to the Churches founded by them, and to their
Bishops, and took Care that thofe Epiftles
fhould be read in other Churches as well as
in those they were directed to, that both the
Bishops and their Flocks might be appriz'd of
their Duties in every Particular, either by
plain Precept or by genuine and unfor
ced Inference: And how can thofe who car
ry on this unhappy Separation on fuch Prin-
ciples as they declare they do, discharge their
Confciences before God, while they keep the
British Nation in Ignorance of their true
State; and to fave themselves, let thofe for
whom they ought freely to lay down their
Lives, perifh for Want of better Information.

I know they plead the Immorality of our
Publick Prayers, as recognifing the prefent
Government, which they fuppofe to be un-
lawful; and therefore think they ought not
to pray that God would give the King in Pof-
feffion the Victory over all his Enemies; one of
which they fuppofe to have a much better Ti-
tle to the Crown than himself. Now Immoral
publick Prayers are Words that found very odd-
ly in Conjunction; and I am ready to believe,
that no antient Authors ever illuftrated Pray- .
ers with that Epithet before.

I find indeed Perfius, in his Se

mittere Divis.

a fibi introrfum & fub lingua

immurmurat; Ofi Ebullit Patrui præclarum Fu& 0 fi

---- Non tu prece pofcis emaci cond Satyre to Macrinus, com- Que nifi (eductis nequeas commending him for not putting up fuch Petitions as he durft not let the World know of; when many of the great Men of the Age vented fuch Re- Sub raftro crepat argenti mibi . feria, dextro quefts as they were afham'd to Hercule, &c. Perfii Satyr. a repeat aloud; but endeavour'd fecunda in initio.

VOL. II.

nus,

to whisper them softly in the Ears of their Gods when they had drawn them on one Side,fuch as that fome rich Relation might die and leave the Petitioner a good Eftate, or that he might find fome conceal'd Treafure, or get an Eftate by marrying many and rich Wives, &c. Such kind of Prayers indeed, feem to be of an immoral Nature, because they tend only to the Indulgence of the Devotees Lufts and vicious Inclinations. But to pray for God's Bleffing upon one who is a Sovereign Prince in Reality, and no Rebel against the former Prince, or against him whom I may think to have a better Title to the British Crown, and confequently to my Fidelity and Subjection, can have no fuch Tendency: But when I pray for him as King of Great Britain and Ireland,and pray that he may vanquish and overcome all his Enemies, I pray for him only as related to us in his prefent Station; and by his Enemies under that Relation, I underftand only the Enemies of thefe Kingdoms, our own Enemies, whofe Force or Malice while we may be protected from; we ought to bless and pray for God's Affiftance on that Hand, which we make Ufe of to protect us from our Adverfaries. And to fay Truth, we ought to pray for God's Bleffing upon no Prince whatfoever, as our Prince, but with the fame Limitations which were put into the publick Form of Prayer appointed to be used for King James II. when the Dutch Invafion threatned him, "That God would blefs him in all his "Undertakings which might tend to his Ho

66

nour, to the Safety of Religion, and the Be"nefits of thefe Kingdoms." With fuch a Form that Prince was then fatisfy'd, tho' on the ve ry Brink of Danger, and no Chriftian Monarch

does

does, or can defire more. But where's the Immorality of all this? What Vice is indulged by it? What Wrong is done to any Body by it? The King thus acting, overcomes and conquers for the People: Let thofe who are againft Praying for him as King, try if they can find the Ifraelites not praying for thofe who govern'd them after their Defection from the Houfe of David; let them tell us whether Elijab or Elifba, (Men infpired to the higheft Degree meer Men were capable of,) did not pray for Azariah, Abab, Foram, and others, who had no recommending Qualifications; but fome of them deftroy'd all the Lord's Prophets whom they could come at, and would have cut off those wonderful Men too, had not Providence guarded them, and Heaven made them a Terror to their Enemies. Let them find out any Christian Congregations who did not pray for their reigning Emperors, tho' it may be, they got the Empire by no fairer Way than the barbarous Murder of their Predeceffors. If Charity commands us to pray for our Enemies, I can't fee how we can refufe to pray for that Prince under whofe Protection we live, and chufe to live, tho' we are at Liberty to remove from under his Government when we please. Methinks, living under his Protection, is as open a Recognition of his Sovereignty, as calling him our moft gracious King and Governor in the Litany. Two very honeft Men may go to Law for an Eftate, and both may fincerely believe they have a juft Claim to it, But yet one only can have fuch a rightful Claim May not they therefore pray for one another? Or may not a Chriftian CongregatiA a 2

on,

on, while they are contefting the Matter, make Supplications and Prayers and Interceffi ons for both, without encouraging Injuftice, or doing Wrong to him who has the real Right? God won't favour Injuftice, tho' we fhould call on him to do fo never fo earnestly; nor will he defert the injur'd, tho' never fo much opprefs'd; but he'll always be Judge himself in thofe Cafes, and from us he expects Prayers founded on true Chriftian Charity: And to pray in the Senfe and Words of the Church, or to refufel to pray for any one only for the Sake of his Title, or to break the Peace of the Church of Chrift, rather than to do fo, is to me a greater Piece of Immorality than any Practice which thofe hot Men charge upon the prefent Epifcopal Church of England. God commanded the Jews when in Captivity, when their lawful Prince was a Captive too, to pray for the King of Babylon, and for the Peace of his Empire, who had made them Captives, and ftript them of all their Liberties and Properties. If any Man can bring any Argument against Praying for the prefent King now in Poffeffion of thefe Nations which will not lie as ftrongly against the Jews praying for the King of Babylon, they must be quicker-fighted than I can pretend to be. But God commanded his own afflicted People to pray for him; and their Peace and Happinefs lay in their Obedience to that Command.

Thus much I have faid, because of that fevere and unreasonable Cenfure which fome of thofe call'd Nonjurors have pafs'd upon us who continue in the Communion of the Church of England in Poffeffion. God forbid, I should charge

them

them all, or the greatest Part of those who have refus'd the Oaths with any fuch fiery Humours, or with indulging any fuch dividing Practices: No; they have employ'd themselves better, and defended our eftablifh'd Church againft Papifts, Fanaticks of all forts, and Atheifts; when some among our felves have endeavour'd to corrupt our Doctrines, to level all our Defences, and feem more defirous to be Patriarchs in partibus Infidelium, than to fit down in a little Bishoprick among the Mountains of Wales. As for thofe Zealots who pretend to unchurch us all, I can't but fatisfy my felf with this, viz. That in all their Heat of Difcourfe it is very plain that they do not believe themselves, and therefore you have no Reafon to believe them, or to be terrify'd with their Words. They are Chriftians, tho' ftruck with a Notion, and I'm afraid there are fome among them who will not fuffer them to grow cool and temperate enough to confider how fatal the Effects of that Separation which they carry on must prove. I don't believe, that they are any of them reconciled to the Errors of the Church of Rome, tho' perhaps fome of the Agents of that Church may have too great an Intereft among them. I don't fufpect them as turning Presbyterians, Independents, Anabaptifts, or Socinians; tho' I can't but take Notice how all Sorts of Sectaries please themselves with the Obfervation of fuch an apparent Breach among the Friends of Epifcopacy. But I'm fure that both Papifts and Diffenters promise themselves a large Harveft among them; and by the Rafhness of their Management they do their Business more effectually

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