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Show 798' 1679, ~ Part I~ Sef\. 6, An .Aildrejs fo Proteflanls. VoL, I. an honeff, indufhious E;'Rglijhman, a great Lover of my Country, and an Admirer of the Govemment I live under, yet ifl refufe to p),ofdS theReligion that either now is, _or hereafter may b~ impofed, be it never fO falti:, that is all one, I mu1't neither enJOY rhe Llberty of my Petfon, nor the quiet Po!feffion of m'{ Efiate, III. This not only alrers the Government, by f:~crificing Men's Properties for that which cannot be called a Sin againft Property, nor an Offence to the N:tture of Civil Government, if any Tranfgreffion at all, but it n:urows rhe lntereft and Power of the Governours.: For look what Number they cut off from their Prore8:ion, they cut off froQ1 rhemfelves and th~ Government, not only rendring thereby a great Body of People uftlefs but provoking them to be D:mge~ous: To be fur~ it clogs the Civil Magi: ftrate in his Adminiftration of Government, makmg that neccffary which is not at aU nece£rary to him tU Ceft~r. • It is a Sort of Duumvirnrejhip in Power, by wh-ich the Civil Mon:nchy is broken: For as that was a Plurality ofMen,fo rhH is a Plurality of Porters. And to fpeak freely, the Civil Power is made road th'e Lackey, to nm of odl the unpleafant Errands the froward Zeal of the other fends it upon; ~d the heft Preferment it receives for it's Pains, is to be Informer, Con~ ftah!e, or Ht1ngman to fome of the heft Livers, and therefore the belt Sub~ je8:s in the Kingdom. 0! What greater Injuftice toGtfar than to make his Government vary by fuch Modes of Religion, and oblige him to hold his Obedience from his People, not fo much by their Conformity to him, as to the Church, a meer Relative of to'ther World. IV. This is fo far from refembling the Un~verfal G~dnefs of God, who difpenfes his Light, Air, Showers and comfortable Seafons to all, anti whom C~tfar ought always to imitate, and fo remote from increafi~~ the Trade, Pupul11C} and Wealth of this Kingdo~, as that it 11-vidently tends to tl:a utter Ruin of Thoufands of Trader.r, Jlrtijicer1 and H11jbandmen, and theu Families ; and by increafing the Charges, It muft needs encreafe the Poot of the Nation. V. This mult needs be a great Difcouragement to S[tangers from corning in and fetling themfelves amongft us, when they have Reafon to appreh~ nd that they, and their Children after them, can be no longer fecured in the Enjoyment of their Properties, than they fhal\ be ahle to prevail with: their Confciences to believe, That the Religion which obr Laws do now, er {h.a\1 at any Time hereafter approve and impofe, is undoUbtedly True; and that the Way of Worjhipping God, which thall be at a~y Time by our Laws · enjoyned, is, and fhall be more agreeable to the Wlll of God, th:!n 3ny other Way in which God is Worfhipped in the World. VI. Th3t Way of Worfhip we are Comm~nded Conformlry to, doth n~t make Better Liven, that 15 a Demonftrauon, Nor Beller Artijlr, for 1t cannot be thought that going to Church hearing Common-Prayer, o~ believing in the prefent Epifcopncy, learn Men to -Build Sbip1 or. Houfts; to mnke €1otbe.r, Shott, Diah or Watches; B~tj, Sell, Trade, or ConmUt'ce bet· zer, than any thflt are of anot!Jer PerjbJajion. And fince thefe Things are Ufeful. if not Requi[tte in Civil Society, is not prohibiting, nay ruining, fuch Men, becaufe they will net come to hear Common-Prayer, &c. deilruHive of Civil Society? Pray (hew me better Subjeas. If any ~b'e[\: Dljfentcrs have not always been fo, the Anfwer is reldy, Do nor expo e rlum, proteO rh_em in tbeir Lz'vu, Liberties rmd Eflates; for in tbis pre ent Poflure rbq thrn~ they can caU Nothing their own, and that all the Comfort.r they have in 1h~ World, are Hourly liable to Forfeiture for their Faith, Hope and Praflice con· cerning the other World. Is not this to deftroy Nature and Civil Go\'emmem, when People are xuin~d in their Natural and Civil Capacity, not for Things relating to either, but which are of a Supernatural Import? VII. This VoL. I. An .Addrefs to Protejlants. ' Vll. This deprives them of Plote£lion who , 799 Dijfenrers have a great Share in the Trade' wh' hp~otofl: ~e Government. 