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youth, and kindling her undazl❜d eyes at the full midday beam; purging and unfcaling her long abufed fight at the fountain it felf of heav'nly radiance; while the whole noife of timorous and flocking birds, with those alfo that love the twilight, flutter about, amaz'd at what the means, and in their envious gabble would prognoflicat a year of fects and fchifms.'

What fhould ye doe then? fhould ye fuppreffe all this flowry crop of knowledge and new light sprung up and and yet springing daily in this City? fhould ye fet an Oligarchy of twenty engroffers over it, to bring a fainin upon our minds again, when we shall know nothing but what is meafur'd to us by their bufhel Beleeve

I

Beleeve it, Lords and Commons, they who counfell ye to fuch a fuppreffing, doe as good as bid ye fuppreffe yourfelves; and I will foon fhew how. If it be defir'd to know the immediat cause of. all this free writing and free speaking, there cannot be affign'd a truer than your own mild, and free, and human government; it is the liberty, Lords and Commons, which your own valorous and happy counfels have purchaft us, liberty which is the nurse of all great wits; this is that which hath rarify'd and enlightned our fpirits like the influence of heav'n; this is that which hath enfranchis'd, enlarg'd and lifted up our appre henfions degrees above themfelves. Ye cannot make us now leffe capable, leffe

know

knowing, leffe eagerly pursuing of the: truth, unleffe ye first make your selves,. that made us fo, leffe the lovers, leffe the founders of our true liberty. We can grow ignorant again, brutish, formall,, and flavifh, as ye found us; but you then must first become that which ye: cannot be, oppreffive, arbitrary, and ty-rannous, as they were from whom ye. have free'd us. That our hearts are. now more capacious, our thoughts more: erected to the fearch and expectation of greatest and exacteft things, is the iffue: of your owne virtu propagated in us; ye. cannot fuppreffe that unleffe ye reinforce an abrogated and mercileffe law, that fathers may dispatch at will their own children. And who fhall then stick clof

est

eft to ye, and excite others? not he who takes up armes for cote and conduct, and his four nobles of Danegelt. Although I difpraife not the defence of juft immunities, yet love my peace better, if that were all. Give me the liberty to know, to utter, and to argue freely according to confcience, above all

liberties.

What would be beft advis'd then, if it be found fo hurtfull and fo unequall to fuppreffe opinions for the newnes, or the unfutablenes to a customary acceptance, will not be my task to fay; I only shall repeat what I have learnt from one of your own honourable number, a right noble and pious Lord, who had he not facrific'd his life and fortunes to the

Church

Church and Commonwealth, we had not now mift and bewayl'd a worthy and undoubted patron of this argument. Ye know him I am fure; yet I for honours fake, and may it be eternall to him, fhall name him, the Lord Brook. He writing of Epifcopacy, and by the way treating of fects and fchifms, left Ye his vote, or rather now the laft words of his dying charge, which I know will ever be of dear and honour'd regard with Ye, fo full of meeknes and breathing charity, that next to his laft teftament, who bequeath'd love and peace to his Difciples, I cannot call to mind where I have read or heard words more mild and peacefull. He there exhorts us to hear with patience and humility thofe, how

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