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PREFACE.

HE nation is in too high a ferment, for me to

quarter, from a reader of the oppofite party. All men are engaged either on this fide or that; and though conscience is the common word, which is given by both, yet if a writer fall among enemies, and cannot give the marks of their confcience, he is knocked down before the reasons of his own are heard. A preface, therefore, which is but a bespeaking of favour, is altogether useless. What I defire the reader should know concerning me, he will find in the body of the poem, if he have but the patience to peruse it. Only this advertisement let him take before-hand, which relates to the merits of the cause. No general characters of parties (call them either fects or churches) can be so fully and exactly drawn, as to comprehend all the feveral members of them; at least all such as are received under that denomination. For example; there are some of the church by law established, who envy not liberty of confcience to diffenters; as being well fatisfyed that; according to their own principles they ought not to perfecute them. Yet these by reafon of their fewness, I could not diftinguifh from the numbers of the rest, with whom they are embodied in one common name. On the other fide, there are many of our fects, and

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more indeed than I could reasonably have hoped, who have withdrawn themselves from the communion of the Panther, and embraced this gracious indulgence of his majefty in point of toleration. But neither to the one nor the other of these is this fatire any way intended: it is aimed only at the refractory and disobedient on either fide. For thofe, who are come over to the royal party, are consequently supposed to be out of gun-fhot. Our phyficians have observed, that, in process of time, fome diseases have abated of their virulence, and have in a manner worn out their malignity, fo as to be no longer mortal: and why may not I suppose the fame concerning fome of those, who have formerly been enemies to kingly government, as well as Catholic religion? I hope they have now another notion of both, as having found, by comfortable experience, that the doctrine of perfecution is far from being an article of our faith.

It is not for any private man to cenfure the proceedings of a foreign prince: but, without fufpicion of flattery, I may praise our own, who has taken contrary measures, and those more fuitable to the spirit of Chriftianity. Some of the diffenters in their addreffes to his majefty, have faid, "That he has reftored God to "his empire over confcience." I confefs, I dare not stretch the figure to fo great a boldness: but I may fafely fay, that confcience is the royalty and prerogative of every private man. He is abfolute in his own breast, and accountable to no earthly power for that which paffes only betwixt God and him. Those who are driven into the fold are, generally speaking, rather made hypocrites than converts.

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