LIBERTY OF CONSCIENCE Explicated and Vindicated, AND THE Just Limits Betwixt it and AUTHORITY, SACRED and CIVIL, Cleared.  
licenced, March 26. 1689.  
LONDON: Printed for John laurence, at the Angel over against the Poultrey-Counter, and are to be Sold by Richard Baldwin in the Old-Baily. 1689.   

Liberty of Conscience EXPLICATED and VINDICATED.  
THE sharp Contests between Authority, Sacred and Civil, and Liberty of Conscience in matter of Religion, and the sad Consequences thence arising, hath made the violent on both sides strain their Wits, to maintain or promote their Interest; the sober and moderate have been pleased with neither extreme, yet few of them have used half so much diligence to point out the right Path, as these in either extreme have used to stray from it; there is now a fair occasion of a happy Accord, when all good men are sensible of the evil of the imposing the profession or practise of things unnecessary for Holiness or Happiness, and when there are so just and unprejudicate Judges. So that there only remains to be cleared, how far the Church is obliged to require of these in her communion, and how far they may yield obedience with a good conscience, and how far civil Authority is obliged to use punishment or coaction upon account of Religion. The first Christian Synod held at Jerusalem, laid this sober and solid ground; It seemed good to the Holy Ghost; and unto us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things. They have also there determined what they account necessary things, saying, forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words subverting your Souls. So that these things are only necessary to be avoided which subvert Souls; and these things are only necessary to be pressed which are necessary to be believed and professed for obtaining Salvation, that is necessary, necessitate Medii, and not all which are necessary, necessitate Precepti; these things that are necessary, necessitate Medii, are such wherein not only error, but ignorance is not safe; such as he that comes to God, must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of these that diligently seek him. There is no Name given under Heaven by which Salvation can come but by the Name of Jesus; without Faith it is impossible to please God; without Holiness no man can see God; whosoever will be willing to become Christ's disciple, must be willing to be baptized in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Not by these Names only, but by their Offices towards the Disciples, the free election of the Father, the redemption of the Son, by his incarnation, suffering and satisfaction to Divine Justice, and the sanctification of the Holy Ghost. These are the Terms of Communion contained in Christ's Commission to his Apostles, and to their Successors, Ministers of the Gospel, which is necessary imported when he said, Lo, I am with you to the end of the world. But there is further required of these Ministers than of the Disciples, for they are ordered to teach them all things whatsoever Christ hath commanded. It is no insuperable task to find out the things that are necessary to be believed for obtaining Salvation.  
Church-men have been too apt to state the Question, what they may command, and not what they must command, for obtaining the Communion of the Church in all Divine Ordinances, which ought to be refused to none who in the judgement of charity should be esteemed to be in the favour of God and in the way of Salvation.  
If these who pretend to be Disciples, do hold Opinions evidently inconsistent with the means of salvation, they cannot be esteemed to believe these necessary means which is not to be stretched to far distant consequences, which ordinary capacities cannot perceive.  
A main ground of the disquiet of Christians, of the breach of Christian Communion, of Brotherly Kindness, and of Persecution, hath been the imposing of more to be professed and practised, as necessary for salvation, than is truly necessary, and the imposers have been the true cause of Schism, though ordinarily they cried out against those whom they chased away as schismatics.  
It is an ordinary defence, that their being turned out, compelled or punished, was through their own fault, in being obstinate against clear light holden forth by the Church, and therefore they could not pretend Persecution. Nothing can be more frivolous and fallacious than this, for on that ground a few learned and pregnant Spirits might condemn and persecute a whole Church, on pretence, that they were obstinate and had sufficient light shown them, but that they shut their eyes against it, and could not answer the Arguments adduced or extricate themselves, but obstinacy must be that only which is evident to every capacity, or otherwise there behoved to be as many Rules of Faith and Manners as there are several degrees of judgement; whereas there can be only two, one for the Flock, another for the Pastors, who must so led the Flock, that the weakest Lamb be not left, nor any division made in the Flock to drive them by parcels, and as they have strength.  
