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Show 46~ J670- ~ Chap. VI. The Great (}A S E of Voi.. f. Evil, and with Tormelits Jefend your Worfoip, itjlu!J not thereby be JrfcndtJ. but poUuud, lib .. 5· tap. 20.. . .· . 2). Hilary aga1nft J!uxtntws, fatth, Tbe Ch1ijlum Cbarcb dou 1ror pcrfe· curt, but ir perftcutcd. , .. 26. Jerom, thus, Herr fie it111jl be cJit off, wob the Sword of J/;e Spmt, Prozm. Lib. 4- I 'l .1 h Cl • 1 ·'G , 27. OJryfoflom faith, Thttl it is 1101 t JC . .J_I ah!tcr (11 t e ,'JJ!< n.n o1 oa, ro perfecuu about their Rdigion, but an &V!dcm Token of Antu!Jrifl,-. Relig. Uri f. Pag. I 92. . · d · h p · 2s. Stephen King of Poland, declared h.1s Mm m t e omt con.tro\•erted thus I am King of A-len, not d[Ctmfctcnce; aComnumdcr of Bodtes, not o• [Sou!r.' . f 0 · · Tb '! • c .r- 29. The King of Bobcnmr, was o ptnton, .-', at .J.' ens onJ&It1tcc1 bt in no Sort to be violated~ urted, or conflrdmed. oug o. And laiUf, let me add (as what is, or Chould ?e no:v of more. Force) th~ Senfeof King James, :1nd Cblfrles. rbe firfl, ~en fam d for the1r great natural Abilities, and _:1cquhed Lea~ntrfg; ~bat 'to Man oug_bt.'.o be pumftud for bis Religion, nor diflurb'd for bu C:onfcz~nce ~ In !bat II u Jbt p~r! of )' .lU.an to give w1Jat !Je would t·ecen;e. It IS a fure Rule Jn Dtvlmty, :v~r_ d K"ng Jame.r that God never loves to plant his Church by Violence; c ~~~d Bl~odfhed . ..J..nd in bi.r Expofition on Revel. 20. be }it{tb, That P ~ R· • sEc U T [ 0 N is the Note of a falfe Chu1ch. And .m the I aft Kmg's ' Advice to the prefent King, he f:~ys. Take Heed of abetun_g any Fafhons(: ' your p1nial Adhering to .A N,T 0 N E S l D E, gams you not ~o ' eat Advantages in fame Mens Hearts, (r.l.'ho are .Prone to be of tbttr • kzng'.r Religion) as it lofet.h you· in others, who thtnk themfelves, and ' their PJofeffion firfi defp1fed, then perfecuted by you. Again ' Bewa;e of exafperating any l'~zflioPts, by tb.., Croffnef.r, and .AJ' p r"ty ~f Jome JUen'.r Pt~Jfiont, Hutnorr, or pr,vate Opinions imploytd by ' e u1 grounded only upon their Difference; in leffer M,atrers, which are c {~t the Skirts, and Suburbs of Religion. rybenin a. Charitable C.onmvenu, ' and Cbrif!ianTolertnion, often di/]ipt~t~.r tbctr Strcttgtb, whom rous;her Ope ofirion fortifies;_ and puts the dcfp1fed and Oppreffed Party, nuofucb c tombint~tions; tU maymOjl enable them togtt afuO Revenge, on tbofe tbt! c count their Perfecuror.r, who are com~only afhfted by tbar vufga_r C4mmz· 'ftration, rohicb attends afltbat are ja1d tofu.ffer under the J\otzon ~J Re- ' lfg~f~ays keep upS 0 L 1 D PIETY, and thofe Fundamental Truths , (which mend both Hearts and Lives of Men) wirh Jmp~rtial F~v~ur and ' Jujlia. Your Prerogati\'e is belt fhown and exe.rctfed tn. Rtlllllttng, ra' ther than ExaOing the Rigour of Laws; there betng nothmg worfe than • Ltgtt! Tyranny. Now upon the whole we afk, what can be more ttp~•l, what mort re.:f omrb/t tlJtJn Liberty ol Gmfcit'nct; fo coneff:londem wn~ the Reverence due to God, and RefpeO to the Nature, f!r~Oue, ~romotwn, and ~e~nrdo~ of the Cbrij/i11n Rt!igion; the Se11je ot dtvme Wn~; the great Pnv11tJ~.e of Nat11re and noble Principle of Reafon; the ]~tjl1ce, Prudence, and Felt· city of Go~ernment ; And b.ftly, to the JuJgm~nt an~ 411tl•ority of a whole Cloud of Famo115 Wit11e.f[e.r, whofe Hm·mony 1n Opmwn, a.s much de1e8s the Unreafonablenefs, ·and Inch:J.rity of. Perfecuto~r, ~s the1r Sa~·age Cru· elties imply an high Contempt of lo fohd Determinations; ofwhtch Nu~ber I cannot forbaJr the "Mention of two, whofe ACtions Jre fa near of K1.n to one another, and both to Inhumanity, as the fame Thing can be to It fcifhe firR is a great LorJ of BuCkingham/hire, but fo hearty a Perfrcutor of the poor !!2.J1a!.trs, that rather than they fhould peaceably enJOY .J~h.e Libett9 ofWor!hippingGod, (and to fupply the County-Def<El of lnJ01· 111crs) he ha'S encom:1ged a pair" of fuch WreubeJ, that it had been a J?ifgr_tlct for the mcanefi Farmer to converfe with; one baving been Prifoner tn t::;~ VoL. I. Liberty of Confcience 'lJebated. b11ry, for '!heft, & faid to have