deteclU And since I've prov'd thee so
notorious
a.
Rehearsal - v1 - 1750
Does he make the government set tled and fix'd in his or their hands where the commu
nity have plac'd
O. What do'll 'mean, an absolute and arhitrary sower
in the supreme and legistative authority No, no, he will not allow of that any means. And he proves ex
cellently, which had not ready at hand last time thou mad'st such goose of me, for faying, that there no ar- litre, ry power in England so that had not ran/ to
fay for my self. For tho' have taken all my principles out of Lock, do not always remember his reasons but now I'm ready for thee, and have at thee. He comes upon this point, in his two treatises, book z. chap. xi. 353. where he treats Of the extent the legiflative power, And fays thus, 355. Tho the legistative, whether one or more, be thesupreme power in every commonwealth,
yet not, nor. can possibly be absolutely arhitrary over the lives andfortunes the people for being but the joint
power every member the society given up to that per son, or assembly which legifiator, can be no more then those persons, had in a state nature, before they enter
into society, and gave up to the community for no body can transfer to another more power than he has in himsels
and no body has an absolute arhitrary power over himself, or over any other to destroy his own life, or take away tie life or property of another. A man, as has been prov'i,
tannoi subject himself to the arhitrary power another.
C. And;.
government,
of
;
a is
; it
it
of
is of
;
I; I
it ;
of it
!
it is
cf
p.
a
it
of
T
I
by
?
it
i inp.
opi
is
The REHEARSAL.
I have
233 to thee before, the
C. And, as
legiflative power, wherever it is plac'd> in any sort of government, is, and must be arhitrary and absolute, and it is impossible to be otherwise ; and every man sees it in all governments upon the face of the e^rth. The legifla
tive is not bound to its own laws, but may repeal them
at pleasure ; and before repeal may dispense with them, and leap over them, and act contrary to them ; may de
fully prov'd
ny the liberty of habeas corpus, and keep men in Newgate all the days of their lise, without either trial or bail ; may take a man's life by act of attainder, where the or dinary course of the laws could not reach him. In short, may do what they will, and make what they will to be law ; for their •mill is the law.
Therefore, ifas Mr. Lock fays, and fays he has prov'd No man can fubject himself to the arhitrary power
another, no man can subject himself to any governments of what sort or fize so ever. Nor can there be such thing as government kept up in the world.
And as he fays, no man has power over the life or property of another, then cannot the whole community com mit anyforce upon any single individual, who shall gain
fay their constitution No, nor compel him to leave them, or his native country and hirth-right .
And as he fays again, no- man can transfer to an other more power th'ani'e has in himself, and that no body- has power over himsels to destroy his own life then how came any government to have power of life and death Mr. Lock consesses the individuals could not give it. And who else was there to give it? doubt little divine right must come in here. What else can give to another that power over my life, which- have net my self?
O. This Rehearser aflts many silly questions there's no bearing on'th he puts one out still, and won't let'en'
go on. But I'll tell thee Mr. Lock fays, that art absolute
subje3ion to any form of government worse than anarchy or the state at nature. This he takes pains to prove p. 359. and fays, '[hat he in a much worse condition that iy expos'd to the arhitrary power of one man who has the
command
is
so
1
I is
a
;
?
a
of
if,
it, if,
:
The RE HEARSAL
command of I 00,000, than he that is expos d to the arU- trary power of 100,000 jingle men.
C. This is so very senseless, (with all respect to Mt. Lock's judgment ! ) that it is even tfhame to answer it. Ageu- ral or a king of 100,000 men may command hardiixaQ, ] as to march upon the mouth of a cannon, and bang a man for a very small matter, stepping out of his rank, or tak ing an egg, tho' he were starving, and had not a penny to pay for't, Or for his pay, tho' it be due to him ; yet, with all this arbitrariness, is not this a better
for these ioo,coo men than anarchy, and letting them all loose upon one another, to rob, plunder, and kill one another at discretion I And if the number be greater, aa
of millions in a kingdom, the confufion and destrutHo* would be proportionably greater. And if the whole world were in this supposed of nature, it would be one aeeldama, and nothing but ArtV could the wild uproar ! Yet Mr. Lock thinks this much preferable to the
234
living under the absolute government either of a king, or a commonwealth! And must such stupid notions still /rr- <pa/7, still bewitch this wretched nations
. O. I my self, . /W enough as I am, must forsake my master Lock here. This was putting the case too far, it frights one to think on't ! but he did Hot mean it ; for he fays, p. 422, that if a government be arbitrary, it is dix/hlv'd, and the people are restor'd to their originalstate
of nature; but he does, not suppose the people will conti nue in that state, but may choose a new legislative for themselves, in what form and manner they think sit. This is the subject of chap. XIX. of book 2. Of the disso lution ofgovernment, beginning at p. 432, where all thi* is asserted, and discours'd at large.
C. Dissolution of government is a whim, a dream. One contending party may take the government from another,
and when they have £0/
fall so low as the people state of nature and
they /for/> but never let
they despise your individuals and any individual should set up for
his originalfreedom, they would hang him up for an ori ginalfoci. Such an independent would besuspended as
disturber of any sort ofsettlement whatsoever. And
;
if ;
it,
a it 1
it,
The REHEARS AL.
235
And as there never was such an independent state of mankind, as Lock or the rest of our popular orators vainly fancy ; so cannot mankind fall into such a state, more than
the world into its original chaos.
And ifmankind were in such a state, they cou'd no
more produce government from the consent of every in
dividual; than the chaos, by its own naturalforce, cou'd
have produc'd this world, by a fortuitous concourse of atoms : which some of the heathen philosophers foolishly thought, for want of the knowledge of the creation. And it is full as reasonable for Christians to lay aside the
and follow the heathens in this, as in the
holy scriptures^
original ofgovernment ; of which they knew no more than ofthe other.
Let me but give an instance to make it familiar to eve ry body, in a very little part of the world, that is, the
yleoi Britain. Suppose, according to Lock, the govern ment dissolv'd, and all the individuals of England and
Scotland render'd wholly independent ofeach other, in his siippos'd state of nature. All and every one of them up on the level. I dare undertake, that it wou'd be dooms day in the afternoon before they could frame any fort of
government whatsoever, upon the free vote and consent
of every individual. Besides what is above faid of in
vesting the government with the power of life and death, which Lock consesses they cou'd notgive, as not having
it in themselves. And which if granted to any govern ment, he repeats it again p. 446. wou'd be much worse than the state ofnature or pure anarchy.
O. Do's my Lock fall upon that senseless stuff again ?
I believe I must e'en quit him for good and all !
How ever my honour is fase. For all my filly fayings about go
vernment, thou hast here shew'd to be in him. And it can be no dishonour to me, to fall with the great Lock.
