Compulsion of Conscience Condemned, Section 9 – Conclusion
SECT. IX.
THe Grand Topick which the little mercenary Paſquillers uſe to juſtifie their Invectives againſt Diſſenters, is the late diſmal Rebellion, and the horrid Murther of His Majeſties Royal Father, &c. This is a Subject which I would not touch upon, but that I am forc'd by the dayly Clamours of theſe Pamphletters to ſpeak a few words to it. And,
1. If I know my own Heart, I can truly ſay, That I do from my very Soul abhor and deteſt all Principles that tend to Rebellion, or Diſturbance of the publick or private Peace, and all ſuch wicked perſons as Imbrue their hands in the Blood of any Man, Woman, or Child, much more any ſuch Traytors as practice againſt the Sacred Life or Perſon of the Lord's Annointed, for ſuch perſons are ſo far from deſerving any favour or protection from the Government, that they ought to be rooted from off the face of the Earth, as the moſt execrable of Miſereants. And therefore let the Authors of our late Calamities, and the unparallel'd Murther of that Great and moſt Excellent Prince, be branded with everlaſting Infamy for me. 'Tis not for Traytors, but for my Innocent fellow-Chriſtians, that I beg the favour and pitty of ſuch as are intruſted with the Execution of Penal Laws for Religion.
2. How far the Papists did Influence thoſe fatal Convulſions, and whether the Nation ows not all its Calamity to their black and myſtical Stratagems, the judicious unbyaſs'd Reader will ſoon determine, if he peruſes Mr. Care's Hiſtory of the Plot, reprinted 1681. from p. 42. to 71. I have not Room to tranſcribe it, and therefore would adviſe (any that doubts it) to peruſe it there Intire, 'tis worth his while.
4. 'Tis Diametrically oppoſite to Juſtice, to puniſh the Innocent for the Crimes of the Guilty.—And admitting that a great many under the Vizard of Religion, had a main hand in theſe lamentable (and too too deplorable) miſchiefs before mentioned; there is no equity in the World, that their Villanies ſhall be chargeable upon (and their puniſhment extend to) ſuch as were never concern'd in them.
The beſt Religion in the World cannot ſecure it ſelf from Hypocrites, that diſguiſe themſelves till they have an opportunity to ſerve ſome Deviliſh turn, or other. That Arch-Traytor and Informer Judus, got in among the very Apoſtles, and many falſe Brethren crept in among the Primitive Saints;—the Devil himſelf will ſometimes come Maſqueraded as an Angel of Light. Why is the Chriſtian Religion ever the worſe for this? No, no, Divine Truths are ſtill ſuch, though the Sacred Profeſſion of it is prophan'd and abus'd by ſuch Hypocritical Wretches, to their own Damnation.
What I aim at, is this, viz. that we are to examine the Principles of ſuch as profeſs Chriſtianity under any form, declared in their publick Confeſſions of Faith, and the Writings of ſuch as are own'd, and approv'd by them, and if we find them pernicious to the Government, or tending any waies to the diſturbance of the publick peace; ſuch are without Diſpute to be ſuppreſs'd and puniſht as Enemies to the State. But if their Principles be in all Articles of Religion ſuitable to the Word of God, and (in Fundamentals) to the Eſtabliſht Religion; it will unavoidably follow, That the miſcarriages, or wickedneſs of ſome that creep in amongſt them, are not to be charged upon their Chriſtian Profeſſion, (which allows no ſuch thing) but upon the Delinquents themſelves.
From hence I infer, that the Murther of His late Majeſty, thoſe Rebellions, Bloodſheds, and Overturnings of State, &c. then noted, are to be chargeable only upon ſuch as were perſonally and actually guilty,—For I never heard, (and I dare boldly ſay that no Man ever did hear) that any of our Diſſenting Proteſtants in their Confeſſions of Faith, have ever had ſo much Traytorous Impudence, as to juſtifie the leaſt tittle of ſuch horrid things, but the quite contrary, as may be ſhown in time.
