I Wonder mightily at the News you ſend me, that ſo many of the Town are averſe to the Repeal of the Penal Statutes; ſurely you mean the Clergy of the preſent Church, and thoſe that are Zealous for their Dignity and Power: For what part of the Kingdom has felt the Smart of them more, and at all times, and on all occaſions repreſented their miſcheif to the Trade, Peace, Plenty and Wealth of the Kingdom, ſo freely as the Town has always done? But you unfold the Riddle to me, when you tell me, 'tis for fear of Popery, tho I own to you, I cannot comprehend it, any more then you do Tranſubſtantiation: For that we ſhould be afraid of Popery for the ſake of Liberty, and then afraid of it becauſe of Perſecution, ſeems to me abſurd, as it is, that Liberty ſhould be thought the high way to Perſecution. But becauſe they are upon their fears, pray let me tell you mine, and take them among the reſt in good part.

If the Romaniſts ſeek eaſe by Law, 'tis an Argument to me they deſire to turn good Countrymen, and take the Law for their Security, with the reſt of their Neighbours; and a greater Complement they cannot put upon our Engliſh Conſtitution, nor give a better pledge of their deſires to be at peace with us. But if we are ſo Tenacious as we will keep on foot the greateſt blemiſh of our Reformation, viz. our Hanging, Qua tering, Plunder Baniſhing Laws; Is it not turning them out of this quiet courſe, and telling them if they will have eaſe, they muſt get it as they can, for we will never conceed it? And pray tell me if this be not thruſting them upon the methods we fear they will take, at the ſame time that we give that, for the reaſon why we do ſo.

If Law can ſecure us, which is the plea that is made, we may doubtleſs find an expedient in that which may repeal theſe, if the danger be not of Liberty it ſelf, but of our looſing it by them at laſt; for there is no michief the wit of man can invent, that the wit of man cannot avoid. But that which I confeſs makes me melancholy, is, that methinks we never made more haſte to be couſ • ned; no not in the buſineſs of the Declaration of Indulgence, when in the name of Property that was actually damn'd, which at leaſt reprieved it; and the price the Church of England gave for it, viz. her promiſe of a legal caſe, actually failed us: For inſtead of ſaving our ſelves from Popery, we are by theſe partialities provoking it every day, and methinks fooliſhly for our own ſafety; becauſe there can be no other end in doing ſo, then ſecuring that Party which calls it ſelf the Church of England, that is in her Conſtitution none of the beſt Friends to Property; for mens Liberties and Eſtates are by her Laws made forfeitable for Non-conformity to Her: And I Challenge the Records of all time ſince Popery got the Chair in England, to produce an eight part of the Laws, to ruin men for Conſcience, that have been made ſince the other has been the national Religion, which is, I ſay, a ſcandal to the Reformation.

She ſays, ſhe is afraid of Popery, becauſe of its Violence, and yet uſes Force to compel it; Is not this reſiſting Popery with Popery? which we call loving the Treaſon but ha • ing the Traytor: She would have Power to Fo • ce or Deſtroy others, but they ſhould not have Power to Force or Deſtroy her, no not to ſave themſelves: Shift the hand never ſo often, this Weapon is ſtill the ſame. 'Twere happy therefore that all Parties were diſarm'd of this Sword, and that it were put where it ought only to be, in the Civil Magiſtrates hand, to terifie Evil Doers, and cheriſh thoſe that do well, remember • ng St Peter's ſaying (in Cornelius's caſe) for an Example, I perceive now of a truth that God is no reſpecter of Perſons, but thoſe that fear him, and work Righteouſneſs in all Nations ſhall be accepted: Elſe what ſecurity does the Church of England give to the great body of her Diſſenters, that ſhe will not do what ſhe fears from Popery, when ſhe has a Prince of her own Religion upon the Throne, that has made ſo fair a Progreſs theſe laſt ſix and twenty Years in ruining families, for non-conformity under Princes of an other Perſwaſion. Come, Intereſt will not lye, ſhe fears Liberty, as much as Popery: Since thoſe that want, and plead for the one, are an hundred times more in number then the Friends of the other, and all of her ſide, that Popery ſhould not mount the Chair: So that ſhe would get more then ſhe would loſe by the Repeal, if an equal deſire to ſubject both Popiſh and Proteſtant Diſſenters to her Power and Government be not the Principle ſhe walks by in her preſent Averſion.

