S8141 >-l 'fTH'NV- aJcU j> ^0KAIIF(% Mr. STEELE'* LETTER T O A Member of Parliament. LETTER TO A Member of PARLIAMENT Concerning the BILL FOR Preventing the Growth of SCHISM. By <%LCHA ! ote KVural'RigK^by a -final I Penalty, is as un- juft, tho' not as cruel, as to abridge them of fudv Right by a greater Penalty. And you may, 'with equaf Ju/tice. takeaway the' Lives of the Di (Tenters, as'punifh'tfie Di(- fenters in- their Liberty or their Eftates for inftru£b- ing Children their own \t^ary i . This is a Step of the higfteft Degree of Violation, and there can be no Progrefs further but cutting their Throats'; 5t is goiug much farrcr than our Neighbour Nation went in the like DeGgn. By the Edift of Nantes in Fraxce 9 the Hu» gonots'\&A Liberty of Copfcience arid Toleration ; by that Bdfcl: tfrey had tTn^verflties of their own, namely, $ed*n"&TJ6 Sxwmar. Tbefe fuBftftfed. till a little wnife be^ fore the Revocation of the T Ecfic\. . Private Schools fub- Med to the laft: PrbteffantS might breed their Chil- dren with Papifts if they would, butPapifts weredifcou- raged rf/tbey rent their Children to Proteftants ; bo# ffill PrQt^lraiitS'rhighte^u^ate thefr Children their own way; fo {f you pfeafe it.rnay be; Here. It U enough for our Church to let Diffenters educate no Children but their own, and if they will fend their Children to us for Edu- cation, they may be welcome- further to go is agamft all natural Juftice. As to Religious R%ht, our ifleffetf Saviour ar/d'his Apoftles neither ufed or directed any 6thef Means- againffc Gain-fayers tharr Evidence ; and' we are often told from the Pulpit by our bed Divines, that in the firft ft**:* ] > firft Centuries, all Apologies for the Chriftian -Religion conftantly infifted on this as a Fundamental Truth, That it was unlawful to reftrain Men from the Means of Inftru&ion in the different Forms of Religion. It is again f\ the. Infers^ of the Church of England, as it^s a troteftant Church in general; for it is the Charaete- riftickiof Proteftant Churches to admit with all Can- dour the. Liberty of frudying the Scriptures, and confe- quently of teaching and being taught them, The Scrip- tures (by being open to Men who are not allowed ..tp Commune with others upon them, and learn from whom they pleafe with all Freedom) may ferve on- ly to aggravate their Guilt in conforming to what they in their Confciences may think Criminal. The Defign of the Toleration- Acl was to give Eafe to fcrupulous Confciences ; that fuppofes there are Men who think they cannot in Confcience Communicate with us, and this Difability (of which the Diffenter himfelf is the only Judge) is a fufficient Ground for Indulgence to him. If a Man cannot in Confcience himfelf Communi- cate, he will think himfelf obliged to alarm his Son a- gainft our Errours. W t hat a Man thinks the bed: , way to Heaven, it would be monftrous not to fnew his Child ; and if he is debarred from that, he is pcrfecuted in a Circumftance more grievous to him, than if he were to fufTer in Reputation, Fortune, Limb or Life. The Queftion is not whether. he is miftaken ; he labours un- der that Miftake, and for his Sins in that (if he does not difturb the Publick Peace) he is accountable to God. But ftill it is his Belief. The Government, as I faid, if it thinks Mt, may hinder him from propagating his Opinion among thpfe who con- form to the Church; but it cannot with Reafon and luftice, and therefore cannot at all, hinder him from fer- ving God his own way, and educating his Children in the fame. t*3) The Mahometans are as much perfuaded of the Truth of what they Profefs, as Men can bej and yet, generally fpeaking, they fuffer the Greeks, and Armenian s> to breed their Children their own Way. What Allowance God will give Erroneous Consciences, it is not our Bu- finefs to Enquire $ but as an Erroneous may be a fincere Conference, we fhould be Barbarous in pretending to Op- prefs or put Hardlhips upon it : The Welfare of their Children is as dear to the Difienters, as their own •, and if Men would make it their own Cafe, it would not re- quire a moment's Thought to determine, in favour of this Unhappy, threatned People. Now