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1. FRiends, Is this Liberty of Conſcience, for which you ſo much contend, deſign'd only for Chriſtians, and perhaps Jews; or muſt it alſo be extended to Mahome
2. Muſt not the Indians, who worſhip the Devil, to keep him from doing them miſchief, come under the Wings of this your Chriſtian Liberty?
3. The Indians under the Spaniard, who complained, that they were not ſuffer'd to worſhip their Pagods once a year, when the Spaniards worſhip'd their Pagods every day: Had they not juſt Reaſon for their Complaint, as being debarr'd the Exerciſe of their Religion? And was it not ſtrange, that the Chriſtian Idolaters ſhould be to the Pagan Idolaters ſo harſh and rigorous, and ſhould thus diſturb and moleſt them in their way of Worſhip, being ſo like their own?
4. Are not the Laws of Carolina too ſtrait-laced in your Opinion, which tolerate only thoſe that believe a God: For perhaps you may think, that even profeſt Atheiſts may he uſeful Subjects, and fit to be employed by Princes?
5. Is not that which you call Liberty of Conſcience, in reality a general Licenſe for Blaſphemy and Idolatry? Or in words more at length, Do not you intend, that the groſſeſt Idolatries, and the moſt horrid Blaſphemies, ſhall have their free and full ſwing, without the leaſt Puniſhment or Reſtraint?
6. The Kings of Judah that beat down Idolatrous Worſhip, and who are vulgarly re
7. Friend Penn, Doſt thou believe in the Council of Lateran? If thou doſt not, thou art not ſo good a Catholick as ſome take thee to be?
8. Doth not a Decree of that Council oblige all good Catholicks to Extirpate Hereſie?
9. Is not then the Northern Hereſie to be Extirpated?
10. And is not all this pains taken for its Extirpation?
11. Can any thing free good Catholicks from the Obligation of that Decree, ſave only their want of Power to perform it?
12. When ever they get that Power, doth not the Obligation return?
13. Can you, with all your Skill, tye up a future Popiſh Parliament? I mean, King and Parliament?
14. Is not an immutable humane Law, a Monſter in Nature? And do not you dream, or would make us believe, that your Magna Charta ſhall be ſuch a Monſter?
15. Will not your Magna Charta be void from the beginning, if it want the Pope's Confirmation?
16. Doth not Contzen the Jeſuite, (a famous Writer of Church-Politicks) recommend Liberty of Conſcience, for a proper and effectual means, (as the Caſe may be) to propaRoman Catholick Faith? And can there be any Caſe more fit for it, than where the Papiſts are inferiour in Strength and Number, and Superiour in Favour?
17. Doth not Coleman in his Tryal deny that he ever deſign'd to bring in Popery by force, or any other way ſave only by a Toleration?
18. If all Sects have full Liberty, and one Sect have all the Favour and Preferment, will not that Sect ſoon out-grow and over-top the reſt? And will not all that are in Office, and all that expect or deſire to be, (that is, almoſt all the Men of Parts and In
19. Can you inform us of any Government, either paſt or preſent, wherein there are not ſome Qualifications required by Law, for thoſe that take Publick Offices and Em
20. If a Kingdom ſhould be in danger of being over run with Mahometaniſm, and to prevent it a Law were made, obliging all Publick Officers to make open profeſſion of the Chriſtian Faith, and ſolemnly to renounce the Alcoran, or ſome of the muddeſt Points of it; is not even this, in your Opinion, a Cramping and putting Tramells upon the Govern
21. Which ought to be eſteemed of greater Authority? The Opinion of Four men in Red Gowns (purged and garbled for the purpoſe, and having the Rod ſtill over their Backs) which aſſerts the Diſpenſing Power; or the declared Judgment of two Parliaments at leaſt, which denies it and damns it?
22. Were not thoſe four Men like the Speaking Head; and only ſeem'd to give a ſound to thoſe words, which were ſpoken in another Room? And were they not plainly at this Lock, Say as you are bid, or out you go, as others have gone before you?
23. Was not the Martyr a ſneaking Novice in the Art of Ranny-ty, when he labour'd the Judges underhand, and in the Caſe of Ship money? Whereas now things are carried openly and bravely?
24. Friends, Do you intend to have the Oath of Supremacy taken away among the other Teſts?
25. Is not this Oath a Civil Teſt, tho' it may ſeem in ſome ſort Religious? Since it is only a Renouncing of a Foreign Uſurped Power. And though this Power be Spiritual, yet it draws Temporals with it, and our Civil Liberties are concern'd; for we cannot pretend to Civil Liberty, if we are under Spiritual Bondage?
26. Is not the deſigning and endeavouring to enſlave Ones Country to a Foreign Uſur
27. Is it not juſt and neceſſary, that perſons who are openly carrying on a Deſign ſo Deſtructive, ſhould be excluded from all Publick Command and Authority; thereby to keep them from having power to accompliſh their wicked Intentions?
