THE SHORTEST-WAY WITH THE DISSENTERS, &c.

SIR Roger L'Eſtrange tell us a Story in his Collection of Fables, of the Cock and the Horſes. The Cock was gotten to Rooſt in the Stable, among the Horſes, and there be⯑ing no Racks, or other Conveniencies for him, it ſeems, he was forc'd to rooſt upon the Ground; the Horſes joſtling about for room, and putting the Cock in danger of his Life, he gives them this grave Advice; Pray Gentlefolks let us ſtand ſtill, for fear we ſhould tread upon one another.

[2]THERE are ſome People in the World, who now they are unpearcht, and reduc'd to an E⯑quality with other People, and under ſtrong and very juſt Apprehenſions of being further treat⯑ed as they deſerve, begin with Aeſop's-Cock, to Preach up Peace and Union, and the Chriſtian Duties of Moderation, forgetting, that when they had the Power in their Hands, thoſe Graces were Strangers in their Gates.

It is now near Fourteen Years, that the Glo⯑ry and Peace of the pureſt and moſt flouriſhing Church in the World has been Ecclips'd, Buf⯑fetted, and Diſturb'd, by a ſort of Men, who God in his Providence has ſuffer'd to inſult o⯑ver her, and bring her down; theſe have been the Days of her Humiliation and Tribulation: She has born with an invincible Patience the Re⯑proach of the Wicked, and God has at laſt heard her Prayers, and deliver'd her from the Oppreſſion of the Stranger.

And now they find their Day is over, their Power gone, and the Throne of this Nation poſ⯑ſeſt by a Royal, Engliſh, True, and ever Con⯑ſtant Member of, and Friend to the Church of England. Now they find that they are in danger of the Church of England's juſt Reſent⯑ments; [3] now they cry out Peace, Ʋnion, Forbear⯑ance, and Charity, as if the Church had not too long harbour'd her Enemies under her Wing, and nouriſh'd the viperous Brood, till they hiſs and fly in the Face of the Mother that cheriſh'd them.

No Gentlemen, the Time of Mercy is paſt, your Day of Grace is over; you ſhou'd have practis'd Peace, and Moderation, and Charity, if you ex⯑pected any your ſelves.

We have heard none of this Leſſon for Four⯑teen Years paſt: We have been huff'd and bul⯑ly'd with your Act of Tolleration; you have told us that you are the Church eſtabliſh'd by Law, as well as others; have ſet up your Canting-Synagogues at our Church-Doors, and the Church and her Members have been loaded with Re⯑proaches, with Oaths, Aſſociations, Abjurations, and what not; where has been the Mercy, the Forbearance, the Charity you have ſhewn to ten⯑der Conſciences of the Church of England, that cou'd not take Oaths as faſt as you made 'em; that having ſworn Allegiance to their lawful and rightful King, cou'd not diſpence with that Oath, their King being ſtill alive, and ſwear to your new Hodge-podge of a Dutch-Government. [4] Theſe ha' been turn'd out of their Livings, and they and their Families left to ſtarve; their E⯑ſtates double Tax'd, to carry on a War they had no Hand in, and you got nothing by: What Account can you give of the Multitudes you have forc'd to comply, againſt their Conſciences, with your new ſophiſtical Politicks, who like the new Converts in France, Sin becauſe they can't Starve. And now the Tables are turn'd upon you, you muſt not be Perſecuted, 'tis not a Chri⯑ſtian Spirit.

You have Butcher'd one King, Depos'd another King, and made a mock King of a Third; and yet you cou'd have the Face to expect to be employ'd and truſted by the Fourth; any body that did not know the Temper of your Party, wou'd ſtand amaz'd at the Impudence, as well as Folly, to think of it.

Your Management of your Dutch Monarch, whom you reduc'd to a meer King of Cl—s, is enough to give any future Princes ſuch an Idea of your Principles, as to warn them ſufficiently from coming into your Clutches; and God be thank'd, the Queen is out of your Hands, knows you, and will have a care of you.

