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Show VoL. I. 3· Di.ffe11ters not being Confcious to themfelves of :tny J~ft Forfeiture of that Favour, are as well griev'd in their Refentments of thiS Alteration1 as the contrary did oblige them to very Grateful Acknowl~dgments. 4· This mult be done to gratifie all, or rhe g_reate~ Parr, or but fame few only; it is jl Demo,nftration all.are nor. pl~af~d .wah Jt; that r~e greareft Number is nor, the m_pty pub~clt .Audtto~ze.r WID fp~bk: In. fhorr, how 1poGld either be, when Six ,Parnes. are J1c~diced ro.r~e Seventh ; that this cannot be Prudence, Cof!Jm.on /rlaxrms .111~ OftfcrVattotu ;r;ove. 5· It !!rik'es fatally at Protrjlant Sincerity; for will the Papijli fay, Did ~roteflams rx&hlim atainf!. liS for Perje(Ut ors, and are rbey now tbe Mm t}umfolvu f Was it an Ilifla~ce of !f'eaknifs in our Rdi~_ionJ ap4 is't !l't'.coi!Je 4 Demo'!Jirf<lon of Stl:t1:gth. rn tbe-,rs? HAve they tralfjmuttd 11 from. .Anti· iPri.fltan 1R ~~~to Chriflum t(ltfJemfelves r\_Le~ Pcrfccuro~s anj~er. 6. !tis ;not qnly an Example, but an Incenttve ro tbt Romam1ts, to Perft· C;Jre the Ri:form.ed Re!ition abroad; for when they ~ee their AElions (onct void af aU l;,'xcpje) now d~fended by tl\e Example qf 'frarejlanu, that once accus'd tq,i::m, (but now themfelves) doubtlefs ti]ey will reviVe their Cruel'ty. l· t 7.·. It tn{err_urns t1Je very'Ground of rQe P~oteCtants Retreat from Rotne ! for if Men 111ufl: be Reftrain'd upon pretended Prudential Confiilerations, Jrom rhe Exercife of their Confcience in t:ntlund; why not the fame in Franu., iloUand, Ger,any~ Conjlantinople, &:c., wbere Maners ~. f State may,equally be pleaded? This makes R~ligiov, State-Policy; and Faitli and Worfhip·, . • fubfervlenc tCl the Hl.\mours ·and Imerefls of Super-iors : Such DoB:rine -vvould have _prevented our Anceltor"s Retreat~ and We wi'th it be nor the Beginning of a Back-l)'larch \ for fome think it fhreWdty to be f1:Jfpc8:e4, where Religian is j11ited 10 tbe Govrrnment, and Conjcienu to it'$ Conve· niencj·. " 1 • 11 8. Vice is encourag'd; for if Lhentiam PerJons .fee Men of Virtue mo.;: ' lefied for Affembling with :i Religious furpofe to" E.e.verence and Worlhip God, and tha,r are orherwife .moft feryice;tb~e to the· Colfilmon-W calth, rhe}' miy ar.4 -~ill inferr, it_is better for tnerq [Q be as , t~ are, finc!e ndr to be Dem11re, as they call it, iS Half Way to that Kind · Of Accomp1i!hmenr, which procures Preferment. 9· For f,uch PerfonJ as ,are fo poor Spi\ited as to trUckle under fuch Re· fi:rai,nts; What Conqu"ft jS there over \hem ? that b~fore were C:Onfciemious Men, an4 now HyPQcrjre;s; who' fo forward t?" . P~ aveng'd or them, that_ brougllt this Gul!t upon rhem, as they fhcmfclVes? And h6w qp the flmpifers be fecure of tl]eil1Friendlhip" rhom theY have taught tP1cliange wirh the Times? , ·! 