.About Perfecution. CHAP. XI. Special Direffiom to efcape tl1e guilt of pe1jewting. 'Determining alfo the cafe al&ut Liberty ir~ matters of ~eligidr~. THough this be a fubjcCl: which thl guilty cmnot endure to hear of, yet the mifcry of perli:~ curors, theblood and grones and ruines of the Church, 2nd the 1amcntahle divifions of pro– fdTt>d Chrifiians, do all command me not to pafs it by in filencc ; but to tell them the nuth, rrhcthcr they will bur or.whethrr they wiUfUTbear; though they were fuch as Ezek._. 3• 7, 8, 9, 1I· • 9· ,, Direct. 1. If you would cfcape this dreadful guilt, !Jndcrftand. wrD what Pcrficution if. Elfe Direll. 1 , you may either run into it ignorantly, or oppo[c a duty a!\ if it were perfccution. 9· 2· The Verb [ Prrfcquor J is often taken in a ~ood fence, for no more than co1Jti.nuato mvtu, vel ad rxtrcmum ftqrtar; and fomctime for the blamclcfs profccution of a,delinquent: But we take it here, as the Englilh word [ Per[ewte J is rnofi commonly taken, for [ inimico ajfe{fu in{equor J; for a maliciott5 or injuri.ozu lmrti1tf, or profecuting another, a;td that for the fa~e of Religion or Righte– oufoifs. For it is not corr.:non lnJmies which We here intend ro fpeakof. Three things then go to make up Pcrfccution. r. That it be the Hurting of another, in his Body, liberty, rcla'tionf, eftate, or rep&rtation· 2• That it bedone injuriozifly, to one who dffcrveth it .nor, in the partiCular which is the caufc. 3· That it be for the cauf.: of Religion or of I}ighteoufncfs, that is, for the 'truth of God which we holdor uttrr; or for the worfhip of God which we perform; or for obedience to the will of God revealed in his Laws. This is the caufe on the fuffcrers part what ever is intended by the Perfccuter. §. 3. There are divers forts of Perfecution. As to the ~rinciples of the Perfecutors, !-. There is a Perfccution which is openly profeffed to be for the catife of Religion; As Heathens and Mahometans pcrfecute Chrifiians as Chrillians; And there is an Hypocriti~l Pcrfecution when the pretended caufe is fome odious crime, but the real caufe is mens Religion, or obedience to God. This is the common Perfccution which nominalC!Jriftianr exercife on ferioJMCbrijtianr, or on one another. They will not fay that they Pcrfecute them becaufe they are<tGodly or flriozu Cbriftiam ; but that is the true caufc: For if they will but ft:t them above God, and obey them againfi God, they will abate their Pfrfecution. Many of the Heathens dius perfecuted the Chrifiians too, under the name of Vngodly, and tVil Jgers: But the true caufe wa.s bccaufc they obeyed not their commands in the Worlliipping of their Idol Gods. So do the Papifis perfecutc and murder men, not as Profe!Tours of the truth (which is the true cau(c ). but under the name ef Hercticlo and Sc:htfroaticks or Rebels ag1infi the Popr, or what ever their malice pleafeth to accufc them of. And prophanc nominal CluiHians [et– dome Pcrfecute the ferious and Jittccre directly by that name, but under Come N ickname which they fct upon them, or under the name of H.Ypocritt}, or folf-conceitcd o.r f aCiiouJ per{on.r, or fuch like. And if they live in a place and Age where there arc m1ny Civil Wars or differences, they are fure to fetch forne odious n:~me or accufation thence: Which tide focver it be that they arc on; or if they meddle not on any fidc, they arc fure by every party whom they plea-fe not, to hear Religion loaded with fuchreproaches as the tjmes will allow them to vent againfi it~ Even the Papifls who take this courfe with Protefiants, it feems by Acoft.z are fo ufed thcmfclves, not by the Heathens; but by one another, yea by the muhitude, yea by their Pricll:s; For fo faith he fpeaking of the Parith Pricfls Pricfis among the Indians, having reproved their Diceing, Cliding~ Hunting, ldlcnefs, Lib. 4 c. 15. pag. 4c4, 405· Itaque i.t c:-~i P.:floralMIndmtm curli commiuimr, non folrtm contra dia/)oli machi;t:Jf 6... natrme inw:ti;;a pugnare debet; fed jam erjam ctmfirmat£ homir.um conjiu:tudini & tempore & turbtt pupotenti j(JC &bjic£re ; 6'"' ad cxcipienda iwvidomm ac malevolomm ttla forte peliu1 oppmere; qui fiquid (l prnfmo fuo i;:~itttto abhorrcntem viderint, proditorem, ~ypocritam, h4lcm clama~t : th1t is, [He ttJcrcforc to 1vbo.m tbc PaJforal C3re cf the Indian! if committed, mrejf 1UJI only fi1.h1 againjl th~ E;z~ gines of tbe D<vil and the ilrcc;;:ivrs of nature, but alfo now m;'.ft ohjtc1 or Jet him[elf againjt the co1r~ firmed cttjfome (Jf men, which M w onm very powerful b1th by time and by the multitttde; and muft v1li~ amly oppofe bi1 btea{t to rruive the d.zrJJ (Jf the e;zl'io:u aud mt~levolent, whoif tbey fee an;• thing c11n– trMy to thl·ir prof<Jnc fajht.m (or breeding) cry out, A 'Traitor, A1J I-f.Jpocrite, an Encnry.J lt feems then that this is a common courft. . §. 4· 2· Pcrfewtirm is either done in Ignora~tce or Knowledge : The commoncft pcr[ccution is that which is done in Ignounc\, and errour: when men think a Gond caufe to be bad~ or a bad cozufe to be good, and fo P.erfecutc 1ruth while they take it to be [aljh11od, or good while they take 'it to be eviLor obtrude. by violence their E~rmcrs for 'Truth1, and their cvil.r 1s good and nccclfary thing~. Thus Pctrr tcfiificth of the Jews who l<illed the Prir.ce of life, ACl. 3· 13, '4• '7· [T ~"'"' tbJt tbrortgb Ignorance
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=