naltys, inftead of tolerating, perfecute all other peaceable Diffenters, and fo far even thofe, whom they pretend to tolerate too. But the Toleration we fpeak of, fignifys the Exemption of all peaceable Diffenters; and an Exemption of them from the Lofs of any Privilege, and the inflicting any Hardship, the leaft as well as the greatest

And in this I think I have the good Fortune to find Sir P. 3. §. 3. H. agreeing with me in fome places of his Book and Preface ; particularly where he defcribes a Toleration of Diffenters to be A Liberty given 'em to follow their refpective Trades, and to enjoy their Libertys and Propertys, without being difturb'd by Profecutions for Conscience'fake only. And a little before, where he feems to defcribe the State of Perfecution of Diffenters by their lis. 2. ablenefs to Penaltys, and their Toleration by an Exemption from all Temporal Punishment. And we may learn what Sir H. means by the temporal Punishments and Penaltys, which a Toleration exempts Diffenters from, and what Libertys and Propertys it fecures the enjoyment of, by feeing what he grounds a Toleration upon, and for what end 'tis defignid. 'Tis grounded upon the Free- Pref. p. r. dom of Man's Mind, and the Inefficacy of every thing

to prevail upon it, but what is introduc'd by Love and Kindness, and upon the futableness of gentle Methods to attain this End. And what are thefe gentle-Methods? why according to Sir H. they are three: 1. Reasons, 2. Arguments (which Sir H. is pleas'd to make two) and, 3. a good Example. Therefore Sir H. undoubtedly by Penaltys and Temporal Punishments, means all Penaltysand Temporal Punishments; and by Security of Liberty and Proper ty, means a Security of all Libertys and Propertys. For there's no Penalty nor Temporal Punishment of any kind whatfoever, nor the lofs of any Liberty or Property what, foever, that can be thought to be Love and Kindness, or gentle Methods, or Reafons, or Arguments, or a

good

S. 9.

good Example. So that Sir H. in thefe Places, where he: talks more profeffedly about a Toleration than in any other, by a Toleration means the fecurity of all the Libertys: and Propertys of a Diffenter, and the exemption of him from all forts and degrees of Punishments whatsoever.

Nay to fhew how large Sir H's general Notions of a Toleration are, and the particular Application of these Notions to his own cafe, he fuppofes this general Prin ciple, that all Degrees of Reproach, even those that deferve no feverer a Name than indecent Reflections upon a Man for his fincere and humble Opinion, are PerfecutiPref. p. 2. ons for Confcience-fake. For having faid, "That if any "Perfon, instead of bringing Reasons and Arguments, 'fhall run out into indecent Reflections on the Writer, he fhall defire him to apply on this Occafion a fhort Saying, Didicit ille maledicere, ego contemnere. He adds, That he may be confident (I fuppofe 'tis upon the juft Awe he prefumes every one will have of falling under the infupportable Burden of his Contempt) that

§. ult.

no Perfons will deny him the fame Indulgence, which they are fo ready to grant to every one else, and that therefore he shall never be perfecuted for Confcience• fake only.

I know there is scarce any Part of the reft of Sir H's Book but may be brought to fhew, that Sir H's Notions of a Toleration are not fo large as thefe. But tho I can't anfwer them, poffibly Sir H. at his leifure may; and fhew us how thefe Paffages agree with a thousand others, and with the whole defign of his fincere Treatife. But fince we have fo full a proof, that this is Sir H's notion of a Toleration in thofe places, where he lays down the general notion of a Toleration, and the particular notion of that, according to which he defires to be dealt with himself; I hope till Sir H. fhall recant these Paffages, which are fo full and pofitive to our purpose, he will forgive my

Vanity (who am fo proud to be of his mindy in afferting that the Notion of a Toleration, which he lays down in feveral Places of his Book, agrees with mine: and I hope he'l forgive my Freedom, in defiring him to take the trou ble at his leifure to fhew how he agrees with himfelf.

1

I. Having thus explain'd the meaning of a Toleration by the help of fome Paffages in Sir H's Treatife, we'l confider what the Diffenters advance to prove it a Right which belongs to all Mankind, and particularly to themfelves. To prove that a Toleration is the indefeasible Right of all peaceable Diffenters they alledg, that no Man can help believing what he thinks is true, and every Man is bound to worship God in that way, which he thinks the best and that no Man fhou'd be punish'd for that which he can't, or which he ought not to help. And I fuppofe this is what Sir H. means, when he tells us, that nothing can be more free than the Mind of Man, and Pref. p. z. • that nothing can prevail upon it, but what is in- §. 9. troduc'd by Love and Kindness; upon which account, he fays, he has been always for a Toleration.