It hath been a great occasion of Schism and Persecution, that there hath been only one Confession for a whole National Church, both for the Flock and their Pastors ordinarily stuffed with scholastic and obstruse Terms, and the discussing of intricate Questions, whereas there ought to be one for the Flock, containing only things necessary for Salvation, and another for the Pastors, of things convenient to be known, and persuaded by Teachers, but not imposed, for it is the duty of Teachers to explain and clear all that is revealed, but if the plurality could impose their interpretation upon the rest, and require their approbation, what dissimulation and persecution behoved to be amongst the Pastors themselves, there being such a multitude of various interpretations of many places in Scripture, would the mayor part think it sufficient to say, that they had holden forth sufficient light, and that the rest were obstinate, with what countenance then can they use that reason against the Vulgar.  
The Pastoral Confession may be more easily determined than the Vulgar to be the catholic Doctrine of the universal Christian Church, that is, the Doctrine which all Christian National Churches do hold, which easily appear by the Confessions of Faith, showing evidently enough in what things they all agree, and what is peculiar to any National Church.  
There are but Four National Christian Churches in Christendom, the Greek Church, whereof the Muscovitish is only in Christendom, the Roman Church, the Church that holds the Augustan Confession, which name themselves the evangelic Church, and are commonly called Lutherans, and the Reformed Church. These two last are the National Churches of divers Kingdoms and States, which are not united, but have several Confessions, wherein are intermixed the Form of Government, Ceremonies, and Discipline, but Confessions of Faith are only Matters of Faith and doctrinal, different from these; and hardly will any man be so peremptory as to say, that the Form of Government or Discipline, or Ceremonies, are to be asserted, as either to be of Divine Right, or to be against the same, but that it is sufficient for Pastors, much more for People, to live under them, though not to approve them further than that they are Ecclesiastical Constitutions. The Anabaptists, Arminians, Familists, Quakers, or the Socinians, have never been so far favoured by Divine Providence as to become National Churches.  
These National Churches have their peculiar Doctrines which are not catholic, wherein the Church of Rome exceeds all others, yet are they so impudent as to pretend, that they have only the catholic Doctrine, yea, that they are the only Church wherein Salvation can be found. The Greek Church hath also a multitude of peculiar Doctrines; And the Lutherans have too many, but far fewer than either of these, and such as are not inconsistent with Faith and good Manners, which therefore should not exclude them from communion of the Reformed, though they exclude them. They hold Consubstantiation, but without Adoration, and therefore it is but a contemplative Error, as is their Opinion of Universal Grace purchased by Christ to all by their Birth or Baptism. The Church of England in their Liturgy professes not to doubt that all that are baptized, are truly regenerated, which were better forborn, because it is dubious, capable of two interpretations, for if all be taken collectively, it is neither a catholic Doctrine, nor true, but if it be meant distributively and in the judgement of charity, it importeth no more, than that there is no particular person whom they see or know to be lawfully baptized whom in the judgement of charity they do not believe to be regenerated.  
The reformed Churches are of all others the most truly catholic and Orthodox, for there is no Doctrine they hold concerning Faith and Holiness, which is not held by all National Christian Churches, with whom they differ only in refusing to believe the peculiar Doctrines which any of them do profess, and is rejected by others, which is evident as to the Churches of the Augustan Confession, and acknowledged by the sober and judicious of both sides, though many of them be extremely rigid, in denying communion to these, who believe not their peculiar Doctrines to be true, much less to be necessary to be believed for attaining Salvation, seeing they were not heard of in the Church for many hundred Years. Some of them also do attribute to the Reformed the superlapsarian way of explicating Election and Reprobation, which is in none of their Confessions, but held by a few both Popish and Protestant.  
If these two Confessions were made the measure of comprehension, and of admission to, and exclusion from the Communion of the Church, and of the Ministry of it, then were it easy to hold the Union of the Faith in the Bond of Peace, not only among the Members of the same Church, but between different Churches, though they held peculiar Doctrines, if they did not hold them necessary to be believed, if they did not pervert the Faith and overthrow Souls, as doth the peculiar Doctrines of the Church of Rome, which has justly made all other Churches not only separate from them, but refuse communion with them. They were accustomend to make use of harsh Expressions of some Protestants as the Doctrine of their Confession, and did ever distort and mis-state the Controversies with Protestants, not suffering their Laity to red Protestant Books holding truly forth their own opinion, that they may keep them captive in error and malice, whereof they are now of late become to be ashamed by the method of the Bishop of Condom, so much applauded by the Pope and many eminent Doctors of that Church, yet containing evident grounds of separation from them.  
