Salisbury which appears from the Quotation I made out of his Measures of Submission to the Supream Authority And 't is a base Imputation to say That he would have any body retain the mistaken Notion of Passive Obedience or shews how it should not hurt them when at the same time he so plainly and positively declares the contrary But 't is enough for Mr. Iohnson to make the Bishop enter a Salvo for or to be an high Asserter of the mistaken Doctrine when he only mentions the word Obedience as in this place and much more when he repeats the Highest Principles of Passive Obedience in the 20 th page Tho at the same time 't is impossible if a Man be but honest or hath but a mean Judgment to apprehend them any bodies as the Bishop supposes but the Non-Iurors which will evidently appear if you will take the trouble to read part of the 19 th and 20 th pages of the Pastoral Lettter where 't is as apparent also that the Bishop argues from other Principles That the Non-Iurors ought to swear to the present Government even though they should retain or according to their Highest Principles of Passive Obedience I will only repeat a Line or two in the beginning of that Paragraph to inform you of the Bishop's design But I will in the last place carry this matter further to justify the present Settlement as a thing Right and Lawful in it self Should I have said that I was the Fairest Adversary in the World and should have had so many plain Instances of misrepresenting plainly prov'd upon me I should have expected but little Credit to be given to me But I 'le warrant you Face and Feathers will stare it out And now I 'le leave our Noter to roul and tumble in his own wit and divert himself with his story of the Welchman his Bow-string and Black-Box his Thebaean Legion his Mine-take-it and Your-take-it And because I will be sure to win his Favour I do own that I have and always had as great an Aversion to the mistaken Notion of Passive Obedience as he hath to Maxims But by the way he must let me be convinc'd by my own following Reasons though he will not let the Bishop by his To which I will only premise That 't is the Nature of Mankind to be easier perswaded and convinc'd by modest and plain Reasonings from their Errors and Mistakes than banter'd and hector'd and that 't is more Christian and Generous rather to lend an helping Hand to a Blind Man who hath mistaken his way than rail at his Imperfection I wonder how this Doctrine of the Cross came to be call'd the Doctrine of Passive Obedience and I much more wonder how it should obtain so much Credit in a Country where the Christian Religion is the Establish'd Religion and the Laws are the Rule and Standard of all Obedience I think moreover that Passive Obedience is as great a Bull in Terms as Roman Catholick Vniversal Particular for all Obedience is Active and to Obey is to do the thing commanded and Passive Non-obedience would have sounded much better because the Design of the Doctrine is to suffer rather than obey or when I will not obey and the Primitive Christians were under an Obligation to suffer even to Death rather than deny the Faith they had confess'd and so become Apostates What I apprehend to be the proper and true meaning of the Doctrine is to suffer rather than Apostatize But to reflect on the practice of it amongst us As where the Grand Seignior's Horse once sets his Foot no Grass grows so where this mistaken Notion of the Doctrine takes place all Laws must be trod under Foot The Doctrine of the Cross was and is a true Doctrine but not calculated for the Year 1688. in a Christian legally establish'd Government and is altogether impracticable amongst us because if any man upon what account soever or from whomsoever commission'd shall attempt to take away my Goods or Life by force or in an illegal manner I may lawfully resist them by the Laws of God Nature and my Country Otherwise that which should be my Rule would be my Snare So that it can be no sin in me to do what the Laws of God Nature and my Country direct Were I in Turkey and the Grand Seignior should send an Express to acquaint me That I must either turn Mahometan or kiss the Bow string 't is my Duty and I hope God would enable me rather to suffer Death than deny and renounce the true Faith of Christ. But there is a great difference between a Turkish Arbitrary and Mahometan and an English Limited and Christian Government Theory and Practice are two different things and the latter many times discovers the Absurdity of the former and I am sure though I should have preachâ—d my Lungs out in the Neighbourhood where I liv'd not one thickâ—skull'd Miner or Collier would have been perswaded that 't was his Duty to sit tamely with his Hands in his Pockets whilst an Irish Dragoon trimm'd his Ears and Nose off Nature Humane Nature will struggle Thus having stated this Point I think it will not be improper in this place to offer my Sentiments