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Show I 4H The Great C A S E of 'Voit. 'I t6-7o ceedings againft \JS, if we be Criminal~ or if Innocen~, ~n dif.ing.aging your ~ ...set.rice-.ef .!w:h', as have been Author.s of -fo much M1f-I-nformauon • . · ~ But could ..we-once -obtain the Favour of fuch peba~e-wc doubr:notto evince a cl~ar Confiftency of _our Life~ and Do~nne w~th the Engli./h G~a vernment. and that an indulg1og bf !DJO"enters m the Senfe defended, 1s nor only ~oft Chriftian and 'R:tdonal, hut .n~u~ent alfr. And the Contrary (1\q~ .. Jl.lallfihly .olt1:ve!,41finweaJ t(htt:m<llt inJ!f(lojil;cl.tb. r~ P'!<e··ri>Ctde. ~l .. loi'IIM'd'i!c!l:'<'t B:tlfuhce; \Wich ~h'e Bclt '!!1l W!fe!l ~tofes,nave ,,.f. ner carefully Obferv'd. IP! · 'lh · ~ut ,i~njs fair ~JI'I~q~31 0ifel, ~Jl.sl ndt ~ ~~;I'lL ~ou, on wbtro to i?f , f; \nttc~· te s tha~ it Thu~ll. ~. bnJ;!g liS ~ac~ .the Q/zve !Jrt~. llf~ of L~ T Ib,JI'· 'e1>eartily eQjbrace and ble!S the .~rov1denco of ~OO~'ana ill"his'!irt~n lh 'l'efoh~,.iij Paricnte, to. rlutwe;rry,'PeUm;ion, and by our con!bnr Sufferings, feek ro obtai~ o VraD!'Y, mdte rctolious, rhan any our Adverfaries can archieve by all thetr Cruelues - - -- VincitJQ-ui ~tiiWfl 111 Frmt a Prifoner Jor Co'!fcimce-Sali.e, \. =~t: c!~~ ~;b~~~h~6~~~h W. P. T-ile P R E FA-cE. W; In\~ 't1,;1as );;tiiifna ,;:l.{ilef~cat\~~el;~, ;t'o be, "rwould fave us all the Labour we beftow io rend rio~ PerfoCJmon fo Un- • <!hrifiian as kmofi t!l!1y is : Nay ~Were they thofc M~n .:>f Realon rhly Charaae'r th'emfel\!es and what the Gvil Law fiites gobtl Citizens, it h.1d been needlefs for us ~o rell them, thlt neither can any external Coercive 1Power £onv.ince fhe Undctft[loding of ~he pooreft Idiot, nor 'Fines and Prifuns be jiltlg/.d fir and adequate ·Penalties for Faults pur. ely intelle8:ual; :IS bWell,as that they. ate deftr.uaive df all Ci\•il Government. t But we111.eed ~na.r run fo fJr as beyond the Seas, ro fetCh the Senfe of the (Jo8u, JnjlJf11tn, :md J?igefls, our of th7 C?rptu. Civile, to adj~dge fuclt 'Pra8:ices incongruous wtth the good of Ctvll Soctety; fince our ov:rn good, ~ dld, admiuble·Laws of EtJ,t!t~nd, have made fuch exce11ent Provtfion f~r ,ir:s Inh:iliitants that if they were 'but thought as fit to be executed by tlus .ptt"fent Age, a~ they Were ti2htly judg'd necelfaity to lbe ~Jde by our cuefll'l Anceftors :~ We know how grear J Scroak they would g1ve fuch as \'entore .toUead .away -our Ptoperry in Triilmpb (as our juft ¥orf.eirure) for onlY Worfhipping our God in a differing \Vay, from that whtch 1s more generally !PJofell ~nd Efiahlilht. And indeed it' is moft ttuly"hmentable, That above others (who h3\'e ... beeniouna in fo Un .. natural '3rtd Anrichditian j'tl tlmploymenr) thvfe, tbar hy their own frequent Prb.8:ices and Voluminous .Apologies, have defendad a. Separation (from th-e Papacy) fhould now become f.1ch earneU Pe~fecut· on for it, not confiderjng, that the Ena8:ion of fuch Laws, as rcftr.ai.n P~· fons from [ht'free Exercife of their Confciences, in Matters of Reh.gwn, IS ;Jbut a knUrting Whip-cqrd to lafh their o.wn Pofterity; whom they ~an never promife to be conformed to a Nati011al Rdigion. Nay, fince Mank!nd ~s fUbjc8: to fuch Murlbility, they can'[ enfure rhemfches, from bewg taken by fome Perf"wafions, r.hat are efteem'd Heterod~, and confequcntl_y catch rhemfelves in Snares of their own providing. AM for Men rhus .h· able to cha·nge, (and no ways cena-in of tbeit own Belief to be rbe mot[ m· fallible,) as by t'heir muldply'd Conceffions may appear, co cnaft any Religion, or prohibit Perfons from the free Exercife of rheirs, founds har!h Lin the Ears of all m()de'ft and unbya'ft Men. \Ve are bold ro fay o11r Pro· ·zefl{mr iltu.e..f/on tJiought of nothing lefs, than to be 1Ucceeded by. .Pt~'; \ VoL. I. L..7m·ty df'Confcimce 'J)ebated, Vttin·t.l~riom of. their J!.efor~otion, ~lld yet }iJr>erfaritr to Ltbe;ty of Cbn· 1 ~ 70• ~.fcie.nce; for to 'Pe11ple _m thtu IVirr, 1t fetmr a f(1ht!Ox. • , ~ Nor that we are fo Jgnora~t, as to thi"n\: it is .with!n the Reach of iju- · mane Power. to fetter Coofc1~nce, or to re~h:iln tt's Llbertyjlriflly t!rken: But that p_l;ltn .Enghf!', of Liberty of C~[cren~e? we would. be undtrftdotl to me~n, ts ~hts; Qamefy, The free an'd. flmhttrr11prrd &uhife of our ConJc1ences, zn that Way of Worjhtp? 