ALthough the Benefits wherwith Almighty God has Universally Blest the whole Creation, are a sufficient Check to the Narrowness of their Spirits, who would Unreasonably Confine all Comfort of Life within the streight Compass of their own Party (as if to receed from their Apprehensions, whereof themselves deny any Infallible Assurance, were Reason good enough to deprive other Dissenters of Nature's Inheritance, and which is more peculiar, ENGLAND's FREEDOMS) Yet since it fares so meanly with those Excellent Examples, that many vainly think themselves then best to answer the End of their being born into the World, when by a Severity, which least of all resembles the God of Love, they rigorously prosecute the Extirpation of their Brethren: Let it not seem Unreasonable, or Ill timed, that we offer to your more Serious Thoughts, the great Partiality and Injustice, that seem to be the Compani­ons of a Comprehension, who onely can be concern'd at this time, to pre­vent It, by a more Large and Generous Freedom.

First then, Liberty of Conscience (by which we commonly understand the free Exercise of any Dissenting Perswasion) is but what has been gene­rally pleaded for, even by the Warmest Sticklers for a Comprehension, and without which it would be utterly Impossible, they should be comprehen­ded: The Question then will be this, What Ground can there be, why Some, and not All, should be Tolerated? It must either respect Conscience, or Co­vernment: If it be upon Matter of meer Religion, What Reason is there that one Party should be Tolerated, and another Restrained; since all those Reasons, that may be urg'd by that Party, which is Comprehended, are every whit as proper to the Party Excluded? For if the Former say, They are Orthodox, so say the Latter too; If the one urge, It is Impossible they should Believe without a Conviction; that the Understanding cannot be Forced; that Mild­ness most Gains; that the True Religion never Persecuted; that Severity is most Un­worthy of her; that Sound Reason is the only Weapon which can Disarm the Under­standing; that Coertion doth rather Obdurate then Soften; and that they therefore chuse to be Sincere Dissenters, before Hypocritical Conformists: The other Party says the same. In fine, There can be nothing said for Liberty of Consci­ence, upon Pure Consciencious Grounds, by any one Party in England, that every one may not be Interested in; unless Any will undertake to judge that of Five Sorts of Dissenters, Two are really such on Convictions, and Three upon meer Design. But if such Sentence would be lookt upon as most Arrogant and Unjust, how can it be Reasonable, that those whom some endeavour to exclude, should be thus prejudg'd, and such as are com­prehended, be therefore so only from a strong Opinion of their Reality: We may conclude then, that since Liberty of Conscience is what in it self Comprehenders plead, and that it is evident to affirm this, or that, or the other Party Orthodox, is but a meer Begging of the Question. What may be urg'd for one, is forceable for any other: Conscience (not moveable but upon Conviction) being what all pretend themselves alike concerned in.

But they say, that such as are like to be comprehended, are Persons, not Essentially Differing; that it were pitty to exclude them whose Difference is rather in Minute Matters, then any thing Substantial, whereas you Err in Fundamentals. But how Paradoxal soever such may please to think it, that we should therefore plead the Justice of taking those in, Some unkindly would have left out, we know not; however, we believe it most Reasonable to do so; For certainly the Reason for Liberty or Toleration, should hold Proportion with the Weighty Cause of Dissent, and the Stress Conscience puts upon it. Where Matters are Trivial, they are more blameable that make them a Ground for Dissent, then those who perhaps (were that all the Difference) would never esteem them worth Contending for, much less that they should Rend from that Church, they other-wise Confess to be a True One: So that whoever are Condemnable, certainly those who have been Authors and Promoters of Separation upon meer Toyes and Niceties, are not most of all others to be Justified. Had they conscienciously offer'd some Fundamental Discontent, and pleaded the Impossiblity of reconciling some Doctrines with their Reason or Conscience, yet promising Quiet Living, and all Due Subjection to Government, they might have been thus far more excu­sable, that People would have had Reason to have said; Certainly small Matters could not have induc'd these Men to this Disgraceful Separation, nor any thing of this Life have tempt them to this so Great and Troublesom Alteration: But to take pet at a Ceremony, then Rend from the Church, set up a New Name and Model, gather People, raise Animosity, and only make fit for Blows, by a Furious Zeal kindled in their Heads, against a few Ineptiae, meer Trifles; and being utterly vanquisht from these Proceedings, to become most earnest Sollicitors for a Comprehension; though at the same time of hot Pursuit af­ter this Priviledge, to seek nothing more then to prevent others of Injoy­ing the same Favour, under the Pretence of more Fundamental Difference; Certainly, this shows that had such Persons Power, they would as well Disallow of a Comprehension to those who are the Assertors of those Ce­remonies they receed from, as that for meer Ceremonies they did at first Zealously Dissent, and ever since remain more Unjustifiably Fierce for such Separation. And truly, If there were no more in it then this, it would be enough for us to say, That some in England never Rent themselves from the Church at all, much less for little Matters: that they never endeavour­ed her Exile, but she found them upon her Return, which they Opposed not, nor yet since have any wayes sought to install themselves in her Dig­nities, or enrich themselves by her Preferments. We appeal then to all Sober Men, if what is generally call'd the Episcopal Party of England can with Good Conscience, and True Honour dis-inherit those of their Native Rights, Peace, and Protection, and leave them as Orphants to the wide World, indeed a Naked Prey to the Devourer, who from first to last have never been concerned, either to endeavour their Ruin, or any ways withstand their Return, whilst it may be some of those, who have been the most Vigorous in both, and that for Circumstantial, and not Essential Differences, may be reputed more deserving of a Comprehension, then we are of a Toleration.

