to see what publick benefit the King design'd to the body of His Subjects by the Repeal and in fine began to pursue all the methods of male-contents finding this the only way to embarras the King hinder all His glorious designs for the publick and render useless his eminent virtues in not affording Him the opportunity of appearing like Himself or rendring His Reign glorious because they were unwilling any thing Great should be performed by a King that was not of their Religion All this His Majesty carefully observed and being unwilling to act any thing but according to Justice and the Laws of the Land He wisely enquir'd into the extent of His legal power He knew he was by the Statutes declared Supream Head of the Church in His Dominions had undoubted Prerogatives He might make use of and a Dispensing Power and so settled those by judicial Proceedings The King having now asserted His Sovereignty he thought it reasonable to manifest to all His Subjects that it was not the ease only of the Roman Catholicks he aim'd at but that He intended His Clemency should be as extensive as His Empire First therefore He published His General Pardon excepting some few persons and in the interim shew'd His displeasure against those who obstructed His great design of Repeal and lastly published this Indulgence wherein He layed open the paternal goodness and benignity of His Soul the method of enriching His people and a foundation of their concord during His Reign and for succeeding Ages by extirpating the causes of Animosities Heart-burnings Feuds and Oppressions of His people by any prevailing Party abridging them of nothing used in their Religious Worship but only of the power of compelling any one to Conformity and depriving every party of that Authority of magisterial imposing such distinguishing and Excluding Tests as incapacitated His Subjects to serve Him and the Government according to their Allegiance and every Free-Mans Liberty One would rationally have thought that no party should have been wanting in their Thanks for so great a Grace and Favour so much the greater in that it was bestowed by a Prince from whom no such largess of Royal Bounty was expected not the Church of England since in the body of the same Indulgence so liberal a Provision was made for it not the Dissenters who had the most visible benefits nor any else who did not prefer the profits they had by the Penal mulcts imposed or the pleasure of inflicting punishments upon those who were obnoxious to Ecclesiastical Censures or the Laws for Vniformity There was then a Party of the Church of England who owning the Kings Ecclesiastical Supremacy and His Prerogative looked upon this as an Act of State which the King might Exert at pleasure for the publick tranquillity of His Dominions and thought it their duty to be truly thankful that the King had so generously secured to them the Honors and Emoluments of the Church and entirely left them the Cathedrals the Churches and the profits annexed to them Another and a major part of the same Church was vehementy moved by the Declaration murmur'd that their former serives were slighted that Dissenters who had unanimously opposed the Kings Succession and been Rebels as often as they had opportunity were preferr'd before them and suggested that this was design'd to enlarge the Roman Catholick Church and as a scourge to them and though they never publickly urged it yet it is most manifest that the depriving them of the coercive power though all other parties were as much disarmed of that as They gratefully contributed to their reluctance The Conductors of their Affairs pitched upon two Expedients as most effectual to hinder the Kings reaping any benefits to the Roman Catholicks by it The one was to secure the Members of the Church of England from a complyance by stiffly opposing the Repeal and questioning the Dispensing Power The second by dissuading Dissenters from separating from the common interest as it is called of Protestants or making any court to the King in rendring any Tribute of Thanks for His Royal Grace to them To Estabâ—ish this consultations are had leading Men among the Dissenters are treated with great promises are made that Persecution against them shall cease if ever the Church of England return again to its former sun-shine Pamphlets from Holland and at home aggravate the fear of Popery and of the destruction of the Church of England and not only declaim against the abrogating of all Penal Laws but the Dispensing Power likewise as tending to the shaking all other Laws even those of Property and this seems the design of your Letter writ smoother than Dr. Burneâ—s or the Representation but with as little difference as to design as there is betwixt a Dagger in a wooden or silver Scabbard Sir I must own that the politeness of the Style the sharpness and plausibleness of the Arguments will contribute more towards the establishing such Mens minds who have the greatest affection for the Church of England and equal aversion to the Church of Rome than any thing Published hitherto But in my judgement you have mixed so