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Show IV 0-11 1.. 167o. s. Of this We take the aine Month's Reign ~f the Emperor J.ovinllllr to. ~ be an excellent Demonft:ration, whofe gre~t Wtfdom, and admuable PruChap. VI. dence in granting Toleration (e1pre(ly li!~l'l!l• ji~ r»ouid b•ve none mo/efh·d f or tbt Extrcife of their Re!tgton) Ca~in d t~e tmpet?ous Storms_ of 'f?lf.. fention betwixt t~Homoo~.:nr andArrum.t ~ and r~uc d th..e W!tqte,~sp~((\. before agitated v.:ah all 1\in~ of Commotions dur\ng t~e ~cugns of 6f?n· jlamine, ConftantiTIS, and Juhan, to a .wonderful Se,renuy 11nd Pe.ace, as Socrates Schola!licl(! ~ftirms. 9. That little Kingdom· 9f .£gypt llad ,no Jell than E~rty Thoufand ller· fans re[ir'd to their private and feparate Ways of Wodb1p, as E11Jebzm out of Philo }itdetii, and JofepbT!s relates. 10 And here let me bripg in honefi Chaucer, whofe Matter (and n9t ~is Poet;y) heartily affects me: 'Twas in a Time when Priefls were as rich~ and lofty, as they ;ue now, a_nd Caufes of Evil alike. (a) THE Time Wltl IJRft, and m(lyreturn again, (for oft may happen that bath bee}f beforn) toben Shepherds bad none Inheritance, ne of Land, nor Fee in Suffenm&e, But what might arift of the barA1Sbup, (were it more or lefs) which thty did kup, TVell ywis WM it with Sbepberds (-bel: nought having, nou~ht te:u'd they tp fo~o, For P .II N (God) bupftif U/4' their Inbentance, and little them ferv'dfpr their Main.tt,ranu., Tht Shepherd's God fo p;eU tbemguidel/, that of nought were they unprovided.; (b) Butter enough, Honey, .Milk, qnd Wb•y, apd tbeir Flock Fleeces tbcyz to array. But Trall of Time and long PrQ[perity, (that Nurfe of Vice, rhis o( lnfol.enl')') LuOed tbe Shepherds infuch Suurit)'t that not CIJJIUnt witb Loyttl0h6)i/ance, Some gan to gap for greedy Governance, and match tfJemfelves with mit.bty Pottntatu. (c) Lovers of Lordlhips and Troublers o.f States; then gan Shepherds Swains to looA. aloft, And leave to live hard, and learn to lig foft, though under' colour of SbepberJrja1(1e while ' Tbere crept in Wolves /Mil of Fraud aqd Guile~ that often devout'd their own Sheep, And often the Shepherd that did them keep, (d) 17Jis was sfu }irjl Source of the Shepherds Sorrow. that nor will be quir, with bale, nar borrow .. . ' . ' 11. Volho knows not that our firft Refortt~ers were great Champions for 1 .i/;erty of Confcience, as Wickliff in his Remonftrancc to tbe Parliament. The Albige,ifes- to Lewis the 11th and 12th of France. Luther to the fevc· ral (.r:J The Primitive State of Thingsobfened by a Poet,more~han ;oo Ytarsold; by which the Clergy rna'! read their own A poftacy and Charafier, (I) Time a11.d Profpqity corrupted them, and then they grew Stoites·Men. (&) 'Twa.s now they be!an to perfecute; they hated any that were more devout than them· felves: Devotion was counr~d Difaffetlion; lte\igious Affemblies, Conventicles; primitive. Spir.it~4 Chriftians, llpftart Hercticks; thus the Tra&edy began, C.r:in Oayin! Abll about Rellg1on. (d) He truly n~aketh their Avari~ the Caufc of their Degeneration; for 'tis the Root of a6l!i.