A censure upon certain passages contained in the History of the Royal Society [by Thomas Sprat] as being destructive to the established religion and Church of England / [Henry Stubbe].

  • Stubbe, Henry, 1632-1676.
Date:
1671
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A censure upon certain passages contained in the History of the Royal Society [by Thomas Sprat] as being destructive to the established religion and Church of England / [Henry Stubbe]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    fo ordered the condition of mankind , that dilutes are unavoidable,' as Her eft ?s are : who introduced Faith amongft the intellect u a Is. Ha¬ bits , and made it an Affent, fir me, certain, but deftitute of fcienti- fical evidence : who made ns but to know in part, and to fee even that but as it were in a glaffe > the confequent of which mixture of light and fade, kpowledg and ignorance, is disputation and falli¬ bility. Alpbonfo King of Portugal profefled , that if he had afiifted God Almighty at the Creation 3 he could have amended the fabric^ of the world: Our Hiftorian in this paflage infinuates almoft as much; had he been amongft the firft Pr omulgators of Chrifiiunity. I cannot alfo conceive , but that He condemnes all Sermons, Expo]itions. Ho¬ milies , Ceremonies , and all thofe rational contrivances by which the Church hath endeavoured gently to gain upon the Ajfetfions and Opinions of men: in that he aflerts, that Religion should hot STAND IN HEED OF ANY DEVISES OF MEN. “ Religion fliould in this be like the Temporal JLaws of all Coun- “ tries, towards the obeying of which there is no need of Syllo- “gifmes, or Difiinttions nothing elfe is necefiary but a bare pro- “ mulgation, a common apprehenfion , and fenfe enough to under- u ftand the Grammatical meaning of ordinary words. That there may be, & have been in SOME COUNTRIES Temporal Laws, to the obeying .of which there is no need of Syllogifmes or DiflinHions-, I am ready to grant: but to fay it haith been fo in all Countries, is fuch an Aftertion as becomes not an Englijh man , nor one that underftands the Civil Law , or that even, of the Jews. No Lawes in a Government not Defpotick. ever were fo ^contrived to all cir- cumfiances, that to the obeying of them there would not need any Syllogifmes or DiftinBions. In our Nation tis notorious*, not is itfo fa¬ cile a thing to determine what is included in the extent of a Law, what influence the preamble and title have upon the fubfequent^f/*, a Common Apprehenfion, and fenfe enough to underfland the Gramma¬ tical meaning of OR D IN ART WORDS will not carry a man through without CowePs Di&ionary, Spelman’s Gloflary , and many other Law books , fo as to underftand the MEANING of our Lawes: and as to their being in force , how many Arguments are there about that i when the obligation of the Law ceafeth? whether difcontinuance , or the ceafing of thofe motives which give being to a Statute, or the introducing of a contrary Law without repealing the former exprejly , do abrogate any statute ? An infinite of Contra-r verfies daily arifing, fhew that Syllogifmes and DifiinBions are ne- ceftary to our TEMPORAL LAWS being under flood and executed. But perhaps our Virtuofo may propofe a new regulation of Law, and Gofpell too: but till that be effe&ed, I am fure his Affertion is falfe. But if the cafe in Temporal Laws were fuch as tis reprefented , ( as it is not, but in Seignorall Monarchies)yet were there great reafon for men to be more folicitous about their Reli¬ gion , or Spiritual Laws 0 than about the Civil and Municipal. That Scripture which fubjeftsus to the CivilMagiflrate for conscience sake. Rom. 13. 5. bids us first to feek^ the Kingdom of God and bis