Draught of an ACT FOR TOLERATION WITH A few short REMARKS thereupon.  
THe Queen's Majesty taking to Her serious Consideration, That a great and considerable part of Her Subjects in this Her ancient Kingdom, have been Baptised and Educated in the Communion of the Episcopal Church, and are of the Episcopal Principles and Persuasion, and averse from the joining with the Presbyterian Government, according to the present Establishment and the Exercise of it. And Her Majesty being desireous to give just and due Ease to all Her Subjects, doth therefore, with the Advice and Consent of the Estates of Parliament, Statute, Enact and ordain, that from henceforth it shall be Lawful for all Her Majesty's Subjects of the Episcopal Persuasion, to hold Meetings for Divine Worship with, and to hear God's Word and receive the Holy Sacraments from, Ministers of the Episcopal Persuasion, in all Towns and Parishes of this Kingdom, without any Let or Impediment whatsomever. As also, That it shall be lawful for such Parishes as are now, or hereafter shall be vacant, where in the plurality of the Heretors, Liferenters, and Tenants having standing Tacks, are of the Episcopal Persuasion, to call Episcopal Ministers for to Preach the Gospel, to Administer the Sacraments, and to Exercise Church-discipline in their respective Parishes and Stations to which they shall be called. As also, to have full Right and Title to their respective Manses and Gliebs, and to the legally settled Stipends, Maintenances and Benefices, appointed and settled by Law upon such Ministers as serve in the said Parishes, according to Law and Custom, certifying all such as presume to Interrupt or Disturb such Ministers, either in Meeting-houses or Parish Churches, in the exercise of their Function, that they shall be punished conform to the good and wholesome Laws made by Her Majesty's Religious Predecessors, for the Protection of the Ministers of the Gospel, and appoints all Her Majesty's Judges to decern accordingly. And in case any such Episcopal Ministers shall be found to Preach any Seditious Doctrines tending to Disloyalty, or to the Disturbance of the public Peace and Government, or contrary to the Protestant Religion, that they shall only be convented before the Privy Council, or such as shall be appointed by them, and punished according to the demerit of their Crime and Offences. And it is hereby Statute, Enacted, and Ordained, That the foresaid Indulgence and Toleration shall have full Force and Effect from the Day and Date of these presents, and that notwithstanding of any former Acts of Parliament, which from henceforth shall make no Derogation from the Force of this present Indulgence and Toleration. Finally, It is hereby Enacted and Appointed, That the Lords of Privy Council and Lords of Session, Sheriffs, and all others Her Majesty's Judges, shall interpret this present Act of Indulgence and Toleration, in the most Benign and Favourable Sense, in behalf of the said Indulged Ministers, and see it put to vigorous Execution, in all points.  

REMARKS upon the foregoing Draught.  
THis being the Second Embryo or Specimen handed about by the Promoters of the Toleration-Project, we may take it as the Result of their Riper Thoughts, and be allowed briefly to consider it.  
1. Among the many Arguments given against any Toleration to Prelatical Dissenters, in our present Circumstances, this is one never yet Answered; That as it is the Civil Interest of every Nation to have but one established National Church-Government, Discipline and Worship; so also, that every Person within the Nation should conform themselves thereto: And that never yet did any Wise People grant a legal Toleration to Dissenters, where the Dissent was not sounded either upon doubtful and scrupled Terms of Communion, or upon the Hardships of external Force. But neither of these can be alleged in the present Case; and therefore all Toleration must tend to cherish a Pernicious Party, and foment a Wicked Design of overturning the present Quiet and Happy Establishment.  
2. This Toleration, being only for Episcopalians, doth most directly set them up in competition with, and in some respects preserably to Presbytry; to try their skill and strength in overthrowing the legal Church.  