to those who do not take the Oaths in relation to the Oath of Allegiance which they have already taken and by which they account themselves bound up 'T is allow'd that a Law is to be obey'd and an Oath to be taken according to the sense and intention of the Legislators In the late times there was a distinction between the Kings Person and his Authority upon which account there was an Oath fram'd to obviate and take away any such Mischeivous Distinction And tho it extended to secure the King as to his person and legal rights yet it was never design'd as a foundation of an arbitrary and irresistible power or that the subject might not resist any violent and illegal proceedings and more especially when the whole rights of the Community were struct at and a subversion of the Government undeniably put in practice 'T is Rebellion to invade the Kings right but not so to preserve and defend what the Laws and constitution of the Government have given me a just and legal right and title to There is a latitude imply'd in this Oath Unless when we take it we swear to be slaves from that day forward for if taken in a strict sense it cancels all our natural and positive rights and Laws at once we are bound hand and foot and only left at the mercy of an Absolute King and contrary to all reason and justice the Impostumated and unnaturall Power and will of one is superiour and preferrable to the good and preservation of all the rest of the body Politick the Original Government was by the consent of the people as also the form and kind and the good and welfare of Mankind is the undoubted end of it Salus Populi Suprema Lex To which purpose I
fright â—hem into his Net with a Venient Romani The French the Irish and Popish Tyranny will be upon you if you do not take the Oath The Bishop in his Pastoral Letter page the 3 d and 4 th informs his Clergy That by refâ—sing the Oath they might do a considerable Prejudice to the Publick Peace and shake as far as in them lay the present Settlement of the Nation and therefore they ought to consider well the Grounds of their Non-Compliance before they adventur'd against a Woâ—k which in the whole Progress of it has had so many signal Characters of a Favourable Providence and then he adds the Advantages we have reap'd by it and the mischievous Consequences that might ensue in case they did not take the Oaths which were Popish Tyranny An Irish Conquest and Massacre and French Barbarity and Cruelty To which he subjoyns A Man that adventures on so dangerous a Thing as refusing the Oaths had need be very sure that he is in all this matter in the Right Otherwise he runs a Risque of sighting against God if he should happen to be in the wrong Upon the whole matter the Bishop makes use of the Topick of Divine Providence to perswade their Compliance and the great Miseries we might bring on our own Heads after so great a Deliverance if there were not an Unanimous agreement amongst us Gamaliel I presume must be acknowledg'd as Wise a Doctor as Mr. Iohnson can be thought by any of our great Council and as a Proof of it the whole body of the People oâ— Israel were concluded by his Advice in the great Sanhedrim purposely conveened to determine that Important Affair in Relation to those Doctrines and Miracles which were wrought and preach'd by the Apostles and which they were so zealous to oppose You may at your leisure read the whole Transaction in the 5 th of the Acts of the Apostles but because 't is pertinent to my present purpose I will recite Gamaliel's Advice in the great Council contained in the 38 th and 39 th Verses And now I say unto you Refrain from these men and let them alone for if this Counsel or this Work be of Men it will come to nought But if it be of God ye cannot overthrow it lest haply ye be found even to fight against God So that as that great Revolution in Religion and the New Face of Affairs in the World was brought to pass by the powerful Hand of God and could not be resisted So also there are many Instances to be given of the Visible Providences which attended and procur'd our happy Settlement and preserv'd that Faith of Christ which we profess in its Pâ—imitive Purity and against which the utmost Efâ—orts and Artifiâ—es of a Resolv'd and Attempted Power could not prevail We might still have enjoy'd an uninterrupted continuance of its kind Influences had not our Ingratitude Divisions as well as Treachery and Malice to each other those most provoking sins loudly call'd for Judgments to fall on us Now I am the Fairest Adversary in the World tho I say it my self You have leâ—t out Who should not ay it But I will no more believe you than if you should say you were a Saint or that your Gall did not lye in your Scull because you have almost in every Particular throughout your Notes vented your ungovern'd Passion more than Reason One of the things he says we ought to fear and tremble at is Popish Tyranny