THE OPINION OF A Known Diſſenter On the BILL for Preventing Occaſional Conformity.

WHAT is the publick Poſſeſſion of Places, or Offices of Truſt in a Government, to the Caſe of Religion? They who ſeparate from the Communion of a Church, cannot in reaſon expect to be entertained in the Service of that very Church: And they that ſeparate from the Church, ought to conſider Places and Offices beforehand, and to examine whether they can forego them for their Conſciences or not, and if they did ſo, they would not be ſo frequently foregoing their Conſciences to poſſeſs them a Gain.

And I cannot but wonder at, and condemn the Injuſtice of ſuch Diſſenters, who would have thoſe People, to whoſe Communion they cannot or will not join, receive them into equal Advantages of Honour and Profit, of Truſt and Management, in the Politick Concern.

I cannot approve the equity of it, nor I would not have the Diſſenters covet it; nor had they the Government in their hands, would they admit it themſelves.

This coveting Offices of Truſt, Honour and Profit, in the Government, has been the cauſe of that Occaſional Compliance, which to the Diſhonour and Shame of the Diſſenters, has Branded them with too much Levity in Religion.

For whoever diſſents from an Eſtabliſh'd Church on any account, but from a real Principle of Conſcience, is a Politick, not a Religious Diſſenter.

Nothing can be Lawful and Unlawful at the ſame time. If it be not Lawful for me to Diſſent, I ought to Conform, but if it be Unlawful for me to Conform I muſt Diſſent; and he that cannot Die, or at leaſt deſire to do ſo, rather than Conform, ought to Conform.

If I ſhall Diſſent, and yet at the ſame time Conform, by Conforming I deny my Diſſent be⯑ing Lawful; or by my Diſſenting, I damn my Conforming as ſinful.

An Act of Parliament is of every Mans own doing, and therefore 'tis juſt every Man ſhould comply with the Terms or ſuffer the Penalty; but here is no Penalty, if no Crime, and if no Preferments are ſought, no Honours accepted, there is no Crime; if Self-denial was as practicable as Self-advancement, here is no need of Occaſional Conformity, for all ſuch do ſeek the Crime, that is the firſt Sin, then Mortgage their Conſciences to avoid the Penalty, and ſo add one Sin to another.

No Man can be ſaid to ſeparate from, and join to a thing at the ſame time, if your Con⯑ſcience is ſatisfy'd in joining; it cannot be ſatisfy'd in ſeparating, unleſs you can ſuppoſe your Conſcience to be ſatisfy'd and diſſatisfy'd both together.

A Man paſſively Religious, that can Communicate any where, may from the ſame Principle, and with far leſs guilt, Communicate no where, for he has proſtituted the little Religion he had, if ever he had any, to his Intereſt.

No Occaſional Conformiſt can be receiv'd into Communion in any Diſſenting Aſſembly, up⯑on any other Terms than as a Penitent; for this Practice is prepoſtrous, excentrick and de⯑ſtructive of the very Foundation of the Diſſenters Principles.

Methinks Men ſhould ſeem what they are, if a Man diſſent from the Church let him do ſo, and his Principle being well-grounded for ſuch Diſſent, let him hold it; if not well-grounded, let him leave it, if he cannot ſuffer one way, let him ſuffer another, and why ſhould we not be as honeſt to God as our Country?

'Tis an intolerable Affront to the Church of England, reflecting upon its Doctrine as well as Practice, to make uſe of the Church for a Cover to fence them againſt the Laws, at the ſame time continuing to Diſown its Communion as a thing not fit to be continued in.

Conformity and Nonconformity at the ſame time, in one and the ſame Perſon, for a Se⯑cular End, to ſave a penalty, and privately; and then, as being aſham'd of it, to go back and ſit down as not having done it at all, are Contradictions I muſt inſiſt upon, and rather wiſh, than expect to ſee rectify'd.

He who diſſents from the Eſtabliſh'd Church, except from true Principles of Conſcience, is guilty of a great Sin.

He who Conforms to the Eſtabliſh'd Church againſt his Conſcience, is guilty of a great Sin.

He who both Diſſents and Conforms at the ſame time, and in the ſame point of Religion, muſt be guilty of one of theſe great Sins.

[] And he who has committed either of theſe Sins, ought not to be receiv'd again on either ſide, on any other Terms than a Penitent.

As to Partial Conformity, Diſſent in ſome things, and Conforming in others, does not ſeem to concern this Caſe, no Man among the Diſſenters pretended to diſſent in every thing, but we are ſpeaking of conforming in thoſe very Points in which we diſſent, and that no leſs than the Article of Communion.

