A HERE's no man that makes the leaft Reflection on the Perfons and Things of his own time, but must neceffarily obferve with how great Teagerness and frequency the Diffenters have been attaqu'd of late, and with how much reluctancy they are brought to reply. I know the Reasons of this Conduct are differently reprefented, as the Reasons of moft Facts are, according to the Interefts or Prepoffeffions of the feveral Partys. But no body can be justly furpriz'd at this Procedure, who obferves, that they who engage in Difputes must be Men of great Leifure and Recels from other Bufinefs; and that Difputes themselves prove generally ineffectual to ferve the common Interefts of Society and Religion, or prejudicial to them both. Controverly generally gives an Edge to Mens Minds and Expreffions, and provokes 'em to break the Tys of Love B and Pag. 21. P.22. §.4. Pag. 37. and Charity, the Band of Civil and Religious Perfection. It raifes too much Paffion against our Adverfary, and a greater concern for our felves than for the Truth; and robs us of thar Sedatenefs of Mind, in which alone Truth can maintain its own Empire, or foil the Powers of the Prince of Darkness So that whilft Controverfy is like to do fo little good, and, without a great deal of caution in managing it, fo much harm, he must be a very idle Fellow indeed, and be capable of little fervice other ways, that can be forward to engage in it. But poffibly the Diffenters think, that they had the lefs Obligation to appear in their own Defence, because they thought their Conduct fpoke for it felf. And they were more willing the World fhould fee their Innocence exprefs'd in their Actions than their Apologys and Vindications; and that their Enemys fhou'd find their own Mouths stop'd by the Diffenters blameless Behavior, rather than by Recriminations and Anfwers. And they had flatter'd themselves, that their Conduct muft neceffarily have acquitted 'em from the Charges that us❜d to be made againft 'em. For they imagin'd after they had been more faulty in fome Peoples Opinions for fupporting a Prince than for dethroning one, their Loyalty wou'd fearce have been call'd again in queftion: Nor their Charity, after they had fo frequently conform'd upon Occafion to the Church of England, at her Invitation to do it, and her Complaint against the Neglect of it*, Nor val their ཟླ་ Dr. Stilling fleet in a Sermon pretch'd before the Lord Mayor, entitul'd; The Mischief of Separation, complains, after he had, faid, that the Diffenters hold Communion with the Church of England in the Liturgy and Sacraments lawful, and in fome Cafes d Duty that they should not join with the Church, in what they themselves thought lawful, and in fome Cafes a Duty And complains, that the Preachers keep this Doctrine of the lawfulness of a Diffenter's joining in the publick Affmblys, a fecret in their own Breafts. And adds, that if thofe • Preachers bridgment their Sincerity in this Practice, when tis known that they Mr. Calatook it up before any fhew of Interest cou'd rempt them my's Ato it; and that they continue it, when they are told by of Mr.Baxtheir Enemys that it must differve their Party; and by ter's Life, their Friends, that it can ferve none but that of the truly The account Christian one. m p. 555. > of the Lords Pre They thought therefore if thefe Facts wou'd not justify ceding, 'em, it was only because they were not obferv'd, or the p. 31. Reafon of 'em not attended to; and that it wou'd be fuffi cient, if they fhou'd just fet 'em in a fair Light, to give the World fatisfaction. Or that at leaft if Realon wou'd d not be heard in the mouths of Partys, it wou'd have its juft regard when it came from thofe impartial Judges, to whom injur'd Juftice has its laft Refort, who, as all juft ̈ ̈ ̈* Judges do, turn'd Advocates in this honeft Caufe, and pleaded the Rights of the Opprets'd. They faw their Jordfhips Defence of 'em wou'd increase the Credit and Authority their Lordships juftly ftand poffefs'd of, and needed not the juft Opinion the People of England have of 'em, to give their Lordships Reasons their full weight; and that nothing cou'd add to that, unless it were, that others were fo light and trivial. It was faid indeed, that if things went on as they did, the Church wou'd be in danger for the future. For that the Diffenters had been Seditious, and that they continu'd to be Schifmaticks, and had of late Hypocritically found out a Practice, that was equally inconfiftent with the Laws and their own 05 13ft arm & roi instinctur 5 a bus low sevad of las