against Hereticks and Schifmaticks. And here I must appeal to the Confciences of those who now plead fo much for Liberty of Confcience and Toleration in this Kingdom; were they able to root out the Presbyterians and their way, and could find Civil Authority inclinable to put forth the Coercive Power against it, Whether in that cafe would they not fay, That the Magiftrate may repress it by strong hand, if it be not otherwife to be repreffed? It is not without Canfe that I put this Quære to them; for M. S. p. 50. doth allow of the Magiftrates fighting against a Do&rine which is indeed Superftition, Herefie or Schifm, and only pretendeth to be from God, when it is indeed from men. Also that Pamphlet called, As you were, p. 3. tells us, that it was neither Gamaliel's meaning, nor Mr. Goodwins, That every Way pretending to be from God must be let alone; but that only we are to refrain and let it a lone till we are out of danger of fighting against God, while we endeavour to overthrow it. Now I a ßume that there are fome who plead for Liberty of Con

Science,

Science, who profefs that they are certain, and fully affured upon demonftrative proofs, that the Presbyterial Way is not from God nor according to the Mind of Jefus Chrift: Therefore according to their Principles, they must allow of the putting forth of the Civil Coercive Power against the Presbyterial Way, &c.

Mr. Sterry likewife, who was the great Preacher at Whitehall in the dayes of Mr. Oliver Cromwel, in a Sermon preached, Nov. 5. 1651. called England's Deliverance from the Nor thern Presbytery, compared with its Deliverance from the Roman Papacy, upon Jer. 16. 14,15. It shall no more be said, The Lord liveth that brought up the Children of Ifrael out of the Land of Egypt ; But the Lord liveth that brought up the Children of Ifrael out of the Land of the North, c. Which Sermon was Printed by Order of those Gentlemen who pleafed to call themselves a Parlia ment, gives us fuch an account of the Prefbyterians, as was very grateful to the Powers then in being (though it was to the Prefbyterians that they owed

owed their very Being;) I fhall lay down his very words: In his Epistle he faith thus; Right honorable, I have defired in my Preaching, in my Prayers, to work with God even for the opening of the eyes of men, to fee that the fame Spirit which lay in the polluted Bed of Papacy may meet them in the perfumed Bed of Presbytery, &c. To which purpofe I have in my Sermon reprefented the fame Spirit which dwells in the Paрасу, when it enters into the PURER FORM OF PRESBYTERY, as FULLER OF MYSTERY, fo FULLER OF DESPITE AND DANGER, &c. In the Sermon it felf; Many daughters have done vertuously, but thou excelleft them all: So may England now fay to the Lord, In many Mercies, as especially that in faving us from this bloody defign of the Egyptian Papacy, thou haft done graciously and wonderfully; but this laft Mercy, by which thou faveft us from the black Plots and bloody Powers of the NORTHERN PRESBYTERT hath exceeded them all. And in that Sermon he doth all along prefer the Papifts before the Prefbyterians, the Confequence

fequence of which doth not amount to Toleration of them: Nay, our Brethren in New-England, though their Constitution hath as much of Liberty of Conscience in it,as any Place in the World, yet have found it to be a thing so very troublefom, as that they are grown quite weary of, and have put very fevere Restraints upon it: Of which in the Second Part of the Excellent Friendly Debate, p. 227. and the Third Part, p. 244. any man may be abundantly fatisfied; and it is well known that Quakers were hanged in New-England, which was a feverity they did not meet with,either at Rome or at Conftantinople.

Mr. Edwards in his Answer to the Apologetical Narration, p. 244. draweth an Argument against Toleration from the Judgment of the Divines in New England, who are against the Toleration of any Church Govern. ment, or way but one. For the Difcipline of Jefus Christ (as we have it in Church Government and Church Covenant difcuffed (Question 31.) is not arbitrary, that one Church may practife

one Form, and another another Form, as each one shall please, but is one and the fame for all Churches, and in all the Effentials and Substantials of it unchangeable, and to be kept till the ap pearing of Jesus Christ: And if that Difcipline which we here practife be (as we are perfwaded of it) the fame which Christ hath appointed, and therefore unalterable, we fee not how another may be lawful: Upon which account they will not in New-England tolerate Brownifts, Anabaptifts, Antinomians, Quakers, and fo careful they are in this matter, that they make fuch enquiries into the inward Sentiments of the Minds even of the Laity, as among us are not usual; and in fuch Points too wherein the Publick Government is not concerned. Mr. Cotton the greateft Divine in New-England, and a precious man, is against Toleration, and holds that men may be punished for their Confciences, as appears by his Letter to Mr.Williams, & Mr.Williams his Answer,both Printed,& his Expoftion on the Vials,Vial.3.p.16,17.& Vial, 4p.17.Where heAnswers this Objecti

on,