they be really such into Parishes A. If the Law doth not make Non-Conforming Ministers Intruders by what Law doth he call them so The Law of the Land he vindicates from this Aspersion and we are sure the Law of God layeth no such crime to our charge For Ministers duly qualified and by the unanimous consent of a Christian People elected and call'd to be their Ministers are not intruders tho' their Election be not ratisy'd by the Civil Sanction else all the Ministers of the Gospel for the first 300 years of Christianity had been Intruders That a Christian People have power to Elect and call their own Ministers is according to the Primitive Patern Cyprian's Rule Lib. 1. Ep. 4. is consonant to Scripture viz. Plebs ipsa potestatem habet vel eligendi dig nos sacerdotes vel indig nos recusandi And even in Rome it self in Pope Leo's time it was a Rule Qui prae futurus est omnibus ab omnibus Elegatur And such we are able to make appear our Election to the Ministry to be 2. Nor hath the Parl. of Scotland made any Act against intruding into Parishes but against intruding into Churches and seizing upon Manses and Glebs which if N. C's here had done it 's possible they had both heard and felt that there are Acts of Parl. against such intruders The fourth instance of Moderation is that the Establish'd Church hath not forbid these Dissenters whom the Calamities of the late times had driven away to return and perform any Ministerial Acts in the places where formerly they held their Conventicles for want of a Legal Call A. Had Dissenters as obstinately refused to swear Allegiance to K. W. and Q. M. as his Episcopal Brethren did in Scotland we shou'd have had as little favour as the Non-jurant Clergy there have had and justly deserv'd it But why the Government of Scotland only shou'd be condemn'd for severity when both in England and Ireland the Non-jurant Bishops and Clergy have met with the same measure and yet he dates not tax the Government here or in England of severity upon that account so that he is either grosly impartial or a Jacobite in heart tho' he appear for King William The Fifth Instance of Moderation is That they have not here authorized or required the Mayors of Corporations and Justices of the Peace to remove all those who have intruded or shall intrude as they have done in Scotland A. If the Civil Magistrate were subject to the Authority of the Church we have cause to be confident of being otherwise dealt with than at present we are God be blessed for it We think he deserves a fee if he 'll make good that Dissenters may without counter acting Acts of Parl. enter and possess Churches and Tythes but then why makes he such a hideous out-cry against the Minister of Letterkenny for his intrusion His Sixth and last Instance of Moderation exceeding that of Scotland is that they have not ordered Writs of Rebellion against Dissenting Ministers in order to the removing them out of Parishes where they live and making them desist from exercising Ministerial Acts. A. For all this boasted of Moderation the time was when there were Writs out against all the Dissenting Ministers to apprehend them whereupon many were apprehended and imprison'd which is well known And we owe but little thanks to Church-men for the mercy we now enjoy But by this he insinuates that the Episcopal Clergy are by Writs and Capias's driven from living in any Parishes in Scotland which is a Calumny and by it we may see how safe his Majesty's Government is like to be under such Directors of Conscience who labour to possess his Subjects against him and his Government as cruel and severe notwithstanding all the Clemency he has us'd to such as are declar'd Enemies to his Authority The D. having triumph'd in the victory of the Establish't Church of Ireland over that of Scotland in point of Moderation seems to be mov'd with a Prophetick Spirit to â—oreteâ—l that in case such Revolution of Church Affairs should happen in this Kingdom as hath lately been in Scotland the V. and his Adherents would imitate the Presbyterians in Scotland and make the Episcopal Clergy desist from exercising any Ministerial Acts and Issue out Writs of Rebellion against them A. Either he fears what he supposeth will come to pass or not If he doth really fear such Revolution then we think 't were his wisdom to be preparing an Ark for saving himself and houshold tho it be no policy to declare his fears seeing thereby he incourageth Dissenters and weakens the hands of his Friends by representing us as a formidable party But if he believes no probability of what he supposeth he needs not trouble us or his party with such Prophecies for if he were not conscious to himself that he had deserved ill of Dissenters he would not fear ill from them To make his Prophecy probable he tells us that the Professors in Colleges of Scotland felt the rigor of the Presbyterian Visitation which he calls by the odious name of Inquisition practised upon the Professor of the College of Edinburgh in Aug. and Sept. 1690. according to an Act passed the 4th of July 1690. By which it is ordered that no Minister or Professor in any College or School shall be allowed to continue in the Exercise of his Function but such as shall subscribe to the Confession of Faith ratify'd by this present Parliament and submit to the Government of the Church now Establisht by Law A. To stigmatize the Visitors of the University's acting by his Majesty's Commission and Parliamentary