A NEW NARRATIVE OF A Fiery Apparition Seen on several days about TOWER-HILL.  
OR, A JUST RELATION Of the unjust Proceed of Mr. Sherman, Churchwarden of All-hollows Barkin, London.  By JONATHAN SANDERS, Lecturer of the said Church. 
OF Late the Common Prints have made a great pother about an Image erected in the Parish-Church of All-hallows Barkin, London, which Image was indicted at the last Sessions at the Old Bailie. The upper Churchwarden without advice, and contrary to Order, was pleased to plead Guilty; how far he may be concerned in the Gild I am not to inquire, but since the proceeding may have afforded matter of Scandal to some distant persons, I thought it was my duty to give some brief Account of the whole matter, which is as followeth.  
On Sunday, March the Sixth, Mr. Sherman acquainted Dr. Hicks, and myself, that there was an Indictment preferred at the Old Bailie against the Churchwardens for suffering an Image in the Church, not making any mention that the Doctor, or myself, were concerned in the Indictment, though a Copy of it had been given him for that very purpose.  
On Monday, the Seventh instant, Mr. Sherman took down from the East end of the Church the (pretended) Figure of the Archangel St. Michael, by the assistance of the Clerk and Sexton, against the advice of the Doctor, and without the Knowledge or Consent of the Vestry.  
He carried it on the same day to the Sessions-house in the Old-Baily, and did (singly) plead Guilty to the Indictment; of which the Court took so little Notice that they would not accept his Fine.  
This (pretendedly) superstitious Image was brought back the same Night, continued in the Church all Tuesday, and conveyed thence on Wednesday. When Mr. Sherman being asked how he had disposed of the same, and by what order, he replied, That he had sent it to Mr. Sheriff Bethel by order of the Court.  
On the Sunday following it was intended there should be a Vestry, which accordingly was called, in the Name of the Doctor, Mr. Sherman having given Order to the Clerk not to use the Name of the Churchwardens.  
After Sermon, the Vestry being Assembled, Mr. Sherman refused to take his place as Churchwarden, telling them that the Poor wanted no Money, and that if in any thing he wanted their advice, he would call them when he thought fit; adding withal, That the Doctor had no power to hold a Vestry without him, therefore he would not stay any longer, but told them (imperiously enough) that he dissolved them.  
The Vestry, notwithstanding this huff, Sat and made some Orders, but they were no sooner broke up but Mr. Sherman returned to the Church from his own House with a part of (his Godson St. Michael) the Image, which with some vainglory he burned in the Vestry.  
On the Sunday following he caused another part to be laid on the Fire before Evening-Prayer. And whereas he then burned a Wing of the Angel, affirming, that neither the Pope nor St. Peter should have any piece of it; so after Sermon, before all the Gentlemen of the Vestry then present, he pulled some part of the Feet of it out of his Pocket, telling them, That as it could not fly, so neither should it walk to Rome.  
But the Poor innocent Figure could not escape thus, for on the Sunday following, viz. March the the 27th. he brought some other pieces of it into to Vestry before Evening-Prayer, and burned them in the presence of Mr. Tomlyn, one of the Vestry, who seriously ask him what he meant by so doing, Mr. Sherman replied, That he would not suffer any part of the Image to remain. All of these are most significant Expressions of zeal against Popery.  
This is clearly the state of the Affair as it hath been gradually carried on.  
Now any one that hears of all this, together with the Confession of the guilty Churchwarden, might be induced to think there were some great matter at the bottom of such an Eminent proceeding.  
Without doubt it hath made a great Noise not only in the City of London, but also in places more remote whither the News of it hath been industriously carried for the Example of all other Churchwardens, who, by one of our London Scribblers of Sedition, are advised to tread in the Steps of this worthy Gentleman. People are hereby made to believe that Popery is coming in apace among us, and that it must have its first entrance at All-hallows Barkin.  
But to prevent any such mistake, it is requisite that they who take the trouble of reading this Paper would seriously consider these few necessary Additions that I am to make.  