I would fain know whether the word Popish added to Tyranny makes it better or worse In this Note Mr. Iohnson thinks himself safe but I 'le inform him that the Word Tyranny may be made Blacker that there 's no false Heraldry in it That Popish and Protestant Tyranny are not alike and that their Effects are not the same Popish Tyranny is the worst of Tyrannies it attempts to enslave mens Consciences their Religion as well as Liberties and Properties And because I will be before-hand with him in Instances French Tyranny is Popish Tyranny and a late Author tells us that Danish is Protestant I have nothing to say against your Story of Sir Ellis Leighton and that the late King's Design was to subvert the Government The Papists do not deny it And as for those Imprudent Discourses if there were any such let the guilty answer for themselves He may please himself with his several Descants on the Word King Our King makes the Laws of the Kingdom his Rule to govern by and desires no more Power than to be able to do all the good he can to his People I go therefore in the next place to set before you those Reasons that seem convincing to me even tho there were no more to be said for the presenâ— Settlement but that we have a Throne filled and a King and Queen in Possession After Mr. Iohnson hath made a Flourish he tells us I shall take the pains of examining them One by One and find out if I can their power of Conviction which I am afraid is like an Estate left in Diego's Will He is so merry a Gentleman and hath such an Overflowing of frothy Conceits that I am afraid he won't live long But to the Reasons The Bishop never design'd nor ever hopes to convince you with his Reasons Instead of being as good as your Word in examining the Bishop's Reasons a fancy comes in to your Head that the Throne is widened and then you tell us for whaâ— Reason I know not That you believe that a King and Queen in possession alone or a King and Queen de Facto together in Opposition to de Jure would have frighted Cook Littleton c. I will repeat no more of what 's nothing to the purpose and I thought you had lov'd the great Dead Lawyers better than to contrive any Scare-crows to fright them The Bishop in his Pastoral Letter page 21 st Declares the King and Queens Right to the Crown from the Determinaâ—ion and Declaration of the Peers and People of England chosen and Assembled together with all possible Freedom So that he hath nothing to do with the Distinction of de Facto and de Iure Possession is a very good Title till a better appears and the Bishop tells us the King and Queen have a Lawful Title and a Right to our Allegiance for several Reasons And there is no need of the Bishop's naming the Cause or how they came into the Throne because this Reason is press'd only on Supposition of their bare Possession of it But to the following part of the Paragraph The bringing the State of the Question so low may seem at first View not to be of so much Advantage to Their Majesties Title but since I intend to carry the matter further before I leave it I hope it may be no incongruous method to begin at that which will take in the greatest Numbers since there is no dispute in this that they are actually in possession of the
the Bishop is not apt to beleive every thing you say that Allegiance is so Obstinate a thing that neither desertion nor conquest nor any thing in the World but what is intrinsical to it that is breach of Covenant or consent of both parties dissolve it It is a moral duty and Heaven and Earth may pass away before Allegiance can pass away Sincerely Mr. Iohnson I thought you had been a better Lawyer than to tell us that Allegiance is a Moral duty I always apprehended it to be a Legal Duty and Having a Gude Memory I remember you tell us in the 21 st page that besides the service due to the Lord of Fee as it was the Duty that the Liege Lord owed to his Liegeman I must confess I never met with Lord in Fee Liege Lord or Liegeman in any book of Morality or that treated on Moral Duties that I ever read But Mr. Iohnson is a great Scholard and hath convers'd with old musty Books which I never saw Now for want of judgment you are prophaning Scripture with your Heaven and Earth may pass away before Allegiance can pass away I suppose I shall have a convenient opportunity to prove that Allegiance may pass away in this page or the next therefore I 'le defer it Our Noter is now upon his Queries which I will answer As for Desertion we must first know what it is before we can know whether it will affect our Allegiance A Soldierâ—s deserting nnd running away from his Colours we know but what is this to deserting a Crown or a Kingdom 'T is just like a Soldiers running away from his Colours 't is running away from his Kingdom You ask Did the King desert willingly or unwillingly I believe unwillingly because he would have willingly staid and set up Popery and Arbitrary Power Besides