An Answer TO THE CITY MINISTERS LETTER FROM HIS COUNTRY FRIEND.  
SIR,  
IT is not for me now to acknowledge my private Debt to you for the favour of your Letter, since the public is as much concerned in it as I: and if I may judge of all by the compass of my Neighbourhood and Acquaintance, I may assure you, they are not insensible of your Obligation, though they are ignorant of the Author.  
The Country as far as my Intelligence reaches, has followed the Example of the City, and refused to read the Declaration of Indulgence according to a certain Order said to be the Kings, which we in the Country can scarce believe to be His. For it has neither been signified to the Ordinaries according to the usual manner, nor could those that dispersed it give any Account whence it came to them. I have heard indeed that an Act of Council concerning it has been published in the Gazette, which I never saw, and if I had, I should scarce have thought Authentic: for I always took that Paper as for its Authority, to have been all of a piece, and that we were no more bound to take notice of any Order published there under any penalty, than we are to believe all the News from Poland or Constantinople. Nay though this Order had come to us in due form, yet had we had great reason to suspect something of surreption and surprise upon his Majesty in this matter, and that it could not proceed from his Majesties free and full consent; for we cannot yet forget his repeated professions of kindness to us, and of satisfaction in our Principles and Duty: and having done nothing since which might forfeit his good Opinion, we are unwilling to believe that it is His Majesties own mind and pleasure to load us with such an Order, as we cannot execute with any congruity, safety or good conscience. For  
I. As to his Majesty's Declaration, We of all his Majesty's Subjects are the least concerned in it; and with all duty be it spoken, we cannot see, that our legal Establishment receives any Addition by this Declaration. For there are yet, thanks be to God, no Penal Laws to which our Congregations are obnoxious, and therefore we do not stand in need of any Toleration: Yet it is upon us only, that the Reading of it is imposed. An Act which cannot well be construed otherwise than as a soliciting and tempting our own people to forsake our Communion. If this Declaration must needs be read in any Religious Assemblies, in reason surely it should be in those, that wholly owe their subsistence to it. It would better have become the Roman than the Protestant Chapels. But in the Roman Church Indulgence hath another signification; and belongs to those only that frequent their Churches, but not to such as leave them: for with them this is the only sin that is not capable of Indulgence. But the Priests desire to be excused, lest while they proclaim Toleration to others they bring an Interdict upon themselves. Or why I pray, was not Father Pen Ordered to publish it in his Meetings? Or the worthy Mr. Job, the reputed Father of this Project; why had not he the benefit of his own Invention, and a Patent for being the sole Publisher of it within his own Pound? Or why was not my Lord Mayors private and elect Congregation thought worthy of so great a grace? Surely it is not to draw upon us the envy of the Dissenters, that the honour of publishing this Declaration is imposed upon us alone, when it belongs to all other Communions in the Kingdom except our own: and if we refuse it, I hope it will be imputed to our Modesty, for we are not ambitious of being impertinent or busybodies in other men's matters.  
A certain person much greater than he deserves, but perhaps not so high, is said to have used the Words of Rabsh●keh upon this occasion, That the Church of England Clergy should Eat their own Dung. Isa. 36.12. This sentence might better have become a Messenger of the King of Assyria, than a pretended Counsellor of our own Prince, though some make a question to which King he belongs: but God be thanked, we are not yet so straight besieged as to be reduced to that extremity, and though by the permission of God, We should be reduced to so miserable a condition, We should I hope, by the grace of God be content to endure that and worse extremities if possible, rather than Betray or Surrender the City of God. But before that comes it is possible that the Throat that belched out this Nasty Insolence, may be stopped with something which it cannot swallow.  
II. Besides there are some Passages in the Declaration, which in Conscience we cannot Read to our People, though it be in the King's Name; for among others we are to Read these Words: WE cannot but hearty wish as will easily be believed, that all the People of our Dominions were Members of the Catholic Church. Our People know too well the English of this, and could not but be strangely surprised to hear us tell them, that it would be an acceptable thing to the King, that they should leave the Truth and our Communion, and turn Papists. The Wish of a King when solemnly Declared, is no light insignificant thing, but has real influence and effect upon the minds of Men. It was but a Wish of Henry the Second that cut off Thomas Becket then Archbishop of Canterbury. Councils and Courts of Justice too often bend to a King's Wishes, though against their own Inclinations, as well as against their Rule: And can we imagine that they can have no force at all upon the common people? therefore we cannot in Conscience pronounce these words in the Ears of the People whose Souls are committed to our Charge. For we should hereby lay a snare before them, and become their Tempter's instead of being their Instructers; and in very fair and reasonable construction we shall be understood to solicit them to Apostasy, to leave the Truth of the Gospel, for Fables, and the mistakes of men; a reasonable and decent Worship, for Superstition and Idolatry; a true Christian Liberty, for the most intolerable Bondage both of soul and body. If any will forsake our Doctrine and Fellowship, which yet is not ours but Christ's, at their own peril be it: But as for us, We are resolved by the grace of God, to lay no stumbling block in their way, nor to be accessary to their ruin, that we may be able to declare our integrity with S. Paul, That we are pure from the blood of all men.  
