Wesley Corpus

To To WHICH IS ADDED, To THE EDITORs of “THE FREEMAN's Journ AL,” DUBLIN. SoME time ago a pamphlet was sent me, entitled, “An Appeal from the Protestant Association, to the People of Great Britain.” A day or two since, a kind of answer to this was put into my hand, which pronounces its style con temptible, its reasoning futile, and its object malicious. On the contrary, I think the style of it is clear, easy, and natural; the reasoning, in general, strong and conclusive; the object or design, kind and benevolent. And in pursuance of the same kind and benevolent design, namely, to preserve our happy constitution, I shall endeavour to confirm the substance of that tract, by a few plain arguments. With persecution I have nothing to do. I persecute nq man for his religious principles. Let there be as “boundless a freedom in religion” as any man can conceive. But this does not touch the point: I will set religion, true or false, utterly out of the question. Suppose the Bible, if you please, to be a fable, and the Koran to be the word of God. I consider not, whether the Romish religion be true or false; I build nothing on one or the other supposition. Therefore, away with all your common-place declamation about intoler 160 LETTER. To THE PRINTER ance and persecution for religion 1 Suppose every word of Pope Pius's creed to be true; suppose the Council of Trent to have been infallible; yet, I insist upon it, that no govern ment not Roman Catholic ought to tolerate men of the Roman Catholic persuasion. I prove this by a plain argument: (Let him answer it that can :)--That no Roman Catholic does, or can, give security for his allegiance or peaceable behaviour, I prove thus: It is a Roman Catholic maxim, established, not by private men, but by a public Council, that “no faith is to be kept with heretics.” This has been openly avowed by the Council of Constance; but it never was openly disclaimed. Whether private persons avow or disavow it, it is a fixed maxim of the Church of Rome. But as long as it is so, nothing can be more plain, than that the members of that Church can give no reasonable security to any Government of their allegiance or peaceable behaviour.