1701 At Crentznach the church that stands upon the Egg Market, they converted to their own use with the Latin schools, which were thirty years since built at the, Protestant cost, and were endowed with a subsistance for their ministers and schoolmasters, out of the Carmelites revenues, that was secularized by the treaty of peace made at Munster, which income they enjoyed ever since before the troubles in Bohemia to this time. They detain likewise a fund of one thousand Rix dollars made by the Protestants and with it also the interest of the principal, Dorrowed of the poor's stock, all which they employ to pay Popish schoolmasters and for Popish uses. It is also forbidden upon pain of death to expound the 80th question in the Palatine Catechism, which treats of the difference between the Lord's Supper and the Popish mass. At Hackenhefm three quarters of an hour from Crentznach, a Roman priest went into the Protestant church and did not only pull the minister out of the pulpit, where he was preaching, but beat him out of the church also and he and those that were with him handled most barbarously, those of the congregation who being wounded, were obliged to go out of the church, to have their wounds dressed. About a German mile from Crentznach a Roman priest set on those who were with him to kill a Protestant barber, because said he, he is a Protestant dog, to effect which they knocked him down with their clubs, though the poor man begged upon his knees for mercy and his life, they would not grant it, but while the wretch was crawling on the ground, they shot him through the head with small shot. Notwithstanding all this the murderers go free, nor do the magistrates take any notice of it; though he has left a poor widow with five small children, who can obtain no justice which seems as if the magistrates approved this inhuman murder, seeing those who committed this cruelty were no strangers, but the barbers neighbors, and very well known. All the houses that belong to Protestant Alms, and Hospitals are taken away by force with those belonging to Protestant ministers and schoolmasters, whom they molest and disturb in the executing their functions compelling them to deliver up their schools and houses to be employed for Popish uses. Neither will they grant that the Protestant clergy be any longer under the Ecclesiastical Council, but will have them wholly to depend and be governed by the Elector's secular officers. When one of the parents is a Roman Catholic there the children are compelled to embrace the Popish religion though it is both against the parents and the children's will; neither are ministers permitted to admit any of them to be brought up in their religion upon pain of imprisonment, and fifty Rix dollars fine, nor will they suffer any Roman Catholick to turn Protestant. And when the Protestants with all submission make complaint, humbly representing how all these proceedings tend to their ruin and demonstrate how it is against the peace of Munster and those articles of agreement that were made, they answer and publish abroad, that the Ecclesiastical Council's orders are against the Elector's and country's interest and tend to rebellion and that they assume a despotic power against the government which tends to sedition. Also that the Protestant ministers were seditious rebels, disturbers of the peace, and as such they imprisoned them, thinking thereby to strike terror into others. To remedy which, though complaints be never so submissively made of these their greivances, representing also, that through their ministers confinement, people are deprived of their teachers and divine service is obstructed, yet they are so far from working any good effect, by appeasing these incendiaries, that it animated them rather to proceed to make them more uneasie, by quartering on them numbers of the Elector's troops, who use them cruelly, living in their houses after a military manner. And when some of the parishioners by their superiors complain against such proceedings, and crave relief in favour of their ministers, they fall on them in a cruel manner, beating them in such sort that they are often taken for dead out of their hands: neither does their inhumanity end here, but bloody and wounded as they left them, they throw them into prisons where they run the hazard of perishing. Moreover they send to quarter upon those complainants dragoons, who break their doors and windows, making forcible entries, then turn their wives and children out of doors. These crying evils induce the inspectors to make complaints to the Deputy Lieutenants against those barbarous proceedings; but they receive no other answer, but that the ministers were rebels and therefore they ought not to meddle or concern themselves for them, lest they incur them. selves his Electoral Highness' displeasure. When the poor people, taking the part of their innocent ministers, complain to a higher court of these barbarous proceedings, humbly begging a remedy to these grievances, they receive fair promises, but never see the effect thereof. Thus the suffering party receives no relief and the oppressors are unpunished. But what else can be expected, when all the places of trust are put in Popish hands and the Protestant natives, though better qualified are not regarded. This is the sad condition of our country at this time, our troubles have so dejected our countenances that death and paleness seem painted there. The thoughts of our sorrows are our companions night and day, our bodies are bowed down, and our spirits sunk with grief, so that it seems as if we had no more life left than to serve us to cry unto God for help. I wish all good Christians would joyn with us in this good work. Certainly our prince must be our great enemy, for else he could never have consented to the oppressions here mentioned and sure nobody would have condemned him, for maintaining the country in statu quo as he found it and is obliged thereto according to the constitution of the empire and the solemn assurances given by his Elector's father to Charles, the last Protestant Elector Palatine, when he named him his successor, that there should be no alterations made in religion. 