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Show England's 'Prefe~~t lmereft Confider' d. VoL.!. Remedies, whofe Calamitous Effcfis we have too lately felt, yet certainly, Self·Prefervat~on is of all Things dearefi co Men; infomuch that being not Confcious to themfelves of h1ving done an ill Thing, They, to defend their Unforfcired Priviledges, chearfully Hnard all the_Y hav:e in this Wcrld : So very ftrangely VindiEHve are the Sons of Men, 10 M:untc:n~n~ of their Rights. And fuch :ne the Cares, Fears, Doubts and Infecurmes of that Adminifiution, :lS render Empire a Slavery, and Dominion the worft fort of Bondage to the Poffeffor. On the contr:uy, nothing can give greater Chearfulnefs, Confidence, Security and Honour to any Prince, tb3n Kuling by Law; for it is a Conjun£\ion of Tirle with Power, and Attracts Love as well as it Requires Dut)'· Give me Le:tve, without Offence (for I h:n·e God's Evidence in my own Confcience, I intend nothing but a Refpeflful C:tution to my Superiours) to Confirm this Reafon, with the Judgment and Example of other Times. The Governours of the Elt~tnr held a thiS: Hand over the People; who, Defpairing oCR.elief at home, called in the Spttrt4n.r, and by their Help Freed all their Cities from the !harp Bondage of their Natural Lonls. The State of Spann was grown Powerful, and OppreO: the Tbtbaws; They, l)lou\',h but a weak People, whetted by Defpair, and the Profpetl of greater 'M1feries, did, by the Atbmians, deliver them(elves from the Spartan Yoak. , Nor is there any other confiderablc Reafon given for the Ruin of the (4. tbttginian Sr;ue, than Avarice and Severity. More of this is to be found. in Ramle1gh's Hi(hny of the World, 1. ;. who hath this Waty Exprefiion in the fame Story, 1. 5· of a Severe Ct>nduct. Wben nforced Gc.vtrmrem, faith he, foaU decay in Strengrb, It wiH _fuJfer, tu did the old Lyon, forth~ OppreOion done in b-H Youth; being Pmclld by the ri!o!J, Goar"d by tbe BuU, bnd l<ick'd n!fo by tbt Afs : The Senfelefs Mob b. · This loft C.tfar Borg itt, his new and great Conquefls in Italy. No bet· ter Succefs attended the Severe Hand held over the People of Naples, by ..!Up!JOnfo and Ferdinand. 1Twas the undu·e Severity of the Sicilian Govem· ours, thlt made the Syracujimu, Leontinu and MeJJe1tiflm fo Eafie a Con· quelt to the Romttns. An harfh Anfwer to a Petitioning ~eop1e 1oft Rtb~ &uz• Ten Tribes. On the contrary, in Livy, Dec. 1.1. 3· We find. that Petili11, a City of the Brutiolfr in Italy, chafe rather to endure all E-xrrcmi· ty of War from Hannibal, rhan upon any Condition to Defen the R0111a1t1:~ who h3d Govern'd 'hem moderately, and by that gentle Condna procur'd their L ove; even then, when the Romam fent them Word, They roere not 11b/# ttJ relieve tbrtn, tmd wijb'd tbe1fl ttJ provide /tJr tb1ir oren Sajety. 1il. Machiavel in his Difcourfes upon Livy, p. g~. tells us, th3t one Alt of Huma'nity was of more Force with the Conquer'd 1:1!(fci, than mlnr Violent M.ls of Hajlility: Which makes good th3t Saying of &nun, Alt· tim imperonti me/ius pttretur, They are beft obeyed, that Govern moft mildly. IX. If thefe Ancient F~tndamental Laws, fo Agreeable with N:nure, fo 'fuit~;d to the Difpofition5 of our Nation, fo often defended with Blood mtd Tt't.[ure, fo Carefully and Ftequently Rarified by our Anccftors, !hall nor b~:9 to our great Pilots, as Stars or f:omp4{s for them to Steer the VeiT"cl of thi~ Kingdom by, or Lim ill to their Lcgiiliuure; no Man cJn tell how lon.g ~e !hall be fecurc of his Coat, Enjoy his Haufe, hJve Br.ead to gi\·c hli Children, Liberty tq Work for Bread, and Life to cJt it~ Truly, this is tQ jufi:ifie what we condemn in R011Mn Carbolicks. lr is .