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<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1">
<PB REF="1">
<P><HI>The Chri&s;tian Moderator:</HI>
The Second Part;
OR,
PERSECVTION
FOR
RELIGION
<HI>CONDEMNED; By the</HI><LIST>
<ITEM>Light of Nature.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Law of God.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Evidence of our own Principles.</ITEM>
</LIST>
WITH
An Explanation of the <HI>Roman Catholick</HI> Belief, con|cerning
the&s;e four points: Their <HI>Church, Wor&s;hip,
Ju&s;tification</HI> and <HI>Civill Government.</HI></P>
<BIBL>JAMES 2. 12.</BIBL>
<Q>So &s;peak you and &s;o do, as they that are judged by the law of liberty; for they
&s;hall be judged without mercy, that have &s;hewed no mercy.</Q>
<Q>Mille hominum &s;pecies, &amp; rerum <HI>di&s;color</HI> u&s;us,
per me equidem &s;int omnia protinus <HI>alba.</HI></Q>
<P>Whereunto there are new Additions &s;ince the Octavo
was Printed.</P>
<P>Printed for <HI>H. J.</HI> 1652.</P>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="text">
<PB REF="2">
<GAP DESC="duplicate" EXTENT="1 page">
<PB N="2" REF="3">
<HEAD>Per&s;ecution for Religion condemned, &amp;c.</HEAD>
<P>IN the precedent part of this di&s;cour&s;e, I have demon&s;trated (according to
that light which the Lord Chri&s;t hath infu&s;ed into my Soul) how much Co|ercency
in Religion is repugnant to the Law of Nature, and, by many evi|dent
and unan&s;werable Texts of Scripture, &s;hewed, how di&s;plea&s;ing it is
to God, how improper to advance the power of godline&s;&s;e, and how extremly
di&s;aggreeable to the &s;weet Spirit, which guided our Lord Je&s;us in the propagation
of his Go&s;pel. And after in the &s;ame little Treati&s;e I proceed to prove (by the
expre&s;&s;e words of the Parliaments and Armies Declarations) that the great Prin|ciple
wherein we glory, and which we have &s;o long fought to e&s;tabli&s;h, is a perfect
Go&s;pel-freedom, and ab&s;olute deliverance of the Con&s;cience from all Tyranny
and oppre&s;&s;ion.</P>
<P>Which di&s;cour&s;e as I compo&s;ed in all humblene&s;s of &s;pirit, and afterwards offer|ed
to the gracious Redeemer of our Souls, who gave me &s;trength and power to
fini&s;h it to his glory: So I finde not onely my &s;elf (for which I humbly thank the
bounty of my God) confirmed in my former judgement, but others in &s;ome mea|&s;ure
convinced in theirs, of the unrea&s;onablenes and &s;in of Con&s;cience-Per&s;ecution.</P>
<P>Concerning which pious and mode&s;t temper of mutuall forbearance, I &s;hall on|ly
add to what I have mentioned in the former part, this plain and familiar Ob|&s;ervation,
That as the &s;ure&s;t mark of a tender con&s;cience in our &s;elves, is a tender
&s;pirit to others, &s;o the mo&s;t infallible &s;ign of a hard and &s;tony heart in our bre&s;ts,
is when we &s;lit in pieces and &s;hipwrack the Con&s;ciences of all that touch upon us:
But prai&s;ed for ever be the Name of our God, who &s;till proceeds to guide and il|luminate
his cho&s;en, graciou&s;ly di&s;po&s;ing them neither to pre&s;ume upon them|&s;elves
for their knowledge, nor be cruell again&s;t others for their ignorance, but
humbly adore and wait upon the Divine Providence in the di&s;po&s;ure of all things:
which fils my &s;oul with exceeding joy, when I con&s;ider it to be the general &s;en&s;e
of all the truly godly and well-affected in this Nation, that no quiet and peaceable
Chri&s;tian be deprived of the chief content and comfort of this life, which certainly
con&s;i&s;ts in a real &amp; impartial, yet unoffen&s;ive liberty, to &s;erve his God according to
his con&s;cience. Many Petitions I could here cite in affirmance of this Truth, from
&s;everall Provinces of this Land; but I &s;hall trouble the Reader only with the&s;e
two, the fir&s;t was pre&s;ented to the Parliament upon the &s;ix and twentieth of
<HI>March</HI> 1649. from the county of <HI>Leice&s;ter,</HI> wherein, though I were none of the
Sub&s;cribers; yet I did, both by my &s;elf and friends, promote it what I could, as
conceiving the reque&s;ts of it, both ju&s;t and rea&s;onable; it bore this Title,</P>
<Q>The humble Petition of divers well affected of the County of Leice&s;ter, in
behalf of them&s;elves and the Nation,</Q>
<P><HI>ANd the &s;eventh. Article or branch of the Petition was this.</HI> 7. That every one
may enjoy the ju&s;t freedoms to wor&s;hip God according to his word, without any
Coercive or restrictive cour&s;es to the contrary.</P>
<P>The Petition being read, the Gentlemen that pre&s;ented it were called in, and
Ma&s;ter <HI>Speaker,</HI> by Order of the Hou&s;e, gave them hearty thanks, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>And on the 2 of <HI>April</HI> following, a like Petition was pre&s;ented, entituled, <HI>The
humble Petition and Repre&s;entation of &s;everall Churches of God in London, com|monly,
though fal&s;ly, called Anabaptists,</HI> which was al&s;o graciou&s;ly accepted by
the Hou&s;e, according to the Merit of &s;o con&s;cientious a &s;uit, and the ju&s;tice of &s;o
glorious a Parliament.</P>
<P><PB N="3" REF="3">
At which time we happily began to &s;hake off that intollerable burthen of <HI>I&s;a|char,</HI>
the Presbyterian government, which has bin &s;ince in a good mea&s;ure effe|cted,
through the ble&s;&s;ing of the Lord Chri&s;t, and pious care of his in&s;truments,
the Governours of this Common-wealth.</P>
<P>In &s;o much as no per&s;ons of what &s;ociety or per&s;wa&s;ion &s;oever in this Nation,
are at pre&s;ent per&s;ecuted for their Con&s;cience onely; or difference in outward
wor&s;hip, but the Papi&s;t, whom I am therefore (according to that Principle of cha|rity
which ab&s;olutely commands my &s;pirit,) obliged to make the chief &s;ubject of
this di&s;cour&s;e.</P>
<P>In order to which performance, I have &s;ince the writing my former &s;heets) often
waited upon God in humility of &s;pirit, and endeavour to inform my &s;elf, as much
as I could of the truth, and particular manner of their &s;ufferings, and to that end
have &s;omtimes purpo&s;ely attended at Haberda&s;hers hall, to hear their Ca&s;es
pleaded, where though I &s;uffered &s;ome per&s;ecution from the croud and noi&s;e
of that place, yet far more was the grief of my minde to behold &s;o many di&s;tre&s;&s;ed
&s;uiters, who&s;e countenances were made &s;ad by the fear of a fatall Order for
their impoveri&s;hment. But before I proceed to any of tho&s;e particulars,
I mu&s;t (at lea&s;t in my own judgement) clear the Papi&s;ts ob&s;tinacy and
non &s;ubmi&s;&s;ion to the pre&s;ent government, wherewith they were by &s;ome
accus'd, as a &s;ufficient ground of all their puni&s;hment; from which imputation I
&s;hall ea&s;ily deliver them by tran&s;cribing a copy of their Petition, which they have
with much diligence and humble importunity, addre&s;&s;ed to very many Members
of Parliament, profe&s;&s;ing to wait onely the happines of an opportunity to pre&s;ent
it to the Hou&s;e, and being a Paper at lea&s;t 5 or 6 moneths old, and delivered to
&s;o many per&s;ons, with whom I have the honour to be acquainted, it fell by chance
into my hands, having I confe&s;&s;e of late entertained a particular delight and re|creation
to pa&s;&s;e &s;ome part of my time in &s;uch curio&s;ities.</P>
<Q><TEXT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="petition">
<HEAD>To the &s;upreme Authority of this Nation, the Parliament of
the Common-wealth of England. The humble Petition of the Roman Catholikes.</HEAD>
<OPENER>Sheweth,</OPENER>
<P>THat your Petitioners have long waited &s;ome happy lea&s;ure, when there might
be a hearing allowed them of their many &s;ad pre&s;&s;ures, the weight whereof
hath &s;unk them &s;o ruinou&s;ly low, that they are utterly disabled to di&s;charge
their many debts, make the lea&s;t provi&s;ion for their Children, or relieve them&s;elves,
reduced to extreme nece&s;&s;ities.</P>
<P>That even &s;uch of your Petitioners, as are &s;eque&s;tred for Delinquency, have &s;till
comforted their &s;orrows with this hope, that at the last they &s;hould certainly be re|ceived
to mercy; &s;ince the generall VOTES for Compo&s;ition of the 17. of March
1648. &s;eem cleerly to imply them capable thereof, when the Rules concerning them
&s;hould be agreed upon.</P>
<P>That now the wi&s;dom of the Parliament applying it &s;elf to e&s;tabli&s;h the people of
this Common-wealth in a quiet and &s;etled condition, your Petitioners take up an
humble confidence, that they alone &s;hall not be excluded from &s;o univer&s;all a benefit.</P>
<P>And therefore humbly pray, that the Laws and proceedings concerning them may
be taken into con&s;ideration, and &s;uch clemency and compa&s;&s;ion u&s;ed towards
them by Compo&s;ition or otherwi&s;e, as in the judgement of this honourable
Hou&s;e may con&s;i&s;t with the publike peace, and your Petitioners comfortable lie
ving in their native Country.</P>
<P><PB N="4" REF="4">
And they further humbly pray, that it would plea&s;e the Parliament to vouch&s;afe
them the permi&s;&s;ion of clearing their Religion from what&s;oever may be incon|&s;i&s;tent
with Government, which will a&s;&s;uredly be done to full &s;atisfaction, if
there may be a Committee appointed by this honourable Hou&s;e, on whom they
may have the priviledge to attend.</P>
<CLOSER>And your Petitioners &s;hall ever pray, &amp;c.</CLOSER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT></Q>
<P>THis to my &s;en&s;e bears it &s;elf with &s;o much re&s;pect and &s;ubmi&s;&s;ivene&s;s in the &s;tile,
that it can no wayes be interpreted misbecoming the duty of good and peace|able
&s;ubjects; and for the matter of the Petition, it &s;eems to my eye &s;o rea&s;onable,
that I cannot believe, but after a little patience, till other more generall affairs
afford the Parliament lei&s;ure, it will certainly receive a &s;atisfactory and relieving
An&s;wer; E&s;pecially &s;ince not onely &s;uch Papi&s;ts, who&s;e moderate delinquency
leaves them &s;ome hope of mercy, nor &s;uch who for pre&s;ervation of their lives,
were forced to flye into the late kings Garri&s;ons, without ever acting any thing
again&s;t the State, but even the mo&s;t innocent, who all this while have &s;ate &s;till un|der
&s;o many pre&s;&s;ures, and never were charged with other accu&s;ation, than their
Religion, yet all freely and humbly &s;ubmit in this Petition to the ab&s;olute plea|&s;ure
of the Parliament for Rules of Compo&s;ition, and this (as to the &s;ingle Papi&s;t)
for an offence, which in no other &s;ociety of Chri&s;tians in this Nation is accounted
any crime at all, being meerly their different judgement in Religion; a proceeding,
wherein certainly we &s;hall u&s;e too much &s;everity, and partiality, if we make it not
onely unpardonable, but unredeemable.</P>
<P>In the clo&s;e of their Petition they humbly beg the favour of an opportunity to
&s;atisfy the Parliament in the point of con&s;i&s;tency with <HI>Civil Government,</HI> which
being the chief Objection that (without pa&s;&s;ion) can be made again&s;t them, &s;ure|ly
we &s;hould not take offence, at their mo&s;t diligent applications, and utmo&s;t en|deavours,
to deliver them&s;elves from &s;o de&s;tructive a charge, laid upon their Re|ligion.</P>
<P>In order to which performance, (it &s;eems) divers Papi&s;ts of con&s;iderable quality,
unanimou&s;ly agreed upon this following Explanation, to declare and witnes to the
world, the perfect con&s;i&s;tency of their Religion, both with civill &s;ociety, joyning
al&s;o in the &s;ame paper, the like expre&s;&s;ions of their Belief concerning &s;ome few o|ther
points, which they were informed to be more obnoxious to exception, than
the re&s;t; As the under-valuing of holy Scripture, and over-valuing the authority
of the Church: Invocation of Saints and Angels, and wor&s;hip of Images; and a|bove
all, the proud opinion of Merits: This paper they drew up as a preparatory
to a more full and perfect clearing of their Faith from tho&s;e prejudices and mi&s;|under&s;tandings,
which ordinarily men of different per&s;wa&s;ions entertain, e&s;pecial|ly,
in Controver&s;ies about matters of Religion.</P>
<Q><TEXT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="document">
<HEAD>The Paper, containing certain Doctrins of the Papi&s;ts, and by them delivered
to divers per&s;ons of quality for their particular &s;atisfaction.</HEAD>
<P>WE believe the holy <HI>Scriptures</HI> to be of divine in&s;piration and infallible Au|thority;
and what&s;oever is therein contained we firmly a&s;&s;ent unto, as to
the word of God, the Author of all Truth.</P>
<P>1.<NOTE PLACE="marg">I. 2 Pet. 3. 16.</NOTE> But &s;ince in the holy Scriptures there are &s;ome things hard to be understood, which
the ignorant and un&s;table wrest to their own de&s;truction; we therefore profe&s;&s;e (for
the ending of controver&s;ies in our Religion, and &s;etling of peace in our Con&s;ciences)
to &s;ubmit our private judgments to the judgement of the Church, repre&s;ented in a free
Generall Council.</P>
<P><PB N="5" REF="4">
2.<NOTE PLACE="marg">II. 1 Tim. 1.</NOTE> We humbly believe the &s;acred My&s;terie of the <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed Trinity,</HI> one Eternal, Al|mighty,
and incomprehen&s;ible God, whom onely we adore and wor&s;hip, as alone ha|ving
Soveraign dominion over all things, to whom onely we acknowledge as due
from men and Angels, all glory, &s;ervice and obedience, abhorring from our hearts,
as a most detestabbe &s;acriledge, to give our Creators honor to any creature what&s;o|ever.</P>
<P>And therefore we &s;olemnly prote&s;t, that by the prayers we addre&s;&s;e to Angels, and
Saints, we intend no other then humbly to &s;ollicit their a&s;&s;i&s;tance before the throne
of God, as we de&s;ire the prayers of one another here upon earth, not that we hope
any thing from them, as originall authors thereof, but from God the fountain of all
goodne&s;&s;e, through Je&s;us Chri&s;t our onely Mediator and Redeemer.</P>
<P>Neither do we believe any divinity or vertue to be in images, for which they ought
to be wor&s;hipped as the Gentiles did their Idols, but we retain them with due and
decent re&s;pect in our Churches, as in&s;truments, which we find by experience, do of|ten
a&s;&s;i&s;t our memories, and excite our affections.</P>
<P>3.<NOTE PLACE="marg">III. Rom. 3. 24</NOTE> We firmly believe, that no force of nature, nor dignity of our best works can
merit our Ju&s;tification, but we are ju&s;tified freely by grace, through the Redempti+on
that is in Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>And although we &s;hould by the grace of God per&s;evere unto the end in a godly
life and holy obedience to the Commandements, yet are our hopes of eternall glory still
built upon the mercy of God, and the merits of Chri&s;t Je&s;us.</P>
<P>All other merits (according to our &s;en&s;e of that word) &s;ignifie no more, then
actions done by the a&s;sistance of Gods grace, to which it has plea&s;ed his gooodne&s;s
to promi&s;e a reward; a Doctrine &s;o far from being un&s;uitable to the &s;en&s;e of the holy
Scriptures, that it is their principal de&s;ign to invite and provoke us to a diligent ob|&s;ervance
of the Commandements, by promi&s;ing heaven as the reward of our obedi|ence.
