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Show 688 England's Prefent Interefl ConfiJer'l. VoL. I. fiderations for the Prefervarion of Property, and tlierein hint at fame of thofe MHC:hiefs that follow fpoiling it, for Confcience fake, both to Prince ond People. I. The Rea fog of the Alteration of the Ll w, ought to be the Difcommo~ dhy of continuing it; bur there can never be iO much as the leait Inconvc· niency in continuing That of Libutyand Properly_; therefore there c:m be no ju£t Ground for infringing, much lefs abrogaung the Law.s that fecure them. JI .. No M:m in England is born Slave to another; neither hath One Right to inherit rhe Sweat of the Others Btow, or Reap the Benefit of his La· bour, but by Confent; therefore no Man Jhould be deprived of his Property unlefs he injure another Man's, and then by Legal Judgment. ' III. But certainly nothing is more unreafonable, than to facrifice the liberty and Property of any Mon (being his Natural Jnd Civil !lights) fol Religion, where he is not found breaking any Law relating to Natural and Civil Things. Religion, under any Modification, is no Part of the Old Englijh Government . Hon~{lf: viverc, Al~erum non l.e_dcre, j!fl f~tum c~tique tribuere, are enough to entttle every Natn•e to Englijh Pnv1leges. A Man may be a very good Englijbman, and yet a very indifferent Churchman. Nigh 'Three Hundred Years before Jiuftm fet his Foot on Engli]h Ground, had the Inhabirams of this Ifland a Free Government. It is want of dj{liJ)guifhing benveen it and the Modes ·of Religion, which ,fills every clamorous Mouth with fuch impertinent Cries as this, Wby do not you flihmit to the Government? As if the t.ngtijh Civil Government came in with Lutber, or were to go out wirh Calvin. What Prejudice is it for a Popi]h Landlord, to ha\'Ca Protcftont Tenant; or a H·ejbyrerian Tenant, to haye an Epijcopalia!l Laud lord? Certainly, the Civil Affairs of all Go\'ernmcnts in the World, may be peaceably nanfaE\ed under rhe different Livtries, or Trims of Reli• gion, where Ci\•il Rights are inviolably obferv'd. Nor is there any lntereft fo inconfiftent with Pe"ace and Unity, as Tbrtt whi~h dare nor folely rely upon the Power of Pcrfwafion1 but affeE\s Su· periority, and feeks after :m Earthly Crown. l'his is not to act the Chri· ftian, bm the CJfar; not to promote Property, but Party, and make ':1 Notion Drudges too SeE\. Be it known to fuch narrow Spirits. we are a Free People by the Creati· on of God, the Redemption of Chrift, and careful Provifion of our (never to be forgotten) Honourable Anceftors: So that our Claim ro thefe Englijh Privileges rifing higher than the Date of Ptoreftancy. can never jultly be invilidated for Non-conformity to any Form of it. This were to Lofe by the Reformation, which God forbid : I am iilre 'twas to enjoy Property, wirh Confcience, that promoted it. Nor is there a much better Ddiniti· on of Proteftancy, than Proufling againft Spoiling Property for Ctmfcien~t. I muft therefore take Leave to fay, th:lt I know not how to Reconcile what a great Man lately deliver'd in his Eloquent Speech to the Houfe of Lords: His Words are thefe: ' For when we confider Religion in Parliament, we are fuppofed to con' fider it as a Parlilment 010uld do, and as Parliaments in all .Ages ha\'C ' done; that is, as it is a Part of out Laws, a Part and a ncceffary Pan of • our Government: For as it works upon the Confcience, as it is an It~' ward Principle of the Divine Life, by which good Men do Govem all ' their Afl:ions, the State ·hath nothing to do with it: It is a Thing which ' belongs to another Kind of·Commiffion, than _that by w.hich w~ fie b~Ue. I Acquiefce in, and Honoui the bner Part of this Diftinaion, taking it to be a Venerable Truth ; and would to God Mankind would believe ir, and Live it: But how to agree ir with the former, f profefs lgnor.1nce: For if the Government had nothing to do with the Principle it fel f, what mole - ; can Vol:. I. Ebglarld's Prefent Interef£ Coitjid,:r'd: 68 c:m She pretend over the Afl:ions of thofe M , Cenamly, If ~ellglOn be an Jnward Pnnct et"; 6fh~ Lwe that Good Lift J J6]~. 