~ne of our main Ob· idfionr, that rbeir Cburcb o§11mes n Power of lJnpofing Religion, thc1eby de· nying Men the Liberty of walking by tlle '"Rules of their own Renfon .:uui Gl!ljden(e, o11d Fucepu ()f Holy Writ: To whom, we Q.Jlpofe both. 1Ve fay, the C!J11rcb is tyed to aa nothing contrary to Reafon,; and tha,t Holy JVht is the declar'd LJW of Heaven. which to maint1liu, Power is sh·c.n. ti the Tme Chu,·ch. Now let us apply this Argument to our Civil Afbus, :tnd it will certainty end in a reafonabl~ Limittttion of ~ur Lcgiflnton, thlt they fhould not impofe that upon our Undedtandings, -whiob is i"cohfitl~or 'It . Wlth ... ~ OL. I. England·s 'Prefent lllterejl Crm.filier'J. W~th them to Embrace; · nor offer an the 1 . . • R1ght. Do the Romanifis f<ty Bel: Y eaft Violation to Commou ProujlaRU, and which is harddr iev~ tU thcf: Chu_rcb Believes? Do not the Romnnijh, at this rate ToN; obed~g' ot~r8r::~:y io too? Do we Jay to the /dot her of Devor ion? J~ it not aJro'ence rs f JRd, and yol(r Ignorance if rbe ahem, TbH makes your J<eligion uuce,~:~~ ~ 0 T. .felves? Do we obi~ 1tl, Morrow? Doth not our own Cafe fub .' ne 'bhng .to DJ1y, and mtotherro Have we not long told them, that ~~~:/,us t~ t e hkc Vari~tion in Civil$) and not controuling her Power /he b tb e. Pu:tence of ob.tyJRg tl;e Cbt~rt/1 with that FoNndntion foe pret;nds 1 ° b EJ.ifd a Supetjlruflure intonfiflen; in Civils, that make our PrivilegC: r:rhe:p;;· ~nd are not ·we the ~en Laws, as fhe doth upon Councils not S . ) Ipef nd. upon Menj than Temporals, what is? ' cnpiule · th1s be not Popery in It is humbly befecch'd of S . . confider what ltefl.ethon fuch Se~:~~~rs,. thJt It would pleafe them :ro ings; and remember th:tt in their 1 Y Juttg 1brmgs upon Their Proceed· fine, Refoh•e, and I~pofc Matters 3fi.IR.ni . e egauons, u was nor roDe· leges for it; but, to Maimain the Peo e '.gton, and facnfice Ctvll l?nvi,. ancient Fundamental Laws of the L d pled Propemes, aecordJng to .rht were Confiftent with, and Prefer van!~ dr ath ~o Fdd dlucb Sratutes only,. :JS L:~:ftly, To conclude this Head . M 1 ° c uu :~:mental Laws. to fhow that CbJJrch Government i; no i&c 31~ tPd hopelt Dnft has been; vernment, and to dlfintangle Pro {j ~ntiJ Jrt o t)le old Englijh GfJthe Clergy, for fcveral A es havpe:ty d rom OpmiOn, th~ untoward Kn~t; ~ight, but our Superiors ginterefr roeun~Vhtc~ ~~ notl only the fepple"'~ rnnce. For, where Properry is fub·ed d o ; ~r.lt gau ~ l,o.th People an<{ es, and makes fornething elfe ret~u·h e to <?Ptpon, the t;:}lprch lnte~pof.: the Nature of Property; and the k~ efc to efJOY property, .t~an belongs to by, and Obedience to the Comm a on ° our eJJHfion ts not o11r R1g[~ or LJws for Church C~nformitv ~n .}a.w, but Conformuy to Chun:h L:~:w, :fince 'ds an Alteration of old & l.ijh ~mg dangerous to C~vtl (.iovenuncnu up and fupplant the State. and'Ba' ~nllre, J fuffering the Ghurch tq Trip, not to rhe c,v,l, but Ecc!r}ap,cnl p:a~ng. Peo~e to owe their ProteeliOI\ Fn.eod, and all is well, make her u 0ftty. or let the Church be my JIJ.gna Chaltn fay what fhe will for my M' 'Hd I am made ber Prey, Jet Goods, go firft, my Perfon to Goo Ten. y orfcs, Cows, Sheep, Corn; Chu,cb Ttoplnl~ made at the Conqueft ofxt, for j}l ~:J.ffi~ Behold, force This is that tin'xious Thm . M a peac.ea ) e I enter! ' the Equal Scale of Domg tu ~~,;y ~!,Juh ~upeblorsLpleafe to weigh it in. that Fix and Preferve Pro en .b e one 'Y; et thofe Comth0/1 LPn.·.r tion and Adminiltration. Jak!&=!.~e R~/eR"nt Sc:~:n1Jrd d chetr Leg1fia .. Church Rlgbtr, Difintangle and D~fiinme~u lg?ts as nvlolable, as Eng/if!> Ctvtl pll,ijhments for Ecclrfiaflual Palt~UJI'hb th~m: tnd let no MJn fultam,. eftabhrh'd c,vt/ Gqvernmeur only; rh:~:~heuNa~~resi~Sf Jji{~ft ~eRncJe~r. ~:y Ci:ilbj){~[rr;n~~~· ES6 ~1&11 t~e Ctvk/ ~:tgiltrJte crefer~:Law, e;.;~~r! whofc <;ry is, and the Cr;~;r~h~'}e Laaw~ i~~[e!~c~e~:~d of Englifhmen 5 i~~B::;:~·k,~;:::1~:~.;:;r:,n::~~·d tvttb I:<dcji,jlu., v;l,~t::::y.:;t~? fec!~rtb.h~ an mvt~IJbl~ Prefen•ation o( Engli}h R,,gbu, of all Things, bellthere is fo~e~~in f!enors, the L~ve and Allegiance of the People; yet tonlideration w~chrj~e:hethfit• d'P~ SubmJffio.n, I o~er to thea ~eriOus Peo le' F r '· d . econ ace concerns che1r Incerett :tnd the ibn~m: tbe~clty; a.n th:~(: IS t]teir Dijttgrreme1zr about Rehg1on,' 1JOtwlthwh h 1r un:u~umous ry lOr Property; a prudent Managemenr of Ki;~a~:.ay turn to the great Cl.Pier, Honour and Profit of the Kiug and r t t t 2 £HAP.' 691 1/i~J. ~ |
