846 A Review of the principal faEs objeEied to the parties ? Have not the PAPISTS publifhed the hiftory of their fufferings by the Engle reformers ? And Dr. Meylin, Fuller, bifhop Burnet, Collier, Strype, &c. all clergymen of the church of England, recorded the perfecutions of the proteftants in the reigns of king HENRY VIII. and queen MARY ? Why then fhould it be criminal for the puritans, or any of thefriends of liberty to tell their Rory ? Let all parties be heard, and the world judge, how far each have contributed to thole wounds of the church which are ftill bleeding. If this were done with chriílian temper and moderation, infield of exafperating the minds of men,it would certainly promote mutual forbearance, and more gene- rous fentiments among chriffians, which was Mr. N's chief defign in entring upon fo laborious an undertaking. But it feems, the progrefs of this walk has unhappily given uneafi- nefs to fome of the reverend clergy of the eflablifhed church, who have expefled their difpieafureagainfi the author, firft in a thort expo/lulatary letter ; and lince in a large vindication ofthe government,doo`trirje, and wor- fhip, of the church of England, ellablifhed in the reign of queen ELIZA- BETH ; which Mr. N. (not being confcious of having call any injuri- ous reflections upon the church of Engksnd) would have palled over in filence, had not the manner of the performance, made it neceffary to do Tome juflice to himfelf and his hiftory ; in compofing of which, he will venture to affure the world, he hada confiant guard over his pallions, and took the belt care he could of his language and expreffion: But the author of the vindication is refolved to be angry with every thing Mr. N. has wrote ; there is not a page that pleafes him, nor a para- graph throughout the whole performance, on which he can call a favou- rable eye ; however, he was certainly unacquainted with the hiftori- an's principles, when he affirms, that not content with a toleration to thofe that refxeelively d ér from the llablifhment, he is for introducing the GENEVA PLAN, orfonething like it, through the united kingdoms of England, and Scotland. On the contrary, Mr. N. can affure this wri- ter, and his brethren of the clergy, that not one in twenty of the protefiant dilfenting minijlers, would be for introducing the Geneva plan, or any thing like it, if it were in their power : Nor would they be pleafed with an eftablithment of any kind, without an univerfal tolera- tion, of all peaceable and loyal fubjeéts, in the full enjoyment of their civil and religious rights and privileges. The molt candid writers of controverfy, in the warmth of debate, have been chargeable wich fome fallies of pafíion, which the generofity of an adverfary would overlook ; but does it befpeak the chriffian or fcholar, to drefs up Mr. N. in the habit of a puritan, and then for above two
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=