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Show England's 'Prefent lntereft Confidrr'd. VoL I. !67)· stu not Cburcb of England jliU, Invtjhd with tf1e fame Power, Bearing tl1e ~ fame Charafler? fii/Jftl Gr1mde11r or lnterejl batb She loft hyzbnn! .Art> z!Jty Chap. II. not manifefl!y Her Prote8or 1 Is- She nor A'rarional 0Jurcb J/t!l ? An~ can a11y of Her Children be fo infenfible, as either to challenge her Supenors with Wane of Integrity, hecaufe they had nor performed Imp?ffibilities) Or \O excite them to that Harlhnefs, which is nor only Defhuthveof many Thoufand$ of Inhabitants, bur altogether injurious t~ their own lmere!t, and difltonourable to a Proteflrrnr Lfl11rcb? Suppofe Dt!femers nor to be of the Vifible Church, are they therefore unfit to live? Did the Jews treat Srr:1n~ gers fo feverely, that had fo much more to fay than Her felf? Is not the King Lord of Wajls and Commons (U well tU lnc/ofurcs? Suppofc God bath Elet1ed fome to Salvation, doth it therefore follow he ·bath Reprohared all the t·ejl? .And hecau{e he wtU Gad of tbe Jews, wtU He nottTJerefore God of the Gen· tiles? Or were 1101 tbe Gentiles bis People, becarife the Jews were his peculiar People? To be brief, they h:1ve anfwcred their Obligation, and confented to Severe Ltiws, and comm:1nded their Execution, and have not only preferr'd her above every lnrerelt in England, but againft them, to render her more Powerful and Univcrfal; till they have good Reafon to be Tired with the Lamentab!e Confequences of thofe Endt:avours, and conclude, that the Uniformity thereby intended, is a Thing impra8:icable, as Well as Mifchievous. And 1 wonder that thefe Men {honld fo eafily forget that Great Saying of King CHARLES tbe Pirjl, (whom they pretend fo often, and with fo tnuch Honourtoremember) in his Advice to the prefenr King, where he 1Jith, Beware of exafperating anyFaOions, by the Crofsnifs and Afperirycffomr lifen's Pajjions, H11mors, or Private Opinions, ~mployed hy you, g.rounded oniJ upon their Diffuences in Lcffer .illauers, whuh are but the Skms onJ Su~ urhs of l<eligiOn, wherein a Chlritable Connivance; and Chrifti3n Toleration often diffipaus their S~rength, whom rougber Oppofition fortifietb, and ptts the Defpifed and Oppre.ff'ed Parry into fucb Combtnations, tU mny moft tnablt them to get a fuO Revenge upon thoje they coU.nt their Perfecutors; w!Jo are commonly aj]ifted with that Vulgar Commifertrtion, which aucnds all that ore. faid to Julfer under the Common 1\.,.otion of Religion. So that we h:1Ve not only the King's Circumfiances, but his Father's Counfel, upon Experience, who yet faw not the End of One Ralf of them, defending a Ch:1ricable Connivance, acd Chriftian Toleration of Di{[ertters. Obj. 3· But it may be further alledged, This makes WtJy for ~opery or Prefbytery, to undermine the Church of England, and mount the Cha1r 4 Pre· ferme,t, which H more than a Prudential Indulgence. of different Opinions: · And yet there is not any fo probable an Expedient to vanith thofe Fears, and preve11t any fuch Defign, as keeping all Interefts upon the Ballance; for fotbe Proteitant makes at lea/1 Six Parries againftPopery, ani tbeChurcb of England at leafl Five againft J>refoytery : And how either of them (hould be able to turn the Scale againfi Five or Six, as Free and Thriving Inrereit~, as ehher of rhem can pretend to be, I confefs I cannot underftand. But tf One only lntereft mull he Tolerated, which implies a Refolution to .fup· prefs the Reft, plain it is, that the CbJJrcb of Englnntl vcnru.rcs Her Smgle i'arry againft Six Growing lnterefi:s, and thereby givesPrejbytery :1nd Pof!erl by far an eafier Accefs to Supremacy ; efpccially the latter, for that HIS the Religion of thofe Pans of hlirope, which neither want Inclination, nor Ability to profper it. So thlt betides the Confiftency of fuch an Ind~lgence wirh the Na~ure of a Chriftian Church, there Cln he nothing more 10 Prudence :1dvifahle for the CbJtrcb of EnglaxJ, than to allow of rhe Ballance propounded: In the .firjl, no Perfon of any rCJ.l Worth, will ever the ~oon· er decline her; on the comrary, it will give her a greater Repura.don m a Country fo h:1cing Severity: And next, it gives her Opportuniry ro turn the Scale againft any one Party that may afpire to her Pulpits and ~ndow· menrs: VoL. I. England's 'Prfjent lntereS! Confidtr'd. rneuts: And the never need ro fear h A Delign ; l!'pifcop«y being not mt>r~ fnr~~er:r~lent of all ~f them t~ any fuch even to an Independency it felf·Jnd vet bet we c.hthan /'~t·Jbyury Jn Power, ference r~ac is among rhe Difl~nring lnrerefiseinr r~rk!ea ~he narroweft Dif.. Bur tlus feems too large 3 d · ld. d 5 mg om. fomechiu_g that may com ~IS ~h/~a mg, ~n therefore ro fi~d a Medimn, Tranquih~y, at Jeafi fo ref fonifie thlEl!;.