70 2 The HIS T 0 R Y of the PuttiTANS. Vor.. II. King through the defign; and Dr. Burnet fays, he opened the referve to the Char6les llo duke of .York, by telling him, " that there was no tru!l:ing to difputable I ?So n • 0 h h d'J'l,o no .r:, 0 h •r; h '-~ opmtons; t at t fre were !;•In&, tons and rljerves tn t q 1 e who ad main. Bu rnet, p. " tained theje points; and that when men faw a vifible danger of being 359o " fir!l: undone and then burnt, they would be enclined to the fhortefl: way -« of arguing, and fave themfelves the befl: way they could; intereft and " felf- prefervation being powerful motives." This might be wholfome advice to the duke, but implies fuch aJeeret .referve as m~y cover the moft wicked defigns, and is not fit for the lips of a proteftant divine, nor even of an honeft man. l nfolena of The daring infolence ofthe papifis, who had their regular clergy in every the papijls corner of the town, was fo great, that they not only challenged the proteftant P•h·oduw a /1 o divines to difpurations, but threatened to a!faffinate fuch as preached openat er attempt 1 • 11. h 0 J 0 I fi d l I d d . I 0 far a to/eray agamn t ea· tenets; w 11c 1 con rme t 1e or s an commons m t 1e1r tion. perfuafion, of the abfolute neceffity of entering into more moderate and healing meafures with protefiant di!fenters, notwirhftanding the inflexible fieadinefs of the bifhops againO: it. Upon this occafion the duke of Buck– ingham, lately commenced patriot, made the following fpeech in the houfe ·D~<ke of of lords, which is inferted in the commons journal. " My lords, there is a Bucking- " thing called liberty, which (whatfoever fame men may think) is that the ;:,m}Jf.~:-h" people of England are fondefl: of, it is that they will never part with, tim. " and is that his majefiy in his fpeech has promifed to take particular " care of. This, my lords, in my opinion, can never be done without '' giving an indulgence to all protejtant diflenters. It is certainly a very " uneafy kind of life to any man, that has either chriftian charity, hu– " manity, or good nature, to fee his fellow-fubjetts daily abufed, dive!l:ed " of their liberty and birthrights, and miferably thrown out of their pof– " feilions and freeholds, only becaufe they can,not agree with others in " fame opinions and niceties of religion, which their confciences will " not give them leave to confent to, and which even by the con– " feffion of thofe who would impofe them, are no ways nece!fary to " falvation. " But, my lords, befides this, and all that may be faid upon it, in " 0 order to the improvement of our trade and increafe of the wealth, " firength, and greatnefs of this nation, (which with your leave I fhall " prefume to difcourfe of fame other time), there is, methinks in this " notion of perfecution, a very grofs miftake, both as to the point of " government and the point of religion : there is fo as to the point of " go'IJernment, becaufe it makes every man's (afety depend upon the " wrong place, not upon the governors, or man's living well towards " the civil government efiablifhed by law, but upon his being tranf– •• ported with zeal for every opinion, that is held by thofe that have pow~r m
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=