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Show The Great C A S E of VoL. I: l6]0 well as noW) tbiyfaid wilt tbM that we ctJmmand Fire to c.ome downfrot!l ~ lJ.e11vm and conjume ;hem. a1 Eli:1s did; but be turned, and rebuked them, Chlp. 111. andfaid, Te know not wb,,r Spirit ;e me of; for th~ Son of Man is not come to deftroy Men's Lives but to fave them, Luke 9· 54, )}, )6 .. tf/ Chap. IV· ~ 8. Honbe1t, when tbc Spirit of Trurb· U come, he lh:~Ulead you Into all Truth, John r6. 8. Jl. . . d .r b. ·' ·J · \ 9, But now ibe .Anointing ubttb ye have rect1Vt o; un, am es m .vou, nndyou need.tJOt that nny Man ttaib you, (m.11~b kfs Impofe upon any! or reftrain them from what <m}t are perfwaded It leads to) but OJ the fame ilJioi11ring teacbt.J you of till Tbing.r, and is Truth and is no Lye, ~ John 2. 27, Jo. Dearly &laved, aven,te not your jth't.r, but rather g_tv_c Placeumo Wr11t'b (much Jefs fh.ould any he ~rat.hful that are called Chu~tans, w,here no bccafion is given) tbuefore if tbme Enemy H~nter fee~ b1m, tmd t'f ht +Tbirjl, give him .Drittk; l<ecompence no M~n Evzl for Evd, Rom. I 2. 19, ~0~ 1~ 1 For tbtJuglJ we t!Jalk in the Flejh (that is in the Bod f. or vifib1e World~ we do not war afur rbe Fie~ for the Wenpon} of o11r Warfare are not Cnrnal. 2 Cor. 10. ~· (bl.it Fines. and_ Imprifonments are, and fuch ufe not tile A: pofile's Weapons that employ tbofe) for a Bifho{' I Tim. 3· 3· (faith Plul) mujl be of good Bebavio11r, apt to te~cb, no Stnker, b.ut be gentle unto alf Men, Patient, in Meekne[s inflruO,mg? {not Pufecurzng) tbofe that oppoj1 themfeiver, ifGJJJ peradventure aullgzvc them Repentance to tbe .t:l.ckno~ ledgmg of the Tr11tb, 2 Tim. 2. 24, 2). 12. Laftly, Weihall fubjoyri one Paffage more, and then no more of this particular; WharfoeveJ: ye would tbat .A1cn fhould do you, do ye evenfq to tbem. Mat. 7· 12. Luke 6. ~I. l Now upon the whole we ferioufly afk, Whet1Jer any fhould be i111pofod 11,.. on or re{lrain'J. in Matters of Faith and Worfhip ~ Wb~ther fucb Prafli· ce; become the Gofpel, or are fuitable to Chriit's meek ~rccepts and fufferiog Doarine? And laftly, W!Jetbtr tbofe, who are herem gndty, do to m,• as they would be done unto by others. . l What if any were once fevere to you\ many are unconcerned m th1Jt, who are yet liable to the Lafh, as if they were nor. But if you once though! the lmpofirion of a Direllory Unr6afonahle, and a : RejJ.raint.fronL-,our rvay.of Wor/hip, Unchri~iar.,, can rou believe that Liberty of Conjcl£11(£ IS changed, becaufe the l'art1es, tn Point of Power, are? or that the fame Reafons do . not yet remain in Vindication of an Indulgenc~ for others, that were once employed by you, for your fetvf!s·? Surely fuch Conjectures would argue grofs Weaknefs, To conclude, whether PerJe~utor.r at any Time read the Script11rn., we know nor; but certain we are, fucb PraOifr, tu little of them tu may be~ who with fo much Delight rejeCt them, and .think it nQ frnall Acceffion to the Difcovery of their Loyalty, to lead t,s and o11r Properties in Triii!Rf after thtm, r ( CHAP. IV. ti They are Enemies to thePriviledge of Nature ; J, as rem/ring fome mere,· and Others lefs tban Men; 2 • .As fubvcrring tbe Vniverjtt! Good tiMr is God'sGi}r to Men; ~· As deflroying all nr1tural Ajfc{/ion. A ext, rl11y tzre Enemies to the noble Principle if Reafon, as appears in rigbt great In fiances. W £ farther fay, That lmpofirion, Reflrtlint, and f e,frcutinn, at•e a/~ fo dej1n18ive of rbe great Priviledgc of Nature and Pdnciple of Reafon. Of Nature in t!Jret In fiances: 1. 1-'irfr, If God Almighty has made of one Blood all l\¥tfttOils, as himf:tlf .hai decb{d, anel. tha.t he has given them both Sen1Cs Cprp0~1l a~d bue!