much Varnish as a steady eye may easily discover what need you had of it When we see a falling Star we make no great remarks upon it because it happens so frequently and how bright so ever it appear'd we find nothing upon its fall but a little jelly dropt from the Clouds But when a Comet appears it excites the curiosity of the learned to enquire into its motion the altitude of it and by consulting by-past-times and considering what events happened when such appear'd before to make some Prognosticks of its effects Your Letter is not to be looked upon as a shooting Star or paper Kite but a blazing Star therefore deserves a serious consideration for whatever those formerly reputed meteors did signifie yours most evidently denotes an unquiet temper in those of your persuasion a studious desire in them to estrange the Hearts of Loyal Subjects from their Sovereign a questioning His prerogative and a charging Him with overturning the Laws and an intention to Rule Arbitrarily This fills peoples minds with doubts suspicions and jealousies strows flax all over the Kingdom ready to be set on fire when you by your enflaming Eloquence have prepared Undertakers Therefore I think it the duty of all that Honour the King and love their Country's peace and tranquillity to examine the tendency and prevent the evil effects of such an Apparition But to leave the Allegory and consider the Letter As it is a discourse penn'd with Art and Elegance and beautified with ornament of Language it is delightsom to be read but when the scope of it is weighed the factiousness of it under the smoothness of the periods the unreasonable postulatums the fictitious suppositions and the severe reflections upon the King and His Government it becomes honest Men to enquire into those poisonous drugs that are so artificially gilded and provide
Sir we dare not encourage You to be kind to us and we must stay our Addresses of thanks lest we give a Scandal to our Brethren or they hereafter punish us for this forwardness I fancy you have the vanity to hope that your Letter will prevail with some to desist from Addresses upon those motives otherwise what need was there for you to be so urgent with them to suppress their impatience and for the sake of those that are now Abhorrers to stick close to the Act of Vniformity till the King die whom God long preserve to finish this great work in hopes a Protestant Parliament under a Protestant King will grant them better Terms For I hope by the word Parliament you mean not the Two Houses like those of 41 who Entitled them to the Supream Power It seems if Dissenters hearken not to you though at present you are willing to make a gentle Construction of the well meant Zeal of some in drawing others into the Mistake yet you threaten them with Sharpness and Satyr because in strictness the matter will bear it if we believe you r It seems a Dissenter may feed fully but must say no Grace or cry Roast-meat would you have them pet like froward Children because the Benevolence was not offer'd first to them or in the Circumstances they desire it It seems they may privately thank God for putting it into the Kings Heart to grant them ease yea they may enjoy the Advantag e of it but without noise lest some Dog catch the Morsel the Cat purs upon Oh! a publick owning and desire to have Indulgence Establlsh'd by Law is to support an Act irregularly done against the sacred Laws of the Land This is such a Trespass as may no ways be defended but to observe any rules of good manners or dutifulness to the King is a grievous fault Methinks you ought to have brought very undeniable Authorities e're you had presumed to question the judgement of the King His Privy Council and the Court of the Kings-Bench as to the Dispensing Power But since you offer not one Syllable of Argument I shall remit you to Westminster-Hall to defend the point and receive your doom You endeavour gentâ—y to stroke the Dissenters that are under Temptation and Frailties which makes them you say leap over the Objections may be made and overlook the sad consequence of giving thanks not only as an inlet to Popery but the giving a deadly blow to all the Laws by which their Liberty and Religion are to be protected This is an heavy Sentence whereby they are judg'd to sell their Birth-right for a morsel of Bread or a mess of Pottage Let us therefore turn the Optick Glass and you may more surely discover that the King designs no breach of Magna Charta nor to retain any Council for the Prerogative against it but on the contrary to have it confirmed in a much larger extent than ever it was by His Royal Predecessors for it is most certain that all Penal Laws for Religion are so many infringments of it and if you would have Magna Charta inviolably kept you know what Church is thereby Establish'd Here therefore you quarrel with the King for endeavouring to have a Charter of Liberties Establish'd that will be a standard for all future freedom and enfranchisement of Conscience and to infer that the Subjects yielding to this will put them out of the protection of all the Laws that secure their