions and Inventions of men We would know the Bishops mind if he be able to resolve us First Whether his meaning be as his Words here import of every Prince and Country as a Prince and Country as well as of any one without respect to this or that Form of Religion in it If yea Then Secondly Whether will not this Shift serve the chief Priests of the Turke Pope Tartar Pagan and all other Ethnick Princes to their several sorts of Religious People as well as the Bishops of England to say Nothing is more unreasonable than for men to reproach that Religion which their Prince and Country do profess And so Thirdly Whether by consequence this doth
not block up the way for ever unless unreasonableness it self must make the way against Turks and Heathens ever rejecting their own false Religions for the true one Sith every man who shall come to be any further enlightned in the Truth than the dark Body of the whole Nation he belongs to must stop his mouth from ever declaring it in order to the Illumination of others and say as that Divine Heathen or Prophetical Poet of old who rebuked the rude manners of his Generation at Rome Me mutire nefas nec clam nec cum serobe nusquam Fourthly Whether the Apostles who very roughly reproved the religious Superstition of the Iews which their then King and Country also did profess calling them stiff necked and uncircumcised resistters of the holy Spirit calling the High Priest now out of date though supposing himself to stand then by divine Institution as those did before Christ crucified whited wall stiling the circumcision the concision preaching against the Prohibitions of the High Priests and their threatnings of them for speaking in the name of Iesus from whence often tumultuousnesse was occasioned though caused only by the Malice of the Priests themselves still stiring up their People to strife and wrath against them were truely to be counted what by the Priests they then were counted and as we are now by the same Generation viz. so insolent and seditious in their Expressions as to be the Causers of Tumultuous and violent Actions whether they were truely counted Unreasonable ruâ—…e Blasphemers and Reproachers of the Religion of their Prince and Country And Fifthly Whether this Bishop himself and such of his Brethren who count us as such for doing no other than the very same in the same Spirit and Power would not have counted the Apostles so then as the High Priests then did had these hapned to have lived in their times and in the Religion of their Prince and Country But no marvel if great Penalties be called for against men as seditious and tumultuous who but that they are so nicknamed are more peaceable People than their Accusers where only Self-interest Self-safety and outward Security in Prosperity are sought after But why had we not this mans mind herein before it may be thought surely that either this that nâ—…w is so was not his mind in the late times he speaks of or else that those times not favouring the Episcopal Religion so much as these do he had not then so much Zeal for it as now he hath being made a Bishop himself nor so much courage as to bear witness to it and appear so eager against Dissenters from it as now he doth in the juncture of these late times of his own exaltation And no marvel there is such a loud cry for the suppressing under penalties to Dissenters of both their Pulpits and their Presses for then all that is either Preached or Printed by the Clergy alone may pass for truth without reply controul or examination and so that People whose principle it is aut solus aut â—…ullus to stand alone or not at all may all others that pretend to it being removed out of the way have alone that title of Christs and the Gospels Ministers for they usually win all in the dispute who have none to contradict them but themselves Nevertheless how suspitious the truth of that Religion and its Ministry is that fears reproof and is loath to stand the Tryal by whatever in preaching or printing may never so openly appear against it all such may easily discern who know that Truth seeks not to creep in corners And how far from the true one that Religion is that by violence oppresseth others the Bishops own forecited Words tells us in which he saith It was the genius of primitive Christians to abhor all Severity and Rigors onely upon the Score of Religion c. out of whose practice they must needs be found who seek contrary unto that which he calls Christ's golden Rule of doing to others as they would by others be done unto to cause men to become Christians by compulsion and to oure such as are made Offenders only for not being so by cutting thâ—…s off from their common Priviledges as men and to conserve the publick Peace by that common succesâ—…ess conserve of publick Persecution Bish. There are but those four wayes of treating any party that dissents from the publick Establishment of Religion and its Laws in any Church and Kingdom First either to Impoverish Imprisan Banish and Destroy all Dissenters as the King of Castile did the Moores of Granada which is a very rough barbarous unwelcom and unchristian way disallowed by all Wise Men of