In a Letter directed to Mr. James Benign Bossuet, Bishop of Meaux; formerly Tutor of Monseigneur Le Dauphin.

Monsieur,

I Remained too long in your Church; I have been too long a Witness of her Violences and Cruelties against those whom she injustly calls Here­ticks, not to understand into what degree of Fury she would have run against me, had I been so unhappy, after my renouncing her Communion, as to fall again into her power. 'Tis, Sir, what obliged me to abandon all what I possess'd in France, That I might come into these Countries, where Conscience being free, I could give glory to God, and worship Him according to the rules of the Holy Gospel: I am not ignorant [Page 2] also, what calumnies this same Church of yours is wont to put upon those that separate themselves from her, and especially when they are of my Cha­racter: I know she forgets nothing that may cry them down, and blemish their Reputation. This reason engaged me also to make publick the true motives of my Conversion, to direct them to you, and to write you this Letter; that all peo­ple might know what your simple Priests and Monks are capable of, when they see a great Pre­late, who honour'd me so long with his esteem and protection, become on a sudden one of my greatest Enemies, and run into Invectives with an Anger unbecoming his Character, as soon as he apprehended I designed to forsake his Church.

I do not deny, Sir, and I am obliged to acknow­ledge, you gave me a thousand marks of your Bounty: This to your Recommendation I owe, that I was very welcome at Monsieur Le Pelletier, Comptroler of the King's Exchequer; and that Monsieur de Menars, Intendant of Paris, favour'd me with his particular Protection. Moreover, though my kindred might have the Honour to be known, and a little consider'd by Monsieur the Chancellor; your Favour and Authority was not needless to me in reducing to Reason the Inhabi­tants of Souilly; which I had not prosecuted in Law, but in Obedience to your Order.

You caused me to Preach in your Cathedral Church, and in your Presence, on the most So­lemn day of the Year; and my Sermon was not only approved, but also applauded by you. I was welcome not only in your House, but also at your Table and in your Coach: All things were pleasant to me at your Court, and your kind­ness towards me caused great Jealousie of me in many other good People.

'Tis most certain your favour and affection was so great to me, that you would never be­lieve what several People told you of me, viz. That I neglected the Celebrating of Mass; That I Preached no more; That I was always in the Company of the Pro­testants; That I compelled them not to obey to your will; That I stayed for nothing but the Prince of Orange's coming into France to Reform my Church; And that at last I overthrew by my behaviour in this Countrey, all that your Zeal Endeavour'd to Establish.

My Kindred, which feared for many Reasons I would abandon your Church, informed you of all they knew about that business: My Brother De Lignieres, Collonel, who was long since in your Town with his Regiment, spoke to you of nothing else; if by Divine Providence you had not been prejudiced against all these reports, which yet were really grounded, as you may see now, this unnatural Brother, who hates me only because I [Page 4] reproach'd him with his Licentious sort of Life, would have sent to me many of his Soldiers to take me up, and would not have spared me more than he did the poor Reformed of Daulphiné, when he went thither to Preach so efficaciously, by an ex­traordinary Mission in Quality of Captain of Dragoons.

I must, Sir, Adore here God's Providence, who kept me in midst of these Dangers; who not giving me yet all the necessary light, nor re­solution enough to break with you, gave me yet the confidence to remain among so many Enemies, who were long since angry with me: For many years ago, my Kindred, and Canons Regular of Saint Genevieve, being informed from all hands of the liberty I took to speak in particular Conversa­tions, nay, to Preach also publickly against the abuses of the Ecclesiastical power; of the Supersti­ous Worship; of the Pharisaical Hypocrisy of the Monks, and the Priests; of the dangerous Policy of the whole Clergy; designed often to declare me fool, and to treat me accordingly. How great Happiness, Sir, to be believ'd fool by the World­ly People, since this folly (as Saint Paul calls it) is the true Wisdom in the sight of God!

This Intention (I say) so much worthy of your Religion, was not unknown to me; for ma­ny threatned me, and others warned me of this danger.