'fiJC are mofl c/(arly perfwqded? 'bod hf1. Uirtl us to ferve Him_ zn (rcitbout endan,ctring OJir undoubted Birthright of Engli!h Freedomr) whteb being .il1atur oJ F AfT H, we Sin if "we otntt and they Cl111't do !tfs, that .foaO eirdeavour it. ' To tell us, we are Obft~~Jte and Enmiiu to Goventmenr? are hut thOfe Groundle~s Phrafes, the firfiRef~rmers wen not a lirtle pellered with; bht as they fatd, f_o fa.t:_ we, The bemg call'd tbU, or that, does not conctu.de us fo; and hnheno we have not been dete8:ed of that Fact, which only juftifics fuch Criminations. · _ But however free we can 'pprove our feives of A8:ions prejudicial to the Civil Government~ 'tis rpo.ft: cenain we hayenot fuffered a !itt]&, as CfWQi. nals, and ·therefo~e 'haye ~n far, (~orp. ~~~re7 fr:oltJ~tjbgs; _l!].de\d, lh 'fume refp~a, Hofr1d Plunders: Widork 1iave loft t ir Cow>, Or ban< their Btdr, and Labourtrr lbllr Toolr. A ~a'ged}r fo fll. ; · rb'at 'methin\s it fllould Qbli~e them to do in England, as 'tbey .did at .Atbe)u; when , they "ll:id facrificed their DivineSoE,.au.r tb the fottilb Fu.cy of .,their lewd and Comical Mulrituda, they fo Tegret:ted their itafty Mi:a'dlet, 'r'llat nor only the Mernori:ll of Socratts was moll: venerable with them, hue hi.s Enefll.i&s they efteemed fo much theirs, rhat none Would Trade or hOld the Ifa'ft c;;omrnerce with them; for which fome turned their OW(J Execbtioners-hqd without ;my other WArrant than their own Guih, h:lng•a t"hemf~lVeg. How near ;1-kln the wretched mercenary Jnfotmers of our Age are to thofe the g(eat Refemblance that is betwixt their AEHons manlfefUy theWs. ' And we are bold to f:~y, the grand Fomenters of Perfiku~ion, are no bet ... ter Friends to the Engli}h Sca-re, than were Anytm and llriflopboner of ofd to that of Athenr, the Cafe being fo nearly the fame, as that they did nOr. more bitterly envy tlle Reput3tion of Socrater amongft the l1tbenill'ltr fdr his Arave and.Religio.us. Le8:ures (thereby giving the Youth I! Diverfion from frequenung thetr Plays) than fame now emulate the true Dilfemer, for his Pious Life, and great lndufhy. And as tllat .famous Common-wealth was noted'tq,declinc, :~nd tbe moft obferving Perfons of it dated irs decay from that illegal and ingrateful Car~ riage towards Socratu (wimtfs their dreadful Plagues, wirh other multi· ply'd Difafters) So it is not lefs worrhyObfervation, that Heaven hath .QOt been wholly wanting to fcourge this land, for, as wel1 their Cruelty to the Confcientious, as their other muhiply'd Provocations. And when we ferioufly confider the dreadful Judgments that now impend the Nation (by R.eafon of the Robbery, Violence, unwonted Oppreffion,. that almoft every where, h:tve not only been committed, upon the Poor, the \Vidow, and the Fatherlefs ; but molt tenacioufly juftified, and the AEI:ors manifeftly encourag'd) in meer Pity, and Concern, for rhe Ever!Jft. ing Welfare of fuch as have not quite ftnn'd away their Vifiution (for fornc have) we once more bring to _publick View, our Reafons. againfi Perfecuri.· on, backt with the piaineft Inftances, bath of Scripture and Antiquity. If but one may he perf waded, to delfit from maKing any farther Progrefs in ~ucb an Al-1ti·prorefiant, and truly Anti-chrifibn Path, as that of perfecqt-mg Honeft and Virtuous Englil"hmen, for only worfhipping the God rhat made them, in the Way they judge mofi acceptable whh him. .But if thofe, who ought to think themfelv'es oblig'd t6 wei~h thcfe Af· f:urswith the greateft Deliberation, wia obflinatefJ:c!ofttbtir: l!J·es,tu tbift lufl Rtm~":flrancrr; and flightly over,-look the pincbi'tfl!. Crfo 4 jo mttny :boufand Fttmtbu, that are by thcfe Seventies expos'd for Prey, to dre unfatiable AP"" petites of a Vi/Janour Crew of broken Informrrr (d:lUhing themfeJves wirb tlllt deluding Apprehenfion of pleafing G9d, or ar leafi of profiting..th<: · Country i' |
