34S Of aril Tian Liberty. S E R M. comparatively fmall, which, in the natural V. tendency and obvious confequences of it, muft affet the whole community. I do not mean by this to affume an extraordinary merit to the Diffenters themfelves ; let every man anfwer to God and himfelf for his own difpofitions and his own views ; but I am per - fuaded the principle itfelf is not jufily liable to the imputation of obflinacy; nay, that it is the true barrier againft filch a number of impofitions in indifferent things, as every good proteftant would think injurious to li- berty, and detrimental to the purity of the . chriflian fervice. And let me add, that as civil and religious liberty have an affinity with each other, a hearty zeal for the lat- ter will always difpofe men to exert their power in ferving the other as there is op- portunity. Indeed, it is apparent from our hiflories, that the fact is fo with us ; for from the beginning of nonconformity, which beareth almofl equal date with the reforma- tion, in all the firuggles which have been for defending the rights of the people againft attempts to introduce arbitrary power, and, during that period, there have been fome very confiderable, the Proteflant -dif- fenters fill took part with the legal conflí- tution, and gave all their power and in- fluence
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