A Persuasive to an Ingenuous Trial of Opinions in Religion, Section 3
§ 3.
3. But if every man hath a juſt liberty and right to examine for himſelf, is not this a good reaſon for Toleration, or for the univerſal liberty of practiſing according to a mans Conſcience or Perſwaſion? For to what purpoſe is liberty of enquiry, if after all, I muſt be concluded by the Authority of my Superiours, or elſe ſuffer under thoſe Laws by which they provide for Uniformity in Religion?
To this I anſwer, That every mans right and duty to judge for himſelf in matters of Religion, is no good reaſon for Toleration, unleſs it were alſo apparent that every man uſed that Right as he ought to do, i. e. with induſtry, deliberation, and impartiality. If all men were ſincere, and would examine without prejudice, without that byaſs to one ſide which is made by luſt and paſſion, and worldly intereſt, if they all intended to know the truth, that they might do their duty, then doubtleſs it were very fit that all ſhould enjoy an undiſturbed liberty of practice according to their Judgment; for then no man would err in things plain and neceſſary to his own ſalvation and the peace of Church and State. For our Lord hath aſſured us, that if any man will do the will of God, he ſhall know of the Doctrine whether it be of God. But ſo long as there is that Hypocriſie in the World whereof men are conſcious to themſelves, ſo long as all thoſe Vices alſo reign, which inſenſibly corrupt the Judgment, and make men diſloyal to the Truth, while they perceive it not; it is by no means reaſonable that the State under which we live, ſhould leave us lawleſs, and free from all obligation of temporal Penalties what Religion we profeſs, and what Communion we obſerve. For the moſt dangerous Pretence for the …rying on of ſeditious and rebellious deſignes againſt the Government, is that of Religion: And a few men that mean nothing but their own greatneſs and power, ſhall be able to manage the Zeal of a ſuperſtitious Multitude againſt the Government for their own private ends, while they ſcorn the ſuperſtition of their Followers, and perhaps all pretence to Religion in their own hearts. And therefore it concerns the Government to take care that the true Religion be protected by the Laws, and then to provide by the moſt prudent methods that no other be profeſſed in the Commonwealth.
If it be ſaid, that the end of all liberty to inquire and judge for our ſelves is deſtroyed, if at laſt we muſt conform to the Laws, or be puniſhed for our refuſal: The contrary will be eaſily ſhewn to any one who believes that we are infinitly more concerned what will become of us in the life to come, than in our preſent fortunes. For ſuppoſe that they are Errours which Authority requires us to profeſs, and that they are unlawful things which it requires us to do in Divine Service, and that by a due and diligent examination of things I come to know this; do I get nothing by my enquiry, but the ſeverity of thoſe humane Laws that are againſt me? Do not I obtain the comforts of a good Conſcience, in having honeſtly endeavoured to know the truth, and in doing what I thereupon knew to be my duty? If I do hereby obtain Gods Favour at preſent, and ſhall obtain Gods Rewards in a better life, is not this worth all my care and ſincerity, though I ſhould get nothing by it in this World but Trouble and Perſecution?
So that it is worth the while to examine the Doctrine impoſed upon me by Authority, though I know beforehand that be it right or wrong, I muſt be puniſhed by man if I receive it not.
True Religion, and our obſervation to profeſs Gods Truth, and to do his Will, ſtands indeed upon the Authority of God, and the Evidence of divine Revelation; but nevertheleſs, the profeſſion thereof ought to be encouraged and protected by the Powers of the World▪ and by conſequence all falſe Religions ſhould be diſcountenanced, and the profeſſion of them made uneaſie by their Laws: Scripture and Reaſon teach us, that they no leſs than Parents, ſhould uſe that Authority for God, which they have received from him. But if they, for want of ſincere tryal and examination, do themſelves eſtabliſh Iniquity or Hereſie by a Law, and turn the edge of their Power againſt the true Religion, they muſt anſwer it to God at the day of Judgment, who hath ſhewed them as well as others, what is good and what he required of them.
In the mean while Perſecution diſtinguiſhes between the Sincere and the Hypocrite; and as the inſincere ſtudy how to perplex the Truth, and to avoid the convictions that are upon their minds, and to reconcile their Apoſtacy to their Credit and Conſciences; ſo the honeſt inquire into the grounds of their Faith more diligently, and being deſirous to ſtrengthen themſelves under Sufferings by a full aſſurance that they ſuffer for Righteouſneſs ſake, they ſearch into all the grounds of their Perſwaſion more narrowly than if they had never come under this temptation: and by this means the true Doctrine comes to be propounded to the World, with the advantage of ſtronger Arguments, and thoſe better managed than if it had never met with oppoſition.
