looks upon it as his Duty to jield to this Authority all active and chearful Obedience, even for Conscience fake, &c.

Here is a plain Renunciation of all the Obligation of the Covenant, so far as refpects the King; the good man is quit by Providence, nay did not that whole Party, as fcrupulous as ever they may now feem, from that time forward ever afterward till the laying afide the Family of Cromwels, absolutely lay aside all thought of any manner of Obligation either to King or Covenant.

And now after all thefe dangers which will be perpetually impending over us from the Covenant,and which we can never be fecure from, fo long as there is the leaft pretence remaining among us, that that Oath is at all obligatory; there is another thing which may justly raise our wonder, and may concern us much more than the generality of us are aware, to enquire what may the meaning of it; and that is this, to confider how it doth come to pass, that the Prefbyte

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rians

rians and the other Sectaries do all at prefent unite in the Common Plea of Liberty of Conscience; For it is very plain that in this part of the Debate between us, their Inclinations, Judgements and Interefts are very different, and their Pleas utterly inconfiftent. It is not fo long ago, but that fome alive remember it, that the fweet noyfe of Liberty of Confcience made a very pleasant found, and the Diffenters from the legal Establishment were all for a while hugely taken themselves, and did endeavour to charm each other with it; but within the compafs of a very little time, they themselves could not tell what to do with it, fell out with one another about the Nature, Bounds, and Limits of it; and even at this very day it is a clear Cafe, That any Pri vate Perfon, without the least entrenching upon the Authority of his Superiours, may fafely undertake, that all the Pretenders to Liberty of Conscience in the whole Nation, fhall eve ry one of them have their utmost wish, in the very fame moment that they themselves

themselves fhall all agree about it; I must needs say that this Plea is at the first view something fpecious, and hath fome fhews of reafon in it; But if it be a little narrowly looked into, it will be found to be a fine word, which no body knoweth the meaning of, a thing which looks prettily, but is of no manner of ufe, which very many Persons do admire, and very few if any at all will in the least

endure.

And to make this evident, let us confider that this Liberty of Confcience must be either limited, or unlimited; If limited, it is by no means to be called Liberty of Confcience; nay, it is a plain giving up of the Caufe, for it is an actuall granting,that Confcience is neither fo facred, nor hath any Right to be looked upon as fo tender a thing, but that it both may and ought to have bounds and limits fet unto it; and I believe that there are Few men who are not of this mind, or, if they are not at present, a little experience will quickly bring them to be of it.

Now

Now if Conscience be to be limited, then they who do not like those limits which the Law hath already set unto it should do well (when they have obtained lieve for their fo doing) to propose those other Limits which they fee caufe to defire; and after they are agreed themselves about those Limits,let them in a dutiful manner offer them to their Superiours, alledge their reasons and among them, let them by no means omit this one, which they so often boast of and triumph in, the great numbers, and Quality of thofe Perfons who are agreed upon those Bounds and Limits, who will acquiefce and reft fatisfied in them: And without the doing of this, the Raisers of all thefe Clamours do nothing else but put an intolerable affront upon the Wifdom and Autho rity of the Nation, to demand fo importunately the Alteration of the fetled Conftitution, in order to the Gratification of no Body knoweth whom, why, or in what, either how far the Alteration is defired, or what is defigned to be the effect of any fuch Alteration.

Alteration. Let, I fay, the Dissenters, who take themselves to be confiderable enough to expect a publick Change for their fakes, declare concerning Themfelves and their Intentions, We are they who do defire an Alteration; we do defire it to be made only thus far, and then we will acquiefce in it, and in our feveral places and Callings (according to a known reading) will endeavour to make all others to acquiefce in it ; and we know, that all the Sober, Serious, Peaceable, Godly, Knowing, Confcientious Part of the Nation will joyn with us in it.

When the Noife-makers have done this, then, and not before, it will be seasonable to harken unto them: Upon these Terms, I fay, and only upon thefe, their Proposals will be in a condition to be taken into Confideration: When it is once known what the defires of any Party are, then there is room for enquiry, whether or no, or how far they carry Reafon in them. And it may fometimes fo chance, that fuch demands as are not

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