The Bloody Tenant of Persecution for the Cause of Conscience, Title page – Dedication
THE BLOVDY TENENT, of PERSECUTION, for cause of CONSCIENCE, discussed, in A Conference betweene TRVTH and PEACE.
VVHO, In all tender Affection, present to the High Court of Parliament, (as the Result of their Discourse) these, (amongst other Passages) of highest consideration.
Printed in the Year 1644.
FIrst, That the blood of so many hundred thousand souls of Protestants and Papists, spilt in the War… of present and former Ages, for their respective Consciences, is not required nor accepted by Iesus Christ the Prince of Peace.
Secondly, Pregnant Scriptures and Arguments are throughout the Worke proposed against the Doctrine of Persecution for for cause of Conscience.
Thirdly, Satisfactorie Answers are given to Scriptures, and objections produced by Mr. Calvin, Beza, Mr. Cotton, and the Ministers of the New English Churches, and others former and later, tending to prove the Doctrine of Persecution for cause of Conscience.
Fourthly, The Doctrine of Persecution for cause of Conscience, is proved guilty of all the blood of the Soules crying for vengeance under the Altar.
Fifthly, All Civill States, with their Officers of justice in their respective constitutions and administrations are proved essentially Civill, and therefore not Iudges, Governours or Defendours of the Spirituall or Christian state and Worship.
Sixtly, It is the will and command of God, that since the comming of his Sonne the Lord Iesus) a permission of the most Paganish, Iewish, Turkish or Antichristian consciences and worships, bee granted to all men in all Nations and Countries: and they are onelyonly to bee fought against with that Sword which is only (in Soule matters) able to conquer, to wit, the Sword of Gods Spirit, the Word of God.
Seventhly, The state of the Land of Israel, the Kings and people thereof in Peace & War, is proved figurative and ceremoniall, and no patterne nor president for any Kingdom or civill state in the world to follow.
Eightly, God requireth not an uniformity of Religion to be inacted and inforced in any civill state; which inforced uniformity (sooner or later) is the greatest occasion of civill Warre, ravishing of conscience, persecution of Christ Iesus in his servants, and of the hypocrisie and destruction of millions of souls.
Ninthly, In holding an inforced uniformity of Religion in a civill state, we must necessarily disclaime our desires and hopes of the Iewes conversion to Christ.
Tenthly, An inforced uniformity of Religion throughout a Nation or civill state, confounds the Civill and Religious, denies the principles of Chr…stianity and civility, and that Iesus Christ is come in the Flesh.
Eleventhly, The permission of other consciences and worships then a state professeth, only can (according to God) procure a firme and lasting peace, (good assurance being taken according to the wisdome of the civill state for uniformity of civill obedience from all sorts.)
Twelfthly, lastly, true civility and Christianity may both flourish in a State or Kingdome, notwithstanding the permission of divers and contrary consciences, either of Iew or Gentile.
TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE, both Houses of the High Court of PARLIAMENT.
Right Honourable and Renowned Patriots:
NExt to the saving of your own soules (in the lamentable shipwrack of Mankind) your taske (as Christians) is to save the Soules, but as Magistrates, the Bodies and Goods of others.
Many excellent Discourses have been presented to your Fathers hands and Yours in former and present Parliaments: I shall be humbly bold to say, that (in what concernes your duties as Magistrates, towards others) a more necessary and seasonable debate was never yet presented.
Two things your Honours here may please to view (in this Controversie of Persecution for cause of Conscience) beyond what's extant.
First the whole Body of this Controversie form'd & pitch'd in true Battalia.
Secondly (although in respect of my selfe it be impar congressus, yet in the power of that God who is Maximus in Mini…is, Your Honours shall see the Controversie is discussed with men as able as most, eminent for abilitie and pietie, Mr. Co…ton, and the New English Ministers.
When the Prophets in Scripture have given their Coats of Armes and Escutch…ons to Great Men, Your Honours know the Babylonian Monarch hath the Lyon, the Persian the Beare, the Grecian the Leopard, the Romane a compound of the former 3. most strange and dreadfull, Dan. 7.
Their oppressing, plundring ravishing, murthering, not only of the bodies, but the soules of Men are large explaining commentaries of such similitudes.