1701 Letter II. Sir: Since my last the Elector Palatine has published a Declaration for liberty of conscience in the Palatinate, which is mightily cryed up by the Papists, as an act of the great moderation of that Prince. The title indeed is very specious and may impose upon such as are not acquainted with our constitution; but those who are not altogether strangers to it, must needs be convinced, that this very declaration is a most manifest infraction of the Treaties of Westphalia and calculated for the extirpation of the Protestant Religion. This puts me in mind of the dec laration of your late King James, who under the same specious title, aimed at the destruction both of your liberty and Religion. Our prince is as much a Bigot to Rome, as your abdicated King and as much ruled by his fathers Peters and therefore we might reasonably suppose that he has the same designs in view, although we should, nor have yet any fact to convince us of his intentions. You know that by the Treatles of Westphalia the Popish religion could not be exercised in the Palatinate, unless it was by a toleration of the government, to which the Protestant princes seem but too much inclined. All the churches, schools, church lands, tythes and other Ecclesiastical Revenues were in the hands of Protestants, but by this declaration the churches are to serve equally for the use of Papists and Protestants; so that this is as much a violation of our rights, as it would have been of yours, if the late King James had caused Mass to be sung in Westminster Abbey, for the Papists have no better title to our churches than they have to yours. Had his Electoral Highness been contented to give the Papists leave to exercise openly their religion and even to build churches for themselves, we might be silent, though this would be against our privileges; but to presume to give 'em our churches and our Ecclesiastical incomes under pretence of liberty of conscience, is such an injustice that I must return again to your late King, to find any parallel to match it. I have told you in my former, how they have taken away our schools and colleges and given the same to Popish priests, though some of them were so lately founded and endowed, that they could not have impudence enough to pretend that they did formerly belong to the Papists; I must now give you some particu lars to show the effects of this liberty of conscience and how it is observed. The Elector has taken away all the tythes and other Incomes for the maintenance of our clergy and bestowed the same upon Romish priests; but to give some compensation to the Protestant clergy, he is graciously pleased yearly to allow each minister one hundred guilders, which is hardly fifteen pounds sterling, twenty sacks of corn and one fudder of wine. This subsistence being so small, that it 1701 is impossible for them to subsist on it, no doubt but they expect that the said ministers will quit their employment for want of a livelihood and that the flock being left without a shepherd will be either dispersed or easily seduced. A rare and precious liberty of conscience, which deserveth our immortal thanks! The very sound of the title of a declaration for liberty of conscience must needs determine any impartial man to believe, that thereby the Electoral Highness intends that all his subjects shall have an entire liberty to embrace and profess what religion they please, at least of the three that are tolerated in the empire, as it is therein verbatim expressed; but it is not to be wondered at that such who pretend that we must not hearken to the evidence of our senses and reason, should pretend to change the genuine significance of words as you may see in the following particulars. A certain woman at Seekenheim near Ladenburg married to a Papist husband, having however, brought up in the Protestant Religion, her daughter, desired the minister of the place to admit her to the participation of the Lord's Supper, being in the age required by the discipline of our churches, which the minister did without any manner of scruple. This proceeding was doubtless very innocent and justifiable by all divine and human laws, but it has seemed so great a crime to the Papists, that the poor minister was taken up, committed close prisoner, and fined two hundred florins. Would any man think afterward that we enjoy a free liberty of conscience. An inhabitant of Wiselock, a Papist by birth and profession, but a more honest man than the generality of his persuasion, marry'd sometime ago a Protestant wife and it was agreed and covenanted between them that the children should be christened and brought up in the Protestant religion. His wife being brought to be of a male child, he, according to his promise, got him christened by the Protestant minister of his parish; which so incensed the Popish clergy, that they got an order to carry him to Heidelbergh, where he has been kept close prisoner and very severely used and forced to pay a fine of fifty florins to come out. I could bring you a hundred instances more of the like nature and of persons now in prisons for having again embraced the Protestant religion which they had been forced to feign to quit, by the violent persecutions of the French; but I am afraid to tire your patience and therefore I come now to the conclusion of my letter, wherein I beg leave to examine in few words the pretence of these violent persecutions, to show that it is the most, groundless and unjust that ever was. The first pretence and which was at first mightily insisted upon, is the fourth article of the Treaty of Reswick, which was chiefly the work of the Baron de Zeiler, a famous Renegado, in conjunction with the ministers of France. But notwithstanding what they may say, that clause can never justifle the violent proceedings of his Electoral Highness; for, taking that article in the largest sense that can possibly be given to it, it implys no more, but that the Roman Catholics should remain in the possession of those privileges they were possessed of at the conclusion of the peace, in those countries which were to be restored by the French to the empire. Now the Palatinate, I mean that part which lies on the right side of the Rhine being not then in possession of the French and some part of it having never been in their hands, it is plain that the so much