with a witness, and which Mr. Hancock and Mr. Brown have labour'd to fulfil in part, that fuperftitious Folks might trepidly apprehend the event of the reft. Mr. Brown fays, The real defign of this Man isplain- Pag, 164. ly no other than what he formerly declar'd, and what he openly affects, to be the Head of a Sect; and doubts not but he has a great deal more to fay, whenever this new Sect of Pag, 166, his becomes fo numerous that they fall out brave the Laws, and labour for a publick Reformation of the Myfterious Doctrines of the Gospel. Would any body believe this, did they not fee it plainly own'd in Print? Nay he tells us that he has trac'd this Herefiarch from Pag. 121. the time he first gave out he would be Head of a Sect before he was thirty Years of Age, till ke became an Author, and from thence to his coming into Ireland to spread his Herefies, and put his Defign in execution. I affure him he wants two Years ftill of Thirty, and if his Difciples (as they're call'd) take not other measures than he did to erect that fame Sect in Ireland, St. Patrick may fecurely poffefs his Apostleship in that Kingdom till Doomsday, which is an Honour Mr. Toland does not envy him. I ought not by any means to forget here the Sagacity of a certain Gentleman, who wonder'd at his Impudence for prefuming to set up

t

a new Religion in their Country, where he had not a foot of Land; which inclines me to believe he has met with better Records of the Apostles Poffeffions than Mr. Toland could in all his reading.

Well then, if all this won't do, what fhall we make of him next? He must e'en be reprefented as dangerous to the Government; and truly fo he's like to be if Irish Prefages hold good, for their Prophecies were never worth a farthing. How far Pag. 172. Men in power, fays Mr. Brown, according to their feveral Stations, are obliged to intermeddle in point of Confcience, I shall not now enquire. But sure I am in point of Policy it is become no less than neceffary: for the Writers of this ftrain have given broad hints that they are as little friends to our Government, as our Religion. This Man can Say that MAGISTRATES are made for the PEOPLE, and every one knows what Doctrines of REBELLION Men are wont to infinuate by this SAYING. O! is it thereabouts then? Why truly, the Doctrine of Paffive Obedience was exploded by this fame Saying, which Mr. ToLand acknowledges to be one fair Quotation. James the Second was juftly abdicated according to this Saying, because he was an Enemy to the People for whom he

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was

was made a King; and our moft Glorious Hero William the Third, the Reftorer of Univerfal Peace and Liberty, was invested with the Supreme Power by the honeft People of Great Britain, for whofe good he has indefatigably employ'd it ever fince, in vindicating, fettling, and enlar ging their Civil and Religious Rights. Mr. Brown has been pleas'd to fay that Mr. Toland was proud of running down three Kingdoms with one crofs Question, which is, How can a Man believe what he Pag. 122. does not know? and he that does fo, knows not what he believes. Now I would gladly be refolv'd by him, for whom the Magiftrates are made unless for the People? Were they made for themselves? or whether the People were made for the Magiftrates? But he adds, that this fort of Men Pag. 172. deferve to be look'd to, that their numbers grow formidable; and makes little doubt but their defign is at length to fhew us, That Pag. 173. all Dominion as well as Religion is founded in Reafon. Let him affure himfelf they will never begin to fhew that, for they have clearly prov'd it long ago. What Dominion is not founded in Reafon, muft be doubtless unreafonable, and confequently Tyrannical. There was nothing more reasonable than for Men firft to unite them.

that he was born there. So his Countrymen treated him in this refpect like his Majesty's good Subjects of Guernsey; who, when they are in France are call'd English Rogues, and in England French Dogs.

The laft Effort, except the charge of Socinianifm, to blaft him, was to make him pafs for a rigid Nonconformist. Mr. Toland will never deny but the real Simplicity of the Diffenters Worship, and the seeming Equity of their Difcipline (into which being fo young he could not diftinctly penetrate) did gain extraordinarily upon his Affections, juft as he was newly deliver'd from the infupportable Yoke of the most Pompous and Tyrannical Policy that ever enflav'd Mankind under the name or shew of Religion. But when greater Experience and more Years had a little ripen'd his Judgment, he eafily perceiv'd that the Differences were not fo wide as to appear irreconcilable, or at least, that Men, who were found Proteftants on both sides, should barbarously cut one anothers Throats, or indeed give any disturbance to the Society about them. And as foon as he underftood the late Heats and Animofities did not totally (if at all) proceed from a Concern for mere Religion, he allow'd himself a latitude in feveral things, that

would

would have been matter of fcruple to him before. His Travels increas'd, and the Study of Ecclefiaftical History perfected this Difpofition, wherein he continues to this Hour: for, whatever his own Opinion of those Differences be, yet he finds fo effential an Agreement between the French, Dutch, English, Scotish, and øther Proteftants, that he's refolv'd never to lofe the Benefit of an Inftructive Difcourfe in any of their Churches upon that score; and it must be a Civil not a Religious Interest that can engage him against any of these Parties, not thinking all their private Notions wherein they difagree worth endangering, much lefs fubverting, the Publick Peace of a Nation. If this makes a

Man a Nonconformit, then Mr. Toland is one unquestionably. And fo he is, if he thinks the Diffenters ought not to be molested in their Goods or Perfons, nor ex cluded from any of their Native Rights, because they have a different Set of Thoughts from him or others, fo long as none of their Principles are repugnant to good Government, He believes them likewise to be a true and confiderable part of the Protestant Religion (for they have demonstrated themfelves to be ftanch Patriots)notwithstanding any Error or Weak

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