C. I have quoted Lock thus particularly, on purpose to shew, that the most acute and celebrated of the whig writers can speak no more fense upon this subject than John Tutchin : and that the pains I have taken, was not
to confute Tutchin, but he being so very medling afellow, and
ij6 The REHEARSAL,
and his papers running through the nation, and poi/ariif
a great many filly and unthinking people, who will not'3| read books, nor can understand what is closely and sericum wrote; I have followed him in his buffooning way, to
steal some sense into mob, in a language they A'if, and can comprehend. But then, because I have heard some fay, that 'tis not worth while to baffle Tutchin ; and a discredit to any man of sobriety to engage with such a scandalous fellow, and so foul a mouth (as indeed it wou7d
be, were there no more in the case) I have therefore ']
drawn him on, and at last bottom'd his most nan-smficai stuff upon men of name and in highest reputation with our whig-wits. That they may see the dcsperatcncss of their cause, when their greatest heroes have no more to fay, on their behalf, than despicable John Tutchin.
Last Good-friday (the better day, the better deed] some ahti-tackers summon'd a parcel of the saints tofast with them at the ship tavern at Rat cliff cross: where pursuing the business of the day, they produc'd an instrument, rea dy cut and drawn, of association, towards the ensuing elections, like the solemn league and covenant, or the over tures printed before, N. z6. And as, come your band, sad your band went round, it came to one who was not of the very well affected, who refus'd, faying it was a
'
combination to ruin the government. Upon which, an other started off ; which occasioned a great heat among them ; and the paper was torn ; and the cabal broke up for that time.
And I am told, that something of the like combinati-
M has been carrying on at the man in the moon in White-
chapel. Which may produ"ce more news from the world in. the tnoon, • i . : , •.
From
The REHEARSAL. From . f>at. April 2 1 , to d>at. April 28, 1705.
1. she ObservatorsY lyes about Suffolk and Ipswich.
2. What he aUedges wassaid at Norwich. And his dooming all the tackers to have their brains beat out.
3. stackers accus'dfor writing godly books. With the virtues of the whig-chiess. 4. The story of the white neck. And that it was the church of England cut
offthehadof K. Char. I. 5. The Honiton/c-^. And who are the aggressors.
Obf. XTOW the elcctions are coming on, I'm set at my po/i, to tell stories of the tackers, , to pre
judice the people against them, and against all church-men under the name of the high-church.
C. They could not have found such another foul mouth, which laps stander like sweet milk ; and being destitute of all shame or morality, cares not for truth or
postilion in
(1. ) 0. What hast thou to fay to what I tell in mine of the 1 4th of this month, Vol. 4. N. 4. that at Ipswich, the people of the town met at their hall, where one of the bailiffs began a health to the honest tackers, which
(asl fay)ya disgusted those honest gentlemen that were in the company, that they all departed, and left the tackers to themselves. Thus fay I. And what fay 'st thou ?
C. That if all that stayd were tackers,
all such one j. C. then they were except who in the last reign came to
be a common- council man, he was a sheriff's livery-man, a groom to R. S. scrv'd his time to an hostler, was coach man, and that his best preserment, tD Sir Ch -r M —n a Roman catholick judge, and was always an impudent fl'ow like John Tutchin; he was the only worthy person that refused the health, and went out of the hall. It was on the 8th of March last, (at day of her Majesty % happy accession. Where after they
had drank prosperity to the church, to the queen, and the prince, they began a health to the tackers, as thinking
237
N° 39.
saljhood, but throws dirt and bespat ter? , like a
armour of leather. . . ,
.
238
The REHEARSAL.
them, next to the fore-named, the greatest supporters, truest to the interests of the church, the crvum, and nation. So that this . /7or)i thou hast brought to (hew little interest of the tackers, has turned intirely to
contrary.
O. But I tell in the next words, that no bonefi
hearted Englishm an is employed in the publics OfFi
of that town. And that just before the rifing of the parliament, in order to support the tacking cause, h
Bailiffs made a certain eminent tacker, and eigbtj
ether country gentlemen, freemen os the said corporation. C. It was not the bailiffs made them free (as thou im-
pudently lyest) but they were chosen freemen, by the body of the freemen present at several great courts (as the common halls are call'd) and not all at once, just befeft the ristng of the last parliament, as thou put'st it. It was done in about two years time. And those made frtt,
were the right honourable the E
worthy gentlemen, of the best quality in the county. And they were admitted, for the most part, nemine contreÆ-
eente; and always, with very little opposttion. And surely, men of estates and quality are sittest to be trusted with
the preservation of our liberties and properties. And Jp/wich has gain'd this by that they live unanimous,
and in good neighbourhood which no divided place can lay, where fanaticks can get but finger in the **. Where did they ever yet come, and had any st/are of the
power, but they made disturbance
O. Thou rt very promoking. But tell, . that these
sent present of wine to count lalleri. And then you know they must be papishes and French,
and every thing
C. This was told certain company, where one
faid, that he heard the E. of C——1 presented the faid count with sine horse. Why truly, reply a whig, see no reason why civility shou'd not be shew'd tostrang
ers.
O. But the most terrible story yet behind. That
while ago, when a toping SOMETHING with his gang,
Suffolk-tackers
.
———
ofD t, andother
is
?
a
aI
a
!
in a
j
it,
I d
a
The REHEARSAL.
a39
mttnt to search a papist'/ bouse for horses and arms, he ne
ver looked into thestable, but coming into the parlour, he said, here are no horses or arms, and so sat down andI
C. If this be meant of Ipswich, of which thou tell'il the other stories, then these papishes were but one ; and the only one in that town ; who is a fingle man, and no house-keeper, has no parlour, but being surgeon, has on ly a shop or surgery room, next the street, with a little apartment taken out of just big enough to hold fed. And the topping something commission officer, such as the law requires to search for horses and arms. And
he was at thesurgeonsstable sirst, and found neither horse nor arms any where. He did not drink with him, tho' afk'd, being on fast-day in the morning, viz. the
30th of January, which he, not being whig, did ob
drank with the papisHES till they were all drunk, and think 'twas on a Sunday too.
serve. And was not upon Sunday, but
So that here are all the lyes can be crowded into story, in every particular of it. And to shew that this was ja- cohiteplot, the oaths were tendered to the surgeon, which he refusing, pay'd his 40/.
But now we're upon Suffolk and papishes, have story to tell thee. There a. papi(h there, one Mr. L—y,
who herds and cabals with the dissenters (sittest company for one another) andfireetid by them, tho' he refas'd the oaths and being prosecuted to the time, upon which comnction must follow, was brought off last affixes there, by noli -prosequi. And then brought his action of damages against Lord D and other iackers, by
whose warrants he was taken up, and this by the advice
and assistance of his friends, the true-blue protestants who have in this gain'd victory over the iackers.
(z. ) O. I'll have none of thy stories. 'Tis have the
patent for telling stories. And I've Suffolk evidence for what tell in the fame Observator, that common- council-man in Norwich faid, the tackers iawf the ho- nestest men, andswore his maker, that they got the bitter of us this time, they would tack us all to the devil.