Authority with the odious name of Inquisitors and the Visitation with the name of Inquisition doth palpably insinuate that tho the Heroick Ancestors of our King did drive the Inquisition out of the Netherlands yet he and his Queen have brought it into Scotland And tho he will swear he intended no such â—â—flection on his Majesty yet it 's too apparent he would make him and these acting by Authority under him successors to St. Dominick 2. He falsely attributes to the Church the Act of the State 3. When he wou'd prove a removal of Persons Episcopal from Civil Employments he instances in Professors of Divinity which are not esteem'd Civil Employments in Scotland 4. The ground of their removal was their refusing to swear Allegiance to K. W. and Q M. and the reason they gave for their refusal was that they were not crown'd K. and Q. of Scotland tho' they made no such scruple of swearing to K. James whether or no by justifying them in this he partake with them in their evil deeds let all Men judge 5. It 's highly hypocritical to rail at that as Sin in others which we applaud in ourselves as a Vertue for what more criminal is it in the Church of Scotland to oblige its Professors of Divinity to subscribe its legally Establish'd Doctrin and to submit to its
Enacted that none be Masters in Universities School-Masters or Pedagogues who would not own Prelacy which that Nation had abjur'd even the Law-makers themselves whereby many were depriv'd of their livelihood because they would not be perjur'd Sess 2. Act 2. It is Enacted that all Petioning Writing Printing or Remonstrating Praying or Preaching shewing any dislike of the King 's absolute Prerogative be punished as Seditious and that no Meetings be kept in private Houses Upon which accounts some suffered death Sess 3. Act 2. It is Enacted That all Non-conforming Ministers that presume to Exercise their Ministry be punished as Seditious Persons And that all Persons in in acknowledgement of his Majesties Government Ecclesiastical attend the service of the Curates Noblemen and Gentlemen refusing to lose the fourth part of their Rents Burgesses their freedom and fourth part of their Moveables Yeomen a fourth part of their Moveables and others twenty shillings every time leaving the Council to inflict other Punishments as they thought fit It is also Enacted That if there were three above the Family at Preaching or Prayer it should be esteem'd a Conventicle And for putting these Laws in Execution a High-Commission-Court was Erected by the King contrary to Act 13. Parl. 10. Jacob 6. with power to Examine upon Oath Desuper inquirendis Parl. 2. Lauderdale Commissioner It is Enacted by Vertue of the King's Supremacy that ordering the Government of the Church doth properly belong to His Majesty and his Successors as an inherent Right to the Crown and that he may Enact and Emit such Constitutions Acts and Orders concerning Church Administrations Persons Meetings and Matters as he in his Royal Wisdom shall think fit And thus a fair way was laid for K. James's reforming the Church This Act was to be obey'd by all Subjects any Law or Custom to the contrary notwithstanding Sess 2. Parl. 2. It is Enacted That who should be required to depose upon Oath their knowledge of Meetings or Persons at them shou'd do it on pain of Fining Imprisonment or Transportation Act 5. Enacted That outed Ministers found Preaching or Praying in any House but their own Family be imprison'd till they find bond of 5000 Marks not to do the like again every hearer toties quoties 25l if a Tenant 12l if a Subtenant and then all who Preached in the Field or in a House if any of the people be without doors shall be punished with death And they who can seize or secure any such Minister dead or alive shall have 100 Marks Reward The Magistrates in Boroughs to be fined at the Councils pleasure for any Conventicles held in their Boroughs Men to be fined if their Wives or Children went to Meetings Act 6. Fines were impos'd from 10 to 20l. sterl on such as had their Children Baptised at such Meetings and Servants in half their Wages Act. 11. Sess 3. The same Fines were impos'd on them who kept their Children unbaptised for 30 days and by Act 7. of the same Ses Intolerable Fines were impos'd on all who absented themselves 3 days together Anno 168â— The D. York being Commissioner without taking the usual Oath appointed by Law and against Actmaking Papists incapable of that Trust the Fines were doubled for Field Conventicles Gentlemen were obliged to remove Tenants and Masters their Servants without warning if they went to Meetings Act. 6. They impos'd on all a self-contradictory Test obliging them to own the Confession of Faith recorded in Parliament 1 Ja. 6. which disowns the Supremacy and asserts the lawfulness of defensive Arms tho' the contrary to both was Sworn in the promissory part of the Test without so much as a Non obstante and for taking this Test with his own Explication was Argile Beheaded Parl 1. Ja. 7 D. Queensbury Commissioner Iâ— is Enacted that such as being cited as Witnesses in cases of Treasons or Conventicles and refused to depone should be liable to the punishment of the same Act 8. All who Preach or Hear at House or Field-Conventicle shall be punished with death and confiscation We hope now by this Account which if any doubt we refer them to the Printed Statutes of the Nation If the D's Conscience be nor sear'd it will be so much his