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Show 1679· ~ IPart. II. An Addrefi to ProftjfltntJ, VoL. I. would recommend all to the Confcienc~; and i'f it muft be fo, patiently en· dure Conrradiaion too, and fo lay their Reli&ion, 3~ .he did his, uot in. Via· lence but Suffering: Bur I muft free.l~ profets~ an~ m. D\HY and Co~fc1ence I do ic that I cannot can that Rehgton, which IS Introduced ag<ilnfi thl Laws ~f Love, Meeknefs and Friendlhip: Superfiirion~ Jmerdt or fJCHon, 1 ~~~re is a Zeal without Knowledge, th~t is Superfiition ; there' is a Zeal againft Knowledge, that is J'!ureft ?t Fa8ion, the t~ue ll.errJi.e; thefe is a Zeal with Knowledge, that .'s.Rehgzon; ~herefor~ bh.nd Obedten<:e ~ay be Superftition it can't be RehgLon; And tf you Will v1ew the Counmes of Cruelty, yo~ !hall find them fuperftirio~s rather t~:tn Religio~s. Rdrgion is gent it, it m:tkes Men betur, more inendly! ~ov!ng and patlenc then. be~ fore. And the Succefs, which followed Cbri.ftintiii'J, wh1lft ;he anc1ent Profe!rors of it buooR. themfelves to no other Defence, plaJnly proves both the Force of thofe paffive Arguments above all corporal PuniUunems, and that we muft never hope for the fame Profperity, tiU tVe faUimo the Jnmc Metbodr. Gal. 5. 22. James 3· q. Are Men impatie.nt of ha\1 ~ng their Conceits own'd ? they are then moft to be fufpected. Enor and Su' perftition, like crackt Tirles, ~nly fear to be Jearch~, and run and cr! for .Authority and Number. Truth IS pl:un and ftedfaft, Without Arts or Tncks; will you receive her, well; if n_or, t?ere is no Compul.fion. But, pray tell me what is that defired Umformuy that has not Unuy, and that Um· ty, which has not Love, Meeknefs and Patience in. it.? ~ befeech you h:ar me forthofe Men depart from the Spirit of Cbrifltamty that feek wuh Anger and Frowardnefs co promote it. Let us not put fo mlfcrable a Cheat upon our felves, nor iuch an Affront upon Cbrijlianity as to think tba~ a moft gentle nnd patient Religion can be advanted by mofl unt.ent/e and tm~ patient Ways. lfhould fooner fubmit to an h~mble Oppofition, tha~ to the greateft Zealot in the World, and rather dehver up my felf to h1m that would modeftly drop a controverted Truth, than to fuch as feek tempeituoufly to carry it; for even Error, ba~fulJy and patiently defended, en~angers Truth, in the Management of tmprudent anJ. hafty Zeal; an~ ~1ves to ic that Luftre, which only good Eyu can fee fr<?m Gold. Al~s! !tIS for want of conSidering that Men don't fee, that to dtforder the Mmd 1n Controverfie is a greater Mifchief, than to carry the Poiot can he a Benefit ; inafmuch as it is not to be Religious to apprehend rightly, but to do well: The latter can fcarcely be without the former, but the former often is without the latter, which brings me to my fixth Caufe of Perfecution. VI. Another and that no fmall Caafe of Perfccution, is a lt1ij(tpprcbenjion of the Word Religion. For when once the lgnorance or Prejudice of Men, h:u perf waded them to lay .more weight up~n thei~ own Opinion, or DijJent of their Neighbours, than 10 Truth the Thing wtll bear,, to excufe their Zeal or juftifie their Spleen or Credit, they prefently he1ghten the Difference to a new Religi011; whence we fo frequently hear of fuch Rafl. e8:ions as thefe, new Gofpe!s :tnd Faiths, upftart Re!igi011s and _LiJ,hll, and with the like Scare-Crows, amufe the Vul.gar, and render their o~n D~ilgn of ruining honefi M.e~ the more prafbcab~e. But I would ohv1ate th1s Mif.chicf; for a ner» Rehgum h:~s a new Foundalton, and co~f~quenrly where there is the fame Foundation, there cannot be a new Rehg10n. Now th1: Foundation of the Chriftian Religion is Chrift, and that only is another Re· ligion than the Chrifii.m which .profeffes another _Foundatton,,or corr~pdy adds to that Foundation; by addmg of other Mediators, and mtroducmg a new Way ofRemiffion of Sin: Which at leafi cannot be f:tid of thefc:veral :ICrts of Proteflants ? For Proteflanu therefore to reproach each other wir!t 11ew Religions ond Gojpels; and by their indecent and unchrifiian Beh~VI .. out, to entia me their own Reckoning, and dr.1w into more Difcord, lS a Sin againft God, an Injury to the common Canfe of Prou(1,mq~ and to the Security of the civil lntereit: of that Country, where the InhabJtJnts arc of that Religion, as well as a real Injuftice to oR~ a!lor.her : For Pl'ouftanu t\on't only agree in tbl;fam& Fimdamenta!J ofCbrijfMnuy, but of Protcj1P~~~ VoL. L . . An Addrefs to 'Protrjlants. 