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Show . Vefender, . I neither did in termes appwve tbe perfccuuonofthe one,nor ·reprove the perfecocion ot the other. The words I fpake_ of '!1em are recited above. Chap. 58. which C<;mtaine an H•fio,Ica!l Narration of the Rrs g'fl"' m this cat! ofo:1th the Pnnces, but neither approvement, nor reprovement of them. It .was enough .to adwer the Prifon' rs Argument, tbac ~s great Prmces as ~he three named by him for Toleration, might be ~amed agamfi Toleration: AsQueene Eliz•betb forone,and Kmg Jamts_for another, who pcr!,cuted Puritans.though he Tolerated PapiAs. Di!culfer. But if fituune Eliz•beth d,d ""'!'to p~rf~"'te the ~~pij/J accurding ·to her Confcimce : Ki"[, James dzdnot 11im perjecutmg orhers accor· dingtohw. _ Vefender. 'It followeth not. For Qgeene Elizabeth might doe well in _puni!hing fcditious,ur fed~cing· Papifis a~cording co Con~ci<n~e -rightly informed , and Kmg James doe Ill accordmg to Con fcc· ence mifinformed. Belides, It rna y be the worfe, when a man perfecnteth thofc, whom he knoweth to be innocent, _againfi _his own Confcience. Or fwppofe Con(cience by often fie.mng a~a1nG the light & cheks of it,be(by the jull: Judgement otGod)b11nded and feared. In fuch a cafe: t< doe a wicked ac'l: according to Con· fcience, d~th not extenuate, but aggravate a fin : in tbu !uch a man finneth not only in doing a corrupt atl:,bnr ( whi~h iswm!e) with a corrupt Con!cience. Bur wirh what Coll(crence Kmg JameJ did per(ecure Puritans, I judge not: the judgem<nt offuch things is with the Lo:d. Difculfer. . But then M'. Cotton muf!gr.,unt,tbJt ifKingJ•mes did illi• perfecutirzg Pu,-itanr a&cording to hi1 Cot1[cience, tlun either ~mg James wa1 nr,t fit to be King, and h;d not the ejfenti>ll qu;lijicaiiOnl of a King (in 7lct being able rightly to judge, wl;o ar< to be per[ec•ted, .,.,!,o not:) or tlfe, He mHfl cmfijfe, that King James, a7!tl Ali M;gt· Jlntes mttjl pe,(teute (ucl;, whom in their Conjcience thryjudge "ortb) to b' pe•fecut d, Defendtr, 'd None of theft things will follow. For though KingJJIIIll_~1• 4:vill to pcrfcwre godly Minificrs , and other good Chrr ,. ans, ans,lludious of Reformation: yet he was fit to have been a-King, and wanted not the effentiall Q!!alifications of a King. -For he was by lawfull Succcffion the next heirc of the Crowne, and was befides endued with many royall guifts of wifdome , and Knowledge, both of Scripture and Policy, which if he-did not alwayea attend to, in his Adminillrations, the defetl: was not for want of ll!fentiall .Qgalifications, but for want of employing his Q!_alifi· cations according to cbe right Rule of the word of God. For by the Rule of the word, thofe (whom they called ) Puritans ought not to have been perfecnt<d, no though they had-been erroneous intheirway, whichtheywerenot. For though theyconfeoted ~otto tbe State-Government of the Church ; yet neither did they tumultuou!ly and feditiouOy refill it. But fuppofe Princes and Magillrates doe want fome Q!!alifications meet for their calling (as this for one, Knowledge and Judgement rightly to difcerne, who may be punifhed for matters of Religion, who not: ) yet fuch Qualifications are not of the Ea'ence df the calling of a King, or Magill rate, but belong onely to the Integrity of it. Yea fuch Kings or Magi.llrates as want fuch cleare diiCerning of this .point, they have a )Ufi Call to forbcare all execution of civill Cenfures 'in matters of Religion, till they be better informed. Or elfe (as the 'Di[CH_[forfaith truly) they may perfecute the Sonne of God in fiead ofthc fonne of Perdition. CHAp, 64. A R~ply to his Chap. 67. Difcu!ler. JN the [e{~nd place, 1 os4e, rPhat gl<t-y to God, rPbot go•d to the foHkJ . and bod~es of their Subjefh, did thefe PrinceJ bring, in perfecu• ll•g?, Vefender. ~crlicution of Innoc-ents never brought ·good to Princes, or Sub)e1h_, but accidentally: as the Difcujjer faid above, that Nero iP. ~rfetuung, n~ade the hearts of ChriftianJ, more /rPeet, a11d fragr.mt { epo~~nded_Spzcet. But fuch evill ought not to have been done, that uch good mfi1ch a way might come ofit. Butthegood that is brought to Princes and Subjetl:s by the T· due |