Seeing these Confessions ought to be the Rule, how unnecessary, yea how hurtful must it be to require the approbation of any, of the different Forms of Government of the Church, or of the different ways of exercising discipline, even by these that are free to submit to them and live under them, though they do not approve them as the best way, or warranted by Divine Institution immediately, or by a power committed to the Church.  
But how much more intolerable is it to require as necessary to communion the approbation or practise of Ceremonies not commanded in Scripture, upon pretence of Decency and Order, or of a Power given the Church to supply or institute Ceremonies exclusive of Church-communion, though the Church, as all Societies may and must determine circumstances, and prohibit what is undecent or disorderly, as being opposite to Civil virtue, though not to the Christian virtues; for who can pretend, that he who doth not behave in Vestures, Gestures, or Forms of Expression or Salutation, according to the mode of the time and place in which he is, or is not affable, but sour and reserved, hath thereby sinned, much less is to be excluded from Christian communion. But if the Church shall assume a power to impose not only Civil but Religious Ceremonies, as outward Signs of inward Grace, or Christian virtues, they may not only warrantably exceed the Church of Rome, but even the number of the Jewish Ceremonies, which yet the Gospel acknowledges to be a yoke of Bondage; if they can coin one Religious Ceremony, why not two, and so forth to a Million?  
Should then the Church as the Terms of Communion impose Forms of Preaching, or Prayer, as exclusive of all others, neither requiring the ability nor diligence of the Ministry or others, but which may be performed by every one who can comelily red, like the ordinary Service of the Church of Rome, though they may assist by examples of Prayer and Homilies, they ought not to prescribe them as Rules or Conditions of Communion of the Church or the Ministry.  
These things being thus cleared, the just limits of Ecclesiastical Authority and Liberty of Conscience will easily appear, for no Christian can pretend Liberty of Conscience, against the Principles of Christianity, evident and inculcated in the holy Scripture as necessary to salvation; and if they should, the Church may justly reject them as not being Christians, neither can the Ministers of the Church pled Liberty of Conscience in being a Minister of the Church, and yet refuse to teach the catholic Doctrine held by all National Christian Churches, and if they should, they may be justly rejected, or rejected from the Ministry of the Church, as being unfit to teach or rule a Christian Congregation, which yet will not exclude them from the communion of the Church as Members of the Flock, if they hold these things that are necessary for salvation.  
And on the other part, if the Church impose more, Liberty of Conscience may justly be pleaded, not only because Liberty requires no other proof than that there is no sufficient proof for any contrary command, but more particularly and clearly it hath Christ's express warrant, saying, stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made you free, and be not again entangled in the yoke of bondage, which certainly will not only extend to the Jewish yoke of Bondage, but to any other yoke that Christ hath not imposed.  
Liberty of Conscience, as it relates to civil authority, is quiter another matter, than the Liberty to be pleaded with the Church, which hath nothing to do but with these that are Christians, nor can govern any but these of their own Church; but as to civil authority, the question must be, what by the duty of their Office they are obliged to do in relation to Religion, and consequently what may be pleaded with them for liberty of Conscience in Religion, not only by Christians of a National Church, but even by other Christians, and these who are not Christians, for all Mankind have a natural Conscience, which by the light of Nature goeth a great length both to direct and correct them in their duty to God and Man, and none but God can oblige their Conscience, and consequently their practise according to their Conscience, but in so far as they can convince them from Divine Principles in their minds by reason or revelation.  
It is a horrid Atheistical evasion to say, that the Conscience is free and subject to none, but God; as all thoughts are free, because no creature can know them, but the profession and practise are not free; and this pretence, that God having made man by his nature so passable a creature, that he is not able to bear the execrable inventions of men by lingering torture, though he could bear death, whereof there are so innumerable examples of the late Persecution of the Protestants in France and piedmont, which overcome the power of Nature, and has made multitudes abjure their Religion and profess the contrary Superstition, both being against the light of their Conscience. This pretence is utterly inconsistent with the most terrible threatening that ever was used by Christ the Prince of Peace. Whosoever denieth me before men, him will I deny before my Father who is in heaven. It doth also encroach upon the Wisdom, Justice, and Goodness of God, who is always able to support these that trust in him, under the severest sufferings that ever he doth permit, whereof he hath given plentiful experiences, even in these cruel Persecutions, in which Death was sought for as hide treasure, but was refused, but, which is more, he has made Martyrs sing in the midst of consuming flames.  