[5]There is no doubt but the ſupreme Autho⯑rity of a Nation has in its ſelf a Power, and a Right to that Power, to execute the Laws upon any Part of that Nation it governs. The exe⯑cution of the known Laws of the Land, and that with but a weak and gentle Hand neither, was all that the phanatical Party of this Land have ever call'd Perſecution; this they have magnifi⯑ed to a height, that the Sufferings of the Hugonots in France were not to be compar'd with— Now to execute the known Laws of a Nation upon thoſe who tranſgreſs them, after having firſt been voluntarily conſenting to the making thoſe Laws, can never be call'd Per⯑ſecution, but Juſtice. But Juſtice is always Violence to the Party offending, for every Man is Innocent in his own Eyes. The firſt execution of the Laws againſt Diſſenters in England, was in the Days of King James the Firſt; and what did it amount to, truly, the worſt they ſuffer'd, was at their own requeſt, to let them go to New-England, and erect a new Collony, and give them great Privileges, Grants, and ſuitable Pow⯑ers, keep them under Protection, and defend them againſt all Invaders, and receive no Taxes or Revenue from them. This was the cruelty [6] of the Church of England, fatal Lenity! 'Twas the ruin of that excellent Prince, King Charles the Firſt. Had King James ſent all the Puritans in England away to the Weſt-Indies, we had been a national unmix'd Church; the Church of Eng⯑land had been kept undivided and entire.

To requite the Lenity of the Father, they take up Arms againſt the Son; Conquer, Pur⯑ſue, Take, Impriſon, and at laſt put to Death the anointed of God, and Deſtroy the very Being and Nature of Government, ſetting up a ſordid Impoſtor, who had neither Title to Govern, nor Underſtanding to Manage, but ſupplied that want with Power, bloody and deſperate Councils and Craft, without Conſcience.

Had not King James the Firſt witheld the full execution of the Laws; had he given them ſtrict Juſtice, he had clear'd the Nation of them, and the Conſequences had been plain; his Son had never been murther'd by them, nor the Monar⯑chy overwhelm'd; 'twas too much Mercy ſhewn them, was the ruin of his Poſterity, and the ruin of the Nation's Peace. One would think the Diſſenters ſhould not have the Face to believe that we are to be wheedl'd and canted into Peace and Toleration, when they know that they [7] have once requited us with a civil War, and once with an intollerable and unrighteous Perſe⯑cution for our former Civillity.

Nay, to encourage us to be Eaſy with them, 'tis apparent, that they never had the Upper-hand of the Church, but they treated her with all the Severity, with all the Reproach and Con⯑tempt as was poſſible: What Peace, and what Mercy did they ſhew the Loyal Gentry of the Church of England in the time of their Trium⯑phant Common-wealth? How did they put all the Gentry of England to ranſom, whether they were actually in Arms for the King or not, making People compound for their Eſtates, and ſtarve their Families? How did they treat the Clergy of the Church of England, ſequeſter'd the Miniſters, devour'd the Patrimony of the Church, and divided the Spoil, by ſharing the Church-Lands among their Soldiers, and turning her Clergy out to ſtarve; juſt ſuch Meaſure as they have mete, ſhou'd be meaſur'd to them again.

Charity and Love is the known Doctrine of the Church of England, and 'tis plain ſhe has put it in practice towards the Diſſenters, even beyond what they ought, till ſhe has been want⯑ing to her ſelf, and in effect, unkind to her [8] own Sons; particularly, in the too much Leni⯑ty of King James the Firſt, mentioned before, had he ſo rooted the Puritans from the Face of the Land, which he had an opportunity ear⯑ly to ha' done, they had not the Power to vex the Church, as ſince they have done.

IN the Days of King Charles the Second, how did the Church reward their bloody Do⯑ings with Lenity and Mercy, except the barbar⯑ous Regicides of the pretended Court of Juſtice; not a Soul ſuffer'd for all the Blood in an un⯑natural War: King Charles came in all Mer⯑cy and Love, cheriſh'd them, preferr'd them, employ'd them, witheld the rigour of the Law, and oftentimes, even againſt the Advice of his Parliament, gave them liberty of Conſcience; and how did they requite him with the vil⯑lainous Contrivance to Depoſe and Murther him and his Succeſſor at the Rye-Plot.

KING James, as if Mercy was the inhe⯑rent Quality of the Family, began his Reign with unuſual Favour to them: Nor could their join⯑ing with the Duke of Monmouth againſt him, move him to do himſelf Juſtice upon them; but that miſ⯑taken [9] Prince thought to win them by Gentle⯑neſs and Love, proclaim'd an univerſal Liberty to them, and rather diſcountenanc'd the Church of England than them; how they requited him all the World knows.

