fright â—hem into his Net with a Venient Romani The French the Irish and Popish Tyranny will be upon you if you do not take the Oath The Bishop in his Pastoral Letter page the 3 d and 4 th informs his Clergy That by refâ—sing the Oath they might do a considerable Prejudice to the Publick Peace and shake as far as in them lay the present Settlement of the Nation and therefore they ought to consider well the Grounds of their Non-Compliance before they adventur'd against a Woâ—k which in the whole Progress of it has had so many signal Characters of a Favourable Providence and then he adds the Advantages we have reap'd by it and the mischievous Consequences that might ensue in case they did not take the Oaths which were Popish Tyranny An Irish Conquest and Massacre and French Barbarity and Cruelty To which he subjoyns A Man that adventures on so dangerous a Thing as refusing the Oaths had need be very sure that he is in all this matter in the Right Otherwise he runs a Risque of sighting against God if he should happen to be in the wrong Upon the whole matter the Bishop makes use of the Topick of Divine Providence to perswade their Compliance and the great Miseries we might bring on our own Heads after so great a Deliverance if there were not an Unanimous agreement amongst us Gamaliel I presume must be acknowledg'd as Wise a Doctor as Mr. Iohnson can be thought by any of our great Council and as a Proof of it the whole body of the People oâ— Israel were concluded by his Advice in the great Sanhedrim purposely conveened to determine that Important Affair in Relation to those Doctrines and Miracles which were wrought and preach'd by the Apostles and which they were so zealous to oppose You may at your leisure read the whole Transaction in the 5 th of the Acts of the Apostles but because 't is pertinent to my present purpose I will recite Gamaliel's Advice in the great Council contained in the 38 th and 39 th Verses And now I say unto you Refrain from these men and let them alone for if this Counsel or this Work be of Men it will come to nought But if it be of God ye cannot overthrow it lest haply ye be found even to fight against God So that as that great Revolution in Religion and the New Face of Affairs in the World was brought to pass by the powerful Hand of God and could not be resisted So also there are many Instances to be given of the Visible Providences which attended and procur'd our happy Settlement and preserv'd that Faith of Christ which we profess in its Pâ—imitive Purity and against which the utmost Efâ—orts and Artifiâ—es of a Resolv'd and Attempted Power could not prevail We might still have enjoy'd an uninterrupted continuance of its kind Influences had not our Ingratitude Divisions as well as Treachery and Malice to each other those most provoking sins loudly call'd for Judgments to fall on us Now I am the Fairest Adversary in the World tho I say it my self You have leâ—t out Who should not ay it But I will no more believe you than if you should say you were a Saint or that your Gall did not lye in your Scull because you have almost in every Particular throughout your Notes vented your ungovern'd Passion more than Reason One of the things he says we ought to fear and tremble at is Popish Tyranny I would fain know whether the word Popish added to Tyranny makes it better or worse In this Note Mr. Iohnson thinks himself safe but I 'le inform him that the Word Tyranny may be made Blacker that there 's no false Heraldry in it That Popish and Protestant Tyranny are not alike and that their Effects are not the same Popish Tyranny is the worst of Tyrannies it attempts to enslave mens Consciences their Religion as well as Liberties and Properties And because I will be before-hand with him in Instances French Tyranny is Popish Tyranny and a late Author tells us that Danish is Protestant I have nothing to say against your Story of Sir Ellis Leighton and that the late King's Design was to subvert the Government The Papists do not deny it And as for those Imprudent Discourses if there were any such let the guilty answer for themselves He may please himself with his several Descants on the Word King Our King makes the Laws of the Kingdom his Rule to govern by and desires no more Power than to be able to do all the good he can to his People I go therefore in the next place to set before you those Reasons that seem convincing to me even tho there were no more to be said for the presenâ— Settlement but that we have a Throne filled and a King and Queen in Possession After Mr. Iohnson hath made a Flourish he tells us I shall take the pains of examining them One by One and find out if I can their power of Conviction which I am afraid is like an Estate left in Diego's Will He is so merry a Gentleman and hath such an Overflowing of frothy Conceits that I am afraid he won't live long But to the Reasons The Bishop never design'd nor ever hopes to convince you with his Reasons Instead of being as good as your Word in examining the Bishop's Reasons a fancy comes in to your Head that the Throne is widened and then you tell us for whaâ— Reason I know not That you believe that a King and Queen in possession alone or a King and Queen de Facto together in Opposition to de Jure would have frighted Cook Littleton c. I will repeat no more of what 's nothing to the purpose and I thought you had lov'd the great Dead Lawyers better than to contrive any Scare-crows to fright them The Bishop in his Pastoral Letter page 21 st Declares the King and Queens Right to the Crown from the Determinaâ—ion and Declaration of the Peers and People of England chosen and Assembled together with all possible Freedom So that he hath nothing to do with the Distinction of de Facto and de Iure Possession is a very good Title till a better appears and the Bishop tells us the King and Queen have a Lawful Title and a Right to our Allegiance for several Reasons And there is no need of the Bishop's naming the Cause or how they came into the Throne because this Reason is press'd only on Supposition of their bare Possession of it But to the following part of the Paragraph The bringing the State of the Question so low may seem at first View not to be of so much Advantage to Their Majesties Title but since I intend to carry the matter further before I leave it I hope it may be no incongruous method to begin at that which will take in the greatest Numbers since there is no dispute in this that they are actually in possession of the