3. The Ministers Indulged or Tolerated, are by this Draught to give no Evidence either of their Loyalty or Orthodoxy; so that their Principles, both contrary to the Confession of Faith, and against Her Majesty's Succession and Government, as declared by the Meeting of Estates, are reserved and secured; and they are at liberty (tho' not ●o Preach, yet) to Traffic and Practice for the Pretender at St. Germains, according to their known Inclinations. By the Former Draught, they were to swear the Allegiance, and to sign the Confession contained in the Test and enacted in the Reign of K. Ja. 6. Which Condition, tho' derogatory to the Act of Parliament 1690, ratifying the Westminster Confession, and in so far a Retrograde step to the Rudiments of our Reformation, and consequently backwards to Popery; yet it was better than nothing at all. But it seems, tho' some have Latitude enough for Swearing and Signing, in subserviency to Designs of greater Service; yet it is found upon after-Thoughts, that even that Confession is of too hard Digestion to others, as containing some Principles of Liberty, and against Arbitrary Courses, and such like Tenets as are not for their purpose.  
4. This Draught found'st the Dissent from Communion, upon being Baptised and Educated in the Communion of the Episcopal Church. That their Education hinders not their peaceable joining with the National Worship, is plain from the Experience of several Years since the Revolution, till within these few Months, that some have been practised inro a contrary Byass. And it is no less plain, that their Educators, the Ministers, can never have the Brow to pretend the least Pinch or Qualm of Conscience in this Matter; Since their own Addresses to King William, and to his High Commissioner the Earl of Tullibardine, as likewise those to the General Assembly 1692, upon the Formula sent from Court, are standing Witnesses against them. But that their being Baptised in the Episcopal Communion should be mentioned as a Ground of their Dissent, is altogether surprising; As if the Episcopal Baptism were not that one Baptism of the Catholic Church, which the Presbyterians hold their Baptism to be: For whatever Grounds Presbyterians give for separating from Prelatical Communion, yet they never gave their Baptism for one. But it seems, by this Scheme, that the Episcopal People are taught to reckon themselves Baptised unto Prelacy, and not unto Christ. And unto what then are their Children Baptised since the Revolution? Or unto what were the Conformists of the late times Baptised, before Prelacy came in? This is an Insinuation of the last Disgrace among Protestants, and only fit for the Dragoon-Conversions of France, where, it a Popish Surgeon or Midwife Baptised a Child, that Child was ever after to be held as a Roman Catholic.  
5. What makes any of the People of this Nation averse from joining with Presbyterian Government and Worship, but either, 

1. Downright Threatening and Violence used by some Masters unto those, over whom they have Influence and Power, of which there are divers Instances. Or,  
2. That men's Vices are galled by Presbyterian Discipline, and their Libertine and Popish Designs obstructed. And,  
3. That they have of late got great Encouragement to expect a Change. We challenge the Wit of our Adversaries to assign any other Reason of this pretended Aversion, which was not heard of nor known among any of the People, till of late some have taken vast pains viis & modis to procure it.   The Nation was in Peace and Quiet, and well disposed to comply with the Establishment; till some who delight in Contention, threw their Fire balls and told People, that they should be gratified in their unreasonable Demands; and now that they have raised the Flame, they must have Oil, instead of Water, to quench it.  
6. The Draught sets forth, That the Design is, To give just and due Ease to all the Subjects; That is indeed flat Licentiousness without control. For this is an Ease which no Body needs, and the granting whereof by a Law, would prove the greatest Disquiet and Disease to Her Majesty's best Subjects. For,  
1. It contains a Toleration in every Parish, without exception, contrary to the Laws against, Intruding into planted Congregations, and which in many places (as appears already by the Example of the Tumults in G●asgow) can never be attempted without Blood, and the most fatal Discontents and Disorders.  
2. It contains a Comprehension, which carries both the Overturning of the Laws of our Settlement, and most horrid Confusion in the bosom of it; the Nullifying of Discipline, the Impunity of Immoral Practices, the Exercise both of Erastianism and Independency, a restoring of Prelatical Jurisdiction and Power, and a transmitting (at best) of incurable Schism to Posterity: Beside, a most grievous Hardship upon such as Own and Adhere to the National Worship, where in any Parish they happen to be the lesser or weaker part: For, it were hard enough, that they should be obliged out of their own Purses to Maintain a Presbyterian Minister, or else to want the Ordinances of the Gospel; yet even for this, there is no Provision of Toleration made by this Draught, for them.  