28. Should not a Promiſſory Clauſe be added to this Oath, whereby they that take it muſt ſolemnly Swear, That they will never promote the ſetting up, or reſtoring the Popes
29. Is it not the ſame thing in effect, to ſet up the Popes power and to put thoſe in Office and Authority that will? And is it not the ſame thing, to put Papiſts in Office and to make them capable? For if they be once made capable, will they not have all the Offi
30. Muſt not your Divine Magna Charta have a ſtanding Army of Mercenaries to ſup
31. Why are not our Civil Liberties a little in your thoughts, as well as the Liberties of Religion? Seeing without the former, the latter will not be long-lived? And why are you not likewiſe hammering a Magna Charta for the Corporations, to reſtore them to their ancient Freedome? For will not our Trade in a ſhort time decay, and at laſt be totally ruined, if our Corporations (that manage it) be enſlaved?
32. Doth not their Condition affect the whole Kingdom, ſince four parts of five of thoſe that Repreſent us in Parliament, are by them choſen?
33. What Shadow of Liberty have we left, if our Repreſentatives be not free? And how can theſe be free, if thoſe that chooſe them be at Will and Pleaſure, and in down-right Servitude?
34. Are they not like to be brave Champions for the Peoples Intereſt, when they can
35. Is not a Prince that makes Laws with a Parliament of his own Nomination, as ab
36. Is not our Conſtitution, and the frame of our Government, quite alter'd by this Helliſh Contivance? And are not the foundations of our Liberty totally ſubverted and de
37. Friends, is not your Magna Charta concern'd in theſe Matters? For
38. Will not the Parliament now coming, when they have taken away the Teſts and Penal Laws, be diſſolved ſoon after?
39. And will not the next Parliament after that, of at leaſt the Major part of it, (as Cor
40. What avails it to provide againſt undue Returns (which You, Friends, or ſome of your party have been weekly offering at) if we ſhall be certainly ruin'd in the Elections, they being in the hands of the Papiſts?
41. Do they not deſerve to be Hang'd for Fools, that cannot govern Elections, when they may put in and put out the Electors at their pleaſure?
42. Will it not therefore be a thing of no difficulty to eſtabliſh Popery by a Law? And then, will not your Magna Charta be damn'd much eaſier than it was made?
43. Though it be made unalterable by a Clauſe as ſtrong as can be devis'd, will they not firſt repeal that Clauſe, and then down goes Magna Charta?
44. Is it not the opinion of good Catholicks that no Faith is to be kept with Hereticks?
45. How can we rely upon that Mans Promiſes, who will be told by thoſe whom he muſt believe, that 'tis meritorious to break them, and damnation to keep them?
46. Were not He a rare Catholick indeed, who by ſparing and indulging Hereticks, whom he hates, would damn his own Soul?
47. Is it not alſo the opinion of good Catholicks, that Hereticks ought not to have comFrance, before they fell to Dragooning.
48. Will it not in a while be found expedient to revive the Writ de Haeretico comburendo? The poor Hereticks thought themſelves very cunning in taking away that Writ; as if the Catholicks could not reſtore it, when they have got the power.
49. Will not the Writ de Excommunicato capiendo do pretty well in the mean time? Since, they may with eaſe excommunicate all the Hereticks, and then lay them in Jayl, Which is a moſt as good as Hanging or Burning them. And now we talk of Jayls,
50. Is not the Habeas Corpus Act a Cramping and Tramelling of the Government, and therefore fit to be graciouſly diſpens'd with? Or to ſave that labour, will not the Parliament that repeals the Teſts, repeal that Act likewiſe, with all other Acts of the like nature?
51. Would it not be a brave Exchange, if they that ſet up the new Magna Charta, ſhould give up the Old one?
52. Can it in good ſadneſs be reaſonably expected, that a religious and devoted Prince, ſhould draw the guilt of Sacriledge upon his own Head, by not reſtoring Abbey Lands when it ſhall be in his power to do it? And will not the Directors of his Conſcience be ſure to mind him of it, and put it home to him?
53. Will not the thing in a very ſhort time be clearly in his power: and be eaſily ac
54. Muſt we not therefore have three Parliaments yet, to compleat our Happineſs? One to repeal the Teſts and Penal Laws, another to eſtabliſh Popery, and the third to reſtore Church Lands. And hath not the laſt Parliament, which gave the money, thereby in effect done all the reſt.
55. When theſe things are finiſht, will there be any further need of Parliaments? Will not a Standing Army ſupply their place? And may we not hope for the felicities of a French Government?
56. Since this French Government is already ſet up in New England, why ſhould we not have it here? And is it not a good ſign that in due time we may have it?
57. Had not all theſe good Works been finiſhed long ſince, if a certain late Indian King had not been a great ſluggard and Coward: And ſuffer'd himſelf to be ſo baſely baffled out of his Declarations of Indulgence? For which his Soul might have roar'd in Purgatory to this day, if his Holineſs had not ſtood his Friend.
Here I thought to have ended: but another Queſtion crouds in, and I cannot keep it back.
58. If other means prove ineffectual, will it not be convenient (for the quicker diſpatch of Hereticks) to diſpenſe with the Penal Laws againſt Murder, that ſo they may be taken off, without the dull formalities of Law?