Answ. Alas; many and great. 1. They tend to dethrone Christ from his Sovereignty, and Legislative prerogative. 2. And to advance Man, blind and sinful man into his place. 3. And thereby to debase Religion, making it but a humane or a mixed thing: (And it can be no more noble than its Author is.) 4. And thereby they debase also the Church of God, and the Government of it, while they make it to be but a Humane policy, and not Divine. 5. They tend to depose God from his Authority in mens Consciences, and to level or join him there but with man. 6. They tend to mens doubtfulness and uncertainty of their Religion; seeing man is fallible, and so may his constitutions be. 7. They tend to drive out all true Religion from the World, while Man that is so Bad is the maker of it; and it may be suspected to be bad, that is made by so bad an Author. 8. And it taketh off the fear of God, and his judgement: For it is man that must be feared so far as man is the maker of the Law. And it destroyeth the consolation of believers which consisteth in the hopes of a reward from God: For he that serveth man, must be rewarded by man: And though they do not exclude God, but join him with themselves, yet this mixture debaseth and destroyeth Religion, as the mixture of God and Mammon in mens Love, and as mixed and debased metals do the Sovereign's coin. 9. It hardeneth Infidels and hindereth their Conversion: For they will reverence no more of our Religion than we can prove to be Divine: And when they find one part of it to be humane, they suspect the rest to be so too, and contemn it all; Even as Protestants do Popery for the abundance of humane trinkets and toys with which we see them exercise, and delude their silly followers. 10. It is the great engine of dividing all the Churches, and breeding and feeding con••ntions in the Christian World. 11. And because men that will command, will be obeyed, and they that are absolutely subjected to God, will obey none against him, whatever it cost them (as Dan. 3. & 6. Heb. 11. Luk. 14. 26, 33. Matth. 5. 10, 11, 12.) therefore it hath proved the occasion of bloody persecutions in the Churches, by which professed Christians draw the guilt of Christian blood upon themselves. 12. And hereby it hath dolefully hindered the Gospel, while the persecutors have silenced many worthy Conscionable Preachers of it. 13.
Answ. ALas; many and great. 1. They tend to dethrone Christ from his Soveraignty, and Legislative prerogative. 2. And to advance Man, blind and sinful man into his place. 3. And thereby to debase Religion, making it but a humane or a mixed thing: (And it can be no more noble than its Author is.) 4. And thereby they debase also the Church of God, and the Government of it, while they make it to be but a Humane policy, and not Divine. 5. They tend to depose God from his Authority in mens Consciences, and to level or joyn him there but with man. 6. They tend to mens doubtfulness and uncertainty of their Religion; seeing man is fallible, and so may his constitutions be. 7. They tend to drive out all true Religion from the World, while Man that is so Bad is the maker of it; and it may be suspected to be bad, that is made by so bad an Author. 8. And it taketh off the fear of God, and his judgement: For it is man that must be feared so far as man is the maker of the Law. And it destroyeth the consolation of believers which consisteth in the hopes of a reward from God: For he that serveth man, must be rewarded by man: And though they do not exclude God, but joyn him with themselves, yet this mixture debaseth and destroyeth Religion, as the mixture of God and Mammon in mens Love, and as mixt and debased metals do the Soveraign's coin. 9. It hardeneth Infidels and hindereth their Conversion: For they will reverence no more of our Religion than we can prove to be Divine: And when they find one part of it to be humane, they suspect the rest to be so too, and contemn it all; Even as Protestants do Popery for the abundance of humane trinkets and toyes with which we see them exercise, and delude their silly followers. 10. It is the great engine of dividing all the Churches, and breeding and feeding con••ntions in the Christian World. 11. And because men that will command, will be obeyed, and they that are absolutely subjected to God, will obey none against him, whatever it cost them (as Dan. 3. & 6. Heb. 11. Luk. 14. 26, 33. Matth. 5. 10, 11, 12.) therefore it hath proved the occasion of bloody persecutions in the Churches, by which professed Christians draw the guilt of Christian blood upon themselves. 12. And hereby it hath dolefully hindered the Gospel, while the persecutors have silenced many worthy Conscionable Preachers of it. 13.