THE late Reign is too freſh in the Me⯑mory of all the World to need a Comment; how under Pretence of joining with the Church in redreſſing ſome Grievances, they puſht things to that extremity, in conjunction with ſome miſ⯑taken Gentlemen, as to Depoſe the late King, as if the Grievance of the Nation cou'd not ha' been redreſs'd but by the abſolute ruin of the Prince: Here's an Inſtance of their Temper, their Peace, and Charity. To what height they carried themſelves during the Reign of a King of their own; how they crope into all Places of Truſt and Profit; how they inſinuated into the Favour of the King, and were at firſt pre⯑ferr'd to the higheſt Places in the Nation; how they engroſt the Miniſtry, and above all, how pitifully they Manag'd, is too plain to need any Remarks.

[10]BUT particularly, their Mercy and Chari⯑ty, the Spirit of Union, they tell us ſo much of, has been remarkable in Scotland, if any Man wou'd ſee the Spirit of a Diſſenter, let him look into Scotland; there they made an entire Conqueſt of the Church, trampled down the ſacred Orders, and ſuppreſt the Epiſcopal Go⯑vernment, with an abſolute, and as they ſup⯑poſe, irretrievable Victory, tho', 'tis poſſible, they may find themſelves miſtaken: Now 'twou'd be a very proper Queſtion to ask their Impudent Advocate, the Obſervator, Pray how much Mercy and Favour did the Members of the Epiſcopal Church find in Scotland, from the Scotch Pres⯑byterian-Government; and I ſhall undertake for the Church of England, that the Diſſenters ſhall ſtill receive as much here, tho' they deſerve but little.

In a ſmall Treatiſe of the Sufferings of the Epiſcopal Clergy in Scotland, 'twill appear, what Uſage they met with, how they not only loſt their Livings, but in ſeveral Places, were plun⯑der'd and abus'd in their Perſons; the Mini⯑ſters that cou'd not conform, turn'd out, with numerous Families, and no Maintenance, and hardly Charity enough left to relieve them with [11] a bit of Bread; and the Cruelties of the Party are innumerable, and not to be attempted in this ſhort Piece.

And now to prevent the diſtant Cloud which they perceiv'd to hang over their Heads from England; with a true Presbyterian Policy, they put in for a union of Nations, that England might unite their Church with the Kirk of Scot⯑land, and their Presbyterian Members ſit in our Houſe of Commons, and their Aſſembly of Scotch canting Long-Cloaks in our Convocation; what might ha' been, if our Phanatick, Whiggiſh-States-men had continu'd, God only knows; but we hope we are out of fear of that now.

'Tis alledg'd by ſome of the Faction, and they began to Bully us with it; that if we won't unite with them, they will not ſettle the Crown with us again, but when her Majeſty dies, will chuſe a King for themſelves.

If they won't, we muſt make them, and 'tis not the firſt time we have let them know that we are able: The Crowns of theſe Kingdoms have not ſo far diſowned the right of Succeſ⯑ſion, but they may retrieve it again, and if Scotland thinks to come off from a Succeſſive to an Elective State of Government, England [12] has not promiſed not to aſſiſt the right Heir, and put them into poſſeſſion, without any re⯑gard to their ridiculous Settlements.

THESE are the Gentlemen, theſe their ways of treating the Church, both at home and abroad. Now let us examine the Reaſons they pretend to give why we ſhou'd be favourable to them, why we ſhould continue and tolle⯑rate them among us.

Firſt, THEY are very Numerous, they ſay, they are a great Part of the Nation, and we cannot ſuppreſs them.

To this may be anſwer'd 1. THEY are not ſo Numerous as the Proteſtants in France, and yet the French King effectually clear'd the Nation of them at once, and we don't find he miſſes them at home.

But I am not of the Opinion they are ſo Numerous as is pretended; their Party is more Numerous than their Perſons, and thoſe miſtaken People of the Church, who are miſled and de⯑luded by their wheedling Artifices, to join with them, make their Party the greater; but thoſe [13] will open their Eyes, when the Government ſhall ſet heartily about the work, and come off from them, as ſome Annimals, which they ſay, always deſert a Houſe when 'tis likely to fall.

2dly. The more Numerous, the more Danger⯑ous, and therefore the more need to ſuppreſs them; and God has ſuffer'd us to bear them as Goads in our ſides, for not utterly extinguiſhing them long ago.

