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Show l!:ngland's Prefent Interejl C~m.fide1·fd. Vot.-1. J67)· Sevembly, Nor is this Severity only injurious to the AfFJirs of England ~ bur the whole Prorefbm World: For befides th:n it calls the Sinceritv 0 f· ChJp. H. their Proceedings againlt the Popifls into Qoeition, it hlrnifheth them Wirh ' thi~ Sort of un:.nfwerJble lntqrog:~tory: Tbe Proteflma S' cxc},,;,, l1Minj1 111 for Perfecutors, and nrc tbq now tbe Very·Men them(Clves? Wa; ~·evtrhJ an In fiance nf Wtalmcfs in our Rdigion, and is it bcco;ne '' V.!/iJ Argu111cm t11 theirs? Are not our ABions (once void of aU Excufe with them) noat defmded by their own Prttflice? B111 d JHcn mujl be t'e]lrahted upon Prttdottial Gmjiderations from the l!.'xcrcife of their Crutfcicncu m England WI!,Y not the fame in Fr~nce and Germany, where Matters of Srau may ;qua.'ly t1e pleaded? Cerr~nnly whatever Sh1frs Proteflants may ufe to palliare thefe Proceedings, they are thus far Condemn:1ble upon the Foot of Prudence. Eighrh!y, Such Procedure is a great Reflection upon the Juflice of the Government, in that it Emtts Penahies inadequate to the Fault committed viz. Th:u 1 fhould lofe my Libeny and Propeny, Fundamental Civil Privi: leges, for fome Error in Judgment about Maners of Religion: At if 1 ,,11ft nor he a JUan, bccaufe I am not fucb a Sort of Religious MJn as the Go· vernmcnt would hJve me; but muft lofe my Cl3im to all Nuural Ren- firs though I agree with them in Civil Affilirs, becaufe I f:1ll JDt in wirh rh~ Judgment of the Gover~menr in fvme Points of a SupernatUral Import, tho' no real Part of the Anctent Government. Perhaps mftead of going ro the Left H:md, I go to the Right: And whereas lam commanded w hear A. e. I rather chu(e to hear C. D. my Reafon for it, being tbe more Rehg/6111 tn. jl:unce the !tater bath ovu me, tban tb~ former; .nnd tbat 1 .fi11d by J:.'xptrj:.. enu, 1 am betur affe[f~d, and mort Rebgto11jly edified to Good Living. WMt B!emijb is this to the Government? What lnfecurity to the Civil AJ11gi· flrnte? Why may not this Man SeiJ, Buy, Plow, Pay his Rents, be as good a Subje~, an? as True an Englijh11Mn.' as any Ccnformijl in the Kingdom ? How belt, Fmes and Goals are very 1ll Argumenrs to convince Sober 'Wen's Undedtandings, and ditfwade them from the Continuance of fo harmlefs a Pratlice. La.fity. But there is yet another lncom·enience that will attend this Sort o~ Severity, that. fo naturally ~allows upon our Superiors making Con/or· mtty to the Do8:nne Jnd Worfh1p of the Church of F..'nglantl, the Sine ~14; N~n,. or Inlet t~ all Property, and Ground of Cta·il1,1 to all E'ngli/h CtVI7. Prr?t!egu, to '!It, !hat they .m~k~ a Rod, for ought they knotv, to Whip tbetr omt Po{ler;ry wah; fince HIS 1mpoffible for them to fecure their Children to the &gli/h Church: And if it happen that any of them are neve1' fo Omjci~ntio11jly of another Perfwafion, they are liable to all the Miferies that •may attend the Execution of thofe Laws .. Such .1 King mutt nor be King, fuch Lords and GJmmom mull nor Sic in Parliament: N'av, they mull not adminifier. ::my Office, be it never f? inferio~ within the R.e.tlm, and they never to Vutuous and capable to doH: Tbe1r very Patrimohy becomes 3 Prey to a P:rck of Lewd 1nfonllerr, and their Pe.rfOns expofcd to the Abufe of Men, Poor or Malicious. But there are Tliree Objcffirms that fome make ag:tinfi what I have urged nor unfit to be confider'd .. The Fidl: is this: If the Libut'y de/ired be gram~ ed, ffJhat know we but D1tfeoters may employ their .lHenings to infinuate again/ 1 tbeGovermhdnt, inflame People ;,ro a.Dijlike ~~ their Superibrt, and the-reby prepare them for JVIifchief r . Jinfw. T.his Objellion f!llY have fome Force·, fo long as.our Superiors contmue Sevemy; bec1ufe 1t doth not only fharpen and ex:cue DHT'entcrs, but ir runs many of them iuto fuch Holes and Corners, that if rhey were dit:. P?