spoken of clause cannot justify any ways the innovations lately made in the Palatinate, which consequently are in infraction of the Treaty of Munster. Neither is the Treaty of Reswick more religiously observed than the former, when it seems to favor us: for that very fourth article, which serves to excuse their persecution on this side of the Rhine, is openly violated on the other side of the river, where the Protestants would be contented to enjoy the same liberty they had under the French, and which was secured to them by the fourth article of the peace. Sure this is the most unaccountable thing I ever heard of, and which would put to the blush any man but a Papist. The Protestants must be deprived of their liberty about Heidelberg by virtue of a clause in the Treaty of Peace, which ought to have no force in these parts, by the reasons aforesaid, and they cannot enjoy their liberty on the other side of the Rhine, notwithstanding that aricle secures it unto them. Who would have thought that the Jesuits of Dusseldorp could exceed in wit or malice those of France? The French King has not as yet openly violated the late Treaty of Peace in matters of religion, for the Protestants in Strassburgh and elsewhere in Alsace, have the same liberty they had during the war; but our case is very different, as I have already told you, and it seems our prince's zeal is above that of the French King. Having given you an account of their proceedings, and confuted the groundless justification thereof, I must acquaint you with the measures we have taken in this sad juncture. We applied ourselves first of all to his Electoral Highness, as it was our duty, and humbly represented the violent proceedings of his officers against us, praying the redress of these grievances. Our representation was as submissive and respectful as could be, but however we could obtain no justice and our Depu ties were so brow-beaten and threatened that they did not think safe to Insist any longer for an answer and returned home without any success. Seeing therefore that the ears of our prince were shut up against our past complaints we applied ourselves to several German princes of our persuasion and desired that they would be pleased to intercede for us and move at the Dyet of the Empire that the innovations made in the Palatinate might be considered. They granted our request and accordingly a memorial was delivered at Ratisbonne to the Deputies of the Catholic princes, containing that the proceedings of the Elector Palatinate were a manifest infraction of the Treaty of Munster and that they might prove so fatal to the tranquility of the empire, that it was highly necessary to enquire into that affair, and put a stop to these innovations. This memorial was communicated to the deputy of the Elector, who desired time to send it to his master and promised to return an answer with all convenient speed. It was sent accordingly to Dusseldorp and examined by the council of his Electoral Highness wherein it was resolved that the minister of the Elector should give no particular answer to that memorial but only tell the Dyet in general terms, that his Electoral Highness was surprised that his subjects should make such groundless complaints; that they could proceed but from a spirit of rebellion and that therefore he would watch more narrowly their actions, and punish them according to their demerits, praying the Dyet not to concern themselves in this affair. Could you Sir have expected such an answer from a prince, who owes so much to the Protestants and who would have been at this day a titular Elector had not the Protestant princes restored him to his Electorate? This is a piece of gratitude not to be paralleled, which showeth the true character of a Papist and their hellish designs against our religion. This I think sufficient, Sir, to give you a true idea of our sad case, which may serve as a warning to all Protestants never to trust a Popish prince, for impose upon him as many oaths as you please, bind them by their interest, these precautions will serve for nothing at all, the pope will absolve them from their oaths and the Jesuits will so bewitch them, as to make them act quite contrary to their honor and interest. Happy and thrice happy England, to be free from such bigotted princes; and that you may be sensible of and enjoy your present felicity, will always be the prayers of, Heidelberg, Feb. 7, 1699. Yours etc. P. S. I have forgot to tell you that several persons were taken up and are still kept in prison, for refusing to admit the new stile and to observe the Holy Days of the Popish church, in honour of certain saints, who, for ought we know, had never any real being in the world as their St. Lougin etc., and of others, who were debauched and profligate fellows, or cruel murtherers of Innocent people, as their Dominic's and Loyola's. The Elector finding that a great number of his subjects are quitting their country, has sent for several thousands of vagabonds from the countries of Liege and Brabant, worse than your Irish bog-trotters, to inhabit this country, so that it is like to be peopled with a hopeful generation. Finis. 1701 1701 CHURCH OF NEW YORK. Friday, Feb. 21, 1700-1. (1701). New Poor House. Consistory met, including Ministers, Elders, Deacons and Church Masters. After prayer, it was stated by the Church Masters that the ground of .... with its buildings, was for sale, and that it would be very useful to our church, to the point for enlarging the churchyard, and the rest for a site for an alms-house. Although this was approved by the members present, it was Resolved, That the advice of the former Elders and Deacons should be asked, since, in order to make the payment, the present alms-house must be sold; and that was a matter requiring consideration. Hereupon there was - Lib. B. 27. Action of Great Consistory on New Poor House. The following Monday, Feb. 24, 1700-1 (1701), a meeting of Ministers, Elders, Deacons, Church Masters, and the former Elders and Deacons, was held. The foregoing statement was repeated and maturely considered, and the advice of the former Elders and Deacons, who were present, taken thereon. As they agreed with the acting Consistory, it was concluded and determined by those present, viz., |