then he is the Lord of the Fee and by Consequence Allegiance is due to him Allegiance being also now in our present Acceptation An Obedience according to Law that is to say not a Blind nor absolute Obedience but such an Obedience as is defined and limited by the Law then the Scruple that arises out of the Word Allegiance vanishes In this short Remnant our Noter tells us there are abundance of things liable to Exception Fiâ—st That he out-runs the Constable in taking for granted an Oath of Obedience where he hath neither proved bare Obedience much less a promise of Obedience onwardly to be due for which I refer my self to what passed on the former part of the Paragraph There was no need of a Promise of bare Obedience because they did actually Obey and therefore the Bishop argues as I before observ'd That â—or that Reason they might Promise to Obey and if Promise then Swear The Bishop always own'd them to have the Point of Right and how they came by it in his 21 st page which I have already taken notice of Secondly He here gives us a Notion of Allegiance by the halves for he says It is in its Original signification nothing but the Service due to the Chief Lord of the Fee You only give the Bishop's Sense by halves therefore I will recite his own Words contained at large in the 24 th and 25 th pages of the Pastoral Letter The very Term of Allegiance rises out of the Feudal Law by which the Chief Lord of a Fee when he made any Grants to his Vassals took them bound in coâ—sideration of these Grants to adhere to him to defend his Person and to assist him in his Wars but all this being done by the Vassals in consideration of the Fee that was granted an Original Contract is plainly implied in it so that if the Lord of the Fee should go to take away the Fee it self or to change the Nature of the Subjection in which the Vassals were put by the first Grant then the Oath which was grounded on it could not be suppos'd to bind them any longer So that the Bishop supposes a Reciprocal Duty between the Lord of the Fee and the Vassal because if the former violated his Contract the Obligation of Allegiance ceased Thirdly He makes the King the Lord of the Fee to entitle him to our Oath of Allegiance It is nothing so for the people of England do not hold of the King what Holy Church does I know not they may be his Vassals for ought I know I am sure I am none 'T is fixing your own private Construction upon the Bishop's Words when you write as if he should suppose the King to be Landlord of all England or as if Holy Church as you are pleas'd to express your self own'd or paid any Allegiance different from other people The Bishop tells us plainly Our Allegiance in general is an Obedience according to Law which he explains Not a Blind nor Absolute Obedience but such an Obedience as is defined and limited by the Law Which imports that we owe no other Obedience and therefore if we are commanded to do or suffer any thing that is contrary to Law the Obligation of our Obedience ceases and we may refuse it And here I will insert what the Bishop affirms to this purpose in his Measures of Submission to the Supream Authority which may serve to clear him from the unjust ond malicious Imputations of ignorant as well as prejudicial Men. Pag. 9. There is nothing more evident than that England is a Free Nation that has its Liberties and Properties reserv'd to it by many positive and express Laws If then we have a Right to our Property we must likewise be suppos'd to have a Right to preserve it for those Rights are by the Law secured against the Invasions of the Prerogative and by consequence we must have a Right to preserve them against those Invasions It is also evidently declared by our Law that all Orders and Warrants that are issued out in Opposition to them are null of themselves and by consequence any that pretend to have Commissions from the King for those Ends are to be considered as if they had none at all since those Commissions being void of themselves are indeed no Commissions in the construction of the Law and therefore they who act in vertue of them are still to be consider'd as private persons who come to invade and disturb us Fourthly He makes a King in Fact to be Lord of the Fee We have been too long haunted with this word Fact and therefore I will try to lay the Goblin The Bishop hath nothing to do with your Goblinâ— Fact He always own'd the King's Right to the Crown to be Legal and by the Virtual Consent of the People If the Bishop chances to write any word though in the Application of it it relates to other persons without ever weighing or considering the intention or dâ—sign of it He runs away with his whymsical mis-apprehension of the maâ—ter and from his own mistake makes and forces the Bishop to say or write any thing to his squinting purpose The Bishop applies himself to the Non jurors because as they could not deny him to be King in Fact that is to be in possession of the Throne so they ought to swear Allegiance to him in consideration of the Protection he gave them and that they liv'd under his Government whether they did or would own him Rightful King or not Your Supposition of Forcible Entry which â—ollows is altogether impertinent as to the Bishop because he hath told you over and over that the King hath a Right to possess the Throne by that Legal Possession of it which was given him by the Lords and Commons Fifthly He would have people swear an Obedience according to Law in Opposition to a Blind and Absolute Obedience though they are still to retain their Passive Obedience which is certainly Blind and Absolute Obedience or else there is no such thing in the World In this place more particularly I appeal to Mr. Iohnson's greatest Aâ—mirers if they have but common Justice for Truth whether any Iesuit could have perverted the Intention or Sense of any Author more Villainously and Bare-fac'd than he hath the Bishop's in this Note Is here the least shadow of an Insinuation of Passive Obedience when our Allegiance is declar'd an Obedience only according to Law that is to say Not a Blind or Absolute Obedience but such an Obedience as is defined and limited by the Laws Now what could have been express'd more opposite to Passive Obedience Nor can they or any others retain their Passive Obedience if they keep to the Laws because Passive Obedience is a tame submission to those illegal Commands of a King that are evidently against and tend to destroy all Law No Man hath asserted the Laws and Publick Liberty with more Reason nor more Nervously enforc'd than the Bishop of