as to Civil Right. As Englijhmen> they are pof- feiTed of a Law in their Favour, which indulges them in the Exercife of their Religion $and where there is a Right to a Benefit, there are fuppofed to go along with it, the necefiary means of attaining that Right 3 Thefe Means are intercepted ,when Education towards enjoying this Right is prohibited. The plain and fair method of doing what is intended by this Ac1:,had been to have numbered the Dif- fentcrs, and to have made a Law, that none mould diflent from the Church, after the Deceafe of the Perfons men- tioned in a following Lift, and fo to have named all the prefentSchifmaticksjfor bidding (ingle Perfonsaraong them to Marry, till they had Conformed. This had been perhaps more OfFenfive at firft View, but it had not been fo Inju- rious as this Bill will appear, upon Reflections For it is a much lefs Evil, to prevent the Encreafe of Mankind, than to debar them of their Natural, Religious, and Civil Rights, after they are come into the World. But let us confider this matter more clofely, and exa- amine this Bill, Ftrft, as it may affeft the Tranquility C of ( i4) of the Nation in General : And Secondly* as it will affect the Profperity of the Church of England^ for the Safety and Benefit of which it is pretended to be cal- culated. As to the Publick Peace, it will naturally bring that into the utmoft Diftra&ion, by alienating the Affections of Families Neighbourhoods, and Corporations from each other, by Ten thoufand. little Incidents, which cannot be provided againft, or defcribed : Conyerfation throughout the Kingdom will turn upon this Subjecl 5 and this Peo- ple, the Diflenters, as well as thofe who have any Com- panion for them, will be marked out, to be the Scorn and Derifion of thofe who are averfe to themj and they, on the other fide, will be filled with Rage and In- dignation againft fuch their Adverfaries, Men who are old enough to remember the manner of Executing the Laws formerly Ena&ed againft the Dif- fenters, will inform you, that Conftables attended by Guards, and Commiflion-Officers at the Head of Files of Armed iMen, ufed to vifit Meetings, and conduct the poor Wretches to Goals, for calling upon and worship- ing God their own way. Let any one read the Tryal of 'ptn and Mead y and he will fee the Spirit of thofe Days: The whole Nation was made up of Criminals and Accu- fers, and both believed they were doing Service to God. But as this Bill is in it felf to the la(t degree Cruel, e- ven fuch as it iF, it is not prcferved fo well againft a Li- centious Execution of it, as the Law directs in lefs Cafes. However well difpofed Minifters and Officers may be, it is for the Good of Mankind, to put as many Checks againft an Arbitrary Exercife of Power as pofhble> but ibis Biil puts the whole Body of Ditfenters under fuch Perfons, (I?) Perfons, as may be picVd out, by one Officer of State, to Exercife it in the mod Summary and Paflionate manner. According to this Bill, if, in any future Reign, a Chan- cellor mould be an Enemy to that diftreffed People, he may bring a Perfecution upon them, by naming proper Sets of Juftices of the Peace, and himfelf fit well ex- cufed from their Irregularities; for tho' he might know it in their Tempers to be violent, he is not accountable for their Practice, nor are they themfelves in terrour of Ap- peals, for Arbitrary Conduct. There are Squires enough in this Kingdom, ready to diftrefs Presbyterians with the utmoft Rigour, tho' they know no more why they are an- gry with a Presbyterian, than a Turkey- Cock why it raifes its Creft at a Man whittling at him. They are bred in a Prejudice againft them, and will fall upon them with as little Confideration, as Beads of Prey do on thofe Animals, which Inftincl prompts them to Seize. Such Judges as thefe this Bill would give a Court Power to appoint, for pronouncing the kit Decifion in Cafes of the higheft Confequence, tho' the Law gives an Appeal from them in the lowefl Difputcs of Property ! Now let us confiderhow this Bill will affed the Church of England. It will bring upon it great and unanfwera- ble Scandal. It will give Arguments to her Enemies, that (lie is confeious of her Inability to defend her felf by Reafon and Truth, when (he flies to the Secular Power to take off her Dinenters. It will carry in it all the Guilt which we object againft the Roman Catholkks, in founding her Power in the blind Obedience of the Peo- ple, and not in the Convi&ion of their Minds. C 2 When ( i6) When we have done this, and ufed Force in our gain- ing Profelytes, why fhould not the Church of Rome, which has mere Force, employ it all in reducing us, who are, they fay, Schifmaticks from them? Can any thing be jufter than to make Us fufFer, what We in the fame cafe irapofe on others? Add to this, we (hall profecute them for omitting what our Church cannot pronounce Necetfa- ry to Salvation; the Roman Catholicks would a/fault Us for what they think Damnable, and what they think they are obliged, in Confcience, to avenge and extirpate. The Diflenters have a Law made in their Favour, fince which there has been alfo Care taken, by another Law, to prevent their Capacity from any (hare of Power to give us Difturbance. What have they done, to make it need- ful to take further Securities againft them? If they have done nothing, it is the utmofl Barbarity to take any Right from Men, who have committed no Offence : Have our own Clergy remonftrated, that this is NecefTary for their Intereft or Safety ? Do they fay they are too bufie in de- bauching their Flocks? Do our Universities fay, their A- cademies breed Men too hard for theminDifpute? Do not Diflenters pay Dues and Tithes like the reft of their Congregations, tho 5 they maintain alfo Paftors in their own Way? Can we not believe them to acl: Confcicnci- oufly, when they are contented to have no part in the Honours and Profits from the Service of their Country, and put themfelves alfo to double Expence to enjoy their Religion? This is a raoft extraordinary Point, at this time of Day^ When other Nations are plagued with Inquifitions and Ecdcfiaftical Tyranny, (hall we from the Example of their Mifery fet up, or inake a ftep towards fuch Ty- ran- (17) rannies? Shall we at this time offer to make a Comple- ment to the moft -Pure* Learned, and Apoftolick Church in the World, of unjuft Means to fubdue their Oppo- nents? WiJl you not at leaft have the Senfe of the Con- vocation, now Sitting, before you take Meafures to the Impeachment of their Reputation as Cafuifts? But to ufe Force is not the way to fubdue them-, itisagainft Nature and common Senfe 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 AfTemblies more than any rigid Means could ever have done. No Man is perfuaded by him who hates him, but all are eafily prevailed upon by thofe who love 'em. The Dif- fenters are quite another kind of People, than they were before the Toleration. By this lndulger.ee to them, it is a known Obfervation, that they are brought into the Me- thods 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 Fa- milies have, perhaps, found fome Pain in retracting their Errors, and in going into new Communities and Conver- fations; but we fee thoufands connive at the Conformi- ty of their Children, the Parents have been ftcrerly pleafed at their Sliding into that Oeconomy, for which the FeaV of the Imputation of Self intereft, or Apo- ftacy prevented them in their own Perfons to declare. And yet all of a fudden, without any manner of Pro- vocation, a Million of her Majefty's Subjects are to have the Law, by which they enjoy the deareft Bleflings of Life, token from them. An Aft "that will certainly gain to us all that are not worth having, and make thofe who are animated by Virtue and Piety more averfe to us. They ( i8) They dim 11 have a jufter Exception againft us from this very Acl than they had before. Kind Treatment every Day brought new Profelytes amongft us, and they were infenfibly wrought into our Sentiments $ but either as Men, or as Chriftians, they muft abhor the thought of adhereing to us out of Fear. This Motive is in it felf a faulty one, for resigning not only any Tenet of Religi- on, but of common Obligation. Paffive Obedience is faid to be a Dcdrine of the Church of England, but it is a terrible Article to be made