C. That
Tuesday.
I
by a
; a
a if
a
is
it,
a is t, a
3d II
a
a
a
:
a aa
it
a
it
84o
The REHEARSAL.
. C. That is not now to be done. There has been an ancient and a solemn league and covenant betwixt you.
O. But where's your moderation all this while ? And fliou'd not all the nation be alarm d at what this common- council-man faid ?
C. You neither tell who that common-council-man was, nor to whom he faid it. Thou'sl no mind to be.
deteclU And since I've prov'd thee so notorious a. liar in the othei
stories thou tellest in the fame Observator, who has rea son to believe one word thou fay'st, upon no better au thority than- thy own? Tho' if such a thing had been faid by a. private man, vxpassion or in drink, is it equal to what thou the vindicator in publick post, and the mouth of the party, ha& printed to all the nation, in the fame Observator, where telling how the peeper at Co ventry was thrown out of the window, and mash'd ti death on thestones, thou adds, that it wou'd be much sor
the ease and advantage of her majesty and her good peopie, ifall the tackers in Encland were servd as the peeper at Coventry ?
O. And is not this greater moderation, than to send them all to the devil? Tho' for my part, I'd rather fence with the devil about my soul, than with a halter about my neck. But these tackers and high fiiers pretend to value their fouls above their bodies. Believe it who can f 'Tis all hypocrisy. As in that tacker who writes godly booh,
for which we have paid him off more than any of the
rest, in our character of a tacker. Where will they sind
any such hypocrisy among us ? your
C. I have read some of the virtues of leading-
p.
faints in the address to the clergy of the church of England,
12. &c. And I sind no hypocrisy at all in them: but that they actcd what they really meant, the utmost con
tempt and blasphemy against the christian religion ; and . which couM not have come into the head of any com mon devil. The church will be well securdaxA trans
mitted by such hands !
O. I cannot bear this : 111 rather let thee tell a story,
than go' on at this rate.
C. Then
The REHEARS AL.
241
C. Then I'll tell thee a true one which I have from a
*'ery good hand. Within this month there were a com
pany of pure sour whigs got together, and discoursing over their godly deeds from forty one and downwards, they
came at last to their joyful day indeed, the de-collation of King Charles I. Upon which one of them shruggd up his shoulders, and with a fanatical grin, which they use fpr smile, faid, with a gusto, the queen has a fine white
0. And what can'st inser, what can'st make of that ?
C. Nothing! But that he said it. And no body re- provd him.
0. You know how the diffenters have vindicated them selves from having any hand in the murder of king Charles I. and I darefay they wou'd do as much for his grand daughter, if there were occafion.
C. I doubt it not in the least. But I pray God pre serve her from the tas of your mercies. You wou'd then prove, as you do new, and last week publisiYd a book call'd, the politicks of high church, Sec. to prove, that it
was the principles of the church of England, which cut off the head of king Charles I. And that it was a natu ral consequence of the passive obedience, and jure divina doctrine, to make the king the Lord's, and not the people's anointed, and so a fin to stretch forth a hand against him !
0. It was those principles cut off his head. And theso men did not know our temper. For I'll tell thee, as the goodwoman faid,
No sooner weIll convinced it is afln, But methinks standon thorns tillIbegin.
We are not for king-killing. Only we wou'd have it in our power ! and these tackers and high-church-men , I'm afraid, won't let us !
(5. ) They wou'dn't let us come into Honiton t'other day with a new candidate we set up against Sir W. D. a tucker. The very women sell upon us, andus'dus worse than at Coventry, or Hertford. - For they kilVd three of u s, and we cou'd kill but one of them. If they
M begin
242
The REHEARSAL.
begin to pluck up their spirits, we shall soon loose ours, But on whom must this blood lie ?
C. Upon the aggressors. O. Who are they ?
C. Not the tackers, to be sure, nor the house of com mons, no, nor the high church. That was a name you nuhigs invented, whereby you might blacken the whole church freely. I have fully shew'd in the foregoing pa
pers, that you were the aggressors against the church,
and she only upon the defensrve, in answer to but a sew of your virulent pamphlets. The house of s^CTZwwshas
been legion d and rogud over and over again, and by none more than by thy stinking breath, who call'st them a pack of hounds ; and bids them kiss thy arse. Vol. 3. N. 97. I wou'd not repeat thy nasty words, but to shew they are thine. But who invented the name of tackers? And expos'd them even while the house was sitting, in the character ofa tacker as •wild beasts, to whom no lava was to be given, but to be destroy d by all true Er. glip- tnen, any bow. Then, as soon as the parliament was up, out came lists of the tackers. And then again in red letters, to shew them to the people as papists, or that their names were to be wrote in blood : explain'd by cir cular letters sent through the country, toshoot them thro' the head, if any of them pretended to appear at the en- . suing elections. And that cry is still continu'd in all the
scandalous papers, and now by thee, to have their brain: beat out, and mastod against the stones. Who now are
the aggressors ?
If this shou'd oblige the members of the last parliament
to come to elections, with their friends about them, and mrmed, and any mischiefshou'd follow, remember it lies upon those who have been, and still are the aggressors.
I faw a letter since the most of these were wrought off, which makes me doubt whether any were downright kiWddX Honiton, but that many were sore wounded.
From
The REHEARSAL.
rom &3t. April 28, to •§at. May 5, 1705. N° 40.
: . A word of advice to all the dissenters, except the pref-
byterians. 2. And to the prefbyterians, concerning the ensuing elections. 3. Pop ery at the bottom. And the dissenters the cats-foot fiill.
[1. ) Coun. ▼ Must now divide your legion. I have a X. word to fay to all the rest of them, except the presbyterians. These must stand by themselves for a
tvbale.
O. I like not this. Thou'rt for dividing us. And
we are now one and all the fortsof us, even to the quak- ers, against your high church and iackers.
C. I doubt not you wou'd all willingly see the church pull'd down ; and the monarchy too : for these
support each other. But suppose this done j you can not be all in the saddle at once. Which class ofyou, do'ic think,wou'd come next in power?
O. The presbyterians, no doubt : they were the mother of us all. They began and carry d on the blessed ivork, in the reign of K. Char. I. Tho' they were mump' dm. the end, by some of their own ungracious children, upon the fame principles which they had taught them. But they have
Ikfd and prosper'd since : and are still the topping; party
among us ; supported by their alliance with the prefbyter- ian churches abroad, but especially now with Scotland.
C. What sort of quarter, what toleration will the pref byterians give to the other fects among you, if their clajfis come to be again establish'd ?
