The Minister's Reasons For His Not Reading the Kings Declaration, Friendly Debated

A very scarce copy of this anonymous pamphlet discussing James II's Declaration of Indulgence, one of the factors that led to his deposition in the 1688 Glorious Revolution. A very scarce work. This work is quarto, with the signatures running as A-C4. ESTC citation number R10242. Printed by G. Larkin, at the Two Swans without Bishopsgate in London. Collated from the ESTC, complete. This work discusses King James II's Declaration of Indulgence, a proclamation issues to try and start establishing the freedom of religion in Britain. The intention was to suspend penal laws enforcing people to conform to the Church of England, giving them the right to worship in their own homes or chapels as the saw fit. The declaration granted toleration to Christian denominations, Catholic, and Protestants. This possibly shows James' intention, as he was a Catholic, which was a minority religion at the time, and was reviled by the majority of his subjects. Some of the reasons that this declaration was controversial by the British public was because they thought that the toleration would extend to paganism, Island, or Judaism, which the Anglicans in England opposed. Very few clergy read the declaration in Church, and this work was written in reply to those clergy, in particular to the author of a work titled 'The Vanity of All Pretensions for Toleration'. In response to James' delaraction, seven bishops, alongside the Archbishop of Canterbury, presented a petition to the King declaring the declaration illegal. This was seen as a rebellion by James, and he had the bishops tried, though they were acquitted. This was one of the factors that led to the deposition of James II in the Glorious Revolution of 1688. In this work, the author carefully argues and debates each of the points raised in the former work, quoting the work and opening a discussion on it. The author states that the author of the former work hadn't seemed to have fully read James' declaration, and was thus spreading misinformation on the declaration based on what the former author had heard and assumed. The work is interesting at it shows the growing unrest in England against James II. This work was published in June 1688, and the James II was deposed in November of 1688. Written anonymously, identified only as 'A Dissenter'. A very scarce copy of this interesting pamphlet on James II in the lead up to the Glorious Revolution. Disbound. Externally, the outer wraps are discoloured with some spots. Slight edge wear to the wraps and textblock. Internally, disbound. Pages are age-toned with scattered spots. Pages 14 and 15 are uncut to the top edge. Good.…