Salisbury which appears from the Quotation I made out of his Measures of Submission to the Supream Authority And 't is a base Imputation to say That he would have any body retain the mistaken Notion of Passive Obedience or shews how it should not hurt them when at the same time he so plainly and positively declares the contrary But 't is enough for Mr. Iohnson to make the Bishop enter a Salvo for or to be an high Asserter of the mistaken Doctrine when he only mentions the word Obedience as in this place and much more when he repeats the Highest Principles of Passive Obedience in the 20 th page Tho at the same time 't is impossible if a Man be but honest or hath but a mean Judgment to apprehend them any bodies as the Bishop supposes but the Non-Iurors which will evidently appear if you will take the trouble to read part of the 19 th and 20 th pages of the Pastoral Lettter where 't is as apparent also that the Bishop argues from other Principles That the Non-Iurors ought to swear to the present Government even though they should retain or according to their Highest Principles of Passive Obedience I will only repeat a Line or two in the beginning of that Paragraph to inform you of the Bishop's design But I will in the last place carry this matter further to justify the present Settlement as a thing Right and Lawful in it self Should I have said that I was the Fairest Adversary in the World and should have had so many plain Instances of misrepresenting plainly prov'd upon me I should have expected but little Credit to be given to me But I 'le warrant you Face and Feathers will stare it out And now I 'le leave our Noter to roul and tumble in his own wit and divert himself with his story of the Welchman his Bow-string and Black-Box his Thebaean Legion his Mine-take-it and Your-take-it And because I will be sure to win his Favour I do own that I have and always had as great an Aversion to the mistaken Notion of Passive Obedience as he hath to Maxims But by the way he must let me be convinc'd by my own following Reasons though he will not let the Bishop by his To which I will only premise That 't is the Nature of Mankind to be easier perswaded and convinc'd by modest and plain Reasonings from their Errors and Mistakes than banter'd and hector'd and that 't is more Christian and Generous rather to lend an helping Hand to a Blind Man who hath mistaken his way than rail at his Imperfection I wonder how this Doctrine of the Cross came to be call'd the Doctrine of Passive Obedience and I much more wonder how it should obtain so much Credit in a Country where the Christian Religion is the Establish'd Religion and the Laws are the Rule and Standard of all Obedience I think moreover that Passive Obedience is as great a Bull in Terms as Roman Catholick Vniversal Particular for all Obedience is Active and to Obey is to do the thing commanded and Passive Non-obedience would have sounded much better because the Design of the Doctrine is to suffer rather than obey or when I will not obey and the Primitive Christians were under an Obligation to suffer even to Death rather than deny the Faith they had confess'd and so become Apostates What I apprehend to be the proper and true meaning of the Doctrine is to suffer rather than Apostatize But to reflect on the practice of it amongst us As where the Grand Seignior's Horse once sets his Foot no Grass grows so where this mistaken Notion of the Doctrine takes place all Laws must be trod under Foot The Doctrine of the Cross was and is a true Doctrine but not calculated for the Year 1688. in a Christian legally establish'd Government and is altogether impracticable amongst us because if any man upon what account soever or from whomsoever commission'd shall attempt to take away my Goods or Life by force or in an illegal manner I may lawfully resist them by the Laws of God Nature and my Country Otherwise that which should be my Rule would be my Snare So that it can be no sin in me to do what the Laws of God Nature and my Country direct Were I in Turkey and the Grand Seignior should send an Express to acquaint me That I must either turn Mahometan or kiss the Bow string 't is my Duty and I hope God would enable me rather to suffer Death than deny and renounce the true Faith of Christ. But there is a great difference between a Turkish Arbitrary and Mahometan and an English Limited and Christian Government Theory and Practice are two different things and the latter many times discovers the Absurdity of the former and I am sure though I should have preachâ—d my Lungs out in the Neighbourhood where I liv'd not one thickâ—skull'd Miner or Collier would have been perswaded that 't was his Duty to sit tamely with his Hands in his Pockets whilst an Irish Dragoon trimm'd his Ears and Nose off Nature Humane Nature will struggle Thus having stated this Point I think it will not be improper in this place to offer my Sentiments to those who do not take the Oaths in relation to the Oath of Allegiance which they have already taken and by which they account themselves bound up 'T is allow'd that a Law is to be obey'd and an Oath to be taken according to the sense and intention of the Legislators In the late times there was