the use of the weapons of Scripture and reafon in oppofition to Popery, as with legal penalties, and appear as jealous of the revisal of the Popish controverfy, as of the revival of the dead ftatutes. To preach or write against that caufe is, with them, to dip into the fcum of controverfy, and hainously to offend against the spirit of Chriftianity, and the divinity of their modern idol, religious moderation. The plain meaning

"Were it the vulgar only that were thus prejudiced against them," fays an artful advocate for Papifts," it would not be fo furprising; the prejudices "of the vulgar ought never to surpri'e:-but that the polite, the fashionable, " and learned should be weak enough to give into thefe abfurdities, and that "the bar, the bench, and the pulpit, fhould fo often have re-echoed the fame. "fenfeless jargon, is, surely, a matter of reasonable aftonishment. It gave “ me inconceivable pain, fome years ago, to find one of our best writers, in a "fynod fermon, staining his elegant and useful page with fome uncharitable " and unjust infinuations of that nature; and I could not keep myself from "being tranfported with indignation at seeing his majestic and masterly pen "debafed with any thing fo mean as the fcum of controverfy. There are alfo "fome few indirect reflections on Popery in the celebrated Essay on Truth, "which one would not have expected from the known candour of its author." Some other effayifts on the fame fubject, this writer treats with far less moderation" The populace will, I doubt not, applaud them; bigots will rank "them among the champions of the Protestant cause, and whole fynods (it ་ may be!) will found their praise: but the candid, the humane, the enligh"tened part of the nation will view their conduct in a different light, and con"fider them as difturbers of the public peace, fomenters of fedition and civil "difcord, the professed enemies of religious moderation, and, whatever they pretend, the real enemies of their country."-" And now may I be permitted "to addrefs, myself, to the reverend clergy, in a manner fomewhat different "from that in which they have been recently addreffed. I would, by no means, “ advise you, gentlemen, to revise the Popish controversy, or indeed any kind of ❝ controversy at all; because, of all methods, it is perhaps the least effectual "to remove our religious differences.—I would far lefs advise you to preach " against Popery: you could not take a more proper measure to give it a credit and influence, which at prefent it really has not.But I would advise you "(with all due fubmiffion) to revise your Bibles, and to preach the pure, the peaceful doctrines of the gospel of Jefus ;—a gospel that breathics nothing but "meeknefs, mercy, and univerfal benevolence," &c. Letters on rel. Moder.

"

let. vi. See alfo Anfw. to Mr. W. A. D.'s Let. p. 11, etc.

What do these men mean? Muft Proteftants not only have their hands and feet bound, but their mouths gagged too, that they may filently behold the refurrection and triumphs of Popery? What Bible is to be revifed, the perufal of which will conciliate men's minds to Popery? What gofpel is to be preached, which

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ing of which is, that Popery must be fuffered quietly to reestablish itself, and be allowed every advantage-for its increafe, while Proteftants must complaifantly fit ftill, and look on, leaving their religion to shift for itself. Because, forfooth, the Protestant religion has truth on its fide, therefore none need to care about it; but both statesman and divine remain equally unconcerned at the inroads and triumphs of its enemy. It is enough for it, that, like virtue in the poet, it be coldly praised and neglected. Thus, no fooner are Proteftants deprived of one part of their armour, than they are inftantly envied, and next forbid the ufe of the remainder. When once the outworks are carried, and the batteries of the laws filenced, the preffes and pulpits muft be fo too, that harmlefs Popery may enter unannoyed. Thus would they by degrees ftrip Proteftants of every weapon offenfive and defenfive, and leave neither ford nor shield in Ifrael. Such would be the happy tendency of our new gospel: fuch the pacific fruits of Rome-hatched moderation. According to it, whoever fhould delineate Popery in its true colours, and warn persons against it with that freedom and warmth which the matter required, would inevitably pass for an illiberal and fiery zealot, an uncharitable libeller of fellow-Chriftians, a fomenter of prejudices and animofities, nay more, an inftigator of mobs, a preacher of crufades, a kindler of fedition and civil difcord, and an enemy to laws, government, and his country. And then who could doubt but that all fuch would be lawful game, to be hunted down, at will, by penal laws, which would become, once more, very good Chriftian methods, and wholesome feverities. These noxious ferpents, at their magic touch, would be again converted into rods. Thus we might foon expect to hear of new edicts and ftatutes

muft excite no oppofition, no indignation, or abhorrence against the greatest enemy that the gofpel and its divine Author ever had, or ever will have while the world ftandeth?