I. This Image (as they call it) was not a thing erected of late, but set up in the Year 1658. or thereabout, and had no relation but to the Two Figures of Death and Time, betwixt which it might handsomely enough stand with its Trumpet and Motto, to mind Men of the last Judgement. It is strange that no body could discover either the thing itself, or the mischief of it, till 1680. But the Wise man tells us their is a Time for all things, and it is the good luck of our discerning Churchwarden to hit it.  
II. This Figure was so far from having any respect or veneration paid to it, that few or none of the Inhabitants took any notice of it; and had the Doctor, or Lecturer, been asked Two or Three weeks before this bustle, where it stood, I dare confidently pronounce they had been to seek for an answer.  
But this also was the happy discovery of the Churchwarden, who knew when it was fit to prefer an Indictment, and hath the good fortune to know the Critical Time of One Year in Ten, when a thing is done pravae mentis, and when a Man bows to an Idol under the colour of adoring his God. Yet I must be so just to the Gentleman, as to protest that I don't think that in his own Conscience he believes that any of us had this Image under any religious Consideration; and if he fails here, as most disingeniously he doth, it is not to pass for a failure in his Understanding, but for a voluntary, a designed, and a malicious Prevarication.  
'Tis possible he may please himself with the delightful apprehension of gratifying some one party of men; but then he ought to remember, that he that sells his Neighbor's Fame for a little unsavoury popular Breath, will in the conclusion gain nothing but Infamy and Disgrace.  
Every sober Man will allow the liberty of saying this, when he may know that there is not a more serious and regularly-devout Parish in the City of London than this of All-hallows Barkin is: And when they shall be exposed to the censure of the World as Popishly-affected, 'tis not only an ill thing, but it is an ill sign; 'tis a token that some among us are either ignorantly, or cunningly, running into that Popery which they pretend to hate and fear.  
This is the mighty Engine that carries on the business of the Jesuits, and other Papists at this time; for if men can at pleasure take away the reputation and honour of the Church of England, than the Romish Faction have gained the Field, and have no more to do but to sit down and divide the Spoil. Yet so it is, we are fallen among a generation of things (whom I was going to call Men) which call every Man Papist, and every thing Popish, which doth not just jump with their little selfconceited Models. And this Course is so irrational and absurd, as well as irreligious, that I can see no reason for it, unless it be that these pretended Protestant-zealots carry on the same design with the Papists, and intent to share with them at last, as the late Lambert who aimed at the Protectorship, proves since to be a known Papist, as Mr. Oats informs us.  
III. 'Tis pretended that this Figure was Condemned by the Court at the Old Bailie: A suggestion as far from truth, as the Godfather was from the right Name of his Child. It may seem strange that the Churchwarden should pretend an order of Court when there was none, and when Sir George Treby the Recorder declared, that the proceeding was not grounded upon any Law that he knew of.  
Yet such is the insolence of some Men, that they dare lay their ill-favoured Brats at whose door they please. In the mean time the Ministers and Parishioners of All-hallows Barkin have this Comfort, That they are slandered and indicted by none but those that have the Confidence to act by such Orders as they never received.  
This I tender to the public as an impartial Account of what hath passed since this business came upon the Stage; I could have wished with all my heart that the thing had made no noise abroad, but since it hath taken air, I thought it requisite that the honest Apology should be as open as the unjust Slander.  
I know how unhandsome it is to interrupt Men of business with little particular Concerns of our own, and I very well understand that Liberty of Conscience, and Liberty of the Press, are things that have an unhappy influence upon the Nation; and therefore as I am no Friend (in the present wild Notion) to the one, so I should hardly have been Guilty of using the other, had there not been this too just occasion for it.  
If this short Relation have not its wished effect in giving satisfaction to any that are honestly jealous, I shall give e'er long a fuller Account, such as may clear us from any suspicion of Popery that may lurk in any credulous and unwary Breast; in the mean time here is  
THE END.