a distinction between the Kings Person and his Authority upon which account there was an Oath fram'd to obviate and take away any such Mischeivous Distinction And tho it extended to secure the King as to his person and legal rights yet it was never design'd as a foundation of an arbitrary and irresistible power or that the subject might not resist any violent and illegal proceedings and more especially when the whole rights of the Community were struct at and a subversion of the Government undeniably put in practice 'T is Rebellion to invade the Kings right but not so to preserve and defend what the Laws and constitution of the Government have given me a just and legal right and title to There is a latitude imply'd in this Oath Unless when we take it we swear to be slaves from that day forward for if taken in a strict sense it cancels all our natural and positive rights and Laws at once we are bound hand and foot and only left at the mercy of an Absolute King and contrary to all reason and justice the Impostumated and unnaturall Power and will of one is superiour and preferrable to the good and preservation of all the rest of the body Politick the Original Government was by the consent of the people as also the form and kind and the good and welfare of Mankind is the undoubted end of it Salus Populi Suprema Lex To which purpose I
will only add the Opinion of the Judicious and Ingenious Author of the Character of a Trimmer page the 7th When all is said There is a natural reason of State an undefinable thing grounded upon the Common good of Mankind which is Immortal and in all Changes and Revolutions still preserveth its Original Right of saving a Nation when a Letter of the Law perhaps would destroy it And by whatsoever means it moveth carrieth a power with it that admitteth of no Opposition being supported by Nature which inspireth an immediate consent at so critical times into every individual Member to that which viâ—ibly tendeth to the preservation of the whole And this being so a wise Prince instead of controverting the Right of this Reason of State will by all means endeavour it may be on his side and then he will be secure But to return to my Noter who would have done but honestly to have clear'd the Bishop from this false Imputation by informing the World with what he says in his 26 th page of the Pastoral Letter where he presumes those Men to have been very much mistaken who have taken up an Opinion That there is an uncontroulable and Supream Power lodged with our Kings by a Divine Deputation which exempts them from being call'd to an account or resisted by their people let their Violations of the Law be never so many or so Eminent And in the next page he proves it from the Original Articles granted by King Iohn which he there repeats with this Inferenceâ— And the Subjects are not only warranted but râ—quir'd to enter into Associations and Oaths for that Effect This is an Evidence that by the Ancient Constitution of England there was no such irresistable Authority in our Kings as some have been inclin'd â—o imagine To which the Bishop subjoyns this wise and seasonable Caution But after all if there are any who are so possest with their pre-conceited Opinions that they either cannot lay them down or will not confess that they have been mistaken in their Notions of Politicks these ought to be very sure that they are in the right before they will adventure as far as in them lies to undermine and shake the present Constitution To what base shifts is impotent Malice put to compass its wicked but unsuccessful designs But to proceed to the Bishop's 4 th Paragraph This is either true or those who live upon a Continent and that are subject to the Conquests and Invaâ—ions of their Neighbours must be miserable For tho our happy Scituation has exempted us for a whole Age from falling under any such difficulties yet this is a Case that falls often out in all different States which are on the same Continent Upon which our Noter observes This is shifting the Scene for he knows that we are a World by our selves and have nothing to do with the Continent It is a Land-loping Argument and till we are in the Condition of the Flanderkin Townsâ— he need not urge us with their Practice and Example And he is wholly out of the way in every word he utters For we are not deserted or forsaken nor conquer`d or subdu'd nor under the power of an Enemy nor treated as Enemies nor cudgelled into an Oath of Allegiance nor ever will be Our Noter in this place is cudgelling and conquering his own shadow for the Bishop hath not affirm`d that we are so barbarously us'd but knows that we are in profound peace What is Reason in England is Reason in Flanders and all the world over The Bishop is only comparing and stating the Point and Case of the Non jurors with that of the Subjects on the Continent who are often subject to Conquests He is not come as yet to the Merits of the Cause but argues That a bare possession which gives protection obliges those who live under it to swear Allegiance and 't is matter of Fact that the Flanderkins do swear Allegiance to the French when he is Master of a Town and so in like manner to the Spaniard so that he infers the lawfulness and reasonableness of so doing and offers it as a Reason and Argument to the Non-jurors and the inevitable destruction of Cities and Societies if they did not and so by consequence that Allegiance is a diffeasable thing and may be transferr'd when there is a pressing necessity for it If I should say Mr. Iohnson was wonderfully subject to error and mistakes and that he was no more Infallible in his Notes than the Pope of Rome we should have him call it a Land-loping Argument in his Second Part but I am sure what he hath noted on the Bishop's Argument by way of Comparison is Forreign and Outlandish to the purpose But our weak Noter proceeds in his mistake and tells us If I were hired to write against the Oath of Allegiance I would use such Arguments as this is I verily believe you would because I find by Experience you are very apt to write what is altogether