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or words to that purpofe. I faid then, and now more fully reply; the cafe is vaftly differing, upon your ⚫ own principles. The civil government of England depends upon law grounded upon fincerity, the eternal law; and it is not, by the ancient and fundamental constitution, allowable, that meum and tuum 'fhould be over-ruled by any prince whatever. It is the glory of the king of England's government, that he is a prince by right, not might; by law, not power. He has power, but from and according to law; not that he makes his will and power law. This right is agreeable to human nature, fo called, and the oeconomy which God hath imprinted upon it: but in matters ecclefiaftical, you fay (if old pro' teftants) that it is inherent to, and infeparable from, ⚫ the civil magistrate, fo foon as he profeffeth Christ, ' to be the head of the church in his dominions (upon 'the strain of the Jewish ftory, how reasonable foever it be) and upon this very foot, was, and is, the English reformation fet; where all original compact, 'all coronation paths, all fundamental law, and legi'flators too, are fet afide; for the king is not confti'tuted head of the church by common confent of lords and commons, though thereby declared fo; but 'by being a CHRISTIAN King.

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Again, I diftinguish between laws: fome are fun'damental, and thofe are durable, and indiffoluble; 'fome are circumftantial and fuperficial, and those be 'alterable. By the first, I mean all thofe laws, that 'conftitute the ancient civil government of England, ' and which make up these two words ENGLISH MEN. By the latter, I understand all laws fuited to state, or 'national emergencies, which are pro tempore and away. They live, as long as the reason of them lives, ' and then die, oftentimes of themselves. These may 'be both civil and ecclefiaftical: civil, as the act against transporting Irish cattle: a FAMINE repeals ' that, by the ancient law maxim; ceffante ratione legis, ceffat lex. Ecclefiaftical; as this in queftion: they that made it, had UNITY, PEACE, and PLENTY, in

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their eyes it is found, upon trial, to increase animofities, difturb the peace, and lay wafte honest and induftrious families. Thus much the king, whom you confefs to be the head of the church, by the advice of his privy council, men, doubtlefs, wifer than any of us, has almoft in fo many words declared.

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Farther, let it be, weighed, that we came not to our liberties and properties by the proteftant reli'gion; their date rifes higher. Why, then, fhould a non-conformity to it, purely confcientious, deprive us of them? This, or that, fort of religion, was not specified in the ancient civil government; though the clergy twifted into the great charter: yet let it be confidered, that it was not intended to deny others liberty of confcience; but to fecure their church, properties, and revenues, from the king's feizure. The nature of body and foul, earth and heaven, this ' world and that to come, differs: there can be no reafon to perfecute any man in THIS world, about any thing that belongs to the NEXT.." Who art thou "(faith the holy fcripture, in this cafe,) that judgeth "another man's fervant?" he muft ftand or fall to

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his Mafter, the Great God. Let tares and wheat grow together, till the great harvest: to call for fire ⚫ from heaven, was no part of Chrift's religion, though 'the reproved zeal of fome of his difciples.

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fword is fpiritual, like his kingdom. Be pleafed to remember, that faith is the gift of God, and what is not of faith, is fin. We must either be hypocrites, in doing what we believe in our confciences we ought not to do; or forbearing what we are fully perfuaded we ought to do. Either give us better faith, or leave us with fuch as we have; for it seems • unreasonable in you, to disturb us for this that we have, and yet be unable to give us any other. Oh! C ye do not do to us as you would be done by: can it become proteftants to use that feverity to others, they once condemned in others? there can be no

