day, and her severity has almost loft it. They fuffered by law, the makes laws for fuffering. Is this an imitation of their practice, to uphold the weapons of their deftruction? I must tell her, it is being a martyr for perfecution, and not by it: another path then that the holy ancients, and our humble ancestors trod, and which will lead her to be deserted and contemned of every body that counts it fafer to follow the bleffed rule and practice of Chrift and his infpired meffengers, than her narrow and worldly policies. But that which heightens the reproach, is the offer of the Romanists themselves to make a perpetual civil peace with her, and that she refufes. Would the martyrs have done this? furely no. Let her remember the first argument honeft old Fox advances against that church, is the church of England's prefent darling, viz. Penal laws for religion; as fhe may fee at the beginning of his first volume: doubtlefs he was much in the right, which makes her extremely in the wrong. "Noth"ing," fays the prophet, "muft harm in God's holy "mountain," and that is the church, fays Fox, and therefore he says, Chrift's church never perfecutes. Leave then God with his own work, and Chrift with his own kingdom. As it is not of the world, let not the world touch it; no, not to uphold it, though they that bear it fhould trip by the way. Remember Uzzah, he would needs fupport the ark when the oxen Stumbled; but was ftruck dead for his pains. The prefumption is more than parallel. Chrift promised to be "present with his church to the end of the world." He bids them "fear not," and told them, that "fuf"ficient was the day for the evil thereof." How? with penal laws? no fuch matter; but his divine prefence. Therefore it was, he called not for legions to fight for him, because his work needed it not. They that want them have another fort of work to do: and it is too plain, that empire, and not religion, has been too much the business. But, O let it not be fo any more! to be a true church is better than to be a national one; especially as fo upheld. Prefs virtue,

punish

punish vice, difpenfe with opinion; perfuade, but do not impofe. Are there tares in opinion? let them alone; you heard " they are to grow with the wheat " until harvest," that is, the end of the world." Should they not be plucked up before? No; and it is angels work at last too. Chrift, that knew all men, faw no hand on earth fit for that business. Let us not then ufurp their office. Befide, we are "to love "enemies," this is the great law of our religion; by what law then are we to perfecute them? And if not enemies, not friends and neighbours certainly.

The apostle rejoiced "that Chrift was preached out "of envy." If fo, I am fure we ought not to envy Chriftians the enjoyment of the liberty of their confciences. Chriftianity fhould be propagated by the fpirit of Christianity, and not by violence or perfecution, for that is the spirit of antichriftianity. Nor, for fear of it, fhould we, of Chriftians, become antichriftians. Where is faith in God? Where is truft in Providence? Let us do our duty, and leave the rest with him; and not "do evil that good may come of it;" for that fhews a diftruft in God, and a confidence in our own inventions for fecurity. No reafon of state can excufe our difobedience to his rule; and we defert the principles of our heavenly Mafter when we decline it. The question is about confcience; about this we can none of us be too tender, nor exemplary. It is in right doing that Christians can hope for fuccefs; and for true victory only through faith and patience. But if to avoid what we fear, we contradict our principles, we may juftly apprehend that God will defert us in an unlawful way of maintaining them. Perhaps this may be God's time of trying all parties, what he will do; whether we will rely upon him, or our own feeble provifions; whether we will allow what we ourselves, in our turn, have all of us defired; if not, may we not expect to fuffer the thing we would inflict? For our penal laws cannot fecure us from the turns of Providence, and lefs fupport us under them. Let us confider the true ground of the difficulty that

is made, if it be not partial and light in God's fcale; for to that trial all things must come, and his judgment is inevitable as well as infallible. Befides, if we have not tried all other methods, we are inexcufable in being fo tenacious for this. I do therefore, in all humility, befeech all forts of profeffors of Chriftianity in these kingdoms, to abftract themfelves from thofe jealoufies which worldly motives are apt to kindle in their minds, and with an even and undisturbed foul pursue their Chriftian duty in this great conjuncture; confidering, "the race is not to the fwift, nor the bat<tle to the ftrong," and that, for all our watchmen, it is "God alone (at laft) that keeps the city." Not that I would decline a fitting, but an unchristian provifion for though the foundation were never fo true, yet if our-fuperftructure be bay and Stubble, (our own narrow devices) the fire will confume it, and our labour will be worse than in vain. Let us not therefore Jow what we would not reap, because we must reap what we fow: and remember who told us," what we "measure to others fhall be measured to us again." Let us, therefore, do unto all parties of men, as we would be done unto by them in their turn of power; left our fear of their undutifulness fhould tempt us out of our duty, and fo draw upon ourselves the mischiefs we are afraid of. Sacred writ is full of this, in the doctrine of both teftaments; and, as we profefs to believe it, we are inexcufable if we do not practise it. Let the fpirit then of Christian religion prevail: let our policies give way to our duty, and our fears will be overcome of our hopes, which will not make us afhamed at the laft and great judgment; where, O God! let us all appear with comfort.

