The Conformists Plea, Title page – To the reader
THE Conformiſts Plea FOR THE Nonconformiſts.
OR, A Juſt and Compaſſionate Repreſentation OF THE Preſent State and Condition OF THE NON-CONFORMISTS.
AS TO
I. The Greatneſs of their Sufferings.
II. Hardneſs of their Caſe.
III. Reaſonableneſs and Equity of their Deſires and Propoſals.
IV. Qualifications, and Worth of their Perſons.
V. Peaceableneſs of their Behaviour.
VI. The Churches Prejudice by their Excluſion, &c.
Humbly ſubmitted to Authority.
By a Beneficed Miniſter, and a Regular Son of the Church of England.
London, Printed for Jonathan Robinſon, at the Golden Lion in St. Paul's Church-Yard. 1681.
His Majeſty's Speech to both Houſes of Parliament, Monday, Feb. 10. 1667. pag. 4.
—One thing more I hold my Self obliged to recommend unto you at this preſent; which is, That you would ſeriouſly think of ſome Courſe to beget a better Vnion and Compoſure in the Minds of my Proteſtant Subjects, in Matters of Religion, whereby they may be induced, not only to ſubmit quietly to the Government, but alſo chearfully give their Aſſiſtance to the ſupport of it.
To the Bookſeller.
COnceiving it to be a Duty to communicate my Judgment (given privately by Parts, as occaſion hath been offered) of the Non-conformiſts, and their Caſe, and alſo reſolved to conceal my Name, which can add no Reputation to them, nor to theſe Papers; I have ſent them to you, before any other Stranger, (and who but a Stranger may be truſted with a Concealment of one he knows not) for two Reaſons. 1. Becauſe, one of your Acquaintance, who (not knowing my Deſign) gave me a very good Character of you, as Ingenuous, Honeſt, Candid, a lover of Goodneſs and good Men, (whether Conformiſts or Non-conformiſts) as well without, as within the way of your Trade. 2. Becauſe it is not hard to gueſs at the Bookſeller by his Author, and the Author by his Bookſeller; therefore if you may fall within the compaſs of this Obſervation, you fit me, becauſe you printed the Conforming Non-conformiſt, &c. And another, the Chriſtian Temper, which Title was taking with me, (a Temper rare among Chriſtians) which I labour after; and if I have not expreſſed it in theſe Sheets, I ſhall take as little pleaſure in them, as the niceſt Reader ſhall in any thing that differs from him. I refer it to you to judg, whether it is like to be profitable or not: for before the publication of Books, your Faculty either are Judges, or find out Judges of them; and the Readers eat, or refuſe, only what you have taſted of before-hand. Read and judg deliberately, and let me know e're long of your Approbation, by ſeeing it abroad; or your diſlike, by its ſuppreſſion. And then I have but one Requeſt, that you would give them a private and a decent Burial, for the Author's ſake; who tho he be but a ſimple Man, yet means well, and for his Maſter's ſake: It ſhall no more offend me that you ſtifle, than that if another take the name of them, provided he be Philagathos.
To the READER.
THe whole Book is to the Reader, yet a ſhort Epiſtle to him may be neceſſary.
1. To intreat him to ſpare his pains in writing againſt me, who do not begin or maintain a Controverſy againſt him, or againſt any other; Pacem te quaerimus omnes. You may perhaps ſeek to keep it within the unaltered Conſtitution, and be ſo much for Peace, that you would have not one Diſſenter in the Land. I am against Diſſenters alſo, we agree ſo far; but I am against Diſſenters within doors, that keep Diſſenters out; let us make up the Breach as fast and as ſtrong as we can.
2. To inform him, that I do not look upon the Nonconformiſts as the only Men of God, that I am not hired by them nor ſpeak for them in hopes of Preferment under the Presbyterian Government, to be ſet up (as ſome fear) I aſſure him I never fear it, nor hope for it.
