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Show Tht: 'Preface to VoL. I. Tbru Words may be Jnid to comprebcn~ this w~ole Trtatife. Vice, ~refumption and Violence; for under them u comprifed the 111atter be .flnkes at, Jromfirfl to /a fl. They IJavc rbeir agreeable Contraries, V:inue, Humility,. and Charity, if not Unity. 81# we cannot come at them wbrle the other ]land in t1Je Way. He bat expo fed Vice in it'.r Deformiti~t, and poi~ttd to 111 .the inevitable and difmol t.JjiOs of it, in tboft Countrt~t where~~ btU pre~alled: A feafonable and infoflping Le[/urefor our ~am Tmres; wbufJ be cbu.jiy refers to tbe Civil Magiftrate wbofe Duty tbuezn be jhows nnd prcffes, wlfb tbe next and proper .Means to jupprefs i:: to wit, by a due Execu~ion af our ]ujl Law.r upontbeprefent 'Uicio!ts Lrvers, ~nd a be~ter Ed11car!on of ou~Youth ~that by preferving them from the Infetlzonr o{Vtce, the next .Generatzon at Je.jt may bavr fome better Pretence to Virtue. He u very doJe, and perhaps fharp. upo~ Prefumption i~ ~eligion. 'I}JH be aerefls likewifr, and the f!ltJII} Mi[cbzejs '! ~IU done to ~briflzan Fe~owjhzp, and Civil Society too, by fettrng up Men's Opmtons for Arucles of Fanh and Tyes of Religious Communion; ~ifla_Aing t~~ Nature of tru.e F~itb, and acba/ing illorality in it's Work and Wezgbt m Reltgzon; and fub;eUzng Reafon turd Trurb to tb; Refu!ts tJj' Humane Authority. Whereby it btU bappened, tbar People have not bad the TVitnefs in tlumfelves, for what they 1Mve embraced, nor their ovmConvitlions to warrant their Conformity or Profe/flon, but an.Anceftor, a lt1in;_jler, their Education, for tbe heft Reafon anl Proof of ~heir Omfeffion. Andfucb IU could not frame r.bemfelves to an eo fie Complfance,, b.ut Ju./fer(d Inquiry to take Place of .Autbonty, an_d would .not aUowan 1pfe dtXlt. or a Confiable's Scaff, for a fufficient Refolutzon of tbe1r Scruples, bavejuf-:. fered deeply in their Perfons or Eftates. . Notthar I would have Cburcb-So'ciety or .Authority to he ilefpifed; they that dofo, arc m!'ch in tbe Wrong: Let every Tbing haVe it91 due PlMe anti. jlljl Share; Parents, Education, Clmrch-Por»~r, &c. Bur let ~hem have no more. Let God have bW Part, who U Soveratgn of the Confcltnce, and to 'Uihom every Knee mufl boro : .And they that bow in Point of Religion, toithout tfJcConvi8ions ofbHSp_irir, are rather Idolaters than Believers; tr;brfJJre t hey are meerly Formalijls, andguilry of that Implicit Faith and ~lind Obedi· e,a, uhich at o'ther Times we make fo great a Fault, and a fu.ffiuenr Reafon of Separation. . V1olence, which is the !aft Word, and t hat takes up the la/l Part ~f tbzt Difcourfe, to wbicb tbe Prefumption, bcforeexprejl, naturally t~nds, u tb~t Coercive Power, ufed by tbofe who 11re the /lrongefl Part,, to. zmpofe tbezr Opinicms aud Formalities upon the re/1, at the Hazard of tlmr Ltves or Eflate$ that refufe to conform; tbo'tbey diffent ~ut of pure.Confcience to God: ~. Breaches, Ruin and Defirutlion that htroe foilotud upon Penal i.l!wsfor Rt!t• gion, IU tiJey rife from Creed-making, and the Impatience of JHen to bear diff enr fromtbeir own Opinions, are becomr the Scandal of Chrill:ianity !llJ ave:. the World. Tbefe two Words, Prefumpdon and Violence, are more tmmedr-. at ely referred to rbe Clergy of all Perfwafions, every wbere, tho' their H~a· Iers are invited to examine thernfclves, how far they lie zmder the Gutlt hereof, or art touchr with a Difpojition to enrertttin tbe Spirit that leads to Perfecution about Religion. Nor does tbe Jluthvr charge it upon every one ·of rhe Clergy: But t~be Fa11l'J are reprehended, a11d the lgnor:mr inflruc· ·ted, and the Guiltlefs (ommende antl confirmed in tbeir Moderacion. .dncl -what is faid of this Kind, of the Clergy, may be yet m 1·enfonahly }i1id of tbe Laity; {or tbo' 'tis true that the Civil Officers that often prove the mo}l violept Executioners of Penal Laws for Religion, are [rNn among them; )'el it is· tU true thor from among them a!Jo are found tbe mofl temperate 3nd metciful.Sp~rits, t1Jat roill leafl touch with Cruelty, ttttd are tbe moJl.fenjible, of the. M1fenes of the Perfecuted, and exprefs the grfntejl Campnj]ionfo~· rhtm, andjrom whom at Ia {I, the heft Part of their Relief comes. Bur toavotd Com• parifoJis, and do what we can to be whollJ upon the Healing :l!ld Truly refor· ming H3nd, it is greatly to be wijhed that tb~ PraElice of Piety were the 1[/ain E11d 411d Scope of Men, rbe Subje{l of tbe;r Care and Emttl.ttion; trrtd. * tblll_ VoL; I. An Adtlrefs td 'Priteflanu that their Hatred f!Jtrt to Things, nor to Pcrfonr to s;;, tl . . lf we were m captro1n ac our own ACl:ions, at we' an flat to Szmt~n. 1 ~~ • ue fooM!d live better Lives, and they would live ~;t~:b;t~e.r ~eofiplc'Hs Fa.ith~, - v "-~ •nd Peace would be promored. o that we could but s. or o ollnefs ihmA: of working our our ?Wn Salvation I Ir is nor A:On:fn be /~'{~Jded '" recOmmends us to God, g~tJes 111 Peace and }irsti.J [or He~~e~. otng, tl{at the ready WtJY to ma~e our grcJt Call.ing and Election fure . .And wb,zt !