the Universe could be confined within the narrow compass of a shrine and now lest a sad reflection upon their former Idolatries should create a despair of pardon in the close he tells them that at the times of their former ignorance God would wink provided they would now repent and turn unto the Lord their Creatour By this their warrantable Court and prudent condescent they captivated the stubborn Jews and humbled the prouder Greeks They brought Christianity into the Synagogues and turn'd Idolatry out of the Temples But notwithstanding this their prudent Execution of that great Commission their Lord and Master had entrusted them with there soon arose false Teachers and false Prophets who debauch'd men of unstable minds either by intermixing Judaisme with Christianity or else what was far worse perswading them that an impure conversation was not destructive of their hopes of a blessed Resurrection And so they would have made them swallow the most palpable contradictions as that justice and unrighteousness were consistent a communion might be held of Light with Darkness a concord effected between Christ and Belial an agreement between the Temple of God and Idols that they might be Partakers of that Celestial Banquet the Lords Supper and yet not sin in Epicurizing upon the Reliques of those impure Beasts which had been offer'd unto Devils And consequently by a most malign influence they poyson'd the Sovereignty of Christianity and under pretence of advancing Christ's Kingdom promoted that of the Prince of Darkness In short they either wronged men in their Estates whilst they pretended the welfare of their souls or else under colour of furthering their interest in this world they infected their minds with such pernicious Principles as did certainly cut off all their Right to an Inheritance in the world to come and so under shew of instructing they made a prey of their Auditours and by a most unparallell'd piece of cruelty endeavour'd at once to destroy both their souls and bodies In opposition to these false Teachers S t Paul Courts his Corinthians to receive the true ones and one would think his Address should easily prove successfull especially considering how mightily it tends to the advantage of those to whom 't was made which is plain enough from the Address it self Receive us we have wronged no man we have corrupted no man we have defrauded no man Setting then aside the particular occasion S t Paul had thus to accost the Corinthians and taking the words in their extended sense as they concern all those who are lyable to be seduced by false Teachers as the Corinthians were they afford these three following considerations 1. That 't is the duty of all men but especially of those in authority to receive all such and only such as preach the word in sincerity and truth 2. The danger of tolerating those who do not preach the word in sincerity and truth 3. The surest expedient to prevent the mischiefs which are sure to arise from such a toleration I. That 't is the duty of all men but especially of those in authority to receive all such and only such as preach the word in sincerity and truth That Religion is absolutely necessary to the more orderly Government of the world is so undeniable a truth that they who have been its greatest Despisers as to the concerns of the other world have been forc't to own themselves its greatest Votaries for the acquiring and promoting Empire in this and a man may as soon hope to reconcile the greatest contradiction in nature as blot the sense of Religion out of the minds of the people who rather than have none at all will debase themselves to the worship of the meanest of Creatures even stocks and stones Now since amongst the almost innumerable opinions which through the malice of the enemy and the perverseness of men have arose concerning the very fundamentals of Religion the people are not capable of themselves to judge which are true and which false but are herein wholly influenc'd and guided by their Teachers Nay such is the pravity of humane nature such its affectation of novelty and desperate obstinacy against the truth that 't is odds but the false Teacher gains the greater number of Disciples For instance should an Arian or a socinian be permitted publickly to preach and teach the people I am afraid the Divinity of Christ would be much endangered and the merits of his Passion soon render'd ineffectual the case will be much the same though we mould instance in any other Sect which stands in opposition to the Religion by Law establish't suppose either in the independency of Jeroboam or the Presbytery of Corah What outrages would not these restless Sectaries commit were they once establish't by Law who had like to have brought an utter desolation upon this our Israel for want of putting the Laws in Execution against them Since the case stands thus do's it not mightily concern those who are in Authority to see that the Doctrines and Practices of such as inform the people are conformable to the establish't Religion and to be well assured that that be no other than what the Apostles taught the Church than what Christ taught the Apostles than what Christ receiv'd from God the Father That such is the Religion of the Church of England we dare appeal to our greatest Adversaries to alledge any one