all perswasions Answ. Turpe est Doctori cum culpa rederguit ipsum That there hath been no other way of treating us as Dissenters but this first way of the four which is as yet also likely to continue is evident enough by the Act 's commencement against the Quakers on the 24th of March so called long before the Bishops Book which he may possibly call a more gentle way of treating came forth in publick which Book had it been the fâ—…test yet therefore was not the first sith it comes and so to little purpose so long a time after the other Which way of proceeding by Impoverishment Imprisonment â—…anishment which is the very way of the Bill to the passing of which he hath consented 't is so much the more shame to him that he did consent seeing he here also passes so severe a Sentence on it as to compare it to the King of Castiles destroying the Moores of Granada which himself condemneth as a very rough Barbarous unwelcome and Unchristian way disallowed by all wise men of all perswasions And we also appeal to himself and all wise men of all perswasions whether as he consented to that very thing he here so much Condemneth so he hath not greatly Condemned himself as one Acting and so sinning against his own Conscience and so against God the very contrary to which he commendeth the Quakers for in his so consenting and whether he doth not in his Sentencing the Quakers to distruction by Fines Prisons Banishments Sentence himself also to be both Cruel Rough Barbarous Unwelcome and Unchristian and unlike to all wise men of all perswasions and also contrary to that Charitable Method and Temper as he calls it of those Ancient Fathers of the Church Irenaeus Turtullian Cyprian Austin Prosper Cyrill Hillary Optatus Ierom and others guided by the Word and Spirit of God who as he saith never used any other means but the Sword of the Spirit the Word of Truth in Meekness of Wisdom and did not call the severity of the Secular Sword to their assistance as many now do before or until they found that depraved Opinions put men upon desperate Actions which as yet neither hath nor can be justly charged upon the Quakers so that here is a Cloud of Witnesses all added by himself
succeslesness to its own end and likeliness much rather to encrease and support then either to diminish or suppress the modest dissenters from the establisht Religion and to gender to tumultuousness and commotions yea he even fears destruction if they be not let alone and others also and if there be not only the opening of a little Wicket of Clemency to indulge some but of the great Gate also to let in many other dissenting Parties into a participation of the same Indulgence and Toleration Yet behold by and by again as if he were Magor-Misabib Fear round about and a kind of Terror to himself and one that between two wat 's not well which is best and most desireable he seems to side with another sort against the Quakers even with those Some men as he calls them whereof no doubt himself is one that fear the toleration of the Quakers whom he seems elsewhere to recommend as the modestest among the Dissenters may be unsafe and so insinuates somewhat â—…taeitly towards the exasperation again of the Powers against them as followeth Bish. Some men I find look upon these Quakers with an eye of publick fear and jealousie least the leaven of their Opinions and Practises spreading far among the meaner sort of People to whose humour that Rude and Confident way is very agreeable while in a moment all their defects of Reason Learning Education Religion Loyalty Civility are made up by a presumed Spirit and Light within them should after the manner of other Sects both later and elder give occasion and confidence to common People to run to Tumults and Commotions under prâ—…tence of setting up God and Christ and the Spirit by way of new Powers new Lights and new Models in Church and State of which rare Fancies we have had of late so many Tragical Experiments in England under other names Notions and Pretensions Certainly it will become the publick care and Wisdom as not easily to permit the rise and spreading of any novel humours and wayes contrary to the good constitutions and well tryed Laws of this Church and Kingdom so never to trust them though never so soft and seemingly innocent at the first And pag. 6. speaking of the Quakers as a people that may be pittied as wrapped up in a kind of Clownish Garb and Ignorant Plainnessâ—…y but not trusted I should forfeit my prudence saith he much to trust their hands c. Answ. Some men are more afraid then hurt in some Cases whilst they are more hurt than they are either afraid or well aware of in some others and so is the Bishop here and those some men he speaks of who look upon the Quakers with his that is with an evil and jealous Eye And this as was said before is that dangerous Dilemma and Snare of the Devil which the Children of Darkness fall into who hate the Light He who is the Light of the World and the Door of Salvation to the Sons of men hath set before his People within their own hearts where his Light shineth an open Door whereby to enter into his heavenly Kingdom which Door no man can