}:~ wer~ ltd to, but to Holtnefs, co Godlmefs, to Purity? which makenn}it " 11 God, and that fitsm for He3ven: For without Holioefs M tofte .Apojl!e, fhatl te~ the Lor~. He did nor fay a'itbout Tong:C~ !~;h{;~s rh~: lofophy, or wttbour bemg an. able Difputant, a Crltick, a formJlift w {bo11ld not fee tbe_LQrd; hut wuho111 Holinefs: For it is rhe peculiar J/ · ~ fr,ge of. th~ Pure ~n Heart, to fee God i wbo isalfo of purer Eyes than t~'b~ hal~ lmquny; Without recorn~ncin_g it with Tribulation and WrJth. Ur m t en_ hJ~_mhlr our felvt.t to ~u Youe, bo, to his Will, andfrr our felvu to love hu . Late, and keep h1S Commandmenrs. We may re111ember who 11 wdl tbnrf~ul, 1 have feen a~ End of all PerfeCtion, but thy Commandments are exceedtng broad. There u a Glory, a Comfort. a Tn.:afure m them nor to b~ equalle~ i bur_lmown only to tbofe that Jo obferve zbem. For Wiiaom leads her Chtldre{lln the Ways of Righteoufnefs, in the midft of the Paths of Judg.menr, an4 ctuf~g 'hem thac love her, to inherit Subfbnce, and fhe fills theli T1eafure. Htc~es and Honour and length of Days are in her Hands, anJ are the Porttonjhe ofren h~flow upon her Children: Wbnttben bvve ~e ~o do, bu! !O bearA~n lo tier Votce, and turn at her Repr()()f, zhut Wt? ~fy1ve. T~e Spun of Wtfdom will be upon 111, )'ea tbe Spirit of God and OJ Gory, wrllrejl'llpon 111. iln Ornament, a Dignity 11bovetbat o/E:utbl Crowns, and D1ade~s . . There o:ere Hopes of m, if we were but Reli ious ;! Earnefl ; every one tn hu own Way; nor falfe cold and unfaithfulgto what we prerend. I mean nor Exterior's. now,, but 'tbe holy Fear of God, wbicb nO profej~, and none tru_ly h~ve that bve without on.Awful Senfe of his Will :m~ Ornmpr~f~nce. It !I thz~ that would teacb 111 Humility, and that would bnng rH to dtvme Chanty, ttll Unity tomes: which certainly would be ve pleafant to God, very_ exemplary ro the World~ and honourable for Religio~ tU w~O tU comfor_takle for our_felves: For Religion at Heart a'()u/d exercife t1~1' Eyes more umbrn 1ban vmbou~, at f!.ome than nhro11d; and 10 CMijutr our Sms, and Selves, mould be a Satu/aUton, t':anfcentling rhdt ofViDoryovtr the Argu~ents.and P.erfons of. ~ur ildveljarre~. Have v;e Faith ? Ler 111 add rben to our ~auh, Vmue, or 11 s good for noth111g; and to our Virtue, Know-ledge, that If may .bt the more tifeful; and to Knowledge, Temperance; zb.u we be not con_celltd, an.d to Temperance, P:nience, lefl a;e faint by rhe lVay ;, and tO Panence G.odhnets, rbar we may be devoutly Religious; and to God l~neE•, Brotherly Ktndnefs; that our Zeal do nor over·run Love and Fel- /oco/htp ; a.nd to Br~therly .~ind~efs, Charity; tbe Top of all Virtuer and G;aces., uuthout ~htcb,_ Rebt.ton ~a Cfpber, a Bubble, a11 Apparition at mofl : l\o fohd or vabd Tbtng . . Chanty u comprehenfivc of all r igbr Love. It teaches to God, to our Netghbour, and our felves, both inwardly and out- r c.or. s1; wardly : It reaches to Heaven as. w~ll as to theERds oft he Earth. It/over f, 6, 7, &. ~.lJ, and nOs t owards alJ up_on a PrmClple of Love: yea it n that Love. Cba. r~cy, fays tbe J:J.po~le, fu£fers long andJs kind: Charity envieth not: Cha· my vaunteth not tt felf, IS not puffed up, doch n?t behave it felf unfeemly, feek.eth ~ot .her own, ls_ not ea~Jy provoked, thmketh no Evi11 rejoyceth not tn_ Imqutty, but reJ?YCetb m the Truth : Beareth alJ Things, believeth _«TJThmgs, hopethallTfnngr, ~nd~reth aU Tf:ints. Charity never [ails. A1en 11re t~o o}ten, tbe morfe for tbetr Wit, for the" Learni11.f, tJ} for thtir Religion too_, JfCbantydo:s nor bumble and JanOi}it them. Ye know not of what Span .Ye. are, f11zd the. ble.fftd Saviour of the WotiJ, tofme of his over-zea-lous Difctptes. There 11 afa!fe tU welJ a1 a true Zea, and by their Frui/6 fCejha~ k11ow t~em. True Zeal is. againjl Sin, andjhown bejl11pon a .Man•1 fe/f, hu own Life and G_ondMO : It u rempered with Wifdom, and r»ill nor out· /hoot the Mflrk, efpecta!Jy rowarlt otbtrt. But fa!Je Zeal it notbin,g bw PaffioD |
