Pudet hac opprobria nobis,

Et dici potuiffe, et non potuiffe refelli.

From fuch an affembly of men, or in which fuch men are

fome time ago avowed and boasted off, by a certain member, in the honourable house? And have not fome of late, in the fame place, more than infinuated, that the different forms of faith, and the various profeffions of religion are but matters of indifference; and that the groffeft errors and idolatries of papifts are mere fpeculative and harmless opinions? And in fine, to fhew with what audacity a noted blafphemer can yet fet his mouth against the heavens, did he not lately in that high affembly, traduce a venerable prophet and judge in Israel, as an infamous priest; and the orders delivered by him to Saul in a certain cafe, exprefly from the mouth of Jehovah himself, as declared in the facred hiftory, as equally infamous; alledging that this was the only inftance, which could equal in cruelty and injuftice, the barbarous and inhuman orders of that unfortunate general whose conduct he was then arraigning? Could the atheism of a Vanini, a Hobbes, or Spinofa, poffibly. go beyond this?

If we were to carry the inquiry farther, we might perhaps find fome inftances of the spirit of impiety, fo predominant in this age, in characters far more exalted. We are far, very far, from fufpecting our amiable Sovereign of favouring the system of modern infidels, or of any intended difrefpect to Chriftianity: yet how can he, or rather fome wicked and proAligate minifters by whofe influence he is directed, be exempted from the charge of countenancing and propagating fome irreligious practices, by the contagion of their powerful example? What elfe mean the Sunday expeditions, the pompous parading by land and water, which all the world hath lately heard of, and multitudes witnessed? What mean the levees at court, the musical hands and concerts, and pleature companies permitted about fome of the royal palaces, on that day, confecrated, by the authority of Heaven, to facred rest, the fervice of the King of kings, and attention to spiritual and eternal things? Should a Protestant king of the Brunfwic line, of whose pious as well as peaceable difpofitions, the most flattering hopes were once entertained, stain the records of his reign, and provoke the difpleasure of the Omnipotent against himself, his illuftrious family, and the whole realm, by practices fo unworthy, fo unwarrantable, and of such pernicious influence? Shall he attempt, practically to authorise what some of his predeceffors to their indelible infamy attempted to introduce and establish by laws (ftrange laws!) the open profanation of the Sabbath? In vain are laws remaining in force, prohibiting travelling, business and sports on the Lord's day, if the firft magistrate, and those who should be the most facred observers, and exe cutors of the laws, shall teach all the world to disregard them?

Componitur orbis,

Regis ad exemplum, nec fic inflectere sensus

Humanos edita valent, ut vita regentis.

I

fuffered

fuffered, need we be furprised to find fome obnoxious acts proceeding, unfriendly to religion? These must neceffarily fpeak the language, and bear the complexion, of their fra

mers.

Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thiftles?

Of another spirit, and of far different principles, were the legiflators and patriots of other times. Of the value and importance of religion in general, and of the Proteftant reformation in particular, they formed a higher and jufter estimate: and the dangerous evils of Popery and antichristianism appeared to them in another point of view. Dear as their other tights and privileges were held by them, and however vigorously they exerted themselves in the caufe of civil liberty; yet was their religion reckoned ftill dearer, and worthy of the preference; knowing that, without it, their houfes and inheritances, their riches and their honours, their liberty and their lives, would turn to fmall account Hence their strugglings and contend

ings

"We have of late," said a gentleman (Mr. Rouse) in the third parliament of Charles I." entered into confideration of the petition of rights, "and the violation of it: and upon good reasons, for it concerns our goods, liberties and lives. But there is a right of a higher nature, which preferves us for greater things, even the eternal life, our fouls, yea onr "God himself. A right of religion directed to us from the King of kings, "confirmed to us by the kings of this kingdom, and enacted by laws in *this place, freaming down to us in the blood of martyrs, and witnessed "from heaven by miracles, even miraculous deliverances. This right, in "the name of this nation, I now claim, and defire that there may be a deep * and ferious confideration of the violations of it."

Another (Sir Walter Earl) moved, in the fame parliament, that religion should have the precedeńcy of all matters, "But let no "man mistake me," faid he, " as if I were lefs fenfible of the violations "of the fubjects liberties than any men elfe who fits here, whosoever "he be. No, Mr. Speaker, I know that the caufe of justice is God's "caufe, as well as the cause of religion; but what good will thefe rights and "liberties do me, or any man elfe, who refolves to live and die a Proteftant? "Nay, what good will they do me, or any man, who refolves to live and "die a freeman, and not a flave, if Popery and Arminianism, joining hand in hand, as they do, be the means, together with the Romish Hierarchy, to "bring in a Spanish tyranny among us, under which these laws and liberties va

B

ings on this head; and hence their laudable care to, fecure the free enjoyment of this invaluable bleffing, not only to themselves, but their lateft pofterity.

