under the Penalties of heavy Fines, Imprisonments, and Banishment to foreign Lands? In Confequence of thefe cruel ACTS, were not yaft Numbers of pious Clergymen, our Forefathers (once the Glory of your Church) with Multitudes of their People, laid in Prifons amongst Thieves and common Malefactors, where they fuffered the greateft Hardships, Indignities, Oppreffions; their Houses were rudely rifled, their Goods made a Prey to hungry Informers, and their Families given up to Beggary and Want. "An Eftimate was 葬 "published of near eight Thousand Proteftant Dif"fenters, who had perished in Prifon in the Reign "only of Charles II. By fevere Penalties inflicted "on them, for affembling to worship God, they "fuffered in their Trade and Eftates in the Com pafs of a few Years, at least two Millions; and "a Lift of fixty Thousand Perfons was taken, who "had fuffered on a religious Account, betwixt the "Reftoration and the Revolution ."-Behold, the Groans and the Blood of Myriads of oppreffed Puritans, which cry beneath the Altar, How long, O LORD! But you are deaf to all their Groans And with Infenfibility enough ask-Were your Fathers ever perfecuted? "But the Presbyterian and Independant Churches "have each in their Day of Power, difcovered as "much, and indeed more of that Spirito," Too much of that bad Spirit 'tis acknowledged, they have each fhewn. But furely there is no Comparifon betwixt the Cruelties and Oppreffions of your Church, and of their's. Your little Finger, bas been thicker than their Loins. "But whatever the Church may have been here"tofore, you affirm, it is not now of a perfecuting "Spirit: And that there is not the leaft Appear ance of its having difquieted and oppreffed any on Account of Religion, for more now than half * Vid. Neal's Hift. Purit. Vol. IV. p. 554. © Lett. III. p. 61, ล "a Century P." You had forgot, Sir, the famous Schifm, and occafional Conformity ACTS, which long fince that Date much difquieted and oppreffed us. The Teft and the Corporation ACTS had alfo flipped your Memory, which at this Time deprive us of valuable and important Privileges, to which as faithful Subjects, and Members of the Commonwealth, we think we have a natural undoubted Right. The prefent Governors of your Church indeed, (Thanks be to Heaven for it) are too wife and too righteous, to permit Perfecution to rage against us. But to their Clemency and Juftice, Sir, not to the kind and benevolent Spirit and Conftitution of your Church, I humbly apprehend we owe it, that we are not at this Time feverely perfecuted and opprefied. If the Act of Uniformity, which to be fure you will call a grand Pillar of your Church, is not a very unrighteous and perfecuting At, yet feveral of your Canons breathe, you know, Sir, a very curfing and perfecuting Spirit. By the former, "Who ever fhall declare or fpeak any Thing in the Derogation or Depraving of the Book of Common "Prayer, or any Thing therein contained, or any "Part thereof, he fhall for the first Offence fuffer "Imprisonment for one whole Year, without Bail "or Mainprize; and for the fecond Offence, be "imprisoned DURING LIFE," Here I affirm nothing, but appeal to the whole World; I appeal, Sir, to your own Confcience, whether this be or be not an unjust and a perfecuting Acr? By the latter, the Canons, "If any Man fhall affirm any of the Things contained in the Book of Articles, Common Prayer, "or of Ordination, to be in any Part fuperftitious, eres roneous, or contrary to the Scriptures;" (in which yet there are many Things acknowledged by your own most learned Divines, and I doubt not, by yourfelf to need great Alteration ;) your IV, V, VI, VII, and VIIIth Canons, thunder out upon him a terrible Excom P Lett. III. p. 61. N Excommunication, ipfo facto 9, by which he is to be cut off as a cankered and rotten Member, and not to be reftored, till he hath repented and publickly revoked his wicked Errors. Doth not this favour, Sir, of an antichriftian and perfecuting Spirit? But you feem not, with Submiffion, to have yourself, a juft Horror of the dreadful Sin of Perfecution, and to be a little too deeply tinged with this fanatical Spirit: for