TOLERATION Tolerated: OR, A late Learned Bishop's Opinion concerning Toleration of Religion With some brief Observations thereon.   

READER,  
I Here present thee with the Opinion of a Dead 
* Bishop Tailor in 〈◊〉 Prop●…, p. 213 Sect. 16. 〈◊〉 ●ue●ion ●, Whether it be 〈◊〉 w●… a Prince to give Toleration to several Religions.  Bishop, since the ●iving are Untoward, and will not Speak; and indeed, should all M●n be silent, not only the Dead, but the very Stones would speak, in such a just and Righteous Cause as is that of His Majesty's: But I will not 〈◊〉 detain thee, only desire thee to observe with me, the great Difference 〈◊〉 One who had no other I was to serve, but these of Truth and Christianity, and these whom 〈◊〉 justly suspected to have a great many little private and particular ends of their Own.   

First, 'TIS a great Fault that Men do call the several Sects of Christians, by the Names of several Religions. The Religion of JESUS CHRIST is the Form of sound Doctrine and wholesome Words, which is set down in Scripture indefinitely; actually conveyed to us by plain Places, and separated as for the Question of Necessary or not Necessary, by the Symbol of the Apostles. Those Impertinencies which the W●… and V●●●ty of some Men, the Pevishness and Moroseness of others, have Commenced, which their Interest have promoted; which serve not Truth so much as their own Ends, are far from being distinct Religions; for matters of Opinions are no part of the Worship of God, nor in Order to it, but as they promote Obedience to his Commandments; and when they contribute towards it, are in that Proportion, as they contribute Parts and Actions, and minute particulars of that Religion they do or pretend to serve. And such are all the Sects and Pretences of Christians, but Pieces and Minute's of Christianity, if they do serve the Great End, as every Man for his own Sect and Interest, believes for his share it doth.  
Secondly, TOLERATION hath a double Sense or Purpose; for sometimes by it, Men understand a public Licence and Exercise of a Sect; sometimes it is only an Indemnity of the Persons, privately to Convene, and to Opine as they see Cause, and as they mean to answer to God. Both these are very much to the same Purpose, unless some Persons we are bound to Satisfy be scandalised, and then the Prince is bound to do, as he is bound to Satisfy. To God it is all one; for Abstracting from the Offence of Persons, which is to be considered, just as our Obligation is to content the Persons; it is all one, whether we indulge to them to meet publicly or privately to do Actions of Religion, concerning which, we are not persuaded that they are truly Holy. To God it is just one to be in the Dark and in the Light, the thing is the same; only the Circumstance of public and private, which cannot be concerned in any thing; nor can it concern any thing but Matter of Scandal, and Relation to the Minds and Fantasies of certain Persons.  
Thirdly, So that to Tolerate, is not to Persecute. And the Question, Whether the Prince may Tolerate divers Persuasions, is no more, than Whether he may lawfully Persecute any Man for not being of his Opinion. Now in this Case, He is just so to Tolerate Diversity of Persuasions, as he is to Tolerate public Actions; for no Opinion is Ju●…, nor no Person Punishable but for a Sin; and if his Opinion by reason of its Managing, or its Effects be a Sin in itself, or becomes a Sin to the Person, then as he is to do towards other Sins, so to that Opinion, or Man so Opining. But to believe so or not so, when there is no more but mere believing, is not in his Power to enjoin, therefore not to punish: And it is not only lawful to Tolerate disagreeing Persuasions, but the Authority of God only is competent to take Notice of it, and infallible to Determinate it, and fit to Judge; and therefore no H●n no Authority is sufficient to do all those things, which can justify the Inflicting Temporal Punishments upon such as do not Conform in their Persuasions, to a Rule or Authority, which is not only fallible, but supposed by the disagreeing Persons to be actually deceived.  