men, they must P. 30, 56. Preachers wou'd acquit themselves like bonelt and tell the People plainly, that they look on our Churches as lawful Churches. This "Taft is a very particular Invitation to Occasional Conformity, and a beavy Complaint Supon the Preachers for their filence about it, as the Caule of their Peoples neg lot of it: Which by the way is a range Charge for the Preachers, when he had but just quoted a Book by theirs, Preachers, which frange to the World at their! Opinion That Occafional Conformity Duty: GETA oi obsn ¡liä ad lsd T B 2 politine declar'd it Pag. 22. was not only, Lanful bat CC! See the at Principles Whence it was inferd that the Diffenters ought to be incapacitated of all Offices, for the fecurity of the Church: Especially fince they might be incapaci tated, without giving the Church one Advantage it had not, or without depriving the Diffenters of one they had. For that as reftraining Diffenters from Offices was mani• feftly defign'd by the Corporation and Teft Acts, fo that Reftraint was not remov'd by the Act of Toleration, nor defir'd by the best of the Diffenters themselves.{ But how fpecious foever thefe Objections might appear firft, the Diffenters thought they cou'd not remain fo, after it had been advanc'd in answer That the Church Lords Pro- & was in no prefent danger, and but in an imaginary one ceedings upon the O- for the future. Which might be the more juftly afferted, fince the Church had been fecure and flourishing for maConformityny Years, in the condition in which it is at prefent, without any new Security. That fince the Diffenters were tolerated, they cou'd not be thought Schifmaticks: And that if they had been Seditious, 'twas when Perfecution had made them open Enemys. But that as their Inde❝pendence from foreign Power, and the Smallness of their "Numbers compar'd with that of the Church, fecur'd 'em from being dangerous, fo gentler Methods had made * "em true Friends to the Government both in Church and *State. That Occafional Conformity was a Practice an cafional tienter than the Teft Act, tho it was but of late that any *Objections had been made againft it: And that it was "not inconfiftent for a man that cou'd conform in fome Inftances, to have a weak and a fcrupulous Confcience,that wou'd not let him conform in others. Hence they infer'd, that it wou'd be unreafonable to disturb the Pub⚫lick Peace in fo critical a Juncture; and that fince a Toleration had done Service to Church and State,it ought to be prefervid and ftrengthen'd rather than endanger'd and impair'd. That if the Bill made no Alteration to • the the prejudice of the Diffenters, it wou'd be ineffectual: ⚫ and if it did, it wou'd be hard to punish Men for going to a Meeting, which as the Law ftands is no Crime. That the Corporation A&t cou'd not be pleaded as a Precedent for this, because the Circumftances of the Times made it widely different. And that this Bill ⚫ cou'd not be faid tooblige the beft, and difoblige only the ( worst among the Diffenters, unless they were the worst among the Diffenters who were nearest to the Church, ⚫ and they the best who were at the greatest distance. Thus Imaginary Dangers of the Church and Old Crimes of the Diffenters have been fet forth at large, in order to juftify the Conduct of those who wou'd have incapacitated them of all Employments. Whilft the noble Patrons rais'd up by Brovidence for their Defence, whom the World has fo much reafon to rely upon, and fo little to fufpect, have given us the real Advantages of Church and State, and the late Behavior of the Diffenters, as the rea! fons of taking 'em under their Protection. A greater Advantage in arguing can hardly be fuppos'd, whether we confider the Abilitys of the Difputants, or the Iffue of the Dispute. And fince fuch an entire Defeat of the beft Forces and Artillery that cou'd be brought out by the other fide, has only gain'd the Diffenters and Moderate Churchmen at. Truce, till the Forces cou'd rally again, what lafting Advantage can be expected from an Encoun-ter between two fingle Combatants, tho Truth and Succefs fhould be on our fide? However finice we are not only challeng'd by a Champion of the other Party, but urg'd by the Friends of our own; and fince, tho 'tis fcarce to be hop'd that Victory could procure Peace, yet that Silence might be thought to betray Cowardice owe think our felves oblig'd to enter the Lifts, that if we can ferve -no better a purpose, we may at leaft prevent our AdverHarys from telling the World, that we have given up the yd Caufe |