~g :} ~?O~ CJrrefpondence and fecurely grve Law to all other Reli i I It ng an , as rhat fhe may ~:·1~~'t¥~~·e ~rd ~i;~~~t:;rrue~ b~5bo",;~'ipifc~~~~~,·.~d"';;:}t;~:~;,~: But rf it becomes Wife Men r L k b " unadvifable for them to weigh rf ~0 .r. e ore rheyfLeap; it will not be For in the firfi PI h · lC onJequenus 0 fuch an E"deavour :It a g~eater Dillancea~~~~ J.[~ Dno ~eople ~ k!low ~n England, that ftand; Sons then th Pr;jl . ~ltnne. as JC ts matncain'd by her prefenr Perf~n of Cbnj, ~,;;;:;:;,n.ns, ~rJ.~~rly. about Abfolllte Reprobation, the in 1~he keligiou; Conceits ~t 0~~ Ti':n~,c~~:; kn~:~ n~~ ~~s~ be a Stranger nial. ;~dt:o~ext Place, none have govern'd rhemfelves wirh a plliner De· plio~ and Wo~rfii~e~p~~ry c<fouci.m!~~ of Epifcoptrcy, and the whole Difci· ever done. L h e 'Jurc'J ll; ~»~land, than the Prfjbperians have Reverend Far::,!. em pur me to prove H tf they pleafc, even of their JUofl HI. Who know9'nor that their Reciprocal Hears :1bour thtfe \'er Thin s ' £enr p ~re~t 1lVay tow:1rds our late I.amentlhle Ci\'il Wars) No'w if ri~ am~ Ililtlp e~ remain .widt each Parry, and char they are fo far from re· Eenrtg of thelt Tenac,toufnefs, that on the contrary rhey luftifie their Dif~ e~~~~~~o ~~~/nether 10h the~e ~a~ters, ~ow can either PJrty h:.~ve Flith h fi ) upon eac or er s Kmdneis, or fo much as anempr a Com· ~~fu~; ~~n~r':J-:a~l!Jfuft become of tlJ~ Labours of Bifhop Wbitgi[t,R.Hoolur. t. d h N' 1 ~ Laud, &c. In Rduke of the Prrjbyterian Sepatafo:':; aRut~e:r: jm(;s J./hofe Le~ding Ditrenters, as Cartwright, Dod, Brad· d 'h [; JOr' 411.JP&r,&c . .~oFamousamon~theprefenrPrejbyur· an t ::It or their Oppofirion to the Church? This confider'd whar Re~af~r, ~~~d!i~e;:~~t w~f t~e Fjfif{.opilianr fhould fo fingobrtr pr~vide lor, :~nd the other Hand ew. t at at a ready been fo deflrufbve to theirs? On orher·s Offi rh nhb wrar ~rudenc.e ffilY, the PrejbyreritT"ttS embrace the who th er, ft at to e u_re, Intend lf not In ft:uk Kindnefs ro rhem, and Grudges ?or~J.d S~~~~~ ?thB~~· cannot bur owe Re\'enge, and retain deep b IV. !he ''~rh: ~eafon given for .a CQmprrbenjion, is the greateft that can e J.lr~c ?1f~n It, namely, Tbc Snpprtffion of other Dij)enring Perf1111ji. 0'!s. . ~~ uppofe a Contprebenfion, and the Confequences of it to be an Er~d/.catwn of all other Interejls, the Thing defired: But if the' Two re· matnmg Parnes fhall f~ll our, as it is not likely that they willlon a ree what ~an the Prejbytcr~;t~n ~ave ro_ Ballance Jlimfelf againft theRulin:P;we: 0 : ~pytopocy? Or the Epifcopnban ro fecure himfelf againft rhe Afpirings olli rej )IU~J? '!h~y mun either' .1111 become Epifcoplllianr, or PrefoyrcrilllfJ, [, e ~hey Wlllff!JX ,hkc Iron and Clay, which made Ill Legs for the Image in ante/: Nor IS 1t to he thoughr, rh:n their Legs !hould ftand any bener U'pon a Comprehenfion. . Bur fome are ready tp fay, That their Difference is very .Minute .• Grant 1f; Are they ever d1e more deferving for th:~r? Certlinly Forbearance fbould .ca~ry fame Propotrion with r.he Greatnefs of the Differ;nce, by how ~uch It 1s eafie_r to comply in Sma11 chan Grc:a Maners. He rh:1r. difi'cnts c:ndanunttJOy, I~ more excuf:~hJe rhan rhofe thlt Sacrifice the Peace a11d f ncord of a Soe~ety about Little Cirmm}lana; ; for there cannor be the 1llme Inducement to fufpe8: Meu· of Objlinnq in ln .1:-"'ffenrial. as Circum- ' lntial Non-Conformity. · 1 B~fides, How far c:m this Accommodation extend wich Security to the Cbu1 c{J of Engl<~nd? Or, on what better Terms will the Pnjbyurians Con- . U u u u 2 form 1675· ~ Chap. IJ, |
