A Letter to a Friend.  

THE PREFACE.  
Gentlemen,  
THE little Application that was made by some of the Dissenters to the late King, in order to the obtaining Liberty of Conscience by Law, having raised the clamours of some unthinking People upon them, one of them, for the Vindication of the Party, writ the following Letter; which he intended to have published to the World long since, but could never obtain Permission so to do, it being a little too Honest for the Times, those clamours not being perfectly removed, he thought it might be of some Use to do it now, the ill Principles and Practices of the persons here condemned, were never owned by the Generality of that Illustrious Church.   

THE LETTER.  
THE Tyranny of the Protector, the weak Administration of his Son, the ridiculous Managemet of the ensuing shadows of the Government; and the great obligations the generous Declaration of Breda Imposed on his late Majesties Honour and Conscience, having rendered his return acceptable to almost all Orders and Degrees of Men; there was nothing more reasonable to be expected then the just Performance of that Promise, which had been the Principal occasion of so unparalleled a Restauration, and which certainly had Ensued, had not the Clergy of the Church of England interposed in that affair, and rendered it of no Effect; for the King no sooner came to the Crown, but he was prevailed with by that number of Men, to Quit the true National Interest, and Espouse that of the Hierarchy, which was then so Despicable and Narrow, that I have extremely admired what Arguments they used to engage the King to their Party; however they succeeded in it, the bargain was struck, the Promises abroad are to be forgot, the Power of the Crown is to support that of the Church. And the good Church, in Gratitude, is to use all its Endeavours to make Mankind Slaves and Vassals to the Prerogative, and, no Bishop, no King, became once more to be the wise motto of the Government. How well the Hierarchy performed their Part to the Court, the succeeding Management does sufficiently Evidence for the good Church; Immediately began to teach, that let the deportment of the Prince be what it would, the People were obliged in Conscience to pay an entire Submission and Obedience to all his Commands; a doctrine that is the most Pernicious and Destructive to all human Society, as is possible to be Introduced into the World; For this Principle has not only frequently changed the best of Men into the worst of Tyrants, but as often the best Constitutions into no Government, which I affirm all Tyranny to be. And this they were not only content from their Pulpits to instill into the minds of their Auditors, but there was by that Party a Dangerous Test framed, to Swear us out of a Legal into an absolute Government. And this they were not only satisfied should be taken by the inferior Magistrates, but used all Imaginable Endeavours to have it Imposed by Law on the Members of both Houses of Parliament; But the Wisdom and Integrity of the Lay Nobility put a stop,( with some difficulty) to that laudable Design, and began to consider, that though the Hierarchy might possibly be good Divines, yet many times they were very ill politicians, and that there might be some difference even in point of Interest betwixt them and the Clergy; a Clergyman being likely to Thrive and grow Fat in that Government, where a poor lay-man appears to be a lamentable Spectacle of Mortality; and that the one was actually perfer'd for several years together, only for Attempting to ruin the true Inter●… the other. And so zealous were the Dignified Cler●… prosecuting these Designs, that the late King, who●… great deal of Wit, and was as much a Gentlema●… Prince, frequently delighted to expose them in the 〈…〉 of Lords, even in trivial matters; and many times wh●… true Interest of his affairs did not absolutely req●… and which gave the Nobility occasion to make s●… marques on that number of Men, as will not easily 〈…〉 got by Posterity. The good Church was then of op●… That th● Papists were a small and Despicable Faction, 〈…〉 to be contemned then Feared; that the Fanaticks 〈…〉 the only Persons Dangerous to Church and State; not to bring Popery into the Government was again●… Law of God; when I dare affirm there was no●… Wise Papist in England at that time, but was sa●… with the Legality, though not with the Convenie●… that Act for their Interest: Parliaments were dicul'd, and called Omnipotent for the Endeavo●… to attempt it; and that Excellent Laudean P●…ple of the Kings absolute Power over our Properties ●…vived and asserted in their public Assembly; a●… those Branded for atheists, Republicans, and Rebells 〈…〉 as much as in them lay, sent to the Devil that