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Romanifts; but I would fain know of her, if following their example will convert them, or fecure her? Does the hope to keep them out by the weapons that have failed in their hands, or can fhe honourably cenfure perfecution in them, and yet ufe it herself?

But he is extremely fcandaled and scared at the feverity upon Proteftants in France.' It is certainly very ill; but do not the laws fhe is fo fond of, point at the fame work, conformity, or ruin? And do not we know, that in fome places, and upon fome parties, her magistrates have plowed as deep furrows, efpecially within thefe fix and twenty years? Hufbands feparated from their wives, parents from their children; the widow's bed and the orphan's milk made a prize for religion; houfes ftript, barns and fields fwept clean, prifons crowded, without regard to fex or age, and fome of both forts dungeoned to death, and all for religion. If the fays, They were peevish men, bigots, or moved by private intereft,' the ftill made the laws; and fays no more for herself than the French fay for their king, which yet fhe refuses to take for an answer. Perhaps I could parallel fome of the fevereft paffages in that kingdom out of the actions of fome members of the church of England in cool blood, that are even yet for continuing the penal laws upon their plundered neighbours; fo that this reflection of hers upon France, is more popular than juft from her. But I befeech her to look upon a country four times bigger than France, Germany I mean, and the will there fee both religions practifed with great ease and amity; yet of this we must not hear one word: I hope it is not for fear of imitating it. However, it is difingenuous to object the mifchiefs of Popery to a general eafe, when we fee it is the way to prevent them. This is put, in the name of Popery, to keep all to herself, as well from Protestant Diffenters, as Roman Catholicks. How Chriftian, how equal, how fafe, that narrow method is, becomes her well to confider, and methinks fhe ought not to be long about it.

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I know she flatters herself, and others too believe, fhe is a bulwark against Popery; and with that, without any farther fecurity to other Proteftants, wipes her mouth of all old fcores, and makes her present court for affistance. But when that word bulwark is examined, I fear it appears to mean no more than this,

That she would keep out Popery for that reafon, for which the apprehends Popery would turn her out,' viz. Temporal intereft. But may I without offence afk her, when she kept perfecution out? Or if fhe keeps out Popery for any body's fake but her own? Nay, if it be not to hold the power she has in her hands, that fhe would frighten other parties (now fhe has done her worft) with what mifchief Popery would do them when it has power? But to speak freely, can fhe be a bulwark in the cafe, that has been bringing the worst part of Popery in, these fix and twenty years, if perJecution be fo, as fhe fays it is? This would be called canting to the world in others. But I hear the begins to fee her fault, is heartily forry for it, and promises to do so no more: and why may not Popery be as wife, that has alfo burnt her fingers with the fame work? Their praying for ease by law, looks as if they chose that, rather than power, for fecurity; and if fo, why may not the Papifts live, as well as fhe reign? I am none of their advocate, I am no Papift; but I would be just and merciful too. However, I must tell her, that keeping the laws on foot by which the did the mischief, is none of the plaineft evidences of her repentance: they that can believe it, have little reason to quarrel at the unaccountableness of transubstantiation. It is unjuft in Popery to invade her privileges; and can it be juft in her to provoke it by denying a Christian liberty? Or can fhe expect what she will not give? Or not do as fhe would be done by, because The fears others will not obferve the fame rule to her? Is not this "doing evil that good may come of it," and that uncertain too, againft an exprefs command, exprefs_command, as well as common charity? But to speak freely, whether we regard the circumstances of the king, the re

ligion of his children, the inequality of the number and strength of those of each of their communions, we must conclude, that the averfion of the church of England to this intreated liberty cannot reasonably be thought to come from the fear fhe has of the prevalency of Popery, but the lofs of that power the law gives her to domineer over all Diffenters. And is not this a rare motive for a Chriftian church to continue penal laws for religion? If her piety be not able to maintain her upon equal terms, methinks her having fo much the whip-hand and start of all others, should fatisfy her ambition, and quiet her fears; for it is poffible for her to keep the churches, if the laws were abolished; all the difference is, fhe could not force; the might perfuade and convince what she could; and pray, is not that enough for a true church, without gaols, whips, halters, and gibbets? O what corruption is this that has prevailed over men of such pretenfions to light and confcience, that they do not, or will not, fee nor feel their own principles one remove from themselves; but facrifice the nobleft part of the reformation to ambition, and compel men to truckle their tender confciences to the grandeur and dominion of their doctors!

