A SERMON Preached at St Lawrence-Jury London upon the 9th of September BEING THE Day of Thanksgiving FOR THE DELIVERANCE OF THE King Kingdom From the late Treasonable CONSPIRACY By BENJAMIN CALAMY D. D. Vicar of St. Lawrence-Jury and one of His Majesties Chaplains in Ordinary LONDON Printed by R. E. for W. Kettilby at the Bishops-Head in St. Pauls Church-yard 1683. TO THE INHABITANTS OF The Parishes of St. Lawrence Jury and St. Mary Magd. Milkstreet London Gentlemen THE Kindness with which you at first received me and have all along expressed towards me since my being placed amongst you hath been so great and obliging that I ought not in Reason to deny you any thing tho' never so much against my own Inclinations that you are pleased to request of me Yet yive me leave to say that upon my own deliberate perusal of the following Discourse I cannot find any thing in it at all answerable to your Earnestness for its being Printed It was the Occasion the Subject and the Temper which the Consideration of the Wonderful Deliverance of our Most Gracious King and these Kingdoms did on that Solemn Day of Thanksgiving put you into that made this plain Sermon pleasing to you in the hearing of it all which Advantages it will want in the Reading But however I had rather fail in any thing than let slip so fair an Opportunity of shewing my self duly sensible of your Great Respects to me For which I am and always will be thankful And I know no better way of being so to purpose than by endeavouring to do amongst you all the good I possibly can Which I am assur'd I cannot more effectually do than after your immediate Duty to God by encouraging and promoting an Hearty Obedience to the King and Church and a sincere Love and Friendship amongst your selves To effect which shall be the constant study and labour of Gentlemen Your most faithful Friend and Servant BENJ. CALAMY Ecclesiastes X. 20. Curse not the King no not in thy thought and curse not the rich in thy bed-chamber for a bird of the air shall carry the voice and that which hath wings shall tell the matter THE original word which is here translated Curse is variously rendred by Interpreters but the easiest sense seems to be this That we are here forbid tho' never so secretly and closely speaking any evil of or designing any evil against our Soveraign upon any pretence or occasion whatever Curse not the King no not in thy thought we must not so much as wish any Mischief or Harm to him and curse not the rich c. By the rich Grotius understands virum summatem a Person in Chief Dignity and Power whom God hath set in Authority over us and so these latter words are either only a repetition of the former to give the greater force and emphasis to them or else by the rich may be meant subordinate Magistrates and Ministers of State sent and deputed by the King who is Supreme to whom all internal Reverence and Honour ought to be paid as well as outward Subjection and Obedience to express the sense in words ordinarily used amongst us we must not Compass Imagine Desire or Contrive any thing that tends to the Dammage and Prejudice either of our Soveraign Lord the King or of any that are Commissionated or Authorised by him Curse them not in thy Bed-chamber that is tho' we seek the darkest Retirements the most private Corners however cautious we are that there be no Witnesses present who may bear testimony against us so that we think our selves secure from all possibility of Discovery yet a bird of the air shall carry the voice and that which hath wings shall tell the matter Which words signifie that God by his Wonderful Providence some way or other by Means we never thought of shall bring about that all these evil Speeches and clandestine Designs against his Vicegerent shall be revealed to the utter Confusion of all those that are engaged in them Thus these words do not only contain a Prohibition of any secret Plots and Conspiracies against our Governours but propound also a weighty Argument to discourage men from any such wicked Undertakings Because let them be carried on never so cunningly and closely yet they shall be as suddenly and surely discovered as if the Birds of the air had listned to all their Whispers had over-heard all their Discourse in their secret Cabals and immediately flown away with the news and given in Evidence against them An expression like to this we may find in the Prophet Habakkuk 2. 11. where it is said that the stone should cry out of the wall and the beam out of the timber should answer it What is whispered in a corner what is hatched in darkness yet by unlikely Means by unthought of Accidents which by the greatest subtlety and caution could not be provided against shall be disclosed and brought to light the Divine Providence being peculiarly concerned for the Defence and Protection of Soveraign Kings and Princes and in an especial manner watching over them as the choicest Object of its Care Now that it is thus that God Almighty is more particularly engaged for the safety of Kings and Supreme Governours so as wonderfully to appear for their Deliverance from the treacherous Conspiracies of Ungodly Men we have both good Reason upon which to believe it and the Experience of all Ages doth abundantly confirm it We have good Reason upon which to believe it and that upon these two plain accounts I. Because Soveraign Kings and Princes are God's Deputies and Vicegerents set up by himself and they derive their Power and Authority from him alone God Almighty the Maker of us all is the only Absolute Lord and Uncontrolable Soveraign of Men and Angels Part of his own Power and Authority which he hath over his Creatures he hath delegated and committed to Kings and Princes who are the most principal Instruments and Ministers of his Providence in the World Hence are they called Gods and Children of the Most High Psal 82. 