1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 4. 8. Godline&s;s is profitable to all things, having the promi&s;e of this
life, and of that which is to come, And, <HI>Rom,</HI> 2. 6. God will render to every man
according to his deeds, to them who by patient confidence in well doing &s;eek for
glory and honor, and immortality, eternal life. And again, <HI>Rom.</HI> 8. 13. If you
live after the fle&s;h you &s;hall dye, but if through the Spirit you mortifie the deeds of
the body, <HI>you &s;hall live.</HI> And <HI>Heb.</HI> 6. 10. God is not unju&s;t to forget your work
and labour of love, which you have &s;hewed for his name, &amp;c. Nothing being &s;o
frequently repeated in the word of God, as his gracious promi&s;es to recompence with
everla&s;ting glory the faith and obedience of his &s;ervants;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 6. 38.</NOTE> Nor is the bounty of God
barely according to our works, but high and plentifull, even beyond our capacities;
giving full mea&s;ure, heaped up, pre&s;&s;ed down, and running over into the bo&s;oms
of all that love him.</P>
<P>Thus we believe the merit or reward ablene&s;&s;e of holy living (both which &s;ignifie
the &s;ame thing with us) ari&s;es not from the &s;elf-value even of our be&s;t actions;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 17. 1<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter"></NOTE> as
they are ours, but from the grace and bounty of God; and for our &s;elves we &s;in|cerely
profe&s;&s;e, when we have done all tho&s;e things which are commanded us, we
are unprofitable &s;ervants,<NOTE PLACE="marg">IV. Exod. 20. Mat. 19. Eccle&s;. 12. 13.</NOTE> having done nothing but that which was our duty; &s;o
that our boa&s;ting is not in our &s;elves, but all our glorying is in Christ.</P>
<P>4. We firmly believe, and highly reverence the Morall Law, being &s;o &s;olemnly
delivered to <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> upon the Mount, &s;o expre&s;ly confirmed by our Savionr in the
Go&s;pel, and containing in it &s;o perfect an Abridgement of our whole duty both to
God and man.</P>
<P><PB N="6" REF="5">
Which <HI>Morall Law</HI> we believe obliges all men to proceed with faithfulne&s;&s;e and
&s;incerity in their mutuall contracts one towards another, and therefore our con|&s;tant
Profe&s;&s;ion is, that we are mo&s;t &s;trictly and ab&s;olutely bound to the exact and
entire performance of our promi&s;es, made to any per&s;on of what Religion &s;oever,
much more to the Magi&s;trates and Civil powers, under who&s;e protection we live
whom we are taught by the word of God to obey, not onely for fear, but for con|&s;ci<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">nce
&s;ake; and to whom we will mo&s;t faithfully ob&s;erve our promi&s;es, of duty
and obedience, notwith&s;tanding any di&s;pen&s;ation, ab&s;olution, or any other pro|ceedings
of any forraign power, or authority what&s;oever.</P>
<P>Wherefore we utterly deny and renounce that fal&s;e and &s;candalous Po&s;ition, that
<HI>Faith is not to be kept with Hereticks,</HI> as mo&s;t uncharitably imputed to our practi|ces,
and mo&s;t unju&s;tly pinned upon our religion.</P>
<P>The&s;e we &s;incerely and &s;olemnly profe&s;&s;e, as in the &s;ight of God, the &s;earch|er
of all hearts, taking the words plainly and &s;imply in their u&s;uall and fa|miliar
&s;en&s;e, without any equivocation or mental re&s;ervation what&s;oever.</P>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT></Q>
<P>THe&s;e expre&s;&s;ions concerning four of the mo&s;t offen&s;ive points, wherein
the Papi&s;ts differ from us, have I confe&s;&s;e given me a great and unexpect|ed
&s;atisfaction; And though I remain in the &s;ame mind as to the erroni|ou&s;ne&s;&s;e
of many of their Tenets, yet I &s;ee we may ea&s;ily be too pa&s;&s;ionate in the
degree of dete&s;ting any different opinion, &s;ince every error is not pre&s;ently to be
cen&s;ured, as an un&s;ufferable abomination; and too &s;evere in the degree of per&s;e|cuting
the di&s;&s;enters from our own judgements, as if they were unworthy to
breath the &s;ame air with our &s;elves.</P>
<P>Certainly, many Prote&s;tants, who quietly enjoy a ju&s;t and unmole&s;ted free|dome,
approach very near to the fir&s;t a&s;&s;ertion of the Papi&s;ts, whil&s;t &s;ome both
writers and di&s;cour&s;ers, profe&s;&s;e to &s;ubmit their private judgements unappeala|bly
to a truly-free Generall Councell, that &s;he might once have an end of all
&s;trife and contention about matters of Religion; others refer them&s;elves without
further in&s;tance to a Provinciall A&s;&s;embly of Divines, and very few but will pre|fer
the judgement of the Supreme authority of this Nation, before their own par|ticular
&s;en&s;e, readily conforming to that Declaration which the Parliament &s;hall
hold forth to be the true meaning of the Scripture: So that almo&s;t every one a|grees
in the acknowledgement of an external authority to decide &s;uch Contro|ver&s;ies,
as ari&s;e out of the different interpretation of their faith upon the
Churches &s;leeve, and yield a blind obedience (that is without appealing any fur|ther)
to her determination.</P>
<P>And for the &s;econd Branch, I am &s;ure many Prote&s;tants continue &s;till tho&s;e
old cu&s;tomes of baring their heads when they come into a Church, nay of bow|ing
at the name of <HI>Je&s;us;</HI> Practices that ly open to the greate&s;t part of tho&s;e ob|jections,
which our more godly and con&s;cientious penns make again&s;t the Papi&s;ts,
in the que&s;tion of Pictures; yet I hope there will never be the lea&s;t thought en|tertained
of impo&s;ing penalties upon the private and un&s;candalous u&s;e of any &s;uch
Ceremonies: Rather let us apply our endeavours to open their eys with a mild and
gentle hand, than beat them out with the club-fi&s;t of the Law.</P>
<P>But when I reflect upon the third conclu&s;ion in the Recu&s;ants Paper, I am,
a&s;toni&s;hed to con&s;ider how Education with a little mixture of Pa&s;&s;ion or intere&s;t
makes every &s;light di&s;temper among&s;t Chri&s;tians (which of it &s;elf were ea&s;ily
curable) &s;o de&s;perate, that it often becomes irrecoverable, and endangers both
the health and life of Chri&s;tianity. Surely in many things we &s;trangely mi&s;take
<PB N="7" REF="5">
one another. I profe&s;&s;e &s;incerely, I &s;hould be &s;o far from &s;ei&s;ing on the E&s;tate of
a Papi&s;t, for refu&s;ing that part of the Oath of Abjuration, wherein he is com|pelled
to renounce the Doctrine of merits, that I am re&s;olved to &s;uffer a thou&s;and
deaths, rather then abjure &s;o great and manife&s;t a truth, according to the &s;en&s;e
wherein they explain them&s;elves, or affirm &s;o great and manife&s;t an Errour, ac|cording
to the &s;en&s;e wherein we explain our &s;elves. For when we cen&s;ure the Do|ctrine
of Merits, we under&s;tand by that word our de&s;erts, as they exclude the
merits of Chri&s;t, and ab&s;tracting from the Covenant God hath been plea&s;ed to
make with us in his Son, and in that &s;en&s;e we ju&s;tly condemne all opinions of
Merit, even of the be&s;t works, as pre&s;umptuous and Luciferian; But I now &s;ee
when the Papi&s;ts affirm that good works are meritorious, they include both the
promi&s;e of God and the merits of Chri&s;t Je&s;us, and in effect when all is &s;um|med
up, it amounts only to this, That God hath graciou&s;ly promi&s;ed, and will
faithfully keep his word, to reward all tho&s;e with eternall life that believe in
him, and obey his Commandements, In this &s;en&s;e the Papi&s;ts hold mercifulnes
to be meritorious, or available to &s;alvation, becau&s;e the Scripture &s;ayes, <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed
are the mercifull for they &s;hall obtain mercy.</HI> Matth. 5. 7. In this &s;en&s;e the Papi&s;ts
hold patience in affliction to be meritorious or available to Salvation, becau&s;e
the Scripture &s;ayes, <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed are they who are per&s;ecuted for righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e &s;ake, for
theirs is the Kingdome of heaven,</HI> Mat. 5. 10. And this (as I am informed by
very under&s;tanding men among&s;t them) is the reall truth of their Doctrine con|cerning
good works, which in my judgement differs nothing from ours, but one|ly
in the un&s;avoury and proud-&s;ounding word merit.</P>
<P>The la&s;t Cau&s;e of the Papi&s;ts Note, which <HI>I</HI> have tran&s;cribed, is &s;o full and
&s;atisfactory, that if they will be as good as their words, <HI>I</HI> &s;hall neither fear to
have &s;uch neighbours, nor need any Magi&s;trate fear to have &s;uch Subjects.</P>
<P>And to prove their tru&s;tine&s;&s;e and fidelity, in the ob&s;ervance of their oaths, <HI>I</HI>
cannot imagin a more evident demon&s;tration, then that they make a con&s;cience
of what oaths they take. He that &s;wears any thing without di&s;tinction, may ju&s;t|ly
be &s;u&s;pected to be as fal&s;e to men, as he is fearle&s;&s;e of God, whereas no clearer
argument can be alledged in the behalf of any, that they intend to keep all the
oaths they take, then this, that they will not take all the oaths you offer; &s;urely if
the Pope or their own con&s;ciences could give them this extravagant priviledge, to
be bound by no oath, they might without difficulty take any, and if they were
allowed by their Religion to &s;wear any thing, certainly they are all wor&s;e then
mad, if they do not immediately po&s;t away to <HI>Haberda&s;hers hall,</HI> call for the
oath of abjuration, &s;wallow it down quickly without any chewing, and &s;o &s;ave
at lea&s;t 50000 l a year in a morning.</P>
<P>In the late Kings dayes, many Papi&s;ts were &s;martly puni&s;hed for not taking
the oath of allegeance, none for ob&s;erving it, nay <HI>I</HI> have heard &s;ome Pa|pi&s;t-Delinquents
argue for them&s;elves, that the utter ruine, which now endan|gers
their whole e&s;tates, proceeds &s;olely from their performing to the late King
that &s;ervice which he called alleagiance, and this is yet a higher proof of their
fidelity in their promi&s;es, &s;ince they adventured with &s;o much hazard to keep
that oath in &s;ubgance, which they refu&s;ed with almo&s;t as much hazard to take, be|cau&s;e
again&s;t their con&s;cience in &s;ome circum&s;tance.</P>
<P>And now let any one judge indifferently, whether they that firmly believe all
the holy Scriptures of the old and New Te&s;tament, wor&s;hip and adore onely
one God, rely upon <HI>Je&s;us Christ</HI> for their &s;ole Mediator, and profe&s;&s;e it their du|ty
to ob&s;erve the commandements of the <HI>Morall Law,</HI> may not rea&s;onably be
<PB N="8" REF="6">
&s;uffered to live in their native countrey with the peaceable enjoyment of their
con&s;ciences in their private hou&s;es, e&s;pecially tho&s;e who will quietly &s;ubmit to
cautions and re&s;trictions, as the common-wealth &s;hall require for prevention of
&s;candall, or di&s;turbance of the publick peace.</P>
<P>Be&s;ides <HI>I</HI> am per&s;waded a far le&s;&s;e liberty will <HI>oblige</HI> the Papi&s;ts than <HI>content</HI>
any other, becau&s;e hitherto all liberty has been wholly denyed to them, and
wholly allowed to every one el&s;e, &s;o that they will gladly receive as a mercy and
favour, what others challenge as a right, and their affections being once purcha|&s;ed
at &s;o cheap a price, as a little private exerci&s;e of their con&s;cience, free from
the fright and &s;mart of penalties, I am confident they will neither be &s;uch fools
as to forfeit their liberty, nor &s;o ungratefull as to forget them that gave it; &s;ince
out of all our hi&s;tories not one example can be a&s;&s;igned, that they ever offered to
move the lea&s;t &s;edition, in a time when they enjoyed but half the liberties of free-born
Engli&s;h men.</P>
<P>Therefore I &s;hall clo&s;e my thoughts upon this Paper, with a &s;hort and free con|clu&s;ion,
which I conceive abridges in few words the whole difficulty betwixt &s;ub|ject
and Superior; The Magi&s;trate that protects any &s;ort of people in his Do|minions,
may ju&s;tly require their &s;ervice, and &s;afely rely upon their obedience
but if he per&s;ecute them, whether Prote&s;tants or Papi&s;ts, he will &s;oon find, that
as he may violently force their complyance, he can never prudently re&s;t upon
their affections.</P>
<P>But I mu&s;t here beg leave to be di&s;pen&s;ed with in my promi&s;e of ending this
period, till <HI>I</HI> have added this ob&s;ervation, How many Modern Authors of good
account among&s;t us, have po&s;itively held forth to the people (as an unque&s;tiona|ble
truth) that the Papi&s;ts by their Principles, <HI>are not obliged to keep faith with
Hereticks?</HI> and <HI>I</HI> mu&s;t acknowledge <HI>I</HI> was once of the &s;ame opinion concerning
them, principally relying upon the credit of Mr. <HI>Iames Howell,</HI> an ingenious
traveller in mo&s;t of the Popi&s;h countries, which makes me the more wonder, that
he &s;hould take &s;uch an erroneous opinion upon tru&s;t, and a&s;&s;ert it in Print near the
end of the fir&s;t part of <HI>Dodona's Grove,</HI> where he &s;ayes, <HI>That one of the Canons
of the la&s;t great Councell,</HI> (which mu&s;t needs be the Councel of <HI>Trent) was that,
Haereticis non e&s;t tenenda fides,</HI> The e&s;teem <HI>I</HI> had entertain'd of that Authors in|genuity
permitted me not to <HI>acquie&s;&s;e</HI> to &s;ome Recu&s;ants verball deniall of this,
a&s;&s;ertion; but (for more a&s;&s;ured &s;atisfaction in &s;o important a point) <HI>I</HI> took the
pains to peru&s;e &s;ome of their be&s;t writers, and found them unamimou&s;ly agree,
<HI>that faith is not onely to be kept with Hereticks, but even with Turks, Iews and
Infidels, and that indi&s;pen&s;ably:</HI> neither could <HI>I</HI> find one tittle to that purpo&s;e, in
any Canon or Se&s;&s;ion of that la&s;t great Councel, (as he calls it) but to the con|trary;
For both in the fifteenth and eighteenth Se&s;&s;ion, the Councell &s;aith ex|pre&s;ly,
<HI>that who&s;oever &s;hall violate the lea&s;t point of the publick faith, given for
the &s;ecurity of all Prote&s;tants, that &s;hould repair to that Councell, &s;hould be &s;ub|ject
to tho&s;e penalties, quas jure divino &amp; humano aut con&s;uetudine huju&s;modi
&s;alvorum conductuum violatores incurrere po&s;&s;unt, ab&s;que omni excu&s;atione, aut
quavis in hac parte contradictione.</HI> By which it evidently appears that the Coun|cell
&s;uppo&s;ed, as a thing known and certain, that who&s;oever &s;hould violate his <HI>faith</HI>
promi&s;ed to Hereticks, was not onely puni&s;hable by humane Laws, but even by
the divine Law it &s;elf.</P>
<P>And certainly if it had been my unhappine&s;&s;e to have done any &s;ort of Chri|&s;tians
&s;o much wrong in publick, my con&s;cience (coming afterward to be better
inform'd would oblige me to a publick reparation; for though we u&s;e no &s;uch <HI>con|fe&s;&s;ion,</HI>
<PB N="9" REF="6">
as the Papi&s;ts practi&s;e, yet the Law of naturall rea&s;on binds us to as punctu|all
an ob&s;ervance of re&s;titution, as any Papi&s;t what&s;oever, and that even to Papi&s;ts
them&s;elves, when we do them any injury.</P>
<P><HI>But for a finall di&s;patch of this point concerning the Papi&s;ts indi&s;pen&s;able ob|ligation
of performing their promi&s;es, it was my fortune to light upon a book of
one</HI> Paul Layman <HI>a German Je&s;uit, and an Author of great e&s;teem among&s;t the</HI>
Ca&s;ui&s;ts (<HI>who treating of di&s;pen&s;ations</HI> lib. 2. tract. 3. cap. 12.) <HI>&s;ets down the&s;e
words,</HI> Dico quart&ograve;, Si Catholici cum Haereticis publicum faedus ineant, non pote&s;t
per authoritatem Pontificiam &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">lvi aut relaxari. If Catholicks enter into any pub|lick
contract with Hereticks, it cannot be di&s;&s;olv'd or di&s;pen&s;ed with by the Popes
power. <HI>And &s;ome few lines after proceeding upon the &s;ame que&s;tion, he pro|nounces
down-right,</HI> Ab&s;olut&egrave; negari debet id (viz remi&s;&s;ionem foederis) &agrave; &s;um|mo
Pontifice fieri po&s;&s;e; it ought ab&s;olutely to be denyed, that it is in the power
of the Pope to ab&s;olve from &s;uch contracts. <HI>And again,</HI> Fides publica haereticis
data inviolabiliter &amp; &s;ine ullo di&s;pen&s;ationis remedio &s;ervanda e&s;t, quamdiu ip&s;i
&s;ervare parati &s;unt: Publick &s;aith given to Hereticks ought inviolably and with|out
di&s;pen&s;ation to be ob&s;erved, &s;o long as they are ready to perform their part. <HI>And
concludes that even</HI> Ie&s;uites <HI>as well as other</HI> Doctors <HI>hold the Popes power to be
limitable, and not &s;o almighty as the world u&s;ually believes concerning them. The
&s;ame doctrine is repeated in the abridgement of</HI> Laymans <HI>book entituled</HI> Com|pendium
Moralis Theologiae Pauli Layman folio 265.</P>
<P>The Papi&s;ts have given &s;o much &s;atisfaction by their Petition and other Papers,
but much more by their &s;ubmi&s;&s;ion to, and peaceable demeanour in this Com|mon-wealth,
as it is now e&s;tabli&s;ht; <HI>I</HI> mu&s;t appeal not onely to the Parliament,
and that great in&s;trument of our freedome my <HI>Lord Generall Cromwell,</HI> but to
all con&s;cientious men, whether the&s;e Papi&s;ts may not rea&s;onably hope &s;o
much mercy, as not to be by penalties debard the private exerci&s;e of their con&s;ci|ences,
with their doors &s;hut, and &s;uch other cautions and circum&s;tances as the State
&s;hall be plea&s;ed to ordain for regulation of Soul freedome; &s;ince it is evident
that Chri&s;tian liberty may be lawfully governed, though it be al&s;o as evident
that it cannot lawfully be taken away, &s;o that every peaceable &s;pirit have liberty
enough, and yet the licentious Liver not have too much.</P>
<P>Such moderate &amp; orderly freedom might charitably be allowed to the quiet Pa|pi&s;ts
from per&s;ons that afford far more advantages to far more dangerous enemies
the Scotch or rigid <HI>kirki&s;ts,</HI> who have &s;everall times engaged again&s;t us in open
field, &amp; by many plots and &s;ecret contrivements endeavoured as much as in them
lay) to &s;ubvert the pre&s;ent government, yet after &s;o many victories obtained a|gain&s;t
them, &amp; the reducing of the greate&s;t part of their country to the obedience
of this State; <HI>The Mini&s;ters</HI> (as &s;ayes a Letter of the 21 of <HI>Febr.</HI> 1651. from
an officer of our army at <HI>Edinborough) are violenly bent their own way, and preach
damnation to all complyers with us in any thing.</HI></P>
<P>And let any indifferent per&s;on read the &s;trange proceedings of the Presbytery
of <HI>Aberdeen</HI> again&s;t Sir <HI>Alexander Irving,</HI> Lord of Drum publi&s;hed in the Di|urnall
26 <HI>Ian.</HI> 1651. he will (<HI>I</HI> am confident) highly applaud that ingenious let|ter
from an eminent Officer of our Army, and dated at <HI>Edenborough</HI> the 21 of
the &s;ame moneth, and publi&s;hed in the next weeks <HI>Politicus,</HI> which hath the&s;e
very words. <HI>You would wonder to ob&s;erve the &s;trange pride and proceedings of the
kirk Clergy, the ingredi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">nts of who&s;e con&s;titution admit of many more grains of gun-powder,
then you &s;hall find in any Ie&s;uites in Chri&s;tendome; &s;o that if they be not
clo&s;ely look'd unto they will &s;et all on fire again.</HI></P>
<P><PB N="10" REF="7">
<HI>And in another letter dated</HI> 12^t^h <HI>of</HI> April 1652. <HI>from</HI> Dalkeith <HI>in</HI> Scotland
<HI>and printed in the next weeks Diurnall, is this excellent ob&s;ervation;</HI> Believe it,
all our other Enemies are tame beasts to the high Presbyter, and yet with the wind|ing
and turning of a religious pretence, and an artificiall zeal against Here&s;ie; he
will like a tame Snake (if not warily avoided) get into your bo&s;om, &amp;c.</P>
<P>Continually every week come fre&s;h and loud complaints from our friends and
Officers in Scotland of the &s;tubborne&s;&s;e of a certain froward and re&s;ty party in
that Nation.</P>
<P>Yet notwith&s;tanding the pertinacy and malice of the&s;e <HI>kirki&s;ts,</HI> &s;uch of them
as have not appeared in actuall arms again&s;t us, are &s;o far from being &s;eque&s;tred,
that many of them enjoy great places of honour and benefit under our govern|ment.
