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A55530 An answer to a letter from a clergyman in the city, to his friend in the country containing his reasons for not reading the declaration. Poulton.; Halifax, George Savile, Marquis of, 1633-1695. Letter from a clergyman in the city to his friend in the country. 1688 (1688) Wing P3039; ESTC R25 16,451 21

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are they of the Church of England but when they will be Studying the Points of Royal Declarations which are Acts of State will be making their Pulpits the Stages of Farce and Satyr will be Interloping and Intruding into State Affairs which nothing at all concern them when they will be Teaching the King the Judges Deputy Lieutenants and all other Magistrates their Duties This is that which renders the Ministry before mentioned or any Ministry in the World Ridiculous And it is to be feared The City-Clergyman has not altogether freed himself from that Contempt in calling the Reading of the Declaration a Betraying of the Church by Undue Complyances and then Complementing the Nobility and Gentry of the Nation to Justifie his Ridiculous Language and all this to gain Popularity or to preserve the Possession of his Living under the Name of the Protestant Religion for he must not take it amiss That others dive with the same severity into his Meaning as he dives into the King's Intentions LETTER There is nothing will so effectually tend to the final Ruin of the Church of England because our Reading the Declaration will Discourage or Provoke or misguide all the Friends the Church of England has can we blame any man for not preserving the Laws and the Religion of our Church and Nation when we our selves will venture nothing for it can we blame any Man for consenting to Repeal the Test and Penal Laws when we recommend it to them by Reading the Declaration Have we not Reason to expect that the Nobility and Gentry who have already Suffered in this Cause when they hear themselves condemned for it in all the Churches of England will think it time to mend such a Fault and reconcile themselves to their Prince and if our Church fall this way is there any Reason to expect that it should ever rise again These Consequences are almost as evident as Demonstrations and let it be what it will in it self which I foresee will destroy the Church of England and the Protestant Region and Interest I think I ought to make as much Conscience of doing it as of doing the most immoral Action in Nature ANSWER Here we find him talking as if the Final Ruine of the Church of England lay upon the Church of England-mens Reading or Not Reading the Declaration and that by Not Reading it they had saved the Palladium's and Ancilia of their Religion And all these Rodomontado's upon bare Suppositions and Imaginations no ways compatible to Reason for it is not Rational to Believe That the Nobility and Gentlemen of England when they delivered their Sentiments contrary to what was Proposed to them concerning the Test for as to the Penal Laws 't is well known Their Judgments are much more Remiss did what they did for Fear of being Condemned by the Levites whom they feed 'T is therefore a Presumption in the City-clergyman to arrogate in the Plural Number such a Power over the Nobility and Gentry as if they were bound to Justifie his and his Friend 's particular Acts of Disobedience and could not be Safe in their Resolutions unless they were Obstinate What was proposed to the Nobility and Gentry was one thing what was commanded them was another and there is a great Difference between not Consenting to a Proposal and not Submitting to a Sovereign Command LETTER To say that these mischievous Consequences are not absolutely necessary and therefore do not affect the Conscience because we are not certain they will follow is a very mean Objection Moral Actions indeed have not such necessary Consequences as Natural Causes have Necessary Effects because no Moral Causes act necessarily Reading the Declaration will not as necessarily destroy the Church of England as Fire burns Wood but if the Consequence be plain and evident the most likely thing that can happen if it be unreasonable to expect any other if it be what is plainly intended and designed either I must never have any regard to Moral Consequences of my Actions or if ever they are to be consider'd they are in this case Why are the Nobility and Gentry so extremely averse to the Repeal of the Test and Penal Laws why do they forfeit the King's Favour and their Honourable Stations rather than comply with it If you say that this tends to destroy the Church of England and the Protestant Religion I ask whether this be the necessary consequence of it whether the King cannot keep his Promise to the Church of England if the Test and Penal Laws be repealed We cannot say but this may be and yet the Nation does not think fit to try it and we commend those Great Men who deny it and if the same Questions were put to us we think we ought in Conscience to deny them our selves and are there not as high probabilities that our Reading the Declaration will promote the Repeal of the Test and Penal Laws as that such a Repeal will ruine our Constitution and bring in Popery upon us Is it not as probable that such a Complyance in us will disoblige all the Nobility and Gentry who have hitherto been firm to us as that when the power of the Nation is put into Popish Hands by the Repeal of such Tests and Laws the Priests and Iesuites may find some salvo for the Kings Conscience and persuade him to forget his Promise to the Church of England and if the probable ill consequences of Repealing the Test and Penal Laws be a good reason not to comply with it I cannot see but that the as probable ill consequences of Reading the Declaration is as good a reason not to Read it ANSWER These are all meer Comments and Descants of the City-Clergyman upon the Honour and Conscience of his Majesty and the evil design of the Declaration upon the Church of England drawn from Probabilities of the evil consequences of Repealing the Penal Laws and Test which the Church of England must no more part with then the Iews with their Ark without exposing themselves to utter ruine and destruction For the charitable Clergyman takes no care of any other part of the Protestant Religion so the Church of England be secure To all which if he would have but vouchsaf'd to have read the Declaration he might have found an Answer shining fully out and dispelling all the Fogs and Mists of his Probable Consequences in His Majesty's own words where he declares a second time That ever since His granting the Indulgence he has made it His principal Care to see it preserved without distinction And farther adds his Resolutions To use His utmost Endeavours to Establish Liberty of Conscience on such just and equal foundations as will render it unalterable and seoure to All People the free Exercise of their Religion for ever But this will not serve the City-Clergy-man's turn he must have the Rains of Temporal as well as Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction in his own hand and drive on for ever or else there is nothing to