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Show Chap. I. The Gr~t CASE of VoL. I. tty. (whil!l: they greatly difpleafe the one, and evidently ruin the other) as C::nain as ever the Lord God Almighry_d~ftroytd_Sodo-;v, and l_ay'd w:~fie Gomorrab, by the confuming Flames of H1s JUft lndtgnanon~;. Wtll he haft- ~n to make defolate this ~anton L:md, and not lenc an H1dwg Place for thL~rp~~e!~~ therefore think himfelf too. big, to be adm<?nifh'd, nor pur too flight 3 Vaiue upon the Liv~t? Libert us, ~n~ Propcrl!e.r, of ~o m;~ny Thoufand Free-born Englifh. Famthes, ~mbark t tn that one Con~ern of Liberty of Confcimct. It wtll become. h_1m _berrcr ~o retleEt upon h1s own Mortality, and not forget his Breath 1~ m h~s Noftnls, and that e\•:ry Action of his Life rhe Everlafiing God wtll bnng to Judgmem, and htm for them. CHAP. I. ~· ' ' That lmpojition, Re.flraint, and _Perjecuti~n for Confcience-Salu,_highly Invad~ the 'lhvme 'Prerogatzve,and Diveft the Almtghty of a Rzght, due to none be fide HzmJelf, and that in five tminent 'Particulars. THE great Cafe of Libmy of C.nfcienct fo often Deb:! ted and Dtfcnd· ed (howeve~ dHfarisfaf\orily to fuch m b~ve fa _little Conjc1tnce aJ to P,rfecutt for it) 1s one~ more brou~~t to pubhck VJew, by a l,ate AB .a· gainlt Diffenters, and B11l, or an add1t1onal one, that we all hopd the W1f· dam of our Rulers had long fi9ce laid a fide, as what was finer to be palf. ed into an AU of perpetual Oblivion. The Kingdoms are al:nm'd ar this Procedure, and Thouf.1nds greatly at a Stand, wondring when fhould be the Meaning of fuch hafty RefOlutions, tha(feem as fatal as they were unexpe8: ed: Some a.rk wbnt Wrong rhey have cl011c'; or herr, what Peau 1bty hlfVt broken; ond aU, what Plots they haveform'd, 10 prtjudice 1he prejCttt Gdt:trn. menr, or t!ccnjionr given, to hatch new Jen/oujies rf 1/mn ond lhtir Proceed· ings, being not coofcious to themfelves of Guilt in any fuch Refpefl. . For mine own Parr I publickly confcfs my felf to be. a very htnriJ Dif· fenttr from the efla'llijh't Wurjhip vf lhrfe 1\'ntiolts, as believing Prottfianll to ba\•e much degenerated from their firft PJinciples, and as owning the poor dtfpijed ~ulllun, in Life and DoEl:rine, to have efpoult:d the C:mfe of God, and to be the undoubted Followers of Jefus Chrift, in his molt Holy, StrJight and Narrow Way that leads to the Eternal Reft. In all which I know no Treafun, nor any Principle thlt wou_ld urge me r.o a Thought injurious to rhe Civil Peace. If any be defeEl.ive in this pamc~l. lr, 'tis equ~l, both Individuals and whole Sucieties fhould .1.nfwer for 1hm own Defauhs, but we are clear. However, all couclude that Union \'ery Ominous, ::~nd Unhappy, which makes the firft Difcovery of it felf, hy (/John B.1prifi's Hettd in "Chttrgtr, They mean that Feaft fome :tre defign'd to make upon the Lihcnies and Properties of Free born Engl~!hnun, jince 1o have 1be Jmnil of 1hojt ;mJoubt· ed ht redilary Righ1s cui elf (for Matrers purely rela1ive of ano1her fi 'orld) H a jtvert bebeadi'!g in the Lnw; which muft be ob\·iom to 311, bur.tilch ~3 rneJfure the Juihce of Things only by that Proportion rhey hear w1th tbetr own Intereft. A Sort of Metl thH feek themfelves, though at the :~pparent Lofs of whole Societies, like ro rh.11 harharom Fancy of old, wbicb b~td l tllbrr tbtJt Romejhou!d h11rn, t!Ja/1 it he without tbt SotiJ[tt8ion of(/ Bon:fire: And l:~d it is, when Men h3\'e fo f:u fiupified their Underibndings wirh theftro~,g dnfts cf their privnu lnurejJ, as to 'become infenfible of the Publlck. ~· Certainly fuch an Over·fondnefs for felf, or t~at (hong Inclination, to r:nlc 1hc~- rhemfelves h\ the Ruin of "'.l!