And &s;uch is the States mercy towards them) that the Commi&s;&s;ioners for
&s;etling the affairs of Scotland by their Declaration of the 21 <HI>Feb,</HI> 1651, ground|ed
upon the Declaration of the Parliament of the Common-wealth of <HI>England,</HI>
have expre&s;t a particular regard and indulgence to the whole Nation, in the&s;e
words, <HI>That &s;uch Mini&s;ters who&s;e Con&s;ciences oblige them to wait upon God in the
Admini&s;tration of &s;pirituall Ordinances, according to the order of the Scotti&s;h
Churches, with any that &s;hall voluntarily joyn in the practice thereof, &s;hall receive
protection and encouragement from all in authority, in their peaceable and unof|fen&s;ive
exerci&s;e of the &s;ame: as al&s;o others, who not being &s;atisfied in Con&s;cience
to u&s;e that form, &s;hall &s;erve and wor&s;hip God in other Go&s;pel way, and behave
them&s;elves peaceably and unoffen&s;ively therein.</HI></P>
<P>And we do la&s;tly declare, That all Merchants, tradesmen, and handicrafts
men, not having in Lands or goods above the value of 500 <HI>l.</HI> sterling, and all o|ther
per&s;ons not having in Lands and goods above the clear value of 200 <HI>l.</HI> &s;terling
(not being pri&s;oners of war or &s;ouldiers of fortune in Commi&s;&s;ion) who &s;hall in pur|&s;uance
of the &s;aid Declaration live peaceably, and yield obedience to the Parliament
of the Common-wealth of England exerci&s;ed in Scotland, &s;hall not onely be freed
and di&s;charged from all forfeitures and confi&s;cations of their Estates for any thing
formerly done by them in reference to the wars, but he received into the protection of
the Parliament, and enjoy &s;uch Liberties and immunities, as al&s;o &s;uch Lea&s;es and
grants of confi&s;cated and forfeited Lands, as upon con&s;ideration of their re&s;pective
qualities and de&s;erts &s;hall be thought fit, &amp;c.</P>
<P>In the fir&s;t Branch of this Declaration &s;uch a Con&s;cience &s;ecurity is held forth
as (according to my &s;oul) ought not by the Lawes of Chri&s;t be denyed to any
peaceable Chri&s;tian, and I extremely rejoyce in the Spirit of our Governors for
&s;o noble and charitable a proceeding, yet I plainly &s;ee, that they to whom this
favour is allowed, are both different from us in the Principles of their Religion
and oppo&s;ite to us in their Nationall affection; whereas a far le&s;&s;er mercy is de|nied
to our own kindred and allies, to our own conntrey men born to the &s;am free|dome
with our &s;elves, who have in a much le&s;&s;e mea&s;ure offended in matters of ho|&s;tility,
nay divers of them not at all, who yet would be content and thankfull for
a &s;mall part of that favour which the <HI>Parliament</HI> &s;o bountifully be&s;towes upon
&s;trangers.</P>
<P>By the &s;econd Branch very many of that Nation, who have been in actuall
arms again&s;t us, and perhaps wounded or flain our friends in open battells, will
receive an immunity (for 500 l. Sterling is a great e&s;tate in Scotland;) Where|as
many of our own Countrey, who never lifted up hand again&s;t us, have two
parts of their e&s;tates with rigor &s;eque&s;tred, and that without &s;o charitable a di&s;tin|ction,
as to free the poorer &s;ort, who&s;e e&s;tates are of le&s;&s;e value then 500 l. For
<PB N="11" REF="7">
our mercile&s;&s;e Seque&s;trators have tripartited even the day labourers goods and ve|ry
hou&s;e-hold&s;tuff, and taken away two Cowes, where the whole &s;tock was but
three.</P>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>Pa&s;&s;ages ob&s;erved upon Ca&s;es depending at Haberda&s;hers Hall.</HEAD>
<P>I Mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e, I had not &s;o much time to &s;pare, as I could have wi&s;h'd, yet
for &s;ome weeks I attended at <HI>Haberda&s;hers Hall</HI> for better &s;atisfaction: but to
make a full di&s;covery of all the proceedings there, is beyond the level of my
di&s;cour&s;e: I will only promi&s;e in what I &s;ay, not to exceed the bounds of truth
and mode&s;ty. The pre&s;ent Commi&s;&s;ioners, who are &s;even in number, for ought I
could di&s;cern are civil per&s;ons, and mo&s;t of them apprehen&s;ive of others &s;ufferings,
but &s;eem to &s;ay in many hard ca&s;es, that either their In&s;tructions or Commi&s;&s;ion
binds them up from being able to give relief, or the obligation to the Oath they
take will not permit them. To &s;hew the tenderne&s;&s;e and compa&s;&s;ion, which other|wi&s;e
(I am per&s;waded) their con&s;ciences would carry them forth to practi&s;e, &s;ince
mo&s;t of the Suitors that come before them appear &s;o mi&s;erably ruined, that the
very di&s;tre&s;&s;ednes of their condition is motive enough to incite the mercy of their
Judges, e&s;pecially, their crime being only the refu&s;all of an Oath, which they &s;o|lemnly
profe&s;&s;e is again&s;t their con&s;ciences, and I am &s;ure is again&s;t our Laws;
And truly as often as I reflect upon the &s;trange &s;everity of that Oath, my &s;oul goes
forth in pitty towards them that are concern'd in it; &s;ince even their thoughts are
not free, but an ab&s;olute force laid upon the mo&s;t inward cogitations of their
hearts, and them&s;elves compelled to condemn them&s;elves by accu&s;ations wre&s;ted
out of their own mouthes.</P>
<P>Upon the cea&s;ing of the former Committees authority, the&s;e 7. (which now &s;it
Judges of Delinquency and &s;eque&s;trations) were impowered about 25. <HI>Jan.</HI> 1649,
&s;ince which time they &amp; their &s;ubcommi&s;&s;ioners in the &s;everal Counties have made
many di&s;coveries both of delinquents and Papi&s;ts e&s;tates, either not before &s;eque|&s;tred,
or not compounded for at the full value, but I ob&s;erved that they who were
&s;eque&s;tred or had their rents or goods unduly taken from them, in the time of the
former Committees for Seque&s;trations, how unju&s;tly &s;oever, could not be relieved
by the&s;e Commi&s;&s;ioners, nor any other power, but by the Parliament it &s;elf.</P>
<P>It was the Ca&s;e of Mr. <HI>Robert Knightley</HI> a Recu&s;ant only, a great part of who&s;e
Man&s;ion hou&s;e in <HI>E&s;&s;ex</HI> was puld down to repair the Fort at <HI>Tilbury,</HI> for which he
petitioned at <HI>Haberda&s;h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">rs hall</HI> in <HI>Decemb.</HI> 1651, to have &s;atisfaction out of the 2
&s;eque&s;tred parts of his own lands there. But in regard it appeared to be done before
<HI>Ian.</HI> 1649, the pre&s;ent Commi&s;&s;ioners an&s;wer was, <HI>they had no power to relieve him.</HI></P>
<P>And in all other Ca&s;es upon Appeals, where it appears, that rents have been
unduly received to the States u&s;e for 7 or 8 years la&s;t pa&s;t, in wrong to the true
owner of the lands; The&s;e Commi&s;&s;ioners in &s;uch ca&s;e make re&s;titution onely
from <HI>Jan.</HI> 1649; And for money, goods, or per&s;onall e&s;tate unduely &s;eized or &s;e|que&s;tred
before that time, they make no re&s;titution at all.</P>
<P>This &s;eemed &s;trange to me; for by the &s;ame rule, if the pre&s;ent Commi&s;&s;ioners
&s;hould &s;eque&s;ter half the lands and goods in England right or wrong, and then
be di&s;placed and new Commi&s;&s;ioners e&s;tabli&s;hed, who have no power to review and
con&s;ider the acts of their predece&s;&s;ors, in time we may all come to be &s;eque&s;tred,
and yet be without appeal, except to the Parliament, who have too many publique
obligations to &s;pend their thoughts in particular bu&s;ine&s;&s;es.</P>
<P>On the 11th of <HI>Feb.</HI> 1651, there was heard the ca&s;e of one Mr. <HI>Parker,</HI> the Lord
<HI>Morleys</HI> only &s;on, about 14 years of age, he petitioned for maintenance out of his
fathers &s;eque&s;tred e&s;tate, but becau&s;e it was &s;u&s;pected the childe might encline to
his fathers Religion, who is a Papi&s;t, it was denyed him, unle&s;&s;e he might be ta|ken
<PB N="12" REF="8">
both from Father and Mother, and committed to the government of a meer
&s;tranger, which was ordered accordingly, and the poor pittance of 100 l. <HI>per ann.</HI>
only allowed him, out of his own and fathers e&s;tate.</P>
<P>In <HI>Feb.</HI> 1651. Mr. <HI>James Hanham</HI> of the We&s;t Petitions the Commi&s;&s;ioners
at <HI>Haberda&s;hers Hall</HI> to this effect, that he had never acted any thing again&s;t
the Parliament yet two parts of his e&s;tate were &s;eque&s;tered with &s;uch rigor for
his Recu&s;ancy, that he could not po&s;&s;ibly &s;ub&s;i&s;t with nece&s;&s;aries by the remain|ing
thirds, when Taxes and other charges were deducted: That he was there|fore
con&s;trained to borrow 50 l. upon Bond, and having disbur&s;ed 15 l. of the
money, it &s;eems the <HI>Seque&s;trators</HI> got notice that the Petitioner had &s;omewhat in
his hou&s;e worth a new Seque&s;tration or review, as they call it, thereupon they
&s;earch his trunks, finding the remaining 35 l. pull out the guilty bag, and two
parts of it they &s;eque&s;ter into their own pockets, to the u&s;e of the Common-wealth,
and for relief therein Mr. <HI>Hanham</HI> appealed, but found no redre&s;s at
pre&s;ent, more then Order for the &s;ub-Commi&s;&s;ioners in the Countrey to exa|mine
the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e and certifie, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> At the return of who&s;e Certificate, I leave
the Petitioner to expect his doom.</P>
<P>On the 31 of <HI>March,</HI> 1652. the Petition of one <HI>Hamond</HI> or <HI>Ammot</HI> was read,
to this effect, That the Petitioner did never bear Arms nor a&s;&s;i&s;t the Enemies of
the Parliament, yet his e&s;tate had lyen under &s;eque&s;tration ever &s;ince the year
1645. and not one penny allowed him for his maintenance. That the Petitioner,
being a Recu&s;ant, did in the time of the late war continue at his own hou&s;e, as
long as he could without apparent danger of his life, but con&s;idering how obno|xious
even the mo&s;t peaceable of his religion were to be affronted and ruined, by
the daily mi&s;chiefs they received from &s;ome di&s;orderly Souldiers, and e&s;pecially
&s;eeing one of his neighbours (a Recu&s;ant) &s;lain at his own door, the Petitioner
did then and not before, fly for protection to a Gari&s;on of the late Kings, with|out
acting any thing in the lea&s;t kind again&s;t the Parliament. And therefore
humbly prayed he might have a fifth of his e&s;tate and the arrears allowed him to
buy bread. But it not appearing to the Commi&s;&s;ioners that he had wife or chil|dren,
their an&s;wer was, <HI>they had not power to grant him any relief.</HI></P>
<P>Nor do I believe this mans Ca&s;e to be &s;ingular; for I am well &s;atisfied, that a
great part of tho&s;e Papi&s;ts, who are &s;eque&s;tred as ab&s;olute Delinquents, were ne|ver
in actuall arms again&s;t the Parliament, but onely fled to the Enemies Gari|&s;ons
for &s;helter, yet no qualification or difference in puni&s;hment is hitherto allow|ed
them, which would be to my under&s;tanding very ju&s;t and rea&s;onable; &s;ince
who ever did ob&s;erve the fury and rage of mo&s;t of our Common Souldiers (at the
beginning of the late troubles) again&s;t many of that party, will ea&s;ily conclude
the Papi&s;ts had rea&s;on to di&s;tru&s;t their own per&s;onall &s;ecurity among&s;t them. And
for in&s;tance <HI>I</HI> remember an Officer of my acquaintance under the Earl of <HI>Man|che&s;ter</HI>
told me, that at their taking of <HI>Lincola</HI> from the <HI>Cavaliers,</HI> in the year
1644. he was an eye witne&s;&s;e of this Tragedy. The next day after the Town was
taken, &s;ome of our common Souldiers in cold blood (meeting with Mr. <HI>Price</HI>
of <HI>Wa&s;hingley</HI> in <HI>Huntington</HI> &s;hire a Papi&s;t) asked him, <HI>Art thou</HI> Price <HI>the Papi&s;t?