Notwithstanding this, as I was not convinced of all the truth I looked for, and was yet intang­led in some Errors, I continued as one asleep, in midst of those who contrived my Ruin, and upon the brink of a Precipice: But I was also under the Protection of God, who alone knew the day and the hour which he appointed for my Salvation; he shut your Eyes, and stopped up your Ears for my good; Insomuch, that all the discourses and reports of my Kinsmen, of our Canons of St. Ge­nevive, and of my Parishioners, by which they intended to Ruine me, hindered not you a Fort­night before my escape, to give a very good Testimony of my Manners and Behaviour, be­fore the most Illustrious Persons; I mean, that the 15th. of July last, you told in the Presence of Monsieur Le Duke, the Montausier, of Madame, the Dutchess of Uzess his Daughter, and of many other Per­sons of the first quality, That I was a very Honest man, and my Life and Conversation was very good. This Master Sanlecque, Prior of Garnay, a very Honest man, who was present at this Meeting, related to me. Pray, Sir, be not Angry with him for that, for I never made him partaker of my design: You have said the same to Monsieur de Menars, Intendant of Paris; he himself did me the favour to tell it me, and advised me not to go out of your Diocess, because you were well affectionated to me. I [Page 6] thank you, Sir, that knowing me (as you did) you did me Justice by your Testimonies, and that you added often many Praises, which I was not worthy of.

Nevertheless, I must confess, your favours were very dangerous to me: This good will towards me, of a Person of so great merit, deceived me, and imposed upon my mind; and I do not know well whether the fear of shewing my self Ingrateful, hath not lessened the difficulties I had about your Religion, and whether it hath not caused me to defer for a while the rendering of my Duty to God.

But whilst you defended me without, against men, God attack'd me happily within, and broke, by the strength of his Grace, all the impedi­ments which I had set against my own Salvation.

He inspired me efficaciously to abandon a Church in which my heart was never contented, in which my Conscience was always grieved, sometimes upon one point of Faith, sometimes upon another, and sometimes upon all contro­verted Articles.

But at last this lucky moment happened, in which God gave me light and resolution enough to accomplish the design I had long since, to re­nounce a Religion which appear'd to me to have many things borrow'd from the Jews and Heathens. I caused my goods to be transported into Paris, [Page 7] there to be sold. This removal of my goods was observed by many People, and no body questi­oned more my design: You your self being con­vinced of it, endeavour'd to ruine the good opi­nion you had given of me by publick Testimonies.

Remember, Monsieur, the indignation you had conceived against me in that time, and your extra­ordinary change, which obliges me also to change, and to give an answer to your Malice and Fury, as it deserves. How comes it to pass, Monsieur, That the 15 ^th. of July you said wonderful things in my praises, and before irreproachable and illu­strious Witnesses; and the First day of the following Month, you caused to be reported in my Parish, at Claye, at Lagny, at Meaux, That I took pleasure in no­thing but riding on Horseback; That I was fitter for a Camp than for the Church; That I was a shame to my Kindred; and that of a long time I had not said Mass but carelesly; That I am a Prophane, and an Here­tick, a Rogue, and a Banditto.

What strange Palinody! Am I then Metomor­phized in a Fortnight? No Monsieur, I am no other man; and except the changing of a corrupted Reli­gion into another holy one, I am always the same; I can prove to you, that you need not recant what you have often said in my Praise. For you well know I could have sold my Living at a good rate, especially it being in the good state where­in [Page 8] you were pleased to put it. Many People offer­ed me a great deal of Money for it, but I would not sell the Ministry; the proof of it shall be evi­dent, for he to whom you procured my Living, shall not be disturbed in his Possession.

I was willing, Sir, to give you at my depar­ture, this last proof of my good Conscience, and of my Honesty: I do not repent; yet have I acted perhaps too scrupulously; for at least should not I be excusable at my going out of Egypt, to take some­thing of spoil from God's Enemies and cruel Per­secutors of his Israel? Especially considering they robbed me of all my goods, and often made an unworthy traffick of my Patrimony, of my Liberty, and of my Soul.