~ed to any fuch.O:Jnjpiracier, they have.the fecureft Places and Oppc.;c~· mnes to effea rheu Defign. Bur what D!ffenur can be fo deftitutc of Rea· fon, and of Love to common Safety, ~s to expbfe himfe_lf and Family, by Plotting agninfl tt Government tbar is Kind to tbem, and giver hhn<thc Liberty be dejires, and tbat bt u.u!d. only be fuppoj~J, in common Senft·. to Plot for. To be.fure, Liheny to worrhip God, :tccording .ro their feveral Profeffionr~ •. will be, 111 tbe People's SatiSfo[/ion, fo rbc Govermntl}t's grcaleftSuuc «riiJ: VoL. I. England's Prefent Interefl Conjider'd. rity: For if Mert enjoy their Property, and their Confcience wh· h · th Nobleft Pan of ir, wichout Molefl:.nion, what !hould they ~bj bc IS. rt or Plot for ? Mad Men only Burn their own Houfes,. Kill theire ow~g(hil~ dren, and Murd'r themfelves. Doth Kindnefs or Cruelty mofl: k · h M~n that are rhemfelves! H. Grot!tlf, with <:ampanella, well obfe:~.d~ TJJ:tt a fierce and.r~gge~ flm:.d r»tU very ~~proper for 1\orrlurn CoNntries. En lifhrnen ar~ gntn d wulJ MddnefJ, but mjltt11Jed by Severity. Aud many th~t do not fuffer,. arc as apt to ~ompaffionare them that do. And if it will ple:~le our Supenors to make Tnal of !uch a~ lndutgcncc, doubtlefs they will find Peace a?~ Plenty to enfue. The PrJ€bce of other Nations, and the TrJde ~ran.qutltty, .P~wer Jnd Opulency that have arrcnded it, i's a Demonftra: tton m the Cafe, a~d ought no~ to be flighted by thtm thac aim at as High and Honourable Th1ngs for then. Country. And if we had no other htflanct rbao onr own Intervals of Conntvanc~, they ~'ere enough to fa risfie f<eafonable Men, ~ow much more Mode':allon ~~ntnbutes ro publick Good, than the Profccuuon of People for tb.eu Rehgtorts Ddfcnr; jince the One hfltb ever proJ.uced Trttd~ mtd Tranq_11tftty, the Otber, Greater Poverty and DifJenfion. Th~ Second Obj~Oion, and ~y f:1r the mote Weight}', runs thus: Obje8:. The Kmg and Parhament 11re Sworn to 111rzintttin and Prore{! tlt ~hur~h of ~ngland, IU Ejlab/ijh'd, &c. therefore to To/crtl/e otber Opinio;s u agamfi tlmr Oat1J. ' .Jinfw. Were the Con~eg~ence True, as it is not, it were higtily unreafo· Qable to expe8: ~mpojfthliuter at their Hands. Kings and Parliaments can no mo.re make Brtck ~11bol!~ Straro tban Cr1p1ives: They have not Sworn ro ~o Tln~gs ~eyond the.tr A.b1ltry i if they have, their 0Jths are void. H:td It been tn H_ts and rhe1~ Ttm~ and.Choic.e •. whe~ the Church of Entland had been firft d1itu.rbed With Dijfentmg Optmom, It might have retlcC\'ed more colouJably • Kwd of Neglect upon them' But fince the Church of Eng!.nd was no fooner. a Church, t~en She found fo~e Sort of Diifenrerr, and that rhe utmoft P~licy and Sevemy of Qpeen Ebzabctb, King Jamu, and King Charles che Fuft, were not Su"cfsful towards an Jihfolllte Uniformity Why fho~ld 4: refl.~ up.on the~, that fhe Ch.ur.ch of E1tgla!fd hath not Yet rid Her,felf of D!Oen.rm~ Partzu.? ~elides, It 1s Notorious, that the late Wars ga~e thJc Opportunity to DJ.fferu~,g Pcrfionfions to fpr~nd, that it was utterly. m~poffi.ble for them tl? h1ndcr, muCh lefS during the feveral Years of the Kmgs Ex1le.; at what T1metheprefent Parliament was no Parliament nor the Generahty of the Members of it fcarce af anv Authoricv. ' Let it be confidered, that 'twas the Study of the Age io mJke People .Anti·Papi~ical and !Int~-Epi/copal, and that Power and Preferment wenr on tha[ Side. The1r Clrcumfiances rherefore, and their Anceltors are not che fame; they found the Kingdom di,·ided into feveral Iotcrefis' and h feernsa Difficulty infuperable to reduce them to anyone Perfwafion; w'here:. fore to render themfelves Mafiers of their Affe6Hons, they mufi neceffarily G?vern themfelves towards them on a Ba!ltmce, JS is before e~prefi; otherWife, they are put up~n the goeatelt HaZJrds, and extreamefl: Difficuhies 1o themfelvcs and the Kmgdom, and all to perform the Uncharirable Office of fu~prefling J!llDY T~oufandS of inofFenfn·e lnhabitJnts, for the different E~erc1fe of thett Confctences to God : It U not to make them rrfemble .111- mt,ghty God, tbt f:!ood~~tfs of tcb"fc Narz:re extends it fe!f UniverfrzUy, tbiii to narrow tbttr BoweiJ,tJnd ~onf ine tlmrClemency ro one Sh1g!c Parry: Jr (,Mght to .he rcmembred, th~t Opt~mus.wenr he/ore Maximus of Old, and thor Power without Goodnejs, 11 a Fnghrjul Sort of a Thing. ~ut Secondly, I de1~y the Cgnfequence, viz. Th11r tbe King i! thcrr[ore obb.gtd to ptrfecuu D!fftnterr, hrc 1uft He or the Pt~rliumem hath ttthn an Oath to Maintain tbe Church of England: For it cJnnot be fuppcfcd or io' t~nded, that ~y .maintaining Her, they a~e to defiroy the Reft of the Inha· baams. Is rt tmpo}Jib!e to ProuO Her wubout knocking all rbe rejl on tbt liead? Do they allow any to («pplant Hu C!tr.gy. Inv4de Her Livings PofftJ. r Her Emolllmen/s? Extrcife Hrr .Arubority ? TV!nt would She bav;? [r · Uu u u She 697 16])., <...rv"'-.) Chap. II. |