I am</HI> (&s;aid he) <HI>Price the Roman Catholick,</HI> whereupon one of them immediate|ly
&s;hot him dead.</P>
<P>In the &s;ame moneth of <HI>March</HI> there happened at this Hall a very hard ca&s;e,
which was of a maid &s;ervant (who&s;e name <HI>I</HI> do not remember) but her Petition
was to this effect. That her Father and mother both died when &s;he was but &s;ix|teen
years of age, and being very poor, they left the Petitioner only &s;ome old
<PB N="13" REF="8">
clothes and a little hou&s;hold-&s;tuff, in all not worth above five or &s;ix pounds, after
who&s;e death the Petitioner, being an Orphan betook her &s;elf to &s;ervice, and having
&s;erved &s;eventeen years for the annuall wages of &s;even nobles, the Petitioner had
by her frugality increa&s;ed her &s;mall patrimony to twenty pounds, which being pla|ced
in the hands of <HI>A. B,</HI> and of late di&s;covered to be the Petitioners money, and
the Petitioner a Recu&s;ant, &s;he pray'd that they would take the &s;ad and di&s;con&s;o|late
condition of a poor orphan into their charitable con&s;ideration, whereby the
extremity of the Law might be qualified to &s;o mercifull a temper that &s;he might
not be utterly ruined, by lo&s;ing in a moment for her con&s;cience, what &s;he had been
&s;o long in gathering by the &s;weat of her brows. But the Commi&s;&s;ioners (though
perhaps otherwi&s;e willing) concluded they had not power to give her any relief
more then the bare thirds, unle&s;&s;e &s;he would take the oath of <HI>Abjuration,</HI> a thing
as far at lea&s;t above her under&s;tanding, as it can be again&s;t her Con&s;cience.</P>
<P>If it be unrea&s;onable, (as many well affected &s;eem to urge) that the Mini&s;ters
who do or at lea&s;t &s;hould perform &s;ome &s;pirituall office for the good of the Soul)
&s;hould tithe a tenth part of the Husbandmans labour: How much more unrea&s;o|nable
is it, that a poor &s;illy maid &s;ervant &s;hould thus meerly upon the account of
Con&s;cience, be &s;eque&s;tered of two thirds of that, which by many years labour, &s;he
had gained and re&s;erved as a &s;upport again&s;t the nece&s;&s;ities of old age.</P>
<P>On the 16 of <HI>April</HI> 1652. The Ca&s;e of Mi&s;tris <HI>Church</HI> of <HI>E&s;&s;ex,</HI> a Recu&s;ant,
was heard, who&s;e Petition &s;pake to this effect, That her late husband in his life
time &s;etled a Lea&s;e of <HI>Muck-hall</HI> (or &s;uch like name) in <HI>E&s;&s;ex</HI> of con&s;iderable
value upon her in lieu of Joincture, for divers years yet in being, and was held
of the late Dean and Chapter of <HI>Pauls</HI> that Alderman <HI>Andrews</HI> or Mr. <HI>Natha|niel</HI>
his &s;on, had bought the Rever&s;ion of tho&s;e Lands at <HI>Gurney</HI> hou&s;e, and &s;ince
taken a Lea&s;e for &s;even years of the Commi&s;&s;ioners for &s;eque&s;tration in <HI>E&s;&s;ex</HI> of
the whole pre&s;ent po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion, without the Petitioners con&s;ent or knowledge, and
without any regard to her thirds; and that the &s;aid Mr. <HI>Andrews</HI> having now
po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of the whole e&s;tate, had demoli&s;hed the Petitioners Man&s;ion hou&s;e,
and did refu&s;e to pay the Petitioner her thirds, whereby &s;he was driven to a ne|ce&s;&s;ity
of wanting bread, being a di&s;tre&s;&s;ed and friendle&s;&s;e widow of almo&s;t 80
years of age, &s;he therefore prayd her thirds, and the arrears, and that the &s;aid
Lea&s;e might be annulled, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></P>
<P><HI>The fir&s;t was charitably granted, but as to the Lea&s;e and what her thirds &s;hould
be, &s;he was left to the mercy of Mr.</HI> Andrews, <HI>who I fear does forget what the
Father of mercies &s;ayes in</HI> Jeremy 22. 3. Execute judgement and righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e,
and deliver the &s;poiled out of the hands of the oppre&s;&s;or, and do no wrong,
doe no violence to the &s;tranger, and fatherle&s;&s;e, and widow, &amp;c, <HI>And in</HI>
Matth. 23. 14. Wo unto you Scribes, and Phari&s;ees, Hypocrites, for ye devour wi|dows
hou&s;es, and for a pretence make long prayer; therefore ye &s;hall receive the
greater damnation.</P>
<P>That which in this Ca&s;e did mo&s;t exact my ob&s;ervation, was, That Mr. <HI>An|drews</HI>
(a per&s;on of quality) &s;hould make u&s;e of his power again&s;t a poor wi|dow,
and &s;hould be pre&s;ent, and openly avow the taking of her e&s;tate over her
head; with &s;o little regard to the thirds, which is allowed her by the Act of Par|liament,
and &s;o much to his own benefit, without which, 'tis like he would not
have taken it, and with which the Petitioner mu&s;t needs &s;uffer.</P>
<P>From <HI>Haberda&s;hers Hall</HI> give me leave to make a &s;tep into <HI>Moorefields</HI> where
on the 19 of <HI>May</HI> 1650 being the Lords day, <HI>Rich. Led&s;am</HI> and one <HI>Led bealer,</HI>
two Pur&s;ivants apprehended <HI>Robert Segar,</HI> a poor old decrepit man, upon a &s;u|pition,
<PB N="14" REF="9">
(and 'twas but a &s;u&s;pition) that he had been at the Spani&s;h <HI>Emba&s;&s;adors</HI>
at <HI>Ma&s;&s;e,</HI> upon this bare &s;urmi&s;e the poor man was &s;earched, and in his pockets
they found an old prayer book, whereupon he was carried before a Ju&s;tice of
Peace, and committed to the <HI>Gatehou&s;e</HI> at <HI>We&s;tminster,</HI> where he lay in the com|mon
Goale till the Quarter Se&s;&s;ions in <HI>Jan.</HI> 1951. being full 20 moneths, with|out
any charge or proceedings again&s;t him, and that Se&s;&s;ions was acquitted by
Proclamation, through the mercy of Ju&s;tice <HI>Scobell,</HI> but he is &s;till detained pri|&s;oner,
(this being now <HI>April</HI> 1652,) by Mr. <HI>weeks</HI> the keeper of the Pri&s;on,
for the rent of his lodging, for which the keeper demands 14 pence a week be|&s;ide
Fees, and yet (as I am credibly inform'd) the old man lay on the boords in
the common Goale, and had no other pillow for his head, but a hard &s;tone, for
which he mu&s;t now pay more then he is worth, or continne in Pri&s;on, being 86
years of age.</P>
<P>And now I am at the <HI>Gatehou&s;e</HI> I &s;hall give you the &s;upplement of a like &s;ad &s;to|ry
mentioned in the 21 page of the fir&s;t part of this <HI>Moderator,</HI> concerning a
great bellied Gentle-woman, committed to Pri&s;on on the 24^t^h of <HI>June</HI> 1651. her
name upon enquiry <HI>I</HI> find was <HI>Delavall,</HI> an Engli&s;hwoman, but her Husband a
Frenchman; &s;he was committed al&s;o to the <HI>Gatehou&s;e,</HI> and with much importu|nity
got leave by Petition to go out upon bail till &s;he was brought to bed, but was
an actuall Pri&s;oner full 7 Moneths of the 12; which is pre&s;cribed by the Statute,
and a fine of 100 Marks &s;tood charg'd upon her, till &s;he was relieved by the late
gracious Act of <HI>Generall Pardon</HI> and <HI>Oblivion,</HI> (An Act that no le&s;&s;e obliges
all the People of this Nation to forget their private injuries, then to remember
the publick mercy of the Parliament) and all this poor womans &s;ufferings meer|ly
grounded upon a bare &s;uppo&s;ition, that &s;he had been at the then French A|gents
in Long acre at Ma&s;s, without &s;o much as one witne&s;&s;e, that there was any
Ma&s;&s;e &s;aid there at all, it being the truth of the Ca&s;e (if <HI>I</HI> may believe their
mo&s;t &s;erious Prote&s;tations) that they were onely at their other private devotions.</P>
<P>But to return to <HI>Haberda&s;hers Hall. I</HI> perceived in my ob&s;ervations there, that
be&s;ides the ca&s;es before recited, it was a familiar thing to &s;ee Papi&s;ts <HI>I</HI> mean &s;in|gle
Papi&s;ts, without the adjunct of Delinquency) outed of the po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of the
two &s;eque&s;tered thirds of their e&s;tates, by any &s;tranger, that would offer in the
box but 12 pence more then the owner; which hath made divers owners &s;train
them&s;elves to give more rent to the State, than they could po&s;&s;ibly make of the
two parts, rather than be outed of the po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of their ancient patrimonies,
and &s;ome of them have a&s;&s;ured me, that it happens very often, that neighbours
either thorow covetou&s;ne&s;&s;e or revenge (for who can live &s;o innocently as to pro|cure
no enemy, at lea&s;t &s;o happily as to have none,) &s;et them&s;elves to outvy the
owners, and then recompence the lo&s;&s;e they have in the great rent they pay, by
mi&s;u&s;ing the Lands they hire in de&s;pite of the owner. Be&s;ides many times when
the proprietors have with much charge and long attendance obtained Lea&s;es of
the two parts for &s;even years in the Countrey in pur&s;uance of the Act of Parlia|ment,
after improvement of their e&s;tates by good husbandry, they are again out|ted,
and their Lea&s;es made void at this Hall, under pretence of the want of &s;ome
formality of <HI>Surveyng, po&s;ting, boxing</HI> or the like, which it &s;eems the <HI>instructi|ons</HI>
from the&s;e Commi&s;&s;ioners do hold forth to tho&s;e below, yet tho&s;e <HI>instructi|ons</HI>
are not made publick, whereby the parties intere&s;&s;ed might be advi&s;ed how
to proceed regularly and certainly in a bu&s;ine&s;&s;e that &s;o much concerns their &s;ub|&s;i&s;tence.</P>
<P>Nor are the Recu&s;ants permitted to &s;ell any of their Lands by Fining for the
<PB N="15" REF="9">
two parts, though for payment of their ju&s;t debts, nay though they &s;hould be
willing to tran&s;port them&s;elves beyond the Seas; by which di&s;ablement to &s;ell or
Morgage the lea&s;t pile of gra&s;&s;e they po&s;&s;e&s;&s;e, many well affected &s;uffer much pre|judice,
by non-payment of their true and ancient Debts, but divers of the Pa|pi&s;ts
are thereby driven to &s;uch extreme nece&s;&s;ities, that they have expos'd their
bare Thirds to Sale; though I perceive few Purcha&s;ers will meddle therewith,
unle&s;&s;e upon very di&s;advantagious terms to the Seller, becau&s;e the Purcha&s;ers &s;ay,
they are &s;ure to contract a charge and trouble to them&s;elves by their attendance at
this Hall: For in &s;uch Ca&s;e, if the Papi&s;t can gain the favour to have his Thirds
partitioned from the other two; yet (as I heard it argued) the State might, when
he had &s;old &s;uch divided part, or by good husbandry improved it, evict it from
him, and a&s;&s;ign him another Thirds of the &s;ame Lands, that perhaps has been
wa&s;ted by ill Tenants; For I found this much complained of among the Petiti|oners,
that the <HI>Seque&s;trators</HI> or &s;uch &s;trangers to whom the two parts are often
demi&s;ed, rarely or never be&s;tow any money on repair of the two thirds, but take
the Rents as long as the hou&s;e or Land will yield any; which is one rea&s;on why
&s;uch Cu&s;tomers many times out-bids the owners for the renting of tho&s;e two
Thirds; the owners being alwayes carefull to keep up the hou&s;es, and direct
their Husbandry to the be&s;t advantage, and embetterment of the Lands.</P>
<P>Others I ob&s;erved to complain much of the long attendance, and great charge
they were at in gaining their Thirds, and an allowance of their Man&s;ion hou&s;es,
and of the many and malicious fal&s;e accu&s;ations, that Informers were permitted
to bring in again&s;t them: As (if I mi&s;take not) I over-heard &s;ome of the Soli|citors
&s;ay, that the Lady <HI>Saint Johns,</HI> or her Husband Mr. <HI>Arundell,</HI> had been
accu&s;ed for Delinquency five or &s;ix &s;everall times, and &s;till cleared it. Witne&s;&s;es
have been often &s;uborned to fal&s;e accu&s;ations, and yet when the Party injured
(after long attendance and expence) has cleared him&s;elf of the calumny and
con&s;equently proved the malice of the informer, no reparation would be allow|ed
for &s;o dangerous a &s;lander; in&s;omuch that upon the whole matter I have heard
a Recu&s;ant (with tears in his eyes) profe&s;&s;e &s;eriou&s;ly, that &s;o much attendance
and charge was required in getting their Thirds, and &s;uch continuall fears and
vexations attended their condition, that if he could by manufacture or any other
hone&s;t calling get a livelyhood, he &s;hould ea&s;ily re&s;olve to let his third part go af|ter
the other two.</P>
<P>The Commi&s;&s;ioners them&s;elves (&s;itting in a treble capacity, Fir&s;t for <HI>com|pounding
with Delinquents,</HI> Secondly for <HI>Advance of money</HI> upon the fifth and
twentieth parts, and thirdly <HI>for Seque&s;trations</HI>) can onely &s;pare Wedne&s;day mor|nings,
for hearing Petitions upon <HI>Seque&s;trations,</HI> and commonly there is not a
Committee which mu&s;t be at lea&s;t four of the &s;even Commi&s;&s;ioners) till after
ten of the Clock, by which means they can &s;carce afford two hours in a week for
the di&s;patch of that employment. So that when&s;oever a &s;uitor delivers in his Pe|tition,
it is u&s;ually a full moneth, if not &s;ix weeks before it comes to be heard in
cour&s;e, and a great part of this time he mu&s;t attend, and perhaps retain Councel
&s;everall dayes before his bu&s;ine&s;&s;e will be heard.</P>
<P>The&s;e complaints, (for ought I could po&s;&s;ibly be informed) are not onely true
but far &s;hort of what this &s;ort of people &s;uffers; which &s;o much the more afflicts
my Soul, by how much I con&s;ider the &s;ufferers to be Chri&s;tians and Natives of
<HI>England,</HI> and the entire cau&s;e of all their &s;ufferings to be onely their un&s;atisfa|ction
in certain points of Religion; a thing that is altogether out of their own
power, and ab&s;olutely depends upon the good plea&s;ure of Gods holy Spirit.</P>
<P><PB N="16" REF="10">
I omit to &s;peak of the <HI>&s;ub-Commi&s;&s;ioners</HI> for Seque&s;trations in the &s;everall
Counties of this Common-wealth, as having hitherto had little means to inform
my &s;elf of their &s;everall proceedings, and con&s;idering them obliged to pur&s;ue
the <HI>In&s;tructions</HI> they receive from tho&s;e above; onely this I can &s;ay of &s;ome of
them, whom I have conver&s;ed with, that they &s;eem to grant, that Seque&s;trati|on
of Papi&s;ts E&s;tates, upon the &s;ole account of Religion, is not in their opi|nion
warranted by Gods Word, but rather the contrary; And yet the&s;e
men continue their employments, which I fear will expo&s;e them to the
cen&s;ure of worldly-minded and avaritious &s;elfe-&s;eekers: And I pray God
that whil&s;t they charge others with Idolatry, they be not found guilty of it
them&s;elves,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ephe&s;. 5. 5.</NOTE> &s;ince the Scripture &s;ayes expre&s;ly, <HI>That a Covetous man is an
Idolater.</HI></P>
<P><HI>But it being apparent that the</HI> Oath of Abjuration <HI>is the wrack which tor|ments
&s;o many Con&s;ciences, I did therefore in the former part of this Di&s;|cour&s;e
propound &s;ome</HI> Quaeries <HI>upon that Oath, And &s;hall now humbly add,
(as not improper for this &s;ubject) what the before mentioned Sir</HI> Alexander Ir|ving
<HI>lately &s;aid, in an&s;wer to Ma&s;ter</HI> John Rue, <HI>Moderatour of the Presbytery
of</HI> Aberdeen, <HI>concerning con&s;traint of con&s;cience, and enforcing Oaths: his
very words are the&s;e.</HI> I doe acknowledge that which you &s;ay concerning Oaths,
that God is honoured by them; yet that must receive &s;ome limitations, or el&s;e it
would prove very fal&s;e, they mu&s;t be taken in Judgment, in truth, and upon ne|ce&s;&s;ity:
Now I appeal to your own Con&s;ciences, whether ye have ob&s;erved the&s;e
Conditions in your urging &s;o many dreadfull Oathes upon this mi&s;erable Nation
the&s;e years by-pa&s;t, not onely in the Covenant, but in your &s;olemn League with
your Presbyterian brethren of <HI>England,</HI> whereby ye enforced all men to &s;wear to
e&s;tabli&s;h by Armes, that Tyranny there, as ye had done here: how many have ye
enforced (by threatning and Execution of your Kirk cen&s;ure, and the &s;everity of
the Civill Law, following upon them, depriving men of their E&s;tates) to &s;wear
and &s;ub&s;cribe to all ye injoyned or could invent, albeit ye know them to be of far
contrary Judgments, wherein ye did imitate that feigned and fal&s;e Mother, who
before <HI>Solomon</HI> was contented to have the Child divided, whereby her Hypocri&s;ie
was found out by that brave Prince: by which means ye have made this Nation
guilty of perjury, be&s;ides many other heinous &s;innes: I wi&s;h to God you had re|membred,
or would yet remember, how much you cryed out again&s;t the Tyranny of
Bi&s;hops, (when they were urging &s;ome of your number, who were refractory to
Epi&s;copacy) that there &s;hould be had &s;ome regard to tender Con&s;ciences, which were
of another Judgment, But &s;o &s;oon as ye had got the power into your hands, neither
Mini&s;ter nor Laird, Man, Woman, or Child, was spared, nor any regard had unto
them, what&s;oever quality or condition they were of, all were forced not onely to
obey you, but (which is the greate&s;t tyranny over mens Con&s;ciences) they were made
to &s;wear, that they thought, as ye would have them, albeit to your own know|ledge
many thought the contrary, &amp;c. <HI>The whole An&s;wer, which bears dare,</HI>
