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Show t68 An A p•p E N ']) I X to Voi.. t. N X at : ji.11dzng Jome F1ve that remazned, eztbtr ,at Jome Repafl, or,fif7urft very 0 ' ' remote from a Convenucle m your own S~e of the Word; ow ;a1r 011 Op- ~ portumry, bad you 10 clear your H~nds as uftices and Fnends, nothmg o.Ben. jive 10 rbe Law zn yoJJr Hands, bemg pu ntt to you. Perhaps 'Wt expefled 10 bear you, that JDil were g!ttd to find rbe People gone; and rbat tbe Occajion o].'any Rt our toyouunpleafant, was removed, wah, tt may be,fomegem/e c~1111011 ]or the future, that you 1n1ght quit your fclves, fll t:etll bke .Mtn 111 Power as lund J\etgbbours. Bm truly, None of us, I dare fay, fo much a.r concet':ved one Tbo11g1Jt /Jke your A[hom Not tbttll tbmktbem tbebarjhefl that roue ever jhown; by no Means, but exceedmg our ExpeOatJonr, the Cir· cumflancts conjidered, and the Door t!Mt was tbetehy opened, for )'Olltoger out at: Efpec1tJOy, wben you woJJ!d not ltlke our Wo,ds to be gone, but afur an untowJrJ .Manner, compelled us out. 1 [a1 ther urged the_ General tuzrr of the Seajon, the Unple<ifantn<fs of tbefe· Thmgs to the K1ng, hts pbfolute Renu1wat1on fl/ aU j11cb Proceedmgs tlJat lm De~branon; wtU a great In· fiance: thattho11giJ it be cancelled, yet nor the Lthtr~y, for the f<.uarrellaj not againfltbe btdulgence, h1~t the grant of it, form~ltter. lr was not by 4n A {I Of PMiiammr, and an iU prejidcnt ja1d the Pa~h~men~: I ftlftber added that the Parliament bad voted. Indulgence to the Kzn,& s D1CI'ennng Proteftant Subjc&, mzd intended to ratify_ the former ,nore jzrmly, at leaflro aU Pro. teftant DHfenters; and tbatfuch we are. . . 1 intreat you to p~ruf~ this jhort Difcourfe a{amft t~t '!apijls, tqfay nr: tbint oftbe vajl Difpanty, and .Anttpat~;:, oj our Prtnc1ples and Worjhjp. To rbtft latur AUegations, )'Ou,fn$/y a!ld J_omtly anfwered, That ~be Afi tMJ in force by rbe Repealing or canceUmg oftbeDeclaranon. True, Stnflly t(lken ~ But don't you knOf.IJ , that there be many ilfls never formalf] repealed, that ob· rain no Force among us; but as much neg Idled as if _they wert abrogated by new Laws? 1 muclJ queflio'! if ~hat ve~y Law, by wb1cb the Prottflants werf burnt for tlJtir Noble Tefitmomes agmnft Rome, were ever revolced. This might be Jufficienr to you, tbtlt the King Jijlik.es it: that tb~ Parlimnenf ,,_. dared their Rcadinefs to repeal the Law that COJmtenancetlJ Jt.: That aU ~rt !JUitt : Tbattht Ria{on of the Law ceafing ~ thl Ll!lW1 as to zts Executzon, jhau/J ceafe aJfo :. That the King and Co1t1fcil in the Pre ambit to the J?eclar~ tion, have Jifclazmttl. all Pretence, ttJ better ~ettlemcnrs, by Seventy up~n Diffenttrs: That you have work tMugb to zmploy your }elves about, .tn fir:P living, and then executing all Laws, thnt recover and preferve Morabty, ;llercy, ]11jlice, Sobritlj, and Godly Living. And Jajl!y that you bad nothing offen}ive to the Law bejore yo11r Eyer, when you tame among tu. I farther urged, Argumenrllm ad Hominem, The King's Power in Eccltfi• aflical Matters : Tbat, if you acknotDitJged him, Head Of the Church, it feemedfomewbttt unnat11ral, that any Members flraggle from rbe Judgment ~ml Direflion from the He11J. It W4S anfwered by one of )011, and the befi tbzng fnid, Tbttt the King was Head in Civi/s too, yet we rvould not forbear recovering a Debt by Law, though the King foould interpofe his Civil Headjhip, to prevent receiving it, or Words to tbat Purpofe. I faid then, and now more fully reply; The Cafe is vafily differing, upoR your own Prindples. The Civil Government of England, Jepen!i upon Llw grounded upo!T Sincerity, tlJt Eternal Lnv: and it 's not by the .Antient and Fundamenta/Omftitution aUor~~ ·ah!e, that Meum and Tuum jhould be overruled by any Prince wharevtr. It is the Glory of the King of England's Government, that 'IN is a Prince hJ Right, not Might , by Law, nor Power. He bas Power, but from and auor• ding to Law, not tbdt be makes bU Will mrd Power Law. This Right it a· greeable to H11m.ane Nature Jo called, and the Oecono1ny which God bath im; printed upon it: But in Matters &clefiajlicnl, you Jay, (if Old Proteftants) Tbat .it is inherent to and in.feporahle from the Civil Magijlratc, fofoon at !Je profiffetb Chrifl, to be the Head of the Cburcb, in his Dominions (upbn the Strain of the Jewifo Story, bor» reafonable fo ever it be.) Jind upon this very Faot, was ~nd is the Englijh Reformation fett : where all Original Compall,, aU Coro,Mrtrm Oath¥, all fundamental Law, and Legijlators too are fer OjiJe, For rbe King is