considerable argument to the contrary Let them if they can convict Her of Heresie or Errour in Doctrine of Disorder or Tyranny in Government of Indecency or Superstition in Her publick forms of Worship I am not altogether ignorant of the several Reasons which have been formerly alledged for Toleration i. e. in effect for indifferency in Religion But that which is most material and is at this day chiefly insisted on is that by this means all heats about Religion would be allayed the discontents of the people appeas'd and consequently the Government secured from those Broils and Commotions which do arise from a restraint put upon men in the worship of God I cannot but with horrour and amazement reflect upon those dismal Desolations which Beautefeus in Religion have occasion'd in all parts of Europe and particularly in this Nation But that this is not a means to prevent the like outrages is most apparent to all that are not willfully blind for was it not Toleration that gave life strength and maturity to the late Fanatick Conspiracy and so long as there is a Conventicle left in England so long will there be a seminary of Schism and Sedition But the Religion which we contend for and that which S t Paul would have received is altogether consistent with the civil Powers and has asserted the Rights of Government beyond any Systeme of humane Politicks whatever for therein we are taught that the seat of all Dominion is originally in God there is no Power no 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but of God which is implied in the very word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
A SERMON Preach'd at the Assizes AT HERTFORD July 10 th 1684. By MILES BARNE D. D. Chaplain in Ordinary to His MAJESTY and Fellow of S t Peters College in Cambridge Tu nè cede Malis CAMBRIDGE Printed by J. Hayes Printer to the University for R. Green Bookseller in Cambridge 1684. And are to be sold by Walt. Davis at Amen-corner in LONDON To the Right Worshipfull S t THOMAS FIELD High SHERIFF and one of His MAJESTIES Deputy-Lieutenants and Justices of the Peace for the County of Hertford AND To all the rest of His MAJESTIES LOYAL Deputy-Lieutenants and Justices of the Peace for the said County GENTLEMEN THis Sermon which was first Preach'd at the Desire of M t High Sheriff being now made Publick in complyance with His and Your unanimous Request Sues to You for Your acceptance and challengeth Your Protection Not that the Author is conscious to Himself of speaking falsehood but because He hath written too Bold Truths for some tender Ears The Men of Moderation will accuse Him of Intemperate Zeal The downright Fanatick of Popery In Their abusive sense of the words He owns both parts of the Accusation By Intemperate Zeal understanding a Constant Hearty and unreserv'd Affection for the KING and Government and by Popery a stedfast unfeigned adhesion to the Church of England in all Her Heights and under the greatest Discouragements which He thanks God He always hath and ever will be Guilty of He hath already tasted of Their civility in several Scurrilous threatning Anonymous Notes for His Thanksgiving Sermon on the 9 th of September which nevertheless in spight of Envy and Obloquy shall stand a lasting Record of a most Hellish Fanatick Conspiracy And when Authority shall think fit the 9 th of September may become a day of Anniversary Thanksgiving as well as the 5 th of November since the Deliverance of our Present Sovereign from the Rye Assassination must be acknowledged as Great and Miraculous as that of His ROYAL Grandfather was from the Gunpowder Treason What entertainment this is like to meet with from them he knows not neither doth he much care being well assur'd could he either have digested the gainfull Art of Trimming or Debauch'd himself into a Fanatick He might then have Commenc'd either a Moderate man or a Gifted brother And consequently thriv'n as well as some of them have done but He chose rather to enjoy His Intemperate Zeal knowing it hath been serviceable to the Publick in an humble contented State than Rise to great Preferments with a Guilty Conscience or Shipwrack'd Reputation yet He wishes this may prove as successfull as the other did That having undeceived very many who were misled in the simplicity of their Hearts and He hath received their Gratefull acknowledgements the best Reward He could expect But Gentlemen I must not turn a Dedication into a Preface and represent my own case when I should be reciting Your Merits which are so great and well known that His MAJESTY takes Notice of You in a particular manner and therefore 't would be a diminution of Your worth for me to panegyrize on Your constant unwearied endeavours for the Service of your KING and Country Happy KING in such Subjects whom Loyalty has united into an Entire Friendship and Conformity to the Church made unanimous which I could not but take notice of then and now Publish to the World for an Example to others Whatever be the Fate of this Sermon I can willingly undergo it since 't was the occasion of bringing Me into the knowledge of so many Loyal Gentlemen for whom I shall always preserve an unfeigned Esteem and Veneration and account it an Honour to subscribe My self GENTLEMEN Your most Obedient servant MILES BARNE 2 Cor. 7. 