Note XVI.
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The Lion, studious of our common good,Desires (and kings' desires are ill withstood)To join our nations in a lasting love;The bars betwixt are easy to remove,For sanguinary laws were never made above._--P. 218. When James II. ascended the throne, deceived by the general attachmentof the church of England for his person, and the little jealousy whichthey seemed to entertain of his religion, he conceived there wouldbe no great difficulty in procuring a reconciliation between thenational church and that of Rome. With this view he made a favourabledeclaration of his intentions to maintain the church of England asby law established, and certainly expected, that, in return, theywould consent to the repeal of the test act and penal laws;[275] andthis, it was conceived, might pave the way for uniting the churches.An extraordinary pamphlet, already quoted, recommends such an union,founded upon the mutual attachment of both communions to King James,upon their success in resisting the Bill of Exclusion, and their commonhatred of the dissenters. "This very stone, which was once rejected bythe architects, is now become the chief stone in the corner. We maytruly see in it the hand of God, and look upon it with admiration; andmay expect, if fears and jealousies hinder not, the greatest blessingswe can wish for. An union betwixt these two walls, which have been thuslong separated, and now in a fair way to be united and linked togetherby this corner stone; after which, how glorious a structure may we hopefor on such foundations!" A plan is therefore laid down, containingthe following heads, of which it may be observed, that the very firstis the abrogation of these penal laws, which Dryden states to be theprincipal bar between the alliance of the Hind and the Panther. "First, that it may be provided, That those who are known to befaithful friends to the king and kingdom's good, may equally with usenjoy those favours and blessings we may hope for under so great andso just a king, without being liable to the sanguinary penal laws, forholding opinions noways inconsistent with loyalty, and the peace andquiet of the nation; and that they may not be obliged, by oaths andtests, either to renounce their religion, which they know they cannotdo without sacrilege, or else to put themselves out of capacity ofserving their king and country. "Secondly, That, for healing our differences, it be appointed, thatneither side, in their sermons, touch upon matters of controversy withanimating reflections; but that those discourses may wholly tend topeace and piety, religion and sound morality; and that, in all publiccatechisms, the solid grounds and principles of religion may be solelyexplicated and established, all reflecting animosities being laid aside. "Thirdly, That some learned, devout, and sober persons, may be madechoice of on both sides, who may truly state matters of controversybetwixt us; to the end, each one may know others pretensions, and thetenets they cannot abandon, without breaking the chain of apostolicfaith; which, if it be done, we shall, it may be, find that to betrue, which the Papists often tell us, that the difference betwixtthem and us is not so great as many make it; nor their tenets sopernicious, but if we saw them naked, we should, if not embrace themas truths, yet not condemn them as errors, much less as perniciousdoctrines. Yet if, notwithstanding all this, we cannot perfectlyagree in some points, let us, however, endeavour to live togetherin the bonds of love and charity, as becomes good Christians andloyal subjects, and join together to oppugn those known maxims, andpernicious errors, which destroy the essence of religion, loyalty, andgood government."--_Remonstrance, by way of Address, to the Church ofEngland_, 1685.
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