| OCR Text |
Show 448 The Great CASE o(• Vdl.'I. 167o. verhment over Confcience: F~r the fnfpiration of th: ~IOJigbry titus Under· Vy-v flonding: lind Foitb;, tbt Gift of G~d, fays the Dwmt fVm. . Chap. 1. · Sec'on~ly. Such ma:ifluial Derermmaflon.r .carry an ev_1denr C!a•m to that Infallibilay, which Proreflapts 11:1\'e ~een. hn~erto fo JeaJo~s of owning, rhat"toavoid rhe Papifls, they ha:e demed tt ro a~l~ bur God Jumfelf; ~ither they have forfook rbetr old Plea, or tf not, we defire to know when and where ihey were invefted with , that divine Exce11ency, and whet~er Impolitio,,' Reflraill(, and Perfe~ution, were dt:cm'd. by God ever the Fruhs of his Spirit: However, that It ~elf was not fhffictem ; for un· lefs it appe~r as well to us, that they ~ave lt,, as, to them who ?~ve. ir, we cannot belie\'.e it upon any .co.nvl.ncmg Evidence, but by Tradmon on~ Chap. II. ~ ly; an Jlnti·Prolc£1ant Way oJ Beh~vmg. . . . Th.irdly, lr enrhronu A-1an a1 Kmg over ConJczence, the fllone Jllfl Claim 11nd Priviledge of his Crearor, wbofe Thoughts are not al · Men's Tho11gbts bur lias referv'd to himfelf, that Empire from all the Ca'fiih on Earth; for if Men in Reference to Souls, and Bodies, things appertaining to this and t•orher World-, {hall be fubjr:8: .ro their Fellow·Creatures, what fo1lows? but that Cte[ai- (hoWever he g. 6t it) has all, God's Share, and his own too. and being Lord of both, Both are Cttfar's and not God's. ' Founbly, It .Jefeatt God's Work of Grace, and the invijible Operation of bis Etunal Spirit, which can alone beget Faith, and is tm/yto he obry'd, in and obo11t Rdigion and Worfhip, and aflributes Men's Conformity ro outa rt~ard Force and Corporal Punijhme11t1. A Faith fubjeEl: to as many Revolutions as the Powers that enaa it. Fifthly and Laftly, Sucb Perfons n.f!ume the Judgment of tbt grtat Trihu· nalunto themfelves; for to whomfoever Men are impofedly or reflriEtive· ly fubjeCl: and ,accountable in Matters of Faith, Worfhip ~n? Co11fcie::ce; in them 3lonc rnuft the Power of Judgment refide; hut 1n 1S equ3lly uue that God !hall judge all by Jefus Chrift, and that r.o Man IS fo accoumable to his fellow Creatures, as to Qe impofed upon, reftrain',d, or perfecuted .for any Matter ofConfcience whatever. T)lus and in many more pan'iculars are Men accuftomed to intrench up· On Divine Propury, to gratifie particular lnrerdts in the World (and at •heft) through a Mifguided Apprehenfion to imagine they do God good Sd· Vid, th3t where they cannot give Faith, Tbry r.oiU ufe Foret, which kind of Sacrifice is nothing lefs unreafonable tbtm the other U nbominaP!e :·God will not give his Honour to another, and to him only that te:uchesthe Heart and tries the Reins, it is our Duty tb afcribe the Gifts ofUnderftana ding and Faith, without which none can plpafe God. CHAP. II. They <nmtum the Chrijlian Religion; t •. In the N~_ture of it, whi<h . u Meeknels; '2. In tbe PraChce _of 11, u:biCh n Suffenng; 3· ln the Pro·· mQtion of it, jince all (urtber Difcoverics are probibir(d; 4· ln the Rc· •J! ~ardso/it, u;hich arehternal. ' , -~ · T~ E next great Evil which attends External Force in Matte~s ol Faith and Worjhip, is no l~eCs i:ban the Overthrow of the whole Chrif .. tiJn Religion, and ,rhis we will briefly ellidence in rhefe fopr particulars J, Th{lt there CdR be, nothing mere remore /rom the NatNre . . 2. The PraOue· 3· The Promotion. 