Fourthly, But I consider in the Toleration of a differing Opinion; Religion is not properly and immediately concerned, so as in any Degree to be endangered: For it may be safe in Diversity of Persuasions, and it's also a part of Christian Religions that the Liberty of men's Consciences should be preserved in all things, where God hath not set a Limit, and made a Restraint; that the Soul of Man should be free, and acknowledge no Master but Jesus Christ; that Matters Spiritual, should not be restrained by Punishments Corporal; that the same Meekness and Charity, should be preserved in the Promotion of Christianity, that gave it Foundation, and Increment, and Firmness, in its first Publication; that Conclusions should not be more Dogmatical, than the virtual Resolution and Efficacy of the Premises; and that the Persons should not be more certainly Condemned, than their Opinions Confuted; and lastly, that the Infirmities of Men, and Difficulties of Things, should be both put in Balance, to make Abatement in the Definitive Sentence against men's Persons. But then, because Toleration of Opinions is not properly a Question of Religion, it may be a Question of Policy: And although a Man may be a good Christian, though he believe an Error not Fundamental, and not directly or evidently Impious; yet his Opinion may accidentally disturb the public Peace, through the Overactiveness of the Person, and Confidence of their Belief, and the Opinion of its Appendent Necessity; and therefore Toleration of differing Persuasions in these Cases is to be considered upon Political Grounds; and is just so to be permitted or denied, as the Opinions or Tolerations of them may conflit with the public and necessary Ends of Government. Only this: As Christian Princes must look to the Interest of their Government, so especially must they look to the Interests of Christianity, and not call every Redargation or modest Discovery of an Established Error, by the Name of the Disturbance of the Peace. For it is very like, that the Peevishness and Impatience of Contradiction in the Governors, may break the Peace: Let them remember the Gentleness of Christianity, and the Liberty of Consciences which ought to be preserved; and let them do Justice to the Persons, whoever they are, that are peevish, provided no Man's Person be over-●orn by Prejudice: For if it be necessary for all Men to subscribe to the present Established Religion, by the same Reason, at another time a man may be bound to subscribe to the Contradictory, and so to all the Religions in the World: And they only who by their too much Confidence, entitle God to all their Fancies, and make them to be Questions of Religion, and Evidences for Heaven, or Consignations to Hell, they only think this Doctrine Unreasonable; and they are the Men that first disturb the Church's Peace, and then think there is no appeasing the Tumult, but by getting the Victory; but they that consider things wisely, understand, that since Salvation and Damnation depends not upon Impertinencies, and yet that Peace and Public Tranquillity may; the Prince in this case is to seek how to secure the Government, and the Issues and Intentions of that, while there is in these cases directly no Insecurity to Religion, unless by the accidental Uncharitableness of them that Dispute. Which Uncharitableness is also much prevented when the Public Peace is secured; and no Person is on either side engaged upon Revenge, or troubled with Disgrace, or vexed with Punishments by any Decretory Sentence against him.  
It was a Wise saying of a Statesman (Thuanus I mean) Here●iei qui p●●ce data sa●tionibus S●●●duntur, Persecuti●●e uni●… centra Rempublicam. If you Persecute Heretics or Discrepants, they Unite themselves as to a Common Defence: If you permit them, they divide themselves upon Private I●tre●l, and the rather, if this Interest was the Ingredient of the Opinion.  
Fifthly, The sum is this, It concerns the Duty of a Prince, because it concerns the Honour of God, that all Vices, and every part of ●●-life, be Discountenanced and Restrained, and therefore in Relation to that, Opinions are to be dealt with; for the Understanding being to direct the Will, and Opinions to guide our Practices, they are Considerable only as they teach Impiety and Vice, as they either Dishonour God, or Disobey Him. Now all such Doctrines are to be condemned; but for the Persons Preaching such Doctrine, if they neither justify nor approve the pretended Consequences, which are certainly Impious, they are to be separated from th●e Consideration, but if they know such Consequences, and allow them, or if they do not stay till the Doctrines produce Impiety, but take Sin before hand, and manage them Impiously in any sense; or if either themselves or their Doctrine do Really, and without Colour or feigned Pretence, dusturb the Public Peace and Just Interests, they are not to be suffered. In all other Cases 'tis not only Lawful to permit them, but it is also necessary, that Princes, and all in Authority, should Persecute Discrepant Opinions. And in such Cases, wherein Persons not otherwise incompetent, are bound to reprove an Error (as they are in many.) In all these, if the Prince make restraint, he hinders men from doing their Duty, and from Obeying the the Laws of Jesus Christ. [so for that Learned Bishop]   

