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Show w!w[!.d and trul ,...;,p,laintJ have tbipDif'etl oul ag4injl Fer(.cutior~?· But cpmipg to the Hel"'e , bow d9e 1~1 tb<mjilvet botb b! Preaching,, Writing, Printing,pra[life u~natur~UJJ' &nd partialb exprejfe toward1 other, th.e ""'Jl N.Jtureof fuch .Ly.onr·, a11d Leopardr, '[~/ome of tl11m have opened out oj; Cam. 4· 8. . . Defender. What we have opened out of Cant. 4· 8. againfi Perfecution, v;hen (as he fairh) wee were under the !iacches,amounted to this, Thacjc W•ll lawfull for chefheep of ,Chrifi? to followChrifr, and· and to aome along with hil)l, and ·flj~ aw~y from perfecu1io01 Did any of us then teach, that ic w•s 'lnlawfull for Magifirates·to purfile wich jufi revenge Apofiace Seducers unto Idolatry, He:refio, or blafphemy.? or turbulent fubverters of civill or Church· Q1per? Agd Iince we are come hit~er, where he i,s pleafed tohonput us with fitting at HelQ'Ie (which is farre fro~ us) what have we taught ol"praaifed more, th-~n 9!lr felves allowed ·in times of our.owne refiraint l But men that can allow themfelves a Liber· ry. of calumny, it may well become them co plead for a Liberty o{imponity for aU Religions. _ · . We keee n~ a. weight, and ~ weig~t (as.he calumniateth )a mu• fure and a meajilre.: wliac•we meafure ou,tto others, wee lhould· never.thinke it hard meafure to have the fame returned to our felves in the like cafe, Oo~ly this meafure we defire of all hands to l?e kept ( th;u whicl!. Abr~bam the Father of the faithfull, and God ~e Judge of all-the E~rth,,.thought equall, Gen. 18. 25.) that thei\ighteous lho11ld not be as the wicked : ·nor that Trutb1 and Fidelity, fhould fuffer as Herefie and Apoftacy. , Oifcuffer. Yea, _but it i-t not confi.de11ce of being.in the Truth (which they judge zhe P apijls and others are not in ) no nor the 'Irutb it folfi that can pr._ vi/e~ge them to perftc'!_te others-, and to eX(mpl themfolvel from perf" CI4HOn,for three Conjtderations. Firjl, becauft it i1 agaiTJjltbe nature of true fheep, to perfecute, " bunt the Beajls of the Forrejl,uo not the Wolvu , Jl'bo have perjict~ltA zhcmfelves. Defender. It is a feeble kind of reafoning,from a fimilitude in fame tbingl, to preffe a refemblance in every thing : -Sheep doe firly refemble· Chrifiians in many proprietie!: but he that lhall thertfore preffe thefll· ·~ ti~ainft'Perfetution dtfcuffed. 171 |