Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n
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A46622
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Mrs. James's vindication of the Church of England in an answer to a pamphlet entituled A new test of the Church of England's loyalty.
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James, Elinor.
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1687
(1687)
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Wing J423; ESTC R36027
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14,362
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13
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Mrs. JAMES's VINDICATION OF THE Church of England IN AN ANSWER TO A PAMPHLET ENTITULED A New Test OF THE Church of England's LOYALTY It is not Interest that moves me to this for I never made Gain of any thing that ever I did nor none I do desire for it was nothing but the Fear of Gods Judgments that hath been the sole Cause of all my Actions for above these Twenty years London Printed for me Elinor James 1687. An Advice to the CHVRCH of ENGLAND AS for Conscience I do not count it a sufficient Guide because it is not so Infallible but it is subject to Err and therefore it ought to be Guided by the Word of God for I find those that will not be Guided by that doth not yield Civil Obedience to Temporal Magistrates and how can they to God And therefore I am not so much for Liberty of Conscience But since it is the Kings Pleasure I rest satisfied for if they misimploy it is not Gods Hand long enough to reach them But who knows but that God that Converted St. Paul may Convert them all that are Zealous and did not intend any thing else but His Glory but for those that are Envious you must not look that they will ever be otherwise I know they offended you because they pretend to be Loyal Subjects Indeed I wonder how they dare say so when the World knows they never had any But why should any be unwilling to return the King Thanks I think it is no more than what every one is obliged to and since the King was pleased to Renew His Promises that none need to doubt his Fidelity I think it is but Reason to renew your Thanks And as for Oxford they are no Example because none lies under their Circumstances but when His Majesty is pleased to remove their Doubts I don't question but that they will be forward enough with their Addressing and 'till that be done I cannot blame them but I find you scruple because you will not be after the Dissenters what a simple Pride is that For a Christian ought to Imitate all Good Things and therefore there is no Excuse Fear not any thing but Trust in God Love the King and be Kind one to another and do not Addict your selves to any thing but what is Agreeable to Christianity And I think you are obliged to frequent the Prayers of the Church for Christ did it and how much more ought we I am very ambitious that you should exceed others I have always Loved the Church of England and therefore I would have them to be Dignified above all and that the Love of God should be the Mover of all their Actions As for Mr. Dryden though some blame him for using my Name I do not because he hath used it civilly Indeed I do not know him nor never read his Book but I am told that he doth Abuse the CHVRCH of ENGLAND for which I blame him For I count it not Wisdom for a Wit to Reflect on that he so lately own'd I hear there are Queries Cried but I have not seen them but understand they are of the same Nature O that I were but a Man I would study Night and Day and I do not doubt but I â—â—ould be more than a Conquerer and so I hope to be nevertheless Mrs. JAMES's VINDICATION OF THE CHURCH of ENGLAND c. SIR I Am very sorry to think that you should be always such a Subtle Adversary but you say You never had an Opportunity to shew your Spite and Malice until now You say you could never find a Convincing Reason and what was the Cause Is it not because it doth not consist with your Interest for that is all that you aim at for that is the God of this World and he hath blinded your Eys and stupified your Understanding and thickens your Scall so that if an Angel came to Instruct you you would not be able to receive it if it did not agree with your Interest I thought Liberty of Conscience might have chang'd your Disposition seeing that the Kings Intention is so Gracious as thinking it is the best way to Unite our Differences and to heal our Breaches and you know it was the Care of the King and Parliament to prevent Scandalous Pamphlets against the King and Government and therefore it is strange to me how you can Print your Paper with Allowance when it is of such a Pernicious Nature and its whole Aim is against the Government surely those Gentlemen that had the Care of the Government are very Negligent or else you dare not say With Allowance certainly none that is in Authority would grant it you and if they did they must be Treacherous to their Trust and are no Friend to the King and Government for can there be any thing of a more Pernicious Consequence than this that would destroy the very Foundation How do you think I can bear it when God hath fill'd my Heart full of Love and Loyalty and I know you Abuse them for you have no cause to call their Loyalty into question for I know Their Loyalty and have been a Labourer with Them therefore I have the greater Reason to Plead for them but I know you will say I am a Woman and why should I trouble my self Why was I not always so when I pleaded with the Parliament about the Right of Succession and with Shaftsbury and Monmouth and at