impertinent to the matter in hand and in most places your Notes are quite contrary to the Point Are we in the Case of those that are slaves under the Spaniard and slaves under the French that often change their Master but never their Condition that are Prize and re-taken and Prize still Let him answer me that I will answer for the Bishop No we are not Nor hath the Bishop mention'd one word of Slavery or compar`d our condition with theirs We have indeed chang'd our Master some time since and I think much better'd our condition But in all his Travels could he find no Copy for us to write after nor no body to match us with but a conquer'd People The Bishop hath unluckily made use of the word Conquest and Invasions tho apply'd to the Continent and our Misrepresenter will have it that the Bishop is matching our Condition with a conquer'd people But I think any man who hath a Grain of Sense must own the Bishop intended nothing like it but only as he evidently tryeth to prove the Absurdity and Falseness of Indiffeasable Allegiance Mr. Iohnson tells us I love to talk with Maxims as I do the sight of an Ass who looks like Gravity and Wisdom and is not I know the Reason of it a Jest upon an Ass is thrown away and Maxims are such wise and grave things that they are above the short reach of your Understanding and then you lose an Opportunity of shewing your dogrel parts But to the other part of our Paragraph For if subjects owe their natural Prince such an Obstinate Allegiance that neither desertion nor conquest can dissolve it then in what a miserable condition must they be when they fall under the power of their Enemy that never thinks himself secure of them but treats them still as Enemies till they swear Allegiance to him upon which observe our Noter I can tell him And that 's all I know you can't prove it and I am sure
Real Necessity supercedes and is superiour to all Law The Court and Country agree very well together and may equally make use of the Maxim So that the Subject of these Two Pages as of divers others are but as feathers to stuff out our Noter's bulky book And now I leave it to the Judgment of the impartial and unprejudic'd Reader whether Mr. Iohnson hath either answer'd or destroy'd the Bishop's Reasons and Topicks offer'd to the Non-Iurors He hath posiâ—ively affirm'd many things but propos'd no one Argument to prove That bare Possession doth not entitlâ— a King to our Allegiance or that Desertion is not a suffiâ—ient Argument to transfer it or that Allegiance is indiâ—feasible So that upon the whole matter he hath only forced and misrepresented the Bishop's Dâ—sign and Sense and hath endeavour'd to confirm and continue the Non-Iurors in their Opinions if they will not come up to his own As to the remaining part of his book which is a kind of confus'd Narrative or Invective against former mistakes and mismanagements and of scurrilous Râ—flâ—ctions of his own I do not see any good can be intended or proceed from it Nor is this or any other a proper time to rake into and revive the expiring Differences and Divisions that have been amongst us Nor can it any ways promote but visibly tends to obstruct the publick good Come come Mr. Iohnson we complain of our fore fathers and censure former Transactions and succeeding Generations will do the same by us in that we have been too much addicted to our own private humours and Interests instead of laying aside all foolish Animosities and joyning hand in hand to act seasonably as well as vigorously against the common Enemy But there always was and is and ever will be Fools and Knaves and Madmen who did not do not and will not see the true Interest of their Country Some Men who prefer their own ungodly gain private Revenges and Picks who don't care whether the floating Island sink or swim if they do not sit at Helm tho unable and incapable to steer the least Cock-boat But notwithstanding all this Men had always different Sentiments of things and 't will be for the most part found as equally impossible to perswade a considerable number of men tho the matter be in a manner obvious and plain unanimously to assent to the how and what is to be done as to do it Mr. Iohnson's angry and peevish because all Men did not see with his Eyes and judge by his Sentiments when at the same time they know him to be subject to Error and Passions as well as others and they who are imperious and supercilious in their Positions and Dictates must expect to meet with Opposition and Reflections No meer Man was ever in the Right in every thing he did or said unless we will be so Phantastically credulous as to believe him to be possess'd with an Almighty Attribute of Infallibility yet humane Nature apologizes for all that 's mistaken through weakness and misapprehension without Perversity and Obstinacy Let Mankind jar and quarrel the World rubs on in its Old Course One Generation passes away and another comes and there is nothing New under the Sun In our late Reigns the Bullet hath had its swing both ways but in all Reigns the Moderate Men have preserv'd â—his Nation on its true Basis and defeated the designs of all Achitophels whilst Whig and Tory have been manag'd and out-witted by those who were Enemies to boâ—h and laugh'd behind the Curtain as the French did formerly at the Dutch and us who were both bubbled by the same methods to behold their designs carried on by turns with a bitter but imprudent Zeal 'T was the Observation of that great Statesman and Soldier the Duke of Rohan That England was a great Beast and could not be destroy'd but by its self and therefore the French King being no Fool in Politicks thinks he can do nothing so much to his own advantage and our prejudice as to divide us and hath sent over these following Instructions with his Lewidores to his Emissaries here amongst us and all under the disguise of Pity and Compassion for the miserable condition we labour under The first thing they buz in your Ears is The Church the Church Oh the Church Now I would know of any man in what danger the Church is at this time when it has the same Laws to