efpecially when our very fafety is eminently concerned in fo doing, and that we cannot decline this discrimination of ourfelves from Papifts, without being confcious to ourfelves of the guilt of our own fufferings; for that must every man needs be, that fuffers mutely, under another character than that, which truly and properly belongeth to him, and his belief. That which giveth me a more than ordinary right to fpeak, at this time, and in this place, is the great abufe, that I have received, above any other of my profeffion; for, of a long time, I have not only been fuppofed a Papist, but a feminary, a Jefuit, an emiffary of Rome, and in pay from the Pope, a man dedicating my endeavours to the intereft and advancement of that party. Nor hath this been the report of the rabble, but the jealoufy and infinuation of perfons otherwife fober and difcreet: Nay, fome zealous for the Proteftant religion, have been fo far gone in this mistake, as not only to think ill of us, and to decline our converfation, but to take courage to themfelves, to profecute us for a fort of concealed Papists; and the truth is, what with one thing, and what with another, we have been as the wool-facks, and common whipping-stock of the kingdom; all laws have been let loofe upon us, as if the defign were not to reform, but to deftroy us, and that not for what we are, but for what we are not: It is hard, that we must thus bear the stripes of another intereft, and be their proxy, in punishment; but it is worse, that fome men can please themselves in fuch a fort of administration." "I would not be mistaken, I am far from thinking it fit that Papifts fhould be whipped for their confciences, because I exclaim against the injuftice of whipping Quakers for Papists: No, for though the hand, pretended to be lifted up against them, hath (I know not by what direction) lit heavy upon us, and we complain; yet we do not mean, that any W. P's. fecond fpeech to the com mittee of parliament. any should take a fresh aim at them, or that they must come in our room; for we must give the liberty we ask, and cannot be false to our principles, though it were to relieve ourselves; for we have good will to all men, and would have none fuffer for a truly fober and confcientious diffent, on any hand: and I humbly take leave to add, that thofe methods, against perfons fo qualified, do not feem to me to be convincing, or indeed adequate to the reafon of mankind; but this I fubmit to your confideration." "To conclude, I hope we shall be held excufed of the men of that profeffion, in giving this dif tinguishing declaration, fince it is not with defign to expose them; but, firft, to pay that regard, we owe to the enquiry of this committee; and, in the next place, to relieve ourselves from the daily spoil and ruin, which now attend and threaten many hundreds of families, by the execution of laws, that we humbly conceive were never made against us." His fecond Speech to the committee. you "The candid hearing, our fufferings have received from the committee, and the fair and easy entertainment, that you have given us, oblige me to add what ever can increase your fatisfaction about us. I hope you do not believe, I would tell a lie; I am fure I fhould choose an ill time and place to tell it in; but, I thank God it is too late in the day for that. There are fome here that have known me formerly; I believe they will fay, I never was that man; and it would be hard, if after a voluntary neglect of the advantages of this world, I fhould fit down, in my retirement, fhort of common truth." "Excufe the length of my introduction, it is for this I make it. I was bred a Proteftant, and that ftrictly too: I loft nothing by time or ftudy; for years, years, reading, travel and obfervations made the parliament. "On the contrary, I do, with great truth, affure 1678. you, that we are of the fame negative faith, with W. P's fe cond speech the ancient Proteftant church, and, upon occafion, to the comfhall be ready, by God's affiftance, to make it ap- mittee of pear, that we are of the fame belief, as to the most fundamental poffitive articles of her creed too. And, therefore it is, we think it hard, that though we deny, in common with her, thofe doctrines of Rome, fo zealously protested against, from whence the name Proteftants; yet that we should be fo unhappy as to fuffer, and that with extreme severity, by thofe very laws on purpose made against the maintainers of those doctrines, we do fo deny. We chufe no fuffering, for God knows what we have already fuffered, and how many fufficient and trading families are reduced to great poverty by it. We think ourselves an useful people: we are fure we are a peaceable people; but, if we ftill fuffer, let us not fuffer as Popish recufants, but as Protef teftant diffenters. "But I would obviate another objection, and that none of the least, that hath been made against us, viz. That we are enemies to government, in gene [13] ral, Parliament and the ral, and particularly difaffected to this we live under: I think it not amifs, but very feasonable, yea, my duty, now to declare to you, (and that I do with good confcience, in the fight of the Almighty God) first, that we believe government to be God's ordinance; and next, that this prefent government is established by the providence of God, and law of the land, and that it is our chriftian duty readily to obey it, in all just laws; and wherein we cannot comply, through tenderness of confcience, in all fuch cafes, not to revile, or confpire against the government, but, with christian humility and patience tire out all mistakes about us; and wait their better information; who, we believe, do as undeservedly as feverely treat us; and I know not what greater fecurity can be given by any people, or how any governînent can be easier from the subjects of it. "I fhall conclude with this; that we are fo far from esteeming it hard, or ill, that the house hath put us upon this difcrimination, that, on the contrary, we value it as we ought to do, for an high favour, (and cannot chufe but fee, and humbly acknowledge God's providence therein) that you fhould give us this fair occafion to discharge ourfelves of a burden we have, not with more patience than injuftice, fuffered but too many years under; and I hope our converfation fhall always manifeft the grateful refentment of our minds, for the juftice and civility of this opportunity; and fo I pray God direct you." The committee agreed to infert in a bill, then prorogued; depending, a provifo, or claufe, for relief, in the Quakers cafe complained of; and the fame did pafs the notrelieved Houfe of Commons: But before it had gone through the Houfe of Lords, it was quafhed by a fudden prorogation of the parliament. 1679. He writes About this time, and the following year, the divers trea- people's minds being hurried and difturbed with rifes, &c. rumours of plots, apprehenfions of a French inva fion, and defigns to fubvert the Proteftant religion, and introduce Popery, he writ and published feve ral pieces by way of advice to his friends, the Quakers, in particular, and alfo for fettling the minds of the people in general, and turning them to their real and best interest, both in a religious and political fenfe; among which was published, in the year 1679, that excellent treatise, entitled, " An address to Proteftants of all perfuafions," &c.And in the year 1681, there being a fresh perfecu tion against his friends, the Quakers, in the city of Bristol, W. Penn writ them the following epiftle, (which is here inferted as a specimen of his writing on fuch occafions) for their Chriftian confolation and encouragement, directed, "To the friends of God in the city of Bristol,” 168,1, "This fent to be read among them, when afsembled to wait upon the Lord." "My beloved in the Lord," To his per friends in "I do hereby fend amongst you the dear and tender falutation of my unfeigned love, that is held fecuted in the fellowship of the lafting gofpel of peace, Bristol, that has many years been preached and believed amongst you, befeeching the God and Father of this glorious day of the Son of man, to increase and multiply his grace, mercy and peace among you; that you may be faithful, and abound in every good word and work, doing and fuffering what is pleafing unto God; that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God; which it becomes you to be found daily doing; that fo an entrance may be administered unto you abundantly into the kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrift, that is an everlasting kingdom. My beloved brethren and fifters, be not caft down at the rage of evil men, whofe anger works not the righteousness of God; and whofe cruelty the Lord will limit. Nothing strange, or unusual, is come to pass, it makes well for them, that eye the Lord in |