See Addrefs, &c. ch. ii, p. 46, &c.

prohibiting

prohibiting all to print or preach on controversy, or to utter a fyllable to the difparagement of that religion which kings and parliaments delight to honour; as was formerly the cafe, when Heaven, in vengeance, fuffered Popish counfels and Romish moderation to rule the land *.

But

When Mary of England fucceeded to the crown, as a previous step to the re-establishment of Popery, fhe began to fhew her moderation by an edit inhi biting every Proteftant preacher in the kingdom; in which the declared, "That "her religion was the fame that it had been from her infancy, but that the "would compel none of her fubjects in matters of religion, till public order "fhould be taken in it by common cenfent. She required her people to live peaceably, and not to use the terms of Papift or heretic, or other reproachful *Speeches; and that none fhould preach without her special licence." In the unhappy period before the Revolution, to fpeak or write against Popery, to call a Papist a Papift,-or fo much as to mention a Popish plot, was made criminal. The liberty of the press was reftrained. A Sir Roger L'Eftrange was appointed licenfer of all books published, that nothing might país but what fuited the purpoles of the court. The Weekly Packet of Advice from Rome was forbid by an order of the King's Bench, and the author arraigned and fentenced for printing without licence. One Mr. Johnfton a clergyman, author of the Life of Julian, who ventured to draw a parallel between Paganifm and Popery, and to expofe the doctrine of paffive obedience, was, after trial, fentenced to pay 500 merks, made prifoner till it fhould be paid, and his book ordered to be burnt by the hands of the hangman. Afterwards, for writing an Address to the English Proteftants in King James's army, he was, condemned to pay another 500 merks, to ftand three times in the pillory, and to be whipped from Newgate to Tyburn, which was accordingly executed :—and all this at the time when the paftoral letters of the pretended vicars apoftolical were difperfed through the country, and printed by the royal printer with public licence, and fhoals of Papistical books were continually ifsluing from the prefs: and while Popish priests were allowed to impugn the Proteftant religion, in their fermons, at pleasure, an order was fent to the Proteftant bishops" to discharge all their inferior clergy "from preaching upon controverted points in divinity." To punish offenders against this and like orders, a high commiffion court was appointed, the first aft of whofe power was the fufpenfion of the bishop of London for refufing to obey the mandate, in not cenfuring Dr. Sharp, (afterwards archbishop), who had been guilty of vindicating his own religion, and speaking against the corruptions of the church of Rome, in a fermon, which was interpreted at court as an endeavour to beget, in the minds of the hearers, an ill opinion of the king and his government and for this contempt both the bishop and doctor were fufpended together. So likewife, under the fame pretence, one Mr. Hardy in Scotland was apprehended, imprisoned, and proceeded againft, merely for giving a testimony against taking off the penal laws and ftatutes against Papists. Yet, all the while,

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But it is farther pled, "The ftatutes against Roman Catholics were too rigorous and fevere, nay, in the highest "degree barbarous and fanguinary: and therefore, if they "ought not to be totally repealed as in their very nature

while, the wolf was wearing fheep's clothing; and all the proceedings of the court, in both kingdoms, were folely defigned to manifeft and support religious moderation. Thus, after the king had in vain applied to the parliament of Scotland for a legal repeal of the penal laws against Papifts, previous to the publication of his indulgence, he wrote to the privy council, "That now ❝he thought fit to publish his royal intentions, and to give an additional eafe to those of tender confciences; fo to convince the world of his "inclinations to moderation, &c. though at the fame time he expreffes bis highest indignation against those enemies of Chriftianity, as well as government and human society, the Field Conventiclers, whom he recommends to them to root out with all the feverities of his laws." And the feveral declarations for liberty of confcience, afterwards published, bear," That his

