Reasons why the oaths should not be made a part of the test to Protestant dissenters Penn, William, 1644-1718. 1683 Approx. 15 KB of XML-encoded text transcribed from 4 1-bit group-IV TIFF page images. Text Creation Partnership, Ann Arbor, MI ; Oxford (UK) : 2006-06 (EEBO-TCP Phase 1). A54204 Wing P1353 ESTC R31786 12256922 ocm 12256922 57564 This keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership. This Phase I text is available for reuse, according to the terms of Creative Commons 0 1.0 Universal . The text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. Early English books online. (EEBO-TCP ; phase 1, no. A54204) Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 57564) Images scanned from microfilm: (Early English books, 1641-1700 ; 1510:20) Reasons why the oaths should not be made a part of the test to Protestant dissenters Penn, William, 1644-1718. 7 p. s.n., [London : 1683] Caption title. Attributed to Penn by Wing. Imprint suggested by Wing. Reproduction of original in the Harvard University Library. Created by converting TCP files to TEI P5 using tcp2tei.xsl, TEI @ Oxford. Re-processed by University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. Gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. 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Copies of the texts have been issued variously as SGML (TCP schema; ASCII text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable XML (TCP schema; characters represented either as UTF-8 Unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless XML (TEI P5, characters represented either as UTF-8 Unicode or TEI g elements). Keying and markup guidelines are available at the Text Creation Partnership web site . eng Oaths -- Quaker authors. Church and state -- England -- Quaker authors. Society of Friends -- Doctrines. 2005-07 TCP Assigned for keying and markup 2005-08 Aptara Keyed and coded from ProQuest page images 2006-01 Judith Siefring Sampled and proofread 2006-01 Judith Siefring Text and markup reviewed and edited 2006-04 pfs Batch review (QC) and XML conversion REASONS WHY THE OATHS Should not be made A Part of the Test TO Protestant Dissenters . 1. WE do humbly conceive , that because these Oaths were Antiently made upon Occasion of the Conspiracies of Papists against the Government , and are now reviv'd upon the score of the late Discovery of their Horrid Plot ; and that since they only ought at any time to be administred in Case of Just Jealousie or Suspition had of any Person or Persons : We , who are no Papists , but by our Faith and Doctrine Repugnant to all Popery ; And We , who have never shown the least Disallegiance or Vnfaithfulness , but on the Contrary have been patient and peaceable under all that Excess of Severity , that in several parts of this Nation hath been inflicted upon us , ought not to be brought under the same Jealousies with the Papists : It is suspecting an Integrity , that was never Tainted . For with submission , what is it but to say , The Papists have plotted against the King , Government and Protestant Religion ; therefore the Quakers and such like Dissenters that have not plotted , shall take the Oaths , to try and bind them , as if they had plotted ? This makes no Distinction , where really there is a great one . The Oaths were not revived upon the Papists till the Plot was discovered ; pray why should you effect us , or question the Integrity of Protestant-Dissenters ? Let the known Papists be proved and tested as Papists ; but that can be no Reason why the known Anti-Papists or Protestant-Dissenters should be so tested that are Unconcerned in the Occasion of it . II. We are not yet preferred by the Government to such Charge , Trust or Employment , for which such Security is commonly required , and since we ever liv'd a Sober and Peaceable Life under the King and Government , being neither Papists , Plotters nor Men in Power , we do not see the Reason or Equity , as to us , why the Oaths should be made a part of the Test . ☞ III. We conceive , we need not Swear to deny a Supremacy or to pay an Obedience , where our Faith and Religion teacheth us both ; which are a stronger Tie upon our Consciences , than all the Oaths in the World. And of the Truth of this we may appeal to your own Knowledge of our Conversations . IV. We apprehend , that the Oaths answer not the Reason of their Imposition , and therefore Useless ; for the Papists we see , take them : and consequently there is no Discrimination of Papists from Protestants by them . ●o that they serve rather to Distinguish , what Prote●●ant-Dissenters are Tender in taking these Oaths , than to discover who are Papists . But since the Declaration is of more weight to the Papists than the Oaths , because that denyes their Religion , whereas the Oaths only deny the Popes Supremacy ( which is not owned by the Gallican or French Church , that they now mostly pretend to adhere to ) it will evidently follow , that all those Protestant-Dissenters , who can subscribe the Declaration , are not Papists , nor of the Romish Communion . In short ; ☞ Because the Papists will sooner take the Oaths than subscribe the Declaration ; and that the Quakers and other Dissenters will sooner subscribe the Declaration than take the Oaths : And forasmuch as the point in hand is to discriminate Papists , and not such Dissenters ; the adding of the Oaths , when the Declaration will most Effectually do , may serve to ensnare the said Protestant-Dissenters , but not to discover the Papists , or secure the Government from them , which ought to be the only end of the Test . Object . But it is objected , That some Papists will not take the Oaths , and therefore they ought to be a part of the Test . To which we Answer , First , That the Concealed Papists , or those who are suspected to be such , are observ'd to swallow all , both Oaths and Declaration too , rather than bring themselves under Notice at this time of the Day . And Next , It is plain Fact , that the Generality of the Known Papists also take them . So that still these Oaths being made a part of the Test , rather shews that Papists will take the Oaths , than that they discriminate who are Papists : ☞ And here it may be worth your Consideration , how much securer you are from those Papists , that do take the Oaths , than from those that refuse them . But admitting it to be a real Discrimination respecting a few Papists , yet we intreat you weigh , If the Number of the Protestant-Dissenters , who may scruple taking these Oaths , is not far greater , than of those Papists that may refuse to take them : and if so , you will lose much more than you will get by taking the Oaths into the Test . V. Be pleased to consider , that if you are not very Careful in this matter , by exposing such Protestant-Dissenters to be reputed Papists , because of not taking the Oaths , you may be said , in a sort , to make more Papists by one Act , than the Popes and their Emissaries have done these Six score Years ; though they abhor Popery as much as you your selves can do . We hope , the Wisdom of the Government will not thus suffer a great part of the Industrious people of the Nation to be vex'd & ruin'd for that which they are not ; and at a time too , when it is your Interest to lend a hand to the Weakest Protestant-Separatist you have , against the Church of Rome ; That so the Numbers of that Society may not be augmented , by enlarging that Scandalous Character to other Perswasions through the Prejudice , False Policy or Ill Designs of any . VI. Your making the Oaths a part of the Test , will be very particularly Injurious to such Dissenters ; ☞ for you will punish them by Laws made upon Occasion of Popish Plots , who are unconcern'd in the Guilt of them . This is in Shew to charge your Canon against Papists , but they will ( 't is to be fear'd ) be discharg'd upon Protestant-Dissenters , as hath already been done : which is adding another misery to them , whom you should relieve , and making them lose by the Discovery of the Plot , that would have been expos'd as well as your selves , if it had taken Effect : So that those who would have suffer'd by the Plot , must suffer as of the Party of the Plotters . In short , this is punishing one Party for the Fault of another , and extending the Penalty , where there is no Transgression . VII . Let it be consider'd , that such Dissenters will be of all People the most Miserable : For being expos'd to the Punishment of Papists and the Punishment of Protestant-Dissenters too , they must needs be in a worse Condition , than the Papists ; for they will be at this rate ground between two Mill-stones . And this will rather deter Papists from embracing the Communion of any Protestant-Dissenters , then excite them to approach so near to the Church , as to become Protestant in any Sense : because they will be expos'd to more Suffering , unless absolute Church-men , then now they are , as Papists . For both the Laws made against Protestant-Dissenters , and the Laws made against Popish Recusants have been executed upon Protestant-Dissenters ; but the particular Laws made against Protestant-Dissenters were never infflicted upon the Papists . VIII . But it is Objected by some , that we are disguiz'd Papists , or that Papists are concealed amongst us . To which we say , the Declaration will determine that ; since ( as was said ) the Oaths only deny the Pope's Supremacy , which some of themselves pretend to disown : But our Declaration denies both the Pope's Supremacy and their Religion too . Besides , those Dissenters that scruple the Oaths , do it not upon the same Terms with the Papists ; for they own no forreign Supremacy , which the Papists do . And to prove evidently , that it is no Trick or Ill design against the Government , they refuse to Swear in their own Right , having-frequently lost their Just Debts , and been greatly injur'd by other mens Vnjust Claims , because of not taking an Oath : which is not the Practice of Papists . IX . But there is one Reason never to be answered , why we can neither be Papists , nor Popishly affected , as we must needs be , if we seek to Conceal the Papists at so much hazard to our selves ; and it is this , You have been pleased in Parliament to Complain of the growth of Popery , of the Non-executing of Laws made against Papists , and that some of the Ministers of State were Popishly affected , and that things have generally been Transacted by them in favour of the Papists : On the contrary we have been great Sufferers , our Houses broke open , our Goods riffled , and our Estates seized , and Treble values taken away from us by Laws made against Papists , under their Ministry . So that either we are no Papists , or such State-Ministers and Councils , whom you have reputed Popish , must not be such ; for none can think that they should Exercise such Severities upon People of the same Inclinations , when they were so indulgent to Persons notoriously of that Profession ; but because you believe they were so , you must needs interpret from their being more severe to us than any other People , that they reputed us most remote from Popery . What greater Demonstration can we give , that we believe our selves , and are Sincere in this matter , than the Hazards and Losses we are daily expos'd to ? X. We have always shewn a good and steady Affection to the Just , Civil and Protestant Interest of this Nation ; and among other things , it may evidently appear in the late Election of the present Parliament , having generally adhered to , and through all Difficulties given our Voices for those Persons , that have been of the best Reputation in their Country for Protestants and English men . And indeed , there has been no such Discovery made these many years of the Inclinations of all Parties : ☞ which being well observ'd , it will perhaps appear , that We and the Papists have as little joyn'd in the same Choice of Members , as some High Church-men ( our great Prosecutors ) have done , who would notwithstanding have us accounted Papists . And we may further add , that since our giving our Voices in the said late Election for those Persons , which are known to be hearty for the Protestant Religion and Civil Interest of the Nation , we have been afresh severely persecuted in several places , and that as well by Laws made against Papists as Protestant Dissenters . Lastly , We do here humbly offer a DECLARATION , and pray , that it may be receiv'd as a Testimony of our good Affection to the Protestant Cause , and as our Assurance to live a sober and peaceable Life under the present Government . And in case any among us shall be found false to our Declaration and Engagement , let such be punisht as Perjured Persons . These are the Reasons we render , why the Oaths should not be made part of the Test . A Protestation or Declaration to Distinguish Protestant-Dissenters from Popish-Recusants . I A. B. do in the Presence of Almighty God solemnly profess , and in good Conscience declare , It is my real Judgment , That the Church of Rome is not the Church of Christ , nor the Pope or Bishop of Rome Christ's Vicar ; and that his or her Doctrines Of Deposing Heretical Princes , and Absolving their Subjects of their Obedience ; Of Purgatory and Prayers for the Dead ; Of Indulgences and Worshipping of Images ; Of Adoring and Praying to the Virgin Mary and other Saints deceased ; And of Transubstantiation , or changing the Elements of Bread and Wine into the Body and Blood of Christ at or after the Consecration thereof by any Person whatsoever , are False , Erroneous and Contrary to the Truth of God declared in the Holy Scriptures : And therefore the Communion of the said Church is Superstitious and Idolatrous . And I do likewise sincerely testifie and declare , that I do from the bottom of my Heart detest and abhor all Plots and Conspiracies , that are or may be contrived against the King , Parliament or People of this Realm : And I do hereby Faithfully Promise , with God's Help , to live a Sober and Peaceable Life , as becometh a good Christian and Protestant to do . And all this I do Acknowledge , Intend , Declare & Subscribe without any Equivocation or mental R●servation , according to the true Plainness , Simplicity and usual signification of the words . Witness my Hand .