The Primitive Practice for Preserving Truth, Section 7
SECT. VII.
AS it is against the practice of the Primitive Church, the course held by the Christian Emperours, and the observation of the wisest Princes and States of the latter age, though otherwise Pontifician, to make matter of heresie a capitall crime, to inforce the Conscience, and to put to death, for the cause of Religion meerly, so it is against the Rules of charitie and reason.
First, It is against the Rules of charity, if we had no other light to guide us, but the most wise answer of Englands last matchlesse Edward, being then but a childe, when he was pressed to yeeld his assent to the burning of an Heretique; What (said he) shall I send him to hell? By which he truly intimated, that whereas in all other offences, the Malefactors are punished with death, because it may be hoped they have repented the sinne; but to destroy an Heretick before conviction, is to be the Devils Catour, and to send him in provision even to Hell it selfe. For the very pertinacious holding of an Heresie is agreed on by all sides to be a damnable sinne, and then the cutting them off in that sinne, is to be the immediate Instrument of their perdition. This doth that virulent Romanist or monster of men, Nicholas Harpsfeild, in his Wiclevian History openly boast of, Cap. 16. p. 717. That those (blessed Champions of Christ whom he calls) Heretiques, did in the fires that consumed their bodies, taste the first-fruits of the eternall fire they endured afterwards. On the other side, if they suffer not but for feare of death, hope of preferment, or other base ends, turne from one Religion to another, especially from the truth to errour and Idolatry, without instruction, or reasonable conviction, they onelyonly dissemble outwardly; as the Moores of Gran ido did under that bloudy Philip the second of Spaine, who being enforced to be present at the Masse in the morning, practised their own Mahumetanisme in the evening; or els their conscience being shipwracked by their Apostasie before conviction, with Francis Spira they are swallowed up of despaire, or with Peter Espinae, Archbishop of Lions, of the Henetick faction in Henry the fourths time of France, with lust and Epicurisme, who practised that emasculating sinne with his own sister. The Jews in England from Willian the firsts time, till the eighteenth yeare of Edward the first, were the onelyonly Usurers of the Realme, and brought in large contributions and tallages to the Kings under whom they lived, and enjoyed here the freedome of their consciences: At their deaths their whole Estates escheated to the King, which their next heires commonly redeem'd for one full third part of three: But to incourage them to turne Christians, it was appointed in the Assize, by which they were govern'd under their own proper and peculiar Justices, that if any Jew dyed, whose heire became a Christian, he should inherit all the estate, of his Ancestors, without any further sine or composition with the Prince. The Master of the Rolls-house in London, and other places in other Cities of the Kingdome were appointed for the entertainment of those Christian converts, and were thence called Domus Conversorum: All which may clearly be gathered out of those Records of the Exchequer, commonly called, The great Pipe Rolles, and the Communi… Rolles: By which allurements some of the Jewes out of malice to their fellowes, or having committed some penall offence to escape the punishment practised amongst themselves, or els for lucre sake, (the sin of avarice being connaturall to most of them) were baptized and became Christians outwardly, without any due instruction in the Christian faith before-hand, and being convinced also that the Papists adoring or bowing to, and towards Images, Altars, Reliques, and the like trumpery, was absolute Idolatry against the second Commandement, they proved, as commonly the Jewes and Christians at this day do, when they turn Turks, the wretchedest varlets in the whole Kingdome. What were the poor Indians wont to say, when to avoid the Spaniards extreame and inhumane cruelties, they were drawn to their Masses, but that since they became Christians, they had learned to swear and drink? It was an excellent and just sentence which one of the Grand Seignienrs pronounced against divers hundreds of Christians, that falling down-before him, made declaration, that they had deserted their Sacra, and given up their names to Mahomet, he inquired of them why they did so; and they confessing plainly, that they did it to be freed from those many taxes, contributions and oppressions which they before groaned under; he rejected their enforced conversion for outward ends, and commanded their taxes and levies to be continued. This Heroick action of the Turkish Monarch, was not much short of that policie of one of the ancient Christian Emperours, who having his Army mixed of Christians and Pagans, and desiring to discover who of the first were little better then those of the latter, made, like another Jehu: a publike Declaration for the restoring of Paganisme, upon which, divers of the Christian Commanders shewing themselves forward to desert the truth, and to follow the stream and time, he presently reproved and cashier'd them; alledging, that all such were unworthy to serve any Prince that had proved unfaithfull to that divine Majesty, by which Princes rule.