6. God hath invested them with some part of his own Majesty stamped his own Character upon them and appointed them in his place to perform and administer even some part of his own Divine Office if I may so speak amongst men Thus constituting them Earthly Gods as to their Persons sacred and as to their Actions accountable to none but that supereminent Divine Authority that gave them Commission This is not any new-coined Divinity invented in favour of Arbitrary Power by Court Parasites and needy Flatterers who seek Preferment as the Enemies of our flourishing Monarchy have sometimes represented it but it is expresly delivered in the Holy Scriptures was professedly owned and taught by the Primitive Christians and hath been the constant Doctrine of the Reformed Church of England Nay it is agreeable to the general sense of Mankind and might be made out by rational Evidence if we had no other
Confirmation of it That Supreme Governours have their Power and Authority from God alone is expresly delivered in Scripture and that not only of the Kings of Israel who were evidently established by God's Appointment but in general we are told Prov. 8. 15 16. By me Kings reign and Princes decree justice By me Princes rule and Nobles even all the Judges of the earth Thus Cyrus an Heathen Emperour is called God's Anointed Isa 45. 1. Thus saith the Lord to his anointed to Cyrus and in the last Verse of the preceeding Chapter he is called God's Shepherd Princes being often by reason of the resemblance between the Pastoral Office and Government called Shepherds I have made the earth saith God by the Prophet Jeremiah 27. 5 6. and have given it to whom it seemed meet unto me and now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the King of Babylon my Servant Thus Daniel declares that the most high ruleth in the Kingdom of men and giveth it to whomsoever he will And he tells Nebuchadnezzar cap. 2. 37. that it was the God of Heaven that had given him a Kingdom power and strength and glory In the New Testament nothing can be plainer than the beginning of the thirteenth Chapter to the Romans where St. Paul tells us that there is no power but of God that the powers that be are ordained of God Whence in the next Verse he stileth Magistracy or Government the Ordinance of God and in the Fourth Verse the Ruler is called the Minister of God not of the People to execute his vengeance upon them that do evil I shall not now trouble you with any Quotations out of the Primitive Fathers who so often acknowledged even their Heathen Emperours to have been constituted by God and to have held their Empire from him alone and to have only him above them It is plain that this was always the Doctrine of our Church of England as appears from the Book of Homilies wherein we are taught That the High Powers are set in Authority by God that they are God's Lieutenants God's Presidents God's Officers God's Commissioners God's Judges ordained of God himself nay it hath been directly asserted in our Church That the most high and sacred Order of Kings is of Divine Right being the Ordinance of God himself founded in the prime Law of Nature and clearly established by express Texts both of the Old and New Testament Nor is it our Religion alone that teacheth us this but the same was of old owned both by the Heathen Poets and Philosophers that Kings were from God and to his Supreme Authority ordering and appointing it was to be referred the Original of all Soveraignty and Rule amongst men Nor indeed can it be well conceived or reasonably imagined from whence Kings and Soveraign Powers should have Right to Govern and Command but from God alone Since he is the undoubted Lord of the whole Earth and alone hath full power and right to Govern it I cannot see but that whoever shall go about to confer any power of Government or take upon himself any such Authority over others were it not by God's appointment and institution he would thereby put himself upon disposing of God's right without his leave or ordering So that Government and Superiority of one or more over others is all Tyranny and Usurpation upon God's right or else it must be granted to be Ordained by God himself And it being so necessary for the Happiness and Welfare of Mankind that it is impossible Peace and Order should be maintained Justice administred or that we should live in tolerable safety every man enjoying his own without Government it would seem an unworthy disparagement and reflexion upon the Divine Wisdom and Goodness to have left the World without any such provision for the quiet and security of it Thus whatever the Form of Government may be which is different in several places whether it be in a single person or many or in the Body of the People or their Representatives whatever hand the people may have in some places according to the particular Customs of their Countries in Chusing or Designing the person or persons that shall be invested with this Supreme Authority yet the Power and Authority it self is derived only from God and is neither received of the People in trust nor is the Soveraign Power answerable to them for the Administration of it Which is sometimes illustrated thus Tho' the Wife may chuse what person she pleaseth to make her Husband yet the Husbands Authority over the Wife is not owing to her nor doth she confer it upon him but it is of Divine Appointment The King as it hath been said of old in regard of the Nature of his Body is of the same Mould with every man but in respect of the eminency of his Dignity he is like unto God who is Lord over all whose Image he beareth and by whom he holdeth that Power which he hath over Men. Now this being so clear and undoubted that Kings and Princes represent the Person of God and bear his Image since they are Earthly Visible Corporeal Gods for so you find it Exodus 22. 