\'jl. • VJL. i. Lib;rtj of Confcitnce 'b1hateti. <j-6~ r.d Diets under Frederick and Ch11rlts the Fifth; Cttlvin to Frafui th p· li and many of our l:.'nglijh Manyrs, as the poor Plowman's p11mour C 111e l 1.r • J67o. in Fox's Mt~rtyrology, &c. 0 'P t11111, r.._.r-y-...,_, • 12. The p~et~nt .lij{airr. of Germany, plainly tell us, that Toleration Chap, VI. IS ~he Prefenauon of rheu States i the contrary having formerly almoft qmre waited the"!J· . . , I 3· The fame m France ; who can be ro ' ignorant of their Story as to kno"? that ~~e t}mely lndulgen&r of Hl!fry the fourth; and the 'difcr~~~ Toleration of Ruk!Jeu and Mt~zariH, faved that Kir::gdom from being ruin'd both by the SpamarJs ; dnd one ai101her. 14. Holltmd, than ~hich, w~at Pbce is there foimproved in Wealth, Trade. and Power, chujly owes 1t to ber Indulgence, in Matters of Faith and Worj/!lp. . ·~: Among the very Mab11metanr of Turky, and Perjia, what Variety of Of!''!'mu, yet what Vmty and Concord is there? \¥e mean in Maners of a 0 nl lmporrance. 16. It Was rhe Opinion of that great M.afier of the Sentences Domini ... • em a SQJo, thtlt every Man bad a nawral Rigbt., to inflruO othur ';11 Things tbqt tlre,.&IJod :· ifnd be may reac]J th~ GtJfpei·Trut!u a!Jo, b~ canltot cam· ptlttfly rq bel~eve th-e'!', h_e tltay e-xpl;a~11 them, and to tbU, (fays he) euery Manbmt~ Rtght, asm.h!s4Se~t. Dlfl: .. >. Art. 10. Pag, ll). 7· 17· St~ifer about Reli~Jon, fa1d ]JJdwom and learned Gruriur, nre rbe 'NJOjl permcto/1:1 and deflrt~flive,, where Provifion is nor nude [o~: Dilfemers : the conTrt~ry mofl happy; As I.n. Mufcovy; he farther fays upon the Occa· fion of CamponeOa, that no1 a r1grd but eafy Government Juitr bejl with the Northern People; he often pleads t~e Relaxation of temporary Laws, to he rea~onable and neceifary. As In the Cafe of the Curatij and Horatij andPabu;s Vitulanm; and others fiinted ·to Time a'nd Place as the JewiJi, Laws, &.c. Polit. Maxims, P. 12, 18. 78, 98. ' 18. The bmou~ Raw/e~gh tell us, t~at the Way for Magjfirates to g0• v~rn w~ll, and Gam the Elteetn of theu People, H to goTJenr by P1ety, Jufo tzce, r~ijdom, and a Gentle and Moderate Carriage towards rbem; And that D1~turbance. attends t~ofe States, where .il1t:n r1re raifed, or deprefr'd hy Partt,s. See h1s Obfervauons and Max.ims of State. 19. If I miftake not, the French and Dutch Prorejlants enJoy their fepa· rate Ways oHiVorfhip in London, if no~ in oMler Parts ofthefC Lands with· om Mole!tarion; We do the like i~ ren1ote Counueys, but not in ou~ own. 20. Th1s mull: needs be the Meam~g of the learned Doaor to his Inquifitive Sr~dent, in rheir judicious Dialosue, about the Funcbmental Laws ofth~ K1~gdoms, w~e:n he fays, Tbar juch Laws tU !Jave not their Four.da ... t1on ~~ J\.'ature, ]f:~flrce and Reafon, arc paid ipfo fa8:o. And whetherPcrfecutton or Rejlramt upon Confcience, be congruous with either Let rhe Impartial Judge. lib. 1. tbap. 6. ' 2T. Do{} or Hammo_nd himfelf, a1~d the trand. P~tron. of the En.glijhChurch, was f~ far from urgmg. the Legahry of RefinEhon, 1n Mattera relating to Confc1ence, that he Wnt, Argued, and left upon his Dying· Bed his Senfe to ~he Contrary: As the 'ilutbor. of his Life might ha\'e been' plea fed to obfer\'e, but that Inrereft ftood 10 the Way , The Dollar exborring his Par· ry, not to fed 10 difplace tboJe, then in the Univerjity · or ro Perfecuu them for any Altllter of Religio111 Difference. ' 22. That a Perfon, of no lefs Ability, in the Irijh Proteftant Church did the Fame, I mean D. ]cr. TaJior, pis whole D.ifcourfe ofLibertj of Praplecy, IS a molt pregnant Demonftration. :3. 1c was rlte Saying of a Perfon once, too great to be named now, Tbat Libc:ry ~~ ConJcient~ is evc~y Man's 1rntural Right, and he who is dr· pnvr.:iofzt, u a ~lave mrhemtdflo[thegre,tte/lLibeny :. iindjiAceevery A1a? fo~uld.do Ill be Would be done to, fucb only Jon't deferve to have it, that WOn I gtve tt. 24- LaOuntiJe refleCl:s upon Perfecuiors thus, If you wiD with Blood, witb Evil |