The smart of persecution hath set mens wit a work to lay grounds for eviting it; and therefore some do deny all power of civil sovereigns to constrain or punish upon account of Religion, their Commission being only as to Righteousness between Man and Man, and Sobriety of every Man. Upon which ground, Atheism, Blasphemy, and Contempt of God, should be no punishable Crimes, which would extinguish the clearest light of Nature, as well as of Revelation, and suppose God to have provided no Law in relation to himself.  
Others make the Rule and Measure of Civil Authority to be only the Light and Law of Nature, but not to extend to instituted and revealed Religion, and therefore can compel or punish none, but these that violate the clear light of Nature; but this pretence is likewise groundless, for the light of Nature doth not oblige as, or because it is the light of Nature, that is, because it's known by inbred or natural Principles, or because it is suitable to the Nature of Man, but as it is and manifests the Command of God, who writes it on Man's heart. Therefore where ever the Command of God doth appear, his Vicegerents are obliged no less to promote it than the light of Nature, in so far as they and their Subjects acknowledged Divine Principles known by revelation by them both, in so far as concern the outward man, which is the only object of Civil Power for the common interest of Mankind, which is its chief design, doth not admit that the civil powers should inquire into the secret thoughts of men, and therefore they are not obliged to discover these things that may take away their Life or famed, unless they be otherways proven, or other proof be ready to prove them. And therefore Joshua did not abjure Achan to confess his crime, before it was proven by the Lot ordained by God; for then only it became a glorifying of God, not only to confess the fault, but to show the truth of it, in bringing forth the Babylonish Garment and the Wedge of Gold hide in his Tent.  
Others hold, that the Civil Powers have no Warrant to proceed against the Church or its Members, without an anticedent judgement of the Church, which is owned by the Church of Rome, and hath been a main occasion of the congregational way of independent or insubordinate Congregations, acknowledging no other Church-Authority, but what is in a single Congregation, which can meet and hear the Word of God together, acknowledging no Superior Church-Authority. Yet Christ's Commission was not to the People, but to the Apostles and their Successors in Office, not severally, only in relation to their particular Congregations, but also jointly; the Spirits of the Prophets are subject to the Prophets, for God is not the God of Confusion, but of Order; which reason clears, that the subjection is not only in relation to the extraordinary gift of Prophesying. Yet that error doth not exclude from Church-communion, because it concerns only Government. These gathered Congregations are ordinarily good men, but the consequence of that way is exceeding bad; for if it should prevail, it would not only consist of the pious, but all others that retain the name of Christians, would set up such other Churches, wherein there would be nothing but outward formality at best, and such People, such Priests, wanting the good example of the pious picked out in the first Congregations.  
There is another Error, which hath been the chief cause of Dissimulation or Persecution, that sovereign Powers being Christian, owning and establishing a National Church, ought to compel all their Subjects to hear Instruction, and after a competent time, to comform their Profession to the Church, or to be reputed as obstinate, and to be punished until they do comform. Thus the Church of Rome excited all Princes of their communion to compel Jews and Turks to become Christians, and them and all Christians to approve the whole Doctrine and practise of the Church of Rome, whereby such execrable hypocrisy and Cruelty hath been used in many Countries. The whole Jews in the Spanish Dominions were persecuted, and many of them run to other Countreys, and were there also destroyed to a vast number. The Mahometan Moors also were compelled to profess the Christian Religion, though they and their posterity for long time secretly practised their own superstition, which the whole World since hath abhorred.  