4· TheRewardsofit.. . · r: Firft, it is the Pri\'iledge of the Chriftian Faith abo\•e the dark Su&· geltions of:tncienr and modern Superfiitious Tradition.s, to carry with H .a moft1 Self·evidencing Verity, which ever was f'ufficien~ to profdyte Be· lievcrs, witha~.tt the weak ~uxi!iarier of e-¥re,rnal Power; The ~or:t of (iod, . an~ t.rtat Exa,;p/e P/ the World, was 10 far (rom ca11ing hi? Father's Om· ni--porency in Legi9.ns of Angels to his Def:{lcc, rhat hC1Jf t once rcpe.;tl'd. ~ all AEls of ForCe, and defin'td to us the Nat'ute of his Religion in thts occ grelt VoL. I. Liberty of Confcience <JJebated. great sa y.w g _of h"r s, .illY KINGDOM IS NOT OF THIS -449 JVO R L D. I~ .was fpirirual, nor car.nal, accompanied with Wea ons 167o. as heavenly as us own Na_ture, and defign'~ for the Good and Salvi rio~ ~ o~ 1he So~l, and nor the lnJury and Defirufhon of the Body : No Goals p Ftnes, ~x~les, &~ . . bm.Jound RraJon, dear Truth and ajlria Lfe. In tho ' the. Chrt(ban Rel1g1o, m.rreatsall, bur compels none. , , rr, Secondly, Tbtrl Rejlrmnt and PerJecNtion overturn the PrttElift ~~it· 1 nee.d go no ~arther tha~ the aUowed M4rtyrologies of feveral A es , of which the Scnptures claim a Share; begin with Abel, go down to Jnt{ru fo to rhe. Prophets, and then to the Meek Example of ]ifrn Chrifl h.imfetf' How patiently devoted. was he, to undergo the Conriadiction1 of Men~ .and fa far f rom perfecutmg any, that h~ would not fo much as revile his ~erfecurors, bnr_prayed for them; rhus hved his Apoj1lttand the rtue <Thrif.. nans, of the firft thr:e Hundred Years: Nor are rhe famous Srories of our firft Reformers filenr 10 the Matter; wicnefs the Chriftian PraEI:ices of the Wo!denfes, Lolltlrdt, Hu./]ittt, Lutbtr4nt, and our noble Martyn, who as b~ame ~he tru.e FoJlowers of Jefus Chrift, cnad:ed and confirm'd their Rella g10n, .w1th thetr o.wn Blood, and. not with the Blood of their Oppo~rs. ~h.udly, R~/1.ramr and PerfecNtlon objlru{} tb6 Promotion of tbt Chriflian .Relrgton, fo:r tf fuch a~ re~ram, confefs themfelves, mifrr11b!e Sinner.r, and '"4/tot.rrber lmperfeO, tt etther follows, tbat they never defire to be better or that rhe~ fhould encourage fuch as may be capable of further informin· ~ and reformtn~ them; .they condemn the Papifts for encoffening the Scr.i~ }~;::s a~f c~:~fa~~kcro~d·offa£r. unknown Tongae, and yet are guihy them .. . ?ourthly; They prevent many of eternal Rewardt, for where any a:re Reltgtous ~o~ Fe_ar, and that _of Men, 'tis flavi!h, and the Recompence of fucb Reh.gton 1s. CondemnatiOn, not Peace: befides 'tis Man thJt is ferved who havtng no. Power but what is Temporary, his Reward mull needs b~ fo too ; he that tmpofes a Duty, or reftrains from one, muft reward. bUt becaufe no Man can. ~eward for fuch Duties, no M:m can or ought r~ im .. pol"e them, ~r reitram frC'Im them, fo that we conclude lmpojiti07t R~fl and P_erjtcNiron, ~re defiruEtive of t~e Chri.ftian Religion, in the Na~~~;: Pra&tce, Promouon and Rewards of u, whtch are Eternal. ' C H A P. III. Chap. Ill. They onofe the plainejf Te{limoniesof Diviftt Writ that can be, whicfi ~ condemn ali Force upon Confcieoce, WE farther fay, that Impojition, Reflrnint and Perftcution are repug· . nant t~ th~ plain Teftimonies and Precepts of the Scriptures. J. The lnfptratton of the Almighty givtt Underjlanding, Job 3'2· 8. If no Man c~n . be~t;ve before he underft:mds, and no Man can underRand bt:fore he 11tnfp1r d of God, then are the Impofitions of Men excl ded as unreafonable, and thcirPerfecutions for non-Obedience as inhumau :l. IJI'o unto them that take Colln[el, hut not of me, Ifa. 30, 1• n. 3· _Wo unto them th11t_ mah a Man on Offender for a Word, and lay n Snue f1.1or btm that reprovu 111 the Gate, and tMfll ojidc the J.11fl for 0 Thi~·' o11gbt, Jfa. 29. 15. 21. ~ H 4· Let 1be Tl'beat and the Tartt grow together, until the Time of e orvcfl, or End of the Tl'orld. Matt. 13. 27, '28, 29. 1. 5· An~ Je/tti coOed them umo bi»J, and _{ttid ye htow that the Princer of tu Gen_ttles, exercife Dominion over tb~111, and they tbat trre great exercife Alttboruy upon the'!', but it fball not be fo amongft you. Man. 20. 25, 26, '"'-6. And Je!i.Js fa1d uoto them, Render unto Gt[ar the Thin111 rhiit art 04/tJr'r, and '!nr~ G.od the Tbingr thttt are God's. Luke, 20. 25. 0 7· Whe-n hn Difctplu faw this (that there were Non.·conformifts then as· Mmm well |