friend as to smiâ—e him for the injustice he has done to truth in â—sserting that there were no sanguinary Laws in Scotland save one And tho these Laws were so severe as to deserve abhorrence of all in whom any spark of Christian humanity remains yet the execution of them was more cruelly rigid Dragoons and a barbarous Pagan Highland-Host being employ'd to execute them without any Process of Law All that can be said for the D. is that if he thinks as he writes he is scandalously ignorant of what all Britain knows if otherwise he is gtolsly disingenuous to impose upon the credulity of his friends As the D. hath given a sad specimen of his intelligence so he gives equal discovery of his prudence while he upbraids the Scots Conventicle Rebels for refusing to Pray for K. Ja. For do not his Jacobitish Brethren deal so by K. William and doth not himself so now as they did then tho' under some other obligations to do it than ever they were whence we may tell him in his own words that his Principles and Practices are destructive to the Establish't Church and Government if not Praying for K. Ja. be so And that there be several distracted Cathedral Rebels who refuse to save their Livings and Bishopricks at so dear a rate as Praying for the King Therefore he and his Party are noâ— in bonafide to accuse any for such Principles and Practices tho we despise both as much as his folly in laying these things to our charge Secondly it's great imprudence what he saith next vizt Certainly these who refuse to give the Government under which they Live all reasonable assurances of their Fidelity and Obedience and will not solemnly disown their turbulent Principles but still retain their inveterate prejudices and pernicious disaffection to the Establisht Church cannot with any modesty expect to be treated as sincere and hearty friends but as declared open Enemies to the lasting Peace and Settlement of the Nation For hereby he smites his dearly beloved Episcopal Clergy of Scotland under the fifth rib and justifies all that the Government there hath done against them tho' they shou'd declare them open Enemies to the Peace of the Nation seeing they have refus'd to give the Government under which they have lived these 5 years any reasonable assurance of their Fidelity and Obedience but still retain their inveterate prejudices and pernicious disaffection to that Church and State so far doth partial passion Transport him that he mortally wounds them he pretends to defend The V. having asserted as a good effect of the indulgence granted in England that since Conformists and Dissenters converse more sociably and live more peaceably than formerly This is Contradicted by the D. for
may thus recommend Lords Inquisitors to the Parliament to be authorized as Guardian Angels to the Clergy of Ireland 2dly It is not want of strict Laws against Popery that hath preserved them in England but the not imploying the Laws made against them and mis-imploying them against the dissenting Protestants 3dly His comparing the state of the United Provinces with that of Denmark and Sweden to the desired Toleration is unjust seeing we plead for no Toleration to Papists as is granted in Holland That the rectricting the Indulgence to those pleaded for by the V. will not prevent the advancement of the Popish Interest here as he saith seemeth strange for if the Law granting liberty to two or three Parties excluding all others ruined prevent the creeping in of Priests and Jesuits amongst us how can tho Law Establishing the Church prevent the like among them For if the evil be prevented by virtue of the Law it may have the same influence to preserve both yea Experience teacheth us that it 's easier to preserve from being infected by such Vermin the poor and depressed Party than the prosperous and exalted Few play the Hypocrite to be thereby made miserable tho many may and daily do for Profit and Preferment His 6th Argument against this legal Toleration is that in stead of widening the Basis of the Protestant interest as is alledged by the V. this Indulgence would undeniably weaken the foundation of the Protestant Security in this Kingdom because each tolerated Party will rather industriously promote their own distinct Interest than unanimously oppose the common Enemy as Experience hath taught us And to make good his Assertion he instanceth the case of the Famous Mr. Houston in the North of this Kingdom A. If the Defendant would allow the Dissenters to be Protestants to which they pretend as good title as the Established Church seeing they protest against Popery as much as they then the increasing of their numbers would infallibly increase the number of Protestants and so both widen and strengthen the Basis of Protestant Interest But if he will monopolize the name of Protestant to the Establish't Church and by the foundation of its Security understand Penal Laws against the Dissenters tho the Indulgence might ruine that Foundation the Church might stand and be better secured by its Innocency and Affection of its Neighbours than by its own guilt and their enmity but it 's strange he should assert that experience hath sufficiently taught us that each tolerated Party will rather distinctly promote their own Interest than unanimously oppose the common Enemy when the experience of the whole Nation knows the truth of the contrary that we maintained no separated Interest from the common for as our Civil Interests are imbarked