many as be perfect, be thus minded; and if in any thing ye be otherwife minded, God fhall reveal even this unto you." And we are bid, 1 Theff. v. 21. "Prove all things, hold-faft that which is good." St. Paul judged that not only to tolerate, but to examine and prove all things, was no danger to our holding faft that which is good. How fhall we prove all things, which includes all opinions at least, founded on Scripture, unless we not only tolerate them, but patiently hear them, and feriously read them? If he who thinks himself in the truth, profeffes to have learnt it, not by implicit faith, but by attentive study of the fcriptures, and full perfuafion of heart; with what equity can he refufe to hear or read him, who demonftrates to have gained his knowledge by the fame way? Is it a fair courfe to affert truth, by arrogating to himfelf the only freedom of fpeech, and ftopping the mouths of others equally gifted? This is the direct way to bring-in that papiftical, implicit, faith which we all difclaim. They pretend it would unfettle the weaker fort; the fame groundlefs fear is pretended by the Romish clergy. At leaft then, let them have leave to write in Latin, which the common people understand not; that what they hold may be difcuffed among the learned only. We fuffer the Idolatrous books of Papifts, without this fear, to be fold and read as common as our own: why not much rather of Anabaptifts, Arians, Arminians, and Socinians? There is no learned man but will confefs he hath much profited by reading controverfies, his fenses awakened, his judgement sharpened, and the truth which he holds, more firmly establifhed. If then it be profitable for him to read, why fhould it not, at least, be tolerable and free for his adverfary to write? In Logick, they teach, that contraries laid-together more evidently appear; appear; it follows then, that, all controverfy being permitted, falfhood will appear the more falfe, and truth course of the more true; which muft needs conduce much, not A vicious only to the confounding of Popery, but to the general life disposes confirmation of unimplicit truth. The last means to avoid Popery, is to amend our lives. It is a general complaint that this Nation, of late years, is grown more numerously and exceffively vicious than heretofore; pride, luxury, drunkenness, whoredom, curfing, fwearing, bold and open atheism, every-where abounding: where these grow, no wonder if Popery alfo grow a-pace. There is no man fo wicked, but fometimes his confcience will wring him with thoughts of another world, and the peril of his foul; the trouble and melancholy which he conceives of true repentance and amendment he endures not, but inclines rather to fome carnal fuperftition, which may pacify and lull his confcience with fome more pleafing doctrine. None more ready and officious to offer herself than the Romish, and opens wide her office, with all her faculties, to receive him; easy confeffion, easy abfolution, pardons, indulgences, maffes for him both quick and dead, Agnus Dei's, reliques, and the like: and he, instead of "working-out his falvation with fear and trembling," ftrait thinks in his heart (like another kind of fool than he in the pfalms) to bribe God as a corrupt Judge; and by his proctor, fome prieft, or fryer, to buy-out his peace with money, which he cannot with his repentance. For God, when men fin outragiously, and will not be admonished, gives-over chastizing them, perhaps, by peftilence, fire, fword, or famine, which may all turn to their good, and takes-up his fevereft punishments, hardness, befottedness, of heart, and idolatry, to their final perdition. Idolatry brought the Heathen to heinous trans men to fall intoPopery. N. B. N. B. N. R. tranfgreffions, Rom. ii. And heinous tranfgreffions oft-times bring the flight profeffors of true religion, to grofs Idolatry: I Theff. ii. 11, 12. "For this caufe God fhall fend them ftrong delufion that they should believe a lye, that they all might be damned who believe not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousnefs.” And Ifaiah xliv. 18. fpeaking of Idolaters, "They have not known nor understood; for he hath shut their eyes that they cannot fee, and their hearts that they cannot understand." Let us therefore, ufing this last means, (last here spoken-of, but first to be done,) amend our lives with all speed; left through impenitency we run into that stupidity, which we now seek all means fo wearily to avoid, the worst of fuperftitions, and the heaviest of all God's judgements, Popery. By this tract on Toleration it appears that Milton, (though a most powerful and vehement advocate for both Civil and Religious Liberty), yet thought that Papifts, from the hoftility of their principles to the members of all other Churches but that of Rome, were not proper objects of Toleration, under a Protestant Government. How much more would he have been shocked, if he had been now living, at the opinion that is now adopted by the new Whigs, as they call themfelves, who wifh not only to tolerate them, or permit them to profefs the Popish Religion, and make use of the mafs, and the Popish facraments in their places of worship, (which is properly Toleration,) but to make them capable of holding judicial offices and adminiftering the laws of England in our Courts of Judicature, and of commanding our Navies and Armies. This they call Catholick Emancipation; but I fhould think it ought rather to be called Catholick Exaltation. THE THE INTEREST OF ENGLAND STATED: OR, A FAITHFUL AND JUST ACCOUNT OF THE AIMS OF ALL PARTIES NOW PRETENDING. DISTINCTLY TREATING OF THE DESIGNEMENTS OF THE ROMAN CATHOLICK. THE ROYALIST. THE PRESBYTERIAN. THE ANABAPTIST. THE ARMY. THE LATE PROTECTOR. THE PARLIAMENT. With their Effects in respect of themselves, of one another, and of the Publich. CLEERLY EVIDENCING The unavoydable ruine upon all from longer contest: AND Offering an Expedient for the composure of the refpective Differences; to the security and advantage, not onely of every single PRINTED IN THE YEAR 1659 AND, PROBABLY, ABOUT THE 20TH OF JULY. THE INTEREST OF ENGLAND STATED. To have a thorough fenfe of our prefent Sufferings, and a certain knowledge of the inevitable ruine, which our divifions (if not compofed) will bring upon the Publick; as it is a matter of little difficulty in its felf, fo [is it] of very inconfiderable ufe. That which would be more behoveful, were to find-out an Expedient, for the alleviating the ills we now feel, and the prevention of those we fear; both of which, having been by feveral means, during a long tract of time, in vain attempted, the cafe is now by many given-over, as incurable. But, upon serious Confideration, it appears, that not the Malignancy of our difeafe has occafioned thofe mifcarriages, but the ill application of remedies has done it. In particular, that men have not either defired to know, or to remove, the diftempers of the Publick, but laboured to throw-off their Single and immediate preffures, and, to that end, endevoured to advance the party they adhered-to, and to beat-down all others: whereby it came-about, that Divifions, inftead of Compofure, have ftill grown wider; and paffionate Hates, instead of being allayed, have rifen higher, and been more exasperated. But, it being certain, that the real good of the Nation, confifts not in the private benefit of fingle Men, but the advantage of the Publick; and that is made-up, not by the Welfare of any one Party, but of all; 'tis evident, that the only means to procure |