I am sure he had no such Kingdom to go to Did not his people desert him first No he deserted his people first in that he dissolv'd our Allegiance and destroy'd our Laws with his Dispensing Prerogative and by employing Papists who were incapable by Law to act in the Government and then because we were such foolish Passive Rebels who would not help the Irish Dragoons to cut our own Throats he withdrew and left us in a state of Anarchy but we took care not to continue so long The matter of Fact in truth is this K. Iames resolv'd to bring in Popery and Slavery upon us The generality of the Nobility Gentry and Common People were resolv'd neither to be Papists or Slaves Our desperate Circumstances were represented to the P. of Orange who readily engag'd to attempt our Rescue He came The unconcern'd Nation did not think it an Invasion but were rather glad of an opportunity to free themselves from those imminent and real dangers they were surrounded with Upon which account some joyn'd with the Prince others expected the Event The Officers of the Army â—hought themselves under no Obligation by K. Iames's Favours to betray their Country or draw their Swords more effectually to destroy their Liberties and Legal Rights which would have been the consequence of their success and therefore would not sacrifice these for any future precarious Interest when 't was viâ—ible their former Advancements were only design'd for sinister ends and they who would not promise to do every thing they were Closeted about or what Father Peters thought necessary to carry on their designs were either frown'd on or displac'd The King 's trusty darling Subjects the Papists who would live and die with him they threw down their Arms deserted and were ready to run into Awger-holes when a Sham-Declaration threaten'd to leave them to the mercy of the Army Fin-landers in Bear-skins and Mirmidons with broad Swords and bright Armour As for what follow'd K. Iames may thank himself his Bigottry and Prince-destroying Caterpillars Experience hath always verify'd what Seneca the Tragedian hath observ'd speaking in the Person of K. Agamemnon Violentum nemo unquam Imperium continuit diu Moderata durant Well now we are coming to the Merits of the Cause Had the people reason to forsake K. James or no Had he â—orâ—eited Had he broke his Allegiance let it be some other Law-word for I never heard that the King owed Allegiance to his People first Was he the aggressor Yes The Bishop owns all this that I have answer'd in his Pastoral Letter and was one of those who actually came with the Prince to rescue us and to re-settle and preserve our Government according to its Legal Constitution But the Argument the Bishop employs to perswade the Non-jurors to take the Oaths is from the mischiefs that attend Indefeasible Allegiance and that 't is no true Maxim that the bare desertion of K. James without considering the Cause was a sufficient ground for the Non Iurors to comply and take the Oaths I am indebted to you a Proof that Allegiance may pass away and I will discharge it with five of your own words which you little dream'd would do it What is impracticable is void Our Allegiance to K. Iames is impracticable therefore 't is void For if we are here and K. Iames is I know not where we can't pay our Allegiance to him and therefore must transfer it to the King in possession who protects us In the next Page you say If he deserted he was forced to desert for the very ground he stood upon fell from under him But what wicked Rogues do you think undermin'd the ground he stood on Why Father Peters and the rest of the Iesuits and Monks who work'd night and day to undermine and subvert the Government The very Spawn of those who undermin'd and laid Powder with a design to blow up your Patrons Predecessors So much â—or Desertion and so much for nothing to the purpose Now for Conquest Tho there is a great difference between â—aying what could and mighâ— be done and what is actually done yet Mr. Iohnson I must beg your excuse for a page or two on this Point and tho you have taken the liberty to reflect on Kings Marquisses and Bishops with several other of the Nobility yet I have so great a deference to and must be concluded by all Decisions of the great Council of the Nation and I am convinc'd it would be a great piece of Impâ—udence as well as Impudence to offer any thing on this Point tho it were agreeable with my private Sentiments and therefore as you have been bantering upon partial â— I 'le endeavour to repay you in your own Coin in your supposition of a true Conquest The Point you propose is Whether a true Conquest dissolves Allegiance Suppose a King and his people who are all of a piece till either of them break Faith with the other are both run down and fall under the Chance of War It is no matter which of them is in the Conquerors hands because they are all as one If their King have that hard fate