in the common so we cannot desert rhe one without destroying the other no more can we maintain our Religious Interest either without opposition to the Popish in Ireland His Instance to prove his Experience is as ridiculous as Mr. Houston himself who as he says scandalously separated from the main body of the Protestants in the North of Ireland and had not extraordinary Providence intervened the Intestine Animosities of these seeming Friends had been of more mischievous consequence than the open hostilities of our professed Enemies And the Divisions which these few pretended Protestants endeavoured to foment were really more formidable than the united Force and Power of a numerous Popish Army and had been more fatal to our common Interest A. All who know the truth of that Instance of Mr. Houston and his rise and retinue in the Diocess of Connor which many thousands were witness to will ridioule him for its motion for that man being Irregular was suspended and depos'd by the Presbyterians and had only a few silly ignorant people to adhere to him and when the whole North arrayed he also ranged his company to oppose the common Enemy so that this discovers the folly and unreasonableness of the D. in making use of it for it seemeth strange that about 200 men his compliment without Arms Ammunition or Order should be more formidable than the united force and power of the numerous well-appointed Popish Army nor did any in the North fear those mischievous consequences he talks of for by a prudent neglect of that man and his silly Followers we have lived to see them vanish into Smoke we know not what that extraordinary Providence was that prevented these fearful misohiefs except it be the Irish prevailing to scatter unprovided men and it would appear that the D. was not very apprehensive of the mischiefs of the open hostilities of our professed Enemies when he is more terrified with the thoughts of Mr. Houston's company who had little formidable in it except the Motto of his Bannar possibly a second 1641 would not have been so mischievous in its consequence in his opinion as the Divisions of these two parties of Dissenters whereby he discovers either little fear of Irish Hostility or too much of the ill consequences of Division among Dissenters The D. suspecting that all he had said might be of little weight with the V. attacks him with the judgment of a Protestant Parliament who in Feb. 25. 1662 in an Address to King Charles the 2d say We have considered the nature of the Indulgence proposed with reference to these consequences which must necessary attend it It will establish Schism by a Law and make the whole Government of the Church precarious and the censures of it of no moment or consideration at all It will be a cause of increasing of Sects and Sectaries whose numbers will weaken the true Protestant Profession so far that it will be at last difficult to defend it self against them and which is yet further considerable these numbers which by being troublesome to the Government find they can arrive to an Indulgence will as their numbers increase be yet more troublesome that at length they may arrive to a general Toleration and in time some prevalent Sect will at last contend for Establishment which for ought can be foreseen may end in Popery A. To this I shall return him the words of a moderate and learned Conformist in his Plea for the Non-Conformists Plea 2. pag. 39. Who saith That the House of Commons A. 1662. did argue against Indulgence and for keeping up the Act of the Uniformity by way of prophecy and fore-sight of consequences and their humble advices to the King contain the strongest reasons against an Indulgence that have been found out contain the great evils of a forbearance all which he reduceth to six Heads but answers to them all thus As Events prove Prophecies true or false so Events have proved these Arguments weak or strong That very Parliament the true Protestant part of it that did faithfully serve their King and Countrey with the additions made to them by a latter Election to fill up vacant places saw where they were and became sensible of the necessity of
Uniting Protestants by Act of Parliament And many Episcopal Divines and some Bishops were for it a clear discovery that the mischiefs of our Divisions are of that sort that it were better that an abatement were made of some things made necessary to Uniformity without which the Dissenters will not unite than suffer them to hang over our heads and come upon us we plainly see that many of these reasons of the Commons were of no force we will observe what is of present use to our times which is the first and for the other it became their Wisdom and Religion to Pass a Bill taking from the Act of Uniformity his Majesty hath not been molested by the Importunities of the Dissenters who have not so much as opened their Grievances or Petitioned the King and Parliament these many years There is no new Sect appearing or increase of any by the Non-conformists to weaken the Protestant Religion who have us'd endeavours to Increase and Maintain it it is is in no danger from them they are not troublesome to the Government are not for a Toleration of intolerable Sects and Sectaries contend not for an Establishment which they would rejoyce in but as it become learned men and rational with as great a temper at least as theirs that writ against them the Peace of the Nation is not disturb'd by them and if