the firft in the Cate- chifm, as it would be to thofe who are to come in upon Compulfion. When we confider the putting this Law in Execu- tion, there cannot be a more pleafant Image prefented to the Imagination, than a poor Schifmatick School-Miftrefs brought before a zealous angry Squire for tranfgrefling this Ad, and teaching one Presbyterian, yet little more than an Animal, in what the Letter © differed from the Letter B$ malicioufly infinuating to another Schifmatick aged five Years old, without Licence from the Ordinary, that O is round 5 and not contenting her felf with meerly (bowing to the laid Schifmaticks the Letters of a certain Book covered with Horn; but inftru&ing the faid Here- ticks 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 if, $b, Prodigious ! that a Church adorned with fo many Excellent and Learned Members, fupplied by two famous Univerfities, both endowed with ample Revenues, Immunities, and Ju- rifdidlions, mould be affronted with the offer of being reinforced with Penal Laws againft the Combination of Women and Children ! You might with the fame Pro- priety provide againft Schifmatick Nurfes. This ( 19) This A& feems fuch a Violation of Natural Juftice, that it may be made a Queftion whether it ought to oblige, after it is enacted. I am furc it is fuch, that if the Dif- fcnters are to conilder whether they will obey it, or fly into another Nation, the/ muft chufe the latter -, and Lands untenanted, or Tenints difabled by the lofs of half a Million of People, will be fenfibly felt by the Incumbents on fmall Livings. Now I have mentioned fmall Livings, Why does no Body reprefent, that in Wales , and fome Parts of England, Men in Holy Orders are forced to fub- fift with an Income below that of Day-Labourers ? Why do not you, while ycu are courting the Clergy, help this particular? if you go on in fuch Defigns as thefe, will it not Suffice? No: this would be nothing but Cha- rity and Piety, and would carry no Point for thofe of the Clergy who affeft Power and Grandeur, and lend the Word Church to promote Secular Ends, to the Difpa- ragement of God's Holy Word of which they are unwor- thy Difpencers. It is poflible Bifhops that are given to Preaching, and Minifters who are in earneft in their facred Calling, would be enough obliged by fuch Acls in favour of their Indigent Brethren ^ but what would that do towards pul- ling down what they call the Faction ? Godly Clergymen can't do that Service which is neceflary^ Self-denial, Meeknefs and Charity are too flow Inflrumtms for Men of Difpatch and Butinefs. But it is to be hoped the Fallacy of ufing the Pretence of the Church in Cafes which are fo far from promoting Reli- gion, that they fcandalizeand difparage it, will be thorough- ly underftood, before fuch a defhuctive Bill, as this, can go through any Part of the Legislatures tho* if it fhou'd ii (20 ) it is ftill to be hoped Her Majefty will confirm to her felf the Love and Affection of all who have a true Senfe of Religion, by rejecting a Bill fo terrible to fcrupulous Confciences, and which can be ferviceable to none but fuch as have no Ssnfe of Confcience at all, fuch as have fo entirely forgotten what it is that they have no No- tion of the Compunctions it may give others. No Man can exert himfelf on a more worthy, or more important Occafion, than in Oppofition to this Bill $ and if it is at laft rejected by Her Majefty, (he will do as great a Service to true Piety, and the Interefts of the Church, as Queen Efther did, when (he 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 pafling of it into a Law would be Ufeful to the State. The great Points to be corfidered at this Jundure in debating on any publick Circumftance, is how the mat- ter before us will regard the Houfe of Hannover, or the Pretender. It has been already obferved, that this Proceeding a- gainft our Protcftant Brethren may be 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 Che- valier (it) valier at BarJe-'Duc: That fevcral of the Clans in Scot land Teem to expect with impatience his Arrival in that Part of the Kingdom, in Hopes of Ravaging the Eftstes of Gentlemen, remarkable for their