III. In the next place, We are to declare in the King's name, That from henceforth the Execution of all, and all manner of Penal Laws, in matters Ecclesiastical, for not coming to Church, or not receiving the Sacrament, or for any other Nonconformity to the Religion established, or for, or by reason of the exercise of Religion, in any manner whatsoever, be immediately Suspended, and the farther Execution of the said Penal Laws, and every of them is hereby Suspended. What! All, and all manner of Laws in matters Ecclesiastical? What the Laws against Fornication, Adultery, Incest? for these are in Ecclesiastical matters. What! All Laws against Blasphemy, Profaneness, open derision of Christian Religion? Yet these crimes are punishable by no other Laws here, than such as have been made in favour of the Established Religion: How shall the Lords day be observed? What shall hinder covetous men to Blow and Cart, and follow their several Trades upon that day? since all the Laws, that secure this observance, & outward countenance of respect to the Christian Religion, are by this general expression laid aside: Besides these words, for not coming to Church, or not receiving the Sacrament, or for any other Nonconformity to the Religion Established, cannot in Conscience be read by us in our Churches, because they may be a temptation to young unguided people to neglect all manner of Religious Worship, and give them occasion of depriving themselves of such opportunities of grace and salvation, as these Penal Laws did often oblige them to use. For being discharged attendance on our Service, they are left at liberty to be of any Religion or none at all: Nay Christian Religion is by these general terms left at discretion, as well as the Church of England. For men may forsake us to become Jews or Mahometans, or Pagan Idolaters, as well as to be Papists or Dissenters, for any care taken in this Declaration to prevent it. And even of such as pretend to be Christians, there either are or may be such Blasphemous Sects, so dishonourable to our Common Lord and Master, as are incapable of all public encouragement and allowance; for that would involve the Government in the Imputation of those Blasphemies, and the whole Nation in that curse and vengeance of God, which such provocations may extort. Wherefore it is not out of any unreasonable; opinion of ourselves, nor disaffection to Protestant Dissenters that we refuse to publish this Indulgence, but out of a tender care of the Souls committed to us, especially those of the weaker sort, to whom we dare not propose an Invitation to Popery, and much less any thing that may give countenance or encouragement to Irreligion. It is said indeed, that we are not required to approve but to read it: To this Sir, you have very well answered, that Reading was Teaching it, or if it be not so absolutely in the nature of the thing; yet in common Construction, I am afraid it would have been so understood. But we do not stand in need of this Excuse, for if there be any passages in it, that are plain temptations to Popery or Licentiousness; it cannot consist with our duty either to God or the Church to Read them before our People.  
As for the Dispensing Power, and the Oaths and Tests required to qualify men for Offices Military and Civil, I must leave them to the Consideration of those who are nearer concerned, and therefore reasonably presumed to understand them better. Nor do I envy his Majesty the use of his Popish Subjects, though I do not know what service they may be capable of doing more than other men. This Nation has for some time made hard shift to subsist without much of their aid, and against the wills of several of them: but now they are become the only necessary men, and seem to want nothing but Number to fill all places Military and Civil in the Kingdom; in the mean time the Odiousness of their Persons, and the Insolence of their Behaviour with their way of menacing of strange things, makes some abatement of the merit of their service.  
Lastly, The respect which we have for His Majesty's Service, will not permit us to Read the Appendix to the Declaration: Where the flower of the Nobility and Gentry of this Kingdom are something hardly reflected on, as Persons that will not contribute to the peace and honour of the Nation; Because they would not consent to the taking away the Laws against Papists, that they may be put into a Condition to give us Laws. The Persons here reflected on, We know to be the chief for Ability and Interest, and Inclination to serve the King, and therefore cannot do His Majesty that disservice as to be Publishers of their disgrace, and make ourselves the Instruments of alienating from His Majesty the Affections of his best Subjects. Nay we find in ourselves a strange difficulty to believe that this could come from His Majesty, who has experienced their faithfulness upon so many and pressing Occasions. This could not well proceed from any but a Stranger to those Honourable Persons, and the Nation, and a greater Stranger to shame and good manners; and what have We to do to Publish the Venom and Virulency of a Jesuit?   

Printed in the Year, 1688.