But if I am always the same in point of Honour, how much are you changed on the same point? from your being Sweet, Gentle, and Affable, you on a sudden became Sowr, Angry, not to say Fu­rious; for you are not Contented to declare War against me, by many injuries and wrongs, but also you came to handy-blows; you drive out of my House my Vicar, whom you your self had approved; you cause my House to be broken open, and plundered all the rest of my goods which I had not yet removed; you endeavoured not on­ly to bereave me of my Reputation and my Goods, but also of my Liberty and my Life. You permit [Page 9] Monsieur de Bellou my Brother in Law, to attack me, first by a Troop of Serjeants, and afterwards by a Provost Armed with your Episcopal Charity, and with your Apostolick Zeal.

But at last, since God hath been pleased to de­liver me out of your hands, and to guide me into those Countreys your Violence cannot reach, ne­ver hope to have me in the clutches of your Ty­ranny again. Nevertheless, I desire to acknow­ledge your Supream Power once more in my Life; and to the end I may render to you my last ho­mage, I resolved to acquaint you with the reasons of the change God hath been pleased to work in me; you shall see many motives of it in ano­ther 'Tis not Englished. Discourse directed to you, after I have pronounced it publickly; but I re­served some other to tell you them here privately.

You helped me very much, Sir, to my Con­version, with your demeanour: I can't dissemble it, you (if I may so say) edified me by your Scandals. Your Exposition of Catholick Faith, so famous in all the world, made me think you do not believe what you Teach, and you retain the truth in Injustice: This Book a great while ago imprinted in me a bad, but a true opinion of your Doctrine. I could not be a witness of the fits of your Anger against the Reformed of your Dio­cess, without pitying them, and conceiving some [Page 10] Indignation against you. I could not compare the fashion of your Missions with your Pastoral Letter, Dated on 24th. of March 1686 without being persuaded (as many others have been) you had no sincerity; for you boast in this Letter, That none of your new Catholicks have ever un­dergone any Violence, either in Person or in Goods,. . . . . .and that they came again to you qui­etly, and voluntarily; you appeal to their own testi­mony for it. You know it very well (say you.)

O Monsieur! How dare you say so? Did I not see with my own Eyes the extream violence you exercised in Person against all this People, for (except a certain branded Woman of the Lizys Town) whom for Charities sake I omit to name, and whom you called your Conquest, and carried as triumphantly in your own Coach, to draw o­thers with her as with a Bait; except (I say) this notoriously branded Woman, who perhaps abjured willingly her Religion; all the rest were con­strain'd to do it by the Soldiers whom you caused to pass and repass through your Diocess in the time of your Missions, and by continual Threat­nings made to them, even in the Sermons you have pronounced at Claye before Monsieur L'Inten­dant, whom from the Pulpit you called your Se­cond in this Expedition. Was I not a Witness of the power and efficacy of your Preaching, of your [Page 11] Art and Industry in honouring the Ministry, when they carried violently into your Episcopal Pa­lace all the Protestants of the Villages of Nanteuil, Quincy, Condé, &c.? For 'tis true, in less than two Hours, you persuaded them of all your Mysteries; but all this quick success came of their being with­out any Minister to defend them in this Contro­versy, from this great Episcopal Luster, and Splendor which attended you, and dazled their Eyes; But more especially from the fierce pre­sence of some Officers of War, whom you never wanted, and who always helped you very much in your design, by sprinkling upon all your Di­scourses, a great deal of energy and strength, which took them all up in a moment, and con­strain'd them to embrace your Opinions. You pre­sently gave them your Blessing, with a full power of Communicating, after the Roman fashion; thus you bewitched them; but your Charm con­tinued but a little while. For every body knows, That in going out of your Palace, all your con­verted People abhorr'd your Violence; we heard them publickly Recant, what you constrain'd them to Sign in your Chamber: They, methinks, shew'd enough their Repentance; for a few Days after they met together near Nanteuil, to Pray to God, and to beg his Pardon, for the scandal they gave one to another, in surrendring themselves to your [Page 12] Violence. But this occasion manifested also, you are not in the right to boast of your great Sweet­ness and Kindness (as you do:) since you were transported with so violent Wrath, that you caused many of them to be Condemned to Death. 'Tis true, that calling your self an Imitator of St. Austin, who was used to take the Criminals out of the hands of the Judges, or caused their Punishment to be diminished; you procured to change the Sen­tence of Death, into that of the Gallies; but you came short of the Charity of this Holy man; For he was not contented to ask the Magistrates for a simple moderation of Punishing in behalf of the Criminals, when he could obtain for them a free and full deliverance from it. You on the contra­ry, who over-ru'ld the Sentence (Monsieur L'Inten­dant, having an order to follow what you should think fit) instead of causing those Innocents to be wholly delivered from the inflicted Pains, you changed their Punishment into a more insuppor­table one, the Condemnation to the Gallies being worse than death it self.