28. a place parallel to the words of my Text Thou shalt not Revile the Gods nor Curse the Ruler of thy People Since they are the Vicegerents of the Almighty Soveraign Authorised and Commissionated by him his Deputies and Lieutenants here in the world we may easily hence conclude that his Providence cannot but be more particularly concerned for those whom he calleth to such an High Office whom he placeth in such Dignity and Eminence He cannot but have a more special regard unto and a more than ordinary Care over them because of their peculiar relation to him as his Representatives As it is here amongst us in Humane Governments the Supream Soveraign is highly concerned to uphold and support all his inferiour Magistrates in their several Places and Offices to protect them in the discharge of their Duty to keep up their Honour and Reputation and to provide that all due respect be paid to them He resents all injuries and affronts offered to them as done to himself He looks upon all those who set and oppose themselves against them as Enemies to his Imperial Crown and Dignity and that himself is struck and aimed at by any Violence done to his Officers or Ministers So it is in the Case we now discourse of Supream Governours have the same relation to God as subordinate Magistrates have to their Soveraign Princes they are employed and intrusted hy him and accordingly he expects subjection to them as to himself that we should honour and serve them according to that High Divine Character they bear He therefore always in a more remarkable manner stands by them and watches over them as the chiefest of his Servants and nearest to himself He takes what is done against them as done against himself Whosoever resisteth the Power resisteth the
Ordinance of God saith St. Paul To oppose and shake off their Government to Plot and Conspire against their Life is to Rebel against God and when we will not suffer our Lawful Soveraign whom the Divine Majesty hath appointed to Rule over us we do by just consequence and fair interpretation endeavour what we can to dethrone God himself and prove Traytors not only against our Natural Lord and King but against the Heavenly Monarch himself by whose Commission he Reigns II. Another reason to perswade us of the truth of this that God's Providence is more peculiarly engaged for the safety and protection of Soveraign Kings and Princes may be taken from this Consideration viz. how much the Publick doth depend upon and is concerned in their welfare and prosperity Thus the People 2 Sam. 18. 3. told King David when they would not suffer him to expose his own Person to hazard in the Battel against Absalom Thou art say they worth ten thousand of us Hence was he called the light of Israel Thou shalt go no more out with us to Battel said Abishai 2 Sam. 21. 17. that thou quench not the light of Israel Nay that wicked King Zedekiah of whom it is expresly said 2 Kings 24. 19. that he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord yet is stiled by the Prophet Jeremy Lam. 4. 20. the Breath of our Nostrils The Fates of whole Kingdoms depend upon them All that live under their Government are interested in them and partake with them and a Villanous Attempt succeeding against our Soveraign may stab an whole Nation to the Heart and fill all places with Blood and Confusion Now God Almighty extendeth his Providence to the meanest and minutest things He cloatheth the grass of the Field he provideth for the Raven his food a Sparrow doth not fall to the ground without his knowledge by him are all the hairs of our Head numbered and can we think that this same Providence is not more particularly employ'd in matters of such vast moment which are of such Universal Consequence as the Life and Safety of Kings and Princes God exerciseth a more special Providence over their Sacred Persons on whom under himself the whole Community doth depend For the sake of the People whose Happiness is so closely wrapt up in the prosperity of their Prince doth God Almighty guard him from secret Treachery defend him from open Assaults and by various means deliver him from imminent Dangers Especially good and gracious Kings who are Fathers of their Country and Nursing Fathers of the Church who maintain the true Religion encourage Vertue protect Right and Innocence and resemble the Divine Majesty not only in Power and Authority but also in his Attributes of Justice Mercy and Goodness they are more tenderly regarded by God He hideth them under the shadow of his Wings he keepeth them as the apple of his Eye he giveth his Angels stricter Charge over them that no evil may approach them Such Princes being publick Blessings to the Kingdoms or Nations over which they preside in their safety must consist the greatest part of the Common Welfare And thus if we consider either Governours themselves or the People commited to them we shall see sufficient reason to believe that Soveraign Kings and Princes are the peculiar Care and Charge of Divine Providence Nor have we reason only to believe this but the experience of all Ages doth most abundantly confirm it For surely there is not any one thing wherein God's Providence hath more remarkably appeared and