A LETTER Concerning the TEST, AND Persecution FOR CONSCIENCE. TO AN HONOURABLE MEMBER OF THE House of Lords.  
Published with Allowance.  
LONDON, Printed for Matthew Turner at the Lamb in High-Holborn. 1687.   

SIR,  
I Read in the Acts of the Apostles, how that S. Peter preaching to the Jews who had crucified our B. Saviour, he told them indeed roundly of their Fault, and how God had glorified his Son Jesus, whom they had delivered up and denied before the Face of Pilate, he judging him to be released. But you, says the H. Apostle, denied the holy and the just One, and asked a murderer to be given unto you: but the Author of Life you killed, whom God has raised from the dead: Yet withal he added, Now brethren, I know that you did it through ignorance, as did also your Princes: Do penance therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out.  
Sir, Be not offended if I use the freedom to admonish you, that by taking the Test, you have renounced two Articles of the Christian Faith, Transubstantiation, and Invocation of Saints; and have embraced in stead of them, two notorious Heresies: But I know, Sir, you did it through ignorance, as did also your Bishops. Do penance therefore, and be converted, that your sin may be blotted out.  
In order to make you understand what you have done, I beseech you consider, what a sad Blot it would be to Christianity, and to our Lord Jesus himself, if Invocation of Saints were indeed Idolatrous. That the Son of God should come down from Heaven to establish a Church which the Gates of Hell should never prevail against, and to teach the right way of Worshipping the Divine Majesty; and this should be no sooner peaceably published to the World, as it was in the time of Constantine the Great, but its prime Doctors, eminent for Sanctity and Learning should become gross Idolaters, and should so continue for 1300 years together, and profess and prove to all the World, that their Lord Jesus, who was gone to Heaven, had confirmed their Idolatry by a thousand Miracles, if any Credit can be given to as Authentic Records as can possibly be made by Men; and which there is no means left to confute, but the bare groundless Asseverations of their Accusers, that they are Forgeries. Who in his right Wits could rationally be a Christian, if these things were so; but ought not rather to go on, and accuse the Holy Evangelists themselves also of Forgery, and impudently deny all the Miracles recounted by them, to have been wrought by our Blessed Lord himself? For Christianity sake therefore, Worthy Sir, do not assert Invocation of Saints to be Idolatrous. But have then the most eminent Christian Doctors for Learning and Sanctity, as soon as Christianity was peaceably and publicly professed in the World, taught and practised Invocation of Saints? Nothing more certain. Consult our Controvertists, and you cannot doubt it. Take a Testimony or two of some few Christian Doctors, whom I am sure (such is your Reverence at least for the Primitive Fathers of the first 600 years) you will blush to accuse of Idolatry. S. Chrysostom, Hom. 66. ad Populum, circa finem. He who is clothed in Purple comes and embraces their Sepulchers, and laying aside his Pomp stands making Supplication to the Saints, that they would intercede for him to God; and he who is crowned with a Diadem, beseeches the Tentmaker and the Fisherman to be his Protectors. S. Ambrose, lib. de Viduis. The Angels ought to be entreated, who are given us for our safeguard; the Martyrs ought to be prayed unto, etc. S. Hierom in Epitaphio Paulae. Farewell, O Paula, and help with thy Prayers the extreme old age of thy Worshipper. Like Testimonies are to be seen at large in Ballarmin out of S. Basil, Orat. in 40 Martyrs; S. Gregory Nazianzen, Orat. in Cyprianum; S. Gregory Nyssen, Orat. in S. Theodorum; S. Ephrem, Serm. de laudibus S. Martyrum; S. Prudentius in Carmine de S. Laurentio; S. Augustin, lib de Cura pro mortuis, cap. 4. and other Ancient Fathers of the first 600 years.  
At least, for the first Pretended-Reformers sake, do not say 'tis Idolatry to pray to Saints. Martin Luther, the Head of Novel Protestants, says, The Devil, in a Conference he had with him, taught him, that to Invocate the B. Virgin, was to deprive God of his Honor. A Doctrine indeed worthy of such an Author. Another Pretended-Reformer, Mr. Latimer, gives us his Sentiment concerning Invocation of Saints, in the following words. First, Images are called Saints, and so they are not to be worshipped, taking worshipping of them for praying to them: for they are neither Mediators by way of Redemption, nor yet by way of Intercession. And yet they may be well used when they are applied to that use that they were ordained for, to be Laymens' Books, for remembrance of Heavenly things, etc. Take Saints for Inhabiters of Heaven, and Worshipping of them for Praying to them, I never denied but that they might be worshipped, and be our Mediators, though not by way of Redemption (for so Christ alone is a whole Mediator both for them and us) yet by way of Intercession. Fox Mart. Tom. 3. p. 464. A.D. 1555. And I denied not but that we may well say, Ave Maria, etc. Ibid. The Compilers of Edward the Sixth's Common-Prayer Book teach to pray thus. Command these our Prayers and Supplications, by the ministry of thy Holy Angels, to be brought up into thy Holy Tabernacle, before the sight of thy Divine Majesty.  