3dly. If we are to allow them, only becauſe we cannot ſuppreſs them, then it ought to be tryed whether we can or no; and I am of Opinion 'tis eaſy to be done, and cou'd preſcribe Ways and Means, if it were proper, but I doubt not but the Government will find effectual Me⯑thods for the rooting the Contagion from the Face of this Land.

ANOTHER Argument they uſe, which is this, That 'tis a time of War, and we have need to unite againſt the common Enemy.

WE anſwer, this common Enemy had been no Enemy, if they had not made him ſo; he was quiet, in peace, and no way diſturb'd, or [14] encroach'd upon us, and we know no reaſon we had to quarrel with him.

But further, We make no queſtion but we are able to deal with this common Enemy with⯑out their help; but why muſt we unite with them becauſe of the Enemy, will they go over to the Enemy, if we do not prevent it by a union with them— We are very well contented they ſhou'd; and make no queſtion, we ſhall be ready to deal with them and the common E⯑nemy too, and better without them than with them.

Beſides, if we have a common Enemy, there is the more need to be ſecure againſt our pri⯑vate Enemies; if there is one common Ene⯑my, we have the leſs need to have an Enemy in our Bowels.

'Twas a great Argument ſome People uſed againſt ſuppreſſing the Old-Money, that 'twas a time of War, and 'twas too great a Riſque for the Nation to run, if we ſhou'd not maſter it, we ſhou'd be undone; and yet the Sequel prov'd the Hazard was not ſo great, but it might be maſtered; and the Succeſs was anſwerable. The ſuppreſſing the Diſſenters is not a harder Work, nor a Work of leſs neceſſity to the Pub⯑lick; [15] we can never enjoy a ſettled uninterrupted Union and Tranquility in this Nation, till the Spirit of Whiggiſme, Faction, and Schiſm is melted down like the Old-Money.

To talk of the Difficulty, is to Frighten our ſelves with Chimaeras and Notions of a Power⯑ful Party, which are indeed a Party without Power; Difficulties often appear greater at a diſtance, than when they are ſearch'd into with Judgment, and diſtinguiſh'd from the Vapours and Shadows that attend them.

We are not to be frightned with it; this Age is wiſer than that, by all our own Experience, and theire's too; King Charles the Firſt, had early ſup⯑preſt this Party, if he had took more deliberate Mea⯑ſures. In ſhort, 'tis not worth arguing, to talk of their Arms, their Monmouths, and Shaftsburys, and Argiles are gone, their Dutch-Sanctuary is at an end, Heaven has made way for their Deſtruction, and if we do not cloſe with the Divine occaſion, we are to blame our ſelves, and may remember that we had once an opportunity to ſerve the Church of Eng⯑land, by extirpating her implacable Enemies, and having let ſlip the Minute that Heaven preſented, may experimentally Complain, Poſt eſt Occaſio Calvo.

[16]Here are ſome popular Objections in the way.

As firſt, THE Queen has promis'd them, to continue them in their tollerated Liberty; and has told us ſhe will be a religious Obſerver of her Word.

WHAT her Majeſty will do we cannot help, but what, as the Head of the Church, ſhe ought to do, is another Caſe: Her Ma⯑jeſty has promiſed to Protect and Defend the Church of England, and if ſhe cannot effectual⯑ly do that without the Deſtruction of the Diſ⯑ſenters, ſhe muſt of courſe diſpence with one Promiſe to comply with another. But to an⯑ſwer this Cavil more effectually: Her Majeſty did never promiſe to maintain the Tolleration, to the Deſtruction of the Church; but it is upon ſuppoſition that it may be compatible with the well being and ſafety of the Church, which ſhe had declar'd ſhe would take eſpecial Care of: Now if theſe two Intereſts claſh, 'tis plain her Majeſties Intentions are to Uphold, Pro⯑tect, Defend, and Eſtabliſh the Church, and this we conceive is impoſſible.

[17]Perhaps it may be ſaid, THAT the Church is in no immediate danger from the Diſ⯑ſenters, and therefore 'tis time enough: But this is a weak Anſwer.

For firſt, IF a Danger be real, the Diſtance of it is no Argument againſt, but rather a Spur to quicken us to prevention, leſt it be too late hereafter.

And 2dly, Here is the Opportunity, and the only one perhaps that ever the Church had to ſecure her ſelf, and deſtroy her Enemies.

The Repreſentatives of the Nation have now an Opportunity, the Time is come which all good Men ha' wiſh'd for, that the Gentlemen of England may ſerve the Church of England; now they are protected and encouraged by a Church of England Queen.