But if the true Faith and Worſhip be eſtabliſh'd by Law, and the Penalties of Nonconformity be ſtrictly required; this is ſo far from hindring men from enquiring, that it lays an obligation upon a great many to conſider things impartially, who otherwiſe would never have looked but upon one ſide of the Queſtion; I mean all thoſe whom either Wantonneſs and Self-conceit, or Faction and Worldly Intereſt, or the undue admiration of mens perſons, and the like, would have held under a conſtant prejudice againſt Reaſon and Truth. A carnal Argument for a good Cauſe, is very often a wholſom means to remove a carnal prejudice againſt it: And the Authority of the Magiſtrate can hardly be better uſed in matters of Religion, than to make ſuch a difference between the Obſervers of the Eccleſiaſtical Laws, and the Diſſenters from them, that it ſhall be very hard for any man to lie under a Worldly Temptation, to diſſent ſufficient to recompence the damage he muſt undergo. This will make a great many impartial in weighing the Objections againſt Conformity, with the Arguments and Anſwers on the other ſide, and by degrees bring them to the knowledge of the Truth, and at length to a ſincere love of it. It is a falſe Maxime, That Force in matters of Religion makes Hypocrites, but not true Converts. For ſometimes it cures Hypocriſie, very often Ignorance and Partiality; and that is a good degree towards Converſion: And yet this will not juſtifie the putting of men to death for mere difference in Religion. The leaſt degree of ſeverity which will do the buſineſs, is great enough. The Supreme Powers ſhould conſider their Subjects in theſe caſes, as a wiſe and good Father would conſider his own Children; who if he had power of life and death over them, would not kill his misbelieving Son, and yet would try to reduce him by Worldly Diſcipline, and drive him to conſideration by the ſenſible effects of his Diſpleaſure. The moderation of the Engliſh Laws for Uniformity, is viſible to all diſintereſſed perſons; and though the unevenneſs of their execution hath rendred them leſs effectual, yet there are ſeveral who have cauſe to bleſs God for being compelled to come to our Churches, and to conſider the Terms of our Communion with ſome impartiality; whereas if there had been an abſolute Toleration, their Ignorance and Prejudices might have led them they know not whither.
The Church of England cauſeth the Scriptures to be publickly read, and puts them into the Peoples hands, and deſires nothing more than that every one would diligently and impartially conſider the caſes between her and thoſe that ſeparate from her. And it is no abſurd thing to ſay, that this liberty of Judgment which ſhe allows, is conſiſtent with the Engliſh Laws that require conformity of all; ſince if it had not been for thoſe Laws, ſome men had never attained to liberty of Judgment but had ſtill been held in bondage to their Prejudices and Errours. …, that they make the greateſt noiſe for liberty of practice, according to their Judgment, who have made little or no uſe of their Judgment in diſtinguiſhing between good and bad, true and falſe. They demand one liberty, while they make no uſe of another; the liberty of being undiſturbed and licentious in a wrong way, while they never uſe that liberty of examining the grounds of their Perſwaſion, to which the Church ſo vehemently perſwades them by her Miniſters.
If it be urged, that when a man ſets himſelf with honeſty and diligence to examine the Caſe of Communion with the Chnrch, and doth all that he can to inform himſelf aright in this matter, but cannot be ſatisfied that he may lawfully conform, and this through mere weakneſs of underſtanding; it is not reaſonable that he ſhould ſuffer any thing for that.
It may be ſaid on the other ſide, that there are many more who fail of underſtanding their duty in this kind, for want of examination and inquiry, and through the prevalency of Prejudice and paſſion, than there are of thoſe who continue erroneouſly perſwaded through mere weakneſs of underſtanding. But as for thoſe who in perfect weakneſs remain unconvinced, if I may ſuppoſe any ſuch, I wiſh the Laws could diſtinguiſh them from the reſt, and that they could be known by ſome viſible characters, that they might be exempted from undergoing any penalties. But ſince this cannot be, it muſt be endured that a few or none in compariſon, come to have hard meaſure, by means of that which is neceſſary for the common and publick good.