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Show An Mdrefs t'O 'Pr~leftanrs. ' VoL. t. 16?9· peW_t not : So you enfoin ~en ,to rtli'!gui/h. their prifent FtJ;tb and P.'or.J?ip, ~ tmd con/Htn to )'O*~t, fl)bJCb u no~ m tlretr Power to do! )'Ct damn rbe~.m .t Part, 11. temporal Rtfpcll ;J tbey refufe 11 ' For you make fuch an unavotdable Sea 6 Dilfent punifbahle With the Dellru£hon of Men) Ltherttes and E!btes. ' You had better leave off valuing yo_ur felves upon the Metcy and \Vcll:llatur'dnefs of that Tener of the Omverfal Love of God to Mankind ,till you love more thah your felves, and abominate that the Churth of E'nglantl fhould be the Eled to the Civil Government and all others as, Reprobates fince you pretend to ,detefi rhe like lnJulhce m John Calvm S Nonoo of· Eleaioh and ReptoMnon. And the Truth of it is, this helps on .AtTJeijmas much as :tny Enormity in the Land· when witty Men ate not willing ro take Po. ins co examine after the Truth :::~'nd Excellency in Religion, fo that People that call themfelv~ Chriifs Minifters and the ApOftles Succelfors and Followers, affeEt and feek Government, and yet twice deny it, when they go to receive it: Th:~t fome others grow Lordly, lil'e Voluptuoufly, and watch afun the biggell Preferments, not being excited by moft Service for God •. but e:::~nhly Power and Wealth for themfelves; and that, at the fame Ttme, they perfecure Men of more Self·denyal, for Matters of Opinion about Faith and \Vor01ip towards God; fo that J\On·Co11formiry to the Church };lo Pr_ouOion {r~m the St:::~te. Which, athong PrtJufltmtr, is fo tnuch the more U:nf€afonable ; Firfl, Becaufc they, Sy thefe Courfes, implicitly ~wn and alf~me the high~ eft Infallibility and Perfe!tion, and yet deny any fuch Thtng. For it fuppt?fes that nOthing is Truer, nothing Perftffer; or elfe theyboth per~' ute Men to embrace a Fallible and lmperfefi Religion, and with 'cruel PeJ nalties provide againil any thing more true or Infal1iblel which is the greateft Injury ro the World that cah be, in as mUth as it is a plain Err dea,•our to frufirate all thofe etcellent Prophecies and gracioD; Ptomifes God hlth given, and the Holy Scriplures declare of the latte" l'>axs. Bul SecDndly, It expofes Proreflant.r to t~e Lafh ani! ~6rh of the J:neifl unavoida'bly; for, at this Rate, you that, with Reafoif, tHinlt it Jgndr:irice :md Irreligion in the Pqpift to imagine himfelf difdtarged.'in God~ Aclount, bY believing only ~·s- the CHurch believes, conceive· rout Jl:hleS, at rbe falrie Time juftify'd by believing only ::IS aftw of 'your own Dollot·.r;· or eliC as the S~ate believet'. But if the CHurch cannot ufe Force it~ Relig:ion, becaufe fhe ·cannot'infallibly determine to theCottfciehce' without Convincement, much lefs ought a few Dollors- or the Civil Authority to- ufe Force where tliey can much lefs1'udge. Ufllefs you would make them the Civil Executioners of your Di leafure WHo have no Civil Pow~r to give them fu.ch Commiffion ; and to e fure no Ecclefiafiical.A~thority to EHercife :lny' Force- or Violence aheut Religion. :For the P.apjil, judging- bY his Principles, punifhes them that believe not as the Church ~elievc:s,~ rhoufl! a~ai'!fP Scripturt; but the Ptoreflant, who teaches evety one. to be1Je\•e the Sen?' ture, though ttgtJinfl CburclrAutb~rity, perfecutes, a_gainfi his <>"«'n Principles, even them that in any Particular fb believe aS he-, in gener:d, reaches them to believe. This is hard, but true upon the Proleflanr ; for what is plainer than thar he affiift:s thofe, that, according' to hi.s.owh DOffiine, believe and honour Holy Scripture, but, agai'pft ir, Will receive= fib· Human I nterpretation. Tbtm, I fay, Who interpret Scripture·tb themfetves, p1bich, by bU Pojirion, nDht but tlJt) ttJ themftlvt.r can iiit't'rprn; Them, that uf'o the Scripture no otherwife, hy his own Doft:rine, tO their Edl,fic:uion, than He himfelf ufes it to their Pun11bing; and fo whom hls Dofu~ne acknow~ lede;es true Believers, his Difcipline-perfecutes as Hereti~ks. To fum up all at ~his Time, 1f we mufi believe~s Cifqr·appoints, why not then 3S the Church beHeves? Bbt if not as- .either, wirhtltlt Convincemtnr, pray how can Force be lawful? Let me recomm~nd one Hook to you, t:hat of Right claims a Pla'ce·with you, and that is 8i{hop Taylor's tJj Li- 5(1'ty of Prophecy; never anfwer'd, that I have,h~:ird of, and ~hay~ Reatpn to belie\•e, never will be attempted; for inOeed•'it iS unaniWerable-. Th3t -as the Judgment Qf a -Doltor under Perfecution, I could be glad if it' rnigh~ \ f VoL. I. An Addrefs to 'Pratejlants. mt~ht be the Prallice of Bifbops in th . S.