There is another prevailing Error a little narrower, That the Civil Powers are obliged to suffer none to have the public Worship of God, but these only of that Church which they approve, giving the rest only toleration within their own doors, without admitting any but three or four more, punishing all severely, who can be proven to have been present at any other public Worship, and forcing these who differ but from the Church in smaller matters to comform, as being no different Sect, but bogling Fanaticks, to be recovered by the Spur and Whip. The effect of this must be, that these have Zeal for the public Worship of God, and cannot comply with the National Establishment, will be persecuted; and these who please to make pretence of unclearness, to join with the National Church, may, if they please, be Atheists, or at least have no Worship of God, public or private.  
The Solemn public Worship of God, is the greatest Homage done him upon Earth, and is one indispensible Duty upon all Mankind, to avouch God in public Devotion according as he hath revealed the acceptable Way of his Worship, at least so far as the light of Nature convinces all that have the use of Reason. When the Church was but in one Nation, God required a Solemn Worship of all the Males come to discretion several times of the year, being convened by the Temple; but when the Christian Church was to be diffused through the World, such a Solemnity of public Worship was not to be required, but that it should dwindle down into single Congregations, and the far greatest part of Nations be forced from it; if the Civil Powers should own that as the true Church which consisted but of few persons, it were the monstrousest change imaginable; and if that ground be good, the case may hold, seeing the sovereign Powers must needs have their discretion what Profession to own and establish. It is not long since the fiftieth part of Britain might have been the public National Church, yea, less than the hundredth part; so that all the rest should have been barred and beaten from public Worship.  
Therefore this ground is not maintainable, and on the contrary, the Civil Powers are obliged in duty to make all their Subjects perform public Worship to God; so that if they had in their Dominions these who worship the Heathen Gods, they ought to punish them if they refuse instruction to worship the true God, and to renounce all Idolatry, they could no more pled Liberty of Conscience, than Murtherers, Robbers, Adulterers or Sodomites, because the light and law of Nature is no less convincing, the existence of one God absolutely perfect, and that he is to be worshipped, than that these Vices are to be punished.  
If they were Mahometans in the Dominions of Christian Princes, they ought to compel them so far as the light and law of Nature extended, seeing they aclowledge the only one God, and are not Idolaters, yet so as to punish them for any contempt expressed of Christ or the Christian Religion, albeit they did deny that they were persuaded of the truth of it, or used their shifts against the reasons to convince them.  
They might also make the Jews to perform public Worship, according to what is revealed in the Old Testament acknowledged by them; so that they did not blaspheme Christ or the Christian Religion, albeit they did defend themselves against the reasons adduced for it, and did profess, that they were not persuaded thereby.  
But none of these ought to be compelled to profess the Christian Religion, tho' they might be compelled to hear reason for convincing and persuading them to embrace it, but not to make them answer and dispute against these reasons, which yet may be brought in by anticipation, for Christians would not like to be so treated by them, neither is there sufficient evidence of persuasion, the not answering to the reasons adduced, for many may be puzzled that are far from being persuaded.  
It remains then to be considered, what is incumbent to Christian Soverains in reference to Christian Subjects; wherein it is clear, that they ought to inquire what is the Religion and Way of Worship, most acceptable to God, both for the safety of their own Souls and these of their Subjects, and that they are not bound by implicit Faith, or upon the assertion of one Way, or any particular Church, to prefer it to another, without considering and being convinced of the reasons of pference, and whatever Church they choose they ought to protect and encourage, and to endeavour to have a settled maintenance for the Ministry and Service of that Church, as a part of the public Revenue, to be so employed at their discretion, and they ought to give that Church their just freedom, and may punish such of them as neglect or contemn the public Worship of God.  
They may also confirm their Confessions, Canons, and Discipline, by Law, Sanctions, privileges, and Penalties, upon the obstinate disobedience of their own Members, but in every particular to have the judgement of discretion, and should confirm no more than what they judge requisite, although Civil Remedies follow ecclesiastic Censures of course, yet they ought to hear the Complaints of Parties, in order to their Civil Penalties, and consider whether the Church has proceeded according to its Rules and Canons, and if not, to deny their concourse, yet ought they not to hinder their ecclesiastic Censures to have their intrinsic and proper effect, for that is a part of the liberty of the Church.  
