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A54260 The P. of Orange's engagement for maintaining and securing the Protestant religion & liberties of the people of England, according to his late gracious declaration humbly reminded to be performed by their most sacred Majesties K. William and Q. Mary, in their royal assent in Parliament, to the perpetual establishment of liberty of conscience. 1689 (1689) Wing P140A; ESTC R15860 6,645 4

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The P. of Orange's Engagement For Maintaining and Securing the Protestant Religion Liberties of the People of England According to His Late Gracious Declaration Humbly Reminded To be Performed by Their Most Sacred Majesties K. WILLIAM and Q. MARY in Their Royal Assent in PARLIAMENT to the Perpetual Establishment of Liberty of Conscience Moved in Ten Reasons for a Religious Freedom With Allowance REASON I. IT is not the Will of the Great and Wise God to appoint any Forcible Ways or Courses to bring Men and Women to conform to his VVorship But Christ was pleased to Commissionate his Apostles to whom he committed the Keys of his Church to Preach and Declare the Christian Doctrin And they that succeed them in their Office are not by Might or by Power but by gentle Invitation and the Influence of his kind Spirit to inform the Judgment convince the Conscience and so to perswade the Children of Men to be Reconciled unto God. And who is Man that he should take another course and will not rest in God's wisdom Now we are Ambass●dors for Christ as though God did beseech you through us we pray you in Christs stead be ye reconciled to God. REASON II. THe using outward Compulsion in matters of Conscience does only serve to make Men Hypocrites but works no saving Conversion If Men conform to any VVorship or way thereof with an unwilling mind they cannot serve God aright though the VVorship be right because the Heart of the VVorshipper is not right God calls for the Heart My Son give me thy Heart If it were not for compulsion the Man would be in some other Practice or Profession and when he Conforms only to save his Person or his Purse he is the Servant of Man and not the Servant of God and this is not to save his Soul. Not by constraint but willingly not for filthy lucre but a ready mind REASON III. ALL sorts of Persons are for Liberty of Conscience for themselves even those that are most imposing upon others They would account it hard measure to be constrain'd to perform or forbear such and such things which concern their Religion or to suffer unproportionable penalties And why should not the Church-Protestants make the Presbyterians the Independants the Papists case their own in this point seeing they are all Fellow-Christians Therefore whatsoever things ye would that men should do unto you do ye so unto them for this is the Law and the Prophets REASON IV. THe good Rules of Humanity and common Civility which is carefully observed in smaller matters are openly violated by using of force in the matters of Conscience Men abhor to thrust that Meat and Drink down their Neighbour's Throat which will not agree with their Stomachs They say commonly Pray take that which best likes you and why are they not as civil in the matter of Religion Have compassion on one another love as Brethren be pitiful be courteous REASON V. THe Church Protestants in England were sore distressed by hot doings heretofore in the Reign of Q. Mary when they were accounted Criminals for not conforming to that Worship which was then the Establisht Worship of the Kingdom and whoever take up the same Spirit of Persecution against others for Nonconformity to the present Worship now Establisht doth not only justifie the violent proceedings under Queen Mary from their own principles and practices but also upon mounting that part of the Wheel at top again as lately endangered us tho' now down will leave themselves no Excuse nor Cause of Complaint if God bring the same severity to fall upon them For with the same measure men me●e withal it shall be meted to them again REASON VI. THe Conforming and Nonconforming Protestants and the Protestants and Papists all do agree as to the substance of Christianity in the same Articles of Faith and the same Rule of Manners in the Apostles Creed and the Ten Commandments There is one Body one Spirit one Lord one Faith one Baptism As a variety of Flowers may grow on the same Bank so may Protestants of all sorts Church-men Presbyterians Independants Anabaptists Quakers and Papists live in England Union in Affection is not inconsistent with disagreement of Opinion There is much more Reason to love one another for the many things wherein we agree than to fall out for those wherein we differ and though we cannot have communion in the same external worship we can and have communion in the same internal Adoration of the same Blessed Trinity and in the one hope of our calling unto Life Eternal through Jesus Christ We cannot come together in the same Church but may live together in the same Land and as we are under the same Gracious King and Queen they may protect both and suffer no Party to persecute one another The Woolf shall lie down with the Lamb the Leopard with the Kid they shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain REASON VII THe French Protestants who are the Dissenters from the Established Worship of that Kingdom have been kindly received and succoured by England even under both our late Kings And when the French King is highly blamed by English Protestants and perhaps too by most English Catholicks for persecuting his peaceable Subjects should we go to do the same things in our Kingdom which we condemn in another God forbid Therefore art thou inexcusable O man whosoever thou art for thou that Judgest another dost the same things REASON VIII THe prosecuting Dissenters and Recusants for matters of Conscience is of great disadvantage to the Trade of the Kingdom the Dissenters being a chief part of the Trading People of the Nation considered as Merchants Shop-keepers Clothiers Farmers c. by which many thousands of the Kings poor Subjects are maintained and consequently Liberty of Conscience must be a most effectual means for the restoring of it I will mention a story or two which may be easily attested if they be called into Question One Thomas Peard about 19 Years since of West Dean near Barnstable who kept many poor People at work in the Clothing Trade was prosecuted upon the Act for Twenty Pound a Month so many Months for not coming to Church that he was forced to quit his Habitation and Imployment Upon this the poor People of many Parishes go a Begging and the numbers presently were so great that the Justices were sain to meet and consulting together conclude upon it to get the Man's Fines to be discharged This being done Peard returns to his business takes the poor off their hands and finds them again the same Li In like manner about 17 Years since the Bishop of Sarum sends forth Instructions into all the parishes of his Diocess for bringing them to Church or citing them to his Court. There were Eighty Clothiers Nonconformists of several Judgments in the County of Wilts who being Alarum'd by this Summons think of withdrawing their Trade the time for provision of their Wool favouring such