shut against them which Light no man can blow out though many seek to do it any more than he can forbid the Sun from Rising and shining forth in its Season Nay it seems so dangerous and destructive to some men as to their at least Ecclesiastical Intrests to attempt it that they are afraid on the one hand to be found too forward to shut that door or suppress the shining of that Light which opens and makes manifest the Dens and Deeds of Darkness whereupon they some times plead at least seemingly an allowance of it And yet on the other hand if they let it alone to shine forth to open and display it self without seeking to put a slop to it and Ecclipse it then they see the day dawns out which darkens the Glory of their life-less Forms and invented Worships and that morning appearing which to the Adulterer that 's gone a Whoring from God's Counsel and Christ's own Commands into mans vain Institutions and Traditions is as the Shadow of Death in which they cannot walk without dread and terrour at they scarce know well what themselves in which they are surprized with many dangerless Fears as well as with many fearless Dangers What Tragical Experiments have been of late from the Fancies of other men in England under other Names Notions and Pretensions we have as nothing to do with as we were as little accessary to them as the Bishop himself who would if not father yet fain fasten some of the fault of them on the Quakers Some men lookt upon Christ himself and his Apostles with an eye of publick fear and jealousie least the Leaven of their Opinions and Practices spreading far among the meaner sort of people who were they that commonly received Truth when High Priests Scribes and Pharisees mostly rejected it should after the pattern of other Sects as Theudas and Iudas of Gallilee occasion Tumults and Commotions under pretence of setting up God Christ the Spirit c. And on such an account as this when Christ's Birth was enquired after by Wise Men from the East that came to enquire after him Herod himself was troubled and all Ierusalem with him and when Christ came into Ierusalem all the City was in an uproar and so was it at the Preachings of Peter Iohn Stephen c. and also the Cities of Corinth Ephesus and others at Pauls Preaching the Gospel of Peace which never caused but ever occasioned and was ever accompanied with the tumultuousness of Rude people that attended it but what then Was Christ therefore not the Christ his Gospel no Gospel of Peace because tumults as Paul speaks 2 Cor. 6. attended the Ministers of it Was the Truth ever the less the Truth or ever the less to be testified to because its Testimony troubled the deceitful and truthless Nations if so how had Truth been propagated downward through all times of turbulent Oppositions against it to this day And were they therefore ever the more excusable who with threatnings charged Christs Ministers to Preach no more in the Name of Iesus And had Christ's Ministers done well had they as they did the contrary forborn it and obeyed man forbiding rather than God commanding them to Preach yet more in that Name And did they do well who took crafty Counsel to suppress them and their Meetings by Pains and Penalties or those rather who counselled as Gamaliel did Acts 4. to let them alone lest haply they should be found fighters against God and would not meddle with them at their Iudgements Seats as Gallio the Governour of Achaia would not Acts 18. Seeing no matter of wrong or wicked lewdness was charged upon them but only matters about Religion and Gods Law which he confessed himself to be no competent Iudge of we appeal to God and all sober minded Christians to Judge between the Bishop and our selves
p. 21. to prove them practised warrantably of old among the Iews or else if now then among evil men mainly if not onely who are in strife and envy among themselves which where they are there is lying swearing prophane oaths for swearing cozening cheating defaming defrauding confusion and every evil work and there we meddle little to perswade men to one thing or other about swearing unless the Light of God in their own hearts lead them out of their vain unchristian lives to the life and likeness of Christ some things among them may be better than some but all they do whether sâ—…aring in their Courts or serving in their Churches must all once come to judgement for the sins and sacrifices of such are both alike being both abomination to the Lord. Here the Bish. might have let the Quakers alone fi he had pleas'd to whom it's much at one what they see unchristian men doing in that particular of Oaths who lor ought we â—…ee by the Bishop's words whether swearing or not swearing are not counted worth being believed one by another But the Body of his business râ—…ns that way to evince the necessity of Oaths from the wickedness of mens hearts and manners who are call'd Christians in which câ—…se indeed tâ—…e Law condescended far in matter of Divorce and other points to indulge the Iews and how far sorth we will condescend to him in that case of the hardness of Christians hearts not truly such to let things be so as they scarce ought to