offere●… guments to the Contrary. And the good Church w●… rived to such a Station in the Government; that the 〈…〉 could have no Money from the late Long Parliamen●… less they would Consent to the passing of such Laws a●… the Dissenters as the Commons then found; and any P●… that will now peruse them may find, would Infa●… prove, if Executed, the Destruction of the Protestant In●… and by such Artifices as these, I humbly conceive, 〈…〉 became not only the Instruments, but the Authors o●… Misery. But as for what more Immediately concern'● Interest of the good Church itself, the Dissenters 〈…〉 were the real Instruments of the Restauration) wer●… only first laughed at in a pretended free Conference h●… the Savoy, but in the Approaching Parliament, by t●… of Uniformity, and the several other Penal Laws tha●… sued, were marked out for a total Destruction, And 〈…〉 to be Sober, was to be Criminal, and to be less Lewd 〈…〉 the person of the Parish, was to be a fanatic and a Tr●… How those Laws were Executed is too well known 〈…〉 related, and too much felt by some, to be forgotten 〈…〉 their too great and untimely Severity in 1662. to Dissenting Protestants, was like once more to engage Nation into a Civil War; and had not 24 hours Rain●…vented their Uniting in yorkshire, they possibly w●… have been too Numerous to have been quashed: So 〈…〉 had the Hierarchy forgot the ill Consequences of tha●… diculous as well as inhuman Principle, of forcing Peop●… an Uniformity in Matters of Religion. And this was the Reason that in 1663 the Ministers at helm were of●…nion, That a Toleration and Indulgence was the true Inter●… the Nation: And prevailed with the King according I 〈…〉 make a Declaration to that purpose. But the Parliamen●… king soon after to Assemble, the Interest of the good Ch●… in the House, Immediately addressed the King to put a●… to those Measures, and accordingly that Declaratio●… never Published. But no sooner was that Intended D●… prevented by the Courage and Industry of the Du●… Buckingham( a Gentleman whose Name can never be●…tioned by good Men, but with the Highest Venera●… his Constant adhering to the true English Inter●… Clergy let themselves loose to the Govern●… Practices, which are the ordinary Effects 〈…〉 and Revenge, and the Majesty of the 〈…〉 Dwindled into a Scandalous Infor●… of Peace, and a Persecuting 〈…〉 ●… s of the last, to justify the Perjuries of the ●… mmend the Rapines of the other, both in his ●… d Private Harangues. If the person of the Pa●… ●… ngry, or had a particular Prejudiee against any ●… eighbors, his worthy Instruments of the Govern●… ●mmediately Swore him to be Present at a Conven ●hough at the remotest parts of England at the same 〈…〉 and if a Quaker: Cow look't as Fat and Gay as his ●… bors, there was no other Civil War was like to arise, ●… hither the person, the Justice, or the Informer, was ●… e him. But these Practices so far Nauseated the Men of their own Party and alienated the minds of ●… issenting Interest with just Reason, from the Manage●… on the other side, that the late King( who was Wise 〈…〉 to serve himself of all Interests, without being a 〈…〉 to any) thought it his best Policy in 1672. to give Li●… Conscience, contrary to the advice of the good Church. ●… r with Holland being likely to ensue, and persons ●… at Quality, and very affectionate both to the Prote●… ●… eligion, and Civil Interest of England, joined with ●… it, as the best means to preserve both the one and ●… er, and it had its desired Effect. Nor did they be ●… ey had much injured our Constitution in the doing 〈…〉 besides the great Powers the Crown is entrusted ●… y the Laws in matters of mere Religion, the Injury 〈…〉 our Government does not lye so much in the King's ●… sing Power, what Noise soever the Church of ●… d makes about it, as in rendering the Meeting and 〈…〉 of Parliaments so precarious, and at the Will and ●… e of the Prerogative, contrary to our ancient Con●… n; which practise alone plucks up our Government ●… y the very Roots: And were this only Mischief re●…, and the manner of Elections a little better regu●… nd settled, there would be few things wanting to ●… s happy, and those that were, would fall in of 〈…〉  
●… l I dare affirm, That were our Ministers of State ●… r Judges, as they ought to be, Annually accountable 〈…〉 Lords and Commons in Parliament, the Fear of be ●… moved, or punished, would make them act so wisely, ●… e should have few Grievances to complain of. The ●… ttempts of the Ministers of State to change our ●… ment, would, by so small an Alteration, be rendered 〈…〉 Impracticable and Ridiculous; and the worthy ●… men in furs, instead of making themselves Legisla●… ●… old be contented with the humble Style of being ●… rpreters of our Laws.  