Zeal to the Houfe of Hanover. If you pleafe to confult the Members for that Part of Britain* they will not diflemble their Fears on this Occafion. This Pretender himfelf is ft ill at Bar-le-^Duc, notwithftanding the repeated Inftances to remove him^ and the King of France, his antient Friend and Patron, is fo Jittle careful to manage it de- cently towards Us, that he does not only fufter 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 heretofore. Now when there are thefe melancholly Profpecls be- fore our Eyes 5 when no one of the Family of Hanover ', tho' long expected, is yet arrived in this Kingdom 5 and when many Weak People are under ftrange Apprehenfi- ons, becaufe the Proclamation for bringing the Pretender to Juftice, in cafe he mould 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 thefe things together, it creates in them a Chagrin and Unea- flnefr, which will be mightily encreafed by the palling a Bill that may be to the Mortification of the meaneft Per- fons in theProteftant Caufe. It is therefore no time to do a thing, which will take off the H?nds and Purfcs of Half a Million of People, as Friends to the Houfe of Hanover-^ Haifa Milionof Peo- ples, as Enemies to the Pretender. D ^ { a? ) If this Bill partes, and the Pretender flioultd corne upon our Coaft, I would fain know what could move a DuTen- ter to lift an Hand, or employ a Shilling againfl Him? Hehasat prefent no hopes of Preferment, and would by this Bill be under daily Apprehenfions of the lofs of the To- leration, as to himfelf, as well as. being wholly bereft of it as to his Pofterity. He would have certainly Promiles from the Pretender of Liberty of Confcience, and he could but have thofe Promifes broken, as in this Cafe he would have it to fay they had been before, and muft ex- pert fome Sweetnefles at a new Change for /landing Neuter, or exerting himfclf for the Invader. Thus he would rather, according to his own Jntereff, wiih an Juvader Succefs thin Difappointment; add to this,, fome Pleafure in the revengeful Hope of feting us, who had Ptrfecuted him, fall into the fame Calamity. Thi?, dear S;r, is all I have to trouble you with on this Occafion$ and tho' you accufed me of being caft down with my Expulfior, youfee 1 have not Dunn'dyoutomove J that the other Pamphlets may be examined, as well as the Crips and the Engli/hman. Give my Service Co poor Tom and Ned. 1 mud confefs they were the laftl forgave^but I have forgiven them too now. lam thoroughly convinced, lince this Bill, that 1 was not worthy : For now you have taken upon you Eccleliaftical Matters, and I mould not have known how to behave my felf among you as. a Communi- on ot Saints. I doubt not, Sir, but your Voice and excellent Ta- knrs will be employed againfl: this pernicious Bill: To eppofe it ItrcnuoulJy, will be worthy that RefoJution and Motjelty for which you are fo remarkably confpicuous^ ^ that (2 3 ) that Modefty which cannot incline you to bear hard a. gainft Perfons or Things, when you happen to be with a Majority, and that Refolution which prompts you to afiert what you think Truth, tho* under the Difadvantage of the moil inconfiderable Minority. 1 am y S 1 R> Tour mo ft Obedient, Obliged^ Humble Servant* Richard Steele. Juft Publimcd, The Romifh Eccleliaftical Hiftory of late Years. By Richard Steele, Efq$ Suis & ipfa Roma viribus ruit. Kor. Printed for J. Roberts near the Oxford Arms in Warwick- Lane. This Day is Publifhed, in neat Pocket Volumes, The Englifhman : Being the Sequel of the Guardian. By Richard Steel, Efq* Alfo, Tully's Offices, in Engliih. The Third Edition revifed and corrected, by Mr. Tho. Cock- man. Printed by Sam. Buckley, and Sold by the Bookfellers» and by Fcrd. Burleigh in Amen-Corner. N. B. The Englifhman is likewife printed in a large Octavo, and a fmall Number of them on Royal Paper: which may be had of the laid Fcrd. Burleigh. i UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY Los Angeles This book is 1)11 on the last date stamped below. »c REC'D LDURC JUN271 C 83 Form L9-Srrips 4939 000 093 719 3 I PLEADS DO NOT REMOVE THIS BOOK CARD?! ^TfBRARY6k University Research Library BX 5202 SSlk£ 171^