Popery come in it is against their wills Pains and Prayers to expose and baffle it It is their trouble that they are thought troublesome to the Government which may by no extraordinary exercise of Patience and Love overcome the trouble in their own Breast which is the seat of trouble and for the only remaining which is the evil of Schism it 's clear that Connivance gives no Establishment to it c. But seeing the D. is so confident of the Authority of the Commons in that Parliament and lays so much stress upon it we hope he will not decline the Authority of the whole when the Experience of Ten Years had made them wiser for p. 22. our Author tells what England knows That that very Parliament which was observed for a great part of it to be young Gentlemen growing Elder became more cool and moderate toward Dissenting Protestants more suspicious of Popery and the more Resolute they grew in Maintaining Property and the Protestant Religion and break the leggs and arms of growing Popery the more temperate they grew toward Nonconformists c. And therefore at that meeting of the Parliament in Feb. 24. 1672. An Act passed against Papists and a Bill was presented by the same House of Commons to the Lords in favour of the Dissenting and for Uniting Protestants which as some who have as much reason to know as any that write say would have passed if they had got time to sit and from that time that Long Parliament who had made the Act against Conventicles A. 1670. how Resolute soever they were against Indulgence Feb. 15. 1662. they saw the incompatibility of the Execution of their own Law and the Preservation of the Protestant Religion and have ever since taken other Measures Now whether or not the same Parliament after ten years Experience of the weakness and some worse evils of their own Prophetical Arguments upon which they retract their former Sentence is to be more regarded than when they gave their first unexperienced thoughts we shall leave all thinking Men to judge and of the D's Candour in concealing this part of the History And if we were to manage this Argument by Authority we have an Act of Parliament consisting of as good Protestants A. 1689. to ballance the Addrese of the Commons in 1662. with the concurring Authority of all our Kings who have been experienced in these our differences asserting the conveniency of Indulging tender Consciences as we could give him undeniable Instances But one for all is the Vote of the House of Commons passed Jan. 10th 168 where they say It is the Opinion of this House that the Persecution of Protestant Dissenters upon the Penal Laws is at this time Grievous to the Subject and weakening to the Protestant Interest an Encouragement to Popery and dangerous to the Peace of the Kingdom His 7th and last Argument which he calls the most forcible of all is the judgment of the Ministers of London with those of Lancaster against Toleration Printed Anno 1648. A. Tho' we allow the Truth of all those Ministers say yet they never intended that for that end which he perverts their words to For it will be hard to persuade the world that these men judged the Toleration of Presbyterians unlawful seeing themselves were such and because his whole Argument runs upon a false supposition that we desired an universal Toleration of all Sects he may receive our judgment in this from our confession Cap. 20. Sect. 3. They who upon pretence of Christian Liberty do practice any Sin or cherish any Lust do thereby destroy the end of Christian Liberty c. And because the Power which God hath ordained and Liberty which Christ hath purchased are not intended by God to destroy but mutually to uphold one another they who upon pretence of Christian Liberty shall oppose any lawful Power whether Civil or Ecclesiastical resist the Ordinance of God and for their publishing such Opinions and maintaining such Practices as are contrary to the Light of Nature or the known Principles of Christianity whether concerning Faith Worship Conversation or the Power of Godliness Or such Erronious Opinions or Practices as either in their own nature or in the manner of publishing and maintaining them are destructive to the external Order which Christ has Established in the Church they may be lawfully call'd to account and proceeded against by the Censures of the Church and by the Power of the Civil Magistrate Thus far our Confession of Faith By this 't is apparent that we justify no unlimited Toleration and when he hath made it appear that we maintain Opinions and Practices inconsistent with the light of Nature and known Principles of Christianity either in Faith Worship or Conversation or destructive of the external Order by Christ Established in his Church then let us be look't upon as deserving no Toleration and till then we judge our title to it as good as theirs who enjoy their legal Establishment and tho we are not for encouraging any Evils yet we believe if no Sinner were tolerable the D. himself would be intolerable for the Apostle teacheth G. 6. 1. that even Brethren may be overtaken in faults but then they are to be restored with the spirit of meekness not rigor Every Sin is not the object of Church Censure or the Magistrate's Wrath but they may and ought to bear one anothers burthens and not to bind more heavy burthens on the backs of our Brethren and then lash them for their inability to bear them For his Remark about that which he calls the fortune of Toleration which is as