〈…〉 beg Pardon for this short Digression: No sooner 〈…〉 late King published that Declaration in 1672, but ●… odd Church took the Alarm, all was at stake, the ●… mediately was turning Tyrant, and breaking over 〈…〉 Laws. The Eggs, the Chicken, and the Darling 〈…〉 big was in a great deal of danger. Property, Pro●… ●as the Cry in Fashion, and this too by the very ●… at had bought and sold us to the Government but ●… ore. And their Designs were brought to so near a ●… tion, as the Nation was, in a manner, saved but by 〈…〉 three Votes in that Long Pentionary Parliament, ●… king of Heroes, entirely devoted to the true Interest 〈…〉 good Church; and all this for no other reason, but ●… e poor Dissenters had in an Interval of Parliament, ●… ssion to Worship God according to their Conscien●… ●… ithout asking leave of the good Church. That ●… unity of Men were ever of opinion, that all manner ●… deration and Induigence was of Infinite prejudice to their Interest; and all Religions Established by Law h●… constantly been in all Ages of the same Sentiments, wh●… is evident Demonstration, that Persecution and Violen●… may consist as well with Fallibility as Infallibility, and that such sort of practices in the present Circumstances o●… our Affairs, appears to me infinitel● more dangerous from a Protestant, than a Popish Management. The one having a formidable Party to encourage them in it, the other an unanimous Nation, generous enough to oppose such Undertakings, and a very slender Interest to engage them in so wicked an Attempt. However, it was pleasant enough to observe the Artifices the Good Church had recourse to, to render the generous Intentions of the late King's to the Dissenting Interest useless, and of no effect. To the King( a Lover of his own Ease) they rendered themselves impertinent, troublesome, and uneasy; to the Dissenters humble, submissive, and flattering; and not only the Honour of the principal Laity of that Interest, but even the Sacred Verbum Sacerdotis itself was pawned to 'em, that in case they would consent to the annulling that Declaration in the approaching Parliament, the Good Church would sincerely use its interest to establish Liberty of Conscience by Law, though they really, as it afterward appeared, intended not the least Syllable of what they pretended to. Yet they acted their part so well, That I did not much wonder that the Dissenters( a credulous People) were so easily imposed on in that matter. But no sooner was that Declaration sent down canceled to the House of Commons, but the Fanaticks paid dear enough for their Credulity, and were severely persecuted all the remaining part of His Late Majesties Reign. And, I must ingeniously confess, I thought, in some measure, they merited it, for mistaking their true Interest, it seeming to me practicable enough at that Time, to have procured the Dissolution of that Long Parliament; and in a subsequent one, to have Established Universal Liberty of Conscience: Which, if obtained, the Good Church would certainly have had but little reason to have boasted either of her Numbers, or her Interest at this day. However it is the happiness of the Dissenters, that the present King has, from a Principle extremely generous and commendable, put that Interest even in a time when they had not the least reason to expect it, into a state of Ease and Quiet, after the most Barbarous usage, it was possible to receive from the Worst of Men; Its therefore hoped at least they will now wisely consider their true Interest, and stand firmly to it, and be no more deluded by a number of Men, who, when the Government has been for Liberty of Conscience, were always against it and ever for it, when it was Impracticable and Impossible to be obtained. It is visibly the true Interest of the Crown to come to a Generous and Speedy Settlement, both in Civil and Ecclesiastical affairs, and as much that of the Dissenters, to join with them Vigorously in the promoting it; such an endeavour is both safe and honourable, and if the Court should not be sincere( as tis the highest folly to imagine the contrary,) the prejudice will redound only to themselves, the Dissenters having given no just occasion of offence to any Interest whatsoever; it being natural to all Societies of Men to love their own preservation, and to endeavour it by all Honest means; that God would be pleased to Direct them for the Best, is the Sincere Prayers of,  
SIR, Your very Humble Servant   
FINIS.