20 Jan. 1651. <HI>is worth the reading, and is Printed in the</HI> Diurnall, Numb.
118. <HI>I pray Chri&s;t a great part of the &s;ame arguments may not be turned again&s;t
us, for enforcing this Oath of</HI> Abjuration <HI>&s;o po&s;itively again&s;t mens Con|&s;ciences.</HI></P>
<P>And &s;ince we all &s;ay, that we abhor to violence and force any ones Con&s;ci|ence
farther then to &s;ecure the publick peace, and that only as nece&s;&s;ity &s;hall real|ly
appear, and not upon any Voluntary or Counterfeit pretence, I cannot &s;ee
how the taking of this Oath avails to make a man, either a better Neighbour, or
<PB N="17" REF="10">
a better Subject. I cannot &s;ee that the Parliament confides any more in tho&s;e
whom they have frighted to take it, nor any places of tru&s;t committed to them in
reward of their conformity, and indeed there is le&s;&s;e rea&s;on, in my opinion to re|ly
upon &s;uch as are involuntarily drawn to an outward complyance, then even
tho&s;e that &s;tand out their Seque&s;trations, as being more exa&s;perated again&s;t us
by our &s;evere proceedings, &s;ince there can be no greater cau&s;e of re&s;entment and
hatred then the remembrance to have been compelled by us publiquely to &s;wear
again&s;t their Con&s;ciences, unle&s;&s;e their Judgements be really changed, and then
all penalties to enforce them are &s;uperfluous, which leads me the direct way to
this clear conclu&s;ion that &s;uch Oathes are alwayes either ab&s;olutely pernicious or
altogether unnece&s;&s;ary, if again&s;t the inward Judgement, damnable; if according
to it, u&s;ele&s;&s;e.</P>
<P><HI>Since then the receiving &s;uch an Oath again&s;t the Con&s;cience is the highe&s;t
degree of perjury and &s;pirituall murther of the &s;oul, let us &s;adly con&s;ider, how di&s;|advantagious
to the work of the Lord, and &s;candalous to the eyes of men it wil be,
for us to fill up our Congregations with &s;uch un&s;anctified Members: The ingeni|ous
Author of</HI> Mer. Poli<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">us, (Numb. 99. page 1554.) <HI>hath an admirable Di&s;|cour&s;e
upon this Subject.</HI> If we &s;eriou&s;ly reflect (<HI>&s;ayes he</HI>) upon the de&s;igne of God,
in bringing Chri&s;t into the world, we &s;hall find it was to &s;et an end to that pompous
administration of the Jewi&s;h form, that as his Church and people were formerly
confined within the Narrow Pale of a particular Nation, &s;o now the Pale &s;hould
be broken down, and all Nations taken into the Church. Not <HI>all Nations</HI> in a
lump: nor any <HI>whole Nations,</HI> or <HI>Nationall Bodies</HI> to be formed into Churches:
For his Church or people now under the Go&s;pel, are not to be a body <HI>Politicall,</HI> but
<HI>Spirituall</HI> and <HI>My&s;ticall:</HI> not a promi&s;cuous confu&s;ion of per&s;ons taken in at ad|venture,
but an orderly collection, a picking and choo&s;ing of &s;uch as are <HI>called and
Sanctified, &amp;c.</HI> Not a company of men forced in by commands and con&s;titutions of
worldly power and prudence, but of &s;uch as are brought in by the power and effica|cy
of Chri&s;ts Word and Spirit. For he him&s;elf hath &s;aid, <HI>My Kingdome is not from
hence; My Kingdome is not of this World, &amp;c.</HI> And therefore that hand which
hath hitherto pre&s;umed in mo&s;t Nations, to erect a power called <HI>Ecccle&s;ia&s;tick,</HI> in
equipage to the <HI>Civill,</HI> to bear &s;way, and bind mens Con&s;ciences to certain Notions
ordained for Orthodox upon civill penalties, under colour of prudence, good order,
di&s;cipline preventing of here&s;ie, and advancing of Chri&s;ts Kingdome; and to this
end hath twisted <HI>the &s;pirituall power</HI> (as they call it) with the worldly and &s;ecular
<HI>Intere&s;t of State;</HI> this (I &s;ay) hath been the very <HI>right hand of Antichri&s;t,</HI> oppo|&s;ing
Chri&s;t in his way, who&s;e Kingdome, being not of this world, depends not upon
the helps and devi&s;es of worldly wi&s;dom. <HI>Thus that excellent Pen. And a quick-&s;ighted
&amp; judicious member of Parliament, in my hearing, being made acquain|ted
(as with a &s;uppo&s;ed gratefull news) that &s;ome indifferent Chri&s;tians, (who
profe&s;&s;e among&s;t their old acquaintance no reall &s;atisfaction of Con&s;cience, but
onely a de&s;igne to &s;ave their E&s;tates) had taken the Oath of Abjuration and
conformed, &s;aid;</HI> Truly our purcha&s;e therein is very little, and the Papi&s;ts lo&s;&s;e,
much le&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>In confirmation of this a&s;&s;ertion, I may here cite the ca&s;e of Mr. <HI>Anthony Roan,</HI>
who was executed at <HI>&V;sk</HI> in <HI>Monmouth</HI> &s;heire on the 4^t^h of <HI>April</HI> 1650, for poi|&s;oning
his Wife; This Gent the very hour be<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">ore his execution, made a publique
confe&s;&s;ion to this purpo&s;e; That he had been bred a <HI>Roman Catholick</HI> from his
infancy, and continued in that Religion till &s;ome two or three years before his
death, when, being overcome by an unhappy nece&s;&s;ity of pre&s;erving his family
<PB N="18" REF="11">
from beggery, he for&s;ook the Belief of his own Soul, and went to Church to &s;ave
his E&s;tate; after which, (the Devil taking advantage upon him in this di&s;turbance
and anxiety of Spirit) he confe&s;&s;ed that he had faln into many great Sins, but de|nyed
the guilt of that horrid crime of poi&s;oning his wife, for which he was con|demned
to die; delivering further with a kind of confidence, that if he had had
the grace to have continued con&s;tant in his Religion, he believed he had never &s;o
highly tran&s;gre&s;&s;ed the Commandments of his God, nor come to &s;o unhappy an
end. And openly declared (with much &s;eeming repentance) that he dyed in his
old Religion.</P>
<P>Certainly this is a &s;ad con&s;equence of wre&s;ting the inward per&s;wa&s;ion of poor
Souls from that Belief, which their own Con&s;cience tells them is truth, thereby
making them le&s;&s;e carefull of their &s;alvation, and their hone&s;ty and credit of le&s;&s;e
repute, even with tho&s;e, who force them to this change, For the heart of man is &s;o
frail and deceitful, that it &s;eldom is drawn by violence from tho&s;e principles,
which it has long been u&s;ed to e&s;teem and practi&s;e, but becomes &s;lack and negli|gent
in what concerns the other World, and by degrees very often wholly in&s;en|&s;ible
of any thing, but &s;en&s;uality.</P>
<P>UPon the news not long &s;ince, of &s;ome Papi&s;ts taking the Oath of <HI>Abju|ration,</HI>
and frequenting the publique places of meeting, I conceived my
&s;elf &s;ufficiently furni&s;ht to an&s;wer a certain old &s;aying, which a Recu&s;ant
of my acquaintance u&s;ed often to repeat in my hearing, that <HI>SANGUIS MARTY|RUM
EST SEMEN ECCLESIAE:</HI> This upon all occa&s;ions he applyed the &s;uf|ferings
of Papi&s;ts, both here in <HI>England,</HI> and ten thou&s;and miles off in <HI>Japan,</HI> in
which two I&s;lands have of late been &s;harper per&s;ecutions, (&s;aid he) for matter of
Religion, then in any other place of the world; This he continually in&s;i&s;ted up|on,
as a Soveraign remedy for all his &s;orrows, nor could we ever beat him from
his la&s;t hold, wherein he fortified him&s;elf, <HI>SANGUIS MARTYRUM, &amp;c.</HI> nay
more, he &s;ometimes ventured to affirm with &s;trange a&s;&s;urance, this a&s;&s;ertion, that
this Church encrea&s;ed and pro&s;pered &s;till, even whil&s;t it was actually under the
greate&s;t pre&s;&s;ures, that his Church was, as the Palme tree, the heavier weights
are laid on, the more it flouri&s;heth.</P>
<P>I having gotten this advantage by the late coming in of &s;ome Papi&s;ts to our
Religion, went pre&s;ently on purpo&s;e to my Recu&s;ant to put him to the que&s;tion,
and as it were a little triumphing, demanded what he thought now of his old
Latine Proverb (in which he had formerly &s;eemed to place &s;o much confidence)
and whither the Palm tree did not &s;ometimes break a twigg by laying on &s;o many
weights; To which he replyed with a little &s;uddenne&s;&s;e and Choller, That &s;ome
dead, or Canker-eaten Branches, as they can bear no weight, &s;o they can bear no
fruit, even whil&s;t united to the Stock and much le&s;&s;e after their divi&s;ion: But
&s;oon recovering him&s;elf to his u&s;uall temper, he calmly, yet earne&s;tly undertook,
that as there have been at lea&s;t twenty Prie&s;ts put to death in <HI>England</HI> &s;ince the
beginning of this Parliament, meerly upon the account of their Religion or
function, &s;o he could name a farre greater number of per&s;ons of quality, who
have in this &s;ame &s;pace of time reconciled them&s;elves to the Catholique Union.
When I urged him to the proof of this a&s;&s;ertion, he immediately delivered
me a li&s;t of twenty Prie&s;ts, who during the&s;e late revolutions had been hang'd,
drawn and quartered either for taking orders beyond Seas, or exerci&s;ing
them on this &s;ide the Seas, and with all promi&s;ed (upon the allowance of a lit|tle
time for recollection) to furni&s;h me with a Roll of &s;ome names, who have
<PB N="19" REF="11">
lately declared them&s;elves <HI>Catholiques,</HI> undertaking, if he was deceived in
any name, to recompence &s;uch Errour, with the intere&s;t of two for one, un|le&s;&s;e
he might be di&s;pen&s;ed with upon the inconveniency of di&s;covering tho&s;e,
who can no longer live unruined for their Religion, then they are unknown to
profe&s;&s;e it.</P>
<LIST>
<HEAD>The PREISTS executed in &s;everall places &s;ince
the Year 1641. were the&s;e;</HEAD>
<ITEM><LIST>
<ITEM><HI>Mr.</HI> William Ward.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Mr. <HI>Raynolds.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Mr. <HI>Roe.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Mr.</HI> Edward Morgan.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Mr. <HI>Bullaker.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Mr. <HI>Holland.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Mr. <HI>Heath.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Mr.</HI> Francis Bell.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Mr. <HI>Ducket.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Mr. <HI>Corbet.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Mr. <HI>Mor&s;e.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Mr.</HI> Phillip Powell.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Mr.</HI> Peter Wright.</ITEM>
</LIST>Executed at <HI>Tyburne.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><LIST>
<ITEM>Mr. <HI>Lockwood.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Mr. <HI>Caterick.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>Executed at <HI>York.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Mr. <HI>Green,</HI> Executed at <HI>Dorche&s;ter.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><LIST>
<ITEM>Mr. <HI>Barlow.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Mr. <HI>Reading.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Mr. <HI>Whitaker.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Mr. <HI>Thomp&s;on</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>Executed at <HI>Lancaster.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>Be&s;ides, Ma&s;ter <HI>Tho. &V;aughan</HI> (after very hard u&s;age aboard Capt. <HI>Moltons</HI>
Ship) &s;oon after dyed at <HI>Cardiffe</HI> in South-<HI>Wales.</HI></P>
<P><LIST>
<ITEM><HI>Mr.</HI> John Goodman.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Mr.</HI> Henry Myners.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Mr.</HI> Peter Wilsford.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Mr.</HI> John Hamond.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Mr. <HI>Colman.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Mr. <HI>Rivers,</HI> &amp;c.</ITEM>
</LIST>Dyed Pri&s;oners in the Common-Goale at <HI>Newgate</HI>
&s;ince the year 1641.</P>
<P>Be&s;ides divers who are now continued in pri&s;on.</P>
<P>Now I humbly thank the Lord Chri&s;t, there was onely one of the&s;e Prie&s;ts
whom I mentioned in the fir&s;t part of this Di&s;cour&s;e put to death, &s;ince this Na|tion
was e&s;tabli&s;hed in the pre&s;ent Government, and I wi&s;h from my Soul, that
his life had al&s;o been &s;pared; &s;ince my obligations to this Common-wealth and
the pre&s;ent Governors thereof are &s;uch, that I am bound every day to offer up my
&s;ighs and prayers to the Lord, that no bloud of any peaceable Chri&s;tian be &s;pilt
for the only difference of judgement in Religion: for certainly who&s;oever &s;hall
practice &s;uch cruelty, will be called to a &s;trict and rigorous account at <HI>the judg|ment
of the great Day.</HI></P>
<P>But proceeding to require of my Recu&s;ant the performance of his word con-
<PB N="20" REF="12">
certain the late <HI>Converts</HI> he &s;o much gloried in, I merrily threatned him, that if
he ob&s;erved not his promi&s;e, I would pre&s;ently not only &s;u&s;pect &s;ome &s;ecret eva|&s;ion
in him, but cry out again&s;t all <HI>Papi&s;ts</HI> as juglers and equivocaters, or el&s;e, I
being an Heretique, no Faith was to be kept with me, and though the pre&s;ent
matter be of a trivial con&s;equence, yet we know the <HI>Wel&s;hman</HI> &s;tole Ru&s;hes to
to keep his hand in ure.</P>
<P>He fir&s;t &s;eriou&s;ly redeemed his word by delivering me this following <HI>Cata|logue,</HI>
and then merrily an&s;wered by je&s;ting, with wonder at my hardine&s;&s;e, how
I dur&s;t &s;tay in <HI>London,</HI> &s;ince the la&s;t letters from <HI>Am&s;terdam</HI> di&s;cover &s;o dange|rous
a plot intended by the <HI>Papi&s;ts</HI> and <HI>Cavaliers</HI> again&s;t this Town, they have
the&s;e many Months held a &s;ecret intelligence with all Engineers and Mill-ma|kers
of <HI>Holland,</HI> and hired them forthwith to prepare a thou&s;and &s;uch Engins as
we u&s;e to quench &s;care-fires, and the&s;e <HI>Van Trump</HI> (who has been a long time
Popi&s;hly affected, and a rank Cavalier ever &s;ince he was Knighted) undertakes
to bring up &s;o privately to the very Bridge, that in one night they may be plan|ted
all along the River, and drown even <HI>Pauls</HI> it &s;elf, by &s;quirting all the water
in the <HI>Thames</HI> upon the City. Now if you ask a Papi&s;t whether he know of any
&s;uch con&s;piracy, he will pre&s;ently ca&s;t about in his thoughts to retrive &s;ome men|tall
re&s;ervation, and then down right deny that ever he heard any &s;uch thing.
