not permitted the publick churches) according to the liturgy of the church of England; and that nei⚫ther the minifters, nor those that frequented that fervice, might be any more hindered, or disturbed by his foldiers: fo according to their defire, he went and • ufed his utmost endeavours with Cromwell, for the taking off this reftraint, which was at laft promised (though with fome difficulty) and that they should not be molested, provided they meddled not with any ⚫ matters relating to his government."

Certainly those gentlemen were of my mind. mind. And to give Dr. Hammond his due, who I understand was one of them, he left it to the witneffes of his end, as his dying counfel to the church of England, That they displaced no man out of the univerfity, or prefent church; but that by love, and an holy life, they fhould prevail upon thofe in poffeffion to come into • their church.' But this looked fo little like the policy and ambition of the living, that they refolved it fhould be buried with him. This I had from an eminent hand in Oxford, a year or two after his death. An older man out-lived him, and one of the most learned and pious of that communion, bishop Sanderfon I mean: they were the two great men of their fort that were of the party. Let us fee what this reverend man fays to our point:

The word of God doth exprefly forbid us to fubject our confciences to the judgment of any other, or to ufurp a dominion over the confciences of any one.' Several cafes of confcience difcuffed in ten lectures in the Divinity School at Oxford, 3 lect. 30 fect. page 103. printed 1660.

He is not worthy to be Chrift's difciple, who is not the disciple of Chrift alone. The fimplicity and fincerity of the Chriftian faith hath fuffered a great prejudice fince we have been divided into parties; neither is there any hope that religion fhould be reftored to her former original and purity, until the < wounds that were made wider by our daily quarrels and diffentions, being anointed with the oil of brother

ly

ly love, as with a balfam, fhall begin to close again, ⚫ and to grow entire into the fame unity of faith and charity. Ibid. Sect. 29.

The obligation of confcience doth not fignify any compulfion; for, to speak properly, the confcience < can no more be compelled than the free-will.' Ibid. 4 lect. Sect 5. Pag. 109.

The exprefs commandment of God doth oblige the confcience properly by itself, and by its own force; and this obligation is abfolute, because it ⚫ doth directly and always oblige, and because it obli⚫ geth all perfons, and the obligation of it is never to < be cancelled. None but God alone hath power to impofe a law upon the confcience of any man, to which it ought to be fubjected, as obliging by itfelf. This conclufion is proved by the words of the apostle, "There is but one law-giver, who can both "fave and destroy." In which words two arguments do offer themselves to our obfervation: in the first place, they affert there is but one legislator; not one picked out amongst many; not one above many; but ⚫ one exclufively, that is to fay, one, and but one only. The apostle otherwife had made ufe of a very ineffectual argument to prove what he had propounded; <for he rebuketh those who unadvisedly did pafs their judgment either on the perfons, or the deeds of other men, as the invaders of their rights. "Who "art thou," faith he, "who doft judge another ?" As if he should have faid, Doft thou know thyself, what thou art, and what thou dost? It doth not belong to thee to thrust thy faucy fickle into the harvest of another man, much less boldly to fling thyself into the throne of Almighty God. If already thou art ignorant of it, then know, that it belongeth to bim alone to judge of the confciences of men, to 'whom alone it doth belong to impofe laws upon the 'confciences of men, which none can do but God ' alone.' Ibid. pag. 111, 112, 113.

• The condition and natural estate of the confcience itself is so placed, as it were in the middle betwixt • God

• God and the will of man, as that which is ufually and truly spoken of kings and emperors, may as truly be verified of the confcience of every man, • Solo Deo minores effe, nec aliquem in terris fuperiorem agnofcere; "They are lefs than God only, and on earth "do acknowledge no fuperior." That speech of the emperor Maximilian the first is very memorable, Confcientiis dominari velle, eft arcem cæli invadere ; "To exercise a domination over confciences, is to in"vade the tower of heaven.' He is a plunderer of • the glory of God, and a nefarious invader of the power that is due unto him, whofoever he is that fhall claim a right to the confciences of men, or practise an ufurpation over them.' Ibid. Sect 11. pag. 115.

And yet this is the fad confequence of impofing religion upon confcience, and punishing non-conformity with worldly penalties.

Let us now hear what the late bishop of Down says, in his Lib. of Prophecy, to our point, I am very much displeased that fo many opinions and new doctrines are commenced amongst us; but more troubled, ⚫ that every man that hath an opinion thinks his own ⚫ and other mens falvation is concerned in its maintenance; but most of all, that men fhould be per• fecuted and afflicted for difagreeing in fuch opinions, which they cannot with fufficient grounds obtrude upon others neceffarily, because they cannot propound them infallibly, and because they have no • warrant from fcripture fo to do; for if I fshall tie • other men to believe my opinion, because I think I have a place of fcripture which feems to warrant it to my understanding; why may he not ferve up another dish to me in the fame dress, and exact the ⚫ fame task of me to believe the contradictory? Liberty of Prophecy, epift. dedicat. pag. 8, 9.

The experience which Chriftendom hath had in this laft age, is argument enough, that toleration of differing opinions is fo far from disturbing the publick peace, or destroying the interest of princes and

common

⚫ commonwealths, that it does advantage to the publick, it fecures peace, because there is not fo much as the pretence of religion left to fuch perfons to • contend for, it being already indulged to them.' Ibid. pag. 21.

It is a proverbial faying, Quod nimia familiaritas fervorum eft confpiratio adverfus dominum; and they who for their fecurity run into grots and cellars and retirements, think that they being upon the defenfive, those princes and thofe laws that drive them to < it are their enemies; and therefore they cannot be fecure, unless the power of the one, and the obligation of the other, be leffened and refcinded; and then the being reftrained, and made miferable, en⚫ dears the discontented perfons mutually, and makes more hearty and dangerous confederations.' Ibid. pag. 23.

No man fpeaks more unreasonably, than he that • denies to men the use of their reafon in choice of their religion. Ibid. pag. 169.

No Chriftian is to be put to death, difmembered, or otherwife directly perfecuted, for his opinion, which does not teach impiety or blafphemy.' Ibid. pag.

190.

There is a popular pity that follows all perfons in mifery; and that compaffion breeds likenefs of affections, and that very often produces likeness of perfuafion; and fo much the rather, because there arifes a jealousy and pregnant fufpicion that they, ⚫ who perfecute an opinion, are deftitute of fufficient arguments to confute it, and that the hangman is the best difputant.' Ibid. pag. 197, 198.

• If a man cannot change his opinion when he lifts, nor ever does, heartily or refolutely, but when he ⚫ cannot do otherwife, then to ufe force, may make him an hypocrite, but never to be a right believer; and fo, inftead of erecting a trophy to God and true religion, we build a monument for the devil." Ibid. pag. 200.

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The trick of giving perfons differing in opinion over to the fecular power, at the beft is no better than hypocrify, removing envy from themselves, and laying it upon others; a refufing to do that in external act, which they do in counfel and approbation.' Ibid. pag. 209.

Thus far bishop Taylor, one of the most learned men of the church of England in his time.

Let me add another bishop, held learned by all, and in great reputation with the men of his communion; and, among them, the lords spiritual and temporal in parliament affembled, who have fufficiently declared against this perfecuting spirit on the account of religion, by their full approbation of, and thanks returned to the bishop of St. Afaph, for his fermon preached before them November the 5th, 1680, and their defire that he would print and publish that fermon. The bishop says, that They who are most ⚫ given to hate and to deftroy others, especially those others who differ from them in religion, they are not the church of God, or at least they are fo far corrupt in that particular.' Pag. 8.

Again he fays, That, of focieties of men, Chriftians, of all others, are most averfe from ways of < violence and blood; efpecially from ufing any fuch ways upon the account of religion: and among • Chriftian churches, where they differ among themfelves, if either of them ufe those ways upon the account of religion, they give a ftrong prefumption against themselves that they are not truly Christians.' Ibid. pag. 9:

There is reafon for this, because we know that • Chrift gave love for the character by which his dif

ciples were to be known. John xiii. 35. "By this « fhall all men know that you are my difciples, if "you have love to one another." And left men fhould unchriften others first, that they may hate them, and destroy them afterwards, Chrift enlarged his precept of love, and extended it even to ene• mies,