16?9· Kingdom; and they rn:Jke a lar e Pro r~io lC IS the rearnefs o! th.is ~ the Go_vernment. And is ic Reafonablr or :ano{t ~\!h":ft. that matnram Parr 11. Pry Tnbuu to C.ifar, to be prefc:rved in an UndifiurbeJlplffi• when the>: Sea. 6. l<rfl, thlt the Rejllhould be continually e fi d ~ h p 0 ellion of the of their Confciences to God ? xpo e or t e eace:able Exercife VJll. Neither is it a Conformity to True and Solid R I' , . Neceffary to Erernal Salvation wherein it p . V e 1g10n, fuch :!S 15 for a Modifica[ion of Religion~ fotne ec~rar Wart1e} wrb~!Y agree, hue pline. Jill confe[s Ohr Gud O~e Cb :J' O U 1 ay 0 orwtp and Difcidifpenfably rcquijire ro Live' Soberly r~i'gbr::llfl.. 0 'Y ~ho!J/Jnn~ !hat. it ;'s iliEvt! Wo,:fd .• 2 Tit. xi. I 2. yet is o~e profecuti~g ~~e otb ";,n ~·15 cprefen_t ence, Sczzrng Corn Driving ate y Cat 1 B ,{: er or IS onfc1~ ~i1,{poiling o~ ~ood1s. ~ itt }~me 'Plau/;;,,e;~jn~"! 'to~n ,~;i~'; ;o:"j(f,pahaO:; , nor 11 e to te on ; m other Plt1cer Houfes ha b fi r. thnt aStoolbatO not been !eft to Sit on, nnr Jo much ve r~enk. we¥. JO clean, bo"r for Bread. To fay nothing of rbe 0 b . S or tng ool.r to Laand Tcdio11s Imprifonmenr.r evm 10 Dcarh'P£'/e~[.":b :peeche~, Bloody Blovu, gtons, rh,:r many in'locent Peuple have fuffcred ~I ~ougbbl\_nfl~nifs of DMn~ fcitnce. 0 'J J 0' I etr •eaceable Co~ ~· But th.is Way of proceeding for Maintenance of the National R r · · on, IS of. an 111 C~nfeqttence uron this Account, that Heaven is barr:dl~; m_uch as m Men.lles, from al farther Illuminations. Let God fend wh L~ght he pleafes tnto the World it muft not be received b Cifi ' p tt ~tthout Gttf,tTs ~icence; and if it happen that C~tJar be nlr p~e'fi 5 l ecp c, vmced as well as.l, that it is of God,l mufi either renounce C em~- onand lofe my Soul to pleafe. C~tfar, or profefs and perfevere ~~y0'P~rf:anfi~ on, and fo lo~e my L1fe, L!be.rcy or Elbte, to pleafe God. This hath fre .. quently occurrd, and may a~m. Therefore I would entreat C.~far to co fider the fad Confequencc _of lmpofidon, and remember both rbar God did n~ver, ask Man Leave to Introduce Truth, or make farther DifCoveries of hts Mtnd ro the Worla, and thlt it hath been a Woful Snare to rhofe GQ-ol vernments that have been drawn to employ their Power againlt h' W ~ and People. ts OIA . X. This Way of Ptocedure endeavourS to fiifle, or elfe to pQnilh Since.: JltY; for Fear or Hopes, Frowns or Favour, prev.1il only wirh b.1fe Minds So~ls d~generated from T_rue ~oblen~fs. Every Spark of Int rif muft b; extmgmfhr? wh:re Confctence ts fac~tficed to Worldly Safeter an~ Prefer: ment. ThiS N~;t holds n~ Temponzers: Honeft Men are an the Filb it catches: But one would thmk they fhould make but an ill Treat to fuch as rec~on themfeh•es Generorn Men, and what is more Cbrijlian.r roo Th V'fhlch renders the Matter more unjuftifiabie, is the Temp·rarion fu~b Sev~~ ruy puts Men upon, not hardy enough to Suffer for Conjcienu yet ftron _ ly perf wad~ they h~v~ Truth o? th~ir Si~e, to defert their Pri'nci les, a!d fmorher thetr. Conv1lhons, ~~tch 1n plnn Terms, is to make of Sincere Men, Hypocmes: Where.1s lt JS one Great End of Government by all La • dable ~ea~s •. to p~eferveSinc~riry_; for without it there can~ no Faith~ Trut.h tn C_tvJl Soc1etr. ~or IS thLS all, for it's a Maxim worthy of Cefar's Nonce, I\ ever ro tbtnk. hzm, Tr11e to Czfar, that is Falfe r~ his omn (,qiJfcience: Befides, r.1pcd Con~ctences treafure up Reven,ge, and fuch Perfons are not likely to be longer Fnends to C~tfar, than he hath Preferments to allure them, or Power to deter them from being his moft implacable Enemies. XL There is. not fo re.1dy a Way to .ilrhei{m, as this of exringuifhing tho S~nfe _of Confczcn~e for Worldly EnJs: Deflroy that lnterntH R11/e of ~Faith, n .or(hrp .and fnlfhce towardJ_ G_od, and .the Reafon of my Religion will ba Ctvll J?1untt:1~ns, and not p~vme Conv1t'tions; confequendy, la-m to be o£ as many Rchg1ons as the CtVl\ Authority !hall impofe, however untrue or Con· |