ther part

of his works he owns, that from the nature of things it was necessary, that the oppofition to King Charles's government should® begin from a few, who might therefore be called a faction, for whom there was no fafety fhort of his death. *« For,” says he, “it is to be regretted, that the fituation of things was fuch, that the fentence could not be passed by the whole nation, or their reprefentatives folemnly affembled

*Priestley upon Government, p. 39.

+ Lord Clarendon relates the following anecdote, not irrelevant to the prefent fubject, which happened on the first day of King Charles's trial. Hift. of the Civil Wari, vol. iii.. b. xi. p. 196. " When all those, who were commiffioners had taken their places, and the king was brought in, the firft ceremony was, to read their commiffion, which was the ordinance of parliament for the trial; and when the judges were all called, every man answering to his name, as he was called, and the prefident being first called and making answer, the next who was called being the general, Lord Fairfax, and no answer being made, the officer called him the fecond time, when there was a voice heard that faid, he had more awit than to be there;' which put the court into fome disorder; and somebody asking who it was, there was no answer, but a little murmuring; but prefently, when the impeachment was read, and that expreffion ufed, of all the good people of England,' the fame voice in a louder tone answered, No, nor the hundredth part of them;' upon which one of the officers bid the foldiers give fire into that box, whence those presumptuous words were uttered; but it was quickly discerned, that it was the general's wife the lady Fairfax, who had uttered both those sharpe sayings, who was presently perfuaded or forced to leave the place, to prevent any new diforder.

She

affembled for that purpose. I am fenfible indeed that the generality of the nation at that time would not bave voted for the death of their fovereign."

From what I have already faid, may we collect a specimen of the deadly fruit, which this faction would produce, if the growth of the plant were in any manner encouraged in this country. Some of the moft noxious herbs, under the difguife of improper names, find their way into the fairest gardens; but one fatal inftance of their deadly poison, induces the melancholy but requifite caution to prevent their future progrefs to maturity. Thus confident am I, that the abufive application of the term religious to these feditious and rebellious political fectaries, has alone procured the admiffion, adoption, or toleration of them in our conftitution. We have

She was of a very noble extraction, one of the daughters and heirs of Horace Lord Vere of Tilbury, who having been bred in Holland, had not that reverence for the church of England, as fhe ought to have had, and so had unhappily concurred in her husband's entering into rebeltion, never imagining what misery it would bring upon the kingdom, and now abhorred the work in hand as much, as any body could do, and did all fhe could to hinder her husband from acting any part in it. Nor did he ever fit in that bloody court, though he was throughout overwitted by Cromwell, and made a property to bring that to pass, which could very hardly have been otherwise effected."

Seditious po ries marked unappellation.

litical fecta

der a religious

been long ago told by good authority, that from their fruits ye shall know them; and I confidently affirm what nobody will deny, that the mild fpirit of the British constitution never will be difgraced by the intolerance and perfecution of thofe, who know the use of no other, than the fpiritual weapons of St. Paul to propagate their doctrine, who recommend the truth of it by their meeknefs, humility, and peaceable fubmiffion to the powers of the ftate, and command refpect by the charity they practife towards their neighbour, and the edifying example of their own innocency.

As God has left the choice and form of government to each cominunity, fo has he given to each community, the neceffary powers and means for its own prefervation, which in their nature must be variable, that they may fit and be suitable, to that indefinite variety of circumstances and occafions, which in the occurrences and fates of empires are poffible to arife. Dr. Kippis in his fermon upon the centenary commemoration of the revolution has expreffed an idea highly liberal in its tendency, and which if carried into execution would perhaps add the most lasting fecurity to the peace, welfare, and profperity of our excellent conftitution. • « Perhaps it

• Dr. Kippis's Sermon, p. 29.

may

may be referved for the farther glory of this reign to abolish all penal laws in matters of religion, and to put every man on the fair footing of being anfwerable to God only for This confcience, while he gives fecurity for his civil allegiance and peaceable behaviour, as a member of the community."

CONCLUSION,

N the variety of matter, which the nature

IN

of my undertaking has obliged me to touch upon, I have unintentionally exceeded the limits, to which I originally meant to confine myself. The importance however of the questions themselves will, I hope, screen me from the imputation of prolixity. I have throughout the work endeavoured to make a faithful and candid reprefentation of every fact, that I had occasion to speak of; if any however fhall be found to have been mifconceived or misreprefented, I folemnly disavow the intention of misleading others, though I may have erred myself.

Attempts have been lately made with much rancour and much infolence to misrepresent and vilify our conftitution. I have exerted my

humble efforts to counteract them; and I fhall ever boaft of my wifhes to represent to my countrymen the conftitution of this kingdom as the most perfect work of human polity. If in the gradual formation of it, we have been more fortunate or more wife, than our neighbours, we may alfo ftill boaft of being the foremost towards attaining the highest possible perfection

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