If this be your kindness, how must we call what you did at Claye? When in obedience to your order Benjamin Gode Chyrurgion, was commanded to ex­ercise his profession no more; when according to your Commands, the Widow call'd Testar, had her Eldest Son taken from her; and in like manner [Page 13] was the woman called Boisseleau taken up for no other reason, but because she was very well versed in her Catechism, and highly encouraged her compa­nions, not to comply with your bad Exhortations: When having caused the Cuirassiers, Commanded by Monsieur de la Chaise, the Nephew of Father de la Chaise, to come to Claye, you got together all the Protestants in the Monsieur D'Herouville his House, and told them, Unless they would Abjure their Re­ligion, and become Catholicks, you would bring into their Houses these Soldiers, who would overturn their brains, Make, Sir, make if you can, these actions to agree with what you boast of, viz. That none of the Protestants of your Diocess, have ever under­gone any Violence, either in Person, or in Goods, and that they all came again to you quietly.

Again, can this be accounted a great Moderation in you, to have procured, That a Physician of the la Ferté sous-Jouaire, called Monceau, Eighty Nine Years old, should be thrust into a Monastery, with some circumstances full of Barbarity? That Eight or Ten Dragoons should be sent to a Wood-sellar, called Laviron, of the same Town; That Thirty of them should be Quartered upon Monsieur de la Sermoise, Gentleman of Brie; That his Wife and his Daughter should be taken from him, and put into a Monastery, and thereby not­withstanding Christ's Command, put asunder [Page 14] what God hath joined with the fastest bonds; Call (I say) those actions as you please: But as to what you did at the same Claye, whereof I am witness, in order to pervert Isaac Cochart, sick to Death, Pray Sir, pardon me, and do not accuse me of Passion, if I call it Fury.

This (I must confess) made too deep an im­pression in my Imagination, and too sensibly wounded my heart, not to be forced to reproach you with it in this place.

This Faithful Christian, seeing the Churches desolation, and the falling down of his Brethren, feared nothing so much as to si [...]k with them. He encouraged himself night and day, with God's Word, to Fight the good Fight: He look'd upon approaching Death, as upon a sure Haven against your Persecution. He was contented to depart this Life, provided he could carry away his undefi­led Faith committed to him, and bring it before the Tribunal of his own Judge.

You opposed, Sir, his pious design in a strange manner; we saw you come to this Patient, accom­panied with Monsieur L'Intendant, with Monsieur le Lieutenant General of Meaux, bearing in his hand a Letter Signed by the King; the Provost of the Marechaux being present, with a band of his Ar­chers; a Cart was ready at the door for carrying away the Patient, that is, to Kill him.

O what Apostleship! Is this the equipage of an Evangelical Preacher?

You made to him a long Controversy, full of Injuries; and seeing him constant in his Faith, cry­ed you not out, all transported with Anger, As soon as he shall be dead, let his Body be drawn to an Allay▪stall like a dead Dog?