be and were not from the beginning he shall see by and by But as for the proof of the lawfulness usefulness or necessity of them among true Christians indeed that not onely name Christ's Name but as every one ought to do that names it depart from iniquity and are found in his Nature and Image and that do not onely call him Lord Lord for he hath too many such Disciples unless they learnt of him but also do the things that he sayes the Bishop brings no proof of the usefulness but rather of the needlesness of Oaths amongst them yea some would scarce discern on a sudden whether his Arguments for the needfulness of Oaths among false Christians or his Arguments for the needlesness of them among such true Christians as will be found among the Quakers be of the two the most forcible but we having had good occasion to make serious perusal of his Book by several passages whereby he often trips up his own heels for hast as he runs and hacks one of his legs against the other do find more strength by far in what the Bish. himself sayes against a true Christians than in what he says for any false Christians most solemn swearing And to this end that it may be seen let it be considered what is the main bottom on which he builds the Medium from which he concludes a necessiey of swearing â—…mong men meerly call'd by the Name of Christians and we shall find it 's this to wiâ—… the abundance of wickedness that is among them Thus p. 23 the evils of mens hearts and manners the jealousies and distructs the dissimulations and fraud of many Christians their uncharitableness unsatisfactions and insecurities are such as by their Diseases do make these applications of solemn Oaths and Iudicial swearings necessary Not absolutely and morally or preceptively as the School-men note well but by way of consequence and remedy as good new Laws are for the curb and cure of new evils in Polities and Kingdoms as men weak and vnworthy we cannot well be without such Oaths to end the controversies and to secure as much as man can do the exact proceedings of Iustice. But when he speaks of no necessity but a needlesness of true Christians swearing the Medium he uses to prove that is no other than this to wit their being truly Christians in the self-same page and place Possibly saith he as Christians truly such we should need no swearing in publike or private So also p. 36. he sayes the foundation for swearing now is the wickedness of men Polybius saith he observes that in the better and simpler Ages of the World Oaths were seldom used in Iudicatures but after that perfidy and lying encreased Oaths encreased as the onely remedy to restrain those mischiefs c. So p. 41 42. speaking of true primitive Christians as before we have more at large trans-printed his words p. 11. whither we refer the Reader back again he saies they were so strict and exact c. that there was no need of an Oath among them yea they so kept up the sanctity and credit of their profession among unbelievers that it was security enough in all cases to say Christianus sum I am a Christian. If any urged them further to any Oath for matter or manner or Authority unlawful they repeated this as the onely satisfaction they could give There needed no more than the veracity of their bare word they thought it not lawful for them in such cases to swear And then naming many famous men for antiquity and sobriety of sundry sorts as the Essaeans wise Heathens and Christian Fathers and of their sayings he still drives on for a whole page together the same subject viz how dishonourable and needless a thing it was for good and holy men and true Christians to be so much as once required to swear seeing their Profession and Reputation was test enough to their words and 't was diminution to their reputation to be put to swear Indignum viro sanctimoniae sine Juramento non credere an unworthy thing not to believe an holy man without an Oath Flamini Doiali Jurare nefas no less than wickedness for one that was counted such a one to swear non opporter ut vir qui Evangelice vivit Juret omnino it 's not meet that a man who lives according to the Gospel should swear and the Fathers frequently inveighed without any limitation against Christians swearing some saying Evangelica veritas non recipit Juramentum the Gospel truth admits not of an Oath And p. 43. speaking of Basilides the Martyr who when Officers exacted an Oath of him replyed It is not lawful for me being a Christian to swear at all and if other Christians did swear in publike cases yet the Bishops of the Church were not put to swear whereupon Basilius a Bishop pleaded his priviledge of exemption from it from the sanctity of his life that being sufficient assurance for his truth All this the Bishop himself alledges so that what need we bring any further witness against good mens swearing sith all men may read so much out of his own Book in evidence of the unworthiness of that course of exacting Oaths of chief Priests The wickedness of their Swearing The indignity done to the reputation of a good man a man of integrity to be put to swear and of a man of honor which is a caution sufficient for his honesty so that