support it the King and Qâ—een Zealous Professors of its Doctrine and Discipline and in a manner the whole Body of the Nation especially all those in Employments of its Communion 'T is true the Law hath given the Dissenters Liberty of Conscience and 't is the Opinion of Wise Men 't will lessâ—n their Number howsoever their Mouths are stopp'd and by this means we are more united and our Chariâ—y is more enlarg'd towards each other I dare be bold to affirm that were our Lives as generally sound and good as our Doctrines few of the wise and sober amongst them would dissent from us and I have observ'd in those Parishes where the Ministers honestly and conscientiously discharge their Duties there are but few Dissenters But we have some amongst us so wise as to think the way to rescue the Church out of its contriv'd danger is to bring Father Peters back with French Dragoons to be Shepherds to take care of our English Flocks which is the true meaning of their conceal`d design The next doleful Topick is the Taxes the Taxes But commonly they complain most who pay none 'T is true the Taxes are great but was there ever more occasion than now Is our Religion our Liberties our Properties dear at any price No Miser but will part with some of his Money to Purchase these because it gives him a sure Title to the remaining part and makes him live easy Compare our Condition with that of the French our Taxes are given by our own Consents no forc'd Impositions no grinding Arbitrary Gabells our Money is not call'd into the Exchequer at a low rate New-coin'd and Paid out for more than 't is Current New Offices and Officers are noâ— Establish'd to Oppress the poor People these are preâ—sing Miseries we only hear of and our Enimies endure We are told the Nation 's Impoverishâ—d â— our Money is all Transported abroad But how doth this appear Is the Luxury visibly less than formerly There is little sign of Poverty when Buildings Furniture Equipage Cloaths all things that are Costly and Expensive are to be seen every where Land keeps up its Price notwithstanding its Taxes and there is nothing to be Sold a Bargain but there 's a ready penny for it Nor is it an Indication of Scarcity of Money when above a Million is subcrib'd to the India Company in some short time and almost a Million Voluntarily Advanc'd in two Months on a Lottery Fund What a prodigious quantity of Plate and Iewels is there in the Nation at this time
their encroach'd Enemy within his proper â—ounds For as in diseases if timely discover'd and oppos'd they are easily cur'd but when by neglect or increasing the causes the malady becomes Chronical it requires time skill and the utmost application to restore the body to its former sound Habit. 'T is true we alone have been an overmatch for France and so hath Spain what then Time and Circumstances alter the unsetled affairs of this world and France is now too strong for both and yet in the reverse of things it may be too weak for either but it matters not what a Kingdom was but what it actually is Mr. Iohnson tells us tho such a raw thing as our present Militia does well enough to keep House Yet it must be a well train'd if not a Veteran Army that shall do any great matters abroad To which he subjoyns What then shall we have a mercenary Army to supply this defect and loose Old England to win France I hope not but so it would be for a standing Army plainly destroys this Governmâ—nt If our Mercenary Army can but win France Old England will of Consequence be preserv'd and not lost and then there will be no need of a standing Army and I dare engage King William will send his Danes back as you inform us Knute did A standing Army employ'd against France tends to preferve our Government 'T is not very Politick to send away our Forces when we have most Occasion for them and 't is our true Interest to employ Forreigners for it will both preserve our People at home and when the Disbanding Time comes those Officers who have serv'd their Countrey may be easier provided for and perhaps we may have fewer Theives Mr. Iohnson tells us He doth not love Digressions but at the same time he hath taken leave long since of his Point of Defence and hath been only Digressing from one incoherent Story to another for thirty Pages together some men are pleas'd to reflect on the past Dangers and Misfortunes they have escap'd and out liv'd whilst others fret themselves and lose their present pleasure because their Thoughts are wholly taken up with past Oppressions and Plots and writing Invectives against those who have never injur'd them If it be difficult for those who have deserv'd well to find Friends 't will be the highest Imprudence to demean themselves so as to disoblige those who have Endeavour'd to serve them How many Men have lost their best Friends nay Created Enemies rather than conceal or check a sower unmannerly Humour What Reason had Mr. Iohnson to insinuate as if Kendall according to his civil way of Expressing himself towards those who have the Honour of the Kings Commission for a Government or as in the 78th page to confirm themselves in their ill-gotten Honours were to serve some evil Court Turn when 't is well known that Collonel Kendall did neither comply with King Iames when settled and was otherwise very Instrumental in the Revolution and therefore might very well deserve the Employment he was advanc'd to but Sir Peter Coryton was not sent and that was a sufficient Ground for Mr. Iohnsons Reflection Had he spar'd some few Hours from his Old Musty Law-Books and spent them in Reading a Chapter or two in the Whole Duty of Man against Self-conceit and Back-biting though not so good a Noterâ— yet I believe he might have been a better Christian. 