You came again to him, you sollicited him with Promises and Threatnings; you told him you were ready to take from him his dear and only Son, that is, like an Industrious Tem­pter, you try'd him in the most sensible part, and tore his Entrals.

Where is then, again Sir, the great kindness and sweetness you boast of? this Cruel Spectacle in­deed converted me by little and little.

What (said I to my self), is it possible that a Bishop, only to continue in the favour of the Court, should attempt upon the Consciences, which im­mediately and absolutely depend of God alone? What Apostle, What Churches Father, What lawful Council, ever taught, to stablish the Faith in the Heart with violence? The primitive Church used a great deal of Circumspection, before the administring of the Sacrament to those that were suspected of heresy or wicked life. She try'd them a long time, that so one might have a moral assurance of their Faith and Holiness; she admit­ted [Page 16] them not so much as to her meeting; so far was she from inviting them to the holy Table: Where­as our armed Bishop, Monsieur de Meaux, con­strains those whom he ought to believe, accor­ding to his principles, to be Hereticks, Schismaticks, and prophane Persons, not only to come into his Church, but also to eat what he teaches to be the real Body and Blood of Christ; according to his Do­ctrine, he gives to the Dogs, what is the most Holy Thing upon the Earth and in Heaven: As Pilate deli­vered Jesus Christ to the Jews for fear of Cesar; in like manner, Monsieur de Meaux delivers Je­sus Christ to his Enemies by an unworthy compli­ance to his Prince. When these Hereticks (said I) have in their prophane Mouths the Saviour of the World, they shall insult and mock him, boasting as Pilate in the Gospel, that they have power over him, and that his own Nation and his Prelates, gave them this power, by delivering him to them.

O how much more (added I) are the Here­ticks Respectful for the Holy Signs of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, than Monsieur de Meaux and the other like him, for what they affirm to be Jesus Christ himself!

This indeed your behaviour, approved almost of all Bishops, your Brethren, ought to terminate all our dispute about Religion; it is a compendium of Controversy easie to be understood of all men of any sense.

I treat you, methinks, indulgently, when I say you do not judge your Eucharist so great a Trea­sure, as you preach it to be; and that you do not believe Jesus Christ's presence so really in the Sacra­ment as you declare; for you would not cause the holy Body and Blood of your Saviour, (I dread to speak it, and even to think on't) to be ea­ten of the Dogs. These, indeed, violent Conver­sions, which are accompani'd with forced Com­munions, are to me an invincible Demonstration of what you think upon the point of the Sacrament. Is it not better, Sir, for your Reputation, that I prove you in this Writing, you are an Hypocrite, than to convince you to be a notorious Prophaner of your most Sacred Mysteries?

Therefore admire not, if from henceforth I do believe on that point, nothing else than your self; but it shall be with this great difference, that I will profess freely all the rest of my Life, the Re­ligion which you keep secret in your Heart; where­in Fear, and Hope, World, and Flesh, detains it in Slavery. I am in the right, Sir, to judge of your Faith, by your Actions; Saint James teaches me, that Faith is manifested so. Jesus Christ himself lets us understand, that we are to distin­guish the true Prophets from the false ones, by their Fruits.

Pray, Sir, do not accuse me to have made a rash [Page 18] judgment of your Actions; for though it may be solidly grounded on what I said before, I may yet confirm it with what I my self observed in your fine Summer-House at Germigny. I saw you, Sir, there present at the Celebration of Mass, in a very un­comely Habit, and in a Posture unworthy of the Faith you profess; for though you were in perfect Health, and ready for your Dinner; you were ne­vertheless at the Mass bare breasted, and in a po­sture fitter to assist at the rubbing of your Horses heels, than at the Sacrifice you say is so dreadful, That the Angels themselves tremble at it.

Are you then, because of your Episcopal Cha­racter, more familiar with Jesus Christ than the Angels? Have you received of him the Title of Favourite, which gives you such Priviledge and Liberty?