interposed it self at all times than in Discovering the secret Plots and Defeating the traiterous Designs of wicked Men against the Government they lived under which hath been often done by such ways and means as have most evidently demonstrated the Finger of God in it and must be ascribed to him who only doth wonderful things Nor have we perhaps besides what Divine Revelation affords us a greater Argument to prove this World to be Governed and all things in it directed by the vigilant Eye and powerful Hand of Almighty God than the sudden and seasonable Discovery of such Damnable Enterprises contrived with the utmost caution and secrecy carried on with great subtlety and cunning and just ripe for Execution yet in an instant blasted in a trice broken all to pieces either by a surprizing dread and fear seizing the Conspirators themselves or an unlucky word over-heard or an unaccountable suspicion of some ill Designs which tho' founded upon no reason or a very trifling one yet hath proved true or God hath smote upon the Conscience of some one of them and for the ease of his own tortur'd mind he is forced to a Discovery or a jealousie that they are betrayed by others hath made some of them give the first notice of it themselves or a Letter miscarried or some fright mistake oversight something hapning otherwise than was expected hath brought the hidden works of darkness to light by which the King and his People have been just snatch'd out of the Jaws of Ruine True indeed it is that there are some Exceptions against this Sometimes it hath hapned that such Desperate Undertakings have been prosperous and God's Providence hath suffered even a Good and Excellent Prince to fall a Sacrifice by the Merciless Hands of a Bloody Assassin or being over-powered by his own Rebellious Subjects to be more pompously Murdered under the pretence of Justice of which we have had a sad and never to be forgotten Instance in our own Nation But then this hath been permitted when the sins of a Nation have been extream and called aloud for Punishment when God hath been long and highly provoked to give up a People to Destruction who have filled up the measure of their Iniquities then hath he sometimes suffered such inhumane Barbarities to take place But ordinarily it is otherwise and by some secret invisible means God doth either infatuate the Counsels and confound the Devices or else by some fortunate accident seasonably discover the horrid Conspiracies of his own and the Kings Enemies A Bird of the air shall carry the voice and that which hath wings shall tell the matter Of the truth of all that I have now said concerning God's wonderful Care and Providence over Soveraign Kings and Princes we cannot reasonably desire we cannot easily meet with a more Illustrious Instance than his Majesty that now is whom God long preserve A Prince for whose safety and protection Heaven hath all along so signally interested it self and so miraculously defended him in spite of all the restless attempts of his and ours either open or secret Adversaries that I cannot but wonder if no other Argument could prevail with these Sons of Belial to desist from such Hellish Enterprises yet that they should not at last be tyred with Plotting against him to no purpose that they should not despair of doing him any hurt for whose Defence and Deliverance God Almighty hath so frequently and
publickly appeared This betrays the Folly as well as the Wickedness of all those who are ingaged in such Caballings and Plottings that they vye Power with God himself and resolve to destroy him whom by such a series of miraculous Providences God hath shewn himself resolved to save and protect Alas they are not only the Guards whom they must seize upon and master In vain are all their Meetings and Consultations about the feasibleness of such a Design unless they can find out a way to escape God's knowledge or could be too hard for the Almighty who hath undertaken to guard and secure our King and will see that no Weapon formed against him shall prosper Was it not by God's wonderful Providence that he was preserved from the Fury and Rage of those who embrued their Savage hands in his Fathers Sacred Blood Was it not the same good Providence that continually compassed him as with a Shield when his own Subjects in Arms against him sought his Death and Destruction Was it not the same Providence that for a long time hid and concealed him from the most diligent search of Blood-thirsty Rebels though so many Conscious yet none tempted by great Rewards and more powerful Fears to betray him and at last after a miraculous manner provided an escape for him and through innumerable dangers conveighed hime safe to a strange Land Was it not the same God who defended and supported him during a long and most unjust Banishment and at length by his own right Hand and outstretched Arm brought him safe again to his People and gloriously restored him to his three Kingdoms Hath he not since been graciously pleased in time to discover all the evil Designs of Wicked men against his Person and Government or hath prevented those which were never discovered Hath he not saved him from the Popish Plot And are we not this present day met together to bless God for his deliverance from a Fanatick one And after all have we not vast Reason from such large Experience of God's infinite kindness towards our most Gracious Soveraign and in him to us his People yet to hope that he will still preserve him and continue his Life amongst us to be every day a greater Blessing to these Kingdoms Give me leave therefore in this Case to apply the Words of the Psalmist