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Show 458 J67Co 1../"V"'V Chap. V. The Great CASE of VoL I But thefe ore only the popular Devices of fome to traduce honell Men: and their Principles ; whofe lazy Life, a'!d ~n~olerable Advuc become quefiion'd, by a Toleration of People better mcltn d. Oh)ea. 5. But what need you taM this Pain~ to P.rove Ljber.ry of r;onfiJ.:. tnct I<eafonablc and Xeceifary, when ''one qucjl1~'!" 11; all that u regurrc~ u, That ou mat hut four more than your orvn Fam,/res ~ and can you .not he con. rente~ with that? Tour Dijoi.edience to a Law, fo favourable, ~nng.r.fuffer· ing upon you. .An f. Here is no Need of anfwering the .form.er Pan o~ the. Obje8:ion; ~Tis too apparent throughout the Land, rhat Ltberry of Gonfctencc, as ~e have fiated it, has been feverely profecuted, and therefore nor fo frankly mjoyned: The latter Part, 1 anfwer thus, If the Words L_aw[11l or Unlaw[11l, may bear their Signification from the Nature of the T.hmgs they fiand for, then we conceive that 11 Meeting of Fo11r Thouj(m~ u .no.more UnlariJ/111, th:m a Meeting of Four; for Number jingly confider d '!zmma~es no Jljf&m· b!y : But the Reafon of their affembling; the Pofiure tn wh1ch ~ and the Matter rranfafted, wjth the Confequences thereof. . . Now if thofe Things are taken for granted, to be Thtngs dtfpenfible (at appears by the Allowance of Four bejider every Fan;il!) ce~tainly t~c Number can never render it Unlawful; fo that the Quefit?n will be thl~ Whether if Four met to worjbip God, be an JJ.Oowable_ Meetrng, Four thoufand met with rbe fmne Dejign be not an allowable Jl!eetzng ?. • It is fo plain a Cafe, thac the Matter m ~cfbon refolves tt. Objea. 6. But the Lnw forbids it. .Anfw. If the enaaing any Thing can make it lawful, we have done; hut if an ACt fo made by the Ptzpifls againfi Protcfianrs, was. nevir eU:ee.m'd fo by a uue Proreflant; and if the Nature of the Matter wtll not bear It; a~ l:Ifily that we are as much commanded by God to meet Four Thoufand, as Four; we mufi: defire to be excufed, if we forbear not the affembling of our fel ves together, as the Manner of fome is. Objea. 7· But the Renfon of the Prohihitivn of the Number is (for you fee they allow all that can be faid to Four Thoufand to be faid to the ~a· mUy and Four) that Tumultr may arifc, and Plott may be made, aRd the lzkc Jnctmveniencies happ'n to the Government. . .A.nf. Great A!I'emblies are fo far from being injunous, that t~ey are the moft inoffenfive; for, Firft, They are open, expofed to !he V1ew of al_l, which of all Things Plotters are the jb;·ejl of; but how fau an Opportumty 'twere, for Men fo principled, to do it in thofe allowed Meetings of but Four betides the Family, is eafie ro .~uefs, when we confider, th11t fetD nzde the befl and clofefl Council; and next, that fitch an Af!embly U the moft private and clandefline, andfo fitted for Mifcbief and Surprize. Secondly, Such Afi'emblies, are not only publi~k and large, but ~hey .arc frequented, as well by rhofe that are not of their Way, as by thea o~n; from whence it follows, that we have the greateit Reafon to be .cauuous and wife in our Behaviour, jince the more there be at our A1eenngs, the more Witne.ffes are ngainfl m, if we foould fay or aEl any Thing that mtlJ he prejudicial to tbe Government. , Laftlf, For there feveral Years none could ever obferve fuch ~m ill _ufe made o that Freedom, or fuch wicked Defigns to follow fuch AU"emblies; ~nd therefore it lshighlncharity to procec~ .fo feverely upon meer Suppo• :Gt~~s~his we fha11 add fevetalAuthorities and Teftimonies for far.theJ Con" firmation of our Senfe of the Matter, and ~o let lmpofers fee, . that w_e are not the only Perfons, who have impleaded Perfecution,. and juftified Ltherry of Confcienu, as cliri!li an and Rational. C H I) 1'. V'o' L. I. Libertj 'f CunftJienct 