Note 592 — HISTORY OF LYNN. PART III. (continued 4)

Let it not be supposed that the vile prison holes, or places of torment, above spoken of, and described, were used only by the votaries of popery, or the roman catholics. Even the member and prelates of the protestant church of England appear also to have made use of them before now; and that, too, at what some seem to deem the era of the utmost evangelical purity of that church—the reign of good queen Bess, as she has been often called. As to our pretended orthodox and evangelical sectaries, if they have not followed the above example literally, yet have they made, and still make no scruple of doing it, as we may say, metaphorically or figuratively, at least.—When any one is pronounced by their petty popes, prelates, priests, exorcists, or consistories, to be possessed with the demon of heterodoxy or heresy, he is immediately reviled, defamed, proscribed, and outlawed, at it were, by proclamation; or pilloried and gibbeted, in their periodical and other publications—in other words, they do all they can to set every body against him, and render him odious in the sight of all men, as one who has forfeited the esteem of his fellow citizens, and is no longer worthy of enjoying the common rights and comforts of society.—In short, they appear to use all their efforts and energies to have him effectually secured in a Little-Ease, of a most painful and dismal sort.—If our protestant, orthodox, and evangelical sects and parties do thus, who can wonder at the cruelties ascribed to the papists in former times? Instead of inveighing against the intolerant, persecuting, and antichristian spirit of popery, as these very people often do, they ought, surely, to consider how little that spirit differs from their own. While they inveigh or declaim against the injustice and cruelty of imprisoning, banishing, hanging, or burning people for their religion, and yet, at the same time, are in the constant practice of traducing, reviling, defaming, exhibiting as evil-doers, and treating in the most unkind and injurious manner, those whom they are pleased to brand with the name of heretics, or who differ from them, they discover the self same spirit with the very worst of persecutors, and may be compared to the ancient sect called Circonelliones, who would not use the sword, because Christ had forbidden it to Peter, but armed themselves with Clubs, which they called the clubs of Israel, with which they could break all the bones in a man’s skin.—See Jones’ Mem. of bishop Horne, 275.