3. To make my ſelf known to him, that I am not a Man in Power to ſhew the Non-conformiſts favour, nor a Man of fame to ſerve them by any Teſtimonial; but that I laboured to nouriſh ſome good Diſpoſitions and Qualities.
1. To adore one and the ſame Spirit in different Gifts, Adminiſtrations, and Degrees.
2. To think more highly of others than of my ſelf, not only as they are in Power, but as in real Worth, tho but at the Footſtool.
3. Thankfulneſs to God; and were it in my power to ſhew it to every one that ever ſpake a word in ſeaſon to me, which many of the Non-conformists have done, when I was ignorant and out of the way, whoſe Names are in honour with me; and the like I acknowledg, and ever ſhall, to ſeveral that now conform. Time was, when they all ſpake the ſame Things, and carried on the ſame Work; which was the Inſtruction, Converſion, Conſolation, and Edification of Souls; not biting one another, nor grudging at one another. I never heard, in many hundreds of Sermons, diverſities of Opinions, either ſet up by ſome, or pulled down by others. We heard indeed that ſome were Independents, others Presbyterians, and others Epiſcopal, but we heard no ſuch things from Pulpits. I perceive ſome Men think that the preaching of thoſe Days was meer Fanaticiſm, bleſſing the Ʋſurpation, railing against Biſhops, or deifying Calvin with an Infallibility; Non ego Lutherum praedico, ſed Chriſtum, ſaid Luther. Calvin was an admirable Man, a great Stranger to them that ſpeak moſt againſt him; but he was preached no further than Christ ſpake in him; Non Calvinum ſed Chriſtum praedicabant.
4. If I were partial, I wrong my ſelf by partiality, but I ought to be juſt, and by being just, I injure no Man. I have heard the Non-conformiſts vilified, and repreſented according to the Fancies, and Paſſions, or Interests of Men. I durst not but be just to them, as to eminent Profeſſors of the Christian Faith, and think that common Christianity hath ſuffered much by their ſilencing and diſparagement. A great part of the World is made to believe, that the Non-conformiſts are not fit to be imployed in the Church, nor trusted by the State. But what they are God knoweth, and the World may know if they pleaſe to conſult their Writings, and to examine their Declaration of their Tenents. They are not, to them that know them, what they are reported by, and to them that know them not. I ſeldom ſee any of them, very ſeldom converſe with them, yet I know them ſufficiently to make me bewail their condition, and the vast dammage to thouſands of Souls, not in the out-skirts alone, but very Heart of England, by their Excluſion and Suppreſſion; who are both able and willing to promote the everlasting Interest of precious Souls, which are committed in the mean while, in many parts of the Land, to them that neither can nor will. If a Husband-man have more Land than he can Till, much of his Land must lie Fallow and yeeld no profit; if a Husbandman have a great Harvest, and diſcharge his Labourers, he will ſuffer loſs. It is a ſmall Pariſh indeed that will not find a pretty industrious Man work enough: There is enough for us, and for them to do, if there were the greatest Ʋnion of Minds, and wiſest diſtributions, according to each Mans Abilities.
5. I have ſometimes taken heart to vindicate what may be juſtified in them, out of a juſt reſpect to the Common Faith, and Proteſtant Religion; and there is no more objected, nor worſe things imputed to them by Proteſtants, than Papiſts impute to us all: If I have no courage to plead for them, ſo far as their Cauſe will bear it, I may prove a Coward in mine own Cauſe; Every good Man ought to be true to Truth, and the common Chriſtianity.
6. Not to revile nor provoke them that differ from me. If I have deſcribed any Perſons of an impoſing perſecuting temper, with any meaſure of ſeverity: if there be no ſuch Perſons, it is a miſtake, and no injury; if there be ſuch, Writing is Painting, I have fitted my Colours to the Face, I have not repreſented any ſowrneſs of Countenance, but what I ſaw upon it. Let us all entertain Peace, and give it place to rule in our Hearts; ſeek Peace and purſue it, and pray for the Peace of Jeruſalem. Farewel.