564 The.L1FE of the PartlIll how quickly a revenging God would judge us, and what a difmal entrance upon Eternity filch guilty Souls are like to have. But tho fenceand confcience thuscomplain, it is but the introduction to our thank- füs acknowledgment of the favours which your Majestyhath vouchfafed us : Your Cle- mency, proteaion and forbearance hath revived our comforts, In HO confiit in that workwhich is thebufinefs of our Lives. Our Loyal fidelity thall exprefs our gratitude more thanwords : And becaufe foine in this alfo would render us füfpe&ed, we take it forourDuty toprofefs,that thowe take not and digest not,as eacly as is expefted, áll Subfcriptions, Declarations and Oaths, which are of late impofed, It is not from any Principleof DiJloyalty : For we firmly hold that everySoul muff be fubje& to the Higher Powers, not onlyfor Wrathbut Confctence fake : And that Honour; and Obe- dience inLawful things, and patienceunder wrongful prefluresis our Dutyto our Ru- lers; In frost, we knownot of one word inScripture, one Canon ofany General Council, one Confeffosof any ChriJtian Church onEarth, which fpeakethmore for fubjeCs Sub- mïffron, andpeaceable obedience toKings, thanwedo heartily acknowledge o And webe- lieve that no vowor Covenant of our own, can difoblige us from any part of this obedience, or warrant us to Rebel. We would not have the King of Rome (the pretendedvicar of theKing of Kings) to be King over your Majeftyor yourKing- doms ; The world's Experience lowdly telleth us that Clergymen are fitter to be kept by the Sword in Peace wad Quietnefs, than to be roofed with the Sword ; and we would not have Kings be made their Executioners s For we are pall doubt that the Controverfies and.Contentions of the Worldly Tyrannical, and the felt-conceited Clergy, have been manyhundred years more Calamitous to the Chriftian World, than the molt bloody Wars : We are our felves tofar from defiling Grandeur and Dominion, that we wouldnot be fo much as the Paftorsof any but Confc-aters; and wile thatthe Cleo. gie'sState were filchas neither flamed or ftraitened the diligent Labourers, nor fo tempted and invited AmbitiousWorldly minds,as thatfuel), being theSeekers, muftufual. ly be the Matters of the Church, who arelikeft to be Enemies to the holy Dottrine which condemneth them. W e long, we pray, we groan for the Concord of the Chri- ftian World : Andwe arefare that whoever teals be the bleffed andhonoured Inftru- ments of that work, mutt do itby breaking dividing,Engines, and makingthe primitive fmplicity, the terms of Onion; even a few plain, certain, neceffary things; while the Sword ofthe Magifirate conftraineth the turbulent,topeaceandmutual forbearance in the reft : We arenot forcrueltyto any: We greatly approve of your Majefties Averf- nefs to perfecution. But we believe that it is the Learning, Godlinefs and Con- cord of the Ministry, whichIhall be publickly fettled byyour Laws, which muff be the chiefmeans of preferving Religion, Loyaltyand Peace, and therefore mutt deep- ly refent it thatwe are rendered founferviceable in that kind and that well meaning men should fo long mifunderitand our carafe, and judge, delinie and ufe us as if we were the hinderersof that tweet agreement which our Souls mort carnally defire, and would purchafe by any Lawful price. Infuinuy thebelief of the Heavenly Glory through Chrift, kindling the Love of God andMan, and teaching us to live Soberly, Righ= touJly, andGodly, and the Government of Magiftrates keeping all inpeace upon theft terms, is the Religionand State that we defire. And thegrief of our Souls for the prefent Divifions doth call up our thankful remembrance, that onceby yourMajefty'sfavour, we were CommìJftoned to fpeakfor our felves about the old Conformity, and to treat withyour Baps forEuch Alterations as werenecelliry to oarConcord : And that your.Majefty published fo Gracious a De- clarationof Ecclefiafttcal Affairs, as, had it lived, had prevented ont' prefentfra&ions; yeathat your Houle of Commons gave your Majefty the pnblick Thanks for your healing means : (Tho now fame take all our Divifionsacid Diftratiions, tobe a fmaller evil, than theTerns ofthat your Majesty's Declaration would be). And if ever your favourallow us to fpeak for our felves alto as to the Nero Conformity, and to o- pen to the world,thematter and reafons of our Nonconformity, we cannot doubt but it would much abate the Cenfures and Injuries of Multitudes that underftand us not, and confequentlyabate their guilt, andat unbrotherlyDittmar and Sehìfms, and Men's unthankful diflike of your Majefty's Clemency. And fo far as Godbyyour Ma- jetty's favour fhall open our Lips, that our mouths may thew forth his praife, we shall be obliged to greater thankfulnefs to your Majesty, and to pray for your pious and profperous Reign, and that we may all live a quietand peaceable Life in all fiodlinefs and Honesty, as becometh your Majesty's Loyal Subjets. §zS9
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