A. Peradventure, he is one; peradventure, not: For a Dissenter has his Name from his Disagreement, not from his Perswasion.
Q. What is a Dissenter then?
A. Tis Impossible to say either what a Dissenter IS, or what he is NOT. For he's a NOTHING; that may yet come to be ANY thing. He may be a Christian; or he may be a Turk; But you'l find the best account of him in his Name. A DISSENTER, is one that thinks OTHERWISE. That is to say, let the Magistrate think what he pleases, the Dissenter will be sure to be of another Opinion. A Dissenter is not of This, or of That, or of Any Religion; but A Member Politique of an Incorporate Faction: or Otherwise; A Protestant-Fault-Finder in a Christian Commonwealth.
Q. Well! but tho' a Dissenter may be any thing; A Dissenting Protestant yet tells ye what he Is.
A. He does so, he tells ye that he is a Negative: an Anti-Protester; One that Protests AGAINST, but not FOR any thing.
Q. Ay; but so long as he opposes the Corruptions of the Church of Rome.
A. Well: And so he does the Rites, and Constitutions of the Church of England too. As a Protestant, he does the former; and the Other as a Dissenter.
Q. But is there no Uniting of These Dissenters?
A. You shall as soon make the Winds blow the same way, from all the Poynts of the Compass.
Q. There are Good and Bad, of all Opinions, there's no doubt on't: But do you think it fayr, to Condemn a whole Party for some Ill men in't?