Certain considerations tending to promote peace and good will amongst Protestants very useful for the present times.

1 Consid. That some of the most considerable Ranks and Orders of men, since the Reformation of Religion amongst us have manifested a desire to have some favour, or Indulgence shewed to Dissenters in point of Ceremonies, &c.

King Edward the 6th. wrote a Letter to Arch∣bishop Cranmer in behalf of Mr. Hooper elected Bishop of Gleucester.

RIght Reverend Father, and Right trusty and Well-beloved,

Whereas We by the advice of our Council, have called and chosen Our right Well-beloved, and well worthy Mr. John Hooper, to be Our Bishop of Glou∣cester; as well for his great Learning, due Judgment, and long study both in the Scriptures and other profound Learning; as also for his good discretion, ready utterance, and honest life, for that kind of Vocation, &c. from Consecrating of whom We understand you do stay, because he would have you omit certain Rites and Cere∣monies offensive to his Conscience, whereby ye think you should fall in Praemunire of Lawes: We have thought good by advice aforesaid, to dispense and discharge you of all manner of dangers, penalties, and forfeitures you should run into, and be in any manner of way, by omitting any of the same. And these Our Letters shall be your sufficient Warrant and Discharge therefore.

Aug. 5th. Given under Our Signet at Our Castle of Windsor the fourth year of Our Reign.

King James also wrote two Letters to Queen Elizabeth in fa∣vour of Non-conformists, one whereof you may read in D. Fuller's History of the Church; Book the 9th. Page 203.

After these, King Charles the First, of blessed Memory, in His Answer to the Remonstrance of the House of Commons presented to Him at Hampton Court, December the first, 1641.

saith as follows, In differences amongst Our selves, for matters indif∣ferent in their own Nature, concerning Religion, we shall in tender∣ness to any number of our Loving Subjects, very willingly comply with the Advice of Our Parliament, that some Law may be made for the exemption of tender Consciences from punishment, or prosecution for such Ceremonies, and in such Cases, which, by the judgment of most men, are held to be matters indifferent, and of some to be abso∣lutely unlawful. And again in his Message of the 20th. of Jan. 1641. His Majesty proposeth to both Houses of Parliament, the security of the true Religion now professed in the Church of England, and the setling of Ceremonies in such a manner as may take away all just offence. In His Message of the 14th. of February following, His Majesty more fully expresseth himself, viz in these words. Because His Majesty observeth great and difficult troubles to arise in the hearts of his People concerning the Government and Liturgy of the Church, His Majesty is willing to declare, that he will refer that whole Consideration to the Wisdom of His Parliament, which he desires them to enter into speedily, that the present Distempers about the same may be composed—Since, His most Gracious Majesty that now is, and long and long may he continue our Soveraign Lord and King, hath often declared his willingness to Indulge tender Consciences, witness his Declaration from Breda. His Declaration afterward October 8th. 1660. in which His Majesty saith, Our present consi∣deration and work is to gratifie the private Consciences of those who are grieved with the use of some Ceremonies, by indulging to, and dispensing with the omitting of those Ceremonies. Which Indulg nt Declaration so ravished the hearts of all Your Loving Subjects (saith a Member of the House of Commons, in an Epistle to His Majesty) that Your whole House of Commons, their Represen∣tatives, then Assembled in Parliament, immediately after the Pub∣lication, October the 9th. 1660. repaired in a Body to White-hall, and there by their Speakers Oration in the Banquetting-House, expressed their extraordinary great joy, and presented their gene∣ral thanks to Your Majesty, for this Your Majesties most Gracious Declaration and Dispensation, and with their Consciences, in matters not being of the substance or essence of Religion; which gave abundant satisfaction to all peaceable sober-minded men, and such as are truly Religious, in which return of their thanks they