0. That is an unlucky' question. It brings strange titings into our minds. They rzVall the rest like Jehu, while they were in the power ; and call'd them as ill names as they did the papifbes themselves, or the church
of England, which they hate worse ; as more oppofite to them, especially as to principles of government. Which some body has shew'd in a large sheet of paper, with
Sampson's foxes on the top, call'd two sticks made one : M2 . or,
243
244
The REHEARSAL.
or, the devil upon dun. And there is a book come lately
out call'd, the principles os the dissentcrs concerning tele- ration, wherein they declare against all toleration to one another, in the molt violent terms, calling one anothei, Judas, Korah, and the very wbore of Babylon. And ev'n worse than the church, when it was down. Instead of toleration, they hangd up the poor quakers in New- England. And they keep them to their hard-meat now in
Scotland, where the prejiyterians rule ; who declare all to leration to the church, or any other, to be anti-christian,
and establishing iniquity by a law.
There is no one sort of our dissenters but will fay, that
they had rather be under the church of England, than un
der any of the dissenters, except themselves. And so they fay all. And of all the others, they dread the prefiy- terians most, because they have suffer d most under them.
C. Then the struggling of all the other dissenters (ex cept the prefiyterians) against the church, is only to set up the prejiyterians instead of the church. And what
will they get by that bargain ?
They pretend to be afraid of their toleration now,
iho' they have all the security for it that is possible to be given, that an act of parliament, back'd with re peated affurances from the throne, and from the house of Kommcns too. And they are not afraid of the lords. To fay, that an act of parliament may be repeas to re-
jiiin\\ the s'curity that, as faid, possible to be given.
No man has other (under God] for his life, liberty, or iftate, or can have. And he that asks an impossible
'tis plain has mind to quarrel.
But they are afraid of their toleration now, yet wou'd
set those up, who, they axtsure will take from them
V/ho are obliged to do by their constantly dedar'd/m- tiphs, and have ever done when they had thepowtr.
Let me add to this, that the most effectual way they can take to provoke the parliament to take away their ts- leration, to vote, as they have generally done, and am told intend to do so now again, at the ensuing elec tions, for such members ofparliament as axe least in the
security,
is,
I
!
it
I ,
it a
it
is
d, is
is,
The REHEARSAL.
245 of the church. Which will let the church see, -si, that it is impojsibh to please the dissenters, by what-
fere/i
i'er concessions, and how firmly soever granted. And in te next place, that while they have votes for parliament' icn, the church can never be secure; but in perpetual ha- :ard of" being overturned, every new election of parliament.
O. But at this rate, if ali the dissenters, except the
rrjhytcrians,
shou'd vote for the church, then the church
; and they wou'd never
oa'd be always
get'
s
;fr down.
establish'd
C. No. Nor ought they ever to destre they un- lerstood their own interest. Unless they preser persecuti on to toleration.
Some or other must still be uppermost. And whom stvould all desire, but those under whom all live most eafily
Besides, if the presbyterians get into the saddle, the other dissenters will sind harder work to get them disposiest than to undermine the church who not so much upon her guard, nor apt tosuspect designs against her. But
the presbyterians are vigorous, and watchful, and indefa tigable. They hold the reins of discipline strict and
vere as all the other dissenters have prov'd and that they stand not upon blood, to secure their conquests. They never sufser such open attempts against their constituti on, such revilings, and persecution of the tongue, as the church bears patiently from them every day They threw
malignant out of their parliaments, and modelVd them at pleasure, without regard to birth-rights, or primitive constitution. And they made all seel the weight of their
hand, who durst murmur or complain.
(2. ) O. Well then, tho' you think theinterest os the
other dissenters to iwte for the church, yet you allow that
the interest of the presbyterians to iwff against her. C. No. will not allow that neither. For if they do not get such wbig house of commons as they desire, they put the church upon necessity of keeping more watch-
ful eye over them, whom she sees restless for her destruc tion. Besides, they cannot hope to get the queen to break
M
those
3
is
aI a
s
it is
; 'd
?
it a!
it, if
:
se
;
1\&
The REHEARSAL.
ihose solemn promises she made to the church, upon her
acc:£:on to the crown, not only ofsupporting and main
taining it, but to bestow her distinguijhingsavours upon those who were most zealous for it ; and to take care,
that it shou'd be fasely transmitted to posterity.
But suppose the church were leveWd with the ground,
a whig parliament will never put the preflyterians into the saddle, whom they know to be such furious riders.
The n'higs aie of no religion, they are atheists, or i)Ms at best. They hate all churches. But since some or other must be set up, they like that best, where there is least discipline ; and therefore they will not easily part with the church of England: but they would garble and modi her into a no church, that is, with no discipline at all. But to submit themselves to the rigour of a presbyteriat elrsfis, their fouls abhor.
Besides, the independents, the anahaptists, and even the quakcrs, will not give their heads for the •washing.
They will dispute it with the presbytcrians, as to number,
wealth, and interest. And which ever of them stall prevail, all the r<^ will have their A«r»s in their fits. And they must ra/tf the rest with a iW of iron, ta/ecur*
themselves, as they did before, in their several chsngts. Ar. d the consequence of this wiil be what it was before,
a civil war, and horrid defiructicn of lives, liberty, and
property, without prospect of end.
So that if the love of ones countiy, and posterity can
sirm establishment only can prevent all these evils ; and
give security and toleration to the dissenters in general, as to all things for which they can any way pretend cm-
With which, since they are not content, it is
science.
plain that they seek something else !
Therefore, whoever vote not at the ensuing eleSi- ens, for such members as are most intirely in the i*~ terefis of the church of England, do all that is in their power (whether themselves know it or not) to bring these nations into confufion. And the end will be pipe.
(3-) O.
The REHEARSAL.
247
{3. ) 0. Now thou mazes me. What ! Do'st think, that either whigs or dijfenters will bring in popery ?
C. I do not believe the generality of them intend it. But they may be guWd, as they were before : and made tools of, as before, to pull down the church of England. And when that is gone, the bulwark against popery is
gone. The dissenters have no foundation of a church. They will Z'cwÆ into a thousand divifions among them selves: Every man, woman, and child will be setting up a religion of their own. The popish
emissaries will come and preach among them, and blo-iv into their
i«M& all the old exploded heresies, which they willfuck in as it were inspiration. This was the case offorty -one times, when there were above threescore different religi ons at one time in England, whose names you may see in Htrefiography and Gangrena, wrote in those times.
In that diftraction, several families of the nohility and gentry (besides many others,not taken notice of) feeing no saceoi a church left in England, went over to the church
of Same ; and many of them have not return'd to this
day.
