none:) Tho' her Enemies cry, down with her, down with her, even to the Ground: That is, in other Words, tho' (the Preacher, and a few of his Friends, excepted) both the Fathers and Paftors of the Church; and the Men who are at prefent in Power, and Authority, in the State, are become falfe Brethren, and run in with those Enemies of the Church, our Diffenters, against 'Yet there is a God that can, and will raise her up, if we forfake her not.'

it;

It were an eafy Matter to make many proper Remarks upon thefe Paffages of Scripture, thus applied, or rather abused, by the Preacher: But that would be befides my prefent Bufinefs; and will fall in more properly under the last Article of this Impeachment. It is enough that I have, I hope, fully fhewn your Lordships how Dr. Sacheverell has treated if not the Indulgence itself, yet I am fure, those who are intitled to the Benefit of it: And who, if they shall have the Misfortune, by this kind of Preaching, to be once generally thought fuch wicked, falfe, and dangerous Enemies to our Church and State as they are here reprefented, I cannot think that their Indulgence will hold long. If they have Numbers to fecure them, it is well for them: But otherwife I am fure as the Cafe is here stated, it must be our Wisdom, as well as Duty, to fupprefs them.

How criminal fuch an Invective as this will be accounted in the Eye of the Law, I dare not prefume to fuggeft: Much lefs fhall I pretend to intimate what Cenfure it may deserve. Somewhat I think should be done to put a Stop to fuch Preaching, as if not timely corrected may kindle fuch Heats and Animofities among us, as may truely endanger both our Church and State. As for the Preacher himself, I am very willing to come into any Measures of Favour to him, that are confiftent with your Lordfhips Honour and Juftice, and will anfwer the Ends of the

Impeachment that has been brought before us against him.

The Bishop of Norwich's Speech in the House of Lords, at the opening of the Second Article of Impeachment aganft Dr. Sacheverell.

My LORDS,

I

Am very fenfible under what Difadvantage. in the Opinion of many, a Bishop mult fpeak against a Clergyman that stands accus'd of Crimes committed by him in the feeming Execution of his Office; efpecially after having been fo publickly required to be an Advocate as well as a Judge. And I am the more fenfible of this Prejudice lying against me, for having been fo lately called into that Order, and for being fo unworthy of it.

But I think my felf obliged notwithstanding, under all these Difadvantages, to deliver not only my Judgment, but alfo the Reafons that determine me to it: Which I fhall do as plainly as I can ; with that Deference to your Lordships, which I am fure it must upon all Occafions particularly become me to pay; and at the fame time with that Freedom which I think the Importance of this Caufe does at this time require.

t

Dr. Sacheverell ftands impeach'd by the Commons of Great-Britain, of High Crimes and Mifdemeanors expreffed in the feveral Articles of the Charge exhibited against him: And your Lordships have heard what they have faid in fupport of that Charge, as well as what has been offer'd in the Doctor's Defence.

Your Lordships have alfo debated among your felves the Merits of the Caufe as to the first of thefe Articles; and have come to a Refolution, that the Commons have made good that part of their Charge: In which Refolution as I did heartily concur; fo I was ready to have humbly reprefented to your Lordships my Reafons for fo doing, had there been either room or occafion for it.

Your

Your Lordships are now upon the Second Article; wherein the Doctor is charged for fuggefting and maintaining that the Toleration granted by Law is unreasonable, and the Allowance of it, unwarrantable; with other Particulars that have immediate relation to this general Charge, and which are indeed fo many Proofs of it.

In this View therefore, my Lords, I beg leave to confider them: And the First of thefe Inftances in Support of this Charge, is, that he afferts that He is a falfe Brother with relation to God, Religion, or the Church, who defends Toleration and Liberty of Confcience: And this, my Lords, the Doctor does affert in fo many Words. It is one of the many Marks he gives whereby we may difcern who is a falfe Brother in thofe Refpects; not a fmall Part of one general Mark, as was alledg'd very inconclufively, I think, in his Defence. For if it was to be granted, (tho' it cannot be fairly pretended) that the Doctor makes the defending of Toleration and Liberty of Confcience, one Branch only of the Character of a falfe Brother; I do not fee how it cqu'd make even a part of that Character, if there was no falfe Brotherhood in it. And I fhall not trouble myself or your Lordships with going about to fettle the degrees of falfe Brotherhood that are in this part of the Character, becaufe I think every degree of it is unreafonable, and not to be warranted.