'T is no Imputation to a Mans Memory or Morals to forget and forgive Injuries and the Man who tells us he is Good Natur'd to a Fault need not have publish'd Mr. Chiswell's Message It would be a difficult Qâ—estion for Mr. Iohnson to Answer What Wise or Sober Action he hath done since the Reformation notwithstanding the good Opinion he hath of his Intellectuals when he hath like a Mâ—dman been throwing of Dirt at every Body He tells us the Reason Page 94. Why he hath taken this Freedom with the Bishop of Salisbury because he hath taken a greater Latitude with me and hath given me out for a Mad-man above these four years I am in the way of Writing Mr. Iohnson and though I must own you to be a great Man yet I will Adventure to declare what I apprehend a great Truth but without any design against your proper Person Preâ—erment or Breed or any Wise Notes you shall hereafter Wriâ—e There are three most Convinceing Reasons without enquiring whether the Bishop hath said so or not which command my Assent in this matter which you know are as much as three Thousand The first That you have been Fighting with your own shadow and Writing whatsoever came uppermost in your disturbed Brain The Next That you have been over and above Witty You remember the old saying Nullum Magnum Ingenium sine Mixtura Dementiae And last of all If what Seneca saith be true That Ira furor brevis est 't is a Natural and strong Consequence that he who hath been very Angry for four or â—ive years last past hath been so long very Mad. Note upon these Reasons the next Lucid Interval Who but a mad man would have thrown away a Witty Reflection on Two meer insensible Dutch Elements Earth and Water And 't was something Ungrateful and Unseasonable too in respect of the Catastrophe of my Lord Shaftsbury as well as in Gude Remembrance of the Protection and Civilities the Worry'd Peer receiv'd at Amsterdam Mr. Iohnson having already mis-represented the Bishop's Sense and the Antipathy he seems to havâ— against all Bishops in General gives me Good Reason to suspect he hath a little strain'd his Two Bishops Meanings And truly I am afraid that he hath either had a Knock in the Cradle or that having Out-done some English Herb Woman in her Civil Way of Banter she hath hit him a Rap on the Skull Otherwise he would not have us'd his Fanatical Reflections Common Prayer-Book Mass-Book or Laudean Religion Anglice Popery to prove his Two Mooted Points If he pleases he may talk of Self-Defence and the Wellcome Assistance of the Prince of Orange without any Distinction or Contradiction Bless us I am surpriz'd Is it a Ghost I see or hath our Noter been in the Third Heavens ever since he wrote his Forty Third Page But to be Serious Threescore and Five Pages together is an Unusual and Frantick Digression But our now Noter tells us the Reason of it in his 97 th Page where he hath only made a short Digression of Ten Pages that 't is occasion'd by the Impeâ—tinencies which continnally cross his Way meaning Brains Hâ—ving a Gude Memory I remember 108 Pages past he tells us That the Doctrine hat is in the Pastoral Letter shall not live while it pleases God to let him live I verily believe notwithstanding my reflections he will malitiously or ignorantly pervert the Bishops own meaning and design to his dying day But to see the Contagious power of ill Company and bad Example The two last dying pages of the Book can't deparâ— in peace without breaâ—hing out destruction against the Maxims of the Bishops Book and therefore I must seriously observe its dying Nonsense The Bishops maxim is That all which tend to the inevitable destruction of Cities and Societies as Indiffeasible Allegiance does are false Maxims I will not trouble my self with Excluâ—ion times other peoples Mâ—xims and no Maxims are forreign to the Bishops Maxims Because I am sure what Mr. Iohnson affirms here with Assurance of Indiffeasible Allegiance is not prov'd therefore I desire you will be pleas'd to look back to his Supposition of a true and total Conquest which I have long since deâ—eated I must confess 't is a baâ—barous thing to take a Coat away from a Man who hath but just two And I am sure the Bishop would no more take his Allegiance from King William and Queen Mary than rob him of an Honest Mâ—xim but I will make bold for his own good to destroy his darling Maxim of Indiffeasible Allegiance because if King William and Queen Mary should chance to slip away to Lapland without taking lâ—ave and so consequently be Dead in Law Mr. Iohnson will be oblig'd to transfer his Allegiance to the next King in Possession or take a tedious cold Journey or if true to his own Principle resist himself into a Jayl Mr. Iohnson having mistaken the point lays a heavy charge with a Now I say that all his Lawyers and Casuists never said a Word of Truth in their whole Lives Now because you may bring an Old House on your Head I le take the lye upon my self and say that the true End of Government is the preservation of Mankind That Indiffeasible Allegiance is a false Maxim because it tends to the destruction of Mankind For when a King hath Abdicated 't is impossible for me to pay Allegiance to him and 't is an undeniable Maxim Nemo obligatur ad Impossibilia So that where the Duty cannot be perform'd the Obligation necessarily ceases Mr. Iohnson if he pleases may destroy these Maxims in his Second Part. Which having but nam'd Oh how I long I am impatient to see it I must confess I have been a little too serious with the First Bornâ— but when t'other Young Master appears in the World the Second Off-Spring of his Prolifick Brain perhaps at present only in Embrio I 'le persecute the unlick'd Cubb whilst I have a Day to live And because Kind Reader I`le make you amends for the Trouble I have already given you not having been so Comical in my Reflectious as Mr. Iohnson in his Bantering Notes I 'le promise to present you with a pleasant Scene by way of Dialogue between Mr. Bays and Mr. Iohnson FINIS p. 3. Pag. 92. Pag. â—he 17 th pag. 37. pag. 40. pag. 27. pag. 35. Pag. 55. Pag. 80. Pag. 81. Pag. 82. Pag. 83. Pag. 85. Pag. 59. Pag. 95. Page 10. Page 2 d.