~r ~o~• not fo much oppofe them, as that they will believe fo, bec~~(e t~ey would be pe\lecuit~g. is a malig~anr Enemy to that Tranqutlht¥1 mhuh, all Difftn(m$ Parllesj'elm to lubtve, would he J!Je Co'lfc'luettce of a Tolfratjon. · In fhorc we fJy, the~c can~~ ~.ut two Ends Jn Per:focution, the one to ra~ tisfic (which no1~e <;Jq ~ver d9) th~ in..(atiqble -!!Jlp~titl! of a ,Jecir,a1in.g Clergy (whn_{e heft Arguments ar< Fines 4nd ~f!l_f.ri}On~!ftnts) and the Qther, ::~s thinking therein tht:J 4o dfd good Strvi(e; but 'ris fo l!ateful a Thin~ upon any Accounr, that w~ ih~ll m~~e it app~~r by this enfuing Dlfcour("e, tq he a decl~red Enemy \O OoiJ, Jl~li~io~, an4 .the Ooqlof ~un10#e Srf<ierj, The wholF will be fmall, ~nee it 1s but ~~~ Epito11/e 9f no larger a 'rrn<I tban fourteen Sheets; yet divides ir ;fe1f into the fam~ fartiqtfars, evCry of which we ihi)l d~fen~ ~gain!! bqpo./i/tion, Rejlraint1 an4 Perjecff~ioi/4 t~ough not with that Scope of ReaJon qor confequemlr. p!eajHre to t~e l(eacler~) bei~& by other copfiQ~ent Pifa:pp9lnt111entsj limited to a naF· ,ow Stlnt. 'fh• Terms e.xpl~ine4, ana the fl.••f!ion jlatfd. fir!l:, !ly Liberty if Cqn./'ciepce1 l"e vndqftand not onlr. a meqr Li6~rtJ of t.!Je .J1ind, in believ.inj br 4ilbelicVing t~_ts Pr th:t. t PrinF~ii lc or Dbarlne; 6ut the Extrci[e of ()Jir jc!Vcl in, a vi/iblr rv,~ 9/ fVprjhip, "II 0(1 Pf!.r. helieviltg it ro he indijpe,tjihly required at Oftr lftm~s, :hJt if we qeglc it for fear or Eavour vf nny.Mortal #4-1mr, we Sin, and inCJtr lHvirne Wrall!: ret rve wquld be fo v~derjlood to extend an~ ju!l:ifie t!l~ L;lwfu)ne,!;< pfour f9 me~ting to worfhip God, as not to ~OI)tr1ye, 01 ~~et a,_nY C?otrivance <J.eq1u~iVb of the Govetnllle~t ~nd Laws of the La~d, tend1ng to Matters pf ari exrefn~l 'Nature, dire8:ly, o.r indi~efily; but fo f<ir ohl.y, a, irNlaY refer to 'elig1oUs ~artets, and p Life to COI)le, and conreli9en'tJy wl)olly inde~end,ect 9f tl\~ j"ccular Affairs of this, wbereip )l'e areJ\rppos'.d 10 Trangrefs. ' . Se•ondly, By Impofirion, kefiraint, and PeJfecution, \Ye don't only meaQ, t)1e 1\ri£\ Reg~ iring of u1 to believe thi.s to be true, or that to be falfe; ;u1d ~pon Rq~fal, to (ncur the Penal tit? en~£\ed in lbch Cafes I but h,Y" thofe Term~ we mc;Jn t,hys muph, a}ly ,CQ!!tciv~ Lett or Hindrance to u~, /roll' meeting together 19 perform thofe R~.li~ious fXercifes which ?re" ,a~~ or~ing ro Our Faith and Perfw~fion. T/Je R_ue{/i9n jlated. For Proof of the aforefald Terms rHus given, we fingly Rate rhe Quell:;.; on thus, Whether Impofition, Reflr.ilj_nt, ~n<l Perfe-'11tio11, upon Perfons for ExerQfing fuch a Liberty of Cohfcience, as i~ before cxpre£red, and fo circum. J\:antiated, be not t9 i.JllJ?~Ch the H9ngur of GQd, th,e Meeknefs of th.e Cb:ri4iarl ·Religion, the Authority of ..Scnptur~, the Priviledge of Nature, the Principles of common Rcafon, the Well-he1ng of Government, and Apprehenfions of..the greatoft•Perfonages of former and l~tt~r Ages. Firft, Then we fay that lmpnfirion, Reflrnint, and Perfecut'ion, for Mar.: ters rebtipg fO Con,fcjence, dtre(lly inviUfe Jbe ,Divine Prero:ariv_e, and D_iwjl tbe Almighty of' a Dut, proper to no.ne bejid,u bimfc!f. And {hi$ we .prove hy rhefe fi<e Particulars. J. Firfl, If we do allow the }pion our of our Cre:J.tion, due to God o~ly, and th:rt no other befides himfelf has,end.oW'd us with thofe exceUent ~~fts; of Vnderjlanding, ,Renfon. J"rll/11~/lt, and Faith, and _confeqntn!lY thclat he only is the Objeil: as well as Author, hqth of our Faith, rVor.Jh..lp, an Service, then whofoever fhalHnterpofe their A~thorjty to enact Farth a!_!d ~~o,.... Jhip, in a Way th:J.t fe,c;rqs iicit tO us co~ruous with what he .h.1.s difcover~d to us to be Failh and Wor.foi"'p (whofe af'O~e ·P.rqperty it is to do It) or to_ r~ 1fira'in us from w~at -..ye 2rC perfwa.ded is pur fpJifl!~n.f!D/e D11t.r, they eVt· ~ently ufurp r~is Aulhori!y)P,d inya4• hi• i~~omr_n~n!~ab1e Rj~h~e~n?~; 4f7 ~ ~b~;:¥ .. ) |
