258 the LIFE ofthe LIB. L Peace upon fuck things as thefe,. where they know beforehand, that Men of no Confcience will all be peaceable, and thoufands of godly People are unfatisfred ; and that they will needs take all for Difturbers of the Peace,. who jump not with their Humour in every Ceremony, how willing foever to be ruled by the Laws of God. § 33 We are glad that youjuftify not Innovation andArbitrarinefs ; and yet de- fire not filch a Cure as fomedo, by getting Laws which may do their Work. 134. If your want of Charity were not extraordinary, it could not workef- fe&ually to the aflfieling of your Brethren and the Church ; when we tell you what will end your Differences, you know'our Minds fo much better than our felves, that youwill not believe tt/ : But you will be confident that we will come on with new Demands : This is your way of Conciliation ; when you were to bring in your utmoft ConcefGons in order to our Unity, and it was promifed by his Ma- jefty, that you fhould meet us half way, you bring in nothing, and perfuade his Majefty alto that he fhould not believe us in what we offer, that it would befa- tisfa&ory lilt were granted! You fay that it will give Diffarisfaölion to the greater . Parr of bi, Majefly's Subjeas! We are more charitable than to believe that a quar- ter of his Majefly's Subjeóts are fo uncharitable, as to be diffatisfied if their Brethren be not filenced and excommunicated for not 'wearing, fubfcribing, or ufmga Ciremo- ny, while they may do it as much as they lift themfelves. And whereas you fay, that there is no affarancegiven that it will content all Dif'enters ; you know that there are manyDiffenters, as Papilts, Quakers, &c. for whom we never medled : And we think this an unjuft Anfwer to be given to them, who-craved of his Majefty, that they might fend to their Brethren through the Land, to have the Teflimony of their common Content, and were denied it, and told that it fhouldbe our work alone, and imputed to noothers. In Conclufion, weperceive your Counfels againft Peace are not likely to be fra- frated : Your Delires concerning us are like tobe accomplifhed:You are like to be gratified with our Silence and Eje&ion, and the Excommunication.andConfe- quent fùfferings of Diffenters. .And yet wewill believe that bleffed are the Peace- makers, and though, Deceit be in the Heart of them that imaginEvil, yet there is Toy, to the Counfllori of Peace, Fron 02. zo. And though we are fops by you inour following of Peace, and are never like thus publickly toPeek -it more ( becaufe you think that we -mull hold ourTongues, that you may hold your Peace) yet are we refòlved by the help of God, if it be poflble, and as much as in us Beth, to live peaceably with all Men, Rom. tz. r8-. . § 'oz. Hereupon Come very very learned, godly Men, renewed their former Speeches, [That it was a vain Attempt to Endeavour a Reconciliation with fucb Men t . that their Mindswere exaffierated, and they were refolved to monopolize the Favour ofour Prince, andall Honours andPreferments to themfelves : That there was no hope they would doeany thing for the promoting offlriEt Primes Godlineß, or any thing that delayed the Name of Ecclefaflical Difcipline: That undoubtedly they do but draw us on, partly to pin out the time till tbey.areready to per/ecute as without any danger to themfelves, andpartly to fit ne together by the Ears, and otherwife abate us, by drawing as to grant them that . which they know our Brethren cannot grant.] § 1o3. To all this 1 anfwered for my own part, [That though Charity com- manded me to hope that there were fome-Men among them better than this De- fèription doth import, yet my Reafon forced me, all things confidered, to have as low Expe&.uions of this Conference asthey had; and that I made no doubt but that the End would,verefie much that was laid ; that for my own part I looked e're long to be. filenced by them, with many hundred more, and that all this was but to Tibet Men till the time. But yet for all that I was fullyconvinced that it was our Duty not only to yield to an offered Treaty, but to be the Seekers of it, and follow it on till we fee the Iffue : r. Becaufe we are commanded if poaGble as much asin us lieth, to live peaceably with all Men. 2. Becaufe though we have too great a probability of fach an iffue as they defcribe, yet we are not certain of it ; and the leaf} pfibility of a better Ili "ae, may fháw us that we fhould wait on God, in the ufe of the Means, till we are difappointed. 3. Becaufe we have no other meansat all to ufè : To keep our Flocks and publick Work, wecannot : For the old Laws will be in force again, if we lay nothing; and newones will further enforce them if there be need. And for our parts we are not formidable to the Bi- fhops at all, were our Number five times as great as theirs: For we abhor all Thoughts of Sedition and Rebellion, and they know that this is our Judgment, and therefore how fhould they be afraid'of-Men, whofe Confciences bind them mato
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