by which the monarch holds his crown.

We have no

fecurity, that we shall not live under one whose personal character is that of a Charles, or a James; but we have every human fecurity, that he shall not injure us, without ruining himself. Even fuch a king, when his hands. are bound up by his own interefts, will cease to be dangerous, because he wants the power to do mischief.

By this fhort account of two reigns prior to the acceffion of James, we may be affifted in forming an estimate of our present happiness; and may not fall into the deception of fuppofing, that the revolution freed us, only from the attempts of one tyrant, to deftroy our religion and our liberties but by a farther retrofpect, we may fee how firmly the chains of tyranny were rivetted on our anceftors by a train of oppreffion; and may, with the greater evidence, be able to recognise the hand of God, in breaking them in pieces.

JAMES, the firft fabbath after his acceffion, went openly to mafs; though the celebration of it was contrary to laws enacted by the whole legiflature. Soon after, he sent an agent to the Pope, in order that his dominions might be reconciled in form to the See of Rome. But how to reconcile his fubjects to the introduction of Popery, was a question which admitted of no easy answer. Some confidered it as a wretched corruption of Christianity, and even as an impofition on the common fenfe of mankind; and were therefore determined, rather to lofe their lives. than to embrace it. The general body of the nation, though little governed by the principles of religion, entertained a fettled averfion to it, from fome glowing embers of liberty, which better times had kindled. As tyranny and flavery were enlifted in its train, they determined to oppose its progress, before it fhould have acquired ftrength to be no longer fubject to controul. Far from being fatisfied

with a toleration for the Roman Catholics, James openly declared his intention of placing their worship, on a level with the Proteftant religion. This was the first step. The next would have been, to confer on it the superiority; and then the extirpation of the other muft have followed of courfe. The profeffors of his own religion could only be pushed forward by the abolition of the Tests. After they were qualified for places of power and truft, as these were entirely at his own difpofal, the fuccefs was infallible. Finding the parliament refolutely determined to fupport the Tefts, he proceeded by his own authority, to difpenfe with them. That he might the easier destroy both parties, he began to play the Diffenters against the Church. He ftirred up their refentments of that iniquitous perfecution the church had fo long made them undergo, and he promised them, not merely protection, but honours, as the reward of their concurring with him against their former oppreffors. To these proposals, many of the Diffenters had the ftupidity, or the bafenefs to hearken. During the last years of this prince's adminiftration, the characters of Churchmen and of Diffenters experienced, in many particular inftances, almost a total change. Many of the former, from the most abject fervility, rofe to the dignity of patriots and confeffors. Many of the latter (fo little influence often have religious differences in forming the temper of parties; and fo frequently is the conduct of men biaffed by other motives) that they might flink from the post of danger, or that they might indulge their refentment of former wrongs, gave the moft ignominious compliances with the measures of the court.

AFTER the king's breach with the Church, the clergy had many excellent opportunities of reducing to practice, the doctrines of paffive obedience and non-refiftance, which

for

or three reigns, they had fo zealoufly preached. But it has always been obferved, that the most prostitute admirers of these maxims, for fome fecret reafons, claim an exception in behalf of themselves. They only fhew what is good for the world in general, as a physician prefcribes for others, and not for himself. Paffive obedience was a falutary prescription for the lovers of liberty, fo long as they were the adminiftrators, and the court paid the fee; but when the medicine was prepared for themfelves, they defired to be excufed from taking it, as not fuiting their conftitution. It was pleafant enough to behold the squeamishness of other person's stomachs, when the dofe was forced down, but when it came to their own turn to swallow the potion, they began, for the first time, to feel the fentiments of men.-Charity may indeed fuggeft a more favourable conftruction of their proceedings, by which, at the expence of a banished family, a large stock of merit was laid in toward the nation. We may fuppofe the doctrines of paffive obedience and non-refiftance preached, from the fheer love of freedom. It is evident to men of common fenfe, that felf-prefervation would dictate, even to that imperious monarch, the neceffity of proceeding with prudence, in the total change he intended, both of religion and of government. Had the fpirit of liberty feemed to animate the people, he must have fhrunk back from the dangers which lay before him. But the clergy wifely confidering the unfettled nature of the conftitution, reasonably concluding that it might be placed on a better foundation in his abfence, and perhaps feasonably reflecting on the happy confequences of preaching the doctrines in his father's reign, agreed, that the only way left to fave the nation, was to push the unhappy James over the precipice they had covered from him. Paffive obedience was therefore preached, not as has falfely been given out, with a

defign to destroy the liberties of England, but as a convenient blind to make a tyrannical king deftroy himself. When he knew that he was already in poffeffion of the executive, and, by the confeffion even of an heretical Church, entitled to the whole of the legislative power, when he had a numerous army to support his rights, and when he faw the ecclefiaftical reprefentatives, of almost the whole kingdom, by the most folemn profeffions of religion tie themselves down from refiftance, he very naturally, when he was not admitted behind the curtain, concluded that his caufe was good, and that he had nothing to fear in the profecution of his defigns. This was the meritorious artifice which quickened his fteps; and he fell not by his want of prudence, but by the fuperior cunning of these worthy patriots. It is surprising that Swift's ingenuity, together with his inviolable regard to the truth of hiftory, did not lead him to fo juft an apology. It would have faved him the neceffity of this mortifying confeffion, that their principles ftrictly followed, would enflave all mankind. It would have spared many vigorous efforts of his wit, for fome more important, at least for fome more hopeful occafion.

It is needless to infift on the particulars of a reign generally known, and, by the openness of its enormities, placed as much beyond the reach of controverfy, as of defence. Proteftants were gradually difplaced, and Catholics brought into every department of the administration, and even nominated to the most distinguished offices in the Church. Attempts were made upon Universities. Bishops were imprisoned, because they prefented the moft reasonable petitions. Judges were removed, unless against reafon and conscience, they supported the measures of the court. The clergy of the established church were punished, because they refused to affift in their own deftruction.

Courts

Courts of ecclefiaftical commiffion were erected, in direct opposition to an act of the legislature, by which they had been ever abolished. The difpenfing power, by which all the laws of the kingdom lay proftrate at the monarch's feet, was exerted with full energy.

I SHALL now, in a few words, tell you how this revolation took place.

THE friends of liberty faw deftruction impending on those rights, for the enjoyment of which their ancestors had fought through dangers the most formidable and imminent that the question which must come to a speedy decifion, was, whether the king should be abfolute mafter of their religion, of their lives, and of their fortunes? or they, as the subjects of a free government, fhould emancipate themselves, from the oppreffion, and be bound by no laws to which they did not affent? They faw, that the time was now arrived, when fidelity to themselves, and obedience to the voice of nature, required the appli cation of a remedy, fuited to the violent symptoms of the difeafe. The warmeft admirers of arbitrary power, now that the adminiftration was conducted wholly on their principles, began to diflike the fabric they had spent so much time in the rearing. However pleasant it was to behold a two-edged fword turned against their fellow-fubjects, fo long as they were employed to handle it, they began, when it entered their own fide, to feel very different fenfations. Whatever their fpeculations of paffive obedience had been, as they found the practice rather inconvenient, they agreed to drop it, and, for their own fafety to mingle with thofe, who, without fuccefs, had opposed the current of tyranny. Proteftants, though divided among themselves, were united in their refolution to refift a religion, which, in that age, had it once gained the vic tory,

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