in the beginning of the Second Psalm Why do the Papists rage and the Fanaticks imagine a vain thing What madness is this that thus possesses them to unite and associate together The heads of the several Parties and Factions set themselves and take Counsel together against the Lord and against his anointed King saying Let us break their Bands asunder and cast away their cords from us Let us not be tyed up any longer by that slavish Principle of Obedience to Authority for Conscience sake but rather like free born People throw off the Yoke which the King and his Ministers would impose upon us He that sitteth in the Heavens shall laugh the Lord shall have them in derision The Almighty Soveraign by whose Commission and Authority our King Reigns shall despise all these foolish Attempts and will expose these presumptuous Rebels to the Scorn and Contempt of every man Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath and vex them in his sore displeasure Even then when they think they have effected their Design and made all sure God shall suddenly disappoint and confound them so that all men shall observe the tokens of the Divine Vengeance against them Yet have I set my King upon my Holy Hill of Sion See how madly they have Plotted against themselves For our King and his Government is not only yet preserved but we hope Strengthened and Established by their impious Conspiracy against it But more particularly we are now assembled to make due acknowledgments of God's wonderful Providence and Mercy in Discovering and Defeating the late Treasonable Conspiracy against his Sacred Majesties Person and Government In speaking of which I shall first of all briefly set before you the Horridness of the Conspiracy it self then the Greatness of the Deliverance we now bless God for and lastly add some few plain Advices suitable to this occasion I. The Horridness of this late Conspiracy will sufficiently appear if we consider only these three things 1. The Actors or Persons ingaged in it 2. The Motives from which they acted 3. The Mischiefs that would inevitably have followed had not God's Providence made timely Discovery of it and under these heads I shall only hint at some few things 1. As to the Persons that were ingaged in this Plot they may be considered under several Circumstances which do all highly aggravate their Crime and Guilt As that they were Protestants nay the most Zealous Protestants who would hardly allow any others to be such besides themselves Hence on all occasions they would appear most vigorous and active for the Prosecution and Suppression of Papists and counted all that were not so fierce and violent as themselves to be Popishly affected and ready upon any turn of the times to leave their Religion All this Zeal against the Papists they professed to proceed from a just Hatred of their Disloyal Principles which were inconsistent with the Civil-Government and dangerous to the Monarchy and the Kings Person as if they had a mind to save the Government from the Papists only that themselves might have the Honour of Subverting it They liked the thing well enough it was a glorious work but only they did not approve of the Instruments And if these must be called Protestants who can joyn in such Villanous Designs I shall only say that then I know some Protestants who are every jot as bad and as little to be trusted as any Papists We indeed of the Church of England for this one thing were not a little beholden to these Conspirators viz. That they were so careful to distinguish themselves from us and were for a finer and purer Communion than that Established by Law A Protestant is a word at large and may signifie any thing and comprehends all that are not Papists whatever they are for But the Doctrine and Discipline of the Church of England we all know what it is it is Stated and Defined and we are sure that it condemns all Disloyal Seditious Practices on any pretence whatever And therefore they who were ingaged in this Wicked Conspiracy however some of them might sometimes be seen in our Churches yet they were forced to find fault with our Establishment to decry our Bishops and Ministers and weaken their Authority to endeavour by all means to prejudice the People against our Church and to lessen its Interest which they knew stood in the way of their Designs And have not these Men now bravely provided for the Credit and Honour of the Protestant Religion Had these great haters of Popery gone to School to the Jesuits could they possibly have been taught a more compendious way to
of the King and his only Brother had arrived to this Great and populous City When the Streets should have been presently stained with the Blood of our Magistrates and Ministers and Loyal Citizens and all those who were not likely to have proved for their turn Where this would have ended the Conspirators themselves could not possibly have divined nor would it have been in their Power who set the multitude on work to have put a stop to them saying Thus far ye shall go and no further Those Murders and Massacres and Rapines and Devastations might have followed which even the Plotters themselves never intended but knew not how to prevent having raised a Devil that was past their Power and Skill to lay and there is nothing in the World so Cruel so Outragious so Barbarous as an Armed incensed Rabble which is like the Sea breaking in the force of which is not to be resisted Nay this might have ended in the destruction of the very Heads of the Plot themselves who could not promise themselves Security But this brings me to the Second thing I propounded to speak of viz. II. The