Liberties is no less an ignorant than seditious Suggestion s We are a most happy people in the security we have by Law to enjoy the Liberties the Royal Predecessors of our most Gracious King hath granted But if His Majecty effect His desire in this Repeal He will be the Author of a greater freedom to the Subjects then they ever yet enjoyed so that none in matters of Religion shall be put upon ever Complaining against or the giving up the Question since all pretences of puttng it will be thereby prevented By the operating power of such an Act such a mutual assurance and security would be given as it would be in no parties power to endevour or to desire to mischief or destroy another I fancy indeed some Apparators and Bailifs may suffer a diminution of profit and some men of vindicative spirits may want the assistance of sanguinary and Penal Laws to revenge themselves by But the benefit that will redound to the whole will sufficiently compensate that loss The Kings of England will be the gainers in that they will be no more disquieted with Rebellions upon the account of Religion The Parliaments will be eased of the tiresom disquieting and unpleasing toyl of making Laws upon every emergence to restrain some party or other from their way of Worship and imposing Tests and Oaths according as prevailing Parties have power and when the intestine struggles of every party to manacle and put the shackles and badges of slavery upon each other shall be taken away the Legislative will be at full liberty to attend soly the aggrandizing of our Kings and restoring them to the power and interest at home and abroad of the gloriousest of their Predecessors And to make good Laws for the enriching of the body of the people and by perpetual harmony unite the Subjects in the common band of Duty and Allegiance to their Sovereign and mutual love and endearment to one another The Roman Catholicks would have no occasion to repine since they might freely enjoy their Religion and the Church of England would be possess'd of the Dignities and Benefices they enjoy and the Dissenters would be satisfied that they had the freedom of their Tabernacles and Conventicles and all the content of this would be heightned in the peaceable and durable enjoyment of it when it would be in no Parties power to invade the Liberties of another This is the right Scheme of His Majesties generous design and if Dissenters fall not to their old work of stubbing up Episcopacy root and branch it may most certainly continue For the obedience of Roman Catholicks under a Protestant Government we have the most near and compleat instance in the United Provinces where they live with the free exercise of their Religion under a Bishop of their own who is Treated according to his Character by the States to whom they impart their pleasure and by his directions the Roman Catholicks obey So that when the King of France Invaded that Country none stood firmer than They did These pay such an absolute Obedience that if the States should for a time interdict them the use of their Religion they would yield to it So that all you urge as consequences of the Repeal vanisheth upon the very opening the Kings intentions which I dare venture my head that I have more truly declared than You by all your smooth Oratory have made out by suspicions t Expounding of the sense and meaning of Oaths is generally granted peculiarly to belong to the
which they formerly reputed Idolatrous They now think themselves justified in their Espousing the Parliaments side from whom they expected and had Indulgence and please themselves to find another kind of non Addressors and as zealous persons to hinder the Repeal of Penal Laws against their Sovereigns declared desire as they were formerly for it Yet though the Scene be thus changed I hope there are sufficient numbers of such whom the Church of England will own to be her Children that will let no Dissenters out-goe them in Loyalty and Dutifulness to their Sovereign and who are well assured the King will have as great regard to them and our Church for their sakes and as freely permit them the enjoyment of the Exercise of their Religion and Benefices as to any provided they will concur with Him in the Repeal and be content to let their Fellow-Subjects of different Persuasions enjoy likewise their Liberty That the Members of the Church of England ought to yield this in common prudence and even for the Preservation of their own Religion I think there are many Reasons especially this that as yet the time is not clapsed but that when His Majesty convenes His Parliament sufficient Security may be obtained that the Church of England shall enjoy all the King hath promised and when by the Wisdom of the Houses such an Act is contrived as will answer the Kings desires of the Universal ease of His Subject the Church of England will feel as great effects of the Kings kindness as she can expect or desire and by the freedom all will enjoy there will be no more contests but who shall approve themselves most dutiful and deserving of His Majesties Clemency and Kindness Upon such a closure