I could yet enlarge upon this fubject; for nothing. can be more fruitful. I could fay, that a church that denies infallibility, cannot force, because he cannot be certain; and fo penal laws (though it were poffible that they could be lawful in others) in her, would be unjuft: that fcripture leaves men to conviction and perfuafion: that the true church-weapons are light and

grace i

grace; and her punifhments, cenfure and excommunication: that gaols and gibbets are inadequate methods for converfion, and that they never fucceeded: that this forbids all farther light to come into the world, and fo limits the Holy One, which in fcripture is made a great fin. And, laftly, That fuch infnare their own pofterity that may be of another mind, and forfeit by it the eftates they have fo carefully tranfmitted to them. Thus far against impofition. And against compliance, I could say, that it is to betray God's fovereignty over conscience; to defy men; gratify prefumption; foil and extinguish truth in the mind; obey blindfold; make over the foul without fecurity; turn hypocrite, and abundance more; each of which heads might well merit an whole chapter. But this having been well and seasonably confidered elsewhere, I shall now proceed to the fecond part of this discourse, in which I will be as brief, and yet as full, as I can.

PART II,

That it is the principle of men of note of all parties.

B

UT what need is there of this, may fome say, when all parties profefs to be of the fame judgment, That confcience ought not to be forced, nor religion impofed upon men at their civil peril?' I own they are all of that mind, at one time or other; and therefore, that I may purge myself of any animofity to the doctrine of the church of England, I will ingenuously confess the severe conduct I have argued against is not to be imputed to her principles; but then her evil will be the greater, that in fact has fo notoriously contradicted them. I know fome of her defenders will hardly allow that too; though the more candid give us their filence or confeffion: for they tell us, 'It

is not the church that has done it;' which, unless they mean, the laws were not made at church, must needs be falfe, fince thofe that made and executed

them

them were of her own communion, and are that great body of members that conftitute her a church; but, by her shifting them off, it is but reasonable to conclude that the tacitly condemns what the publickly difowns. One would think, then, it fhould not be fo hard to persuade her to quit them, in the way fhe made them, or to enjoin her fons to do it, if that language be too harsh for her. This fhe muft hear of fome way; and I pray God fhe may endeavour to do her duty in it. She is not alone; for every party in power has too evidently lapfed into this evil; though, under the prevalency and perfecution of another intereft, they have ever writ against club-law for religion. And to the end that I may do the reformation right, and the principles of the church of England juftice, I must Tay, that hardly one perfon of any note died in the time of queen Mary, that did not pass fentence upon perfecution as antichristian, particularly Latimer, Philpot, Bradford, Rogers, very eminent reformers. The apologies that were written in thofe times, are of the fame ftrain, as may be feen in Jewel, Haddon, Reynolds, &c. and the Papifts were with reason thought much in the wrong by these primitive Proteftants, for the perfecution that they raised against them, for matters of pure religion. But what need we go fo far back? Is it not recent in memory, that bishop Usher was employed to O. Cromwell, by fome of the clergy of the church of England, for liberty of confcience? Dr. Parr, in the life of Dr. Ufher, primate of Armagh, fol. 75, has that paffage thus:

Cromwell forbidding the clergy, under great penalties, to teach fchools, or to perform any part of ⚫ their minifterial function; fome of the most confiderable epifcopal clergy in and about London, defired my lord Primate that he would ufe his intereft with Cromwell, (fince they heard he pretended a great refpect for him) that as he granted liberty of confcience to almoft all forts of religions, fo the epifcopal divines might have the fame freedom of ferving God in their private congregations (fince they were

· not