And the prospect there is of the like coming again
may be one reason of that strange run towards pope ry, which has been observable of late years in England. Bnt it is not only in the consequence, but it has been
always in the operation and defign to introduce popery, whenever the dijsenters were rais'd up against the church of England. It is well known that the cardinals Rich'
lieu and Mazareen fomented the' rebellion against King
Charles I. sent into Scotland the solemn league and cove
nant, drawn exactly after the model of the holy league in
France : and assisted these dissenters all they cou'd against
the church ofEngland ; and by them, at last, broke it to
pieces : And that these good protestant whigs aud-dissen ters crav'd aid of the French king against king Charles I.
nity have plac'd
O. What do'll 'mean, an absolute and arhitrary sower
in the supreme and legistative authority No, no, he will not allow of that any means. And he proves ex
cellently, which had not ready at hand last time thou mad'st such goose of me, for faying, that there no ar- litre, ry power in England so that had not ran/ to
fay for my self. For tho' have taken all my principles out of Lock, do not always remember his reasons but now I'm ready for thee, and have at thee. He comes upon this point, in his two treatises, book z. chap. xi. 353. where he treats Of the extent the legiflative power, And fays thus, 355. Tho the legistative, whether one or more, be thesupreme power in every commonwealth,
yet not, nor. can possibly be absolutely arhitrary over the lives andfortunes the people for being but the joint
power every member the society given up to that per son, or assembly which legifiator, can be no more then those persons, had in a state nature, before they enter
into society, and gave up to the community for no body can transfer to another more power than he has in himsels
and no body has an absolute arhitrary power over himself, or over any other to destroy his own life, or take away tie life or property of another. A man, as has been prov'i,
tannoi subject himself to the arhitrary power another.
C. And;.
government,
of
;
a is
; it
it
of
is of
;
I; I
it ;
of it
!
it is
cf
p.
a
it
of
T
I
by
?
it
i inp.
opi
is
The REHEARSAL.
I have
233 to thee before, the
C. And, as
legiflative power, wherever it is plac'd> in any sort of government, is, and must be arhitrary and absolute, and it is impossible to be otherwise ; and every man sees it in all governments upon the face of the e^rth. The legifla
tive is not bound to its own laws, but may repeal them
at pleasure ; and before repeal may dispense with them, and leap over them, and act contrary to them ; may de
fully prov'd
ny the liberty of habeas corpus, and keep men in Newgate all the days of their lise, without either trial or bail ; may take a man's life by act of attainder, where the or dinary course of the laws could not reach him. In short, may do what they will, and make what they will to be law ; for their •mill is the law.
Therefore, ifas Mr. Lock fays, and fays he has prov'd No man can fubject himself to the arhitrary power
another, no man can subject himself to any governments of what sort or fize so ever. Nor can there be such thing as government kept up in the world.
And as he fays, no man has power over the life or property of another, then cannot the whole community com mit anyforce upon any single individual, who shall gain
fay their constitution No, nor compel him to leave them, or his native country and hirth-right .
And as he fays again, no- man can transfer to an other more power th'ani'e has in himself, and that no body- has power over himsels to destroy his own life then how came any government to have power of life and death Mr. Lock consesses the individuals could not give it. And who else was there to give it? doubt little divine right must come in here. What else can give to another that power over my life, which- have net my self?
O. This Rehearser aflts many silly questions there's no bearing on'th he puts one out still, and won't let'en'
go on. But I'll tell thee Mr. Lock fays, that art absolute
subje3ion to any form of government worse than anarchy or the state at nature. This he takes pains to prove p. 359. and fays, '[hat he in a much worse condition that iy expos'd to the arhitrary power of one man who has the
command
is
so
1
I is
a
;
?
a
of
if,
it, if,
:
The RE HEARSAL
command of I 00,000, than he that is expos d to the arU- trary power of 100,000 jingle men.
C. This is so very senseless, (with all respect to Mt. Lock's judgment ! ) that it is even tfhame to answer it. Ageu- ral or a king of 100,000 men may command hardiixaQ, ] as to march upon the mouth of a cannon, and bang a man for a very small matter, stepping out of his rank, or tak ing an egg, tho' he were starving, and had not a penny to pay for't, Or for his pay, tho' it be due to him ; yet, with all this arbitrariness, is not this a better
for these ioo,coo men than anarchy, and letting them all loose upon one another, to rob, plunder, and kill one another at discretion I And if the number be greater, aa
of millions in a kingdom, the confufion and destrutHo* would be proportionably greater. And if the whole world were in this supposed of nature, it would be one aeeldama, and nothing but ArtV could the wild uproar ! Yet Mr. Lock thinks this much preferable to the
234
living under the absolute government either of a king, or a commonwealth! And must such stupid notions still /rr- <pa/7, still bewitch this wretched nations
. O. I my self, . /W enough as I am, must forsake my master Lock here. This was putting the case too far, it frights one to think on't ! but he did Hot mean it ; for he fays, p. 422, that if a government be arbitrary, it is dix/hlv'd, and the people are restor'd to their originalstate
of nature; but he does, not suppose the people will conti nue in that state, but may choose a new legislative for themselves, in what form and manner they think sit. This is the subject of chap. XIX. of book 2. Of the disso lution ofgovernment, beginning at p. 432, where all thi* is asserted, and discours'd at large.
C. Dissolution of government is a whim, a dream. One contending party may take the government from another,
and when they have £0/
fall so low as the people state of nature and
they /for/> but never let
they despise your individuals and any individual should set up for
his originalfreedom, they would hang him up for an ori ginalfoci. Such an independent would besuspended as
disturber of any sort ofsettlement whatsoever. And
;
if ;
it,
a it 1
it,
The REHEARS AL.
235
And as there never was such an independent state of mankind, as Lock or the rest of our popular orators vainly fancy ; so cannot mankind fall into such a state, more than
the world into its original chaos.
And ifmankind were in such a state, they cou'd no
more produce government from the consent of every in
dividual; than the chaos, by its own naturalforce, cou'd
have produc'd this world, by a fortuitous concourse of atoms : which some of the heathen philosophers foolishly thought, for want of the knowledge of the creation. And it is full as reasonable for Christians to lay aside the
and follow the heathens in this, as in the
holy scriptures^
original ofgovernment ; of which they knew no more than ofthe other.
Let me but give an instance to make it familiar to eve ry body, in a very little part of the world, that is, the
yleoi Britain. Suppose, according to Lock, the govern ment dissolv'd, and all the individuals of England and
Scotland render'd wholly independent ofeach other, in his siippos'd state of nature. All and every one of them up on the level. I dare undertake, that it wou'd be dooms day in the afternoon before they could frame any fort of
government whatsoever, upon the free vote and consent
of every individual. Besides what is above faid of in
vesting the government with the power of life and death, which Lock consesses they cou'd notgive, as not having
it in themselves. And which if granted to any govern ment, he repeats it again p. 446. wou'd be much worse than the state ofnature or pure anarchy.
O. Do's my Lock fall upon that senseless stuff again ?
I believe I must e'en quit him for good and all !
How ever my honour is fase. For all my filly fayings about go
vernment, thou hast here shew'd to be in him. And it can be no dishonour to me, to fall with the great Lock.