-9 .l.F:fTiUotfo~'s fober and fealonablc Difco~;~.r~~er: I may fay the fJme of r679· I_th ~t J\ovtmber. And, the Truth is I e ore the Commons on the ~ t1us T~me, becaufe I find that God dau' (ham rhe more earnett with you at Pare II. poo~ Ent,ltmd. 0 why fhould we dri ,,/hi~wfr us he has greJt g_ood WtU to Sea. 6. to htm, and our Severities to one a no the 1 H hm ts by our Dtfobedience our Hands, and continues to our h- f · e as ately put 3 Price into .a fincer~ Reformation·and our PPerfev IS avou~s upon us: All depends upon To gtYe Teftimony of this . Itt er~nce t erem, A.etp hJ.r Ho'f Law- and ler ~s bu~b WflhtJtr whole Heart.r turn to God ~11d ~nd cbtrifhmg Virt~e, and we may {rlea ous 'ttisGlory?bJ.PIITtijhiTtg'Vuc~ m our SJfety. Of this we cannot~ ure our e ves he WilJ tntereft himfelf unde~ o~r Difobedience, wm not def:~tb! i .for hefiwho has begun to do it as thts IS our Duty to God w· h s ~n our mc.ere Repentance: And ranee, fo is there a Duty we 'ow~\ out whtch we vam!y hope for DeliYe-to our Prefervation. 0 one another, that lS the neX[ requifite Let, therefore, all Afperitif b "d d •. the Opprt.lftd PrtJteflant dtliver~d e avo~ ,e , 1\tck-Nam.e.r forbidden, and of r;onfcitnce, on which the Refor~a~evne ~h~ .F.obl~ Pn~c;te of Libtrty d~bvtr'd from Pa.pift~, 'tiU rre dt!iver 0~~ ft;~ · f.or Ill Vazn o rre bof!t to be no~ u~on Confcunce and P:rftcurion for R /~ rom Popery. Th1s Coer· Which Is moff juftly hated and fi d A ~ tgton are that PJCt of Popery f~r it's Cruelty,jhaU we praOife /hare : 1 nd If ~e either fe~r or hate Popery btd ! No, not on thofe rhat ha\'e :red~~? flit ;tlTt?. hate tt for? God fordeferred of God, and left to their Cruelty o Tit f: liS ;ere ~he Way to be fame Odium, and find the fame Pu '{h • e hame ms Will ever 6x tho greater, by how much Proreftants m ment w ere-ever they are ; yea your Anceftors, don't you flrip ancffttend to bct~r Things: If they burnt many Thoufands now perfecuted in thi:rK~ your rethren: Remember the der and very peaceable Confciences H m~dom for the Sake of thejr teJta tbtir Wivts, and Parent .r from tbtir bb /djban .rba~e cnlawfJJ!/y ftparnud fro,Jt J!~t.D"footpt ttway perhaps ttl the 1 ifl! r7n, ~/'J.. orn, Om!e and Ho11foo!Ja fo~mer, or to pl;afe tbt Malice of :111g;'if-J~ijj0J .~0~{ ·'hbd and indi,ttnt inTime many, once fufli.ciem, are ex os'd po.r . e1g o11r . . In lbe mean neft Labour and Bread of their P ro Cha~ty, rhe .Fruits of their hoForfe. iture of their Confcience. poor helplefs Chtldren bemg now made the Fntnd.r and Co11nrry Mtn, there is a d 0 ft . . . . examine it weB, that you may rea the B eepfi ~~;:.nne JO rh1s Provtdencc; let me tell you, this is nor the leafipPart oli~ethta~ G ld:. Afud ~mong the reft, thu you may jhtw Mercy, and has awake~'d 0 u ew1~g you Mercy, tbat y ou may btlp your Brttbren out of it a you a£ the. Brtnk of ~he Pit, confiderate ; It will be much your own Fau[; rpur nemies. Be Wtfe and truly I have no Manner of Scruple but God w~ll pyo}. are not .~appy .. And cafi: aw:::~y our felves. For our ow~ Sin d R re ervc us, I we WJI1 not that feeks to hit and hurt us. and fhait a~ oU{ ~anfionly fd~rea the Hand Ruin> Ut IJJ therefore turn ;rea from 1J i. m.a e It ucce s ul ~o our own to'!rage and punijh it ; and Itt 115 Jor6«Jr :,d ~:~~~:;e le:n:::trft1n1Y'rar{ d;;: 5~~~;~~~~~ E~J2i:~rJtl~~:~~£~~·o~:~~~.~:;~;:~:~d ~%:F.{!~ . In fhon, ~everence the prefent Provjdencc. and though yo L' h not deferv'd It, let rhem now be grateful and b fi . ur Ives Jvo Advanr:::~ges throughly, bnt wifely. be as tern cr~~t a u e H. Purfue your Enef!Jie! as generou.s astu~. Jnful't not overpill Mea~ ~::~~~!·s~k~~£~~~: £~.;:;:'p~es, ~ut puy ~ ~" Uhnbappinefs, whil!l you abhor the Caufe of it: t k m ee t at you l rat er tnform than deftroy (hem and that vou ~ilj bmohe Pleafu!lre in 1thei~ Converfion th:::~n your own R;\'enge. This e t e gre:lt~ . Coniutauon upon them, that thev be tau ht the Goodnysh 0 : your Rehg10n by the Mildnefs of it; and by it's Mere~ the Cruelty 0 ' e r own. The lnd1an ilta6aliba rejectC'd the Romijh B,,prif"' be<:aufe of !L ~e |