2. Receive us we have wronged no man we have corrupted no man we have defrauded no man AMongst several other excellencies which did at first recommend Christianity to the unconverted world these Three at least may challenge our approbation the purity and simplicity of its Doctrines the integrity and sincerity of those who first deliver'd them and their exact complyance with all the conveniences and necessities of humane affairs As for their purity they flowed from the fountain of all truth and therefore without any the least mixture of fraud or falsehood they were neither season'd with secular interest leaven'd with the vanity of Philosophical pride nor in the least to be suspected of any mean design of gaining popular applause or praise amongst men As for the integrity of the first Deliverers I need say no more than that they were persons so mean and despicable in the esteem of the world so altogether incapacitated both by birth and education that though they had had a mind yet they could not either have altered the Doctrines which they had receiv'd or invented new for the world was scarce ever yet so credulous as to be impos'd upon especially in affairs of the greatest importance by any but those whose acquired abilities reputation and success gave them great advantages over the rest of mankind In the propagation of the Gospel they were as far from corrupting the pure word of Truth as they were from defrauding those whom they had made proselytes to it that which they chiefly aim'd at was the imprinting upon mens minds a lively hope of a resurrection to bliss and immortality and the convincing them there was no way of coming to the fruition of their Hopes but by conforming their lives to the purity of the Gospel In order to this end they did indeed in some sense become all things to all men but 't was still out of a generous design to gain the more In reference to the Jews they cryed up Abraham for the Father of the Faithfull that so they might make his infidel children believe in the onely begotten Son of God they extolled Moses and the Prophets that they might the better recommend Christ and his Apostles they approved whatsoever was excellent in their Law that they might with more ease win them into a complyance with the Gospel In reference to the Gentiles they laid upon them no other burthen than was necessary and were so far from siding with those troublesome Pharisees who would needs have had them circumcis'd and brought under that heavy Yoke which neither they nor their Fathers were able to bear that after the most mature deliberation they onely commanded them to abstain from gross pollutions so far from any rigorous impositions that they studied to bring them over by the most sutable and endearing methods Witness that sermon which S t Paul preach'd to them at Athens where finding an Altar dedicated to the unknown God from this their sottish superstition he presently takes occasion to instruct them in the knowledge and worship of the True From the confession of one of their own Poets that they were all his Offspring He demonstrates how unreasonable it was for them to imagine that the Great Creatour of
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all along used in the new Testament to signifie lawfull Power for that comes from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 who is Lord of Lords and King of Kings To secure obedience to this Power it has made Rebellion no less a crime then fighting against God and entail'd Damnation upon the Rebel He that resisteth the Power resisteth the ordinance of God and they that resist shall receive to themselves Damnation And for the support of this Power it has commanded men to pay tribute and give unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's On what a sandy foundation does the Malmesbury Politician set his Almighty Leviathan when he makes love of ease and the fear of Death and wounds the Principle causes which dispose men to obedience Princes would be in a very uneasie condition did not Religion tye up mens hands more then their natural dispositions for if this were all they had to trust to they must expect assistance from none of their subjects but such as are altogether useless viz. Sluggards and Cowards Conformable to this Doctrine of the Scriptures was the practise of the best and most primitive Christians when they lived under the most persecuting Emperours and then too when they were numerous enough to have made the Roman Eagles stoop to the Cross of Christ by force of Arms had not they had other motives for their obedience besides those of the aforecited Author they must have been Chronicled for the very Princes of Rebellion for they were so far from the love of ease that they voluntarily enured themselves to all kind of hardship so far from fear of wounds that they courted Death in her most terrible shapes No they had learn't obedience from a higher and more divine principle they knew that Emperours were by Gods appointment and therefore solely accountable to him à quo sant primi post quem secundi they knew that to them belonged the sole Power and use of the sword and therefore that it was not lawfull upon any occasion to unsheath it against them and therefore they condemn'd Rebellion not only as inconsistent with the Imperial Laws but moreover destructive of the Doctrine of