1. Reaſ. BEcauſe the great and mighty God, who is King of Kings and Lord of Lords, hath not impoſed matters of Religion upon the Conſciences of Men and Women by any outward force: God hath not appointed Death, nor Banniſhment, nor Impriſonment, nor loſs of goods, as a means to bring perſons to conform to the way of his Worſhip; but God hath given his Word, and favoured the World with ſuch as can Preach it, whoſe work is to invite, intreat, perſwade; and not in a lordly way to domineer over the Conſciences of Men and Women, whether they be Rich or Poor.

2. Reaſon, Becauſe all ſorts of mankind are fallable in ſome Divine matters, even in all Countreys; the Princes, the Prieſts, and the People, are yet ſhort of infallabillity in many matters of Divinity; yea the moſt Eminent Miniſters of the Goſpel in the Primitive time confeſſed they ſaw but in part, and they knew but in part; and ſaid to their fellow Chriſtians, that they would not lord or domineer over them, but be helpers of their Joy.

3. Reaſon, Becauſe all ſorts of perſons do deſire this as a great good for themſelves, even thoſe that are for diſtreſſing of, and impoſing upon others, would not be ſo dealt with themſelves, but would Account it hard meaſure, yea cruelty, to be forced to ſuch things in Religion as are againſt their Conſciences, or elſe to ſuffer in their Purſe or Perſons. As for inſtance, the Epiſcopal Proteſtant would doom it great Perſecution to be puniſhed if he would not turn Presbyterian, Independant, Baptist, or Quaker; and why then ſhould the Epiſcopal Proteſtant take pleaſure in puniſhing of, and ſo force any of the others to be of his mind? And therefore great and good Reaſon it is to walk by that Bleſſed Rule Chriſt hath given, Do unto others as you would they ſhould do unto you, and what you would not others ſhould do unto you, do not to them.

4. Reaſon, Becauſe forcing the Conſcience is the Ready way to make men Hypocrites; for if perſons conform to any way of Worſhip unwillingly, they cannot ſerve God acceptably, though the matter and form of worſhip be never ſo Right, becauſe the heart of the Worſhippers is not Right, the Service being performed by by Mans Compulſion; God requireth that his Service ſhould be performed with a perfect heart, and with a willing mind; but he that conforms by Compulſion, in ſtead of being Gods Servant, he is but Mans ſlave: and the Conformity is to Man, and not to God.

5. Reaſon, Becauſe His Majeſty did Sollemnly promiſe Liberty of Conſcience in matters of Religion, when he was at Breda, Juſt upon his Reſtauration to his Throne and Kingdoms, in April 1660. In theſe words: We do declare a Liberty to Tender Conſciences and that no man ſhall be diſquieted, or called in Queſtion for differences of opinion in matters of Religion, which doe not diſturb the Peace of the kingdom; & that we ſhall be Ready to Conſent to ſuch an Act of Parliament as upon mature deliberation ſhall be offered to us, for the full granting that Indulgence.

6. Reaſon, Becauſe the proſecuting the Proteſtant Deſſenters for matters of Conſcience, is a great diſquieting of the minds of great numbers of his Majeſties good Subjects, and a great hinderance to the Trade of the Kingdom, the Diſſenters being a great part of the Trading People of this Kingdom; and ſome thing of this his Majeſty was gratiouſly pleaſed to take into his Princely Conſideration, when he put forth his indulging Declaration, by the advice of his Privy Councel, in March, 1672. after a violent proſecution of that Act againſt Conventicles, in theſe very words: But it being Evident by the ſad Experience of Twelve Years, that there is very little fruit of all thoſe. FORCEABLE courſes: we think our ſelf obliged to make uſe of that Supream Power in Eccleſiaſtical matters, which is not only inherent in us but hath been declared and recognized to be ſo by ſeveral Statutes and Acts of Parliament; and therefore we do now accordingly Iſſue this our Declaration, as well for the quieting of the minds of our good Subjects in theſe points, for inviting of Strangers in this conjuncture to come and liue under us, and for the better incouragement of all to a cheerful following of their Trade and Callings, from whence we hope by the bleſſing of God to have many good and happy advantages to our Government.

7. Reaſon, Becauſe the Lords and Commons Aſſembled in Parliament, ſence thoſe Declarations have upon MATURE DELIBERATION conſidered the ill conſequences of proſecuting the Proteſtant Diſſenters by the penal Laws, and have ſhewed their willingneſs to a Toleration, and prohibiting of a proſecution of Proteſtants for matters of Conſcience.