were all unanimous, Nemine Contradicente. Then ordering a Bill in pursuance of Your Majesties Declaration. Note; That this was that House of Commons, which together with the House of Lords, brought His Majesty to His Throne. And hence we may infer that those who are for indulgence to tender Consciences, may be Good and Loyal Subjects to His Majesty. I read, that in the dayes of King James, namely, in the Tenth year of His Reign, the Members of the House of Commons thus Petition'd His Majesty. Whereas divers painful and Learned Pastors that have long time tra∣vailed in the work of the Ministrie, with good fruit and blessing of their Labours, have been removed from their Ecclesiastical Livings, being their Free-hold, and debarred from all means of maintenance, to the great grief of sundry Your Majesties well-affected Subjects; We therefore humbly beseech Your Majesty would be graciously pleased, that such deprived and silenced Ministers, living quietly and peaceably, may be restored, &c. See Beames of former light, page 103. And in the Thirtieth year of the Reign of Queen Elizabeth, the House of Com∣mons presented to the Lords Spiritual and Temporal a Petition containing divers particulars, for the redress whereof they desire, That no Oath or Subscription might be tendered to any at their entrance into the Ministry, but such as is expresly prescribed by the Statutes of this Realm, except the Oath against corrupt entring, That they may not be troubled for the Omission of some Rites or portions prescribed in the Book of Common Prayer; That such as had been suspended or de∣prived for no other offence, but only for not subscribing, might be restored, &c.

In the next place I shall set before you to consider of the mode∣ration of some of the Nobility. In the Reign of King Edward the Sixth, the great Duke of Northumberland wrote to the Arch∣bishop of Canterbury for favour to Mr. Hooper then Lord Bishop Elect of Gloucester. The Letter we have recorded by Dr. Fuller to his Church History, in these words.

AFter my most hearty Commendations to your Grace, these may be to desire the same that in such ne∣cessary things wherein this Bearer my Lord Elect of Glou∣cester craveth to be born withall at your hands, you would

vouchsafe to shew him your Graces favour, the rather at this my Instance, which thing partly I have taken in hand by the Kings Majesties own motion. The matter is weighed by his Highness, none other, but that your Grace may facilely condescend thereunto. The Principal cause is, that you would not charge this said Bearer with an Oath bur∣thensom to his Conscience. And so for lack of time, I commit your Grace to the tuition of Almighty God,

July 23. 1550.

Your Graces most assured Loving Friend John Warwick.

'Tis thought by the Historian that the Oath scrupled at, was the Oath of Canonical Obedience to the Arch-Bishop, which consequentially commanded such Ceremonies, which Hooper was willing to decline.

In the 26th year of the Reign of Queen Elizabeth (if our Historian time it right) eight of the Privy Councel wrote a large Letter to the Bishops of Canterbury and London; towards the close whereof there are these words.

Now therefore we, for the discharge of our duties, being by our Vo∣cation, under Her Majesty bound to be careful that the Ʋniversal Realm may be well Governed, to the Honour and Glory of God, and to the discharge of Her Majesty, being the Principal Governor over all Her Subjects under Almighty God, do most earnestly desire your Lordships to take some charitable consideration of these causes, that the People of this Realm may not be deprived of their Pastors, being diligent, Learned and zealous, though in some points Ceremonial, they may seem doubtful only in Conscience, and not of wilfulness, &c.

Your Lordships loving Friends

• Will. Burghley.
• George Shrewsbury.
• A. Warwick.
• R. Leicester.
• C. Howard.
• J. Croft.
• Cbr. Hatton.
• Frae. Walsingham.

'Tis thought by Dr. Fuller, that Sir Francis Ruowles, Treasurer of the Queens Houshold, and Knight of the Garter, Father in Law to the Earl of Leicester, was casually absent from the Council Board at this time, and that's the Reason he is miss'd here amongst the Privy Counsellors; for he was, saith he, a great Patron of the Non-conformists. Hereunto I shall add a passage at the Council Table concerning Mr. Paul Baines, a noted Non-conformist, he was called by Bishop Harsnet to the Council Table, and accused for keeping of Conventicles and when he was accused hereof before the Privy Council, one of the Noble men said, Speak, speak for your self, whereupon he made such an Excellent Speech, that in the midst thereof a Nobleman stood up and said, He speaks more like an Angel than a Man, and I dare not stay here to have a hand in any Sentence against him; upon which Speech they dismissed him, and he never heard more from them.

