Selected quad for the lemma: world_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
world_n	love_n	love_v	neighbour_n	2,121	5	9.0617	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A54142	Good advice to the Church of England, Roman Catholick and Protestant dissenter, in which it is endeavoured to be made appear that it is their duty, principle & interest to abolish the penal laws and tests	Penn, William, 1644-1718.	1687 (1687)	Wing P1296; ESTC R203148	42,315	65

Good Advice TO THE Church of England Roman Catholick and Protestant Dissenter In which it is endeavoured to be made appear that it is their Duty Principles Interest To abolish the Penal Laws and Tests Beati Pacifici Licenced June the 30th 1687. LONDON Printed and Sold by Andrew Sowle at the Crooked-Billet in Holloway-Lane in Shoreditch and at the Three Keys in Nags-Head-Court in Grace-Church-Street over-against the Conduit 1687. THE PREFACF Reader NO matter who but what and yet if thou wouldst know the Author he is an English-Man and therefore obliged to this Country and the Laws that made him Free. That single Consideration were enough to command this Vndertaking for 't is to perswade his Country Men to be delivered of the greatest Yoke a Nation can well Suffer under Penal Laws for Religion I mean. And now thou hast both the who and what If thou art Wise and Good thou art above my Epethites and more my Flatteries If not I am in the Right to let 'um alone Read Think and Judge Liberty English and Christian is all that is sought in the ensuing Discourse Adieu Good Advice c. PART I. I Must own it is my Aversion at this time to meddle with Publick Matters and yet my Duty to the Publick will not let me be Silent They that move by Principles must not regard Times nor Factions but what is just and what is honourable and that no Man ought to Scruple nor no Time nor Interest to Contest The single Question I go upon and which does immediately concern and exercise the Minds of the Thinking as well as Talking Men of this Kingdom is whether it be fit to repeal the Penal Laws and Tests in matters of Religion or not I take the Affirmative of the Question and humbly submit my Reasons to every reasonable Conscience I say reasonable because That which knows not its own Duty Principles and Interest is not so and That which is not willing to do to others as it would be done by less deserves to be thought so Now there are three sorts of People that will find themselves concerned in this Question The Church of England the Roman Catholick and the Protestant Dissenter and these make up the whole Body of the Kingdom If it appear to be their Duty Principles and Interest the Question is gain'd and no body is left to complain and if I am mistaken it is with so great an inclination to serve them all that their good nature cannot but plead my Excuse especially when they consider I am neither mov'd by Hopes nor Fears Private Loss or Gain being farther from my thought then I hope they are from a good Understanding I say first then it is the Duty of all of them because they all profess that Religion which makes it their common duty to do it Christianity I mean For no Christian ought to deprive any man of his native Right for matters of Faith and Worship towards God in the way that he thinks most agreeable to the Will of God because it is necessary to a Christian to believe that Faith is the Gift of God alone and that He only is Lord of Conscience and is able truly to enlighten perswade and establish it and consequently that prejudicing Men in their Persons or Estates or depriving them of any Station in the Government they might otherwise in their turn be capable to serve the Publick in is contrary to the tenderness and equity of that Religion which will yet further appear if we consider that Christianity is the sole Religion of the World that is built on the Principles of Love which brought with it the greatest Evidences of Truth Equally convincing our Understandings with its Light and bearing down our Sences with its Miracles Which silenc'd the Oracles of the Heathens by the Divine Power present with it and vanquisht their Hearts that had left nothing else to conquer leading Kings and Emperors with their Courts and Armies in triumph after the despised Cross of him who was the holy and blessed Author of it It was he that laid not his Religion in worldly Empire nor used the Methods of worldly Princes to propagate it as it came from Heaven so that only should have the Honour of protecting and promoting it His whole business to mankind from first to last was Love. 