A LETTER In Answer to a CITY FRIEND, Showing how Agreeable Liberty of Conscience Is to the CHURCH of ENGLAND.  
Licenced April 9 1687.  
LONDON, Printed, and are to be sold by Randal Taylor, near Stationers-Hall. 1687.   

A LETTER In Answer to a City Friend, SHOWING, How Agreeable Liberty of Conscience is to the Church of England.  
SIR,  
I Have received Yours, wherein you seem to make some Reflections upon the Church of England, and with some earnestness to desire my Opinion in the Affair, especially in relation to the late Indulgence granted by His Majesty for Liberty of Conscience. To a Friend I cannot deny so small a Request. I'll therefore, without any farther Preamble freely speak to the Points you proposed, and so leave them to your Consideration.  
First, As to what you apprehend, that this Indulgence will not be well liked by the Church of England, 'tis my Opinion you are under a Mistake: My Reason is, because the Church of England is a Church, whose greatest Glory has been in its Moderation and Tenderness. Now what occasion of Trouble can it be to a  Church, to see all Christians peaceably professing their Religion, without any possibility of Vexation from their Neighbours? Were the Church of England a Church that took pleasure in Wracking of Consciences, in Oppression of their Neighbours, in Persecuting and Imprisoning, I should be something of your Mind, and begin to suspect, that this Liberty would not be at all agreeable to such a Temper: But you know how She has always declared against Cruelty and Violence on the Score of Conscience: She detests and abominates all such Proceed; and you cannot think She'll now so degenerate, as to grieve for these Things being taken out of her Power, which She gloried before to have Reformed. You seem not to be throughly acquainted with the Constitution of this Church and Her Members, if you think 'twill be an Aggrievance to 'em, because 'tis not in their Power to Persecute. If you had but heard their Doctrines, and read the Sermons they have Preached and Printed on this Subject, you must needs take 'em for the greatest Dissemblers and Hypocrites in the World, if after so many repeated Claims to Moderation and Meekness, they should be still in love with Persecution, and cannot see their Neighbours Exercise their Religion in quiet, but this Quiet of their Neighbour must be Their Persecution. Alas this would argue in them a Poor Spirit of Christianity, 'twould make any one suspect the Sincerity of their Preaching, and put into us a Jealousy that what they condemn in others, they love to practise themselves.  
But you fear this Liberty will introduce Heresies and Schisms into the Church, which cannot be well pleasing to the Church of England, whose Concern it has always been, to maintain a Unity and Uniformity amongst Believers. And here I must take the freedom again to tell you, you do not judge of Things aright. Mr. Kidder's Sermon Licenc'd by the Archbishop's Chaplain, and Published the last Week, concerning the Judgement of Private Discretion in Matters of Religion, would inform you better, especially pag. 20. where he tells you, 'Tis a fond thing to imagine that there shall be no Heresies or Schisms, and that we have found a Way to prevent them: This is like the Boast of a Mountebank.— God hath foretold that there should come a Falling away, and that some should be under strong Delusions, and believe a Lie. It is a vain thing to pretend a Remedy against that Evil, against which God himself has provided none. Now what reason have you to think, that if Heresies and Schisms should arise, they would occasion any Disturbance to the Church of England, whenas they are very well satisfied, there must be Heresies; that 'tis a Fond thing to imagine they can be prevented; and that 'tis but Vain and Mountebank-like to pretend Remedy against such an Evil, against which God has provided none? If they must come, they must. The Church of England is Wise enough to Foresee these Evils, and bear them with Patience, without an Unnecessary Care or Solicitude to Prevent them. But I don't know what you may call Heresy and Schism: You know the Church of England, as Mr. Kidder delivers her Doctrine, is not for having Her Followers Guided in Matters of Religion by any Authority, nor taking up their Faith upon Confidence of any Church Christ has left and assisted for this purpose; No, this he looks upon as a Slavish Surrender, and the way to despoil a Man of his Rational Faculties; This Mr. Kidder in the same Sermon undertakes to prove a Vain and Impious Principle; 'tis to bid Men Pull out their Eyes, and go Blindfold. And therefore to avoid such Impiety, as 'tis to bid Men Follow. Hear and Believe the Church, He is for having Every Man set up for the Judgement of Private Discretion, directs his Hearers, to Search and Examine for themselves, assures them They need no Guide, if they use their Eyes; that a Man of Ordinary Capacity is able to Judge, what is True or False, in Matters of Faith and Religion: That All the Articles of the Creed (p. 19) are so plainly taught in the Holy Scriptures, that he who Runs may read them there: that therefore, tho' the Judgement of the Church be not to be trusted in these Things, yet every Man may very safely follow and rely on his own Judgement of Private Discretion. And this is very fairly made out by Mr. Kidder, to the admiration even of those who are not of his Mind.  