not Conflituuti Head of tbe Church, by commDn Conf~nr.of Lords Vol.. I. · Tbe AuT H o li.'s L I F E. Lords and Commons, though thereby declared fo, hut by being a Cbrijlian Ki"Jiain I diflinguijh between Ltws; _Some art fundamental, and tbofe are Jurable, and indi.ffuluble, {;ome are ctrcumflantinl and Superficial; and tbofe /Je alterable. By tbe fir/i mean all tb~fe Lamr, thor conjlituutbe .Ancient Civil Government o/'tngland, and whub make up.rbeft two Words, Englifh Men. By the Latter, I Nnderjland, all Laws julted to Statt, or A~tional Emergl1tcits, whi.cb are pro Tem~ore and. away. They live as long, as the · Rtafo": of them ltves, an_d then. d!t afienrzmes of t~emfe!ves. Thefe may be botb CzVII ttnd Ecc!ejiafltcal. Gvt!, as the il.Et agamft Tranfporttng lrijh Cattle: .A Famine repealt that, by_ .the .A.ntient Law--Maxim: Celrahte Ratione Legis, CeCI'at Lex. Ecclcfiafhcal; as this in ~ueflion: They that 11/.n~t it, bad U.nity,. Peac~, and Plenty in their Eyes: It's found '!Pon Tryal 10 utcreafe .Ammofiues, dijlurb the Peace, and lay waft bonejl and mduflriom Families. Tb11$ much the King, whom you cOJ1/efs to b~ the Head of the Church, by the .Advice of hU Privy Council, Me,:, douhtlifs, Wifer than any of us, bas almofi info many Words dedttred. Further, let it be weighed, that wt came nlit to our Libtrtitt and Proper· :its by the Pro~ejla111 . Religion; their ,Dat.e rifts h!gher. Why thenfoolfld a Non·Conformuy to If, p11rtly Confcunuous, depnve us of 'them. This or that Sort of Religion? wa~ not fpecified in the .Ancient Civil Government; though the Clergy twijled mto the Great Charter: Tet fer it be confiJered that it was not intentied, to deny others Liberty of Confciencc ; but to fe~ c11rt their Church, Properties, and Revenues, /rom the King's Seizure. The Nature of Body and Soul, Earth and Heaven, this World and that to come differ~: there can he 11oRea..fon to perfecute any Man !n this World, about a: -11y Tbrng that belongs to the l't.'ext. Who art thou (fauh the Holy Scripture in this CafeJ t hat judgefi another Man's Seruant ? He mufi jland or fall t; his lrlafler, t he Great God .. Let Tares and .Wheat grow to_getber, riO ibe Great liarvefl: To call for Ftre from HetWtn, was no Part of Cbrifl's Religion, though the repr01Jed Zeal of [ome of his Dijciples. His Sword ir Spiritual like his Kingdom. Be pleafed to remember, that Ftrith is tbe Gift of Gol.. tmd w~at H. not of Fait~, ·is Sin. Wemujl either be Hypocrites, in doing wha: 1.1Je believe m our Conjllences, we ought not ta do ; or forbearing. what Kt or~ fuUy perf waded, we ouC;ht to do. Either give ~s better Ft~itb, or/eave rk fDJtbfucb tu we have: for rt feems unrtafonahle zn you, to dijlurb rts /dr tbir that t« have, and yet be unable to give us any other. 0 ye do not to liS a1 you would be done by: Can it become Proteflants, t(J ufe that Severity to others, they onct condmmed in others. Tbere can be no Pretence ofConfcience~ for limitin_g other Men'~, that ar~ -r:irtuOII$, and .who wijh yau heartily weU. JVere toe unmort~l, or dtd our Rcllgum and Wor,fo1p border upon an Impiety. f.C~jhou_ld b!ufb to Apol~giz.e as we do. But. being no ways Conjdor1s of any ilj/i· nzty vmb tmmoral Prmctples, or Prallues 1 on the Contrary, knowing our fe!ver to he better taught, by God's Groce, that leads to all moral and Holy Living, however different we may be in fome particular Perfwtifionr, We tlu take Confolence, to remonjlrate our Cafe, and to intreat your Jerious ConjiJ~: ation of it, ~hat we Y,our Countrym_en an4 Neighbours, may enjoy our felves 1n the Worjh1p of Alzmgbty God, vmh !<_u,etnefs and Security . .And I am reell a.Jlured. it jhaU lefs repent you upon your Dying Bed, to have af!ed moderauly, tbanfevere/y .. Tqu cannot .hut k'!o.w, bow faUible Protejlanrs acknowledge themjelves tohezn Matters of Rebgzon, and confegutntly, witb wbatCa!ltiontbeyflouldproceed againft any about Religion. You alfo fee hor»m11c!J '111!'re de[lntllive Vice and lnttmperance are to Body and Soul, than meer Opimon, and confoguer.tly, bow m~ch mort Reafonable it is, to punijh tbe One than profecute the Other. Thmk not, that meer Perfwafion damnr us, 'til Sin tobofe ~Vages is Death .• I Jove and bono11r aU Virruous Per font, tbqt d~ffer fro~ me, and hope Go~ will have Regard to every f11cb one, according to Sin· ceruy. And however zt jhall pleafe you to deal with 111, at tbis or any other Time, I pray God f orgive yoa, open your Eyes, tenlier your Htar:s, and m.J/U you jenfible, bow much more ftloderation, rmd Virttte are u·ortb your Z Study |