of the Offenders, but their Lives; and Schifmaticks are laid under the fame Penalties. And all this Severity is fo far from being condemn'd as unjustifiable in those Chriftian Emperors; that it was commended as the juft and genuine Effect of true Christian Zeal and Charity. Nor were the Governments of any, more profperous or happy than theirs, who were active in fuch Cafes, as all who are acquainted with the Roman or Byzantine Hiftory muft acknowledge: So that, if we may judge of Things, by the parallel Procedure of Divine Providence; That Zeal for Church Unity and Difcipline, which was follow'd with equal Bleffings in Chriftian Emperors, was at leaft as pleafing to Almighty God, as the Zeal of Jewish Kings in the fame Caufe, which was encouraged with the fame Bleffings.

W

No Doubt the Hereticks and Schifmaticks of thofe Days were very ready to open their Mouths against these Things, as down right Perfecution of the Church of God, or of thofe who were his more peculiar Saints and Servants; for fuch Titles generally the worft of Men bestow upon one another: But it is well enough urged by Pelagius the Firft, then Bishop of Rome, to Narfes the Emperor's General in Italy," Let not the idle "Talk of Men retard you "while they say, the Church "is turn'd Perfecutor, when "it either represses the Crimes "that are committed, or en"deavours to promote the "Salvation of Souls; for if,

Felagii Primi Epift. ad Narfetem. 2da. Non vos Hominum Faniloquia retardent dicentium, Quia Perfecutionem facit Ecclefia, dum vel ea quæ committunt reprimit, vel Animarum Salute mr equirit: Nam fi, ut illi putant, nemo nec reprimendus a malo, nec retraben dus

as they think, no Man muft "be reftrain'd from Ill, nor 66 be reduced from Ill to "Good; all thofe Laws both "of God and Men, which ac"cording to the Rule of Juftice affign Punish66 ments to ill Men, and Rewards to the Good, "must be annull'd at once." And afterwards telling Narfes, that both the Holy Scriptures and the Judgment of the Fathers allow'd fuch Animadverfions upon those who created Divifions in the Catholick Church; he refers the whole to the Determination of that famous Council of Chalcedon, "He who fufpends "his Communion with the

dus a malo ad Bonum eft; huż manas divinas Leges neceffe eft evacuari, quæ & Malis Panam Bonis Præmia, fu ftitia fuadente, conftituunt.

"Church,and gathers a Com

Qui a Communione feipfum & fufpendit, & Collectam facit Altare conftituit, & noluerit Epifcopo vocanti confentire, & noluerit eidem acquiefcere, neq, obedire primò aut fecundò vocanti; Hunc omnino damnari, nec unquam vel Orationem meteri, nec recipere eum poffe Honorem. Si enim permanferit Turbas faciens & Seditiones in Ecclefia,per Exteram Poteftatem tanquam Seditiofum comprimi debet. Concil. Chalcedon. Actio. 4. in Epistola Archimandit. ad Patres.. Concilii Antiocheni 2di Ca non. 5.

pany, and fets up an Altar, "and will not attend on the "Call of the Bishop, nor fub"mit to, or obey him on the "firft or Second Adminition; "let him be entirely con"demn'd, never be pray'd "for, nor be admitted to any "Honour. But if he go on "making Disturbance and "Divifions in the Church, let "the Civil Power be call'd "in to fupprefs him." But tho' the Government of thefe Princes were fo rigid, and yet fo far from Ill; the Monarchs of our Nation, fince the firft Reformation of Religion among us, have been very unwilling to proceed fo far: And therefore, tho' the Church Dividers have fallen often under the Cenfures of Our Spiritual Governors, and of that Church

which they have fo unreasonably disturb'd by their Novelties; yet the Secular Power has not meddled with them, but where they have been tampering in Secular Matters: And had their Miftakes had no unhappy Influences upon the State, their more private Errors or Weaknesses would have been very little taken Notice of.

