Page images
PDF
EPUB

Under Colour of a Zeal towards you, Men may fometimes act not only with Impunity but Popularity, what would render them, with. out that Hypocrifie, infufferably odious to their Fellow Subjects.

Under this Pretence Men may prefume to practife fuch Arts for the Deftruction and Difhonour of their Country, as it would be impious to make ufe of even for its Glory and Safety Men may do in the highest Prosperity, what it would not be excufable to attempt under the lowest Neceffity!

The Laws of our Country, the Powers of the Legiflature, the Faith of Nations, and the Honour of God, may be too weak Confiderations to bear up against the popular, tho' groundless Cry of the Church. This fatal Prepoffeffion may fhelter Men in raifing the French Name and Roman Catholick Intereft in Great Britain, and confequently in all Europe.

It behoves you therefore, Gentlemen, to confider, whether the Cry of the Church's Danger may not at length become a Truth: And as you are Men of Senfe and Men of Honour, to exert your felves in undeceiving the Multitude, whenever their affectionate Concern for you may prove fatal to themselves.

You are furrounded by a learned, wealthy, and knowing Gentry, who can distinguish your Merit, and do Honour to your Characters. They know with what Firmness as Englishmen, with what Self-Denial as Prelates, with what Charity as Chriftians, the Lords the Bishops, Fathers of the Church, have behaved themselves in the Publick Caufe: They know what Con tumelies the reft of the Clergy have undergone,

what

what Difcountenance they have laboured under, what Prejudice they have fuffered in their Miniftry, who have adhered to the Caufe of Truth: But it is certain that the Face of things is now too melancholy to bear any longer falfe Appearances; and common Danger has united Men, who not long ago were artfully inflamed against each other, into fome Regard of their common Safety.

When the World is in this Temper, those of our Paftors, whofe exemplary Lives and charitable Difpofitions both adorn and advance our holy Religion, will be the Objects of our Love and Admiration; and those who pursue the Gratifications of Pride, Ambition, and Avarice, under the facred Character of Clergymen, will not fail to be our Contempt and Derifion.

Noife and Wrath cannot always pafs for Zeal; and if we fee but little of the publick Spirit of Englishmen or the Charity of Chriftians in others, it is certain we can feel but little of the Pleafure of Love and Gratitude, and but faint Emotions of Refpect and Ve neration in our felves.

It will be an Action worthy the Ministers of the Church of England, to diftinguish themfelves for the Love of their Country; and as we have a Religion that wants no Affistance from Artifice or Enlargement of Secular Power, but is well fupported by the Wisdom and Pie-ty of its Preachers, and its own native Truth, to let Mankind fee that we have a Clergy who are of the People, obedient to the fame Laws, and zealous not only of the Supremacy and Prerogative of our Princes, but of the Liber

ties of their Fellow-Subjects: This will make us who are Your Flock burn with Joy to fee, and with Zeal to imitate your Lives and Actions. It cannot be expected but that there will be, in fo great a Body, light, fuperficial, vain, and ambitious Men, who being untouched with the fublime Force of the Gospel, will think it their Intereft to infinuate Jealoufies between the Clergy and Laity, in Hopes to derive from their Order a Veneration which they know they cannot deferve from their Virtue. But while the moft worthy, confpicuous, learned, and powerful of your facred Function are moved by the noble and generous Incentives of doing Good to the Souls of Men, we will not doubt of feeing by your Miniftry the Love of our Country, due Regard for our Laws and Liberties, and Refentment for the Abuse of Truth, revive in the Hearts of Men. And as there are no Inftruments under Heaven fo capable of this great Work, that God would make you fuch to this divided Nation, is the hearty Prayer of,

Gentlemen,

Your moft Dutiful,

and moft Obedient

Humble Servant,

RICHARD STEEL E.

PREFACE.

Never faw an unruly Crowd of People cool

I by Degrees into Temper, but it gave me an

Idea of the Original of Power and the Nature of Civil Inftitutions. One particular Man has ufually in thofe Cafes, from the Dignity of his Appearance, or other Qualities known or i magined by the Multitude, been received into Sudden Favour and Authority; the Occafion of their Difference has been represented to him, and the Matter referred to bis Decifion.

This first Step towards acting reasonably has brought them to themselves; and when the Perfon, by an Appeal to whom they firft were taken out of Confufion, was gone from amongst them, they have calmly taken further Measures from a Senfe of their common Good.

Abfolute unlimited Power in one Perfon feems to have been the first and natural Recourfe of Mankind from Disorder and Rapine; and fuch a Government must be acknowledged to be better than no Government at all: But all Refrictions of Power made by Laws and Participation of Sovereignty among several Perfons, are apparent Improvements made upon what began in that unlimited Power. This is what Seems reasonable to common Sense; and the Manner of maintaining abfolute Dominion in one Perfon, where

where-ever it fubfifts, verifies the Obfervation: For the Subjection of the People to fuch Authority is Supported only by Terrors, fudden and private Executions, and Imprisonments; and not as with happy Britons, by the Fudgment, in Cafes of Liberty and Property, of the Peers, and Neighbours of Men accused or profecuted. This abfolute Power in one Perfon, as it is ge nerally exercifed, is not indeed Government, but at beft clandeftine Tyranny, supported by the Confederates, or rather Favourite-Slaves of the Tyrant.

I was glad to find this natural Sense of Power -confirmed in me by very great and good Men, who have made Government, and the Principles on which it is founded, their professed Study and Meditation.

A very celebrated Author has thefe Words;

The Cafe of Man's Nature ftanding as it does, fome kind of Regiment the Law of Nature doth require; yet the kinds thereof being many, Nature tieth not to any one, but leaveth the Choice as a thing arbitrary. At the first, when fome certain kind of Regiment was once approved, it may be that nothing was then further thought upon for the Manner of governing, but all permitted unto their Wirdom and Difcretion which were to rule, 'till by Experience they found this for all Parts very inconvenient, fo as the thing which they had devised for a Remedy did indeed but increase the Sore which it should have cured. They faw that to live by one Man's Will became the Caufe of all Mens Mifery. This conftrained them to come unto Laws, wherein all Men might fee their Duties before

hand,

« PreviousContinue »