ciety greater than the former, and of longer Standing, think fit to be provoked at this religious Indulgence, and call it a Breach of the Peace of the Church, they bring home the Charge upon themselves, who, by breaking the Peace of the Church, mean only the not fubmitting to their own proud Spirit, which finds Peace only in the Exercife of fuccessful Tyranny. Or if the smaller Society should ufurp Dominion over the Thoughts of its own Members, and demand of them a Belief contrary to the Light of their Minds, or a Behaviour contrary to the Dictates and Conviction of their Confciences; they juflify the Claims of the greater Society over themselves, and leave themselves without Excufe for having left it.

A MAN, who leaves the Communion of any particular Church, does no more break the Peace of that Church, than a Man, who leaves the Realm, breaks the Peace of the Realm; or than a Man breaks the Peace of a Family, who, whilft the reft dine upon Flesh, does himfelf dine feparately upon Fish. But he doe. evidently break the Peace of the Church, who would by Violence keep any one in that Church; forafmuch as, by fo doing, he violates Confcience, which is the Seat and Centre of Re

ligion,

ligion, there being no Religion where there is no Conscience, and confequently no real Church. He who prays without Book, does not break the Peace of the Church, provided he forces nobody to pray as he prays: But he who would compel others to pray by his Pattern, against their own Liking, does not only break the Peace of the Church, but destroys, as far as he can, its very Effence; because a Church is conftituted by the voluntary Devotion performed by two or three met together in Christ's Name. If it be not voluntary, it is no Devotion; God will be worshipped in Spirit and in Truth: And if it be voluntary, no Man can controul it.

HITHERTO, for the most part, the Peace of the Church has been unnaturally made to fignify a blind Submiffion to the Dictates of Priests in Matters of Devotion; and a blind Acceptance of all their Schemes, Dreams and Forgeries in Matters of Faith. Now here is no Church at all; but, on one hand, the Invention and Impofition of deceitful and tyrannical Men, defacing and mifrepresenting Religion, and wrefting it to ferve their own wicked Purposes; and, on the other hand, a Tribe of Fools and Slaves, facrificing their Senfes, their Freedom, and their Consciences, to Antichrift, and wor

shipping

fhipping him, and not God. If one of these. groveling Bigots resume his Eyes, and break his Fetters, he forfooth is a Schifmatick, he breaks the Peace of the Church.

WHY will these Men, fo famed for being clofe and crafty, be fo plainly fhewing us, that by the Church they mean only Themselves; and by the Worship of God they mean only the Worship of their own Perfons and Autho rity? But they make this manifeft, as by a Thousand Inftances, fo particularly by this; namely, that the greatest Rebel to God fhall find good Quarter, provided he be but a good Subject to them; and the most conscientious Servant of the Living God fhall find no Mercy, if he dispute to bend to their Ufurpations, and to swallow their Inventions for Divine Oracles. It is no matter whether you live like a Christian or no, provided you do not break the Peace of the Church; but if you do, your being a Saint will not atone for it, nor stand you in the leaft Stead.

IF I do all I can to please God, I fhall cer tainly please him. Now if the Clergy had the fame View and Defign, my pleafing God would also please them. In confequence of this, if I thought my Abode and Communion with them a Sin, it is their Duty to encourage and exhort

me

me to leave them, and to obey God rather than Men. But far from this, the Plea of pleafing God is often no way of pleafing them; and they feldom fail to damn a Man for those very Actions, by which, through Chrift, he shall be faved; namely, deferting Authority for Conscience, and finding out the Truth for himself.

A STUPID Servitude to unbounded Dominion, fupports the Peace of the Church in fome Countries, juft as Ignorance, Poverty, and many Dragoons, do the Peace of the State in others.

THE breaking of the Peace of the Church, as the fame is generally understood by the ignorant People, and always by the ambitious Clergy, is both a rational and a religious Duty, and the beft Action which a Man can perform. That Man must be as void of Reason as of Religion, who quarrels with me for having different Faculties from him, and a different Way of conceiving Things. He might with as much Propriety quarrel with me for having a different Complexion, and a different Palate, neither of which is in my own Power.

IF I chriften my Child without the Sign of the Crofs, or a human Form of Words; how do I, by this, break the Peace of the Church, or of

good

good Neighbourhood? But he, who oppreffesor calumniates me for thus doing my Duty, by discharging my Conscience, commits an Outrage toth upon Humanity and Confcience; and not only breaks the Peace of the Church, and of Society, but by his Want of Charity declares his Want of Christianity.

IF I follow the best Light which I can get, I do my Duty; and if I do my Duty, I please God. And who fhall dare to tell me, that though I please God, yet I break the Peace of the Church? Would not this be to own, that the Will of God, and the Will of the Church, are oppofite Things?

4

I do not believe, that there are upon Earth Two Men who think exactly alike upon every Subject; and yet our different Taftes in Meat, Drink, Building, and Drefs, make not the least Difference in human Society; nor is it likely, that they ever will, unless we establish by Law, and tack Preferments to one particular Mode of Eating, Drinking, Building, and Dreffing; then indeed we may foon expect to see the eftablished and orthodox Mafon, Cook and Taylor, very zealous and loud for Conformity and Penalties. But at prefent, Ten Men, in Ten different Suits, can dine together upon Ten dife ferent Dishes, and give Ten different Opinions upon One Piece of Painting or Architecture,

without