'T was first Love in his Father to send him as St. John teaches God so loved the World that he sent his Son c. It was love in Jesus Christ to come on that Arrand that he who thought it no Robbery to be equal with God should take the form of a Servant to adopt us Children and make himself of no Reputation with the World that he might make us of Reputation with God his Father And he did not only come in much Love but preach't it and prest it both to Friends and Foes Love one another Love Enemies do good to them that hate you forgive them that trespass against you what you would that other Men should do unto you do that unto them by these things shall all Men know you are my Disciples for I came not to destroy Mens Lives no not for Religion it self for my Kingdom Power Force Weapons and Victory are not of this World. In all this Love prevails It was his great his new his last Commandment of all his Disciples the most persued by his beloved One that in his Bosom had learn'd his Heart as his Divine Doctrine of Love in his Epistle tells us As he liv'd in Love so he died in Love with us and for us and that while we were rebellious too ay he pray'd and dy'd for them who put him to Death shewing us says St. Peter an Example that we also should follow his Steps And what are they doubtless the Steps of Love the Path he trod To do good to Mankind Enemies as well as Friends that we may be like our heavenly Father that causes his Sun to shine and his Rain to fall upon the Just and Vnjust This must be the Apostles meaning for the rest of his Passion was Inimitable Now if this be the Doctrine of Christ the Nature of Christ●anity the Practice of the Primitive Church that like Adam was Created in full Strength Beauty and Wisdom and so an Example to succeeding Ages of Religion and to which we so often refer as our Original with what Pretence to a Christian Conscience can any one stickle to keep Imprisoning Banishing Impoverishing Hanging and Quartering Law● on ●oot for Religion sake but especially against such as are by Creed professors of Christianity as well as themselves I know the Case is put hard by those that have the Laws on their side We do this to save our selves but an harder Case than Christs can never be put whose Answer in his ought to resolve theirs fully Christ is sent by his Father for the Salvation of the World He introduces and proves his Mission by Miracles and the great Authority

in Example at some other turn of Power to our own utter Ruin. Had this Honest Just Wise and English Consideration prevailed with our Ancestors of all Opinions from the days of Richard the second there had been less Blood Imprisonment Plunder Beggery for the Government of this Kingdom to answer for Shall I speak within our own knowledge and that without Offence there has been Ruin'd since the late Kings Restoration above Fifteen Thousand Families and more then Five Thousand Persons Dead under Bonds for matters of meer Conscience to God But who hath laid it to Heart It is high time now we should especially when our King with so much Grace and Goodness leads us the way I beseech you all if you have any Reverence towards God any Value for the Excellent Constitution of this Kingdom any Tenderness for your Posterity any Love for your Selves you would embrace this happy Conjuncture and persue a common Expedient That since we cannot agree to meet in one Profession of Religion we may entirely do it in this common civil Interest where we are all equally engaged and therefore we ought for our own sakes to seek one an●●●ers Security that if we cannot be the Better we may not be t●e Worse for our Perswasions in things that bear no relation to them and in which it is impossible we should Suffer and the Government escape that is so much concern'd in the civil Support and Prosperity of every Party and Person that belongs to it Let us not therefore uphold Penal Laws against any of our Religious Perswasions nor make Tests out of each others Faiths to exclude one another our civil Rights for by the same Reason that denying Transubstantiation is made One to exclude a Papist to own it may be made one to exclude a Church of England-man a Presbyterian an Independant a Quaker and Anabaptist For the Question is not who is in the right in Opinion but whether he is not in Practice in the wrong that for such an Opinion deprives his Neighbour of his common Right Now 't is certain there is not one of any Party that would willingly have a Test made out of his Belief to abridge him of his native Priviledge and therefore neither the Opinion of Transubstantiation in the Papists Episcop●cy in the Church of England Man Free-will in the Arminian Predestination in the Presbyterian Perticular Churches in the Independant Dipping of adult People in the Anabaptist nor not-swearing in the Quaker ought to be made a Test of to deprive him of the comforts of his Life or render him incapable of the service of his Country to which by a natural Obligation he is indebted and from which no Opinion can discharge him and for that Reason much less should any other Party think it fit or in their power to exclude him And indeed it were ridiculous to talk of giving Liberty of Conscience which yet few have now the fore-head to oppose and at the same time imagine those Tests that do exclude men that Service and Reward ought to be continued For though it does not immediately concern me being neither Officer nor Papist yet the Consequence is general and every