But because the fons of the church of England keep, at this time, such a stir in her favour, and fix her excellency in her oppofition to Popery, it is worth while to confider a little farther, if really the most feared and disagreeable part of Popery, in her own opinion, does not belong to her; and if it does, fhould we not be in a fine condition, to be in love with our fetters, and to court our misery?

That part of Popery which the church of England with most success objects against, is her violente. This is that only fhe can pretend to fear: her doctrines she partly profeffes, or thinks fhe can eafily refute. Nobody counts her doctors conjurers for their tranfubftantiation; or dangerous to the ftate for their beads, or their purgatory: but forcing others to their faith, or ruining them for refufing it, is the terrible thing we VOL. IV.

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are taught by her to apprehend. Now granting this to be the cafe, in reference to the Roman religion, where it is in the chair, I ask, if the church of England, with her better doctrines, has not been guilty of this impiety; and for that cause more blameable than the church fhe opposes fo much. If we look into her acts of state, we find them inany and bitter, against all forts of Diffenters. There is nigh twenty laws made, and yet in force, to constrain conformity; and they have been executed too, as far and as often as she thought it fit for her intereft to let them. Some have been banged, many banished, more imprisoned, and some to death; and abundance impoverished; and all this merely for religion: though, by a base and barbarous ufe of words, it has been called treafon, fedition, routs, and riots; the worst of aggravations; fince they are not contented to make people unhappy for their diffent, but rob them of all they had left, their innocency. This has been her ftate-act, to coin guilt, and make men dangerous, to have her ends upon them. But that way of palliating perfecution, by rendering a thing that it is not, and punishing men for crimes they never committed, fhews but little confcience in the projectors. The church of England cries out against tranfubftantiation, because of the invifibility of the change. She does not fee Chrift there, and therefore he is not there; and yet her fons do the fame thing. For though all the tokens of a riot are as invisible in a diffenters meeting, as that in the tranfubftantiation, yet it must be a riot without any more to do the English of which is, It is a riot to pray to God in the humbleft and peaceableft manner in a conventicle.'

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I know it is faid, The blood fhed in the foregoing reign, and the plots of the Papifts against queen • Elizabeth, drew thofe laws from the church of England.' But this was no reason why he should do ill because they had done fo: befides, it may be anfwered, that that religion having fo long intermixed itself with worldly power, it gave way to take the

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revenges of it. And certainly the great men of the church of England endeavouring to intercept queen Mary, by proclaiming the lady Jane Gray, and the apprehenfion the Papifts had of the better title of Mary, queen of Scots, together with a long poffeffion, were fcurvy temptations to kindle ill defigns against that extraordinary queen. But though nothing can excufe and lefs juftify thofe cruel proceedings, yet if there were any reafon for the laws, it is plainly removed, for the interefts are joined, and have been fince king James the first came to the crown.

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ever, it is certain there were laws enough, or they might have had them, to punish all civil enormities, without the neceffity of making any against them as Papists. And fo the civil government had stood upon its own legs, and vices only against it had been punishable by it. In fhort, it was the falfeft ftep that was made in all that great queen's reign, and the most difhonourable to the principles of the firft reformers; and therefore I know no better reafon why it fhould be continued, than that which made the cardinal, in the history of the council of Trent, oppofe the reformation at Rome; That though it was true that they were in the wrong, yet the admitting of it approved the judgment of their enemies, and fo good-night to infallibility. Let not this be the practice of the church of England, and the rather, because she does not pretend to it: but let her reflect, that fhe has loft her king from her religion, and they that have got him, naturally hope for eafe for theirs by him; that it is the end they laboured, and the great use they have for him; and I would fain wonder that she never faw it before; but whether she did or no, why should fhe begrudge it, at least refufe it now? fince it is plain, that there is nothing we esteem dangerous in Popery, that other laws are not fufficient to fecure us from: have we not enough of them? Let her think of more, and do the beft the can to difcover plotters, punish traitors, fupprefs the feditious, and keep the peace better, than those we have can enable us to do. Bb 2

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