C. I have quoted Lock thus particularly, on purpose to shew, that the most acute and celebrated of the whig writers can speak no more fense upon this subject than John Tutchin : and that the pains I have taken, was not
to confute Tutchin, but he being so very medling afellow, and
ij6 The REHEARSAL,
and his papers running through the nation, and poi/ariif
a great many filly and unthinking people, who will not'3| read books, nor can understand what is closely and sericum wrote; I have followed him in his buffooning way, to
steal some sense into mob, in a language they A'if, and can comprehend. But then, because I have heard some fay, that 'tis not worth while to baffle Tutchin ; and a discredit to any man of sobriety to engage with such a scandalous fellow, and so foul a mouth (as indeed it wou7d
be, were there no more in the case) I have therefore ']
drawn him on, and at last bottom'd his most nan-smficai stuff upon men of name and in highest reputation with our whig-wits. That they may see the dcsperatcncss of their cause, when their greatest heroes have no more to fay, on their behalf, than despicable John Tutchin.
Last Good-friday (the better day, the better deed] some ahti-tackers summon'd a parcel of the saints tofast with them at the ship tavern at Rat cliff cross: where pursuing the business of the day, they produc'd an instrument, rea dy cut and drawn, of association, towards the ensuing elections, like the solemn league and covenant, or the over tures printed before, N. z6. And as, come your band, sad your band went round, it came to one who was not of the very well affected, who refus'd, faying it was a
'
combination to ruin the government. Upon which, an other started off ; which occasioned a great heat among them ; and the paper was torn ; and the cabal broke up for that time.
And I am told, that something of the like combinati-
M has been carrying on at the man in the moon in White-
chapel. Which may produ"ce more news from the world in. the tnoon, • i . : , •.
From
The REHEARSAL. From . f>at. April 2 1 , to d>at. April 28, 1705.
1. she ObservatorsY lyes about Suffolk and Ipswich.
2. What he aUedges wassaid at Norwich. And his dooming all the tackers to have their brains beat out.
3. stackers accus'dfor writing godly books. With the virtues of the whig-chiess. 4. The story of the white neck. And that it was the church of England cut
offthehadof K. Char. I. 5. The Honiton/c-^. And who are the aggressors.
Obf. XTOW the elcctions are coming on, I'm set at my po/i, to tell stories of the tackers, , to pre
judice the people against them, and against all church-men under the name of the high-church.
C. They could not have found such another foul mouth, which laps stander like sweet milk ; and being destitute of all shame or morality, cares not for truth or
postilion in
(1. ) 0. What hast thou to fay to what I tell in mine of the 1 4th of this month, Vol. 4. N. 4. that at Ipswich, the people of the town met at their hall, where one of the bailiffs began a health to the honest tackers, which
(asl fay)ya disgusted those honest gentlemen that were in the company, that they all departed, and left the tackers to themselves. Thus fay I. And what fay 'st thou ?
C. That if all that stayd were tackers,
all such one j. C. then they were except who in the last reign came to
be a common- council man, he was a sheriff's livery-man, a groom to R. S. scrv'd his time to an hostler, was coach man, and that his best preserment, tD Sir Ch -r M —n a Roman catholick judge, and was always an impudent fl'ow like John Tutchin; he was the only worthy person that refused the health, and went out of the hall. It was on the 8th of March last, (at day of her Majesty % happy accession. Where after they
had drank prosperity to the church, to the queen, and the prince, they began a health to the tackers, as thinking
237
N° 39.
saljhood, but throws dirt and bespat ter? , like a
armour of leather. . . ,
.
238
The REHEARSAL.
them, next to the fore-named, the greatest supporters, truest to the interests of the church, the crvum, and nation. So that this . /7or)i thou hast brought to (hew little interest of the tackers, has turned intirely to
contrary.
O. But I tell in the next words, that no bonefi
hearted Englishm an is employed in the publics OfFi
of that town. And that just before the rifing of the parliament, in order to support the tacking cause, h
Bailiffs made a certain eminent tacker, and eigbtj
ether country gentlemen, freemen os the said corporation. C. It was not the bailiffs made them free (as thou im-
pudently lyest) but they were chosen freemen, by the body of the freemen present at several great courts (as the common halls are call'd) and not all at once, just befeft the ristng of the last parliament, as thou put'st it. It was done in about two years time. And those made frtt,
were the right honourable the E
worthy gentlemen, of the best quality in the county. And they were admitted, for the most part, nemine contreÆ-
eente; and always, with very little opposttion. And surely, men of estates and quality are sittest to be trusted with
the preservation of our liberties and properties. And Jp/wich has gain'd this by that they live unanimous,
and in good neighbourhood which no divided place can lay, where fanaticks can get but finger in the **. Where did they ever yet come, and had any st/are of the
power, but they made disturbance
O. Thou rt very promoking. But tell, . that these
sent present of wine to count lalleri. And then you know they must be papishes and French,
and every thing
C. This was told certain company, where one
faid, that he heard the E. of C——1 presented the faid count with sine horse. Why truly, reply a whig, see no reason why civility shou'd not be shew'd tostrang
ers.
O. But the most terrible story yet behind. That
while ago, when a toping SOMETHING with his gang,
Suffolk-tackers
.
———
ofD t, andother
is
?
a
aI
a
!
in a
j
it,
I d
a
The REHEARSAL.
a39
mttnt to search a papist'/ bouse for horses and arms, he ne
ver looked into thestable, but coming into the parlour, he said, here are no horses or arms, and so sat down andI
C. If this be meant of Ipswich, of which thou tell'il the other stories, then these papishes were but one ; and the only one in that town ; who is a fingle man, and no house-keeper, has no parlour, but being surgeon, has on ly a shop or surgery room, next the street, with a little apartment taken out of just big enough to hold fed. And the topping something commission officer, such as the law requires to search for horses and arms. And
he was at thesurgeonsstable sirst, and found neither horse nor arms any where. He did not drink with him, tho' afk'd, being on fast-day in the morning, viz. the
30th of January, which he, not being whig, did ob
drank with the papisHES till they were all drunk, and think 'twas on a Sunday too.
serve. And was not upon Sunday, but
So that here are all the lyes can be crowded into story, in every particular of it. And to shew that this was ja- cohiteplot, the oaths were tendered to the surgeon, which he refusing, pay'd his 40/.
But now we're upon Suffolk and papishes, have story to tell thee. There a. papi(h there, one Mr. L—y,
who herds and cabals with the dissenters (sittest company for one another) andfireetid by them, tho' he refas'd the oaths and being prosecuted to the time, upon which comnction must follow, was brought off last affixes there, by noli -prosequi. And then brought his action of damages against Lord D and other iackers, by
whose warrants he was taken up, and this by the advice
and assistance of his friends, the true-blue protestants who have in this gain'd victory over the iackers.
(z. ) O. I'll have none of thy stories. 'Tis have the
patent for telling stories. And I've Suffolk evidence for what tell in the fame Observator, that common- council-man in Norwich faid, the tackers iawf the ho- nestest men, andswore his maker, that they got the bitter of us this time, they would tack us all to the devil.