But to return from this feigned Story of the Recu&s;ant to the reall Hi&s;tory of his
new <HI>Pro&s;elites,</HI> among&s;t whom he reckon'd the&s;e following: But pretended pru|dentiall
rea&s;ons to excu&s;e his concealment of many others.</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. The Counte&s;&s;e of <HI>Denby.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>2. The Lady <HI>Kelimekin.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>3. The Lord <HI>Cottington.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>4. <HI>Thomas Vane,</HI> Doctor of Divinity.</ITEM>
<ITEM>5. <HI>Hugh Paulin De Cre&s;&s;y,</HI> one of the late prebends of <HI>Wynd&s;or.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>6. <HI>Sir</HI> Marmaduke Langdale.</ITEM>
<ITEM>7. <HI>Sir</HI> Francis Doddington.</ITEM>
<ITEM>8. <HI>Sir</HI> Theophilus Gilby.</ITEM>
<ITEM>9. <HI>Mi&s;tre&s;&s;e</HI> Bridget Feilding.</ITEM>
<ITEM>10. Doctor <HI>Baily.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>11. Doctor <HI>Co&s;en</HI> onely Sonne.</ITEM>
<ITEM>12. Dr. <HI>Goff,</HI> entred into the Religious order of the <HI>Oratorians</HI> at <HI>Paris.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>13. Ma&s;ter <HI>Peter Gule</HI> of <HI>Balliol</HI> Colledge in <HI>Oxford.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>14. Mr. <HI>Richard Nicolls</HI> Batchelor of Divinity of <HI>Peter</HI>-hou&s;e <HI>Cambridge.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>15. Mr. <HI>Richard Cra&s;haw,</HI> Ma&s;ter of Arts of <HI>Peter</HI>-hou&s;e <HI>Cambridge,</HI> well
known for his excellent Poems.</ITEM>
<ITEM>16. Ma&s;ter <HI>William Rowlands</HI> of <HI>Exeter</HI> Colledge, in <HI>Oxford.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>17. <HI>Captain</HI> Thomas Cook.</ITEM>
<ITEM>18. Ma&s;ter <HI>Edward Barker</HI> of <HI>Caius</HI> Colledge, <HI>Cambridge.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>19. Ma&s;ter <HI>Temple.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>20. Ma&s;ter <HI>Osborne,</HI> &amp;c.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>I mu&s;t ingenuou&s;ly confe&s;&s;e, I knew not well what an&s;wer to make the Papi&s;t
in this point, but &s;till to expre&s;&s;e my di&s;like of &s;uch per&s;ecution even of any &s;ort
of Chri&s;tians: And am very confident, that were they treated more mercifully
and invited to come to our &s;pirituall conferences, (which my Recu&s;ant told me
he would not at any time refu&s;e, were it onely to di&s;cour&s;e in an amicable Chri|&s;tian
<PB N="21" REF="12">
way the points in difference between us) we &s;hould gain more of them to us
or at lea&s;t hinder the growth of their Religion more, then any <HI>tortures</HI> of body
or <HI>Sequestrations</HI> of their E&s;tates are like to do.</P>
<P>Nor is it rea&s;onable to exact from &s;uch as di&s;&s;ent from us any other kind of pre|&s;ence
at our exerci&s;es, then to propo&s;e their difficulties in a mode&s;t and peacea|ble
way, and pariently to hear our an&s;wers, without expecting they &s;hould pre|&s;ently
joyn with the Congregation; for that were to oblige them, to profe&s;&s;e be|fore
they are &s;atisfied, and practice before they know what it is they do; Where|as
the Scripture commands us fir&s;t <HI>to try all things, and then hold fa&s;t that which
is be&s;t.</HI></P>
<P>Some, who have not onely the form but the power of Godline&s;&s;e in this Nati|on,
have of late in order to the advancement of Chri&s;ts Kingdome) been indu|ced
to move and endeavour a re-admittance of the <HI>Iews</HI> among&s;t us, in hope to
be happy in&s;truments in their conver&s;ion, which the Scripture holds forth in the
II to the <HI>Romanes.</HI> And why &s;hall we not al&s;o (upon like grounds of Chri&s;ti|an
Charity) endevour the conver&s;ion of all other people of different per&s;wa&s;i|ons
in point of Chri&s;tianity, by <HI>being mercifull</HI> unto them, <HI>as our heavenly Father
is mercifull. Luke</HI> 6. 36.</P>
<P>But nothing &s;o afflicts my Spirit, as to con&s;ider the cruell gripes we give the
<HI>Papi&s;ts,</HI> in re&s;pect of the light hand, which the <HI>Turk</HI> him&s;elf bears over his
Chri&s;tians; To which purpo&s;e I &s;hall here humbly offer an exact Parallel of
the <HI>Papi&s;ts</HI> &s;ufferings in <HI>England,</HI> to the condition of the <HI>Chri&s;tians</HI> in <HI>Turky.</HI> Fir&s;t
clearing one ea&s;ie objection, whereat &s;ome godly people &s;eem to &s;cruple; They
think the Papi&s;ts here &s;uffer for &s;ome other fault, and not onely for difference of
judgement in Religion, which is an evident mi&s;take; for if their burthens be
not laid on for their different judgements, why are they taken off, when they
conform and become indifferent in their judgement? why &s;hould their receiving
the <HI>Oath</HI> of <HI>Abjuration</HI> deliver them from all penalties and <HI>Seque&s;trations,</HI> if
tho&s;e penalties and <HI>Sequestrations</HI> be not inflicted upon them, meerly for hold|ing
&s;ome opinions, which that <HI>Oath</HI> obliges them to renounce. Others even of the
be&s;t affected have often in my hearing affirmed, that certainly that <HI>Oath</HI> was one|ly
intended as a means of di&s;covery, for the Magi&s;trate to know, in whom he
may confide; But why then is it u&s;ed &s;o much be&s;ide their &s;uppo&s;ed intention? or
what need of annexing any penalty, which &s;ure is the greate&s;t hinderance of di&s;|covery;
For were there no danger in being a known refu&s;er of that <HI>Oath,</HI> few
would be &s;o diligent in concealing them&s;elves, le&s;t they &s;hould be known to re|fu&s;e
it. Nor indeed is this <HI>Oath</HI> ever offered to any upon the &s;ingle ground of dif|fidence
in their affections to the pre&s;ent Government, but onely to &s;uch as are
&s;u&s;pected of Popery.</P>
<P>But to return to the compari&s;on I began to mention between the &s;tate of <HI>Pa|pi&s;ts</HI>
in <HI>England,</HI> and of <HI>Christians</HI> in the <HI>Turks Dominions,</HI> I find by the be&s;t in|formation
I can gather, the great Turks manner of bearing him&s;elf to his Chri|&s;tian
Subjects to be &s;trangely more temperate and le&s;&s;e accu&s;able of cruelty or co|vetou&s;ne&s;&s;e,
then we Chri&s;tians u&s;e to one another; for as our travellers una|nimou&s;ly
relate the whole annuall fine that any Chri&s;tian payes the <HI>Grand Signi|niour</HI>
upon the &s;core of Religion, comes to no more then a <HI>Zecheen,</HI> which is le&s;&s;e
then our <HI>Angell.</HI></P>
<P>And yet what ever we can object again&s;t our <HI>Papi&s;ts,</HI> the <HI>Turk</HI> may with at
lea&s;t as much rea&s;on charge upon his <HI>Chri&s;tians;</HI> Some Ance&s;tors of the <HI>Chri&s;ti|ans</HI>
heretofore have taken up arms, and con&s;pired with Forraigners about the e|&s;tabli&s;ht
<PB N="22" REF="13">
Government of their Countrey; and yet the <HI>Mahometan</HI> (whom we &s;o
much abominate as tyrannicall and barbarous) can forgive the po&s;terity of &s;uch
unde&s;erving Parents, and let them live quietly under &s;o &s;mall an annuall tribute
for their Religion. Whereas our &s;elves (whom we &s;o highly commend for Chri|&s;tian
meekne&s;&s;e and charity) can never forget the Crimes of a few Papi&s;ts, never
give over puni&s;hing the Children for the faults of the fathers.</P>
<P>The Chri&s;tians under the Turk, cannot certainly be free from &s;u&s;pition of be|ing
di&s;affected to their Magi&s;trate, both upon former practices, and the Princi|ples
of their Religion; yet re&s;ts he &s;atisfied with di&s;arming them, and excluding
them from all Offices of Tru&s;t, and places of Importance, to the Intere&s;t of
Government. Whereas we are &s;o far from contenting our &s;elves with &s;uch pruden|tiall
cautions for our &s;ecurity, that we proceed to &s;eize upon the be&s;t part of their
e&s;tates, which in a &s;hort time mu&s;t of nece&s;&s;ity reduce them to ab&s;olute ruine and
de&s;peration: And yet there is one con&s;iderable ground of &s;u&s;picion altogether
unapplyable to the <HI>Papists</HI> of <HI>England,</HI> which is, that the <HI>Turk</HI> came from a
&s;trange Country, to invade at once both the Empire and Religion of the
<HI>Grecians;</HI> whereas the Papi&s;ts are all Natives of this Land, born with the &s;ame
title to the common Liberties, that our &s;elves have, and for <HI>Religion</HI> they onely
&s;tand peremptory in their old way, profe&s;&s;ing to be altogether un&s;atisfied concer|ning
the Reformation we hold forth unto them: In which Ca&s;e it is certainly a
more <HI>Chri&s;tian</HI> and pious method to &s;ettle a way of <HI>in&s;truction</HI> for them to &s;ave
their &s;ouls, then to labour &s;o much in drawing up new <HI>in&s;tructions</HI> for our Seque|&s;trators
to ruine their e&s;tates.</P>
<P>Nor do the <HI>Turks</HI> in&s;i&s;t upon that common objection, That <HI>Chri&s;tians</HI> no where
&s;uffer <HI>Turks,</HI> and therefore no rea&s;on they &s;hould tollerate the Chri&s;tians, as
ta&s;ting more of womani&s;h &s;pite and revenge, then manly noblene&s;&s;e and gallan|try:
How would the&s;e unhappy mi&s;led &s;ouls exceed us Chri&s;tians in moderation
towards &s;uch as are otherwi&s;e minded, if they had read that Golden Rule of our
<HI>Saviour;</HI> that we &s;hould <HI>render good for evil.</HI></P>
<P>But the inhumane practice of the <HI>Turk</HI> in taking away &s;o many Children from
the Chri&s;tian Parents is extremely cruel and dete&s;table, though as Sir <HI>Henry
Blount</HI> (a per&s;on both compleatly learned, and perfectly civill) ob&s;erves in his
voyage to the <HI>Levant,</HI> when that Cu&s;tome was fir&s;t introduced, many politick
rea&s;ons might be alleged to excu&s;e (not ju&s;tly) &s;o wicked tyrannicall an in&s;titu|tion,
if he could have &s;o much as excu&s;ed his wicked and tyrannicall u&s;urpation;
The <HI>Chri&s;tians</HI> being very numerous, and by a barbarous &s;tranger newly depri|ved
of the Dominion of their Country; All which circum&s;tances naturally in|crea&s;e,
and heighten the &s;u&s;pition of an U&s;urper, who&s;e &s;ight was certainly far
le&s;&s;e &s;harp then his &s;word, if he did not clearly &s;ee that his new conquered Sub|jects
might perhaps for a time want an opportunity, but neither will, rea&s;on nor
&s;trength to attempt, by his expul&s;ion the ju&s;t Recovery of their own li|berties.</P>
<P>But &s;ince the affairs of Turky are &s;o e&s;tabli&s;hed that the <HI>Mu&s;&s;elman</HI> hath no
longer any jealou&s;ie of the Chri&s;tians tho&s;e unnaturall cruelties of plundering
the Parent of his Child are altogether laid a&s;ide, and the <HI>Chri&s;tians</HI> permitted to
purcha&s;e with a &s;mall Fine a di&s;pen&s;ation, and every one now enjoys this comfor|table
liberty, as they give their Children birth, &s;o to guide their education.</P>
<P>Not one of the&s;e con&s;iderations, but argues in favour of the pre&s;ent Papi&s;ts a|mong&s;t
us; Not one of the&s;e exceptions are they obnoxious to, their num|ber
being &s;mall and incon&s;iderable, their po&s;ture naked and di&s;armed, and
<PB N="23" REF="13">
the door long &s;ince by other powers &s;hut again&s;t them, to all advantages in the
Nation: by which means they have neither &s;o much di&s;obligation to the pre|&s;ent
Government, nor any po&s;&s;ibility to work the lea&s;t di&s;turbance of its
peace.</P>
<P>And therefore, however upon the fir&s;t <HI>Reformation</HI> it was nece&s;&s;ary to take a
&s;harp and re&s;olute cour&s;e for diminution of the Papi&s;ts power, yet &s;ince they
are reduced to &s;o low and weak a condition, that we cannot hand&s;omely even
feign a danger from them, it is become now unnece&s;&s;ary, and con&s;equently (by our
own maximes) unlawful to continue the &s;ame penalties upon them: No other
cau&s;e being truly &s;ufficient to ju&s;tifie our puni&s;hing others, but a true nece&s;&s;ity of
pre&s;erving our &s;elves.</P>
<P>And the&s;e I conceive may be by the rea&s;ons, why the <HI>Papi&s;ts</HI> have of late made
their addre&s;&s;es to the&s;e <HI>Gentlemen,</HI> that are appointed by Parliament <HI>for regula|tion
of the Lawes,</HI> building their hope upon this ground, that as the cau&s;es of &s;o
great &s;everity again&s;t them are cea&s;ed, the &s;ad and ruinous effects may no lon|ger
be continued; And certainly they could not have cho&s;en a more proper way
to obtain relief, than the applying of them&s;elves to the <HI>Committee,</HI> it being
compounded of per&s;ons, who&s;e abilities bear an excellent proportion to the
greatne&s;&s;e of the work they have undertaken, having in one half year &s;een further
into the defects of our Law, and the exce&s;&s;es of its practice, than many ages
formerly have been <HI>able</HI> to di&s;cover, and who&s;e integrity is &s;o remarkable, that
in the &s;hort &s;pace of a few months, they have de&s;ign'd a perfect reform of more
Errours, than many Ages formerly have been <HI>willing</HI> to &s;earch into. So that as
their Charity hath already provided a favourable cour&s;e of mercy for the poor,
their extreme indu&s;try and &s;incerity promi&s;es a &s;peedy &s;ettlement of an equall
and impartiall cour&s;e of ju&s;tice for all others. To this Committee the Recu|&s;ants
pre&s;ented the&s;e two following <HI>Papers,</HI> the fir&s;t of which began with
this Title.</P>
<Q><TEXT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="document">
<HEAD>The Honoura<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">le Committee for Regulating the Lawes is mo&s;t
humbly de&s;ired by the Catholike Recu&s;ants to take this Sche|dule
of the Penall Lawes again&s;t them, into their ju&s;t, &s;erious
and favourable con&s;ideration.</HEAD>
<P>1. THE &s;econd refu&s;all of the Oath of <HI>Supremacy</HI> puni&s;ht as high Trea&s;on,
5 <HI>Eliz.</HI> 1.</P>
<P>2. To maintain or extol Authority in the See of <HI>Rome,</HI> the &s;econd time,
high Trea&s;on. 5 <HI>Eliz.</HI> 1.</P>
<P>3. To obtain or put in ure any <HI>Bull</HI> from <HI>Rome,</HI> high Trea&s;on. 13 <HI>Eliz.</HI> 2.</P>
<P>4. To per&s;wade or reconcile, or to be reconciled to the <HI>Roman Religion,</HI> High
Trea&s;on. 23 <HI>Eliz. 1 &amp; 3. Jac.</HI> 4.</P>
<P>5. For Je&s;uit or Prie&s;t made by authority from the <HI>Pope,</HI> to come to remain in
the Kings Dominions, high Trea&s;on. 27 <HI>Eliz.</HI> 2.</P>
<P>6. So for remaining in a Seminary &s;ix months after Proclamation, and afterward
returning, high Trea&s;on. 27 <HI>Eliz.</HI> 2.</P>
<P>1 For concealing of a <HI>Bull</HI> or other In&s;trument from <HI>Rome,</HI> or Reconciliation of|fered,
puni&s;ht as mi&s;pri&s;ion of Trea&s;on. 13 <HI>Eliz.</HI> 2.</P>
<P><PB N="24" REF="14">
2 To maintain, or conceal tho&s;e who per&s;wade, or are reconciled to the Roman
Religion, mi&s;pri&s;ion of Trea&s;on. 23 <HI>Eliz.</HI> 1.</P>
<P>1 To receive, relieve, or comfort <HI>Je&s;uit</HI> or <HI>Prie&s;t,</HI> knowing him to be &s;uch alone,
puni&s;ht as felony. 27 <HI>Eliz.</HI> 2.</P>
<P>2 To refu&s;e to abjure the Realm, being commanded, or to return without Licen&s;e,
Felony. 35 <HI>Eliz.</HI> 1, 2.</P>
<P>3 To go and &s;erve a Forrain Prince, having not before taken the Oath of Alegi|ance,
and entred bond not to be reconciled to the Roman Religion, Felony. 3 <HI>Jac.</HI> 4.</P>
<P>1 The fir&s;t refu&s;al of the Oath of <HI>Supremacy</HI> is puni&s;ht as in ca&s;e of a <HI>Premu|nire,</HI>
which imports a forfeiture of all Lands and Goods, impri&s;onment for life, and
a deprivement of the benefit of the Law. 5 <HI>Eliz.</HI> 1.</P>
<P>2. To &s;et forth, or defend power &s;piritual in the See of Rome, <HI>Premunire. 5 Eli.</HI> 1.</P>
<P>3 To bring or receive any <HI>Agnus Dei, Cro&s;&s;es, Pictures,</HI> or &s;uch like from Rome,
<HI>Premunire. 13 Eli 2. 2. 23 Eliz.</HI> 1.</P>
<P>4 To aid any per&s;on who hath put in ure any <HI>Bull</HI> from the See of <HI>Rome, Pre|munire.</HI>
13 <HI>Eliz. 2. 23 Eliz.</HI> 1.</P>
<P>5 To &s;end, or give relief to any continuing in Colledges, or Seminaries beyond
<HI>Premunire. 27 Eliz.</HI> 2.</P>
<P>6 Refu&s;al of the Oath of <HI>Alegeance</HI> upon the &s;econd tender, <HI>Premunire. 3 Jac.</HI> 4.