But it will be yet said, You are Inconsistent with Government, They are not, therefore You are Excluded, not out of Partiality, but Necessity. What Government besides their own they are consistent with, we leave on the side of Story to tell, who can better speak their Mind then we are either able or Willing to do: But this give us leave to say in general, If any apprehend us to be such as merit not the Care of our Superiours, because suppos'd to be Destructive of the Government, let us be call'd forth by Name, and hear our Charge; and if we are not able to answer the Unbyast Reason of Mankind, in reference to our Consistency with the Peace, Quiet, Trade, Tribute of these Kingdoms, then, and not before, deny us all Protection. But that Men should be con­cluded before heard, and so sentenced for what they really are not, is like Beheading them before they are Born. We do aver, and can make it appear, that there is no one Party more Quiet, Subject, Industrious and in the bot­tom of their very Souls, greater Lovers of the Good Old English Govern­ment and Prosperity of these Kingdoms among the Comprehended, then for ought we yet see, may be found among those who are like to be unkindly Excluded; However if such we were in any one Point, Cure rather then Kill us; and seek the Publick Good some cheaper Way then by our Destruction: Is there no Expedient to prevent Ruin? let Reason qualifie Zeal, and Conscience, Opinion.

To Conclude, If the Publick may be secured, and Conscience freely ex­ercis'd by all, for the same Reasons, it may be some (& since Liberty of Con­science, is Liberty of Conscience, and the Reasons for it, equivalent) We see not in the whole World, why any should be depriv'd of That, which others for no better Reasons are like to injoy.

Let it not then be Unworthy of Such to remember, that God affords his Refreshing Sun to All; The Dung-hill is no more excepted then the most Delightful Plane, and his Rain falls alike both upon the Just and Unjust: He strips not Mankind of what suits their Creaturely Preservation; Chri­stians themselves, have no more peculiar Priviledge in the Natural Benefits of Heaven, then Turks or Indians. Would it not then be strange, that In­fidels themselves much less any Sort of Christians should be deprived of Na­tural Priviledges for meer Opinion, by those who pretend to be the Best Servants of that God, who shows them quite an other Example, by the Uni­versality of his Goodness as Creator; And Believers in that Christ, who himself preacht the Perfection of Love, both to Friends and Enemies; and laid down his Life to confirm it when he had done. If Men should Love their Enemies, doubtless they ought at least to Forbear their Friends: And though some Differences in Judgment about Religion be a Sufficient Rea­son to excommunicate a Man the Air Ecclesiastical, yet nothing certainly of that Sort ought to dis-Priviledge Men of their Air Natural and Civil to breath freely in: And let that GOOD our Superiours have observed to be the Fruit of Toleration, not be Weakned or Blasted by an Untimely Com­prehension of some, to the Exclusion of the Rest; since the Reason holds the same for the less Formidable Separatists, that may not be however any whit less Consciencious.

We will omit to mention, how much more Suitable it were to State Matters, that all Parties should be kept upon an Equal Poize, a thing most True in it self, and most Secure to the Publick Magistrate: and will Con­clude at this time, That though We no wayes Designe a Mis-Representing of any, much less their Exception, and least of all their Persecution; yet, a Comprehension either respecting the Persons and their Qualifications, or their Separation, and the Grounds and Reasons of it, We seriously believe, can never be consistent with that Conscience, and Honor, and Wisdom, and Safety, that ought to be the Mark, those who are concern'd in it, should take their Aim by. But if a Comprehension should at last be compast, it is not doubted by many Wise Men, but it will be found as Impracticable as other ACTS more seemingly Severe have been, and at last will necessitate to that Well-Ordered Universal Toleration of all, who both profess and Practice Peace, Obedience, Industry, and Good Life, which will best please Al­mighty God, and Rejoyce the Hearts of all Good Men.