/ec .. lltalf Liberty of ConfcieHce 'Debated. uul, ta difcerit Things and. their Differences, fo as to alfert or crenjr froin ~vidence.s an.d ReafOns pr~per to each; rhen Where any EnaEl:s the Be· 11~ or Dr!be.ltef ?f any Thm~ u~;~on the celt, or refirains any from rhe Ex. erctfe oftheu Fauh to them mdifpenji~le, filch exalts bimJe/fbeyond his Bo11nds; Enjlaves his FeUow,.Creatllftr1 rnvades the£r Rigbt of Liberty, andfD pervert! the f!Jhole Order of Ntzture. Secondly, M~nl<ind is hereby robbed of the Ufe and bchefit of th3t Inflina of a Derry, whtah ts fo narural co him, that he can be no more without it and be, than he can be without rhe moft effential Part of himfelf. Fo; to what ferv~s that Divine Principle in the Tfniverfality of Manki~d, if Men be r~ftntled br . th~ Pr~fcriptions ~f feme Indi~iduals? Bur if rhe excellent Nature o 1t zndzn~s Me". to .God, nor Mah; if the Powuaf ..Awt/in_g and Excujing be eomm!tted to 11 ; if rbe _r,:ouble'd; TIJJUtht s ttnd fad ~ejleOzons D[ Forlorn and Dyzng Men mde the'tr Tendtnc} that Way anfJ, (as being hopelefs of an other Relief and Succour from any cxrcrna/ Power orCo'!lmand) What fl~all we fay, but .that fuch as invali~ate the Authmiry of th1s Heavenly I~ft.ma, (tu/mpofitton and Rejlraint evtdtntlj do) d~Jlroy Natll!:e, or that Prn.nleJge whtcb Men are botn·wirb, and to. Thirdly, .All natural AffeOion is deflroy'd•;, for thofe who h3Ye fo lirde tender~efs, as to p~rfecure Men, that cannot for ConfcienCe fake yeildthetn Comphance, mamfe~Iy aft injurioufiy to their Fellow·Creatures, and confequendy are Enemies to N~ture; F?r Narurf! being one .in all,j:tuh tU rMm tho~ w~o are equaOy lntallled ~fib tbtmfelves to l\Fature~ rui11 it .In them. as In Ltbeny, Property, fJ'c . .A._nd fob?ing the Sr,zte of Nature to the St11~e of War, the great Leviathan oj tbe Times, ttl igntmmt.ly, tU &ld!;·, does a.Oerf. 1 \ Bur Secondly, We alfo prove them deftruEli've of the noble Principle of Rc:tfoy, and tbat'in thefe eigh~ 'PtutualtJrs. • !. In that thtife<:wbo zmpoJ-e, or reftram, tzre u11certain of the Truth and Jujl.ijiablenifs of their .All IOns iit eirblr of thefe, their own Difcourfe~ Jn,d Co,nfeffion~ .1re.1 pregnant lnfta'rces, where t~ey tell us, that they do not prf~ tend to he zirfauipfe, .only tbey-1/uptbly concezvt ,tis thtH, or iris no/'. Since then they are uncerum ·and f:illi~le, how can they impofe upon, or rtftratn others whom they are fo far from affuring, :fs they are not able to do iO muc~ for f~ef!!fel ves? uhnr U this, bur to illlpofe an unccrtai'n Fairb, ~'-POJI eertam Penalttes?" l· As he that aEis doubtfully is damned, fo Faith in all AE!s of R<lo !gi• • on is necefi'<~iy:· · ~ow in Order to believe, we· mutt fitft WzU; co Wi/~1 we rnuft 1udge; ro· ]Mdge any Thing, we muft firft Undcrjland; if then we cannot be f:~M tO"Uifderfland 1anf Thing againtb our UnderjiJrnJin.{; no more ~can ~e Judge, 'Will, or Believe againft our U~dcrjlan'ding! and it the :Ooub· ter lie damned,. wltat mul\ he be that c6nfutms direaty againft Ius J'•dgnmft a11~ Be/Jif, ana t~ey likewife' rhar 'l'e9,Uire .. tt from him? In :·, fh9It, that ,.Man cann6r be fatd to have -any Reli~t~ll, th3t takes it by an.other Man!s Choice, ~ot his own." ' J ~· Where M~ 8:relimiteCi"' in Matters of\R:eligion/there the Reward,s WhiCh are enratl d on the free AEls ·of Men, are qnite O\'erthroWn ; and ~cJtas fupet§.d~rand Charte_L of_Liberty of Confcience, fruitrare·an · napes of Recompence, by rendrlng the Affi'olis of Men unavoidable : But thofe think perhaps, tbcy do.1f0t 4•Jiroy 14a',)Frcedom, bmll}c tbcy •fc fo 11111cb of therr own. •' .\!· F:ifth!yj~TJli'TfU!\VFrt rll.1;r.lle Religi'o;. for where Men. believe not •. £ec~uf~ it C;0 :of, !jut beeaufe ibey are),e ui'tfid td d,o fo, -\Here tHey will " unlielieve;lio['-!i~c;u~ 'til P~~,t/e, btft1o rnjnded ~bf their Suptr;ors, <'W!iofe. AuthoHtY' 'tfleu Ilrtl!re!t ond SecuHI 'eblige them•.-rather to •bey, than dtfpure. ··:.· ... \."t· .~,..nl\ h.~ ( ~.,. 6. Sixthly, They delu4e, or rJther compel People out of their F.~e~nai Rewards~· Mt where· Men 1ate commllnried to- attdh r~ference to Rf\hg10n, lhd tan neithor be fecur'd\·of thtir Religien,. nor .yer. fa-v•d Harmlefs fltlm l M m m :;~ Punilhment 4)'i ~ Ch~p. IV. ·'""- |