<HI>&amp; 7 Jac.</HI> 6.</P>
<P>1 For not di&s;covering of <HI>Prie&s;ts</HI> made beyond the Seas, impri&s;onment. 27 <HI>Eliz.</HI> 2.</P>
<P>2 Upon inditement of Recu&s;ancy by Proclamation, impri&s;onment. 29 <HI>Eliz.</HI> 6.</P>
<P>3 For refu&s;all to go to Church, or to be pre&s;ent at the reading of the Common-Prayer,
impri&s;onment without bail. 35 <HI>Eliz.</HI> 1.</P>
<P>4 Tho&s;e that are not able, or fail to pay their forfeitures, are to be impri&s;oned;
untill payment, or conformity. 23 <HI>Eliz.</HI> 1.</P>
<P>5 Women Covert impri&s;oned for refu&s;al of the Oath of <HI>Alegeance. 3 Jac.</HI> 4.</P>
<P>6 For non-payment of twelve-pence for every Sunday, impri&s;onment. 3 <HI>Jac.</HI> 4.</P>
<P>7 Woman Covert convicted for Recu&s;ancy impri&s;oned till her husband pay tenne
pounds a moneth, or a third part of his Lands. 7 <HI>Jac.</HI> 6.</P>
<P>8 Standing excommunicated for Recu&s;ancy, Hou&s;e may be broken up for his ap|prehen&s;ion.
7 <HI>Jac.</HI> 6.</P>
<P>1 Tho&s;e who &s;hall forbear to come to Church, by the &s;pace of twelve months,
bound to the good behaviour, with &s;urety in the Kings Bench. 23 <HI>Eliz.</HI> 1.</P>
<P>1 Every Recu&s;ant is confined to five miles compa&s;&s;e for life. 23 <HI>Eliz.</HI> 2.</P>
<P>2 To ten miles di&s;tant from <HI>London 3 Jac.</HI> 5.</P>
<P>3 Not to come into the hou&s;e where the King, or his Heir apparent is. 3 <HI>Jac.</HI> 5.</P>
<P>1 For ab&s;ence from Church-Service every Sunday 12^d forfeited. 1 <HI>Eliz.</HI> 2.</P>
<P>2 And for every Holiday, twelve-pence forfeited. 3 <HI>Jac.</HI> 4.</P>
<P>3 For ab&s;ence from Common-Prayer every month, twenty pounds forfeited.
23 <HI>Eliz. 1. &amp; 3 Jac.</HI> 4.</P>
<P>4 For default of payment of twenty pounds a month, all Goods, two parts of
Land, and Lea&s;es forfeited. 29 <HI>Eliz 6. &amp; 3 Jac.</HI> 4.</P>
<P>5 At the Kings election to take or refu&s;e twenty pounds a moneth, or to take two
parts of the Recu&s;ants Estate. 3 <HI>Jac.</HI> 4.</P>
<P>6. All Coppy hold Lands of Recu&s;ants forfeited. 25 <HI>Eliz.</HI> 2.</P>
<P>7 The forfeitures of the Ancestor charged upon his Heir being a Recu&s;ant. 1 <HI>Jac.</HI> 4.</P>
<P>8 A conformed Recu&s;ant forfeits for not receiving the Sacrament, according to
the Service-book, the fir&s;t year twenty pounds, the &s;econd year forty pounds, the
third year, and every year after, &s;ixty pounds. 3 <HI>Jac.</HI> 4.</P>
<P><PB N="25" REF="14">
9. To the Pre&s;enter out of the Recu&s;ants goods forty &s;hillings forfeited, 3 <HI>Jac.</HI> 4.</P>
<P>10. For every Recu&s;ant &s;ojourner and &s;ervant, ten pounds for every moneth for|feited.
3. <HI>Jac.</HI> 4.</P>
<P>11. Two parts of Dower or Ioynture of a married woman forfeited, 3 <HI>Jac.</HI> 5.</P>
<P>12. Coming to Court, an hundred pounds forfeited. 3 <HI>Jac.</HI> 5.</P>
<P>13. For not bapti&s;ing children according to the Service-Book publickly within a
moneth after their birth, an hundred pounds forfeited. 3 <HI>Jac.</HI> 5.</P>
<P>14. For marrying otherwi&s;e then by a Mini&s;ter, an hundred pounds forfeited 3 <HI>Jac.</HI> 5</P>
<P>15. For burying out of the Church or Church-yard 100 <HI>l.</HI> forfeited. 3 <HI>Jac.</HI> 5.</P>
<P>16. For &s;ending Children beyond the Seas without licence 100 <HI>l.</HI> forfeited. 1 <HI>Jac.</HI> 4.</P>
<P>17. For maintaining a Scoolma&s;ter not going to Church or allowed to teach, for
every moneth ten pounds forfeited. 23 <HI>Eliz. 1. &amp; 29 Eliz.</HI> 6.</P>
<P>18. And forty &s;hillings <HI>per diem</HI> forfeited by the Schoolma&s;ter and Recu&s;ant that
keeps him. 1 <HI>Jac.</HI> 4.</P>
<P>19, All Goods and Lands during life, for breach of confinement forfeited 23
<HI>Eliz. 2. &amp; 3. Jac.</HI> 5.</P>
<P>20. The like forfeiture for going or &s;ending Children beyond the Seas to be bred
in <HI>Popery.</HI> 3 Car. 2.</P>
<P>21. For re&s;iding within ten miles of <HI>London, 100 l.</HI> forfeited. 3 <HI>Jac.</HI> 5.</P>
<P>22. For practi&s;ing any Function expre&s;&s;ed in the Statute of 3 <HI>Jac.</HI> 5. a hundred
pounds forfeited. 3 <HI>Jac.</HI> 5.</P>
<P>1. Di&s;abled to rever&s;e indictment, for want of form or other defect. 3. <HI>Jac.</HI> 4.</P>
<P>2. Di&s;abled from the practice of &s;everall Functions whereby to gain their livings,
<HI>viz.</HI> from practi&s;ing Common Law, Civill Law, or being a Steward, Attorney So|licitor
or Officer in any Court; From practi&s;ing Phy&s;ick or being an Apothecary; and
from bearing any Office in camp, troop or band of Souldiers, or in any Ship, Ca&s;tle
or Fortre&s;&s;e. <HI>&amp;c. 3 Jac.</HI> 5.</P>
<P>3. By the wifes Recu&s;ancy, the husband di&s;abled from publick Office or charge
in the Common-wealth. 3 <HI>Jac.</HI> 5.</P>
<P>4. By marrying otherwi&s;e then the Church of <HI>England</HI> alloweth, the husband
di&s;abled to be tenant by Courte&s;ie, the wife di&s;abled to have Dower, joyncture free,
banks, or any part or portion of her husbands goods. 3 <HI>Jac.</HI> 5.</P>
<P>5, Di&s;abled to &s;ue or pro&s;ecute Actions, to pre&s;ent to a Benefice, to be Executor,
Administrator, or Guardian. 3 <HI>Jac.</HI> 5.</P>
<P>6. Children &s;ent beyond the Seas without licence are di&s;abled to take benefit of
gift, conveyance, de&s;cent, or devi&s;e. 1 <HI>Jac. 4 &amp; 3. Jac.</HI> 5.</P>
<P>1. Notwithstanding the&s;e forfeitures, Recu&s;ants are lo&s;&s;e &s;ubject to Eccle&s;ia|&s;ticall
Sentences. 23 <HI>Eliz. 1. &amp; 3 Jac.</HI> 45.</P>
<P>By the greate&s;t part of pecuniary forfeitures, they are &s;ubject to grievous vexa|tions
of Informers. The Statutes of double Sub&s;idies, con&s;idering their other pay|ments
are exceeding <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">eavy.</P>
<P>Be&s;ides all the&s;e Lawes, the late Ordinances of Seque&s;tration upon refu&s;all of
the Oath of <HI>Abjuration,</HI> by which, two third parts of all their e&s;tates reall and
per&s;onall are forfeited. 1 <HI>April 1643. &amp; 19 Augu&s;t</HI> 1643.</P>
<P>An Oath made by the <HI>Presbyterians,</HI> and intended onely for the time of war. An
Oath by which we are forced to accu&s;e and condemn our &s;elves without any legall
proceedings or witnes again&s;t us. An oath by which we are puni&s;ht, not for publi&s;hing
any opinion to the di&s;turbance of others, but onely for <HI>believing;</HI> which is to accu&s;e
and condemn men for the thoughts of their hearts. An oath that contains in it mat|ters
of highe&s;t difficulty, yet are young and ignorant per&s;ons, and even women
<PB N="26" REF="15">
without the lea&s;t preceding Instruction, equally forc'd to take it, or puni&s;hed for
refu&s;ing it.</P>
<P>And in the Instructions to the Seque&s;trators 22 <HI>Octob.</HI> 1643. they are charged
to &s;eize and &s;ecure the Estates of all &s;uch per&s;ons, whom they <HI>&s;u&s;pect</HI> to be within
the reach of the <HI>Ordinance,</HI> and &s;o leave them to the after-Game of clearing them|&s;elves
as they can; which is to puni&s;h before the Triall, nay even before An&s;wer
of the accu&s;ed.</P>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT></Q>
<P>In company of this long Roll of penall <HI>Statutes</HI> (made in former times upon
particular occa&s;ions) they pre&s;ented al&s;o certain Arguments to induce a miti|gation
of tho&s;e <HI>Lawes,</HI> &s;o frightfull even in number, but far more har&s;h and
churli&s;h in their Nature; upon the head of which &s;econd paper was this In|&s;cription.</P>
<Q><TEXT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="document">
<HEAD>Some few Motives, why Roman-Catholiques &s;hould not
be forced out of their Con&s;ciences by penalties impo&s;ed upon
them meerly for Religion.</HEAD>
<P>ALL per&s;ecution for Religion is cleerly repugnant to the principles of free|dom,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Principles of the pre|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">ent go|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">ernment.</NOTE>
&s;o often and &s;olemaly declared by the <HI>Parliament</HI> and <HI>Army,</HI> and now
univer&s;ally received by all the Moderate and well-temper'd people of this
Nation: Nor can it agree with the duty of any peaceable &s;pirit, to di&s;tru&s;t the
performance of &s;o charitable a promi&s;e.</P>
<P>Many and evident texts of Holy Scripture (even according to the interpretation
of the more con&s;cientious Protestants) expre&s;ly condemn all compul&s;ion upon the
con&s;cience,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Scripture.</NOTE> recommending mildne&s;&s;e and charity, as principall perfections to a Chri|stian
Magi&s;trate.</P>
<P><HI>Be&s;ides the&s;e, Catholiques have many con&s;iderations to be reflected on of a
more particular advantage to their Condition.</HI></P>
<P>THe Crime imputed to them is only their continuance in that Religion,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Ancient and quiet <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">o&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion.</NOTE> which
the whole Nation (till this la&s;t age) univer&s;ally profe&s;t, ever &s;ince its conver|&s;ion
from Pagani&s;m; And though time preci&s;ely con&s;idered, make not a Re|ligion
true, yet certainly it may pretend to a fair title of exempting it from per|&s;ecution.</P>
<P>The Principles of their Religion are under all Governments the &s;ame,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">nchan|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">eable.</NOTE> and in
their nature ab&s;olutely uncapable of change; &s;o that the Magi&s;trate once rightly
inform'd of their Doctrine, and &s;atisfied by promi&s;e of their fidelity, may re&s;t &s;ecure,
that no danger can ari&s;e from them by innovation.</P>
<P>Since the points in controver&s;ie are generally thought not cleer,<NOTE PLACE="marg">3. Education.</NOTE> but difficult, e&s;pe|cially
by &s;uch in whom education (if it were no more) has fixt a &s;trong apprehen|&s;ion
of the rea&s;onablene&s;&s;e of their cau&s;e, it would appear &s;evere (if not unrea&s;o|nable)
to force them by penalties to any new way, or altogether restrain them from
continuing in their old: Per&s;wa&s;ions of that kind, as by degrees they &s;ink into the
heart, &s;o gently by degrees they are to be removed.</P>
<P>Since they &s;eriou&s;ly and con&s;tantly profe&s;s,<NOTE PLACE="marg">4 <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">atisfacti|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">n in their Religion.</NOTE> that after all their prayers to God, and
diligent reading of his Word, they cannot find the lea&s;t &s;atisfaction in any other Re|ligion,
but that their &s;ouls enjoy a perfect peace and &s;erenity in their own; it &s;eems
<PB N="27" REF="15">
very un&s;uitable to Chri&s;tian charity, either to compel them to a Religion, where their
Con&s;ciences cannot live in repo&s;e, or re&s;train them from a Religion, wherein onely
they find comfort here, and hope for &s;alvation hereafter.</P>
<P>Since all the &s;ignes and makes of tender Con&s;ciences are mo&s;t apparently di&s;cer|nable
in <HI>Roman Catholiques,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">5 Tender Con&s;cien|ces.</NOTE> they cannot but hope, the charity and indulgence
univer&s;ally held forth to tender Con&s;ciences, will not univer&s;ally be denyed to them;
they all &s;uffer for their Con&s;ciences an impoveri&s;ht and afflicted life, and many of
them a cruel and ignominous death; and can any rational and unpa&s;&s;ionate per&s;on
&s;ee &s;o much &s;uffering for Con&s;cience, and &s;ay the Sufferers have no Con&s;cience?</P>
<P>As for Religion, it allowes no vice or licenciou&s;ne&s;&s;e again&s;t the Moral Law (the
proper &s;ubject of the Magi&s;trates care) but &s;trictly requires a Religious &s;everity a|gain&s;t
the corrupt inclinations of nature, and a Con&s;cientious ob&s;ervance both of
the Law of God and Man.</P>
<P>Not one of all the Nation,<NOTE PLACE="marg">6 Even the mo&s;t di&s;|affected have Li|berty.</NOTE> how different &s;oever in Religion, how di&s;-affected &s;o|ever
to the quiet of this Common-wealth, but enjoyes (by its allowance and pro|tection)
a perfect quiet for his Con&s;cience, onely the <HI>Roman Catholiques,</HI> though
they have generally taken, and punctually kept the <HI>Engagement,</HI> are &s;ingled out to
mi&s;ery and ruine, meerly upon the account of Religion.</P>
<P>Yet cannot all the heavy pre&s;&s;ures they have &s;o long endured make them lay
down their hopes to be at la&s;t relieved, e&s;pecially from tho&s;e, who profe&s;&s;e them|&s;elves
not only bound by the light of Nature to deal with others, as they would be
dealt with them&s;elves, but by the Law of Grace, even to render good for evil.</P>
<P>The cau&s;es of impo&s;ing penalties upon <HI>Catholiques,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">7 Cau&s;es of puni&s;hing cea&s;ed.</NOTE> being now wholly cea&s;ed,
they humbly hope it cannot be thought too great a boldne&s;s in their duty to petition
a re-admittance to the Common rights of free-born Engli&s;h men; &s;ince there is nei|ther
any <HI>Catholique</HI> Competitor for the Crown, nor any &s;uch dete&s;table con&s;piracy,
as &s;ome few of their Religion have been formerly guilty of: So that there remains
no other charge, but that of Con&s;cience, to exclude them from the ful enjoyment of
the priviledges of their Native Country.</P>
<P>No que&s;tion can be made of the fidelity of their Engagement,<NOTE PLACE="marg">8 Their Fi|delity.</NOTE> who e&s;teem the keep|ing
of an Oath &s;acred: and what &s;tronger testimony can be given to the world,
than that of <HI>Catholiques</HI> in freely offering up their Estates to &s;eizure, and their
per&s;ons to all the inconveniencies of a per&s;ecuted life, rather than again&s;t their con|&s;ciences
di&s;&s;emblingly to &s;wear one Oath; for could they with the Popes di&s;pen&s;a|tion,
or their own mentall re&s;ervation (which they are charg'd to be still furni&s;ht
with their own advantage) abjure the doctrine they believe, there remains nothing
now to distingui&s;h them into that &s;ad and mi&s;erable condition they are reduced to.</P>
<P>Were all burthens taken off from the Con&s;ciences of &s;uch as &s;hall engage to live
peaceably and unoffen&s;ively in their Country,<NOTE PLACE="marg">9 Advantage<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter"> at home &amp; abroad.</NOTE> this Nation would rather improve
its &s;ecurity at home, &s;ince coercence in matters of belief has alwayes been the chief
cau&s;e of our troubles: And for abroad, the &s;ame rea&s;on that begets a conceit of
danger from the <HI>Catholiques</HI> corre&s;pondence with Forraign Princes, will convince
a benefit, if by mercy they be obliged to employ their credit in the &s;ervice of their
Benefactors.</P>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<PB N="28" REF="16">
<HEAD>Rea&s;ons why Compo&s;ition is preferrable before Sale.</HEAD>
<P>AND now we beg pardon humbly to offer up to the con&s;ideration and Com|pa&s;&s;ion
of the iadifferent the mo&s;t afflicted condition of many <HI>Catholiques,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Com|pound|ing more beneficial to the State.</NOTE>
who&s;e lands are now de&s;igned to be &s;old for their Delinquency. Mo&s;t of
which in the beginning of the late War (&s;eeing them&s;elves unprotected by the Parl.