party even the Church of England will find her self concern'd upon reflection For she cannot assure her self it may not come to be her turn But Is it not an odd thing that by leaving them on foot every Body shall have Liberty of Conscience but the Goverment for while a man is out of Office he is Test-free but the hour he is chosen to any station be it in the Legislation or Administration he must wiredraw his Conscience to hold it or be excluded with the Brand of Dissent And can this be equal or wise Is this the way to employ men for the good of the Publick where Opinion prevails above vertue and Abilities are submitted to the humour of a Party surely none can think this a Cure for Division or that Animosities are like to be prevented by the only ways in the World that beget and heighten them Nor is it possible that the ease that should be granted can continue long when the Party in whose savour they are not repeal'd may thereby be enabled to turn the point of the sword again upon Dissenters I know Holland is given in Objection to this extent of freedom where only one Perswasion has the Government tho the rest their Liberty But they don't consider first how much more Holland is under the power of Necessity then we are Next That our Constitutions differ greatly For the first 't is plain in the little compass they live in the uncertainty and precariousness of the means of their subsistance That as they are in more danger of Drowning so neerer ruin by any Commotion in the State then other Countries are Trading is their Support This keeps them busy That makes them Rich and Wealth naturally gives them caution of the disorders that may spoil them of it This makes the governing Party wary how they use their power and the other Interests tender how they resist it for upon it they have reason to fear a publick Desolation since Holland has not a natural and Domestick Fund to rely upon or return to from such national Disorders The next Consideration is as clear and cogent our Constitutions differ mightily For though they have the Name of a Republick yet in their choice in order to the Legislature they are much less free then we are And since the Freeholders of all Parties in England may Elect which in Holland they can no more do then they can be chosen there is good reason why all may be elected to serve their King Country here that in Holland cannot be chosen or serve And if our Power to chuse be larger then theirs in Holland we are certainly then a freer People and so ought not to be confin'd as they are about what Person it is that must be chosen Methinks it bears no proportion and therefore the Instance and Objection are improper to our purpose But it is said by some That there cannot be two predominant Religions and if the Church of England be not that Popery by the Kings Favour is like to be so It is certain that two predominant Religions would be two Uppermosts at once which is nonsence every where But as I cannot see what need there is for the Church of England to lose her Churhces or Revenues so while she has them Believe me she is Predominant in the thing of the World that lies nearest her Guides But if I were to speak my inclination I cannot apprehend the necessity of any Predominant Religion understanding the word with Penal Laws in the tale of it The Mischief of it in a Country of so many powerful Interests as this I can easily understand having had the opertunity of seeing and feeling it too And because nothing can keep up the Ball of Vengance like such a Predominant Religion and that Penal Laws and Tests are the means of the Domination I for that reason think them fit to be Repeal'd and let English Mankind say AMEN I do not love Quibling but 't is true to a Lamentation that there is little of the power of Religion seen where there is such a predominant one unless among those it Domineers over I conclude they that are so Predominant and they that seek to be so be they who they will move by the same Spirit and Principle and however differing their Pretentions and Ends may be the odds are very little to me by which it is I must certainly be Opprest Dare we then do for once as we would be done by and show the World we are not Religious without Justice nor Christians without Charity That False self shall not govern us against True self nor oppertunity make us Thieves to our Neighbours for Gods sake the end of Testing and Persecuting under every Revolution of Government If this we can find in our Hearts to do and yet as Men and as Christians as English Men we do but do our Duty let the Penal Laws and Tests be Repeal'd and in order to it Let us now take those measures of men and things that may give our Wishes and Endeavours the best success for the publick good that our Posterity may have more reason to bless our Memories for their Freedom and Security then for their Nature and Inheritance FINIS Irenicum a Weapon-Salve for the Churches Wounds by Edward Stillingfleet Rector of ●uton in Bedfordshire in Preface to the Reader L. 6. Cod. de Paganis