greatness of the Deliverance we are now to bless God for To his Gracious Providence seasonably discovering this Traiterous Conspiracy we do owe the Preservation of his Majesties Life which is dearer to us than our own together with the Life of his Royal Brother and the continuance of this present Government which hath so long made the People of England the happiest and most envied People in the World To the same Mercy many of us owe our own Lives for who knows in such a day who had passed for Papists or whom they would have accounted ill affected Persons By this means all true and desirable Liberty is continued to us whilst we dwell safely every man under his own Vine and Fig-tree the publick Laws which best maintain our Property have still their due force and which to be sure ought not to be forgotten especially in this place our pure Religion and Church is yet continued to us Our Orthodox Ministers are not driven into Corners nor our excellent Prayers and Liturgy thrust out of the Church to make room for Extemporary Effusions nor every one left at Liberty to serve God when and where and how he pleaseth What grateful Acknowledgments do so great a Mercy and Deliverance require from us all and by our thankfulness this day for these great and invaluable Blessings who knows but we may prevail with God and oblige him still to preserve them to us and to succeeding Generations 3. I shall only in the last Place add some few Advices proper for this occasion and shall mention these four 1. Let us from this Conspiracy by observing the rise and progress of it the Methods by which it was carried on and the Persons that were ingaged in it make this Rule to our selves Alwaies to suspect those who clamour for Reformation of publick Abuses and Defence of the true Religion and yet are scandalously Wicked and Flagitious in their Lives and Manners It cannot but be observed almost by every Man that many of the Heads of this late Conspiracy were Persons infamous throughout the whole Nation for their Immoralities and Debaucheries notorious Whoremasters Adulterers Drunkards Murderers Swearers and what not Now what a fulsome thing is it and to be abhorred of all honest Men to hear such Persons as these set up for the great Patriots of their Country and the Assertors of the Peoples Rights and Conservators of their Liberties and Religion Are Men of such Atheistical Principles and Prostituted Consciences fit to be trusted either with Religion or our Liberties Or can we desire any greater Argument that they are moved by some other Design which they mask under such plausible pretences The Case of securing the Protestant Religion with such Men is a meer Story to sham and delude the Ignorant and Unwary Such matter not what Religion prevails so they can but gain their Secular Ambitious Covetous or Revengeful ends Now this is so palpable a Cheat so thin a Disguise that methinks the meanest Person may easily see through it 2. Let us all have a great care of entertaining any ill Opinions or Conceits of our Governours For this is the first foundation of all Sedition or Rebellion We must not nourish or give way to any discontents nor readily give ear to any Factious reports that tend to the disgrace of the Government or the disparagement of the Publick Ministers or that detract from their Reputation and Esteem who are set in high place of Power and Authority Tho' it were really so that we were oppressed or treated harshly by them yet we are not to give vent to our Passion in indecent railing or inveighing against them called in Scripture Blaspheming or speaking evil of Dignities Is it fit saith Elihu to Job to say to a King thou art wicked and to Princes ye are ungodly It is to be feared we in this City have much to answer for our immoderate Taxing and lavish Censuring the actions of our Governours and aspersing our Superiours with Scandalous Imputations for I doubt not but men may be in this Plot and have a great hand in this Conspiracy tho' they never met at any of the Consults nor had any particular part to act in it nor knew any thing of killing the King or of the Insurrection intended but yet by doing and saying of those things which manifestly tend to the weakning and disenabling the Government and prejudicing the People against it they may by this means have been highly instrumental in carrying on this wicked Design for our Deliverance from which we now bless Almighty God There may be I say not a few amongst us that might never be particularly acquainted with this design yet hoped much that there was one going on and that some body at some time or other would dare to appear for the liberty of the Subject and Conscience and whenever they did they might be sure of their good wishes and prayers who would have been more than tolerably content if all that was designed had taken Effect These are the men that are watching for and picking up all the stories that may disturb and disquiet the Nation that have so much pity for these Conspirators that they have hardly any for the King who tho' they dare not publickly say it yet sliely suspect the truth of this Plot would fain iamagine a trick in it and that it is all an invention of the Court to take away honest mens lives who could heartily wish that Vienna had been much nigher and were very sorry to hear that the Turk was likely to go home again without making some greater fright some jumble and alteration in our Affairs These men are very far gone and in next disposition towards Rebellion Men do not become Traitors and Rebels in an instant but first they begin with murmuring and complaining then unmannerly talking of their