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pretence of confcience, for limiting other men's, that are virtuous, and who wish you heartily well. Were we immoral, or did our religion and worship border upon an impiety, we fhould blush to apologize as we do. But being no ways confcious of any affinity with immoral principles or practices; on the contrary, knowing ourselves to be better taught, by God's grace, that leads to all moral and holy living, however different we may be in fome particular perfuafions; we do take confidence to remonstrate our cafe, and to intreat your ferious confideration of it, that we, your countrymen and neighbours, may enjoy ourselves, in the worship of Almighty God, with quietnefs and fecurity. And I am well affured it fhall lefs repent you, upon your dying bed, to ‹ have acted moderately, than feverely. You cannot but know how fallible proteftants acknowledge them'felves to be in matters of religion, and confequently, with what caution they fhould proceed against < any about religion. You alfo fee how much more deftructive vice and intemperance are to body and foul, than mere opinion, and confequently, how 'much more reasonable it is to punish the one than 'profecute the other. Think not that mere perfuafion damns us; it is SIN, whofe wages is death. I love and honour all virtuous perfons, that differ from me, and hope God will have regard to every fuch one, according to fincerity. And however it fhall 'please you to deal with us, at this or any other time, < 1 pray God forgive you, open your eyes, tender your hearts, and make you fenfible, how much more mo<deration and virtue are worth your ftudy and purfuit, than the disturbance of religious diffenting af'femblies, that, fo far as I know of them, defire to honour the king, love their neighbours as themfelves, and to do unto all men as they would have all men do unto them.

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Be pleased to accept this in good part, and with the most favourable construction; which becomes

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your quality, and is but to do right to his intentions, who, with good wishes for you, fubfcribes himself,

Your very true Friend,

< WILLIAM PENN."

POSTSCRIPT.

I have fent you a "Difcourfe against the Papists,' • and another of " Liberty of Confcience;" feveral ⚫ hundreds of which were presented to the House that < year it was printed.

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I could produce a dozen precedents to confirm this and truly it looks hard upon your own principles, that you should give your fervants liberty to • use their discretion in errands, or conftables in the ⚫ execution of their trufts, provided they answer the • main end, which is, voluntas magiftri, falufque regis & populi, nay, that you can use fometimes a prerogative yourselves, & relaxare legem, remembering, doubtless, that fummum jus is fumma injuria, as the old king faid; and yet that you should not allow the king a power to fufpend the execution of but a tem? porary law, when the execution of it is impractica<ble, without destroying those very ends for which it C was first made. I beseech you call to mind the ancient veneration of proteftants to princes prerogative in ecclefiaftics, and their principles about it, in the reigns of H. 8. E. 6. Q.E. K. Ja. and particularly K. C. the first.'

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The fame zeal and affection which made him a conftant advocate for his friends at home, led him alfo to folicit on their behalf with foreign powers and states, under whofe government they fuffered persecution for there was a decree made this year at Dantzick for banishing the Quakers; and a law of the like nature at Embden, where that people had alfo undergone other grievous fufferings: whereupon he wrote to the fenate of Embden an epiftle in Latin,

which hath fince been tranflated into English, and is in this collection.

The perfecution at home now becoming hot again, and many Quakers being imprisoned for refufing the oath of allegiance, our author publishes their reasons against "fwearing at all," and confirms the fame by numerous authorities, in a book entitled " A Treatife "of Oaths."

This year alfo he published a choice piece, entitled, "England's prefent Interest discovered;" wherein, to allay the heats of contending parties, he fhews the confiftency of a general liberty of confcience with the peace of the kingdom; difcovering at once the generous charity of a real Christian, and the noble spirit of a true patriot.

In the eighth month this year, being at London, he wrote the following remarkable letter to a Roman Catholic.

< MY FRIEND,

CHR

HRIST JESUS did redeem a people with his • most precious blood; and the ancient church ' of Rome, among other churches, was one; but as the fea lofes and gets, and as profperity changes its station, fo the CHASTITY of the church of Rome is loft; she having taken in principles and difcipline that are not of Chrift, neither can be found in holy fcrip

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• If thou waft to die, wouldst thou not leave a PLAIN will to thy children? So have Chrift and his apoftles in the fcripture. Read, and thou mayest behold the fimplicity, purity, meeknefs, patience, and felf-denial, of those Chriftians and churches. They are Christ's, that take up his cross to the glory and fpirit of this world, which the church of Rome lives in. • Behold the pride, luxury, cruelty, that hath for ages been in that church, even the heads and chieftains thereof! It is a mistake to think THAT Chrift's church that has loft its heavenly qualifications, be

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