If Gentlemen who have ſuch a Latitude in their Opinions, wou'd not have it thought they are moved to it by their Intereſts, let them practiſe it openly, and not Time it ſo, to the every Eve of an Election, as to have it ſpeak of it ſelf, and, as it were, force Men to believe it done on purpoſe; nay, let them not put ſuch a Reproach in the Mouths of their Enemies, as to have it ſpoken in contempt, with circumſtances that ſtop the Mouths of Argument, and are as Convincing as Demonſtration.

'Tis not a light thing to ſhift and change Communion with an Eſtabliſh'd, and with a Sepa⯑rate Church, as often as convenience, or Reaſon of State or Intereſt invite.

As to the Excuſe that is made, That this is no Conformity in Point of Religion, but done as a Civil Action, in Obedience to the Laws of the Land, as a Qualification for admittance in⯑to Publick Employments, which they think it their Duty to accept, in order to Serve their Country; are not Sacraments Religious Acts? Are they not the ſame thing, tho' differently Adminiſtred in the Eſtabliſh'd, and in the Diſſenting Church? And how can you take it as a Civil Action in one place, and a Religious Act in another? This is playing Bo peep with God Almighty, and no Man can tell when they are about a Civil Action, and when about a Religious. And if the Service of their Country be ſo dear to them, pray why ſhould they not undergo the Penalties, and chuſe to expoſe their Bodies and Eſtates for that Service, rather than their Souls? Theſe are Patriots indeed! that will damn their Souls to ſave their Country! For, as hath been obſerv'd, Conformity is a Sinful Act in a Diſſenter, or elſe his diſſenting before and after muſt be a Sinful Act; and he has no Excuſe, unleſs it be that he was convinc'd and re-convinc'd, and then convinc'd again.

After deſcription of true Proteſtant Diſſenters, who cannot conform, he proceeds in this manner: If there are crept into their Company State-Diſſenters, or Politick-Diſſenters, they are not of them, and we wiſh they would go out from them. I ſee no Act of Parliament a making to the prejudice of this Diſſenter.—This is the Diſſenter to which Her Majeſty has promis'd her Protection. The Act againſt Occaſional Conformity does not concern us, I dare undertake not one Diſſenter offer'd to preſent a Petition to the Honourable Houſe againſt its paſſing; they who can conform for one Reaſon, may conform without two, and ought to con⯑form. And we are therefore content to be diſtinguiſh'd who cannot conform at all; if we have any Knaves amongſt us, take them; if we have any Hypocrites, any who can conform and do not, we are free to part with them, that the remainder may be all ſuch as agree with the true Character of a Conſcientious Diſſenter.

'Tis plain, that Occaſional Communion is contrary to the very Nature and Being of a Diſſenter, who, if he can conform, ought to conform; and if he can for a Place of Prefer⯑ment, ought to do it without the Preferment.

It is an Act deſtructive of all poſſible pretence for diſſenting, and never was, nor never can be defended by any Diſſenter, without overthrowing all the Reaſons they could ever give for diſſenting; How then can this Bill be aim'd at the Diſſenters? We hold it to be a Novelty, an Abuſe crept in amongſt us, and we are glad to have it condemn'd by Authority. We are ſo content with the ſuppreſſing the grievance of this ſcandalous Ambidexter Conformity, that we think the Hardſhips put upon us with it not worth the naming.

All the Parliaments that ever were, or will be, can never ſuppreſs any thing amongſt us ſo ſcandalous to our Reputation, and to that Candour with which we deſire to guide our Actions, nor ſo contrary to, and deſtructive of the very Nature of our ſeparating from the Church of England, and the Conſtitution of all our Collected Congregations; and therefore, if theſe Oc⯑caſional Conformiſts would accept of the Friendly Advice of their Brethren, it ſhould be, That they would for the future conform to the Church of England.

As for his Authority to write thus in the Name of the Diſſenters, he alledges that he hath the General Concurrence of all the Diſſenters he ever convers'd with, that Publication is an Appeal to the World, and if he hath affirm'd any thing in the Name of the Diſſenters which is not their Opinion, he is liable to an eaſie Confutation: Truth (ſays he) is a General Com⯑miſſion, and any Man may write it.

He modeſtly conceals his Name, that his Reaſons might not come clogg'd with the dead weight of the Meanneſs and Imperfections of the Author: The Occaſional Conformity of Diſſenters (ſays he) is not Condemn'd or Defended by the Names of Authors on either ſide, but by Truth, Scripture and Reaſon; and ſo far as that is on his ſide, he thinks it ought not to be deſpis'd for being uſher'd in by an Unworthy Inſtrument.