1• , 10, Spt~ Laws :~ref~fat ttotl'! bene.fitt.!ng the Country, that the Ex~cution cf them ~lV be the auuf.ed Rmn o( It, 1n rhe Reven~es, 2nd cbnfe,guenrly iQ the .Power of ir; !'o1.where there is~ Dec.ay of Families •. th~e~ Will he of Trad<t; lo of 1wea\th., ,aqd jn t~e Ertd of Suehgrb' ani! Pbw~r ~'and ~f botli.Kind,S of Re ief fai~ ll1cn, · ;M Mr,of Repriblk*~; llrono,tb/ Sf'!)'P/ '( Monarcb1es .; thts,_4l(t't_]JI,I(lng .A1ercenahes i.that, (',} n .t"d{n",g Freemen V.are· wei the lfllere./1 OJ ~nJl.la~d ; ''1';, tNu'; rU l'i·{efts'ilt' 16bu'Ph tbitt'~ 5ut' /or a Timr) 5JJt .rbe King and,fcQpk lof t! ; ttS ihe Evenf.'Wlri ./hn~ . . . ' h \ • IJ. n. ~vcr ". ~a~ the '\'rP.a<nce MW!BM· agi!trati!Ho'"3blige '.hcil 1. '!''ople; ~but wbat'.\iomes fhorter oq~ ·than Pet.fe ution? Wli:li'l '~ea'ieno ille\h rhan , tbe I.,ib. et\)' )if t,heir \_;onfClcnce? Wha .·. canriot th<iy~iletter fp#<t~an it? 0Their. !'fac;e . confi~ ~rmo,Enjo· y. ment~o£: it :' A. M; he fhat by Compliance . has loft rr! ·cprr~es !;US Pcwalty ~ith i.\ttn; ~n'd )s ;n'IS-o~n ; )'r\1:1.' 1 Sur!!Ir 0fuch Pracptes mull1endel t.he'Gov~tu.ltt:nt fl!>eill~~ ana ')lege~ 'li~at Dt(· refpeiTto the Govern6"urs, m theHea'rt!rbftlie PcbpW. '"'' ff,, _ ,.. I' 1~. Buf 1\hat . w)lich conclt.>des our P,r,udenria) .PJfWct I!Jall b~ ·iB~;. Thai oftsr all th~ir1'ain&and Gpqd Will .tH'Ilretch . ~en' ·1ijHr .Mfafurc, they _ne~er wil\'ge<lblc tqaccqmp).ifh thei(I!na: And·· lf ·~ ·~eon pnwife Mon, ' tbat'protYfdes Means wherl: he defigns nO' End', how· near fslhe--"1\.in to him Jfiat propofes an End inobtainablc. Experience has told us, r~ How ln~ veOivt VoL. I. Libtrtj of Confcience '.Debated. '" veOiveit has m~de r.he lmpos'd o~. 2. '":hat D~,ftraftions lrave.infued fnch Anempts. ~· \Y"?at Repr~ach has f~l~ow.d to the Chriftian Religion, when the Proleffors of 1t have usda Coerc1ve Power upon Confcience. And.laft· Iy, That Force never yet made either 3 Good Cbri.flian, or a Good Sub1e{f, . ThirJ'l and Lajlly, S!nce the Proceedings we argu~ againft; are prov'd rQ Deftru8tve ro the .Jufttce and Prudence of Government, we ought the lefs fo ~on.der t~a.t they lhould ho!d the fame Malignity _agaicfi the.End qf ~t, wh1ch IS F,lutty, fince the Wonder would be to find It orherwife · and this is evident from thefe three Confiderations. ' I. Peace. (the End of ~ar ind G'overnJJJent, and it's great Happinefs too) h:Js been, Is, a.nd yet ~111 _!>e .. broken by t.he frequent Tumultuary Difturb .. anc~, that enJue the Dtfqwenng our Meenngs, ~n~ the E~reating Fin~~ upon our Goods and Eftares. And what thefe Thtngs may 11fue in, concern" eth rbe Civil Magiftrate ro confider. 