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Show A Letter to the Council Vot.. 1. J674· aa ihai which is fo againft Wblt you do not petfe<lly underftand. I am ~ well perfwaded, that thofe ' yoft inftitl: fuch fevCre Penalties upon, mean well in whar they believe (to he fure much bettc:r than you think they do or elfe yot1 are exueamly to blame) and thar rhc Reaii:>n of their prefen~ Diftance from you, is not to introduce or inlinu:ne d:mgerous or cxotick V Opinions-; ~ut to live a Life of more Holincfs, Purity, and Self·denial than before: They do not think that you walk up to yourown Principles~ and h3.ve Reafon to believe that the Power of Godlinefs is much loft a: mong you; and h:~ving long bin under a Decay .tnd Languifhing of Soul for w::ant of true fpirilUal Nouri01menr, they have now betaken themfelves to that Heavenly Gifr and Grnu of God in themfetves for di\•ine Satis· faffiOn, even thar Holy Anointing that is able to teach them all Things neceffary for them to know ; as the bleffed Apofile fpeaks; and they find the Joys of the Holy Gholl in fo doing: And I am per!waded, they are not tefs-peaceable, faber, juft, and neigh hourly than formerly, and altogether as confiflent wirh the Profpcrity of Civil Society; and I am fure, it is both found and confeft among us here by fame Men of ~uality, L(11rning and Virtu(. Farther, be pleafed to confider with your felves, that youjufiifie the ancient PerfCCutions of the Chriflians and firft Reformers, whofe Superiors thought as ill of them, as you do of thefe Men; nay, you !how the Papifls whu to do in their Dominions to your own Brethren. Do as you w~uld be done by. If you would have Liberty, give it; you know th~t GOd's Witnefs in your He;rns di8:ates this to you as an immutable Law. . eOuld you give Faith, it were more excufable for you to punifh fuch as thoyl4 refift; but fince that is imp.ofiible, the other is unre.~fonable; for 'tiS to affii8: Men for not being what they can't be.- unlefs they rurn Hyrq.. crites: That is the higheft Pitch your coercive Power can arri \'e at; for never did it convert or preferve pne Soul co God; infteJd thereof it ofFers Viol.ence unto Confcience, and puts a Man either upon the Denial of his Faith and Reafon, or being deftroyed for aaing according to them : Bur what greater Difproportion can there be, than what lieth between the In· tel1e8: of Man, and Prifons, F\n,es, atJd Banifhments? They inform no Man's Judg~enr, refolve no Doubts, c~mvi11ce no Underftandings: The Power of Perhvilfion is not. to ~e found in any fuch ~rbarous A8:ions, no more than the Do8:rine o{ Chri/li11niry. This Courfe deftroys the BodjC$ and Jf.. Efia[CS of Men, inftead of faving their Se}lls : Were they in the wrong~ it would become you to ufe_ God's Weapons, his Sword of the Spirit, rhat flveth the Creature ; and flayeth the EVil in him ; , this Courfe tends to Helrt~ burr.ings and Deftruflion; I am fure it is no-Gofpel·Argument. I befeech you for the Sake of that Lord J~us Chrill, that fuffered fo patiently for his own Religion, and fo fharply prohibited! making otber Men to fu!fer for ~heirs, that you would h.,ave a Care how you exercife Power over Men's Confciences. My Fr,icnds, Confcience is God's Throne in Man, and the P~wer of it his Prerogative: 'Tis tQ ufurp his Authority, and boldl¥ afcend his -Throne. to fet Lords over it. Were; their Converfa.· tion fcandalous; and deft:ruEl:ive to the Good-Q(Jour Scare, you were to be .held excufable: But \'erily, no Man of MtJ;CY and Confcience can de· fend your Pra€Hce l:iPqn poor Men fo peaceable ;l.nd inqtfenfive. Gamaliel will rife up in Judgrnen~ againft you, if you perfevere in this Courfc. I;lo not you help to fill. th~ Catalogue of Perfecutors. in much Love I in treat you; but as becQmes Chriftian Men and tru'e Proteftarlts, leave Men to their particular Perfwafions of Aff"irs relative of the'other World, which have no ill Afpect on the Affairs of this; ~ut Vice h:ah an evil Confe· que'nce as to both: ·Therefore punifh Vice, an~ aftea Tni1h (lnd Righuoufntf. r, and bend nor your Civil Power to torment Religious Diffenters; but to xeuiev.e..good..Life, lamentably