country, and abandons them a prey to the first occupant, forfeits all right to their allegiance. The law forbids the ufe of two weights and two measures, and there is no juftice without equality.

To the Irish, then, king William with propriety might have applied Curio's fpeech to Domitius's foldiers, "But did you defert Domitius, or Domitius his foldiers? Were you

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not ready to endure the laft extremities, "whilft he privately endeavoured to escape? "And how can the oath any longer oblige

you, when he to whom you fwore, having "thrown afide all marks of confular dignity, "became a private perfon, and a captive to "another?"*

Several generations have decayed and fuc- ceeded fince James the fecond has abdicated the throne. Time expunges the impreflions of the nearest and deareft connections, We chearfully converfe in walking over the graves of friends, for whom we formerly cried. Had then our attachment to the Stuarts been formed of links of fteel, it could not endure to the prefent generation.

But after having expatiated fo long on the claims of a family, commencing in our misfortune

* Cæfar de Bell. Civ. 1. 2. c. 13.

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fortune and concluding in our ruin, let us attribute to a fuperior caufe the revolutions of kingdoms, and in the very fport of human paffions trace the footsteps of divine Providence. "That long concatenation of parti"cular caufes, which make and unmake empires, depends upon the fecret orders of di"vine Providence," fays the bishop of Meaux. "God from the higheft Heavens holds the "reigns of all the kingdoms of the earth: he "hath all hearts in his hands: fometimes he gives a loofe to them; and thereby moveth "all mankind. He it is who prepares effects "in their remoteft caufes, and he it is who "ftrikes thofe great ftrokes, the counter-stroke "whereof is of fuch extenfive confequence. "Let us talk no more of chance, or of fortune. What is chance in regard to our uncertain

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counfels, is a concerted defign in a higher "counfel. Thereby is verified the faying of "the apofile, that God is the bleffed and only

.

Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords, who caufes all revolutions by an im"mutable counfel: who gives and takes away

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power, who transfers it from one man to "another, from one houfe to another, from "one people to another, to fhew, that they all "have it only borrowed, and that it is he alone "in whom it naturally refides.*" Let us then

Boffuct, Hiftoire Univerfelle, Vol. 2. p. 403.

talk

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talk no more of the Stuarts, but bid them an

"And I do fwear that I do reject and deteft as "unchriftian and impious to believe, that it "is lawful to murder or deftroy any perfon "or perfons whatfoever, for or under pre"tence of their being heretics, and also that "unchriftian and impious principle, that no "faith is to be kept with heretics."

Any attempt to prove this article would be an idle tafk, whereas we are fure never to convince, when we attempt to prove things too clear. In a word to buy a piece of cloth, and inftead of paying to murder the draper, "for "or under pretence of his being an heretic," is a doctrine unknown to the most relaxed of our cafuifts. We appeal to the gentlemen of different perfuafions, to whom reftitutions are daily made, through the lands of the Catholic clergy, and to fuch of them as have been stopt on the high road, whether the robber has enquired into their religion? Murder is againft the fifth commandment; injuftice and fraud against the seventh. To fuppofe then that it is a principle of Roman Catholics to murder or cheat" any perfon or perfons whatfoever, for

"or under the pretence of their being heretics," is to fuppofe them ignorant of the commandments of God.

Since the time of the emperor Theodofius, laws have been enacted concerning herefy. Lawyers and divines of both communions have been divided in their opinions: Geneva and London, Calvinift magiftrates, and Proteftant kings, have concurred with the Spanish inquifitors in blazing the fagot, and forestalling the rigour of eternal juftice. The writ De Haretico Comburendo (of committing heretics to the flames) was in force down to the reign of Charles the Second, and has met with a learned apologist in Calvin. By the ftatute and common laws of England, fome punishments are ftill in force against heretics; but how far thefe and feverer punifhments inflicted by the civil and imperial laws, are impious and unchrifrian, kings, not fubjects, are interefted to deter

mine.

In every Chriftian country, the Chriflian religion is a part of the national laws; on the ether hand, herefy, in its loofeft latitude, comprehends errors fubverfive not only of revealed religion, but moreover of morality, and juftice; fuch as the error of the Prifcillianifts, authorizing falfe oaths; and the error of those who give a loose to private and public vices, by de

nying all rewards and punishments beyond the grave. Should then the fupreme magiftrate, to whom the right of the fword is reserved, determine the degree of punishment, and instead of imprisonment, banishment, &c. make it capital, let his confcience condemn or acquit him. Every fubject should ftill" reject and deteft, as "unchriftian and impious to believe, that it is "lawful to murder or deftroy any person or perfons whatsoever, for or under the pre66 tence of their being heretics." We are never to arrogate to ourselves the power of life and death, which God has intrufted to the legislators, and to them alone.

To Catholic and Proteftant magiftrates let us, however, venture to propofe the advice of St. Bernard:" Hæretici capiantur non armis, fed argumentis;* "Let heretics be con"vinced not with blows, but arguments;" and the opinion of St. Auguftine, in his letter to count Marcellin: "No doctrine should strike a

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deeper horror into the human heart, than "that which teacheth that it is lawful to kill any perfon or perfons under pretence of he

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refy, and under the mask of religion, spreads "the difmal feeds of the greatest evils in the "Chriftian world,-murders,diffenfions, wars:""

Bernard, in Cant. Serm. 62.