the Roman Catholicks and Dissenters will freely yield to the mutual security of the Church of England and that Church will regain its Reputation of Loyalty and confirm what you promise in her name of being kind to Dissenters and a Protestant Prince succeeding and finding things thus Amicably Composed will reap the benefit as the whole Kingdom will do of this happy undertaking of the King But on the contrary if the Majority of the Members of the Church of England in Parliament obstinately oppose the Kings desires they will oblige His Majesty to pursue other Methods and it will give occasion to all such as are no great well-wishers to our Church to urge its uncharitableness that rather than it will permit the King to exercise His Prerogative of being served with all His Subjects of what denomination soever He pleases to make use of and that Men of different Professions in Religion may enjoy the favour of the Kings Indulgence they will put themselves out of His Royal Protection and absolve Him from His promise therein and the upshot of all will be that by His Majesties steady pursuit of this great work which He firmly believes will conduce so much to the universal good of His Subjects In a few years by such sedulous countenancing all those who will strenuously co-operate with Him to effect it the Dissenters will obtain the Majority of Voices in Parliament which if once effected those Members of the Church of England who have Obstructed the Repeal will be at the mercy of Dissenters and if the King be not their best Friend may fall short of what they may now so effectually obtain I shall conclude with a short Paraphrase upon the Words His Majesty used to His Privy Council March the 8th 1686. concerning this Indulgence in which the substance of what need be said in justifying the Kings granting it are clearly laid down First His Majesty shows the practice of former Ages and the success of them That although an Vniformity in the Religious Worship had been Endeavoured to be Established within this Kingdom in the successive Reigns of Four of His Majesties Royal Predecessors assisted by their respective Parliaments yet it hath proved altogether ineffectual This is obvious to every one that reads the History of those times and well know to those that lived in the beginning of the Rebellion for Dissenters were then so encreased that they were numerous and powerful enough to overthrow not only the Church of England but the Monarchy that defended it The Kings Words are That the Restraint upon the Consciences of Dissenters in order thereunto viz. to Conformity had been very prejudicial to this Nation as was sadly experienced in the horrid Rebellion in the time of His Majesties Royal Father The King then pitcheth upon the true and principal cause of all those Calamities that befel the blessed Martyr and were freshly commencing again in the later time of His Majesties Royal Brothers Reign which are best expressed in the Kings own Words That the many Penal Laws made against Dissenters in all the foregoing Reigns and especially in the time of the late King had rather increased than lessened them If therefore our Gracious King out of an excess of love and Paternal care did not study the Universal benefit ease profit and enriching of His people He might have pursued former Precedents But as a Wise and Compassionate Prince He searcheth diligently for the true Causes and while too many are busying themselves in Traducing His zeal for His Religion as if it were the only concern of His Royal Cares He Demonstrates to all His Subjects how much more sollicitous He is to find some better Method whereby at once He may Establish His Throne and those of His Successors in a stable peace and security and give Ease Freedom and Riches to all His People of what Persuastion soever Therefore declares That nothing can more conduce to the peace and quiet of His Kingdom and the increase of the Numbers as well as the Trade of the Subjects wherein the greatness of a Prince does more consist than in the extent of His Teritories than an entire Liberty of Conscience That His Majesty may likewise obviate all the great scruple such as you raise as if He did this for any private ends you have His Royal Word to the contrary when He tells all His Subjects That it hath been His Opinion as most suitable to the Principles of Christianity that no Man should be Persecuted for Conscience sake which His Majesty thinks is not to be forced By this His Majesty shows that He grounds not His judgement upon the agreeableness or ungreeableness of it to the interest of any Church but as it is suitable to the uery Principles of Christian Religion and having by this shown His Royal Intentions how to proceed upon that bottom during His own Reign out of a well grounded Confidence that it may be a rule and standard to His Royal Successors He closeth all with this Maxim That it can never be the true Interest of a King of England to endeavour to force Conscience Have not all Men from hence and all His Majesties Actions reason to think there is a Clemency Benignity and tenderness in the King