What will ye do for your Siſter in the Day that ſhe ſhall be ſpoken for.

If ever you will eſtabliſh the beſt Chriſtian Church in the World.

If ever you will ſuppreſs the Spirit of Enthu⯑ſiaſm.

[18]If ever you will free the Nation from the viper⯑ons Brood that have ſo long ſuck'd the Blood of their Mother.

If you will leave your Poſterity free from Faction and Rebellion, this is the time.

This is the time to pull up this heretical Weed of Sedition, that has ſo long diſturb'd the Peace of our Church, and poiſoned the good Corn.

BUT, ſays another Hot and Cold Object⯑or, this is renewing Fire and Faggot, reviv⯑ing the Act De Heret. Comburendo: This will be Cruelty in its Nature, and Barbarous to all the World.

I anſwer, 'TIS Cruelty to kill a Snake or a Toad in cold Blood, but the Poyſon of their Nature makes it a Charity to our Neighbours, to deſtroy thoſe Creatures, not for any perſonal Injury receiv'd, but for prevention; not for the Evil they have done, but the Evil they may do.

Serpents, Toads, Vipers, &c. are noxious to the Body, and poiſon the ſenſative Life; theſe poyſon the Soul, corrupt our Poſterity, enſnare our Children, deſtroy the Vitals of our Happy⯑neſs, [19] our future Felicity, and contaminate the whole Maſs.

Shall any Law be given to ſuch wild Crea⯑tures: Some Beaſts are for Sport, and the Huntſmen give them advantages of Ground; but ſome are knock'd on Head by all poſſible ways of Violence and Surprize.

I do not preſcribe Fire and Fagot, but a Sci⯑pio ſaid of Carthage, Dilenda eſt Carthago; they are to be rooted out of this Nation, if ever we will live in Peace, ſerve God, or enjoy our own: As for the Manner, I leave it to thoſe Hands who have a right to execute God's Juſtice on the Nation's and the Church's Enemies.

BUT if we muſt be frighted from this Juſtice, under the ſpecious Pretences, and odious Senſe of Cruelty, nothing will be effected: 'Twill be more Barbarous and Cruel to our own Chil⯑dren, and dear Poſterity, when they ſhall reproach their Fathers, as we do ours, and tell us, ‘'You had an Opportunity to root out this curſed Race from the World, under the Favour and Protection of a true Engliſh Queen; and out of your fooliſh Pity you ſpared them, be⯑cauſe, forſooth, you would not be Cruel, and [20] now our Church is ſuppreſt and perſecuted, our Religion trampl'd under Foot, our Eſtates plun⯑dred, our Perſons impriſoned and dragg'd to Jails, Gibbets, and Scaffolds; your ſparing this Amalakite Race is our Deſtruction, your Mer⯑cy to them proves Cruelty to your poor Poſte⯑rity.'’

HOW juſt will ſuch Reflections be, when our Poſterity ſhall fall under the mercileſs Clut⯑ches of this uncharitable Generation, when our Church ſhall be ſwallow'd up in Schiſm, Facti⯑on, Enthuſiaſme, and Confuſion; when our Go⯑vernment ſhall be devolv'd upon Foreigners, and our Monarchy dwindled into a Republick.

'Twou'd be more rational for us, if we muſt ſpare this Generation, to ſummon our own to a general Maſſacre, and as we have brought them into the World Free, ſend them out ſo, and not betray them to Deſtruction by our ſupine negligence, and then cry it is Mercy.

Moſes was a merciful meek Man, and yet with what Fury did he run thro' the Camp, and cut the Throats of Three and thirty thouſand of his dear Iſraelites, that were fallen into Idolatry; what was the reaſon? 'twas Mercy to the reſt, [21] to make theſe be Examples, to prevent the De⯑ſtruction of the whole Army.

How many Millions of future Souls we ſave from Infection and Deluſion, if the preſent Race of poiſon'd Spirits were purg'd from the Face of the Land.

'TIS vain to trifle in this matter, the light fooliſh handling of them by Mulcts, Fines, &c. 'tis their Glory and their Advantage; if the Gallows inſtead of the Counter, and the Gal⯑lies inſtead of the Fines, were the Reward of going to a Conventicle, to preach or hear, there wou'd not be ſo many Sufferers, the Spirit of Martyrdom is over; they that will go to Church to be choſen Sheriffs and Mayors, would go to forty Churches rather than be Hang'd.