And now after Kings, the Commons in Parliament, and Lords of the Privy Council have appeared in this matter, give me leave to add the testimony of a Bishop in the next place. It was the Bishop of St. Davids, and I think Bishop Rudd. Hear him speaking for Moderation and Condescention in his Speech to the rest of the Bishops in Convocation, May 23. 1604. and being dead, he yet speaketh. I put great difference, saith he, between quod liceat and quod expediat, and likewise between them that are Schismatical, or open disturbers of the State Ecclesiastical established, and them that are scrupulous only upon some Ceremonies, and other Circumstances, being otherwise Learned, Studious, Grave and Honest men, whose pains have been both painful in the Church, and profitable to their several Congre∣gations; concerning these Preachers last mentioned, I suppose that if upon urging them to the use of Ceremonies and attire prescribed, they should stand out stiffly and choose rather to forego their Livings and the exercise of their Ministry. And though I do not justifie their doings therein, yet surely their Service would be missed at such time us need shall require them, to give the right hand of fellowship one to another, and go arm in arm against the Common Adversary, that so there might be vis Unita fortior, in which case, want of their joint labours with ours, there might arise cause of some such doleful complaint as fell out upon an accident of another nature in the Book of Judges Chapter the 5.15, where it is said that for the divisions of Reuben, there

were great thoughts of heart. Also remember that the Benjamites, though for their desert, in maintaining a bad cause, were all destroyed saving Six hundred, and the men of Israel swear in their fury that none of them would give his Daughter to Wife to the Benjamites, yet when their hot blood was over, they lamented, and said, there is one Tribe cut off from Israel this day; and they used all their wits to the utter∣most of their policy to restore that Tribe again; In like sort if those our Brethren aforesaid should be deprived of their places, for the matters premised, I think we should find cause to bend our wits to the utter∣most extent of our Skill, to provide some Cure of Souls for them where they may exercise their Talents. Besides this, forasmuch as in the life-time of the late Arch-Bishop of Canterbury, these things were not so extreamly urged, but that many Learned Preachers injoyed their Liberty herein, conditionally that they did not by word or deed openly disturb, or disgrace the State established, ☞ I would know a Reason why it should now be so general and exceeding strictly called upon, especially seeing that these men are now the men necessary by so much we see the greater increase of Papists to be of late then were before. To con∣clude, I wish I wish, that if by Petition made to the Kings Majesty there cannot be obtained a juite removall of the Premises, which seem so grievous to divers; nor yet a toleration for them which be of the more stay'd and temperate carriage; yet at least there might be pro∣cured a mitigation of the penalty, if they cannot be drawn by other Reasons to a conformity with us. See B. of F. L. p. 205. And now to this Bishops excellent Speech, let me subjoyn what I find in Print, by a Son of the Church, I may say by a great Champion and Pillar of the Protestant Church, in his Preface to the Reader before his Irenicum, What Charter (saith he) hath Christ given the Church to bind men up to more then himself hath done? or to exclude those from Society, who may be admitted into Heaven? It is not whe∣ther the things commanded and required be lawful or no; it is not how Christians are bound to submit to a restraint of their Christian Liberty which I now inquire after (of these things in the Treatise it self) but whether they do consult for the Churches peace, and unity, who suspend it upon such things; how far either the example of our Saviour or his Apostles do warrant such rigorous Impositions. We never read of the Apostles making Laws, but of things supposed necessary—It was not enough with them, that the things would be

necessary when they had required them, but they looked on an Antece∣dent necessity, either absolute or for the presint State, which was the only ground of imposing those commands upon the Gentile Christians —would there ever be the less unity in a Church, if a diversity was allowed as to practises supposed Indifferent; yea, there would be so much the more, as there was a mutual forbearance and condescen∣tion as to such things. And a little after speaking of the Primi∣tive Church; he adds, It was never thought worth the while to make any standing Law for Rites and Customs, that had no other Original but Tradition. Much less to suspend men her Communion for not observing them.—The first who broke this Order in the Church, were the Arrians, Donatists, and Circumcellians, whil'st the true Church was still known by its pristine Moderation and sweetness of deportment towards all its Members. The same we hope may remain, and the most infallible evidence of the Conformity of our Church of England to the Primitive, not so much in using the same Rites as were in use then, as in not imposing them, but leaving men to be won, by the observing the true decency and order of Churches, whereby those who act upon a Principle of Christian Ingenuity, may be sooner drawn to a compliance in all lawful things, than by force and rigorous Im∣positions, which made men suspect the weight of the thing it self when such force is used to make it enter. In the mean time, what cause have we to rejoyce that Almighty God hath been pleased to restore us a Prince of that Excellent Prudence and Moderation, who hath so lately given assurance to the world of his great Indulgence towards all, that have any pretence from Conscience to differ from their brethren. From the Premises it appears abundantly that Dissenters and Scruplers in by-matters have had some Friends as well as many Enemies, and the Reason they have had no more Friends, has certainly been a Mis-representation of them to the world as Seditious and Turbulent persons, Enemies to Caesar and all good Government and Order in Church and State.