OBSERVATIONS ON A LIBEL. 431 



altered, and that they were no more papists in 

 custom, but papists in treasonable faction : then 

 were there new laws made for the punishment of 

 such as should submit themselves to reconcilements 

 or renunciations of obedience. For it is to be 

 understood, that this manner of reconcilement in 

 confession, is of the same nature and operation that 

 the bull itself was of, with this only difference, 

 that whereas the bull assoiled the subjects from their 

 obedience at once, the other doth it one by one. 

 And therefore it is both more secret, and more in- 

 sinuative into the conscience, being joined with no 

 less matter than an absolution from mortal sin. And 

 because it was a treason carried in the clouds, and 

 in wonderful secrecy, and came seldom to light ; 

 and that there was no presumption thereof so great 

 as the recusants to come to divine service, because it 

 was set down by their decrees, that to come to church 

 before reconcilement, was to live in schism ; but to 

 come to church after reconcilement, was absolutely 

 heretical and damnable : therefore there were added 

 new laws, containing a punishment pecuniary against 

 the recusants, not to enforce consciences, but to 

 enfeeble those of whom it rested indifferent and 

 ambiguous, whether they were reconciled or no ? 

 For there is no doubt, but if the law of recusancy, 

 which is challenged to be so extreme and rigorous, 

 were thus qualified, that any recusant that shall 

 voluntarily come in and take his oath, that he or she 

 were never reconciled, should immediately be dis 

 charged of the penalty and forfeiture of the law ; 