been hurnt in the Hand; ·and the other of I6]o. a Compl~xzon not mu~h lefs Sca.ndalous and ~mmoral. ~ _Tog1ve an undemablcTe(hmony of the~r Mcrir, once fo1 all, 1 !hall Chap. VJ, bnefty relate a moft noror10us Ptece of Penury. They fufpecting a ReligiousAffef! Jbly, _to be ata.certain Place in the fa~e Co1mty, came; and find~ ing one 1n realay, repaued to one they call, Su Tbo CI1J}TOI1 and a Juftice where they depos'd, T~at no: only a .Meeting Wtll ntfuch an'Houfe, but on; Tho. Zachery and h1s Wrfe were tbcre, who at thef:~me Time asat the T~yal upon lndiament for Perjury at .Ailsbury, WJS proved by fuffici-en~ W1rnefTes from London, were then at tf.at City, yet fined not only for bemg there, but for the Speaker Jlfo, thongh none fpoke that Day . . U~~ the Profccut.i<J~ of thefe Men, as pe1jured Men, and by rhe Law Jifprtvtltdgtd of all Employ, and never to be credited more in Evidence . feveral Del.ays were made~ . much Time fpent, and not a little Pains be~ flowed, all m Hopes of an Gxt!!.plllry S~tcctj'J, which proved fa, but the wrong Way, for the very 1afi: Se/]ions, when the Mltter fhould have recei· ved an abiOlute Decifi.on, a11d the .Atttndflnt.r have been difmi/1 (efpccially on the Score of the Wttneffes, that came from London the iecond Time upon ~oother A.ccounc)-a Letter was reported to hare been writ from th~ :~forefatd Lord, m Favour of thefe Informers, to this Purpofe, That fince Str Tho. Clayton WtU nor prife?rt, the Bufinifs c"u/d n:;t well he detrrmined. bill 'if the Court wou!tlundertalt.e tbe Ending of it, he bifo~tght them to be fa~ vourable to thife H 0 NEST MEN, if rhis be true as faid 'tis a moft aggravated Shame to Nobility: what! to pro reEl: them from' the Lafh of the Law, who went about to deftroy Truth the Life of it: 'Tis a Dijhouo11r to the Government, a Scan_dalto the County, and a 1Nanifefl Injury to an inof• fmfive mtd ufeful Inht~hllant. 'Tother is JS well knowA by h!s Crue!ry, as by his ]\~ame, and he fcarce defenes another; Ho':"e~er, he ts underftood b_Y rhat of the Reading Knight Arrant, and always m .Armour for the Dev1l· a Man whofe Life feems to be whole B 0 N .N E R revived: Hogeftra~r, the Popifo Inq11ijiror could not hate Marlin Lutbet· more, tha~ he docs a poor Diff'cnrer ~ and w~nts but as much rPower, as ~e has ~tJJ, to ~ng more than he has im· pnfoned. The Laws made agamlt Papijls, he mflitts upon the ~11a!urs. ;md makes it Crime e~oug~for a Premunire, to have an Ejltue to lofe. , T~c lingle Quefbon IS not, were you ar fuch t1 Meeting? which the A~ tnte_nds, But will you fwear, which it intends not, and Women e{cttpe hllntUhttieforthir, aJ th'!.feofbir ownTribedoforSOME THl NGS ELSE: but what of all Thing~ •. molt aggravates the Man's Impiety is the ~aking a de~ili{h Snare of a Chriftian Duty; fince fuch as have c~me to Vlfit the Impnfoned, have been imprifoned themfcl\•es for rheir Chari· ty; fo that with him it feems a Current M::txim, that rhofc muft not come tofee Prifoners, and not be fuch themfelves~ Who will nor take the 0Jth of Allegiance to do it. .To relat9 the whole Trttt.tdy, would render him as Bad, astbe Difcourfe B1~; and the lat~er not lefs vo/umftiotn, than the former Odiotn. But three Th1ngs I !hall obferv.. . F.r/1, That heh~scrouded 72 Perfons (of thole called ft.udm) Men and \V ~men, immodefUy. inr~ Jail, not fuffering them to enjoy common Convemences. And for hts D1vertion, and the Punifhment of little Chi!~ dren, he pours cold Water down their Necks. Secon~ly, His lmprifonments are almoft perpetual. F1rft,be prem11,tires tbem, wuhout any juft Caufc ofSufpicion, tbenilnprifons tbem; and laflly Pbmdtr.r them, 3;nd ~hat .by a La:v enacted againfl: Romnnifl.r; which, if ?ll be true, th:tt 1s fa1d, u more Ins Concern tbfln theirs, If without offence, u may be fuppofed .he has any Religion at all. Tb~rdly, Some have been there·about eight Years, and fhouJd be eigh· teen more, were he as fure to live (being more than 70 ) and enjoy his Power, as doubrlefs he hopes to die before thofe good Laws over·tJke him) that would make an Example of fuch an Oppre!for; in !horr, Wives, Widows |