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king, lords, and commons, by the following words, “ In other manner than according to the liturgy of “ the church of England,” meant, that such meet un. der a pretence that did not conform to that worship; since the precedent words say, “ under colour or pre“ tence of any exercise of religiòn in other manner," &c. So that they are only struck at, who are not sincere Diffenters; but that are such, with design to carry on another end.

Obj. But may some say, It is granted, you have very evidently evaded the force of the act, so far as • relates to these recited expressions. But what if a "bill be ready, for an explanatory and supplementory

act to the former, wherein this scope for argument

will not be found; because your meetings will • be absolutely adjudged seditious, riotous, and un

lawful.'

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To which we answer, That as the granting of the first, which none reasonably can deny, is a manifest impeachment of such as have violently prosecuted people for being present at religious assemblies (almost to their utter undoing) so shall we as easily answer the fecond, which amounts to the force of an objection, and briefly thus :

First, It is not more impossible for mankind to preserve their society without speech, than it is absolutely requisite that the speech be regular and certain. For, if what we call a man, a lion, a whale, to-day, we should call a woman, a dog, a sprat to-morrow; there would be such uncertainty and confusion, as it would be altogether impossible to preserve speech or language intelligible.

Secondly, It is not in the power of all the men in the world to reconcile an absolute contradiEtion, to convert the nature of light into that of darkness, nor to enact a thing to be that which it is not: but that those endeavour to do, who think of making our religious meetings routs and riots. For, 1. They offer violence Vol. III, D

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to our common propriety of language ; it being the first time that ever a religious and peaceable assembly would be enacted a rout or riot. Nature, reason, the law of the land, and common practice and observation, give a clear contrary definition of a rout and riot. They endeavour to reconcile contradictions ; for they would have a thing that, which by nature it cannot be: for that which is peaceable cannot be riotous; and what is religious can never be seditious. For any to say,

our meetings are not religious,' is not only a poor evasion, but great incharity: for that is properly a religious assembly, where persons are congregated with a real purpose of worshipping God, by prayer, or otherwise, let the persons met be esteemed doctrinally orthodox, or not. Can any be so ignorant, or so malicious, as to believe we do not assemble to worship God, to the best of our understanding? If they think otherwise, they must, and do, assume unto themselves a power beyond the arrogancy of the Pope himself, that never yet adventured to tell man his thoughts, nor the purposes and intents of his heart; which he, or they, must do, that definitively judge our afsemblies (void of sword or staff, drum or musket, tumult or violence, and circumstantiated with all the tokens of Christian devotion) a rout or a riot. And truly, if Protestants deny the legality of those acts or edicts, which were contrived and executed in order to their suppression, by the respective kings and parliaments that owned the Romish faith and authority, where they either did or do live, let them not think it strange, if we on the same terms (namely, scruple of conscience) refuse compliance with their laws of restraint. And as the first reformers were no whit daunted at the black characters the Romanists fastened on them, neither thought their assemblies, in a way of professed separation, the more unlawful for their representing them such; no more are we surprized or scared at the ugly phrases daily cast upon us by a sort of men, that either do not know us, or would not that others should :

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for we are not fo 'easily to be braved, menaced, or perfecuted out of our sense, reason, and privilege.

They say, "LOSERS have leave to speak ;' at least we take it; none being greater losers, than such as, for diffenting from national institutions in point of faith or worship, are deprived of their common rights and freedoms, and hindered as much as may be from reverencing the God that made them, in that way which to them seems most acceptable to him.

To conclude ; we say, (and by it let our intentions in our whole discourse be measured) that we have not defended any Diflenters, whose quarrel or dissent is rather civil and political, than religious and conscientious: for we really think fuch unworthy of protection from the English government, who seek the ruin of it; and that such as are contributors to the preservation of it, (though Dissenters in point of faith or worship) are unquestionably intituled to a protection from it.

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more reason than before, we need more skill and caution, or else we may too fatally experience the force of that vulgar proverb; “ Laugh in thy face, and cut “thy throat.

They are grown fo complaisant, as none seem more exasperated at persecution than themselves, (whilst the very fathers of it) decrying the fierceness of some countries (whose incendiaries they were, and still are) and imputingall the blood of poor Protestants to some unwarrantable civil score, (therein abusing the civil magistrate with the execution of their own conspiracies): nay, for all their venerable esteem of the Pope's infallibility, they have not ttuck to censure his roaring bulls (though procured by their own means) and all that might express their new tenderness; that many, unacquainted with their practices, are ready to believe them what they say themselves to be; whose moral is to have two strings to their bow, • to be ambo-dexter, and furnished with meanings to ' suit the compass of all occasions.'

In short, I premise three things:

First, That I cordially believe a great number of Romanists may be abused zealots, through the idle voluminous traditions of their church; whom I rather pity, than dare to wrong.

Secondly, That I design nothing less than incensing of the civil magistrate against them (were such a thing possible): for I profess myself “a friend to an univeri fal toleration of faith and worship:

Thirdly, That the pamphlet answered, being but one sheet, I confine my examination to a narrow compass: and the rather, because a more considerable discourse is under my present enquiry; which, if Providence fo order it, may speedily be made publick. However, let this

go for preface to that larger tract; in which the Romanists may see both their ignorance in the marks of a true church, and their little share or interest in those they attribute to her as such. Penn, Buckinghamshire,

W. P. the 23d of the nith Month, 1670.

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SEASONABLE CAVEAT

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HOUGH to argue against a tribe of men, that

esteem all REASON carnal, and SCRIPTURES im. perfeet, might rightly be judged a mere beating of the air, and a talk only to be enterprized by such as are desirous of no success; yet to prevent those who may be deceived, and if possible to reclaim such as are ; and lastly, to clear mine own conscience, (most of all in mine eye) I shall descend to consider the unfound, as well as untrue, confessions of the Romanists in the pamphlet under examination.

1. Of the SCRIPTUR E s.

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Papist.

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of Divine Inspiration, and Infallible authority; and whatsoever is therein contained to be the Word of God.' Page 1.

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Answ. Certainly these men must either think we are wholly ignorant of their principles, or we must needs conclude they have forsaken them. It is so manifest that they have robbed the scriptures of their authority, that the Pope has all ; and they have then only any,

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