You treated, indeed, your God in a most fami­liar manner; you lay all along upon a soft Pillow; you had sometimes in your hand, and sometimes upon your head a Ridiculous Cap; you were clad with a loose Night-gown, all ungirt like Horace his Distinctus Nepos; and so you took the fresh air whilst a little Priest hired of you to say Service, made you at least a memorial of your Saviour's bloody Passion: You had not (to be sure) in this po­sture the countenance of a Christian ready to dye for the defence of the Transubstantiation which you [Page 19] would perswade others by fire and sword to believe; But to say truth, as soon as you saw me in your Chappel, where you thought there were but your own Domesticks, and most familiar Friends, you were so asham'd to appear before me in such a neglected and unbecoming posture (which you yet judged to be worthy of the real Presence of the Lord) that you ran quickly into your Closet to dress your self; and then it was I perceived the tenderness of your Conscience, by the fear you shew'd to have given me a Scandal.

But fear no more, Sir; I have already told you, your Scandals were useful to me, and I received enough of them, to be Converted by the Grace of God.

I gain'd something also by the confusion where­in I saw you, at one of the Conferences held from time to time all Summer long, in the Chappel of your Bishoprick: There some body made you a strong objection, about some controverted mat­ter, in which you were followed close; to which you gave so poor and so weak an Answer, that you your self being not contented with it, and sen­sible of its extreme weakness, you endeavoured to strengthen it by some injuries against the Re­formed Ministers, whom you call'd before all the Company, Miscrable fellows, and Rogues. Those defamations were the strongest part of your solu­tion; [Page 20] and what surprised many People the more, was, that the day before, you rebuked a Priest, for having called a Country man Rogue, and told him wisely, that no Priest ought to have such words in his Mouth.

You give, Sir, excellent precepts indeed, but your power and greatness exalts you above them; the Princes of the Church, like you, ought doubt­less to have another different Morality from the common People: And it would be a wonderful thing to see a Bishop of the Roman Church, as Modest as a Simple Priest.

Whilst I am making you my Confession, I shall tell you some other things that contributed also not a little to my Conversion; It appears, all your Zeal for the Roman Religion, is nothing but policy, and an extraordinary ambition to please the Court, wherein your interests and your hopes are great. For my part, when I consider the de­meanour of the French Bishops, as also other Eccle­siastical Superiors; I cannot but look upon you all as upon Stage-Players; and upon your Religion, but as upon a meer Comedy. When the Court comman­ded you to maintain the Popes Infallibility, you scru­pled not to Anathematize all those who oppos'd this imaginary Priviledge: When the same Court or­dered you to dispossess him, you soon deprived him of it; and doubtless you are all ready to [Page 21] restore it him at the first Order you shall re­ceive.

But this is no more than what is common to you, Sir, with all other Bishops in France. I had rather to speak of that which is particular, and proper to you alone. Before the Revocation of the Edict of Nants, Monsieur de Meaux, was not so vigorous a Preacher against the Reformed; but since the Court declared, That it would suffer no Religion in France but the Roman; and since the Persecution against the Protestants is come to be in Fashion, Monsieur de Meaux appears at the head of the extraordinary Preachers, and most Cruel Persecutors. Whereas indeed by your Functi­on you are obliged equally at all times to promote the Edification of the People of your Diocess; but you leave this care to your Vicars, when God alone imposes it upon you; and you work only in person, when you have the occasion fit to get the favour of an Earthly King, by obedience to his Order, be it never so unjust. 'Tis then you think your Honour is chiefly engaged; for what would the Court say, if Monsieur de Meaux, who hath such excellent parts to perswade, do not pro­mote the Conversion of the Hereticks? If you do not make good progress in it, you are asham'd, you become angry, as if you would oblige the Almighty, the only Master of the Heart, to let [Page 22] be instilled therein the poison which you pour with so much subtilty and Charm into the Ears.