and expos'd to the plunder of the then Souldiery) fled into the Kings Garri&s;ons to
&s;ave their own lives, without taking up Armes to offend others. And even they
who actually engaged for the King (the &s;ole di&s;po&s;al of all penall Laws being in his
power) were owners both of their lives and fortunes meerly at his plea&s;ure, and
yet notwith&s;tanding &s;o great a Plea for their excu&s;e, as the Supreme Law of &s;elf-pre&s;ervation,
they are all ready humbly to &s;ubmit to Compo&s;ition: A proceeding
which they hope will be condi&s;cended unto, &s;ince it is as well apparently more bene|ficial
to the State, as le&s;&s;e de&s;tructive to the Compounders: for,</P>
<P>After all just claims and true debts allowed, and the va&s;t expences of Survey|ours,
and other Officers deducted, the clear profit that ari&s;es upon Sale, is, by ex|perience,
founded to come far &s;hort of what was expected. And this after a tedi|ous
controver&s;ie about the allowance of incumbrances, very chargeable to the
Suitors and altogether unprofitable to the Common-wealth.</P>
<P>Be&s;ides <HI>Catholiques</HI> are generally Tenants only for life, and as generally &s;ubject
(before the late troubles) to very many engagements really and unavoidably char|ged
upon their e&s;tates, unle&s;&s;e &s;uch incumbrances be allowed, thou&s;ands of well-affected
people will be di&s;appointed of their ju&s;t debts.</P>
<P>Whereas by &s;etting Rules for Compo&s;ition, a greater &s;um may be rai&s;ed, and every
one immediately bring his money into the publique Trea&s;ury, without any further
charges, delay, or trouble, either to the Common-wealth or Compounders.</P>
<P>The Compounders will have a &s;tronger Obligation to live quietly hereafter, both
by the fine they part with, and the e&s;tate they retain, advancing &s;o much to purcha&s;e
their peace, and having &s;till &s;omething to lo&s;e, if they break it.</P>
<P>The State will by this &s;hew to all the World, that they &s;eek only the &s;ecurity of the
Government e&s;tabli&s;h, and not the ruine or utter extirpation of any private family.</P>
</DIV2>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT></Q>
<P>The&s;e Motives and Rea&s;ons I have both &s;eriou&s;ly thought upon in my own
&s;pirit, and often conferred about with others, and after all my endeavours I find
them &s;o rea&s;onable and &s;atisfactory, that I confe&s;&s;e they have not only moved my
Bowels to a compa&s;&s;ion of &s;uch &s;ufferers, but truly even to a zeal of their relief, &s;o
far I mean, as that they, who neither di&s;turb the publick Peace of the Common-wealth,
nor refu&s;e their Contributions to maintain it, &s;hould no longer be compel|led
by Oathes and &s;eque&s;trations to act again&s;t their con&s;ciences.</P>
<P>Be&s;ides, the&s;e diligences of late u&s;ed by the Papi&s;ts, in order to the obtainment
of relief from the <HI>Committee for Regulation of the Lawes;</HI> they prepared al&s;o
certain <HI>Propo&s;alls,</HI> with intent (as I under&s;tand) to pre&s;ent them to the <HI>Committee
for Propagation of the Go&s;pel,</HI> but being called into the Country by an urgent and
importunate occa&s;ion, I am di&s;abled to give any farther account concerning their
<HI>Propo&s;als,</HI> not knowing either how they were accepted, or indeed whether they
were actually offered, and therefore can only furni&s;h you with a faithfull Copy of
the Paper it &s;elf.</P>
<Q><TEXT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="document">
<PB N="29" REF="16">
<HEAD>To the Honourable the Committee
for the Propagation of the GOSPEL:
The humble Propo&s;als of the Roman Catholicks.</HEAD>
<P>1. SInce all compul&s;ion upon the Con&s;cience is clearly again&s;t the prin|ciples
both of Parliament and Army, as appears by the Parliaments
<HI>Declaration</HI> in an&s;wer to the Scotch Commi&s;&s;ioners, 17 <HI>Feb.</HI>
1648. in the&s;e words:</P>
<P>As for the truth and power of Religion, it being a thing in|trin&s;ecal
between God and the Soul, and the matters of faith in
the Go&s;pel, &s;uch as no natural light can reach, we conceive there
is no humane power of coercion thereunto, nor to re&s;train men
from believing what God &s;uffers their judgment to be per&s;wa|ded
of.</P>
<P><HI>Among&s;t the Propo&s;als of the Army,</HI> 1 Aug. 1647. <HI>this was one,</HI> That
all coercive power, and all civil penalties for non-formity, be
wholly repealed, and &s;ome other provi&s;ion made again&s;t &s;uch
Papi&s;ts as &s;hould di&s;turb the publique peace.</P>
<P>And &s;ince by the experience of <HI>Germany, Poland, Switzerland,
Holland, France,</HI> &amp;c. The Con&s;i&s;tency of divers Religions under one
Government is evidently proved, as well where the Prote&s;tant commands
the Roman Catholick, as where the Roman Catholick commands the
Prote&s;tant.</P>
<P>It is humbly offered.</P>
<P>That no penalty be impo&s;ed upon any, profe&s;&s;ing the Go&s;pel of <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI>
meerly for difference of judgement in matters of Religion.</P>
<P>2. The publick u&s;e of all Churches, and the entire benefit of Church-endowment,
being wholly &s;ubmitted to the di&s;po&s;ure of the State.</P>
<P>It is humbly offered.</P>
<P>That no per&s;on, believing in <HI>Chri&s;t Je&s;us,</HI> and living peaceably, and
unoffen&s;ively, be by any penalty re&s;trained from the quiet exerci&s;e of his
con&s;cience in his private hou&s;e; ob&s;erving therein &s;uch rules as the State
&s;hall think fit to appoint for pre&s;ervation of the publick peace; A practice
which by long experience in <HI>Holland</HI> is found both &s;atisfactory to the
people, and &s;ecure to the Governours of the Common-wealth.</P>
<P>3. Since the Law of God is &s;o far from allowing any penal &s;entence to
<PB N="30" REF="17">
be grounded upon the enforced Oath of the party, that it expre&s;ly forbids
any offence what&s;oever to be tryed by the &s;ingle te&s;timony of one witne&s;&s;e,
<HI>Deut. 19. 15. Mat.</HI> 18. 16.</P>
<P>It is humbly propo&s;ed.</P>
<P>That no Oath be exacted of any per&s;on, compelling him under forfei|ture
of life, liberty, or e&s;tate, to &s;wear again&s;t his Con&s;cience, or to ac|cu&s;e
and condemn him&s;elf, e&s;pecially in matters that concern his inward
belief.</P>
<P>4. Since in all Religions there are &s;till found &s;ome &s;candalous livers,
and that our Saviour pronounces the <HI>Woe</HI> again&s;t him onely, by whom the
&s;candal comes, <HI>Mat. 18. 7. Luke</HI> 17. 1.</P>
<P>It is humbly propo&s;ed.</P>
<P>That who ever &s;hall offend again&s;t the Orders of &s;o milde and Chri&s;tian
a &s;ettlement, may be &s;everely cen&s;ured, but that others (though of the &s;ame
judgment in Religion) be no farther made &s;ubject to the puni&s;hment, then
proved guilty of the crime.</P>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT></Q>
<P>In &s;tead of my opinion concerning the&s;e four propo&s;als of the Papi&s;ts (becau&s;e
to my &s;en&s;e they carry in them&s;elves both their own evidence and ju&s;tification) I
&s;hall beg the Readers permi&s;&s;ion to &s;et down a particular conceit, which I have
often ob&s;erved to be very well reli&s;ht by all that have examined it. That doubtles
there is no way more &s;uitable to the fir&s;t Principles of all Reformed Churches, no
way &s;o probable to &s;atisfie all Con&s;ciences, as not to impo&s;e any other obligation
for proof of conformity, than this profe&s;&s;ion <HI>to believe the holy Scriptures of the
Old and New Te&s;tament to be the Word of God, and to live according to the pre|cepts
plainly contained therein,</HI> this acknowledgement to be expre&s;t in generall
termes without de&s;cending minutely to particular que&s;tions, which hath certainly
been the chief cau&s;e of &s;o many Controver&s;ies and Divi&s;ions in the World.</P>
<P>And now I humbly appeal to the honourable and religious <HI>Committee for Pro|pagation
of the Go&s;pel,</HI> Whether the &s;weet Spirit of the <HI>Lord Christ</HI> (who gave his
Apo&s;tles no further power, than to relinqui&s;h &s;uch as refu&s;ed to hear them) be
reconcileable to the former practices of the high Commi&s;&s;ioners, or the pre&s;ent
practices of our Seque&s;trators;<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Tim. 4. 24.</NOTE> Whether, when the great Apo&s;tle <HI>Paul</HI> pre&s;cribes
the <HI>&s;ervants of the Lord to forbear, and in meekne&s;&s;e in&s;truct tho&s;e that are con|trary
minded,</HI> he &s;hould be thus cro&s;-interpreted, that the E&s;tates of tho&s;e who are
contrary minded, be fir&s;t &s;ecured or <HI>forborn,</HI> and then after a time quite taken a|way,
<HI>to in&s;truct them in meekne&s;&s;e,</HI> or how to bear patiently the lo&s;&s;e of the vain
and tran&s;itory riches of this world.</P>
<P>And now I humbly appeal to the honorable and learned <HI>Committee for Regu|lation
of the Law,</HI> whether (&s;ince all tho&s;e penalties which the rigorous humours
of former ages have, under pretence of zeal, impo&s;ed upon the Con&s;cience, are
either by di&s;u&s;e forgotten, or by expre&s;&s;e Act of Parliament revoked) the Papi&s;ts
alone &s;hould &s;till be continued under the &s;ame &s;everities, nay their burthens en|crea&s;ed
<PB N="31" REF="17">
by the &s;trange method of the new proceedings towards them, their Con|&s;ciences
being not only puni&s;hable to the Common way of indictment, but com|pellable
even to accu&s;e them&s;elves by the new Presbyterian Oath of <HI>Abjuration,</HI>
again&s;t the known Principles of the ancient and reverend Lawes of this Land.</P>
<P>And now with an humble confidence, I appeal to the renowned Parliament of
the Common-wealth of <HI>England,</HI> whether in this generall <HI>Goal-delivery</HI> of the
Con&s;cience from the tyranny and oppre&s;&s;ion of the Prelates, the con&s;ciences of
Papi&s;ts alone, ought &s;till to be kept in pri&s;on? Whether, when all the fetters,
which the Rigid Kirke&s;men had bought up in <HI>Scotland,</HI> are broken in pieces ju&s;t
as they were locking them fa&s;t about our Con&s;ciences in <HI>England,</HI> the Con&s;ciences
of Papi&s;ts alone ought &s;till to be continued in chains? Whether, when all the
Societies profe&s;&s;ing <HI>Christ Je&s;us,</HI> and living obediently to the Magi&s;trate, and
peaceably one with another, are protected in the quiet and unoffen&s;ive exerci&s;e of
their Con&s;ciences, the Papi&s;ts alone &s;hould be forced under the penalty of &s;o
great a ruine, not only to profe&s;&s;e, but &s;wear again&s;t their Con&s;ciences? A cour&s;e
that in a &s;hort time will unavoidably bring them either to ab&s;olute beggery, or,
which is wor&s;e, to hypocri&s;ie, or, which is wor&s;t of all, to perjury.</P>
<P>All the people of this Nation look upon you as their common father, all pro|mi&s;e
them&s;elves liberty and protection under your government, (though &s;ome
may ju&s;tly be excluded from &s;haring in the Government.) Were there in my
family one child that profe&s;t to find &s;atisfaction in the way of the Papi&s;ts, and
lived dutifully to me, and lovingly with with his brethren, I &s;hould account it a
great unnaturalne&s;&s;e to deprive him altogether of his portion, much more of that
which he has received from the bounty of any collateral kin&s;man, or acquired by
his own particular diligence and improvement; And though &s;ome Papi&s;ts have
heretofore been truly chargeable with heinous crimes again&s;t their Country, yet
why &s;hould our ju&s;tice over-reach to condemn all, for the offences of a few? if
they have formerly abetted competitors to the Crown, why &s;hould the puni&s;h|ments
&s;o long out-live the fault? certainly the Offendours being dead, their tre|&s;pa&s;&s;es
&s;hould rather be buried in their graves, and not like Gho&s;ts walk to af|fright
and pinch their children.</P>
<P>It is time we &s;hould now mix a little mercy to allay the fumes of &s;o much ju|&s;tice,
which otherwi&s;e will not a&s;cend to the Almighty's Throne in the odour of
&s;weetne&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>It is time we &s;hould begin to imitate the pattern, which our merciful God has
&s;et before us in his own practice, when he commanded the <HI>de&s;troying Angel to
&s;heath his &s;word,</HI> with this compa&s;&s;ionate Motto, <HI>It is enough.</HI></P>
<P>It is time we &s;hould begin to an&s;wer the bounty of our God, who has &s;o freely
given us the ble&s;&s;ings of 10 <HI>thou&s;and Talents,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 18. 23. 1 Kings 19. 11, 12.</NOTE> by freely forgiving our <HI>Fellow-&s;er|vants
the &s;mall &s;um of 100 pence.</HI> Let us invade, or &s;torme the Con&s;ciences of
our brethren; <HI>For the Lord was not in the great and &s;trong wind that rent the
Mountains, and brake in pieces the Rocks:</HI> Let us not &s;hake the inward peace of
any quiet and unoffen&s;ive Chri&s;tian; For <HI>the Lord was not in the Earth-quake:</HI>
Let us not kindle in our hearts a devouring flame of uncharitable zeal; <HI>for the
Lord was not in the fire:</HI> but let us compo&s;e our affections to the &s;oft and gentle
key of love, and mutuall forbearance; <HI>for the Lord was in the &s;till &s;mall voice.</HI>
Let us alwayes attend to this <HI>&s;till voice of the Lord,</HI> &s;peaking with us, <HI>do as you as
you would be done unto;</HI> let us alwayes attend to this <HI>&s;mall,</HI> but &s;weet <HI>voice of the
Lord,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 5. 44.</NOTE> calling upon us, <HI>love your enemies, ble&s;&s;e them that cur&s;e you, doe good to
them that hate you, and pray for them that despitefully u&s;e you, and per&s;ecute you,
<PB N="32" REF="18">
that you may be the children of your father which is in Heaven; for he maketh his
&s;un to ri&s;e on the evill, and on the good, and &s;endeth rain on the ju&s;t, and on the un|ju&s;t;
for if you love them which love you, what reward have you? do not even
the Publicans the &s;ame? and if you &s;alute your brethren onely, what do you more
than others? do not even the Publicans &s;o? be you therefore perfect, as your father
which is in Heaven, is perfect.</HI></P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="postscript">
<HEAD>POST-SCRIPT.</HEAD>
<P>IT was the will and providence of
the Lord (to who&s;e di&s;pen&s;ations
as well of Iu&s;tice as Mercy we
mu&s;t re&s;igne our little inter&s;ts) to
call me &s;uddenly into the Country
upon a &s;ad and mournful occa&s;ion,
which utterly defeated my purpo&s;e
of reviewing the&s;e few lines: And
therefore, after my humble&s;t &s;ub|mi&s;&s;ion
of them to the judgment of
the Supreme Authority, I am en|couraged
to pre&s;ume the Courteous
pardon of the Readers, e&s;pecially if
(&s;ince it is truly a kind of death to
me to live out of <HI>London</HI>) he will
plea&s;e to con&s;ider this as a po&s;thu|mous
Pamphlet, containing the &s;eri|ous
though indige&s;ted thoughts of</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Will. Birchley.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV2>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