nothing can be more proper to do it than a Text of Scripture Observe the Axiom A man mâ—y lawfully promise to do every thing he may lawfully do Now the Instance Our Saviour commands If any man compel me to go a mile with him to carry his burthen to go with him twain From which he inâ—ers But is it therefore lawful for me to promise this man to be his Pack horse all my Life and to starve my Wiâ—e and Children c. No no by no means lawful Besides you can't be a Pack-horse and your own Instance will not let you be worse than an Infidel There is a great difference between lawfully promising and being compell'd to do any thing and therefore your Instance is nothing to the purpose I can find no power of Conviction in it and I am afraid it is like an Estate left in our late Diego Wickhams ' Will because all Compultion takes away the Liberty of doing or not doing Promises to do or not do signifie nothing when I am Forc'd or Hinder'd Besides your Inference is an unlawful Action and you cannot lawfully promise therefore you are oblig'd not to promise any man to be his Pack horse and by that means to starve your Wiâ—e and Children and therefore you may not lawfully do it I may lawfully promise to assist my Neighbour to carry his Burthen and therefore I may lawfully do it For any thing I know our Noter may be a good Lawyer but I am sure he is but a Dabbler at instancing To proceed to the Second Instance 'T is as great a Conquest for a Philosopher to refute an Axiom as a General to take a strong Town in Flanders and therefore our Noter brings another battering Instance against it I 'le assure you Mr. Iohnson I have no prejudice against your Person I will neither lessen your Merits nor Sufferings But I am in the way of writing Mr. Iohnson my Controversy is only with your Book and though I by my self I I say that my Motion I was sure was Right being drawn by my own Hand which is more positive perhaps than Old Bracton would have said so I by my self I say that your Instance is wrong therefore I will mind the Process Out of this long and truly impertinent Story I put this short Case It was certainly lawful for me to submit to this Vsage when I could not help it but I had deserved to die the Death of a Dog and had betrayed the Rights of an Englishman if I had entred into Engagements to abide by it Observe the Consequence therefore a man may not lawfully promise to do every thing which he may lawfully do O profound Logician Now I would fain understand how Mr. Iohnson will reconcile his lawfully doing of that which he tells us was compulsorily wrongfully and illegally inflicted and more especially when he declares in his 15 th page That Forc'd Obedience is not the Obedience of Men It is Passive and Dog-kennel Obedience If I should pursue this Point and prove that he hath a Grain of Passive Obedience about him he would certainly hang himself therefore I desist and won't be guilty of Murder This is so pretty an Instance that I can't chuse but repeat it once more It was certainly lawful for me to submit to this Vsage when I could not help it Ay ay 't is very true too true we must all submit when we can't help it there 's no Remedy but Passive Patiâ—nce But you know the Old Saying Patience per Force is a Medicine for a mad Dog Now I don`t find by the Story thar you lawfully promis'd to submit to this Usage which you might have done too if you had thought it fit because you tell us It cost you Two or Three Fees not to be kept in Acta Custodia So that our Impregable Axiom holds out still That a Man may lawfully promise to do what he may lawfully do Having defeated your first and Second Line jam ad Triariâ—s ventum est I think I had as good stop here lest in his Second Part I should be noted on as a Couquering Clergyman But the best on it is I fear no Character he can give me and therefore will attack him in his third Instance At the Parliament at Oxford in 65 when they made the Five Mile Act there was the same enslaving Project on foot as there was afterwards in Seventy odd to Swear to the Government in Church and State without Alteration The Wise Lord Treasurer Southampton was against it and said that though he liked Episcopacy yet he would not be Sworn to it Because he might hereafter be of another Opinion And perhaps he had been further off â—rom that Oath if he had lived till now I smell your design in this instance 't is to let us know that you don't like Episcopacy so well now as formerly for any story that you could have thought on had been as much to the purpose as this If the Lord Southampton was satisfied with Episcopacy at that time he might have taken an Oath to it especially if it had been Enacted into a Law so to do A Law would have concluded his Opinion and determin'd his Compliance till it had been repeal'd and had he liv'd till now Episcopacy would have been the same thing as then The Virtual Consent of every individual Person is given when a Law is made and therefore I must obey when what is commanded is not undeniably a sin and my Disobedience is a sin when the matter is lawful So that rebus sic stantibus a man may lawfully promise to do what he may lawfully do and if there be an evident and publick Alteration in the Subject Matter the Obligation ceases Neither do I apprehend any Reason from the Law of God or Men but that every Man may swear Allegiance or to be quiet under our present Government though they would have had things otherwise setled because a private Opinion is not to be oppos'd against the general Determination of the Body of the Nation And to me it appears Imprudence and Mockery that after the Non-Iuring Passive Men have beat King Iames out of the Kingdom as far as their Principles allow'd with their Primitive Weapons Prayers and Tears That is that now we are deliver'd by Providence and Second Causes from Popery and Slavery that the very same men some of which put their Helping Hand too are praying it back again for the French Court is the worst in the World to instruct Princes to govern according to Laws and I don't hear Father Peters is turn'd Protestant Now to the part of the Bishops Paragraph which follows in these words And as it appears that there lies no just Objection to the swearing Obedience so there arises none from the word Allegiance for that being in its Original Signification nothing but the Service that a Vassal owed to the Chief Lord of the Fee If the King is owned in Fact to be our King