loft amidft the · great Pretences that are ~ Ant\ Pr•~trtJ, whiGh they rc_puce thcmfclves Goard ian& o~ h hereby 1oft .. made VoL. I. and Senate of Embden. made to Rtligion. Doubtlefs .lfolt~giflrt~cy w:is both ordained of G d d ele8:ed by ~en, ro b~ a T(rrollto Evil·tloers, and not to rlum thdr do' ::u ~houg~ of ~1.fferenr Judgments. You oppugn the Rom11n Cln1rcb for atfum: mg lnfallJb!lay to he~ felf, and yet your own PraUice maketh you uilt ~t the f:~me P~efu~puon or worfe: For, either you do exercifi! thatgSev: rtty upon an mfa1hble Knowledge, or you do not; if you do k tha.t r? your 1elvcf~s •. your Prjnciples deny to any Church \!.haut~~ere ~h1c!1 IS a Contra 1Ctton; if you do not, you punifh People for nor con: formmg to what you your fehes deny any Cerr:~inty about: And how do yo~ kn?w but you. compel rhem to th:tt which is falfe, Js well as that w~tc.h IS true? Ver~ly, t~is D~lemma is not eafily avoided, as weU as that thts ~~hurr.an Pta8:1ce will fia1n rour Profeffion, inf:~me your Government and bnng a Blot upon your Poftenry. ' ~etnember thJt they are Men.a~ we11 as your fclves, born free, and. ~a\e f9~al Plea coNanual and Ctvll common Priviledges with your felves · ~e d{f!~rcnr PerfwJfion of their Confciences about Things relating to an: ot er .1 ~'-can no ways render them unfit for this; it neither unmans nor unctvJ!Jzes ~hem .. They have the fame Right to their Libeny and Pfoper~y as ever, h;tv1ng by no PraEl:ice of theirs in the leaft forfeited any ~ tho c ~uman AdvanrJges, the great Charters of Nature and Scripture ave c~>n erred upon th~m: And rhe Opulency of your Neighbours and P~ofPprJt.Y of their ~frairs, prove to you. that lndu.lgena is not inconfrflenr dlth obey~ howbeH, you have now tned the Smcerity of their Proce· ure by what you have already infliaed, and they fufiained ~ Let the Time ~aft fuffice, ~nd make the~ !lOt Sacrifices for their confcientious Confiancy. f they ar~ 10 the wrong, us more than they know : Will you perfecure Men for bcmg. what they muft be, if they will be true to themfelves ;• this here great VIOlence; rather commiferate, than rhus violently compel t em. I befeech you, feek fome cheaper Way to accommodate your felves, than by their Deftruaion, who are fo very remote from feeking yours. 0! !ht Day will com(, wh(rtin o1u .Afl of Tendt'rnifs about Mat· urr of CoPfctenct, fhaUfind a betur Rtward, than 111J the Stv(rity by whicb Mt'n ufe to. propagatt their Pcrfwajions in the World; and there is great Reafon for It, flnce the one flows from the Saviour, the other, from the Dt)lroyerof ~~»1 In fipe, Lu yoNr .(dodu11tion /Je known 11nto ali Me ..... for tb( Lor~" a~ Hand, wbof~ RucarJ is with fJi!n ~ and he will Recompmc; tV(ry Man .• Fam1ly, Srat~, Kmsdom~ and Ernp1re, aucordinc to the Na-ture of tbe~r Wor~s commuted 1n thi-s mortal Body; at whole Bar ir {hall neve~ be latd to your. Charge,· t~llt out of Fear of raking God's Office out. ~ hi.s Ha~ds .an~ betng Ullf}lerctful to tender Confciences, you admitted M~n of d1ffermg Judgment> tc>dwell quietly among you. truly you can· not ~too rendet iD .thisJ>oint. , ' S. Ima.ate the God of N,ature and Grace, br bejn~ propitio~s to aU; His lln./hm.ttb .Ott aiJ, bt.s Rn.m faUs on all, H( grvu Lij( and Bemg to all 1 Hir Grauvi}its all, and m Ttmts of Ignorance Ht winketh: And tho' fuch you 111ay ~epute ours, I hope Y!JU cann~lt thin,k you wink at it, wh,o make fuch ~roa~ .Tokens of your D1fpl~fure. 01 Ho\V forbearing and merciful IS He towarcfs yop? Have you fo lately efcaped ~he Wrath of Enemies, Jand can you .al.ready tht¥i fh~rpl,t ~r~t your Friends? Had he enter'd into udg~ent. wu~ YP.u., what hajl, l¥!some of y.pu' Let his Goodnefs to you prevail Wtth yo~, ~p exprefs Cle)llency to others, that fo the Great God of t1 whole Earrh, , even th~ Qg4 of the Spirits of oll F!tjh, who refpeOs :~11 / J!erfons of the Rjcb, Po_or, or Powtrjul iR J11Jgmenr, may ihow you me•JY, 1p the);Jay. qf ,Ius rig41eoUS Ju~gm<l\t~ . lfmen. T•u'IFr{rnd.r»jrh the gr'(..ufl Inugriry{~the Vniverfoi.Prin<iple of ll Luvt ,nd. Truth. J l1>ldow, Ditffltkr th~ ' 14th ld74• W. Penn. 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