If one ſevere Law were made, and punctually executed, that who ever was found at a Con⯑venticle, ſhou'd be Baniſhed the Nation, and the Preacher be Hang'd, we ſhou'd ſoon ſee an end of the Tale, they wou'd all come to Church; and one Age wou'd make us all One again.

TO talk of 5 s. a Month for not coming to the Sacrament, and 1 s. per Week for not com⯑ing [22] to Church, this is ſuch a way of convert⯑ing People as never was known, this is felling them a Liberty to tranſgreſs for ſo much Mo⯑ney: If it be not a Crime, why don't we give them full Licence? And if it be, no Price ought to compound for the committing it, for that is ſelling a Liberty to People to ſin againſt God and the Government.

If it be a Crime of the higheſt Conſequence, both againſt the Peace and Welfare of the Na⯑tion, the Glory of God, the Good of the Church, and the Happyneſs of the Soul, let us rank it among capital Offences, and let it receive a Puniſh⯑ment in proportion to it.

We Hang Men for Trifles, and Baniſh them for things not worth naming, but an Offence againſt God and the Church, againſt the Wel⯑fare of the World, and the Dignity of Religi⯑on, ſhall be bought off for 5 s. this is ſuch a ſhame to a Chriſtian Government, that 'tis with regret I tranſmit it to Poſterity.

IF Men ſin againſt God, affront his Ordi⯑nances, rebell againſt his Church, and diſobey the Precepts of their Superiors, let them ſuffer as ſuch capital Crimes deſerve, ſo will Religi⯑on [23] on flouriſh, and this divided Nation be once again united.

And yet the Title of Barbarous and Cruel will ſoon be taken off from this Law too. I am not ſuppoſing that all the Diſſenters in Eng⯑land ſhou'd be Hang'd or Baniſh'd, but as in caſes of Rebellions and Inſurrections, if a few of the Ring-leaders ſuffer, the Multitude are diſ⯑miſt, ſo a few obſtinate People being made Examples there's no doubt but the Severity of the Law would find a ſtop in the Compliance of the Multitude.

To make the reaſonableneſs of this matter out of queſtion, and more unanſwerably plain, let us examine for what it is that this Nation is divided into Parties and Factions, and let us ſee how they can juſtify a Separation, or we of the Church of England can juſtify our bearing the Inſults and Inconveniencies of the Party.

ONE of their leading Paſtors, and a Man of as much Learning as moſt among them, in his Anſwer to a Pamphlet, entituled, A En⯑quiry into the occaſional Conformity, hath theſe Words, P. 27 Do the Religion of the Church and the Meeting-houſes make two Religions? Where⯑in [24] do they differ? The Subſtance of the ſame Reli⯑gion is common to them both; and the Modes and Accidents are the things in which only they differ. P. 28 Thirty nine Articles are given us for the ſummary of our Religion, Thirty ſix contain the Subſtance of it, wherein we agree; Three the additional Appendices, about which we have ſome differences.

Now, if as by their own acknowledgment, the Church of England is a true Church, and the Difference between them is only a few Modes and Accidents, Why ſhou'd we expect that they will ſuffer Gallows and Gallies, cor⯑poreal Puniſhment and Baniſhment for theſe Trifles; there is no queſtion but they will be wiſer; even their own Principles won't bear them out in it, they will certainly comply with the Laws, and with Reaſon, and tho' at the firſt, Severity may ſeem hard, the next Age will feel nothing of it; the Contagion will be rooted out; the Diſeaſe being cur'd, there will be no need of the Operation, but if they ſhould ven⯑ture to trangreſs, and fall into the Pit, all the World muſt condemn their Obſtinacy, as being without Ground from their own Principles.

[25]Thus the Pretence of Cruelty will be taken off, and the Party actually ſuppreſt, and the Diſquiets they have ſo often brought upon the Na⯑tion, prevented.

THEIR Numbers, and their Wealth, makes them Haughty, and tha tis ſo far from being an Argument to perſwade us to forbear them, that 'tis a Warning to us, without any more delay, to reconcile them to the Unity of the Church, or remove them from us.

AT preſent, Heaven be prais'd, they are not ſo Formidable as they have been, and 'tis our own fault if ever we ſuffer them to be ſo; Providence, and the Church of England, ſeems to join in this particular, that now the Deſtroy⯑ers of the Nations Peace may be overturn'd, and to this end the preſent Opportunity ſeems to be put into our Hands.