1. Plenty, (another .great End of Government) Wil! ~~ conven'ed ~nto PQ-1 verty by the Deftr.u8:.ion of fo m:my Thoufand Fam1hes ~~ refufe Compli-' ance and Conformtfy, a:nd that not only to the .Sufferers, butinftuentially io all rhe Reft; a Demonftration of which we have in all thofe Places wher~ the late Afi has been anY Thing conliderably put in Execution. Befides how great Provocation fuch Incharity and Cruel Ufage, as !tripping Widow/ Fatbtrlcjs, and P~or of their. Vt"ry Nue.JJarih for human Life, meerly upo; 1n .Acco~~t of Fmth or Worfl!tp, mufl needs he to tbe ]11ft. O'fd Righteo11s Lord af Heaven and Earth; Scnptures, and Plenty of other liiftories plainly thew us. , . . l ·. Unity, (not fhe leall,. but greatell En4 of Government is loll) for by feekmg an Untty of Opmton (by the Ways intended) the Unity requifito t? up~ old usJ as a Civzl Society, will be quite deftroJ_'d. And fuch as re .. lmqutfh tbar, to g'ei die other (bcfides that they are Unwife) wiU infailib/y lafe both in tbe End. . . In lhort, We f3y, t~at 'tis utlreafoiJable we. fl;tq.~l~ not' be.entertain'd as. M.en, becaufe fome rhmk we are not as Good Chrdl:ians as they pretend to With us; or that we lhould be depriv"d of our Liberties and Properties who never broke the Laws that gave them to us : What can be harder: t~an to take that from ~ by a Law, which the gre~t Indulge net: and Soli~ cuude of our Anceftors rooK fo much Pains to inrail upon Us by Law; An. 111 Ed. ~. Stat: l· atfo Stat. 2CY EJ. l· Cap. i. again Petitlan af Right An. 3· Ctrr. and more fully in Magna Cbn"rta; further perufe 37 Ed. 5· C;p'. 8~ 28. 42 Ed. l· Cap. l· 28 Hen. Cap. 7· And we are perf waded, that no Temporary Subfequential Law wharever ~o our F~ndamental Rights, (as this of Force on Confcience is) can invalid 10 etTentt~l. ~ Part of the Government, as E11jlijh Liberty anc! Property : Nor that Its m the Power of any on Earrlt to deprive us of them rill we ll_a~e firft done it our felve.s, by fucb Enarmo'm Falls, tu tboft very iawspro:.o btfm, and make our Forfeuure of that Benefit we lbbuld orherwiftl' receive by them; ~or t.he~e ~eing fuch Cardinal and FundamtTtTa/ Points of Englifh Laa:-DoOrme, .lndtvidually, and by the colletlive Body of the People agreed to; and on whtch as the moft folid Bafis, our Second~t~y Legijla11ve Powt"r as well as Executive is ~uilr .; it . ~e~ms moftTatio~al th~t the Superftrucl ture cann_ot g~arrel or mv3hdate 1ts own Foundation, wuhout manifeftl)l' endan~enng us ow~ Security, the Eftfa is ever lcfs noble than rbe Caufe, the G1ft than the G1ver, and the Supcrftrufture than the Foundation. W The tingle Queftion to .he refolved in the Cafe, brieRy will be this; betber any Vijible 411thoruy (being {o'lllliled in-its primitive InflitNtion.kp· ~n tho(e F~tndame.nt_al Laws, tho_t inviolably preferve t he Peopll in allt"!i; 111ft Rtg_bts ~'!d PrzvdeJger) may mvalidau all, ar any of thefmJLaws, wahout 1111 zmp.lwt. /hding Of it't own Foundation, and a clear Ovuthrow of it' I owfon ConjtJ_tu~tolt of Government, nndfo reduce them to tbeir Sratu quo prius ji 11 PnnCipkt: The Refolution it every Man's, at hiS own f l:ifure. Rtn!' en, l· >· t4. 29. 2; Ed. l· Cook's lnfi it. 2. J9, ;o, ;1. Tho!Q -l·5~ ~ Ghap. V. |