817 too, t.hat rs, m the Reafons of Separation from Rome , h · h Cb;!Jitan. Let not every circumftanrial DillCrence or 'y"'. IC WJS alfo 16i9· N~cknam'd a new Religion, neither fufh:r fo ill an Ufe to b~n~tid~f ?'~ be ~ Drffents as to carry them beyond their true Bounds . for th M 0 . uch a1 t ll. thofe Arts of ill Men, is to fet the People fanher o'ff fro e eanmg of t~an ~hey real,Iy are, and to aggravate Di£Ferences in Judgm~n~nr~ t:~~tl~!r rte~y In AfF~JOn: An.d when they h_ave once inftam'd them to Variance anci Smfe, nothmg can hmder Perfecuuon but Wam of Power. which b · never wanted by the ftrongeft Side, the Weakeft, though uu~ft is op eufig not by Argument but Worldly Weapons ' pre ' VH. The f<venrb and lajl Caufe I lh;ll now aff~n for Perfeccrioo is this Tbnt Holy Lrvmt n 6ecome .n~ 'lefl.amon.$ r'!, unlefs again }I the Liver. Th~ Tree was once known by n s Fruits: Ir IS not 10 now: The better Liver th~ more dangerous, if not a c;anformijl, and fo the more in Danger, and thts has made Way for Perfe~!-mon. There was a Time, when Virtue wa$ ~f~~~a~~~e~~~- good Men admued; but that is too much derided, and Opi· ,.~e that ca~ perf wade his Confcience to comply with the Times he be lwous, Kna"!ifb, Cownrd'!, any Tbin_g! he is protected, perhaps pr~ferred. A ~an of W1fdom, Sobnety and Abdny ro ferve his King and Country if "_D~ffeme~, ~uft be blown upon for a PhanaticR., a Man of Fallion' of Jijloyn/Pnnctple~ and what not? ' Rewards and Punifhments are the Magillratcs Duty and the Government's lntcrejf and Support. Rewards are due to Virtue Punilhments to Vic I-et us not miftake nor mif.caU Things; let Virtue b~ what it always w:~ 10 Governt?ent ; go~d. JUflnners, faber and jufl LivinJ ; and Vice, iiJ M{m~ ,erf and difhonejl Lrvmg. Redu~e ali to this; Letjuch good Men have tbc Snules and Rewfl~·ds, nnd fucb '.IJ Men the Frowns and Punifomenu of the r;.l~ven.tmcnt : Thts ends Perfecutton, and lays Opinion to Sleep. Ill Men I'uWer;fo~e Wa~~f t~vancages by fuch Conformity, nor good Men no more .1~ fhort : As that ~eli&io~s Society deferves not the ProtefHon of the ~tv~l Govern~e~t whtch 1s mcon6fient with the Safety of it; fo rhofe Soctettes of Chnfhans that are not only' nor Defirufiive of the Civil Govern· fr~::,R~~~. Lovers of it, ought, by the G:ivil Go\•ernment, to be fecured , 9?d. Almighty open. our .Underftandings and Hearts, and pour out the Spmt of tborout.b Refor"!ntJon upon us;, for iris in the Spirit, and not in the Words of Reformauon, that the Life and Profperity of Reformation ftands \.that fo .we may be all confdentioufly difpos'd to feek and purfue thofe. thmgs which make for Love, Pe<'lce and Godlinefs, that it may bo l*ell with us and ours, both here and for ever. F~r jet a liule mbi!e and the Wicked fhall not be; yea, thou jha!t dili· gently conjider hH Place, and it fhaO not be; hut tbe Meek ./h4U inbcrii th~ Earth, and jha/J. delight tbemfc/ves in .Ab11ndance of Peace. Tbe Wtc~ed P!ouetb agmnjl ~be Jujl, {mtl gnajheth 11pon him with hH Teeth; the Lordjha/J laugb at btm; for be fcetb that his Dny is coming. Pial. 37· 10, u, n~, 13· The Judgment of King JAMEs and King C H A R L E s the Firft about Perfecution for Religion. WE find it a!Terted' by lUng James in his Speech to the Parliament in the Year 1609. That it H a pure Rule in Divinity, That God never IPves to plflnt bis Cburc!J.tvitb Violence and Blood; And he furthermore faid, 5 M Ir |