Earth are nothing else but the World changed by their Example into their Opinions: And if this Liberty be allowed, all Miracles and all Mysteries will be quickly changed into fo many Whimsies; for what is it which felfconceit cannot inspire, or madness prove, or that man admit, who cares not to know what himfelf means; or whether he doth or not, if he be once got under the plaufible shelter of Liberty of Confcience himself, what is it that he may not impose upon vast multitudes, who though never fo well meaning in themselves, are yet liable to be overreached by the Arts of other men: The dangers of this kind are not poffible to be reckoned, because they encrease and vary at their own pleasure ; neither is there any man living, who can poffibly tell us how many and how grofs abfurdities fuch a Liberty as this may bring into the Nation in the very next moment.

This very Devife of Liberty of Confcience, which many, who look upon themselves as wife men and no ill Christians, are fond of, is the very

fame

fame, by which one of its shrewdeft Adverfaries did hope to drive Chriftianity out of the World, and that too by its own affistance; and to that end he granted a promifcuous Liberty for all diffenting Christians to enjoy the publick exercise of their several ways, in hopes thereby to engage one of them against another, and by that means to make his advantage upon all of them: For fo we read of Julian, that when his long contrived project of restoring Heathenism began to be put in effectual execution, that this was the Course which he pitched upon, as that which was most likely to bring his Design about, to grant Liberty of Confcience to all diffenting Christians, as Ammianus Marcellinus hath it Lib. 22. Vtque difpofitorum roboraret effectum, diffidentes Christianorum Antistites cum plebe difcifà in palatium intromiffos monebat, ut civili. bus Difcordiis confopitis quifque nullo vetante religioni fua ferviret intrepibus & Here was a man very tender of Confciences, but what think we was his Reason for all this Indulgence and

Mode.

Moderation, we may read it in the next Words, Quod agebat ideo obstinatè, ut diffentiones augente Licentiâ non timeret, unanimantem postea plebem nullas infestas hominibus beftias ut funt fibi ferales plerique Chriftianorum expertus. This wife and fubtle Adversary knew very well that this was a ready way to destroy Christianity, to give à free Liberty and a full opportunity for every one who pleafed to divide it: So that this fage Contrivance of ours is but the Christianity of an Heathen, the taking up the Moderate Counfels of a profest Apoftate; and our Wisdom in preferving Religion doth exprefs it felf in thofe very ways, by which as wife men as our felves have thought the ready way to overthrow it. Indeed it is hardly credible, that any Person who underftands Humane Nature, who confiders how many are its Weakneffes, and how violent its Paffions, who is a Judge of Confequences, or hath at all observed the course of Affairs, can in the least be fond of any fuch device as this kind of Liberty, who hath

not

not within himself a very great Defign against the prefent Religion of that Kingdom where he doth propose it. But, alas! that is but a small part of this evil, even our common Christianity will be hard put to it, if it muft wrestle with all the difficulties which Toleration will immediately bring upon it: That Faith is in no great likelihood of remaining long pure and found, which is expofed to whofoever pleaseth to corrupt and to

defile it

There is one Principle well known amongst us, which where-ever it is admitted, there is no Doctrine of Faith whatever, nor Rule of good Life which can be able to ftand before it, and that is the Doctrine of New Light or private Illumination: This is an Evil which cannot be watched with too much Care, because it always hath it in its own Power to occafion how many and what kinds of mischief foever it felf pleafeth; and withall it is with great ease pretended to by every one who will; and there are every day to be met

with too many perfons too readily difpofed to be impofed upon by fuch pretences. Some Romanists have with great fcorn infulted over the Reformation, upon the account that this evil hath made a fhift to creep into it; whereas this is a difficulty which all Religions are liable to be abused by; a folly with which the Church of Rome doth exceedingly abound, and to which the is indebted for fome of her chief Orders, as being plainly founded in it. The Quakers in England are neither more ridiculous, nor as yet fo impious as the Alumbrados were in Spain, nor do the blafphemous Phrenzies of DavidGeorge exceed thofe of Evangelium Eternum. This is an ill Weed which will grow in all Soils, and fpread exceedingly; and Infallibility it felf is but an equal Plea, and therefore is, upon fuch occafions, glad to call in to its affiftance its Temporal Advantages. This very Pretence doth fcarce leave a man within the poffibility of being confuted; what Authority is there to be produced which is fit to come in competition