And to ſhew you that this is the caſe, and that her averſion to Popery is a ſham to the Liberty deſired, the Diſſenters are of no uſe to her, while the penal Laws are on foot; for by them they are put in the power of a Prince of the Religion of the Church ſhe fears; but the moment they are repealed, ſo far as concerns the preventing Popery to be national, the Diſſenters are equally intereſted with the Church of England againſt it. But then here is the miſchief; This Liberty takes the Rod out of her hand; ſhe can no more whip People into her Churches, and ſhe perhaps may modeſtly ſuſpect her own vertue and ability to preach them thither.

In ſhort, if ſhe were in earneſt againſt Popery, more then in love with her own Power and Grandure; that is, if the World were not in the way, ſhe would rejoyce to deliver Men of her own Religion, that are ſo much more numerous then the Papiſts, that they might ballance againſt her fears of their prevailing: But to cry ſhe is for Liberty to Proteſtant Diſſenters, and make the demonſtration of it, her keeping up the Laws that ruin them, and then ſay it is for fear of the Religion the Prince owns, and yet force them into his hands by doing ſo, is, I muſt confeſs, ſomething incomprehenſible.

Beſides, properly and naturally ſpeaking, the Church of England is the People of England, and when its apply'd to a Party, 'tis a Faction to the whole; and that Title has no more Truth in it, then 'tis ſence to ſay the Roman Catholick Church, which in Engliſh, is a particular Univerſal Church: And pray is there no room left to conſider this hard caſe of the Kingdom? I hope the civil Magiſtrate will, who is the ſupream Paſtor of this civil Church on Earth. Is ſhe then no more then a Party? no certainly. and how great a one, a true Liberty of Conſcience would beſt tell us, and that is the true reaſon, and not Popery, that ſhe is tender in the point.

I conclude then, that whilſt thoſe of that Religion only deſire to be upon the Level with others; I mean upon Native Rights, the Great Charter, what we all of us call, our Birth-right, let us not refuſe it, leſt God ſuffer them to prevail to curb our partiallity. There are Laws enough to puniſh Offenders againſt the State, if theſe were repealed, and not condemn People by Anticipation. That Law which catches a Proteſtant, will catch a Papiſh Traytor, Riotor or ſeditious Perſon. Again, let us reflect, that we have a Prince of Age, and more honour; the proſpect of three excellent Princes of the Proteſtant Religion, the paucity of the Papiſts, the number of the Enemies of their Commnion, their unity in that averſion: what greater ſecurity can we have in the World? Policy, Honour, Religion, Number, Vnity, • ay, Neceſſity too, conſpire to make us ſafe: for all theſe are concerned in the means of our preſervation; unleſs our fears and our follies ſhould prevail: which I confeſs I apprehend moſt; for they will be deſerted of God, that forſake him and themſelves too; who dare do a certain evil that a ſuppoſed good may come of it, contradict their own Principles deny what they expect, ſow what they would not reap, do to others what they would not that others ſhould do to them: But there is a God in Heaven, and he is juſt: He will meet to us what we meaſure to one another, and his Judgment is inevitable. I therefore adviſe the Church of England to be as ready in her Chriſtian complyances as is poſſible: Firſt, becauſe it is impious to keep up diſtroying Laws for Religion, when her Saviour tells her upon this very Queſtion, That he came not to deſtroy mens lives but to ſave them. Secondly, Becauſe by this ſhe will wipe off rhe Reproach ſhe throws by continuing them, upon her own Apologies for Liberty of Conſcience, when under the wheel of Power. Thirdly, Becauſe Liberty to the Papiſts by Law, is bringing them into the legal intereſt of the Kingdom, and will prevent the force, they may elſe be driven to, by being made and left deſperate: For 'its not to be thought they will willingly pay the reckoning in another Reign, if by any means they can prevent it; and keeping up the penal Laws can be no ſecurity to the Church of England from ſuch attempts, though they may provoke them upon her. Fourthly, She hereby ſaves her diſſenters; and if it be really her inclination to do ſo, ſhe has no other way, and this unites them to her in affection and intereſt, if not in Worſhip. But if on the contrary ſhe perſiſts obſtinately to refuſe this national paciffick; the diſſenters, I hope, will conſider their honeſt Intereſt, Conſcience and Property, and imbrace thoſe oppertunities to ſecure them, that God in his all-wiſe providence is pleaſed to yield them in this conjuncture. Thus Gentlemen, you have my thoughts upon your News, pray communicate them to our acquantance, and believe that I am, Yours, &c.