Your Honours have been famous to the end of the World, for your unparallel'd wisdome, courage, justice, merciemercy, in the vindicating your Civill Lawes, Liberties, &c. Yet let it not be grievous to your Honours thoughts to ponder a little, why all the Prayers and Teares and Fastings in this Nation have not pierc'd the Heavens, and quench'd these Flames, which yet who knowes how far they'll spread, and when they'll out!
Your Honours have broke the jawes of the Oppressour, and taken the prey out of their Teeth (Iob. 29.) For which Act I believe it hath pleased the most High God to set a Guard (not only of Trained men, but) of mighty Angels, to secure your sitting, and the Citie.
I feare we are not pardoned, though reprieved: O that there may be a lengthning of Londons tranquilitie, of the Parliaments safetie, by mercy to the poore! Dan. 4.
Right Honourable, Soule yokes, Soule oppressions plundrings, ravishings, &c. are of a crimson and deepest dye, and I believe the chiefe of Englands sins, unstopping the Viols of Englands present sorrowes.
This glasse presents your Honours with Arguments from Religion, Reason, Experience, all proving that the greatest yoakes yet lying upon English necks, (the peoples and Your own) are of a spirituall and soule nature.
All former Parliaments have changed these yoakes according to their consciences (Popish or Protestant) 'Tis now your Honours turne at helme, and (as your task, so I hope your res… lution, not to change (for that is but to turne the wheele, which another Parliament, and the very next may turne againe:) but to …ase the Subjects and Your selves from a yoake (as was once spoke in a case not unlike Act 15.) which neither You nor your Fathers were ever able to beare.
Most Noble Senatours, Your Fathers (whose seats You fill) are mouldred, and mouldring their braines, their tongu…s, &c. to ashes in the pit of rottenesse: They and You must shortly (together with two worlds of men) appeare at the great Barre: It shall then be no griefe of heart that you have now attended to the cries of Soules, thousands oppressed, millions ravished by the Acts and Statutes concerning Soules, not yet repealed.
Of Bodies impoverished, imprisoned, &c. for their soules beliefe, yea slaughtered on heapes for Religions controversies in the Warres of present and former Ages.
Notwithstanding the successe of later times,The famous saying of a late King of Bohemia. (wherein sundry opinions have been hatched about the subject of Religion) a man may clearly discerne with his eye, and as it were touch with his finger that according to the verity of holy Scriptures, &c. mens consciences ought in no sort to be violated, urged or constrained. And whensover men have attempted any thing by this violent course, whether openly or by secret meanes, the issue hath beene pernicious, and the cause of great and wonderfull innovations in the principallest and mightiest Kingdomes and Countries, &c.
It cannot be denied to be a pious and prudentiall act for Your Honours (according to your conscience) to call for the advice of faithfull Councellours in the high debates concerning Your owne, and the soules of others.
Yet let it not be imputed as a crime for any suppliant to the God of Heaven for You, if in the humble sense of what their soules beleeve, they powre forth (amongst others) these three requests at the Throne of Grace.
First, That neither Your Honours, nor those excellent and worthy persons, whose advice you seek, limit the holy One of Israel to their apprehensions, debates, conclusions, rejecting or neglecting the humble and faithfull suggestions of any, though as base as spittle and clay, with which sometimes Christ Iesus opens the eyes of them that are borne blinde.
Secondly, That the present and future generations of the Sons of Men may never have cause to say that such a Parliament (as England never enjoyed the like) should modell the worship of the living, Essay of Religion.eternall and invisible God after the Bi… of any earthly interest, though of the highest concernment under the Sunne: And yet, saith that learned Sir Francis Bacon (how ever otherwise perswaded, yet thus he confesseth:) Such as hold pressure of Conscience, are guided therein by some private interests of their owne.
Thirdly, What ever way of worshipping God Your owne Consciences are perswaded to walke in, yet (from any bloody act of violence to the consciences of others) it may bee never told at Rome nor Oxford, that the Parliament of England hath committed a greater rape, It is rarely seen that ever persons were pers…ed for their …then if they had forced or ravished the bodies of all the women in the World.
And that Englands Parliament (so famous throughout all Europe and the World) should at last turne Papists, Prelatists, Presbyterians, Independents, Socinians, Familists, Antinomians, &c. by confirming all these sorts of Consciences, by Civill force and violence to their Consciences.