Chap. VI. 7he HIS T 0 R Y of the PuRITANS. 213 " wil~ ende~vour to fupprefs i.n ev~ry feel, or divifion of ~en, whet~1:r K. C~~~~~ I. " paplfl:, ep1fcopal, preibytenan, mdependent, or anabaptJil:, the fpmt ~· " of domi nion and perfecution, which is the dill:urber of mankind, and• · " the off-fpring of the devil. But the mini.flers fay, if we tolerate one feet " we mull: tolerate all; which our author admits, and adds, that they " have as good a right to the liberty of their confciences as to their clothes " or ell:ates ; no opinions or Jentimmts if religion being cognizable by thl! " magijlrate, any further than they are inconjiftent with the peace of the " civil government. The way to put an end to diverfity of opinions is " not by fines and imprifonments; can Bedlam, or the Fleet, open men's " underflandings, and reduce them from error? No certainly, nothing '' but found reafon and argument can do it, which 'tis to be feared, they " are not furniihed with, who have recourfe to any other weapons. " Schifm and here.JY are to be rooted out, not by oppreffion, but by reafon' " and debate; by the fword of .the .fpirit, not of the flejh; by argument,. " not by blows, to which men have recourfe when they are beat out of " the other. Schijin and bereft are words of terror thrown upon the ad~ " verfary by all parties of men; and perhaps~ there may need an infal- " lible judge to determine where the fchrjin lies, before we venture upon, '' extraordinary methods to extirpate it." He adds " that per.ftcution' '' will breed mOFe confufion and dill:u rbance than toleration; and that" " their folemn league and eovenant ought to bind them no farther than it' " is confiflent with the word of God. Now, that toleration, or liberty- « of confcience, is the doctrine of fcripture, is evid·ent, I. From the· '' parable of the tares and wheat growing together till the harvell. " 2. From the apoflle's direction, let every man be perfwaded-in his owrc « mind. 3· That wbatfoever is not if faith is)in. 4· From our Savi- " our's golden rule, whatfoever ye would that men Jhould d(J to )'OU, that " dl} )'I! to them-- " . This pamphlet was anfwerecl by another, entitled Anti-To!eration, in• which fhe author endeavours to vindicate the moll: unbounded licenfe of perfecution; but neither the alfembly, nor the city divines, nor the whole-· Jcots nation, could prevail with the par·liament to deliver the fword into· their hands. The high behaviour of the preiliyterians loll: them the af-· feClions of great numbers of people, who-began to difcover that the con-· tention between them and the prelates was not for liberty but power, and that all the fpirituat advantage they were like to reap from the war was to– fhift hands, and in!lead.of epifcopal government to wear the yoke of prefbyterial uniformity. · Lord Clarend012 admits; that the king endeavoured to make his advan. 'J'he J:i'ng fl •· tage of thefe divifions, by courting the independents, and promifing fome m;n~s tluir of them very valuable coa.1penfations for any fer.vice they £hould do him /v'v 1 ifiarnr'· . • • 0. • t!•· llltl-7APo·
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