Hence it is, that if we examine all thofe A&s of Parliament which in the Reign of former Princes, have been made against thofe of the Roman Communion; we fhall find Seditions, Treafons and Rebellions in the Fronts of all thole Statutes. Those of the Roman Communion might have invoked their Saints and Martyrs, have believ'd Tranfubftantiation, or any thing they could have found out,that was more abfurd; and yet never have felt the Lafh of the Law, if they could but have kept thefe ridiculous Fancies to themselves, and themselves to them, and not have threatned a Conteft with their lawful Sovereigns for their Sakes, and have been always plotting and rebelling against their Lives and Governments. And tho for the better keeping them in Awe, it was made Death to appear as a Roman Prieft in this Kingdom; yet our elder Annals can give us no Inftances of any, who fuffer'd by thofe Laws, if they would but acknowledge the Royal Power as fuperior to, and independent of, all other Powers whatsoever in this Nation. The fame may be obferv'd with relation to our feveral Clans of Sectaries; who might have believ'd the Identity of Bishops and Presbyters; the Inferiority of Set Forms of Prayers to their own extemporary Effufions; the No-Necefficy of Epifcopal Ordination, of Kneel

ing at the Holy Communion, of the Crofs after Baptifm, &c. and all these things without any Danger to to their Bodies or Estates; had they not endeavoured to force the fame upon their Princes, and to fettle that, which they call'd a Reformation, by the Sword, by perpetual Seditious and Rebellious Practices. Hence the famous Statute 35 Elizabetha, with which our Diffenters are fo very angry, and by which they pretend to have fuffer'd fo much, was made for preventing and avoiding fuch great Perils and Inconveniencys, as might happen and grow by the wicked and dangerous Practices of feditious, Sectaries and difloyal Perfons, as the Preface to that A&t informs us. And that fuch a Provifion was very neceffary, appear'd by the bold Attempts of Hacket and his Companions to have refcued fome of their Brethren by Force from See Camb the Danger of the Law, which was then fresh den's Eliin Memory; befide their obliging Activity to fab. Anno Regni.32. give us Disturbance at home, when we were threatned by the Spanish Invafion from abroad. So the Reason of making the Act to regulate Corporations, is fairly given in the Preface to that Act, viz. "Because it was too well known "that notwithstanding all his Majefty's En- Anno 13. "deavours and unparaltell'd Indulgence in parદુદ doning all that was paft, nevertheless many

Car. II.

evil Spirits were ftill found working." The Temper of the Sectaries had been abundantly try'd in the Great R.bellion, and new Plots tending to the Ruin of the King and Government had been just then discover'd. Again, the Act for preventing the Abuses of the Prefs, carries this Reafon in the Front of it. That by rea- & 14 Car. fon II. C. 33.

Anno 13.

cc

σε

"fon of the Liberty of Printing any thing in "the late Times, many evil difpofed Perfons "had been encouraged to Print and Sell He"retical, Schifmatical, Blafphemous, Seditious "and Treasonable Books, Papers and Pamphlets, and ftill continue fuch their unlaw"ful and exorbitant Practices, to the high Dif"honour of Almighty God, the endangering "the Peace of thefe Kingdoms, and railing a "Difaffection to his moft excellent Majefty " and his Government." And this Reason the fatal Revolutions lately pafs'd fufficiently confirm'd, and the Reasons hold ftill more ftrongly than ever, only the Wisdom of the Nation is changed. In the fame Manner the Act against "Conventicles was made, "For a farther and more speedy Remedy against the growing and "dangerous Practices of feditious Sectaries and other disloyal Perfons, who under Pretence of "tender Confciences, did at their Meetings " contrive Infurre&tions" as late Experience had Anno 16.thewn: For the Cafe of Venner and his AccomCar. II. plices, with other dangerous Incidents were then of a very fhort ftanding. And lastly, the fo much decry'd Oxford Act was founded upon this, That many Perfons not ordain'd ac"cording to the Form of the Church of Eng"land, had taken upon them to preach in un"lawful Affemblies, Conventicles or Meetings, "under Colour or Pretence of Exercife of Re"ligion; that they had fettled themselves in "diverse Corporations, fometimes three or more "of them in a Place, thereby taking an Op"portunity to inftill the poisonous Principles of "Schifm and Rebellion into the Hearts of his "Majefty's Subjects to the great Danger of

C. 4.

Anno 17.

Car. II.

C. 2.

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