the Cross and thereupon instead of raising a band of Rebels to dethrone their persecuting Emperours they rais'd an Army of Glorious Martyrs who resisted unto bloud striving against sin and conquer'd their enemies by dying for the Truth Conformable to the Doctrine of the Scriptures and the practice of the Primitive Christians is both the Doctrine and the practice of the Church of England She dares not own them any longer for Her Genuine Sons whom either ambition avarice or any allurements whatsoever can tempt to a disloyal thought much less to an Actual Rebellion Then as to Her constitution does not Hierarchy in the Church agree well with Monarchy in the State on the contrary may not a Presbyterian parity endanger it Independency quite overthrow it and what hopes that he should ever become a good subject who disputes the lawfulness of his Superiours commands till he finds himself free to obey If then we respect the peace and prosperity of the nation regard that beauty order and unity which ought to be preserv'd in the Church if we consider that tranquillity and happiness which will necessarily follow from the maintaining the establisht Religion in its Just Rights and Priviledges or would avoid those miseries and confusions which will arise from a Toleration of different Religions under the same Monarchy then certainly 't is the Duty of all men but especially of those in Authority to receive all such and only such as preach the Word in sincerity and truth i. e. those who can come up to all the Heights of the Discipline Doctrine and Publick Worship of the Church of England And so I come to consider in the second place the Danger of Tolerating those who do not preach the Word in Sincerity and Truth And the danger will appear to be very great First from their numbers Secondly their Principles Thirdly their Zeal in propagating and resolution to put their Principles in Execution First from their Numbers where we are to reckon all those who profess and openly avow a dislike and hatred to the Government those who are secret Friends and well Willers to these bold Professors And Lastly Those who steer the whole course of their Actions by a cowardly treacherous Neutrality And we are to look upon all these as one united Interest When ever they get an advantage against the Government They have often boasted of and threatned the Government with their Numbers and a late dying Enthusiast In the Name of the Party pronounces they conceiv'd three Parts of the City would have been concern'd in the Insurrection I hope he has much overshot himself in his accompt but at present let us take him at his word and esteem their Legions as Formidable as they would make us believe they are But tho' they were less numerous yet their Principles render them very dangerous which must respect either the Church or the State If the Church they have made so many and such deadly wounds in that seamless coat that perhaps Epiphanius his censure of the old Hereticks will be found defective both as to the Number and the Malignity of our Modern Schismaticks Later ages increasing the Number and this last still improving the filthiness of these filthy dreamers who defile the flesh despise Dominion and speak evil of Dignities Aetas parentum pejor Avis tulit nos nequiores but I shall instance in two and those very obvious yet such as charge the whole Party of Dissenters with a dangerous Separation First their aversion to all Ecclesiastical Order and Discipline their irreconcileableness to Episcopal Government with publick solemn Forms of Worship administration of the Holy Sacraments all prescrib'd decent Ceremonies without which 't is impossible to maintain that one Holy Catholick and Apostolick Faith which was once deliver'd to the Saints that Christ's Spouse the Church should become all Glorious within according to his own promise or that the peace of Jerusalem and the prosperity of sion should be lasting and undisturb'd 2. That tho' they are multiplied into several almost innumerable Sects yet each would be thought the Elect of God the Peculiars of Heaven to the uttter exclusion and reprobation of the rest and so 't will be I Saint thou Reprobate to the end of the Chapter and yet this Cadmean Progeny always agree in a cursed Conspiracy to perplex and destroy the Religion by Law establish't Secondly If we consider their Principles relating to the State whatever Rebellious Antimonarchicall positions have been forg'd in the Schools by the subtle Disciples of Ignatius Loyola broach'd by the more Factious Off-spring of the Factious Calvin practis'd by the Holy Leaguers of France the Diabolical Covenanters of Scotland have been all of them faithfully transcrib'd and improved by our late Atheistical Associators who are so far from owning the Divine Right of