you call aloud for "the "Church's Sword to fall upon Hereticks, as well as CC upon immoral Perfons: And put me in Mind, "that by that ancient Difcipline" (which you wish to fee reftored) "open Schifmaticks were treated al"moft as roughly as any Sort of Offenders what"foever "." By Heteticks, no doubt you mean, thofe whom you take to be fuch: And by open Schifmaticks, thole who are withdrawn from your Church: Thefe you wish to fee roughly handled, and to have the Church's Sword drawn upon them. But, GOD Almighty be praised! We live under fo juft a Government, as is not, we hope, like to gratify this cruel Wish. Do you not remember, Sir, that the first Reformers were counted Hereticks and open Schifmaticks, " by 9 Concerning an Excommunication ipfo facto, our late learned Primate, Dr. Wake, has obferved. Firft, That there is no "Need in this Cafe, of any Admonition, as where the Judge is to give Sentence, but every one is to take Notice of the Law, at his Peril, and to fee that he be not overtaken by it. And, Secondly, That there is no need of any Sentence to be pronounced, which the Canon itfelt has paffed; and which is by "that Means already promulged upon every one, as foon as he comes within the Obligation of it. In other Cafes, a Man may do Things worthy of Cenfure, and yet behave himself fo warrily in them as to escape the Punishment of the Church, "for Want of legal Evidence to convict him. But Excommuni. "catio Canonis ligat etiam occulta Delicta. Where the Canon gives Sentence, there is no efcaping; but the Confcience of every Man becomes obliged by it, as foon as ever he is fenfible, that he has done that which was forbidden, under the Pain of "Such an Excommunication." Appeal in Behalf of the King's Supremacy P. 22. Lett, III. P. 12, 21. " by the Top Churchmen amongst whom they lived? That JESUS CHRIST and his Apoftles were counted the very fame? That our dear Brethren in France, who are now bleeding under the Church's Sword, are most confidently reckoned fuch, by all the Rulers and Priefs there? But is it fit that thefe Hereticks fhould be thus roughly handled? Or, is it thofe only, whom You are pleafed to call by that Name, who merit these rough Meafures? Whenever, Sir, you shall produce your Patent from Heaven, conftituting you JUDGE of HERESY, and fhall be able authoritatively and infallibly to pronounce what is, and what is not, to be punished as SUCH, then the Church's Sword will, I hope, be put into your Hands. But till then, Sir, 'tis much fafer to let it remain sheathed; left under the Notion of Hereticks, you fall upon and roughly handle, Men better than yourself. This has ever been the Cafe, fince the Days of the Apostles, when Ecclefiafticks have prefumed authoritatively to draw and ufe the Church's Sword. But you add, "Tis well we can't fay your "Church has fhewn a dividing Spirit, and actually "divided itfelf by an open Schifm, from a found "Part of the Catholic Church; that, indeed, "would have been an unanswerable Reafon for your "diffents." Yes, this alfo, Sir, we can fay, and therefore ftand juftified by your own Conceffion. That mifguided unhappy Prince Charles I. and his furious Primate Laud, began this fatal Schifm, in Complaifance to the Church of Rome, and actually divided the Church of England from a found Part of the Catholic Church; and the fame fchifmatical Spirit has ever fince too generally prevailed in it. The Dutch, Walloon, and French Churches here in England, were eftablished by Charters from feveral of our Princes; but Lord Clarendon informs us, The Bishops growing jealous that the countenanc • Lett, III. p. 19. ing ing another Difcipline of the Church here by "Order of State, would at least diminish the Reputation and Dignity of the epifcopal Government," got them fuppreffed. "And that this “ "might be fure to look like more than what was Behold I would also put you in Mind of another Fact, that seems to have efcaped your Reading, or Memory. Upon the Queen of Bohemia's earnest Solicitation with the King her Brother (Charles I. Anno 1634) a Collection was ordered throughout England, H t Clarend, Hift. Rebell. Vol. III. p.'96, 97. for |