from their Mafter, Departed from the Prefence of the Acts 5.41. Council, rejoycing for that they were accounted worthy to fuffer Shame for the Name of Jefus Chrift. Now that they who were, Enemies to the Cross of Chrift fhould perfecute thofe, who follow'd him who dy'd upon the Crofs, is no Wonder; fuch Perfecution of good Men for their Goodness is always both Name and Thing understood in an ill Sense. But the Church of Chrift it felf is fometimes charged with Perfecution, or punishing Men feverely and undefervedly for the Tenderness of their Confciences, as they fay,or for being afraid of finning against God. And this is,when the Church, by an Authority which it affumes to it felf, punishes or afflicts its own Members in a visible Manner; or when the Spiritual Paftors or Governors of a Church animadvert penally upon fuch as profefs the fame Faith in general with the reft of the Body, but that Faith encumbred with many real or fuppos'd Errors, or vitiated by dividing and pernicious Principles, or by an Averfion to the fettled Government and Difcipline of that Branch of the Catholick Church to which they originally belong. It is not to be doubted but that a particular Church when it is corrupted in its Principles, and has deviated in any Thing from the truly ancient Catholick and Apoftolick Faith, will be ready to exercise the utmoft Severities upon any, who fhall dare to take Notice of, or expose those Corruptions. We find this true in the Management of the Church of the Jews, who when they had miferably apoftatifed from thofe Rules and Laws given them by Almighty God Himfelf; tho' it is very hard to believe that they were fo fo dull and unapprehenfive of their own Mistakes as not to have wifh'd Things better; yet they could not bear the plain Rebukes of holy Prophets fent to them by Heaven it self to reduce them to Reason. Nay, when our bleffed Saviour himself vouchfafed to take Humane Nature upon him among their Tribes; when his Teaching carry'd irrefiftible Majesty and Authority along with it; when his Miracles fufficiently afferted his Participation of the Divine Nature; even his own People, tho' He came to them with all poffible Tenderness and Love, even those his own peculiar People, refus'd to receive Him; they could not poffibly bear his Reproofs, nor receive thofe admirable Counfels which he gave them. That antient Reputation of being God's peculiar People, which they had long enjoy'd, made them too proud to fubmit to New Inftructors, or to make a publick Retractation of those Errors they were fallen into ; and upon these, or no better Reasons, it was, that they kill'd the Prophets which God had fent to them before the Coming of the Meffias; upon thefe, they perfecuted their Lord when He was come, to a cruel and fhameful Death; and copied out that Barbarity with which they had pursued him, on those who were his Apoftles and Followers afterwards. Of this Truth we have had abundant Experience in the Management of the Church of Rome. The Errors of that Church are fo mamy, and fo notorious, that many of their own moft zealous Champions have made great Complaints of them; nay, and fome Bishops of Rome themselves have own'd and deplor'd the Corruptions of that Society. The Neceffity of a Re Reformation among them is a Matter fo univerfally confefs'd, that even their patch'd up Council of Trent, which they make the fole Standard of Catholick Chriftianity, pretended to endeavour it. And indeed, if we had not fo many Acknowledgments from the most eminent Men of that Communion both of their Diftempers and their Wants; yet we could not imagine them all fo very ftupid and irrational, as not to have been fenfible of the extreme Depravation of Religion among them. But after all their Complaints and Confeffions, their darling Infidelity, notwithstanding its Chimerical Nature, is valued at fo very high a Rate among them; that rather than part with it, they'll make Light Darkness, and Darkness Light, and maintain and vindicate fuch Doctrines as are palpably contrary both to Truth and Reafon: And fome National and Provincial Churches, have, as without Doubt they lawfully might, adventured to reform themselves; because they had no reafonable Hope, that the Roman See would confent to fuch a Reformation as was neceffary. The Rage of bigotted Papifts has broken out into all Manner of Cruelty against both the great Managers of the Reformation and their Followers : Nor is there any Inftance to be met with in Story, of the Moderation of the Church of Rome toward those who have reform'd them felves from their dangerous Corruptions, but only where fome extraordinary Juncture of Affairs has made it neceffary for the Time. Andit is obfervable that, tho' those who profefs to deteft all the Errors of the Church of Rome, are much divided from one another in their Sentiments; yet the Heads of the Roman Church and the ManaVOL. II. F gers gers of its Interests, make no Difference at all among them, but they are all equally damnable Hereticks with them when they fall into the Hands of their Inquifition. It is now a long Time, fince Rome answer'd that Character which the ftill affumes to her felf, or has acted like the true holy Catholick Church: And yet he has ever fince endeavoured to make the World believe, that it is indifpenfably neceflary to Salvation to be under the Spiritual Jurifdiction of the Bishop of Rome. And while they get any to fubscribe to that Principle; it is no Wonder if they proceed with a great deal of Rigour and Severity against fuch as they call Hereticks and Schifmaticks, when they have fatisfy'd themfelves that thofe whom they think guilty of fuch Crimes are in the dire& Road to eternal Damnation. It is poffible that fome Princes in the Roman Communion may have a great deal of good Nature; and by Virtue of that, may seem very averfe to harth Methods of propagating their Religion: But it is to be fear'd,that, there are not many Doctors of the fame Communion, or many of their Confeffors who concur heartily with their Princes in fuch a well temper'd Lenity, or who will allow Toleration of any Profeffion but their own. What an eminent Divine of that Church has long fince laid down, is very well worth our Notice in this Cafe, "Altho' fome "Princes, fays he, have now "and then granted their Subjects what they call, Liberty of Confcience, being "mov'd to do fo either by the "Per Etfi Principum aliqui, Aulicorum quorundam fuaJu,& humane Prudentiæ inftinitu, Populo fuo liberam aliquando permiferint religionem, panituit tamen illos ejufmodi licentia fere femper: Adeo ut non tan tum c દ tum hujufmodi Conceffiones publicis plerumque Editis am feverius poftea in eos, revocaverint; fed tanto etiqui Religione abuterentur, animadverterint, quanto se gravius illa conniventia errent. Georg. Edederus in raffe peccaféque agnofceMallei Hæreticorum Præt tionis fine. "Perfuafion of fome of their Mi- ་ Now for any particular Branch of the Catholick Church whatsoever, thus to fet Publick Reputation and Esteem however obtain'd, before pure Religion and undefil'd before God; for fuch a Church to connive at, nay, to affert and encourage notorious Corruptions either in Do&rine or in Practice, and cruelly to profecute all fuch as defire the Redress of fuch palpable Abufes, and that in a Way becoming fober and peaceable Chriftians, and only for doing so; for the Governors of a Church, or Officers purely Ecclefiaftical to fieze the Estates of fuch truly pious Perfons, to imprison their Bodies, to banish them out of their Native Countries, or to take away their Lives only for endeavouring in a lawful Way to purge the Worship of God and the Doctrine of the Gospel from all Excrefcences and Enormities, without throwing off any thing finless and ancient; fuch a Management is without Controversy, a Criminal Per F 2 |