Civil sovereigns are thus Guardians, Nursing-Fathers of the Church, and {αβγδ}, Overseers of the Church, as to their own Civil Remedies, which are extrinsic to the Church; but there is no ground thence to pretend, that they are Heads of the Church, or that they can other ways determine of the actings of the Church, but by declaring, that they are free, unless they encroach upon the light and law of Nature, which they ought to punish no less than any other crime, notwithstanding the judgement of the Church, or if the Church become so corrupt, that separation from it may be warrantable, they may by the judgement of discretion with the same freedom withdraw their concourse as they gave it, in which case they ought to establish others as the National Church, and communicate thereto the former privileges. They may also call consultative Meetings of Church-men, in order to their Confirmation of the Church, or of their particular Actings, in which they may proceed or appoint others to proceed, but cannot warrantably so do in the authoritative Assemblies of the Church, much less can they impose Offices or Ceremonies upon pretence that they are extrinsic to the Doctrine of the Church, seeing the Church itself hath no warrant so to do, much less Civil Authority, although the Church had that power it were intrinsic to them.  
Thus Moses and Aaron may kindly agree, and be mutual helps each to other; the Church ought to teach and exhort, that all due obedience may be given to the Civil Powers, Honour to whom Honour, Custom to whom Custom, and to give Caesar that which is Caesar's, and to God that which is God's. The Church hath an antecedent judgement in what is by ecclesiastic Authority, but not as to that which is in the proper Commission and Power of the Civil Magistrate. It is an intolerable encroachment of the Church of Rome, upon Civil Authority, that Church-men are not to be punished for crimes, without the antecedent judgement of the Church, & nisi tradantur in brachium seculare though the crime were committed while they are in exercise of Ecclesiastical Acts; but their antecedent judgement is only in order to things intrinsic to the Church, which ought to precede the extrinsic determinations of State, which cannot determine Matters of Faith, or any thing intrinsic to the Church, without the preceding judgement of the Church. And, on the other part, the Censures of the Church may be adhibited in the same things which belong to the Civil Authority; they may censure Crimes, but in these the antecedent judgement belongeth unto the Civil Powers, and the Church ought not to adduce Witnesses to prove Crimes, more than to prove Civil Rights, though upon the common famed of the scandal, they may exclude from Church-Ordinances, but if the party be absolved by the Civil Authority, they ought to acquiesce therein.  
There is no ground to doubt, but God who hath instituted both Civil and ecclesiastic Authority, would not leave them to clash and interfere, as inconsistent, and therefore they must have their proper limits, tho' they be difficult to be found out.  
The next question is, what is incumbent for the Civil Authority in relation to their Christian Subjects that do not submit to the Communion of the National Church. First, then as Civil Authority to cause all their Subjects to worship God so far as natural Light or their acknowledged Principles will go, there can be no exceptions of Christians as to that point, that they ought not to be hindered, but to be compelled to worship God publicly with some society of Christians, if any such be in the Dominions, with which they are free to join; if not, it is the Interest and will be the Wisdom of Civil Authority, rather to remove such, than to suffer a new Schism to arise, and they may hinder any to exerce the Ministerial Office, who do not profess the Christian Doctrine acknowledged by all National Churches. They may also compel these who aclowledge themselves to be Christians, and know that the Scripture is the Word of God, to profess the popular Confession of these things that are necessary for salvation, necessitate Medii; against which, there can be no more plea for liberty of Conscience, than against the light of Nature, the authority of both being Divine, and evidently necessary, following from acknowledged Principles.  
But if there be Societies of Christians in the same Dominion which hold not communion together, by reason of the peculiar Doctrines, either of the National Church, or of that other Society of Christians, tho' they be not approven of by Civil Authority, yet they ought not to be oppressed or suppressed, but enjoy the freedom of lawful Societies, not only to meet for public Worship, but to exerce Government in that way they approve, tho' without assistance of Civil Sanctions, yet so as their disobedient Members must ever join with some Society of Christians, which are to be tolerated, that all may publicly adore the only true God.  
To apply these Grounds to the particular occurring Cases, for eviting Persecution or Dissimulation and hypocrisy.  
1. Suppose sovereign Authority to approve and establish the Church of Rome, they have no Warrant to compel or persecute the Reformed Churches in their Dominions, because all the Members thereof hold all the means necessary to Salvation, and their Ministers hold all the Doctrines acknowledged by all National Churches; and for the same reason they cannot compel or persecute the Churches of the Augustan Confession, albeit they have peculiar doctrines, seeing these do not pervert the Faith, or overturn the Souls of Men.  