Indeed, had not our fathers been more zealous and active in this cause than the modern spirit, and fashionable principles, of the men of this age will allow them to be, we had never been emancipated from the tyranny of Rome, but, to this day, had remained immersed in the deepest shades of ignorance and fuperftition; kiffing the priestly rod, and wearing the ignoble shackles of slavery, which all Europe, in past time, groaned under, and under which fome neighbouring nations are ftill depreffed. We might yet have been hugging a Crucifix, kissing an Agnus Dei, proftrating ourselves to a wooden block, old clouts, or dead men's bones, fending Peter's-pence to Rome, or buying bulls and indulgences from thence; trudging in pilgrimage to Loretto, Winifride's well, or St. Thomas

"must of neceffity ceafe." The house agreed to the motion, and appeared to be animated by the fame fentiments: they presented a declaration to the king, in answer to his meffage for haftening the bill of tonnage and poundage, representing, "That they could not without impiety to God, "difloyalty to his Majesty, and unthankfulness to those who sent them, "proceed therein, without giving precedency to religion, which was in great. "danger from Popery and Arminianifm." And when, iu prosecution of this resolution, they were engaged in a strict enquiry into these grievances, and constrained, through the king's orders, to adjourn, they refused to rife till they had first made a fpirited protestation; the first article of which was, "Whoever fhall bring in innovation in religion, or by favour seek to ex "tend or introduce Popery or Arminianifm, or orber opinions disagreeing "from the true and orthodox church, shall be reputed a capital enemy to the "kingdom and commonwealth.' Macaulay's Hift. of Engl. vol. H. Echard's Hift. p. 442, &c. The noble sentiments, the wife and vigorous proceedings, the zealous efforts of a numerous and truly illustrious band of patriots in both kingdoms, who have promoted the cause of reformation, we muft forbear to mention. They are to be learned more largely from the hiftories of their times: though seldom either fully or fairly from any of the admired pages of the tribe of modern historiographers; whofe partial accounts, distorted pictures, and bad reflections and infinuations, exhibit vile libels, instead of hiftories of the characters and tranfactions of the times of reformation.

Becket's

1

Beckel's fhrine, repeating Ave Maria's, or adoring a wafer!

Had our rulers but kept the ground we had already won, and preferved what we were actually in poffeffion of, they might, perhaps, have been excufed, though they had not turned reformers, or proceeded to advance our imperfect reformation to a further degree of purity. But inftead of attempting to finish what their ancestors had left undone, they are displeased with what they had done, and putting to hand to overturn it: they are become bold or foolish enough to pluck up the legal fences, raifed up against the attempts of reftlefs and dangerous men: they must now unchain the wild beasts which have long been justly feared and fettered, that they may roam about at large, like the arch-fiend their leader, feeking whom they may devour. Though we would wish to believe, that through ignorance or inadvertence they may have done it, yet they have hereby fhewed themselves not only cool, but #reacherous friends to the religion and true liberties of their country, and have reached, indirectly, a blow at a part of the British conftitution, which, of all others, ought to be held most facred and inviolable.

It might have been expected, at least, that no innovations of this fort would have been rafhly made, but that any alteration or repeal of fuch laws, would have been proceeded to with the utmoft deliberation and caution: whereas, on the contrary, nothing could be more hafty and precipitant, than the manner in which the late act for the relief of the Roman Catholics was paffed. The bill was brought into parliament, hurried through and passed at the end of the feffion, almost before the nation were apprifed of it, and before they had due time to weigh its import, or matruely confider its tendency. It is a little fufpicious like,

that the Legislature fhould, in this manner, fteal a fudden march upon the people, when they were lying a fleep, and at this time dreaming of no danger from this quarter. Before they had proceeded thus far, in a matter in which the public and pofterity are fo deeply interested, it might have been proper, to have felt a little the pulfe of the nation, and both to have confulted and paid fome deference to the general voice of their conftituents, in whofe behalf they act.

The fmall oppofition this bill met with, in every ftage of its progrefs, may appear no lefs surprising; if any thing in this age of revolutions and wonders can be accounted furprising. One would be induced to think, that either the fubject of it were of fmall confequence, or that the equity and good policy of it were fo obvious to all, as to preclude any debate, otherwife fomething of this nature might have been expected, in an affembly where endless. altercation and eternal war prevail about every other matter, where fo many antagonists are always equipt for the combat, and panting eager for the fight; who will not fcruple, on other occafions, to convert the fenate-house to circus, or bear-garden, for trifles light as air. For any thing that appears, fcarce the fhadow of one argument, not fo much as a flowery trope, or a biting farcafm, has been employed in oppofition: for once our Sand**ches and our Shelb***nes, our N**ths and our B**kes, our W**kefes and our W***rns, our R**bys, and our F*xes, like Herod and Pilate, are become friends, and, I fear, on a fimilar defign too. It feems none of our fage heads could find their wits on fuch a caufe, nor any of our wordy orators their tongues. Where is the wife? where is the fcribe? where is the difputer of this world? But I trust, that we are not yet fo far gone in the popifh faith, as to take the agreement or vote of a few peers or commoners for an indifputable proof of the excellence of the law. It is a happy privi

lege,