And therefore the Doctor cannot make it fo much as a part of the Character of a falfe Brother to defend Toleration and Liberty of Confcience, as it is confefs'd that he does, but he must at the fame time fuggeft and maintain that the Toleration is unreasonable, and the Allowance of it unwarrantable. For it can never be any de- Page 666. gree of falfe Brotherhood, to defend what is reafonable and warrantable: Nor wou'd even the Doctor, as inconfiftent a Man as feveral of the Noble Lords that have spoken for him reprefent him to be, ever have made it one; if he had not himfelf

himfelf condemn'd that which he blames others. for defending.

The Second Inftance alledg'd is, that he calls Archbishop Grindal a falfe Son of the Church, and a perfidious Prelate, for deluding Queen Elizabeth into the Toleration of the Genevian Difcipline. I fhall not, my Lords, go about to add any thing to the full and juft Vindication you have heard of that excellent Prelate. But can any of your Lordships believe, that a Presbyter of the Church of England, profeffing more than ordinary Zeal for Epifcopacy and the Conftitution of this Church, fhould beftow fuch Language on one who was the firft Bishop and the Ornament of it fo long; only for difpofing that glorious Queen to a mild Treatment of the Puritans of that Time, which is the utmoft that is pretended. to be laid to his Charge, if he had thought Toleration a reasonable Thing, or what was fit to be established by Law?

This, my Lords, I confefs can never enter into my Thoughts, as ready as I am to enlarge them for the admitting of any favourable Construction that will not shut out common Senfe.

The Third Inftance is his making it the Duty of the Superior Paftors to thunder out their Ecclefiaftical Anathema's against Perfons intitled to the Benefits of the Toleration. And to fhew that he has done this, I need only refer your Lordships to that part of his Sermon where the Superior Paftors are call'd upon to do fo; (viz.) the Fourth and laft General Head, where he draws the Confequence of all that he had spoken before, in the following Words. *Now what fhould be the Refult of this long Difcourfe, ' but that if we bear any true Concern for the In

Vide Serm. p. 22. 1. 4.

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tereft

tereft, Honour, and Safety of our Church and Government, we ought ftedfaftly to adhere to thofe Fundamental Principles, upon which both are founded, and upon which their Security un' der God alone depends; and confequently that it highly behoves us, cautioufly to watch against, " to mark, and avoid all thofe that thus treacherously defert them. And indeed it would be both for our Advantage, as well as their Credit, if 'fuch Men would throw off the Mask, entirely quit our Church of which they are no True Members, and not fraudulently eat her Bread, and lay wait for her Ruin, purloin her Revenues, and ungratefully lift up their Heels against Her, For then we fhould be one Fold under one Shepherd; all thofe invidious Diftinctions, that now diftra&t and confound us, loft; and we fhould be terrible like an Army of Banners to our Enemies; who could never break in upon fuch an uniform and well compacted Body. This indeed would be a True Peace, and Solid Union, when we fhould all with one Mind and one Mouth glorify God, and not with a confus'd diverfity of contradictious Opinions, and inconfiftent Jargon of Worfhip, which the God of Peace, Purity, and Order cannot but abhor, As it is a 'Maxim in Politicks, that all Governments are beft fupported by the fame Methods and Councils upon which they are founded; fo it will appear undeniably true in its Application to our Conftitution, which can be maintain'd by no other Principles, but thofe on which it is built, and ' like their Bafis, the Gofpel, if there's any Violation, or Breach made in any Branch of it, it fhakes and endangers the whole Frame and Body. These things, however little they may be reprefented by our Adverfaries, will be 'found of the most confiderable Confequence. 'Let us therefore, as we are unhappy Sharers of St. Paul's Misfortune, to have our Church ' in Perils among falfe Brethren, follow his Example and Conduct in a parallel Cafe. He tells

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