C. That
Tuesday.
I
by a
; a
a if
a
is
it,
a is t, a
3d II
a
a
a
:
a aa
it
a
it
84o
The REHEARSAL.
. C. That is not now to be done. There has been an ancient and a solemn league and covenant betwixt you.
O. But where's your moderation all this while ? And fliou'd not all the nation be alarm d at what this common- council-man faid ?
C. You neither tell who that common-council-man was, nor to whom he faid it. Thou'sl no mind to be.
deteclU And since I've prov'd thee so notorious a. liar in the othei
stories thou tellest in the fame Observator, who has rea son to believe one word thou fay'st, upon no better au thority than- thy own? Tho' if such a thing had been faid by a. private man, vxpassion or in drink, is it equal to what thou the vindicator in publick post, and the mouth of the party, ha& printed to all the nation, in the fame Observator, where telling how the peeper at Co ventry was thrown out of the window, and mash'd ti death on thestones, thou adds, that it wou'd be much sor
the ease and advantage of her majesty and her good peopie, ifall the tackers in Encland were servd as the peeper at Coventry ?
O. And is not this greater moderation, than to send them all to the devil? Tho' for my part, I'd rather fence with the devil about my soul, than with a halter about my neck. But these tackers and high fiiers pretend to value their fouls above their bodies. Believe it who can f 'Tis all hypocrisy. As in that tacker who writes godly booh,
for which we have paid him off more than any of the
rest, in our character of a tacker. Where will they sind
any such hypocrisy among us ? your
C. I have read some of the virtues of leading-
p.
faints in the address to the clergy of the church of England,
12. &c. And I sind no hypocrisy at all in them: but that they actcd what they really meant, the utmost con
tempt and blasphemy against the christian religion ; and . which couM not have come into the head of any com mon devil. The church will be well securdaxA trans
mitted by such hands !
O. I cannot bear this : 111 rather let thee tell a story,
than go' on at this rate.
C. Then
The REHEARS AL.
241
C. Then I'll tell thee a true one which I have from a
*'ery good hand. Within this month there were a com
pany of pure sour whigs got together, and discoursing over their godly deeds from forty one and downwards, they
came at last to their joyful day indeed, the de-collation of King Charles I. Upon which one of them shruggd up his shoulders, and with a fanatical grin, which they use fpr smile, faid, with a gusto, the queen has a fine white
0. And what can'st inser, what can'st make of that ?
C. Nothing! But that he said it. And no body re- provd him.
0. You know how the diffenters have vindicated them selves from having any hand in the murder of king Charles I. and I darefay they wou'd do as much for his grand daughter, if there were occafion.
C. I doubt it not in the least. But I pray God pre serve her from the tas of your mercies. You wou'd then prove, as you do new, and last week publisiYd a book call'd, the politicks of high church, Sec. to prove, that it
was the principles of the church of England, which cut off the head of king Charles I. And that it was a natu ral consequence of the passive obedience, and jure divina doctrine, to make the king the Lord's, and not the people's anointed, and so a fin to stretch forth a hand against him !
0. It was those principles cut off his head. And theso men did not know our temper. For I'll tell thee, as the goodwoman faid,
No sooner weIll convinced it is afln, But methinks standon thorns tillIbegin.
We are not for king-killing. Only we wou'd have it in our power ! and these tackers and high-church-men , I'm afraid, won't let us !
(5. ) They wou'dn't let us come into Honiton t'other day with a new candidate we set up against Sir W. D. a tucker. The very women sell upon us, andus'dus worse than at Coventry, or Hertford. - For they kilVd three of u s, and we cou'd kill but one of them. If they
M begin
242
The REHEARSAL.
begin to pluck up their spirits, we shall soon loose ours, But on whom must this blood lie ?
C. Upon the aggressors. O. Who are they ?
C. Not the tackers, to be sure, nor the house of com mons, no, nor the high church. That was a name you nuhigs invented, whereby you might blacken the whole church freely. I have fully shew'd in the foregoing pa
pers, that you were the aggressors against the church,
and she only upon the defensrve, in answer to but a sew of your virulent pamphlets. The house of s^CTZwwshas
been legion d and rogud over and over again, and by none more than by thy stinking breath, who call'st them a pack of hounds ; and bids them kiss thy arse. Vol. 3. N. 97. I wou'd not repeat thy nasty words, but to shew they are thine. But who invented the name of tackers? And expos'd them even while the house was sitting, in the character ofa tacker as •wild beasts, to whom no lava was to be given, but to be destroy d by all true Er. glip- tnen, any bow. Then, as soon as the parliament was up, out came lists of the tackers. And then again in red letters, to shew them to the people as papists, or that their names were to be wrote in blood : explain'd by cir cular letters sent through the country, toshoot them thro' the head, if any of them pretended to appear at the en- . suing elections. And that cry is still continu'd in all the
scandalous papers, and now by thee, to have their brain: beat out, and mastod against the stones. Who now are
the aggressors ?
If this shou'd oblige the members of the last parliament
to come to elections, with their friends about them, and mrmed, and any mischiefshou'd follow, remember it lies upon those who have been, and still are the aggressors.
I faw a letter since the most of these were wrought off, which makes me doubt whether any were downright kiWddX Honiton, but that many were sore wounded.
From
The REHEARSAL.
rom &3t. April 28, to •§at. May 5, 1705. N° 40.
: . A word of advice to all the dissenters, except the pref-
byterians. 2. And to the prefbyterians, concerning the ensuing elections. 3. Pop ery at the bottom. And the dissenters the cats-foot fiill.
[1. ) Coun. ▼ Must now divide your legion. I have a X. word to fay to all the rest of them, except the presbyterians. These must stand by themselves for a
tvbale.
O. I like not this. Thou'rt for dividing us. And
we are now one and all the fortsof us, even to the quak- ers, against your high church and iackers.
C. I doubt not you wou'd all willingly see the church pull'd down ; and the monarchy too : for these
support each other. But suppose this done j you can not be all in the saddle at once. Which class ofyou, do'ic think,wou'd come next in power?
O. The presbyterians, no doubt : they were the mother of us all. They began and carry d on the blessed ivork, in the reign of K. Char. I. Tho' they were mump' dm. the end, by some of their own ungracious children, upon the fame principles which they had taught them. But they have
Ikfd and prosper'd since : and are still the topping; party
among us ; supported by their alliance with the prefbyter- ian churches abroad, but especially now with Scotland.
C. What sort of quarter, what toleration will the pref byterians give to the other fects among you, if their clajfis come to be again establish'd ?