HEre this Learned and great Man (whom I think I may safely pronounce one of the greatest Ornaments which the English Church or N●t●on ever had) does not in the least Scruple or Object against His Majesty's Dispensing Power, in Tolerating differing Opinions in Religion; and s●ith that Religion is not properly concerned in the question. so as in any degree to be endangered; and that it may be safe in diversity of Persuasions, and that it is rather a question of Policy than Religion: Nay, he is so ●●r from saying the Prince may Tolerate, that he ●●ith he 〈◊〉, and leaves it not in his choice or power to Choose, and very fairly and candidly seems rightly to state and determine the present Controversies, in giving to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God, the things that are God's. He sets the Prince on his Throne, and makes it his Province to look after Peace, and to take such Measures which may ●●cure the Government, and puts it out of his Power to be concerned with Men's Consciences. This he very justly leaves to the Managery and Conduct of the Great God; And how far His Majesty's Judgement does quadrate with this Great Man's, I shall here briefly set down. For,  
Coming to the Crown of his Ancestors, he presently found himself to be the Head of a divided Body; and that all his Subjects were a Disturbed and Contending People, divided into many differing Sects and Factions; and that having had several Educations, they had several Consciencess, he found also every Sect and Party fiercely carrying on their own little particular Interests; and like Seamen, every one praying for a Wind to carry their own Vessel out of the Heaven, though the same Wind kept their Neighbour's Vessel in the Port or it nay be sunk or overturned it: These things he wisely considered, and thought th●● he had as good be a Sovereign Shepherd, a●… Sovereign King over such a People; therefore ●ade it his business to look into the Causes of such great Disorder, and found that their Feuds and Animosities were about the things of another World; about Truth and Falsehood, Heaven and Hell: And should a People believing in such things be disturbed in their Methods, which they thought most suitable, and proper to obtain the one, or avoid the other, He thought (and that with great reason) His Kingdom here would be very Troublesome and Uneasy; therefore seeing them all Fierce and E●ger, and that they would all be Judges in their own Cause, He undertook to decide their Differences, and to judge for them, not as to matter of Truth, but as to matter of Peace; and like a Wise Chemist, seeing their Differences principally risen from the Mixture and Confusion of things of a Heterogenial Nature, he separated the one from the other, the Spiritual things from the Temporal; left the Spiritual to God and themselves, to whom they most properly belong; and took the Temporal as his just Right, and due to Himself  
The Case stands thus, His Majesty having in a manner wrought a Miracle to Appease his People, viz. To make the Winds blow from all Corners at once, that all their Respective Vessels may Sail together, and none may ever waxy a Wind to Launch out at his pleasure, One would think they should all be satisfied; but we find they are not: And indeed, if we consider things more narrowly, we cannot in Reason expect they should; for things being but in their Formation and growing, if we pull the Fruit before it be ripe, we shall find it have but a Crude and Unsavoury Taste: The Truth is, there has been a Disease a a long time in the Government, and now it comes to be canvased into, and searched, the pain in Curing makes some men love the Disease better than the Remedy; and rather than to be troubled with Dust and Rubbish, and to have a little Noise about their Ears, they had rather have an old rotten House which daily threatens to fall on their Heads) ●hen to have a New One founded on a Rock, ●t●ich the Rains and the Winds, the Wit of ●i●n, or Malice of the Devil, shall be never ●e to pull down.   

POSTSCRIPT  
READER,  
COnscience, which has been long last by some Gentlemen, being lately found in a Paper of Reasons I have just now Read (which may be called Conscientia Rediviva) I dare now let thee know, that the real cause of my Publishing this Paper was my Conscience. I think really in my Conscience, that His Majesty is hearty and sincere in what he proposes, and designs nothing but the Good of all His Subjects in general; and that it is the Duty of every Man to Contribute something towards making such a Settlement as he desires: And I think I have very good Reason for this my Conscience; and so I think might all others, would they but consider things impartially. And since I am got upon the business of Conscience, I find there are several Consciences in the Nation: There is His Majesty's Conscience, the Bishop's Conscience, and the Consciences of all the several Sects and Divisions of Christians amongst us. Now I shall not Examine how Unconscionable some of these Consciences may be, nor how they came by such their differing Consciences, but how (if possible) they may all be satisfied. Then in the first place, 'Tis but a point of good Manners to let His Majesty's Conscience be first satisfied; nay 'tis a point of Prudence too: And if men would but be wise and consider things as they ought, and had really a mind that their Consciences should be satisfied, they would begin here first, and so reconcile their Duty and Interest; for in letting His Majesty to have His Conscience, they really secure their own; for 'tis His Majesty's Conscience, that all Consciences should be satisfied, and that none shall be disturbed in any Way or Method they shall choose to obtain Eternal Life, or secure a Mansion in another Would: But than it is not His Conscience, that any should have the power to Disturb or Ruin their Innocent Neighbours, or be Indulged in a Liberty to choose what Irregular Methods they please in obtaining a Possession in this; and this some Unconscionable Men know, and are very much afraid of; and 'tis His Majesty's Justice they dread, more than his Persuasion; and they could willingly Tolerate the one, so they might be Exempted from the other.  
FINIS.   

London: Printed by G. L. at the Two Swans without Bishopsgate. WITH ALLOWANCE.