cancelled, yet not the liberty; for the quarrel lay not against the indulgence, but the grant of it formaliter. It was not by an act of parliament; and an ill precedent, said the parliament. I further added, that the parliament had voted indulgence to the king's dissenting protestant subjects, and intended to ratify the former more firmly, at least to all protestant dissenters; and that such we are.

'I entreat you to peruse this short discourse against the papists, to say nothing of the vast disparity and antipathy of our principles and worship. To these latter allegations, you singly and jointly answered, that the act was in force, by the repealing or cancelling of the declaration. True, strictly taken: but do not you know, that there be many acts never formally repealed, that obtain no force among us; but are as much neglected as if they were abrogated by new laws? I much question if that very law, by which the protestants were burnt for their noble testimonies against Rome, were ever revoked. This might be sufficient to you, that the king dislikes it; that the parliament declared their readiness to repeal the law that countenanceth it; that all are quiet; that the reason of the law ceasing, the law, as to its execution, should cease also; that the king and council, in the preamble to the declaration, have disclaimed all pretence to better settlements, by severity upon dissenters; that you have work enough to employ yourselves about, in first living, and then executing all laws, that recover and preserve morality, mercy, justice, sobriety, and godly living : and lastly, that you had nothing offensive to the law before your eyes, when you came among us.

'I farther urged, argumentum ad hominem, the king's power in ecclesiastial matters: that if you acknowledged him head of the church, it seemed somewhat unnatural, that any members straggle from the judgment and direction of the head. It was answered by one of you, and the best thing said, that the king was head in civils too, yet he would not forbear recovering a debt by law, though the king should interpose his civil headship to prevent receiving it,' or words to that purpose. I said then, and now more fully reply; the case is vastly differing, upon your own principles. The civil government of England depends upon law grounded upon sincerity, the eternal law; and it is not, by the ancient and fundamental constitution, allowable, that meum and tuum should 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, so called, and the economy which God hath imprinted upon it: but in matters ecclesiastical, you say (if old protestants) that it is inherent to, and inseparable from, the civil magistrate, so soon as he professeth Christ, to be the head of the church in his dominions (upon the strain of the Jewish story, how reasonable soever it be) and upon this very foot, was, and is, the English reformation set; where all original compact, all coronation oaths, all fundamental law, and legislators too, are set aside; for the king is not constituted head of the church by common consent of lords and commons, though thereby declared so; but by being a Christian king.

Again, I distinguish between laws: some are fundamental, and those are durable, and indissoluble; some are circumstantial and superficial, and those be alterable. By the first, I mean all those laws, that constitute the ancient civil government of England, and which make up these two words English Men. By the latter, I understand all laws suited 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 ecclesiastical: civil, as the act against transporting Irish cattle: a famine repeals that, by the ancient law maxim; cessante ratione legis, cessat lex. Ecclesiastical; as this in question: they that made it, had unity, peace, and plenty, in their eyes it is found, upon trial, to increase animosities, disturb the peace, and lay waste honest and industrious families. Thus much the king, whom you confess to be the head of the church, by the advice of his privy council, men, doubtless, wiser than any of us, has almost in so many words declared.

Farther, let it be weighed, that we came not to our liberties and properties by the protestant religion; their date rises higher. Why, then, should a non-conformity to it, purely conscientious, deprive us of them? This, or that, sort of religion, was not specified in the ancient civil government; though the clergy twisted into the great charter: yet let it be considered, that it was not intended to deny others liberty of conscience; but to secure their church, properties, and revenues, from the king's seizure. The nature of body and soul, earth and heaven, this world and that to come, differs: there can be no reason to persecute any man in this world, about any thing that belongs to the next. "Who art thou (saith the holy scripture, in this case,) that judgeth another's man servant?" he must stand or fall to his Master, the great God. Let tares and wheat grow together, till the great harvest: to call for fire from