0. That is an unlucky' question. It brings strange titings into our minds. They rzVall the rest like Jehu, while they were in the power ; and call'd them as ill names as they did the papifbes themselves, or the church
of England, which they hate worse ; as more oppofite to them, especially as to principles of government. Which some body has shew'd in a large sheet of paper, with
Sampson's foxes on the top, call'd two sticks made one : M2 . or,
243
244
The REHEARSAL.
or, the devil upon dun. And there is a book come lately
out call'd, the principles os the dissentcrs concerning tele- ration, wherein they declare against all toleration to one another, in the molt violent terms, calling one anothei, Judas, Korah, and the very wbore of Babylon. And ev'n worse than the church, when it was down. Instead of toleration, they hangd up the poor quakers in New- England. And they keep them to their hard-meat now in
Scotland, where the prejiyterians rule ; who declare all to leration to the church, or any other, to be anti-christian,
and establishing iniquity by a law.
There is no one sort of our dissenters but will fay, that
they had rather be under the church of England, than un
der any of the dissenters, except themselves. And so they fay all. And of all the others, they dread the prefiy- terians most, because they have suffer d most under them.
C. Then the struggling of all the other dissenters (ex cept the prefiyterians) against the church, is only to set up the prejiyterians instead of the church. And what
will they get by that bargain ?
They pretend to be afraid of their toleration now,
iho' they have all the security for it that is possible to be given, that an act of parliament, back'd with re peated affurances from the throne, and from the house of Kommcns too. And they are not afraid of the lords. To fay, that an act of parliament may be repeas to re-
jiiin\\ the s'curity that, as faid, possible to be given.
No man has other (under God] for his life, liberty, or iftate, or can have. And he that asks an impossible
'tis plain has mind to quarrel.
But they are afraid of their toleration now, yet wou'd
set those up, who, they axtsure will take from them
V/ho are obliged to do by their constantly dedar'd/m- tiphs, and have ever done when they had thepowtr.
Let me add to this, that the most effectual way they can take to provoke the parliament to take away their ts- leration, to vote, as they have generally done, and am told intend to do so now again, at the ensuing elec tions, for such members ofparliament as axe least in the
security,
is,
I
!
it
I ,
it a
it
is
d, is
is,
The REHEARSAL.
245 of the church. Which will let the church see, -si, that it is impojsibh to please the dissenters, by what-
fere/i
i'er concessions, and how firmly soever granted. And in te next place, that while they have votes for parliament' icn, the church can never be secure; but in perpetual ha- :ard of" being overturned, every new election of parliament.
O. But at this rate, if ali the dissenters, except the
rrjhytcrians,
shou'd vote for the church, then the church
; and they wou'd never
oa'd be always
get'
s
;fr down.
establish'd
C. No. Nor ought they ever to destre they un- lerstood their own interest. Unless they preser persecuti on to toleration.
Some or other must still be uppermost. And whom stvould all desire, but those under whom all live most eafily
Besides, if the presbyterians get into the saddle, the other dissenters will sind harder work to get them disposiest than to undermine the church who not so much upon her guard, nor apt tosuspect designs against her. But
the presbyterians are vigorous, and watchful, and indefa tigable. They hold the reins of discipline strict and
vere as all the other dissenters have prov'd and that they stand not upon blood, to secure their conquests. They never sufser such open attempts against their constituti on, such revilings, and persecution of the tongue, as the church bears patiently from them every day They threw
malignant out of their parliaments, and modelVd them at pleasure, without regard to birth-rights, or primitive constitution. And they made all seel the weight of their
hand, who durst murmur or complain.
(2. ) O. Well then, tho' you think theinterest os the
other dissenters to iwte for the church, yet you allow that
the interest of the presbyterians to iwff against her. C. No. will not allow that neither. For if they do not get such wbig house of commons as they desire, they put the church upon necessity of keeping more watch-
ful eye over them, whom she sees restless for her destruc tion. Besides, they cannot hope to get the queen to break
M
those
3
is
aI a
s
it is
; 'd
?
it a!
it, if
:
se
;
1\&
The REHEARSAL.
ihose solemn promises she made to the church, upon her
acc:£:on to the crown, not only ofsupporting and main
taining it, but to bestow her distinguijhingsavours upon those who were most zealous for it ; and to take care,
that it shou'd be fasely transmitted to posterity.
But suppose the church were leveWd with the ground,
a whig parliament will never put the preflyterians into the saddle, whom they know to be such furious riders.
The n'higs aie of no religion, they are atheists, or i)Ms at best. They hate all churches. But since some or other must be set up, they like that best, where there is least discipline ; and therefore they will not easily part with the church of England: but they would garble and modi her into a no church, that is, with no discipline at all. But to submit themselves to the rigour of a presbyteriat elrsfis, their fouls abhor.
Besides, the independents, the anahaptists, and even the quakcrs, will not give their heads for the •washing.
They will dispute it with the presbytcrians, as to number,
wealth, and interest. And which ever of them stall prevail, all the r<^ will have their A«r»s in their fits. And they must ra/tf the rest with a iW of iron, ta/ecur*
themselves, as they did before, in their several chsngts. Ar. d the consequence of this wiil be what it was before,
a civil war, and horrid defiructicn of lives, liberty, and
property, without prospect of end.
So that if the love of ones countiy, and posterity can
sirm establishment only can prevent all these evils ; and
give security and toleration to the dissenters in general, as to all things for which they can any way pretend cm-
With which, since they are not content, it is
science.
plain that they seek something else !
Therefore, whoever vote not at the ensuing eleSi- ens, for such members as are most intirely in the i*~ terefis of the church of England, do all that is in their power (whether themselves know it or not) to bring these nations into confufion. And the end will be pipe.
(3-) O.
The REHEARSAL.
247
{3. ) 0. Now thou mazes me. What ! Do'st think, that either whigs or dijfenters will bring in popery ?
C. I do not believe the generality of them intend it. But they may be guWd, as they were before : and made tools of, as before, to pull down the church of England. And when that is gone, the bulwark against popery is
gone. The dissenters have no foundation of a church. They will Z'cwÆ into a thousand divifions among them selves: Every man, woman, and child will be setting up a religion of their own. The popish
emissaries will come and preach among them, and blo-iv into their
i«M& all the old exploded heresies, which they willfuck in as it were inspiration. This was the case offorty -one times, when there were above threescore different religi ons at one time in England, whose names you may see in Htrefiography and Gangrena, wrote in those times.
In that diftraction, several families of the nohility and gentry (besides many others,not taken notice of) feeing no saceoi a church left in England, went over to the church
of Same ; and many of them have not return'd to this
day.
And the prospect there is of the like coming again
may be one reason of that strange run towards pope ry, which has been observable of late years in England. Bnt it is not only in the consequence, but it has been
always in the operation and defign to introduce popery, whenever the dijsenters were rais'd up against the church of England. It is well known that the cardinals Rich'
lieu and Mazareen fomented the' rebellion against King
Charles I. sent into Scotland the solemn league and cove
nant, drawn exactly after the model of the holy league in
France : and assisted these dissenters all they cou'd against
the church ofEngland ; and by them, at last, broke it to
pieces : And that these good protestant whigs aud-dissen ters crav'd aid of the French king against king Charles I.