inestimable Jewell should be thus profaned and trampled upon by an Enthusiastick swine Having shewn the danger of Tolerating Dissenters from their Numbers Principles Zeal and Resolution I come in the last place to consider the best expedient to prevent the mischiefs which are sure to arise from such a Toleration Which is in short a constant vigorous and resolute Execution of all the Laws which are in force against them which I shall leave to those whose proper Province it is the Honourable my Lords the Judges and the worthy Ministers of Justice hoping that wofull Experience has at last convinc't us that all other methods will prove vain and ineffectual for had the Bill for uniting Protestant Dissenters past into an Act like other projects it might have look't plausibly in the Theory but would certainly have fail'd when reduc'd to practise And suppose out of a Balsamick Temper and wonderfull tenderness to our scrupulous Brethren we had resign'd the Cross in Baptism Kneeling at the Holy Eucharist the use of the Surplice c. This would have been so far from giving satisfaction that I fear we had afforded them too Just an occasion of Insulting over the nakedness of their Mother the Church which in all the heights of Her present state is so far from being too Gorgeously apparell'd from having too many or those too Pompous superstitious Ceremonies that She has retain'd no more than what serves to keep Her decent and cleanly He knows nothing of the Genius of our Puritans who does not know they always grow Insolent and presumptuous by concessions dangerous by Toleration Intolerable by Indulgence cruel and Ingrate under Mâ—rcies and in a true Protestant way of civility always improve Graces and Favours to the disgrace and ruin of the State that bestow'd them But in this critical minute a bare suspension or relaxation would prove Fatal for tho' they are disarm'd yet they are not subdued their practises are restrain'd but their Inclinations are the same And should they be admitted to another Tryall they 'd be for a quick dispatch former disappointments would put them upon a suddain Revenge and like provok't Furies they 'd make you severely account for the bloud of their Martyrs and persecution of their Confessors for so they blasphemously call those Miscreants who for Treason have been Justly condemned to the Ax and the Gibbet or high Misdemeanors sentenc'd to the Pillory Fin'd or Imprison'd They are at present Master'd by the Laws and the Laws will for ever keep them under and I hope the Justice of the Nation will prevent them for ever saying this is our Hour and the Power of Darkness for if that should ever happen we can expect nothing but the Abomination of Desolation And now instead of applying my self to my Lords the Judges who know their Duty 's much better then I can inform them The Councel the Jury or the Witnesses the usual Formality of this exercise before I conclude this imperfect Discourse give me leave to make this one Remark That when ever these true Protestants cry out for Liberty and Property that then they are contriving to bring upon us slavery and oppression When ever they Alarm us with the fears of the Growth of Popery that then they are setting up a Fanatical Licentiousness upon the Ruins of the Church of England the best and purest Church in the world whenever they pretend an extraordinary Zeal and Tenderness for the Safety of His Majesties Sacred Person the Preservation of His Crown and Dignities that then they are Plotting the Destruction of His Person and the subversion of His Government And now in the Close of all let us pray that we may never live to see those days again when the lives of the Innocent shall lye at the Mercy of the stinking Breath of every mercenary abject Wretch that there may be no more raking of Goals and compassing Sea and Land to gain an incoherent contradictory Evidence to take off after a Tedious Imprisonment an aged unbefriended Noble and God reward that Honourable Bench who had the Courage to do Justice to his Fellow Prisoners whom the crafty Managers discourag'd and affrighted at the Deformity of their own proceedings tho' often prest to 't never durst bring to Tryal To see Majesty affronted by Insolent Petitions and Seditious Votes Tumults give Law to Courts of Justice Juries threatned for giving in their Verdicts according to the Truth and their own Consciences Judges arraign'd and told of Writs of Ease for not believing Impudent Notorious contradictions and riotous Conventicles more frequented than our consecrated Churches And finally let us bless God that we are alive to behold our Gracious Sovereign in the quiet Possession of His Imperial Rights and Prerogatives restraining the madness of the People and the fury of their Leaders Deliver'd from the intended Execrable Parricide of the Rye Assassins and the wicked Designs of the Council of Six secur'd as in His own Innocent Breast so in a well chosen Loyal Guard and the Hearts and Affections of His Dutifull Subjects To see the Lawfull Heir excluded by a Vote of the Factious Senate Establish't in His Just Rights of Succession the Injur'd Prince restor'd to His former Greatness and once more become next under God and the King the Support of our Present and the Pledge of our Future Happiness To see the Caytiff Traytor dragg'd to the Place of Execution the Laws triumphing over Schism and Faction the Bench Honour'd with Upright Loyal Judges and inspir'd with Courage and Noble Resolution to see Rewards and Punishments the due distribution whereof is the very Soul of Government run in their Proper Chanels to see our Religion our Monarchy our Liberty secure and in a word the Publick Administration of all our Affairs in such Hands as will neither Rob God of His Honour Defraud Caesar of His Dues and scorn to wrong or corrupt His Faithfull Subjects * Saltem accuratè