'Twas doubtless to blot out the shame in which your bad success involues you, That in the Con­vocation of the Protestants that you call'd at Claye, in the time of your Missions, and in the presence of Monsieur L'Intendant, you told all the Assembly in the midst of your Discourse, Not they alone were ob­stinate in their Religion, but that they were in this, like all the other Protestants of France; all the People who were present took notice of these words, and made use of them to their own purpose: A Person of Quality held me by the Arm, and whisper'd me in the ear, Was there ever a greater extravagancy? Could he have invented an argument less fit to perswade this Peo­ple? but (added he) Monsieur de Meaux is ashamed of having so slenderly promoted the Jesuits, and the Courts design, and with this Discourse he endeavours to justifie himself before Monsieur L'Intendant, to the end that his report and testimony, may keep him in the Court from any Reproach.

Seriously, Sir, all this your behaviour sometimes politickly Gentle, sometimes passionately Violent, scarce ever Sincere, and never Christian, shook strongly my Conscience. But (I confess to you) (I served not my self soon enough of your Missi­ons and Sermons; I ought not, since I knew you, to have remain'd so much as one moment with you [Page 23] under the pretence of any slight difficulties which still possessed me: and the truth is, I put my self in danger of losing the grace of my Conversion, when I delayed so long to accept it.

It was perhaps God's will it should be so, in order both to mine, and your Conversion. By God's Grace I led you the way in the Race, be not ashamed to follow me.

O how abundantly, would your Conversion make amends for your Scandals! As for me, I am not so considerable in the World, that my Conversion should produce any great effect there­in. Its chief, and perhaps its only fruit shall be for me. I was brought up unfortunately in dark­ness, in the company of Lazy persons; whose society and ill manners kept me unknown. As I consumed unfruitfully the best days of my Life, the rest of them will be perhaps profitable to none. But you, Sir, who appear almost above all with the Splendor of your Dignity, and acuteness of your Wit; with your Learning, and so many other very rare gifts of Nature and Fortune; you may set forth in our days wonderful things in sight of all the World, if you please to imploy for the Truth, all that Wit you have hitherto made use of to fight against it. Your Conversion would be Famous, by the enlarging of our Saviour's King­dom; and perhaps by the sudden decay of the Em­pire [Page 24] of the Antichrist: I may assure you, That as your dangerous Books hold open the door of the Pit, to many Thousand Souls, whom you keep from their Conversion: Your changing of Doctrine and Religion, opening the Eyes of abused Christians, would introduce them to Salvation.

Consider what power God hath trusted you with; Are you not afraid lest he require of you a severe account of it at the dreadful Day; wherein being exposed to the very Truth and Justice, you will not find at the feet of his Tribunal any such Cowards, and Interessed Flatterers, as will render you praises, for the Poison your Books have pre­sented them?

I would not be obliged to tax you of being not Sincere; I fear lest this very Reproach should increase in you this bad point of Honour, which makes so many people to perish: But for God's sake look with pity upon your own Soul, and do not Sacrifice it to humane and worldly respects; Time is short, Death is not far off, Judgment approaches, Eternity is at hand; if these dread­ful things ought to make an impression upon the minds of the youngest; what effect ought they not to produce in the Soul of a Prelate above seven­ty Years old? Cast away then this dangerous point of Honour, it is a Serpent which you feed in your Bosom for your own ruin; shall this wicked Ho­nour, [Page 25] this dangerous Reputation that you got in a bad Party, be always dearer to you than Interest of the Truth, than the Salvation of your Soul, than Gods glory?

Nay, to be sure, in renouncing this worldly Ho­nour, you would find it again, and more abun­dantly in your Conversion; for those that you abused with your Writings, coming to change in your Company, and by your example, would give you more solid and more true praises, than those which you have hitherto received. The moment of your Conversion would be more glorious to you, even before men, than this long space of your Life which is already past; this pre­cious moment would sanctifie and crown all your excellent qualities: I pray God to inspire you with this good design, and give you not only to Will, but also to fulfil it. I am