'l>ebated. CHAP. VI. i;hry rejlef1 uton i/Je Senft and Prafli&e of, the Wifeft, Greatefl; mid befl Stares, and P~rfons of .ilnczenr and .A1odern Times; as of the Jews, Ro· mans, lEgypttanS, ~ermans,. French, .Holllnders, nay Turks and Perfmns too. And Ca~o •. Ltvy, Tac~tus, Jufhn .Ma~ty,r, TertJJUi~n, Jovianus~ Chaucer, Domt01cus So to, Malvetzey, Gronus Raw leigh Do8:or 3nd Student, French and Dutch Pro[efl:ants in Engia~d. Dr. Ha~mond, Dr • Taylor, A ,~amelifr but gre~t . Perffn, La_EtanriuS, Hil.:uy. Jeroru, Chry~ f~ftom, Pol!lh and Bohemian Kmgs, Klilg JameS, aitd King Charles tbe Frrft. A Brief Colleaion of the Senfe and Praaice of tlje Grearejl, Wife }I, ~nd Learned'ft.Common~Wealths, Ku:gdoms, atfd p4rti&u!ar Peifons of theu Ttmes, concermng Force upon Conference. _Fir }I, Though. the '(<"!s above all Peopl~ had the f!'Oil to,fay for Impo· ii!ton 3nd R~ltrat~t Wtthm ~~e1r own ~~mtmo!"ls! ha\'tng theu Religion in~ fiuuted by fo many llgna:l Pro.ofs Jof Dtvme Ongmal, it being deliver 'd to them by the .Hand of Goll h1mt~lf; yet fuch, was their Ind,wlgence to Diffenters, th.at 1f they held the cohimon rtt:e1v d Noachtcal Pnnci pies tending to -th~ Acknow.led&m7nt of One God, and a;uft Life, rhey had the Free Exerc1fe pf t~etr ~dhn8: Mod7s or Ways o Worfhip, which were nume· rt?US. Of lhls thetr own Rabbles are Witne!I'es, and Gi'otii1s out of them. , 2. The R(Jtnan~ themfelves, as firiEl as they were, nor on!y h'ad Thirtv, Thoufand Gods (1! Varro tnay be credited) but almoll every Family of any note, had its diffind Sacra, or peculiar Way of \;y"orfhip . 3· I.t was the Senfe ,of that grave, exemplary Common·Wealth's·Man · Cato,. 10 Sabtfl., that among other Things which ruin any Government' Want of Freet/~m of Speech, .or Men's being ·ob~iged to humour Times, z,; grea~ one;- whtch we find madd good by the Florentine Rep11blitk, as Guic-cardzne relates. ·. ,. , . 4o Liyy ~ells u~, It WaS"? Won~er ~hat H~ffnibd!'S A'rmt, confifiing o( dtvers Natron.s, dzvtrs _Humoifrs, di.fferzng Habas,. contrary f(eligions, vari· ous La~tguag_es, fhoukl lzve T!Jirtem Yea_rs.from Jlmr own- Couniry under his Com1nond Wttbd~tt fo mu~h ttl once. m11tmzng, en her againfi their General, or omopg tbemfelv~s~ But what .Lrvy relates fbr a lVonder, that ingenious .ftlarquefs, .Virgt!t~ Malvet.::y g1ves the Re:tfon of, namely, that the Di.ffcrenc~ of t/Jt tr Opmron, Tongu~s, fi.Jtd ,CHflom:, rvat.tbc Reafon of their Prefer· tJ_atmt and Conquejl; For, fatd·.he, Twas tmpofhble fo many Contrary Spi· ms fhould Combm~, and Jf 3ny fhould have done ir, 'twas in the GcnerJl's Power to make !h! l:jtz'fer Parrt by his equal Hand. tliey owin~ · him more of ~everence, tl1an !hey did of AffeCtion to one a'notl:ier: Th1s, f:.~ys he, fome 1mpure ro Hanntbtr!, bur how great foever he wJs 1 give it to the Variety . of Humour~ ~n the Ar!JlY· fo~ (adds he) Rom~'s Army VMI evtr le.fs t;'v~n to A1utnung when ;oyntd w11b the Provinci.11-Auxiba1ics than wbtn rn!!r_ely_!~oman; thus much and more, in his publick Difcourfc~' flpon Corne/un Tttclfils.- S'· ~he f:.~me~ ?eft Sra'rilt: of his Time, C. T,rcitm, tCll$ us in thd Cafe oi C!·tnll~us, That Jt had be~n th.e .Intercft of Tibefi11s not to haVe punHhed htm, m as much as Cunofity ts begotten by Reftriflion of Libercy ro Wrire or Speak, whh:h p.ev~r mift of Profelyres. . . . 6. ]~fl. 111m:tyr •• I wt~l f~rbear to quote, i~ lefs than this, t\-to whole Apologtcs, ~ed1cared to .A.dnan and ..tlnroni1111s Pms, as I rake it. • 7· Terrull~a~ ~d Scapu/,zm, that Learne~ ·:wd judicious. Apologiil, plainly ~~~sus, That trs not the Property of RehgWn to Compd or Pcrj"cc111e for l?rbglon, ihe fhould be accepted for her Setf, not for F91Cc 1 rhar being a poor ~nd beggarly one. that has no better Arguments to Con\•ince ;. and a mani-cft Entl•ucc of her Superllition an~ F~lfho9<1. 6" No n z · - ~· · t Chap. VI. |