heaven, was no part of Christ's religion, though the reproved zeal of some of his disciples. His sword is spiritual, like his kingdom. Be pleased to remember, that faith is the gift of God, and what is not of faith, is sin. We must either be hypocrites, in doing what we believe in our consciences we ought not to do; or forbearing what we are fully persuaded we ought to do. Either give us better faith, or leave us with such 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! ye do not do to us as you would be done by: can it become protestants to use that severity to others, they once condemned in others? there can be no pretence of conscience, 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 should blush to apologize as we do. But being no ways conscious 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 some particular persuasions; we do take confidence to remonstrate our case, and to intreat your serious consideration of it, that we, your countrymen and neighbours, may enjoy ourselves, in the worship of Almighty God, with quietness and security. And I am well assured it shall less repent you, upon your dying bed, to have acted moderately, than severely. You cannot but know how fallible protestants acknowledge themselves to be in matters of religion, and consequently, with what caution they should proceed against any about religion. You also see how much more destructive vice and intemperance are to body and soul, than mere opinion, and consequently, how much more reasonable it is to punish the one than prosecute the other. Think not that mere persuasion damns us; it is sin, whose wages is death. I love and honour all virtuous persons, that differ from me, and hope God will have regard to every such one, according to sincerity. And however it shall please you to deal with us, at this or any other time, I pray God forgive you, open your eyes, tender your hearts, and make you sensible, how much more moderation and virtue are worth your study and pursuit, than the disturbance of religious dissenting assemblies, that, so far as I know of them, desire to honour the king, love their neighbours as themselves, and to do unto all men as they would have all men do unto them.

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

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

'Your very true Friend,

Postscript.

WILLIAM PENN.'

I have sent you a "Discourse against the Papists," and another of "Liberty of Conscience;" several hundreds of which were presented to the house that year it was printed.

"I could produce a dozen precedents to confirm this: and truly it looks hard upon your own principles, that you should give your servants liberty to use their discretion in errands, or constables in the execution of their trusts, provided they answer the main end, which is, voluntas magistri, salusque regis & populi, nay, that you can use sometimes a prerogative yourselves, & relaxare legem, remembering, doubtless, that summum jus is summa injuria, as the old king said; and yet that you should not allow the king a power to suspend the execution of but a temporary law, when the execution of it is impracticable, without destroying those very ends for which it was first made. I beseech you call to mind the ancient veneration of protestants to princes prerogative in ecclesiastics, and their principles about it, in the reigns of H. 8. E. 6. Q. E. K. Ja. and particularly K. C. the first.'

The same zeal and affection which made him a constant advocate for his friends at home, led him also to solicit on their behalf with foreign powers and states, under whose government they suffered 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 also undergone other grievous sufferings: whereupon he wrote to the senate of Embden an epistle in Latin, which hath since been translated into English, and is in this collection.

The persecution at home now becoming hot again, and many Quakers being imprisoned for refusing the oath of allegiance, our author publishes their reasons against “swearing at all," and confirms the same by numerous authorities, in a book entitled "A Treatise of Oaths.".

This year also he published a choice piece, entitled, "England's present Interest discovered; wherein, to allay the heats of contending parties, he shews the consistency of a general liberty of conscience with the peace of the kingdom; discovering 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,

'CHRIST JESUS did redeem a people with his most precious blood; and the ancient church of Rome, among other churches, was one: but as the sea loses and gets, and as prosperity changes its station, so the chastity of the church of Rome is lost; she having taken in principles and discipline that are not of Christ, neither can be found in holy scripture.

If thou wast to die, wouldst thou not leave a plain will to thy children? So have Christ and his apostles in the scripture. Read, and thou mayest behold the simplicity, purity, meekness, patience, and self-denial, of those Christians and churches. They are Christ's, that take up his cross to the glory and spirit 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 Christ's church that has lost its heavenly qualifications, because it once was. What is become of Antioch, Jerusalem, &c. both churches of Christ, and before Rome? Nor is it number; (the Devil has that) nor antiquity; (for he has that) but Christ-likeness and conformity to Jesus; who hath divorced those that have adulterated: and though he had left but two or three (though there were thousands) yet he would be in the midst of them: and they have been in the wilderness, people crying in sackcloth. The generality declined from Christ's spirit, and it was lost, and the teachings of it and then came up form without power, and a wrathful spirit to propagate it; and this made up the great whore, that looked like the Lamb's bride, Christ's church, but was not, which God will judge. Remember, that God was not without a church, though the natural church and priesthood of the Jews apostatized : so in the case of the church of Rome.

:

'Now is the Lord raising up his old power, and giving his Spirit, and moving upon the waters (the people) that out of that state all may come, and know God in spirit, and Christ his Son, whom he has sent into people's hearts, a true light. And, my friend, build not upon fancies, nor the traditions of men, but Christ, the sure foundation, as he appears to thee in thy conscience; that thou mayest feel his power to redeem thee up to himself, out of the earthly sensual spirit, to know thy right eye plucked out, the true mortification; and this brings thee to the church of the first-born, that is more divine and noble than an outward