1e)f by Holy Ltv1ng, and that as fuch it f:e1 JVute Life, exenin~ It ~ of our Superiors, 1 do wah Submiffio~ co ongs not to rhe_Commill1on Ch:lp 1. elfe of Religion_ left for them to have to d ncet~e, ~~t there IS very hrtle Name of Rellg10n, ::md lef.S doth Juch a F 0 wn 1. · e reft meras not the' hope fuch Cucumfiances :ue no neceffa p orma uy deferve Pcrfecuu n l cannot reafonably be reputed a lleceffa~~ part 0~ tnfU? Go,•ernmcnr, th:Jt he tS too great a Dtvme and Lawyer upon fe~~ 0 d Tf 1g1~1 ; And, I belitle tJ Part of our Laws, a Part and a ne:e.ffn :Y .R n ,1 lOUa rs, to Repute rha~ fuch a Part of Religion, a:s is neaher ~he aj{ o; our overnnum, thar is .AOtons tmmed~auty jloanng from It . Iince th z(lne Pr111ctplf, nor yet the' pleat and Profperous many A es ~irh .e overnmenc was moft Com-perplex'd Contefis and Troubfefom I out u, and hath never known mar~ recctv'd and valu'd as a Part of the£. ~~rGupuon~ than fince it b:nh been Will forbid lt, m the Heans of ourngS~ overn em: And God, I hope, be dep~ivcd of their Czvtl/nberrtanu fof~h~~~s"rth~ ;;..rli.fh Men fhoulcf Formaluy: For no Property out of rh Ch 011 on1:.rmuy to Ch'urctt lick Severhy for Non-conformzty) is a Ma .urc\ (thbet am Englijh ofpub-ly Law of God, or Common Law of rhc L~~. at ocgs not to the Ho- IV. If Liberty and Property mull be rh F ". f 'Conformity to the Prince's Religion the pe· or ett doh~ Confcience for 'J.lon· be Lov'd as the next heft Acceffion' to oth ~"M a,n IS Religion fhJll only perpetually provok'd to expofe many of his ln~"Je EJtarp, ap~ the Prince' for what IS no Fault at Common Law. n Jve eopla to Bcggarh V. It is our Sup~riors lnterefi th t p b · their· own Caf~: None have mdre P~o :r~p~r~~n Th preferved, bec:~~fe it is. perty be expofed for Religion rhe Civft J ill emli:lves. But 1f Profcience and Property to the Church d d~r. rate ~xpofes horh his Con· upon any Alteration of Judgment Tap . I ar.ms htmfelf of all Defence under the Prelate, and the State t~ fuff~~\~s?clt~~Yb!oR.idhb Prince to hold VJ. It obflruE\s all Impr•vtmenr of L d y the Church. bou,r that hath no Propertv or hath ·ran and Trade; for who wj]J I a. of Men, for the bare Exerdre of his C~n~~rn{:~o G~" , ~nr;lfonable Sorr try can never make a Rich and Powerful Prince H o . . n ha poor Counven, to Good and Wife Men becaufe they . ehaven IS t erefore Heatty therein. , are to ave an Eternal Propti- Vll. This Sort of Procedure, hitherto oppofed on the Beh If f p ty, puts the whole Natton upon mifi bl U ' . . a o roper• wl:tah great Difqulets and DiftraEl:ion::a whic'~cce:::J~~J;sit t~atth arle foll'ftw·~ a overnmenr to prevent : The Reigns of Ht 8 EJ e mere o a_n~ Q Eliz. both with Relation to the Mania nJ . ward 6. Q . .A1arj !worn Rtv~!JJtions of the reft, are a plain Proo~ in orfh!hCa%~· and the Rt~ Xing 'Henry voicfs the Pope's Suprem2cy, and afrumes it himfelf. Com Edw. 6. a~d _Enaas Proreitancy wuh an Oath to maintain ir r Q lr1Bres Ch. r. Th~ ts abrogated: Popery Solemnly Re!lored; ond an Oat~ i~forc{£ to. Defend It: And th1s ·QJ,Jeen Repeals alfo aU Laws Het Father made . ~amft r~e Popt, fince the J 2th of Hen. 8. Next, follows 0.: Elizabezb an~ Repeals Her Laws, calls back Protejlancy ord:~ins a new Oath to un bat · Queen Mary's. Oath; _and_ all this under the Penalty 6f lofing iftatc1 Libel~ ~· _an~ fomenmes L1fe It felf; ~hich, Thoufands, to avoid, Lamenrabl yerJurd them~elves! four or jive Tu1ter over, within the Space of Twenr~ ears.. In whtch S1n, t.he C:le~gy Tranfcended : J\~t nd Htmdred for rver Tbv11fand, but left,theu PCinClples for their Pari£hes. Thus hath Conrcf} nce been Debauch d by Force, and Propeity tofs'd up a·nd down bJ the mpetuous Blaits of lgnorant Zeal, or Sinifter Deffgu. · S VIII. Where Liberry and Property are Violated· there mufl Jlways be a rate of Force: Apd though I pray God that ~e nevel' nee4 thofe Cruet T t 1 t Remedies:. |