Majefty, being refolved to unite the hearts and affections of his fubjects to "God in religion, to him in loyalty, and to their neighbours in Christian love

and charity,-by his fovereign authority, &c. he allows and tolerates the "moderate Prefbyterians to meet in their private houses, and there to hear fuch "minifters as were willing to accept of his indulgence allenarly; and that there

be nothing faid or done, contrary to the well and peace of his reign, feditious "or treasonable, under the highest pains their crimes will import, etc. And "confidering the fevere and cruel laws made against Roman Catholics,-on "fuppofition that the Papifts, relying upon an external power, were incapable of duty and true allegiance to their natural fovereigns,-we, of our certain "knowledge and long experience, knowing that the Catholics, as it is their principle to be good Chrimars, fo it is to be dutiful subjects, and that they have likewife, on all occafions, fhewn themselves good and faithfu! subjects "to us, and our royal predeceffors, etc. do, therefore, by our fovereign autho"rity," etc." For the encouragement of our Protestant bishops, regular "clogy, and fuch as have hitherto lived orderly, we think fit to declare, that "it never was our principle, nor will we ever fuffer violence to be offered to

any man's confcience, nor will we ufe force or invincible neceffity against any man on account of his perfuafion, nor the Protestant religion, but will protect, erc.-and employ indifferently all our fubjects of all perfuafions,-fo "long as we find unity and charity maintained."-And afterwards, " To the "end that, by the liberty thereby granted, the peace and fecurity of our go

vernment, in the practice thereof, may not be endangered, we hereby ftrictly "charge all our loving fubjects, that as we do give them leave to meet and "ferve God after their own way, be it in private houses, chapels, or places purposely hired or built for that use, so that they take care, that nothing be preached or taught which may any ways tend to alienate the hearts of our people from us or our government," etc. Hift. of Engl. etc.

"unlawful

unlawful and antichriftian, they ought at least to be ren"dered more moderate. Why retain laws, for the strict "execution of which none feem to plead? Can it be either "for the credit or intereft of a free government to enforce "laws that are shocking to humanity? Muft it not be wifer ¢ policy to gain them by mildnefs, and bind them by the "powerful ties of gratitude, than exafperate and render "them defperate by inhuman and yet unfuccefsful feveri"ties?"-This is now become common language, and in this odious light are these acts now held forth; fo that whoever would attempt to vindicate them is in danger of being reprefented as little better than a cannibal.That criminal laws, even when proper and juft, may be fcrewed up to an exceffive degree of rigour, and that this extreme may fometimes be productive of bad effects, as well as too much lenity, is readily granted. The different nature of crimes, the degree of their prevalence, and the apparent or probable danger wherewith they threaten the commonwealth, muft regulate the legislature in framing and the magistrate in executing fuch laws. When laws obferve no proportion to the crimes, when the highest penalties are annexed either to no fault, or one comparatively small, and when they are more rigorous than is needful for preventing the progress of the evil, then, without doubt, they are both impolitic, and have a degree of cruelty in them. But that either of these fuppofitions hold true with regard to the ftatutes in queftion, is not yet made evident. Do the punishments therein tranfcend the crimes and provocations of the delinquents, or are they altogether difproportioned to the other criminal laws of the fame ftate? If thefe laws affumed a tone of severity, was there not a caufe? A rough medicine may often be healthful to the body-politic, and feverity to a few prove mercy to the public at large. Is it not better, that a few be fubjected to difability, forfeiture, confinement, banishment, or death itfelf, than that a whole nation, and all that is most valuable in it, fhould perish?

Whatever

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