"I am that man, and am constrained in conscience to visit thee on their behalf, &c. The burgomaster deported himself with more kind your government, unless they receive your mark in their forehead or right hand? which in plainer terms is, to submit their consciences to your edicts, and to ask your leave what religion they should be of. Remember that faith is the gift of God; and that, what is not of taith is sin; nothing can be more unreasonable, than to compel men to believe against their belief, or to trouble them for practising what they believe, when it thwarts not the moral law of God. You doubtless take yourselves to be Christians, and esteem it no little injury to be otherwise represented; yet what more unchristian, than to use external force to sway the consciences of men about the exercise of religious worship. Christ Jesus, the Lord and author of the Christian religion, censured his own disciples, that would have had fire from heaven to destroy those that conformed not to what their blessed Master taught are you surer of your religion? Are you better Christians? Or, have you more Christian authority, than they that were the chosen witnesses of Jesus? However, remember, they called but for fire from heaven, and can you kindle fire on earth to devour them? Them, I say, that are of your own people, merely for their religious dissent from you? Doubtless, if that was then thought no fit argument to induce men to conformity by him that was wiser than Solomon ; it reflects greatly upon your modesty and prudence, that you should find out new ways, or rather old exploded ones to effect so ill a design. Besides, you do not say you know all you ought to know, or that there is nothing farther to be revealed; have a care, therefore, that you ness than was expected, and gave some faint hope of alteration; but it appeared sufficiently that the senate was not as yet so disposed, for persecute not angels, by being harsh to that which you call strange think not ill, much less speak, and least of all act, that which is so against what you do not perfectly understand. I am well persuaded, that those you inflicted such severe penalties upon, mean well in what they believe (to be sure much better than you think they do, or else you are extremely to blame) and that the reason of their present distance from you, is not to introduce or insinuate dangerous or exotick opinions, but to live a life of more holiness, purity, and self denial than before they do not think that you walk up to your own principles; and have reason to believe the power of godliness is much lost among you; and having long lain under a decay and languishing of soul for want of true spiritual nourishment, they have now betaken themselves to that heavenly gift and grace of God in themselves for divine satisfaction, even that holy anointing that is able to teach them all things necessary for them to know as the blessed apostle speaks; and they And the joys of the Holy Ghost in so doing; and I am persuaded they are not less peaceable, sober, just, and neighbourly than formerly, and altogether as consistent with the prosperity of civil society; and I am sure it is both sound and confessed among us here by some men of quality, learning, and virtue. Farther, be pleased to consider with yourselves, that you justify the ancient persecutions of the Christians and first reformers, whose supe-. riors thought as ill of them, as you do of these men; nay, you shew the Papists what to do in their dominions to your own brethren. Do as you would be done by if you would have liberty, give it; you know that God's witness persecution continued there yet a long while. After W. Penn had staid sometime at Embden, he took a turn again to Herford, where he in your hearts dictates this to you as an immutable law. Could you give faith, it were more excusable for you to punish such as should resist; but since that is impossible, the other is unreasonable; for it is to afflict men for not being what they cannot be unless they turn hypocrites : that is the highest pitch your coercive power can arrive at; for never did it convert or preserve one soul to God; instead thereof it offers violence unto conscience, and puts a man either upon the denial of his faith and reason, or being destroyed for acting according to them: but what greater disproportion can there be, than what lieth between the intellect of man, and prisons, fines, and banishments? These inform no man's judgment, resolve no doubts, convince no understanding the power of persuasion is not to be found in any such barbarous actions, no more than the doctrine of Christianity. This course destroys the bodies and estates of men, instead of saving their souls were they in the wrong, it would become you to use God's weapons, his sword of the Spirit, that saveth the creature; and slayeth the evil in him; this course tends to heart burnings and destruction; I am sure it is no gospel argument. : I beseech you for the sake of that Lord Jesus Christ, that suffered so patiently for his own religion, and so sharply prohibited making other men to suffer for theirs, that you would have a care how you exercise power over men's consciences. My friends, conscience is God's throne in man, and the power of it his prerogative: it is to usurp his authority, and boldly ascend his throne, to set lords over it. Were their conversation scandalous, and destructive to the good of your state, you were to be held was received very kindly by the princess Elizabeth, and the countess of Hornes; and more than once he had a meeting in her chamber; : : excusable but verily, no man of mercy and conscience, can defend your practice upon poor men so peaceable and inoffensive. Gamaliel will rise up in judgment against you, if you persevere in this course. Do not you help to fill the catalogue of persecutors, in much love I intreat you; but as becomes Christian men and true Protestants, leave men to their particular persuasions of affairs relative to the other world which have no ill aspect on the affairs of this but vice hath an evil consequence as to both therefore punish vice, and affect truth and righteousness, and bend not your civil power to torment religious dissenters, but to retrieve good life, lamentably lost amidst the great pretences that are made to religion. Doubtless magistracy was both ordained of God, and elected by men, to be a terror to evil doers, and not to them that do well, though of different judgments. You oppugn the Roman church for assuming infallibility to herself, and yet your own practice maketh you guilty of the same presumption or worse: for either you do exercise that severity upon an infallible knowledge, or you do not; if you do, you take that to yourselves your principles deny to any church whatever, which is a contradiction; if you do not, you punish people for not conforming to what you yourselves deny any certainty about and how do you know but you compel them to that which is false, as well as that which is true? Verily, this dilemma is not easily avoided, as well as that this inhuman practice will stain your profession, infame your government, and bring a blot upon your posterity. Remember that they are men, as well as yourselves, and the princess was so reached and affected by his speaking, that she said, "I am fully convinced; but oh my sins are great!" this gave occa let born free, and have equal plea to natural and civil common privileges with yourselves the different persuasion of their consciences about things relating to another life, can no ways render them unfit for this; it neither unmans nor uncivilizes them. They have the same right to their liberty and property as ever, having by no practice of theirs in the least forfeited any of those human advantages, the great charters of nature and Scripture have conferred upon them: and the opulence of your neighbours and prosperity of their affairs, prove to you that indulgence is not inconsistent with policy; howbeit, you have now tried the sincerity of their procedure by what you have already inflicted, and they sustained; the time past suffice, and make them not sacrifices for their conscientious constancy. If they are in the wrong, it is more than they know: will you persecute men for being what they must be, if they will be true to themselves; this were great violence: rather commiserate, than thus violently compel them. I beseech you, seek scme cheaper way to accommodate yourselves, than by their destruction, who are so very remote from seeking yours. Oh! the day will come, wherein one act of tenderness about matters of conscience, shall find a better reward, than all the severity by which men use to propagate their persua sions in the world; and there is great reason for it, since the one flows from the Saviour, the other from the destroyer of men. In fine, let your moderation be known unto all men, for the Lord is at hand, whose reward is with him; and he will recompence every man, family, state, kingdom, and empire, according to the nature of their works, committed in tais mortal body; at whose |