8. Reaſon, Becauſe the French Proteſtants, who are the Diſſenters from the Eſtabliſhed Worſhip of that Kingdom, are gratiouſly Received by the King, and kindly Received and ſuccoured by the People of England, and the French King is highly blamed for Perſecuting his peaceable Subjects; and therefore much more Reaſon that Proteſtants ſhould not perſecute one another, for it is to do the ſame things that is condemned in others: therefore let the words of the Apoſtle Paul be well conſidered, Rom. 2. 1. Thou art inexcuſable, O man, whoever thou art, that Judgeſt another, thou condemneſt thy ſelf, for thou that Judgeſt doeſt the ſame things thy ſelf; Verſe 3. And thinkeſt thou, O man, that Judgeſt them which do ſuch things, and doeſt the ſame, that thou ſhalt eſcape the Judgment of God?

9. Reaſon, There is a good and great Agreement between the Conforming, and Non-conforming Proteſtants, in the Chief things of the Proteſtant Religion: as for Inſtance; 1. Both parties believe in the holy Trinity, viz. The Father, Son, and holy Ghoſt: 2. That Jeſus Chriſt is very God and very Man, and the only Saviour of Sinners: 3. That Salvation doth depend upon the miraculous Birth, the holy Life, the painful Death, the wonderful Reſurection, the Joyful Aſcention, the conſtant Interceſſion, and the ſecond coming of Jeſus Chriſt: 4. Both parties believe that the Worſhip of God, and the Converſations of men, ought to be according to the holy Scriptures, and not according to the inventions of any ſort of mankind: 5. Both parties do deny all Mediators but only Jeſus Chriſt, and abhor praying to deceaſed Saints: 6. Both parties deny a Purgatory, and do believe and profeſs a Heaven of Eternal Joy for the godly, and a Hell of Eternal woe for the wicked. All theſe things more largely and plainly are made manifeſt in Confeſſions of Faith, Printed by the Diſſenting Proteſtants as well as by the Conforming Proteſtants. Now the matters wherein they differ from each other being ſmaller then the former things, and yet ſuch as each partty cannot conform unto without wronging their Conſcience, and ſo ſinning againſt God, therefore they ought not to be Forced.

10. Reaſon, Becauſe Perſecution for matters of Conſcience is a Breach of the good Rules of Humanity, and common Civility among all ſorts of men, which is carefully obſerved in ſmaller matters: as for inſtance, among the many Creatures of God that are Food for mens Bodies, ſome things that are very pleaſing and comfortable Food for ſome men, the ſame things are very Deſtructive to the health of other men; now in this Caſe there is ſuch Civility among all ſorts of men that they hate and ſcorn to force one anothers Stomacks, looking upon it to be an inhumane practiſe; and therefore do friendly, ſay to each other, Pray eat that which will beſt go down, and agree with your Stomack. Now for as much as Conſcience is greater then Stomack, and the hurt of the Soul greater then the hurt of the Body, how much more ſhould perſons, eſpecially Proteſtants, be thus friendly one to another in matters of Conſcience?

11. Reaſon, Becauſe all Proteſtants ought to behave themſelves towards each other as Brethren, there being ſo good and great agreement between them in the chief things of Religion; Eſpecially they being all in a like danger of the Bloody Papiſts, who if ever the Government ſhould fall into their Bloody hands, (which God of his mercy prevent) then the ſame miſeries that may befal the Proteſtant Diſſenters, will certainly befal the Conforming Proteſtants; if they prove true to their Proteſtant Principles, they will all be deemed Hereticks, and muſt ſuffer as much in their Eſtates and Perſons; and therefore inſtead of Perſecuting one another, they ſhould love each other, and pray for each other, and ſay as Abraham ſaid to Lot, Let there be no ſtrife between me and thee, for we are Brethren: and more eſpecially becauſe the Popiſh Cannonite and Perrizite are now too much in the Land.

12. Reaſon, Becauſe the Proteſtant Diſſenters do not belong to any Forraign Power, but do abhor, deteſt, and proteſt againſt all Forreign Power or Juriſdiction over the King, the Kingdom, or any of his Majeſties Subjects; neither are they covetous of Preferment in Church or State, but willingly leave that to his Majeſties wiſdom, and deſire only that they may live a peaceable Life in all Godlineſs and Honeſty under Authority, as Gods Word doth direct.