§. 11. There is nothing in humane actions that is free from inconveniences; especially actions of public consequence. And the collecting and aggravating of such inconveniences, and making tragical exclamations thereupon, without looking to the mischiefs that men imagine must be the remedy, or seeing the evils on the other side, is the common practice of these Church-Mountebanks. How easy is it to say [If we be not all of one Religion, it will cherish contention, bring Ministers into contempt, scandalize the weak, harden the enemies, raise factions, shake the peace of Kingdoms] and more such like: How easy is it to say [If men be tolerated to break the Laws, and gather Conventicles, souls will be poisoned, error propagated, Christianity disgraced, &c.] When in the mean time 1. Their course tendeth not at all to make men of one Religion: 2. Nay, they plead for that which is the great divider: where do fire and banishment or prisons cause true faith, or make men think that their persecutors are in the right? Is there any thing in the nature of the thing so to persuade men? nay what more inclineth men to think that other mens opinions are false, than to feel that their practice is hurtful? All will say, Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? By their fruit they may be known. If it be forcing some to dissemble, and destroying the rest, that they mean, by [making men of one religion] thus saith Tertullian did the Heathen persecutors: Solitudinem ⟨p. 131⟩faciunt & pacem vocant. But 1. This will not do: France, Ireland, Belgia, and Queen Mary in England cried it in vain: God will still have some that shall be seriously religious, and shall fear him more than man, and not sell their souls to save their bodies: If you have no hope of making men to be of one Religion, but by making them to be of no Religion (as all are that fear not God more than man) your hopes are vain as well as wicked. There is so full testimony given to the world, that there is a God and a life to come, that still some men will believe it, and will think whither they must go next, and therefore will not forsake their religion through fear, seeing that is to forsake their God, and their salvation.
§. 11. There is nothing in humane actions that is free from inconveniences; especially actions of publick consequence. And the collecting and aggravating of such inconveniences, and making tragical exclamations thereupon, without looking to the mischiefs that men imagine must be the remedy, or seeing the evils on the other side, is the common practice of these Church-Mountebanks. How easie is it to say [If we be not all of one Religion, it will cherish contention, bring Ministers into contempt, scandalize the weak, harden the enemies, raise factions, shake the peace of Kingdoms] and more such like: How easie is it to say [If men be tolerated to break the Laws, and gather Conventicles, souls will be poysoned, error propagated, Christianity disgraced, &c.] When in the mean time 1. Their course tendeth not at all to make men of one Religion: 2. Nay, they plead for that which is the great divider: where do fire and banishment or prisons cause true faith, or make men think that their persecutors are in the right? Is there any thing in the nature of the thing so to perswade men? nay what more inclineth men to think that other mens opinions are false, than to feel that their practice is hurtful? All will say, Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? By their fruit they may be known. If it be forcing some to dissemble, and destroying the rest, that they mean, by [making men of one religion] thus saith Tertullian did the Heathen persecutors: Solitudinem ⟨p. 131⟩faciunt & pacem vocant. But 1. This will not do: France, Ireland, Belgia, and Queen Mary in England cryed it in vain: God will still have some that shall be seriously religious, and shall fear him more than man, and not sell their souls to save their bodies: If you have no hope of making men to be of one Religion, but by making them to be of no Religion (as all are that fear not God more than man) your hopes are vain as well as wicked. There is so full testimony given to the world, that there is a God and a life to come, that still some men will believe it, and will think whither they must go next, and therefore will not forsake their religion through fear, seeing that is to forsake their God, and their salvation.
