A petition from the country, to the honourable House of Commons, concerning the toleration This text is an enriched version of the TCP digital transcription B43637 of text R181707 in the English Short Title Catalog. Textual changes and metadata enrichments aim at making the text more computationally tractable, easier to read, and suitable for network-based collaborative curation by amateur and professional end users from many walks of life. The text has been tokenized and linguistically annotated with MorphAdorner. The annotation includes standard spellings that support the display of a text in a standardized format that preserves archaic forms ('loveth', 'seekest'). Textual changes aim at restoring the text the author or stationer meant to publish. This text has not been fully proofread Approx. 5KB of XML-encoded text transcribed from 3 1-bit group-IV TIFF page images. EarlyPrint Project Evanston,IL, Notre Dame, IN, St. Louis, MO 2018 B43637 625256517 ocn 625256517 Wing P1753A

This keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership. Searching, reading, printing, or downloading EEBO-TCP texts is reserved for the authorized users of these project partner institutions. Permission must be granted for subsequent distribution, in print or electronically, of this text, in whole or in part. Please contact project staff at eebotcp-info(at)umich.edu for further information or permissions.

 Early English books online text creation partnership. (EEBO-TCP ; phase 2, no. B43637) Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 211302) Images scanned from microfilm: (Early English Books, 1641-1700 ; 2969:22) A petition from the country, to the honourable House of Commons, concerning the toleration 1 sheet (2 p.). s.n., [London : 1689] Place and date of publication suggested by Wing (2nd ed.). Signed and dated at end: A.B., C.D., E.F., &c., Decemb. 15, 1699 [sic]. Imperfect: creased and stained. Reproduction of original in: Cambridge University Library.

Header created with script mrcb2eeboutf.xsl on 2016-01-28.

Manually keyed and coded text linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the TEI in Libraries guidelines.

Issued variously as SGML (TCP schema; ASCII text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable XML (TCP schema; characters represented either as UTF-8 Unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless XML (TEI P5, characters represented either as UTF-8 Unicode or TEI g elements).

Keying and markup guidelines available at TCP web site (http://www.textcreationpartnership.org/docs/)

 eng Church of England -- Early works to 1800. Religious tolerance -- Early works to 1800. Great Britain -- Politics and government -- 1689-1702 -- Early works to 1800. Broadsides -- England -- 17th century. eebo A petition from the country, to the honourable House of Commons, concerning the toleration. n/a 1689 5 751 3 0 0 0 0 0 39.95 D The rate of 39.95 defects per 10,000 words puts this text in the D category of texts with between 35 and 100 defects per 10,000 words. 2014-06 Keyed and coded from ProQuest page images 2014-08 Sampled and proofread 2014-08 Text and markup reviewed and edited 2015-03 Batch review (QC) and XML conversion
A PETITION FROM THE COUNTRY , To the Honourable House of Commons , CONCERNING THE TOLERATION . Our Worthy Representatives ,

HAVING long Meditated on the Dreadful Calamities , which threaten this Kingdom by those Unhappy Divisions amongst us : We thought it our Duty to Communicate the best of our Thoughts to this Honourable ▪ House ( the Fountain of Power and Redress ) towards the preventing such Dismal Consequences : In doing of which , We crave leave to Premise these following Assertions , which Experience and Observation seem to have Establish'd , viz.

I. That though it is Necessary in Thesi , yet it is Generally True in Practice , That where there is Difference in Opinion , as to Religious Matters , there will be Difference in Affection . II . That every Party is Ambitious of Civil Power , and would Rule Paramount if they could . III . That where the Civil Power is in the Hands of Different Parties , there will be continual Struggles and Conflicts , tending to the Ruine of each other , and the Subversion of any Government .

These few Undeniable Propositions , and the Consequences that may fairly be Deduced from them , plainly prove , That We in England , do most Unwisely recede from the Politicks of our Neighbouring Nations , by putting the Sword into the Hands of every Enthusiast , and encouraging each Party to Undermine the Settlement Establish'd .

Our Neighbours and Allies in Holland , admit none into Publick Trust , but such as profess the Religion of the State : And our English Parliament , Stat. 2. 13. Carol . 2. cap . 1 Enacted , That none shall bear any Office of Magistracy , or other Employment concerning the Government of Cities , Corporations , &c. not having within a Year before their Election Receiv'd the Sacrament according to the Rites of the Church of England , &c.

This they thought was a sufficient Expedient to keep all such out of the Government , that were not of the National Church ; and indeed , that great and solemn Act of Communion with us , seem'd to be an Effectual Bar at least to a Tender Conscience : But now we have to do with a sort of Persons that can Prevaricate with God and Man , that can be Orthodox upon Occasion , and Trifle with all that is Sacred , to Qualifie themselves for an Office .

Thus we frequently see those that have Deserted our Communion for many Years , as if Conscious of their Hypocrisie , stealing a Qualification from some distant Altar : A sort of Men that always act with Conformity to their Interests , and never fail to Comply when it will serve the Party . Therefore tho' Our Opinion is , That no Man's Conscience ought to be forc'd in Matters purely Religious ; and that Toleration is a just Debt to those Tender Consciences , which after ●ue Information , are Really and Sincerely so ; yet our Petition is , That this Toleration may be so far Limited , as not to Exchange , or Offend Our Establishments .

This We in all Humility leave to the Profound Wisdom of this Great and Judicious Assembly , begging leave to Hint , That perhaps it may be thought adviseable to Explain the forementioned Act , 13 Car . 2. and Enacting , That if any Person be found Present in , or Joyning with any Dissenting Conventicle , and be duly Convicted thereof , his Place , or Office , shall be immediately Void .

Hence it will probably happen , that many that have Deserted Our Church , will be constant to us ; many and great Disturbances in Corporations cease ; Divisions and Party-making be discountenanc'd : And since Places of Trust are generaly rather an Expence and Trouble than Advantage to any but Knaves , the truly Conscientious will not be Offended at such an Act.

These with all Submission , are our present Sentiments ; and as this Parliament seems to be of a Temper particularly suited to our present Establishments , so We cannot but promise our selves a Happy Result of Your Councils .

For which you have the Hearty Prayers of your Humble Petitioners , A. B. C. D. E. F , & ● Decemb . 15. 1699.