Considerations moving to a toleration and liberty of conscience with arguments inducing to a cessation of the penal statues against all dissenters whatever, upon the account of religion : occasioned by an excellent discourse upon that subject publish'd by His Grace the Duke of Buckingham / humbly offered to the Parliament at their next sitting at Westminster.

The Epistle Dedicatory. To His GRACE the DUKE OF Buckingham.

My Lord,

TIs with the Highest Veneration due to Your Graces Illustrious Worth and Quality, that I presume to make this Address to a Person of Your Graces Eminence and Greatness. And indeed, the only Encou∣ragement for that Confidence, is, That this Discourse is onely Listed under Your Graces Banner. Your Grace has been pleased to be the first Assertor of that Justice, which in this Age of the World, wanted onely so Great a

Name to Espouse and Vindicate it. For alas, whatever (tho never so rational) has or could be urged in the Defence of Christian Clemency and Tenderness, by any less Hand, would have been overbourn by the present Impetuous Tor∣rent against it; And therefore they only wan∣ted so uninterested a Champion as Your Grace to Patronize them. If any less Person had at∣tempted it, presently the opprobious Name of a Non-con, or a Tub-Preacher, would have been thrown in his Teeth, and all Reasons whatever, upon a Toleration, tho never so Convincing, would have been instantly Blasted (how unjustly soever) with the Old Brand of Great is Diana of Ephesus, as if Publish'd, Maintain'd, and cryed up only for the Service or Interest of a Party or Faction. But Your Grace has the happiness of a Station and Cha∣racter above the Reach of so feeble and sting∣less a Calumny, whilst Your Generous Pen has been pleased to adapt that Truth which Ma∣lice may Snarl at, but cannot Bite.

I confess indeed, the General, nay only Ar∣guments urged against a Toleration, is that Clamorous pretence, of its Danger to the Go∣vernment, through an Indulging of Rebelli∣ous and Antimonarchical Principles, which under the Mask and Cover of Tenderness of Conscience, have been, or may be diffused thro' the Kingdom, and several Republick Machi∣nations and Poysonous Designs, have or may be hatcht and nourisht under the unhappy Con∣sequences of Liberty of Conscience.

And truly, Persecution for Dissent, in mat∣ter of Faith, without this plausible Apology, would not have so much as a Shadow of Excuse to Protect it from the Infamy of a more than Pagan piece of Cruelty. But alas, this weak Pretext, when truly and duely weigh'd, will quickly fall to the Ground. For that there have been, and may be again, those Atheistical and Diabolical persons, who Villanously, under the Veil of Religion, play the blackest of Hypocri∣tes, and carry on their own ambitious and dam∣nable

Intregues, under that Golden Visor, is a most undoubted and too sad Truth. But is that a sufficient Plea, why those, whose utmost Aime is the Innocent Worship of God, untaint∣ed with any such Disloyal Thoughts, should not only be Loaded with their Reproach, and Stig∣matized with their Brand, but also be equally involved in their Condemnation, viz. Fined, Harast, Imprison'd, Beggard, and Ruin'd as such. If the Government has had Expe∣rience of those Antimonarchical Principles so fomented, undoubtedly that Experience has given it Discretion enough to prevent the future Effects of them, and to distinguish betwixt the Guilty and the Innocent. Let every Judas therefore have his Judas Fate; which may the Wisdom of the Nation and Government take care to see Executed: And those that urge the denyal of a Toleration from their Jealousie only of the forementioned Danger, must cer∣tainly suspect a very great Imbecility in the Administration, that can find no better Expe∣dient,

then rooting up the Flower, to keep the Spider from sucking Poyson out of it.

This whole Discourse therefore, being abso∣solutely free from the least intention of favour∣ing any of those false Pretenders to Religion and Christianity, those wicked Enemies of Magistracy, the Sacred Ordinance of God, is only an Endeavour to evince the Reasonable∣ness of a Christian forbearance to our weak Brother, purely and only as such. With this Integrity and Innocence, these Considerations are made Publick, and with no other Recom∣mendation durst the unknown Author lay him∣self at Your Graces Feet.