If there be any now alive, who have had any hand in thoſe dreadful Commotious, &c. If they have received His Majeſties Pardon, they are thereby reinſtated into equal Priviledges with the Innocent, unleſs by new Treaſons they forfeit that Royal Grace▪ But if there be any of them excluded from the benefit of the Act of Oblivion, let them be puniſh'd, fiat Juſtitia.
I inſiſt the longer upon this, to ſhew how unreaſonable it is, for ſuch a parcel of Hackney Scriblers to be perpetually bawling of 41, 41, and making the crimes of ſuch as are Dead, or were Executed for their Treaſons, not only ſurvive them, but perſecute their poor Innocent Fellow Subjects with them; I could wiſh with all my Heart, that all thoſe half-penny Paſquillers on both ſides, who meerly for their Bellies, peſter City and Country, inventing Names of Reproach, as Whigg, Tory, Trimmer, &c. and begetting Feuds and Animoſities betwixt His Majeſties Liege People, were ſeverely puniſht as Diſturbers of the publick Peace; I am ſure they deſerve it more then the Diſſenters, who are a peaceable trading People, and uſefull Members of the State, who pay His Majeſty all His Taxes and Revenues, to the utmoſt of what the Law requires▪ (which is not inconſiderable.) How untollerable is it then, for free born Subjects, Loyal to the King, and helpful in ſupporting the charge of the Government to be dayly and weekly Libel'd, and abus'd by thoſe Raſcally Leeches of the Preſs, that to ſerve their own little Craving Neceſſities, care not if they ſet the People together by the Ears?
His Majeſty out of His Royal Clemency was pleas'd to paſs an Act of Oblivion, yea, ſo impatient was he, that he preſt the Parliament with much earneſtneſs, to make it ready for his Royal Aſſent▪ What then? why here you have his goodneſs▪ and Princely Lenity reviled, and contradicted, (almoſt dayly) by a certain Incendiary, who Conjurest up the Memory of thoſe fatal Times, and keeps the Nation Old Wounds a Bleeding, in defiance of that Act, which was deſign'd to heal, and make them forgotten.
THE CONCLƲSION.
I Intended upon this Subject to have given you a parallel between the Doctrine of the Church of England, and the Diſſenters, but that I find it already well done by Mr. Henry Care, in his Book Intituled, Ʋltrum Horum, &c. Printed 1682. To which I refer you, as alſo to the truly pious Treatiſes of that worthy Author (whoever he be) of the Conformiſts Plea for the Nonconformiſts, &c.
2. I purpoſed likewiſe to lay down ſome Demonſtrative Reaſons, why the profeſſion of Popery is intollerable in a Proteſtant Kingdom, (whom they account Hereticks) becauſe their Principles are Pernicious, and their Practices have been Dangerous, &c.
3. To ſhew the miſchiefs, and ſad Conſequences of proſecuting quiet and peaceable Diſſenters upon the Penal Laws, as having a direct tendency to weaken the Proteſtant Intereſt, for whoſe Ruine that common Enemy greedily gapes, (2.) How much it deſtroys Trade, and ruines Thouſands of Families, (3.) What a Scandal it is to the Proteſtant Reformation, when we quarrel and perſecute each other, (4.) What a diſparagement it is to the Actors, &c.
4. To ſhew the quality of Informers, and the quality of ſuch as they proſecute; with the Ravenous and Illegal proceedings of the former.
5. Produce Illuſtrious Teſtimonies of the worth of the Diſſenters, and how ſerviceable they have been to the Crown, as alſo the Witneſs of as eminent Church-men and States-men, as ever were in England, who gave them great Encomiums, and own'd them as Brethren.
6. Propoſe a modeſt Eſſay for Ʋnion amongſt all Proteſtants, with Demonſtrative Reaſons, that it is not only practicable, but abſolutely neceſſary; together with the Bleſſed Effects of ſuch an Accomodation.
But having already exceeded my intended limits, I muſt leave it to another opportunity, and my poor endeavours to the Bleſſing of the God of Peace.
FINIS.
End of the text · Thomas De Laune, Compulsion of Conscience Condemned (1683)