II. But if it were in a Man's power to believe what he wou'd, which is as great an abfurdity as can be fuppos'd, yet wou'd he have a Right to be tolerated. Because no Man has any Authority, either to oblige another by a Law to believe any fpeculative Article, or to approve of any particular Mode of Worship, or elfe to undergo a Penalty. The Magiftrate has no fuch Authority, because his Province extends no farther than the Lives, Libertys and Propertys of Mankind in general, and of his Subjects in particular, but can't reach to any points of Faith and Worship: which as they are not the Ends of Civil Society, can't be the matter of the enacting part of any Law. Nor has the Church any fuch Authority, fince her Power don't extend to Mens Lives, Libertys, and Propertys, which must be affected by the Penaltys of a Law. Nor

have

have they both together fuch a Power: For the Church has no Power to make any fuch Article, fince he has no Legislative Authority, and is reftrain'd barely to the Execution of thofe Laws our Lord has left us; and to the Execution of them only over her own Members. Or if the Church had fucha Power, the Magiftrate cou'd have none to give them a Sanction, by affixing a Penalty to them; which muft affect Mens Lives, Libertys or Proper tys, for the fake of Points of Faith and Worship.

III. But that no fuch Authority is lodg'd any where, is further evident. Becaufe Penaltys, which are the Sanctions of all Laws, are wholly ineffectual to convince the Mind, that that Article of Faith is true, or that that mander of Worship is the best, which they are defign'd to enforce. Penaltys can only reftrain and deter Men; but they are wholly improper and ineffectual to perfuade or convince. 'Tis only a Connexion between Ideas, and the Evidence of that Connexion, that can convince. But where's the Connexion between the Truth of a Propofition, and the Penalty a Man muft undergo, who don't believe it? Or is it a confequence that fuch a Propofition is true, because, for example, I must lose my Eftate, if I believe it to be falfe? And the Evidence of a Penalty are two Ideas, which can no more be join'd together, than the Light of a Cat-of-nine-tails, or the Colour of a Smell, or the Sound of Scarlet.

IV. And if it could be thought, that an Authority to en force Articles of Faith and Worfhip were lodg'd any where, and that Force was a proper means to convince the Mind, yet would not fuch an Authority be useful to Mankind. For it could not ferve to propagate the Truth, because tho the Men in whom fuch an Authority was lodg'd, might by the virtue of fuch an Authority propagate their own Opinion; yet unless they were infallible, they cou'd not be fecure of propagating the Truth. Nay,

fuch

fuch a Power vefted in the Magiftrate or in the Church, muft neceffarily hinder the Propagation of Truth instead of promoting it, fince there are infinitely more Churches and Magiftrates in the Wrong than in the Right. The glorious French Example of Henry the Third, that Sir H. (to his Honor be it remember'd, with the other French Precedents he follow'd in his Addrefs to K. James) proposes Ded. p. 3. as a Pattern of promoting Truth for her Majefty to follow, S. 4. cou'd only have promoted the worft of Errors, the Infallibility of Popish Tenets, and a Right to perfecute all that don't hold 'em. Sure the way to propagate Truth and Error can't be the fame; nor can Truth ever be maintain'd by means, that will equally ferve to establish Falfhood. The way by which Chriftianity at firft fpread it felf, and upon which the Reformation is founded, is, that every Man fhou'd judg freely of Truth for himself, and that no Man fhou'd judg of it for another. And one wou'd think this had been a Precedent more worthy of her Majefty and Sir H. than a Practice, that's the greatest Support of Slavery and a falfe Religion. And till this Principle fhall obtain more univerfally, we must not wonder that fo few Nations in the World, and fo very few in those Nations are either Votarys to Truth themfelves, or deferve the glorious Character of being its Witnesses to others.

V. For these Reasons the Proteftant Diffenters think all peaceable Diffenters fhould be exempted from all Penaltys, notwithstanding their Diffent from any Articles, tho they were effential to Chriftian Faith or Worship. But they think they have a peculiar Right to be tolerated in their peaceable Diffent from things, that are allow'd by the Compellers themselves to be either faulty or unnecessary. If any Man had a Right to enforce Points of Faith and Worship, and Force were proper to convince, and to propagate the true Faith and Worship, yet wou'd there be

E

no