The English nonconformity as under King Charles II and King James II truly stated…

But if you are stiff in the contrary opinion, that all men must implicitly believe the King and Prelates, in all that ignorance can but make them doubtful of, I hope you have more brains than once to dream, that ever you shall bring all the Kingdom to unite in this opinion, and to lay by their reason, and confess themselves Idiots or Brutes, that must not labour to know whether they keep or break God's Supreme Law; or if you must rule men on these terms, you must keep them in fetters, and not at liberty. And I pray you dishonour not the King so much, as to make him a King of Beasts and Idiots, and not of Men or Christians; or at least expose him not so much to the Power of Usurpers, as to say that his Subjects are not the Discerning Judges, who is their True and Lawful Sovereign, and who not; and if they must judge whether all their actions be agreeable to the Kings Laws or not, lest they be hanged or punished; allow them also to judge whether or no they be agreeable to God's Law, lest they be damned. If men once believe that God is not their Supreme Governor, no wonder if they believe that Kings have no Governing right, nor any are bound in conscience to obey them; for who can give Governing Authority, or who can bind Conscience to obey it, but the absolute Sovereign, the Almighty God?

But if you are stiff in the contrary opinion, that all men must implicitely believe the King and Prelates, in all that ignorance can but make them doubtful of, I hope you have more brains than once to dream, that ever you shall bring all the Kingdom to unite in this opinion, and to lay by their reason, and confess themselves Ideots or Brutes, that must not labour to know whether they keep or break God's Supream Law; or if you must rule men on these terms, you must keep them in fetters, and not at liberty. And I pray you dishonour not the King so much, as to make him a King of Beasts and Ideots, and not of Men or Christians; or at least expose him not so much to the Power of Usurpers, as to say that his Subjects are not the Discerning Iudges, who is their True and Lawful Soveraign, and who not; and if they must judge whether all their actions be agreeable to the Kings Laws or not, lest they be hang'd or punished; allow them also to judge whether or no they be agreeable to God's Law, lest they be damned. If men once believe that God is not their Supream Governour, no wonder if they believe that Kings have no Governing right, nor any are bound in conscience to obey them; for who can give Governing Authority, or who can bind Conscience to obey it, but the absolute Soveraign, the Almighty God?