Now here I desire you to consider, when the Church of England, as appears by Mr. Kidder and other her Doctors, has encouraged all her Followers, to Search and Judge for themselves in Matters of Faith and Religion, can it be any trouble to her, to see Men Judge for themselves, and follow every Man his own Judgement? If They do what she directs them, it ought to be a Comfort to Her, and not any Trouble. You would certainly make the Church of England a very Severe and Hard Mother; first in bidding her Children not to Trust Her, but to follow Their own Eyes; and then to be Angry and Peevish, when they take their own Eyes for their Guides, and don't follow Hers. If they should forsake their own private Understanding of the Scriptures in any Article or Doctrine of Faith, and submit to any Church-Interpretation of it, She tells them, this is to hoodwink their Reason, 'tis taking up Religion upon trust, 'tis blindly giving up themselves to a Guide, who may lead them to the Regions of Darkness. Is not this to tell them, they ought to adhere in all Points of Faith and Religion to their own Private Judgement of Discretion, and not take heed to the Guidance of any Church or Authority whatsoever? And pray now what's the plain English of all this, but Liberty of Conscience? And since the Church of England has been so many Years pleading for this Free Judging and Determining; and giving Direction to every Man, to erect within himself this Tribunal of Private Discretion, can She be in reason thought to be Angry, when the Civil Power, concurring with Her, Establishes and Confirms to every Man that Right, which She holds forth as a Thing belonging to them, as they are Rational Creatures? This is an Absurdity not to be charged on any Society of Men, To give Directions, and then to be Angry when they are followed.  
But to pass to your next Point; You know the Christians, who have the Benefit of this Indulgence, are chief such as are called Nonconformists and Dissenters, or else the Papists. Now I am persuaded, it can be no Aggrievance to the Church of England, that Both these Sorts be allowed the Enjoyment of this Liberty of Conscience. For as to the Former, it is the Opinion of many Eminent Divines, and other Sober Men, that most Nonconformists differ not from the Church of England in any Essential or Material Point; but chief in Ceremonies, Circumstantials and Vnnecessaries. Now if you peruse the Writings of the Church of England, of her Prelates and Doctors, you'll find that many of them have freely inclined of themselves to a Condescension to these Weaker Brethren, and have been willing to abate many of these Circumstantials in consideration of a better Union, and stricter Peace. Do we value (says Dr. Stilling fleet in his Preface to the unreasonableness of Separation) a few indifferent Ceremonies, and some late Declarations, and doubtful Expressions, beyond the Satisfaction of men's Consciences, and the Peace and Tranquillity of the Church?— I do think it would be a part of Christian Wisdom and Condescension in the Governors of our Church to remove those Bars from a freedom in joining in full Communion with us.— Such a Review may be so far from being a Dishonour to this Church, that it may add to the Glory of it. I think we have no cause to doubt (says Dr. Tillotson in his Sermon on John 13. Ver. 34, 35.) but the Governors of our Church are Persons of that Piety and Prudence, that for Peace sake, and in order to a firm Union among Protestants, they would be content, if that would do it, not to insist on little Things, but to yield them up, whether to the Infirmity, or Imporiunity, or perhaps, in some very few Things, to the plausible Exceptions of those who differ from us. Necessary Points (says Dr. Barrow, Treat. of the Pop. Supr. pag. 219.) may and will by all Honest People be known and determined by the clear Testimony of Scripture, and other Points need not to be determined. And again, A more ready way to determine Controversies, is, for every one Not to Prescribe to others, or to Persecute; for then Men would more clearly see the Truth, and Consent. With these concur several others of the First Rank, which I could quote at large; but these are sufficient to undeceive you, and let you see, that 'tis not at all likely, that the Church of England, which has been, and is at present, if I am rightly informed, willing to abate in her Worship a great part of these Ceremonies, should be at all concerned to see the Dissenters have the Free Exercise of their Religion and Worship, without the Obligation of observing those Ceremonies, which She herself, by her Free Offer of Condescension, seems not unwilling, at least for Peace sake, to leave out of Her Public Service. As long as Her chief Concern is the Peace and Tranquillity of the Church, and the Satisfaction of men's Consciences, 'tis not to be imagined, She'll ever be inclined to disturb this Peace, or molest Her Neighbour, upon the Score of a Few Indifferent Ceremonies, Late Declarations, or Doubtful Expressions. She's satisfied, that for all Necessary Points, every Honest Man will know them by Scripture, and for such as are not Necessary, She thinks it better not to Determine them, nor Prescribe them to others, nor to Persecute any on this Score. What Disquiet therefore can it possibly cause in the Church of England to see a Liberty granted to the Nonconformists of performing their Service without these Ceremonies?  
And as for the Papists, 'tis generally granted, that They agree with all other Christians in Fundamentals, holding all things that are of Necessity to be Believed; and upon this Consideration, I cannot but think, that the Church of England will be willing to allow them the Freedom of their Religion; it being the Generally received Opinion of Protestants, that the True way to make a Lasting Union amongst Christians, is to distinguish betwixt Tenets necessary to be Believed, and Tenets not necessary to be Believed; and Necessaries being once agreed on, to use a Forbearance in things Unnecessary. Why then, for the greater Extension of Christian Charity, may not this Forbearance be extended to Papists, since in all Necessaries they agree with other Christians? Besides, if I mistake not, the Church of England has so much Charity, as to think, that Papists may be Saved: This allows the Papists to be Sons of God and Members of Christ; and if They and the Church of England have One Common Head in Heaven, ought not they to have an Affection for them on Earth? Can it be allowable in them to hate Those whom, as they own, Christ will receive? Or can They say to Them, Go ye Cursed, to whom our Lord will say, Come ye Blessed? If God owns them as Sons, I believe the Church of England may easily love them as Brethren: For if God admits them to the Participation of his Kingdom, it becomes not any to be averse from them on Earth, with whom they shall converse in Heaven.  
And if the Papists are not so good Christians as to be the Members of Christ and capable of Salvation, but as others seem to take them, Idolaters, Superstitious, Profane, without Sense or Reason, or any Ground of Scripture for what they teach or do; it ought still to be the Concern of the Church of England, to let them partake of this Liberty; that so They being in Public, their Follies and Superstitions might be more exposed; that the People might hear those Absurd and  Doctrines from their own Pulpits and Catechisms, and bear Witness of them, and so see whether all be not True, that has been charged against them. This would better end all the Controversy of Misrepresenting than many Volumes, and save the Church of England any farther trouble of Laying the Papists open, which, if it could be excused, would be no small Advantage to Her; this thing of mixing Invectives and Satyrs against Neighbours with the Gospel in Pulpits, being no small Reflection upon Her with several sorts of People; Some taking it to be Railing, others to be Vngentile and Unmannerly, others to be Uncharitable, others to be an Effect of Sloth and Idleness, whilst they think it much easier to Ridicule another's Opinion, than to Prove their own, or find out a more serious Matter for Exhortation. In fine, if the Papists are thus Wicked and Abominable, the surest way to weaken them, is to make them Public; for Wickedness and Abomination seeks for Corners, and thrives most when 'tis concealed; when if 'twere exposed to the Public, 'twould be detested by the Beholders, and be soon hissed out of the World.  
I have only One thing now more to Consider, and 'tis that you apprehend, that this Indulgence will be too favourable to many Disaffected Parties and Persons, that 'twill give them occasion to increase and thrive, and grow up so many Enemies to the King and Government, which cannot be acceptable to the Church of England, which on all Occasions has been so truly Loyal, and Faithful to their Monarch. To this I need say no more, than that I find our present Sovereign, who in this is chief concerned, has Considered this Point; and he is of Opinion, that on the contrary, this Liberty will remove Animosities, break Factions, and make Friends of Enemies; the Constraint and Rigour that has been used to men's Consciences, for the maintaining Uniformity in Worship, having created ill Blood, and been the Occasion of those Unnatural Rebellions, that have disturbed this Nation for many Years. Now you know our Prince, whom God preserve, besides his Great Wisdom, has had so long Experience of the Temper of his People, and is so careful for the Good and Peace of the Kingdom, that no Loyal or Good Subject can think he does not provide for the Welfare and Tranquillity of it, in the Best and Safest way possible. And since the Church of England is so Eminent for its Loyalty, I cannot imagine She can be troubled at what the King does for the Safety of his Royal Person and Good of his People; or be for the persisting in such a Method, which his Majesty conceives has made the Government Uneasy to his Royal Predecessors, and in some manner occasioned the most barbarous Effusion of Royal Blood.  
This is sufficient to satisfy you in the chief Difficulties you proposed; and to remove out of your Mind that Diffidence you seemed to have of the Church of England in this Juncture of Affairs. Consider what Loyalty is, and for the future take thence a Measure of their Behaviour. Never question, but where this admirable Quality of a Good Subject is, 'twill labour to unite the People's Hearts with the Prince, 'twill cause an Approbation of what he does in the Administration of his Government, and never permit any, by showing a Dislike to his Orders, by being Sour and Peevish, to alienate the People's Hearts from their Sovereign. No, never think this of Good and Loyal Subjects; this is only for Malcontents, and such as are Disaffected to the Government; for such as are for keeping up a Party, or maintaining a Faction: And if you find any do thus Disloyally, never take them for Members of the Church of England. Every Good Christian and Loyal Subject will be for removing ANIMOSITIES and JEALOUSIES, and Laying these two Devils of this Nation. Let You and I contribute to it with the best of our Endeavours, and as much as in us lies, follow St. Paul's Advice of Living peaceably with all men. Farewell.  
SIR, Your Servant.