fubdue their Opponents? Will you not at leaft have the Senfe of the Convocation, now Sitting, before you take Measures to the Impeachment of their Reputation as Cafuifts?

But to use Force is not the way to fubdue them; it is against Nature and common Sense to think they are to be gained by fuch Methods. Good-will opens the way to Men's Hearts, and the Toleration has thinned Presbyterian Affemblies more than any rigid Means could e ver have done. No Man is perfuaded by him who hates him, but all are eafily prevailed upon by thofe who love 'em. The Diffenters are quite another kind of People, than they were before the Toleration. By this Indulgence to them, it is a known Obfervation, that they are brought into the Methods of Life in common with the beft and moft polite People, and Crowds of the Generations which have grown up under the Toleration have conformed to the Church, from the Humanity of that Law. The Fathers of Families have, perhaps, found fome Pain in retracting their Errors, and in going into new Communities and Converfations; but we fee thousands connive at the Conformity of their Children, the Parents have been fecretly pleafed at their Sliding into that Oeconomy, for which the Fear of the Imputation of Selfintereft, or Apoftacy, prevented them in their Perfons to declare.

And yet all of a fudden, without any manner of Provocation, a Million of her Majesty's Subjects are to have the Law, by which they enjoy the dearest Bleffings of Life, taken from them. An Act that will certainly gain to us all that are not worth having, and make thofe who,

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who are animated by Virtue and Piety more averfe to us. They will have a jufter Exception against us from this very A& than they had before. Kind Treatment every Day brought new Profelytes amongst us, and they were infenfibly wrought into our Sentiments; but either as Men, or as Christians, they must abhor the thought of adhering to us out of Fear. This Motive is in it felf a faulty one, for refigning not only any Tenet of Religion, but of common Obligation. Paffive Obedience is faid to be a Doctrine of the Church of England, but it is a terrible Article to be made the first in the Catechifm, as it would be to those who are to come in upon Compulfion.

When we confider the putting this Law in Execution, there cannot be a more pleasant Image prefented to the Imagination, than a poor Schifmatick School-Miftrefs brought before a zealous angry Squire for tranfgreffing this A&t, and teaching one Presbyterian, yet little more than an Animal, in what the Letter D differed from the Letter B ; maliciously infinuating to another Schifmatick aged five Years old, without Licence from the Ordinary, that is round; and not contenting her felf with meerly fhowing to the faid Schifmaticks the Letters of a certain Book covered with Horn; but inftructing the faid Hereticks to put them together, and make Words of them; as appears by the Affidavit of one who heard one Infant Schifmatick fay, of, of, another b, ob. Prodigious! that a Church adorned with fo many Excellent and Learned Members, fupplied by two famous Univerfities, both endowed with ample Revenues, Im

munities,

munities, and Jurifdictions, thould be affronted with the offer of being reinforced with Penal Laws against the Combination of Women and Children! You might with the fame Propriety provide against Schifmatick Nurfes.

This Act feems fuch a Violation of Natural Juftice, that it may be made a Question whether it ought to oblige, after it is enacted. I am fure it is fuch, that if the Diffenters are to confider whether they will obey it, or fly into another Nation, they muft chufe the latter; and Lands untenanted, or Tenants difabled by the lofs of half a Million of People, will be fenfibly felt by the Incumbents on fmall Livings. Now I have mentioned finall Livings, Why does no Body reprefent, that in Wales, and fome Parts of England, Men in Holy Orders are forced to fublift with an Income below that of DayLabourers? Why do not you, while you are courting the Clergy, help this Particular? If you go on in fuch Defigns as thefe, will it not fuffice? No: This would be nothing but Charity and Piety, and would carry no Point for thofe of the Clergy who affect Power and Grandeur, and lend the Word Church to promote Secular Ends, to the Difparagement of God's Holy Word, of which they are unworthy Difpenfers.

It is poffible Bishops that are given to Preaching, and Minifters who are in earnest in their facred Calling, would be enough obliged by fuch A&s in favour of their Indigent Brethren; but what would that do towards pulling down what they call the Faction? Godly Clergymen can't do that Service which is neceffary'; Self denial, Meeknefs and Charity are too flow

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flow Inftruments for Men of Difpatch and Bufinefs.

But it is to be hoped the Fallacy of ufing the Pretence of the Church in Cafes which are fo far from promoting Religion, that they fcandalize and difparage it, will be thoroughly understood, before fuch a deftructive Bill, as this, can go through any Part of the Legislature; tho' if it thou'd, it is still to be hoped Her Majefty will confirm to her felf the Love and Affection of all who have a true Sense of Religion, by rejecting a Bill fo terrible to fcrupulous Confciences, and which can be serviceable to none but fuch as have no Senfe of Confcience at all, fuch as have so entirely forgot ten what it is that they have no Notion of the Compunctions it may give others.

No Man can exert himself on a more worthy, or more important Occafion, than in Oppofition to this Bill; and if it is at last rejected by Her Majefty, fhe will do as great a Service to true Piety, and the Interefts of the Church, as Queen Efther did, when the averted the Extirpation of the Jews.

He that will in the leaft reflect, can have no room to believe, that the Intereft of Religion can be advanced by this Bill. Therefore as it cannot truly concern the Church to have it take place, let us fee a little how the paffing of it into a Law would be U feful to the State.

The great Points to be confidered at this Jun&ture in debating on any publick Circumftance, is how the Matter before us will regard the Houfe of Hanover, or the Pretender.

It has been already obferved, that this Proceeding against our Proteftant Brethren may be

a

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a fatal Example to the Roman Catholick World, to join its whole Force to fupprefs Us.

If we look upon the Places diftant from the Court: We have undoubted Intelligence, that there are Men carried away every Day out of Ireland for the Service of the Chevalier at Barle-Duc: That feveral of the Clans in Scotland feem to expect with impatience his Arrival in that Part of the Kingdom, in Hopes of Ravaging. the Eftates of Gentlemen, remarkable for their Zeal to the Houfe of Hanover. If you please to confult the Members for that Part of Britain, they will not diffemble their Fears on this Oca cafion. This Pretender himself is ftill at Barle-Duc, notwithstanding the repeated Inftances. to remove him; and the King of France, his ancient Friend and Patron, is fo little careful to manage it decently towards Us, that he does not only fuffer him to ftay at Bar-le-Duc, but in further Contempt of us, the Great Monarch is building an Harbour at Mardyke, to ferve in the fame ftead that Dunkirk did hereto fore.

Now when there are these melancholy Profpects before our Eyes; when no one of the Fa-mily of Hanover, tho' long expected, is yet arrived in this Kingdom; and when many Weak. People are under ftrange Apprehenfions, be caufe the Proclamation for bringing the Pretender to Justice, in case he should Land here, is put off; I fay, when many things pafs every Day on which Jacobites make Reflections to their own Advantage, and ordinary People, who cannot judge of Reafons of State, put all these things together, it creates in them a Chagrin and Uneafinefs, which will be migh

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tily