To this end her preſent Majeſty ſeems reſerv'd to enjoy the Crown, that the Eccleſiaſtick as well as Civil Rights of the Nation may be reſtor'd by her Hand.

[26]To this end the Face of Affairs have re⯑ceiv'd ſuch a Turn in the proceſs of a few Months, as never has been before; the leading Men of the Nation, the univerſal Cry of the People, the unanimous Requeſt of the Clergy, agree in this, that the Deliverance of our Church is at hand.

For this end has Providence given us ſuch a Parliament, ſuch a Convocation, ſuch a Gentry, and ſuch a Queen as we never had before.

AND what may be the Conſequences of a Neglect of ſuch Opportunities? The Succeſſion of the Crown has but a dark Proſpect, another Dutch Turn may make the Hopes of it ridicu⯑lous, and the Practice impoſſible: Be the Houſe of our future Princes never ſo well inclin'd, they will be Foreigners; and many Years will be ſpent in ſuiting the Genius of Strangers to the Crown, and to the Intereſts of the Nation; and how many Ages it may be before the Eng⯑liſh Throne be fill'd with ſo much Zeal and Candour, ſo much Tenderneſs, and hearty Af⯑fection to the Church, as we ſee it now cover'd with, who can imagine.

'Tis high time then for the Friends of the Church of England, to think of Building up, [27] and Eſtabliſhing her, in ſuch a manner, that ſhe may be no more Invaded by Foreigners, nor Divided by Factions, Schiſms, and Error.

IF this cou'd be done by gentle and eaſy Methods, I ſhou'd be glad, but the Wound is coroded, the Vitals begin to mortifie, and no⯑thing but Amputation of Members can compleat the Cure▪ all the ways of Tenderneſs and Compaſ⯑ſion, all perſwaſive Arguments have been made uſe of in vain.

THE Humour of the Diſſenters has ſo encreas'd among the People, that they hold the Church in Defiance, and the Houſe of God is an Abomination among them: Nay, they have brought up their Poſterity in ſuch pre-poſſeſt Averſions to our Holy Religion, that the ig⯑norant Mob think we are all Idolaters, and Worſhippers of Baal; and account it a Sin to come within the Walls of our Churches.

The primitive Chriſtians were not more ſhie of a Heathen-Temple, or of Meat offer'd to I⯑dols, nor the Jews of Swine's-Fleſh, than ſome of our Diſſenters are of the Church, and the Divine Service ſolemnized therein.

[28]THIS Obſtinacy muſt be rooted out with the Profeſſion of it, while the Generation are left at liberty daily to affront God Almighty, and Diſhonour his Holy Worſhip, we are want⯑ing in our Duty to God, and our Mother the Church of England.

How can we anſwer it to God, to the Church, and to our Poſterity, to leave them en⯑tangled with Fanaticiſme, Error, and Obſtinacy, in the Bowels of the Nation; to leave them an Enemy in their Streets, that in time may involve them in the ſame Crimes, and endanger the utter Extirpation of Religion in the Nation.

WHAT's the Difference betwixt this, and being ſubjected to the Power of the Church of Rome, from whence we have reform'd? If one be an extreme on one Hand, and one on ano⯑ther, 'tis equally deſtructive to the Truth, to have Errors ſettled among us, let them be of what Nature they will.

Both are Enemies of our Church, and of our Peace, and why ſhou'd it not be as criminal to admit an Enthuſiaſt as a Jeſuit? Why ſhou'd the Papiſt with his Seven Sacraments be worſe than the Quaker with no Sacraments at all? [29] Why ſhou'd Religious-houſes be more intollerable than Meeting-houſes— Alas the Church of England! What with Popery on one Hand, and Schiſmaticks on the other; how has ſhe been Crucify'd between two Thieves.

Now let us Crucifie the Thieves. Let her Foundations be eſtabliſh'd upon the Deſtructi⯑on of her Enemies: The Doors of Mercy be⯑ing always open to the returning Part of the deluded People: Let the Obſtinate be rul'd with the Rod of Iron.

Let all true Sons of ſo Holy an Oppreſſed Mother, exaſperated by her Afflictions, harden their Hearts againſt thoſe who have oppreſs'd her.

And may God Almighty put it into the Hearts of all the Friends of Truth, to lift up a Standard againſt Pride and Antichriſt, that the Poſterity of the Sons of Error may be rooted out from the Face of this Land for ever—.