If not for the first Pretended-Reformers, at least for the Sentiment of divers of the most Learned of your Clergy of the present Age, be not so severe. Dr. Forbes, late Bishop of Edinburgh, in his Pacifical Considerations, says, Invocation of Saints is neither unlawful nor unprofitable. And the late Bishop of Ely thought it unreasonable solemnly to abjure Doctrines about which Learned Men dispute: And himself told me, he did not think Advocation of Saints, or a single Petition to the Saints to pray for us to be Idolatrous; but only Invocation, that is, a calling upon them with a Faith in them, as Gods, according to that of S. Paul, How shall they invocate him in whom they have not believed? Now what Roman-Catholic invocates Saints believing them to be Gods? Dr. Sanderson also, late Bishop of Lincoln, told me himself, That though he did not approve of Invocation of Saints, yet he did not think it Idolatry. And the present Bishop of Bath and Wells teaches the Scholars of Winchester, in his Manual of Devotions for that School, to Invocate the whole Court of Heaven. Hear his own Words. Help me then, O ye Blessed Host of Heaven, to celebrate that unknown Sorrow, that wonderful Love, which you yourselves so much admire: Help me to praise my Crucified Saviour. Pag. 39 So that all the difference now betwixt S. Omars and Winchester's School is, if they follow their Doctor's Advice; The Scholars of S. Omars pray, Holy Mary, pray for us; S. Peter, pray for us; S. Paul, pray for us, etc. The Scholars of Winchester all at once pray, The whole Court of Heaven help us.  
If for none of these Regards, at least for Common Sense sake, do not say 'tis Christian Devotion to desire Holy Men to pray for you whilst they live with you upon Earth, though at a thousand Miles distance from you, and protest it's gross Idolatry to desire the same Good Men to pray for you when they live with God in Heaven.  
I omit the Testimony of the present Christians in Communion with the See of Rome, because I know you have a prejudice against them. Only I desire you would in your private thoughts impartially consider their Number, Learning, Study of H. Scriptures, Ancient Fathers, Christian Councils, Ecclesiastical History, etc. and solid Piety as to vast numbers of them; and reflect if such vast numbers of Learned and pious Doctors, and as to all English, whose temporal Interest it would be to have other Sentiments, after all their Prayer, Disputes, Study, and Holy living, are stupid gross Idolaters, who may probably hope ever to come to the knowledge of the Truth in Matters of Religion?  
In fine, If neither for Christ Jesus and Christianity's sake, nor for the most eminent Primitive and Modern Christian Doctors sake, nor for the first and present Pretended-Reformers former's sake neither; at least for Reverence to His present Sacred Majesty JAMES the Second, whom God long preserve, be not so severe as to condemn Invocation of Saints as Idolatrous: but rather humbly supplicate His Royal Concurrence to abolish that Test, which was not devised out of Conscience, by the Loyal Church of England, to promote Christian Piety; but out of Faction, by the Party, to ruin all truly Loyal Subjects, as well of the Church of England, as of the Church of Rome; as time has too manifestly proved. I remember to have heard, that one Dr. Young, giving this Question for his Divinity-Act in the University of Cambridge, That Bowing towards the Altar was Idolatrous; Dr. Martin disputed thus against him: If Genuflexion towards the Altar be Idolatrous, then when the King bows towards the Altar, he is an Idolater: But when the King bows towards the Altar, he is not an Idolater: Therefore Genuflexion towards the Altar is not Idolatrous. The Puritan Faction said, it was a peevish Argument: But no doubt the Discourse did rightly conclude. And 'tis no less conclusive; If Invocation of Saints be Idolatry, then when His Sacred Majesty Invocates Saints, He is an Idolater. That Shaftsbury-men should revile His Sacred Majesty, 'tis no wonder: but that a truly Loyal Parliament, such as by the good Providence of God this present is, of which you are a Worthy Member, should tell his Sacred Majesty in His Royal Presence, That He is the blackest of Criminals, an Idolater; and solemnly protest in the word of a Christian, that they say nothing but the very Truth; This, methinks, is so amazing and so astonishing, as nothing can be more. For you must know, Worthy Sir, That to burn the Royal City of London to Ashes, to murder Sir Edmundbury Godfrey, Essex, Russel, His own Sacred Brother, and a thousand more, tho' never so innocent, according to true Divinity, are Petty-larcencies, compared with the horrid Sacrilege of Idolatry.  
But, Sir I must end as I began: Wherefore do penance and be converted, that your sin may be pardoned you: for I know you did it through ignorance, as did also your Bishops. The All-merciful Jesus forgive you, and his H. Mother and all his Saints pray for you, as does  
Your Hearty Wellwisher, W. H.   

Postscript.  
THat Superiors should chastise with due Correction those who are under their Charge, for disobeying their Commands, nothing is more usual, nor nothing more equitable: But that Superiors should severely punish their Subjects for doing what they bid them do, and tell them they are obliged in Conscience and under pain of Damnation for to do, is a Tyranny as unjust, as unheard of. Conformists tell Dissenters and Roman-Catholics, They are not to submit their Judgements to their Decisions, but after they have heard what they have to say from Reason or Scripture for their Faith or Morals, they teach, If, after all, in their own private Judgements they are firmly persuaded what they teach is not according to Scripture or Reason, they are bound in Conscience, under pain of Damnation, to follow their own last proper Judgement of Discretion, and not to submit their Sentiments to the Judgement of them their Superiors: And yet for doing thus, as they command them to do, and say they are obliged to do, they deprive them of their Birthrights, imprison their Persons, and seize their Estates. This, Honoured Sir, if Passion would give you leave seriously to reflect on, you would manifestly see is a Tyranny and Cruelty beyond that of Nero or Diocletian. Nero severely punished Christians, but it was for disobeying his Commands; you severely punish Christians for religiously observing your Commands. 'Tis the Glory, you say, of your Church, to permit all Christians freely to examine her, Dogms, and after they have heard her, as freely to follow their own proper last Judgement of Discretion: Nor do we envy you this Glory; no, we thank you for it; we willingly follow your Advice, we impartially examine your particular and proper Doctrines; and after all, our last Judgement of Discretion is, That they are absolute Heresies; and you deprive us of our Birthright, for this our Judgement: And this, we think, we have reason to complain of.  
As to Transubstantiation, that may be the Subject of another Letter.   
FINIS.