2. If the Civil Authority establish a Church of the Augustan Confession, they cannot compel the Reformed Churches in the same Dominion, tho' they keep not communion amongst themselves, by reason of their peculiar Opinions about Government, Ceremonies, or Discipline, seeing all of them hold what is requisite for the Members or Ministers of a Christian Church.  
3. If Civil sovereigns own and establish a Reformed Church to be the National Church, enjoying the privileges and Profits thereof, they ought not to compel or persecute another Reformed Church, differing in Opinions about Government, Ceremonies, or Discipline, nor a Church of the Augustan Confession, tho' they may use all fair means to persuade them fully to unite in one Church, leaving their differences free, or at least to allow mutual communion in Ordinances tho' not in Government, but without constraint.  
4. If Civil Authority establish a Protestant Church, they ought not to compel Papists to comform thereto, but they ought to compel them to perform a public Worship of God, forbearing these things that are against the light of Nature, as the worshipping of any thing which is not God, with religious Worship, directly or indirectly, and particularly the Invocation of Angels, or of the Souls of Men, of the host at the elevation thereof, in the time of Consecration, or in Processions,( without enquiring on what account they kneel at receiving) and forbearing the worshipping of Images, Crosses, relics, without regard to their coined distinction of {αβγδ} & {αβγδ}, and therefore they ought not to hinder Priests to perform their Worship in the way it is allowed, yet they ought to exclude Jesuits, and such Fire-brands, as trafficking Seminary Priests, from coming into the country, but only such Parochial Priests as shall be found sober and willing to abstain from the forenamed idolatrous practices. They may be also compelled to forbear any doctrine or practise against the Light of Nature, as Equivocation, Mental Reservation, not observing Engagements with these they call heretics, or subjecting the sovereign Civil Powers to the Pope or Church of Rome.  
Anabaptists Churches ought also to have their proper liberty, tho' their Members are not convinced that Infants may be baptized, yet Infant-Baptism being approven by all National Churches, their Ministers should not be tolerate, unless they aclowledge Infant-baptism, wherein they have no reason to complain, for they may find Ministers of that judgement willing to serve them.  
Neither have these of the Roman Communion any reason to think they are hardly dealt with, when they consider their cruel persecutions against Protestants, but rather should account it an evidence of the true Disciples of Christ, to do good for evil: their Doctrine, as now exponed by the Bishop of Condam, and applauded by the Pope, doth not require worship of Angels, Saints, or Images, and they do forbear Processions where they are tolerated in Protestant Countries, to evite the scandal of adoring the Host, and therefore cannot refuse to forbear the unnecessary elevation for adoration, which was only introduced by the Lateran Council.  
These Sects who pretend to be Christians, and yet deny the evident Principles of Christianity, and will not be baptized in the Name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, or will not aclowledge the personal Trinity, and Unity of the Godhead, or the Incarnatian of the Son, or the Sacrament of the Eucharist, they ought either to renounce the name of Christians, and profess to be Heathens, or Theists, as some are now called, or otherwise they ought to be compelled to profess the doctrines which are the means necessary for Salvation.  
From these grounds proposed, it will easily appear, how far the Liberty of Conscience may warrantably be pleaded, and that it is never to be pleaded against the clear light of Nature, nor by Christians, against these things that are revealed as necessary for salvation, nor by Christian Ministers, against the doctrines received by all National Churches.  
Besides the Reasons already adduced, for the several Grounds proposed, there are very urgent Reasons for the whole.  
1. It is not possible in any other way to shun Persecution, and thereby hypocrisy and Dissimulation, men professing and practising against the light of their Conscience, to the dishonour and offence of God, and the ruin of their Souls. The Church of Rome( which is not wanting in cunning and policy) found there was no way to keep men under their obedience, without asserting the Infallibility of the Church, and the Duty of Implicit Faith in their determinations, tho' not only beyond, but contrary to the clearest light, by the judgement of discretion, which being obtained, the eyes of their followers were pulled out, so that without any reluctancy they might be lead whither they pleased. With what countenance then can Protestants( who have constantly declared their abhorrence of Implicit Faith) require any other thing of these of their communion, than what they can clearly convince them of, not by long train of Arguments, but by clear Principles, and immediate Consequences, which will not only puzzle, but persuade men, thinking at leisure by themselves, and imploring the aid of God, against prejudice and deception. Persecution in Protestants is infinitely more pernicious in the persecutors, and more intolerable by the persecuted, being done by these, who in doing of it do not pretend falliblity, and frequently cannot pretend evidence and necessity.  