3. It opens a Door to p●●secure Presbyterians for insisting upon their legal Privileges, and testifying the least Dis-satisfaction with the Intrusions of Prelatis●s; for they must be punished according to the good and wholesome Laws made by Her Majesty's Religious Predecessors (viz Charles 2. and James 7.) for the Protection of the Ministers of the Gospel: By which Title, these whom the Country call Curates, are plainly understood. So that, this is evidently to Revive the Caroline and Jacobite Persecution against Presbyterians, upon every pretext that may be interpreted an Interruption or Disturbance of the Prelatists, tho' acting never so much against Law: And indeed Prelacy can never be Tolerated, far less Supported in this Land, without Blood and a standing Army.  
4. For Sedition, Disloyalty and Heresy, they are only to be convented before the Privy Council, or such as shall be appointed by them. One would think in all Reason, that the Council before whom they are to be convented, should be very Presbyterian and Orthodox, as well as Loyal, otherwise there can be no Security from the Tolerated Party, nor can the Delinquents be under any Fear or Restraint, in appearing before Judges of their own Principles and Persuasion.  
5. That the Indulgence and Toleration shall have full Force and Effect from the Day and Date of the Act, notwithstanding former Acts of Parliament, is in effect a dispensing with these Acts for the time past, and an Indemnity for the Transgressions already made. And this carries in it a plain and short Answer to all the Complaints and Grievances given in to the Council by the General Assembly, and their Commission, of Encroachments and disorderly Practices already committed contrary to Law, of which no Redress is henceforward to be expected.  
6. The Appointment of Interpreting this Act in the most benign and favourable Sense in behalf of the Ministers indulged, and of seeing it put to vigorous Execution, is in other Words, as Matters are now stared, a full abolishing of Presbytry, and an establishing of Prelacy by Law, These things are so plain, and the Legislative at this time, we hope, entrusted into so honest Hands, that as he must be a bold Man, who dares present such an Act to a Scots Parliament, after the late happy Revolution, so let the Tolerators vary their Projest as they will, we cannot doubt, but that it shall prove abortive.  
To conclude, Pamphlets being at present much in fashion, it may not perhaps be amiss to subjoin a Citation or two out of one.  
The Interest of England considered, Pag. 25.— Places must be filled with these, who never Qualified themselves by Civil Tests, till Honour, or Advantage, or deeper Designs, engaged them,— who were against the Abdication of the late King James, the Association to support King William, and the Abjuration of the pretended Prince of Wales, in order to maintain Her Majesty's unquestionable Right to the Throne, and the Succession in the Protestant Line. Pag. 29. The Whigs have been a firm Rampart to the Liberties of the People, against ●ll the Assaults of Arbitrary Power; and have so hearty opposed the Designs of ill Reigns, as to get the Names of Commonwealths Men: But who, to show they were thorough Friends to our Constitution, and for defending 〈◊〉 Prerogative vested in a good Prince, who, they knew, would use it to their Advantage, and who deserved the Marks of their Gratitude, have gone so far on the obliging side in the late Reign, as to be termed Countiers in Reproach. Pag. 38. The Protestant Interest is attacked by the Devil heading an Army of Libertines and Practical Atheists at Home, and a Confederacy of Papists Abroad;— and when they have dared to make such Progress in a time of Action and Business Abroad, what Attempts are we not to look for from them, when they come to enjoy a Peaceful Leisure for perfecting their Designs. Pag. 74. The depriving the Protestants in France of their Offices and Places of Trust, which had been confirmed to them by the Edict of Nantes, was one of the first Steps taken to repeal that Edict, and extirpate the Reformation.  
Christi, infer Lupos, qui vult in ovile, voraces;  
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Simulans cudere, cudit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉.