( 27 ) Yet let me add phis, left my feeking to fatisfie the offended, may drawme into ; Though I have voluntarily my felfpro- feffeif my confent to tilde feveral Canons and Confel-sions of faith ; yet,for the Synod ofDort,tbe ConfefsionofourAffembly ; yea,or the largerCatechniv,without forneCorredion,I do hereby Proteft mydiffent againit the fo impofing them to a word upon all Ministers, that no in that cannot fubfcribe to them (hall be permitted in the Church : Whether our Confefsion were intend- ed for fuch a neceffary Teft, I know not well ; But that the Synod ofDort was, is expreffed in the end. I abhorunlimited liberty of Confcience, fo called,that is of divulging intollerable Doctrines ; and I lament alfo, that instead of moderation, the Churches for 1300, years have been fo guilty of proud and cruel Tyranny. There is fingular ufe for a full body ofTheologie, or a Profefsion concluded on by fuch Reverend :Affemblies, that the yonger Mi- nifters may be taught by it, and the Reverence of it may restrain them fromralh contradiaing it : And there is a necefsity ofexer- .,cifing power in Minifterial Affemblies, for 4he actual reftraint of fauch as that! teach things intollerably Unfound : and all Mini- fters filouldbe there accountable for their Doarine. But befote anyFormsbe tendred us to fubfcribe, we mutt have them reduced into a narrower room, and into phrafe fo clearly Rational or Scriptural; asno Sober, Studious, Competent, GodlyDivine [ball fcruple : Call it Socinian,or what name fo ever imperious Faftion (hall put upon it, yet tender Confciences will expea this, and the Churches (hall never have peace in any other way, unlefs I be a falfe Prophet ; and the contrary courfe doth but tend to do the fame inDatrine, as the Common-Prayer-Book did in wor(hip; Even to enfnare the molt confcientious,andwork themout of the Miniftry by degrees, and to, create us infenfibly a lazy formal Mi- niftry, that will take all upon troll, and run to the Authority of their confefsion, inftead of their Bible. I have long.feared that the toleration threatned in thefe times for all, is a judgement of God for our running into the Tyrannical extream fo long ; and I withall hope that he will turn this lodgement to a mercy.Though I.diflike too much liberty in the Commonwealth more then too little ; ( and in the Church much more fuch toleration is intolle- rable,in cafes ofclear duty or fin;) Yet,I fear Tyranny more then too muchToleration. I. For experience fadly tels me that Ty- E a ranical
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