2. It doth much reflect upon the wisdom and goodness of God, that having given a Rule of Faith and Manners, by a written Word, should not have made the things necessary for salvation fully evident; as to the truth of the matter, tho' the manner be mystical in many things, was this omitted, because God could not, or because he would not make what was necessary clear? would he then require, as the common Rule of Christian Communion, any further than what is necessary and evident.  
3. The design both of God and Man, in setting up Civil Powers, was, that Mens Lives, Liberties and Properties might be better secured than when they were in subordinate Families, can it then be supposed, that any Liberty was so much to be secured as the Liberty of their Consciences in the Worship of God, whereby they might be free from his Wrath and Eternal Damnation, and might choose the Way they found safest to save their Souls, and attain Eternal Happ●ness? Was there ever a Civil Government constituted on these express terms, that all the Subjects should worship whatever Object, and in whatever Manner the sovereign Power should at option choose, or impose, and that for disobedience thereto, Subjects should lose their Lives, Liberties, or Estates? Certainly there is no pretence for it from any History or Record; yea, if it had been, it could not oblige, because it was not in their power so to engage, much less can it be presumed, that the most slavish fear could ever induce men, in their wits, so to engage themselves and their Posterity.  
4. All sovereigns do chiefly consider and aim at the plenty and prosperity of their Common-Wealths. If then they compare the condition of the same Countries, while they had no Liberty of Conscience, and when they had it, what a vast difference will they find? that part of the Netherlands, which, while under the Spanish Dominion, and without any Liberty of Conscience, was but the residence of poor Fishermen; since they attained Liberty of Conscience, are now a powerful and plentiful State. France, while it enjoyed the Liberty of Conscience, was famous and flourishing, now it is become poor and languishing since that Liberty was taken away.  
5. In the present juncture of Affairs, how dangerous, if not destructive were it, to make so great a Body of Protetestants malcontent and disquiet, or even to render peaceable Papists desperate.  
But if the just and fit Measures of Liberty in Religion cannot during this Session of Parliament be adjusted, because of other great Affairs presently urging, it is most necessary, that a Consultative Meeting of Divines, chosen by the several Communions, should be appointed to meet, and confer upon the best Means to prevent Persecution, before the King, and such as shall be name to assist, by him and the Parliament; and that in the mean time, the Penal Laws for Nonconformity should be suspended, at least against Protestants.  
The Grounds here proposed cannot be brangled with, the pretence of venting and spreading Blasphemies and dangerous doctrines in hidden Conventicles, where they cannot be discovered or anticipated before they raise new Schisms, or that they will encourage all Sects to proselyte settled Churches. For there being none allowed to Preach but these, who approve the catholic doctrine of all National Churches, there can be no such danger. And if these be ordained to have stated and known Meeting-houses, it will give no warrant or encouragement to secret Conventicles. It is also specially cautioned, that the arising of new Sects are not to be allowed in Churches where they are not in such number as should be allowed the liberty of public Worship: Nor will the maintenance of Ministers upon their Congregations Contributions encourage many to withdraw from the National Constitution after a just comprehension; nor any Protestants, but such who dare not, for the peace of their Conscience, serve God in a way whereof they doubt.  
It is not to be imagined, that Protestants will take up the pitiful Pretences used for the French Dragoons, from the Master of the Marriage-feast, ordering to compel all on the High-ways to come in, that being but a Parable, and even from the words of it is evident, that it is not a compulsion of force, but of fervent persuasion, or else he that came without the Wedding-garment, could not with justice be bound hand and foot and cast out; much less can the Apostles wish, that they were even cut off that trouble the Church, be understood a cutting off by the Sword, but by ecclesiastic Censure.  
FINIS.