Guild-Hall and elsewhere and I made Applications to my late Soveraign Lord the King whom my Soul Loved That he would be pleas'd to let me Undertake for the City and to make me a God Mother to which the King Answered It would be too great an Undertaking for me but I replied That if it might not be for all that it might be for some and the King granted my desire and I ask'd His Majesty whether He would not wish Well to it and the King Replied Ay with all my Heart and Soul Was not he a Gracious Prince for I am sure He sought nothing but the True Interest of His People but I know such as you are none of His Friends for you did all you could to Pervert his Kingdoms and Sow â—ivisions amongst his People and by such Doings you made his Throne Uneasie Indeed then you might be for the Dukes Interest because it was your own but I am sure it was His loss for before He looked toward you all the People Lov'd and Admir'd Him And who was the cause of the Change was it not you That went up and down Incensing the People of the great Proselites you had made for I suppose you are a Priest and they were of the same Nature for they came to me and I know what they said therefore I find such as you are the Plotters for they troubled me many Weeks together and I thought I should never get Rid of them but I Fasted Seven Days and Nights to give the late King a Petition that
He might know in what State His Kingdom stood in and though I never saw them afterwards yet I do not question but there was endeavours used to blind Him but if it had pleased God that His Majesty had Liâ—ed a little longer I do not doubt but he would have taken New Measures That you should never have had cause to Boast that you made him a Preselite And as for my Soveraign that now is he is as Sweet and Precious a Pâ—ince as the World can afford and it is pity you should Abuse Him for He is a King of Great Experience and hath Suffered as much as any Prince in the World which doth teach His Majesty such Wisdom that it is His whole Caâ—e to keep His Kingdoms in Peace and to have His People to Flourish and will not disturb the Peace thereof upon any Condition whatsoever and God be Thanked the King hath no need to distrust us for is not His God our God and we acknowledge Him to be a Christian King who Belives in the Almighty who made the Heavens and the Earth and he doth believe that Jesus Christ is His Son and that he came into the World to Save Sinners and I doubt not but that His whole Trust is in His Merits and we all hold and own the same so that we lack nothing but a Holy Life agreeable to the Life of Jesus but I find you are Mettlesome Spirits and want Employ therefore I would desire you to go to the Turks and Infidels and Convert them and in so doing you might expect your Reward and I should like it well but for you to think that you can Convert People when they are Converted already is meer Nonsense for it is Perverting and undoing what the Blessed Spirit hath done which will be a Sin of such a Nature that I would not be guilty of it for all the World. I know you will be Angry but I do not value it for I must discharge my Conscience toward all and if you would have me to be your Friend you must take New Measures and Learn of Christ for he did Good to all and hurt to none and if you would not have me to speak against you you must not give me the Occasion I am sure my Soveraign will not allow you to Villifie and Abuse us for He is a Prince of Justice as well as Mercy and hath promis'd That He will Defend us and not only so but will venture as far as any in our Vindication and the King was satisfied with our Loyalty and declared it to the World and how dare you condemn the Kings Judgment and Scandalize the Church for all that knows Her knows Her to be the only Church for Loyalty for doth any of you own the King to be Supream Head and Governour but She And for your part all the World knows what you own so that my Soveraign cannot be your Supream Governour and therefore there is no Comparison to be made I my self can Weigh you all down for Loyalty and if I can do so much for that am but one what shall we all do Therefore I know the King will not be Angry with me if I Vindicate the Church of England for in Vindicating of Her I Vindicate His Majesty which I have always done for when the Peers Speech Abused my Soveraign I Answered it for I hate Rebellion and the Church doth not hinder any one from that Singular Gift of Loyalty for Her Desire is That all should Fear God and Honour the King and She is the Spouse of Christ and He will own Her for His Mystical Body and every one that truly believes in Christ is a Member of that Body and all the Members makes the Whole and Her Doctrine is Holy I wish those that own Her would Live according to Her Doctrines for then they would be Safe and Happy She hath been Infallible in Her Duty to Her King which Her Discontented Brethren knows full well for that was the only thing that they laid to Her Charge That She would not be Treacherous to Her Prince nor Side with His Enemies for if She had you would not have been so great as you are now tho She was not for Popery as some thought for indeed She hath always been the Bulwark against it and that makes you Envy Her so for you think if you can but bring Her down you shall do well enough with the Brats whom you Begot tho your Infallible Belief in them may deceive you for though you made them Enemies to the Church of England yet I find they will prove no Friends to the Church of Rome for indeed every Good Soul will rather endure any thing than to be inslaved with Popery And as for the Church of England She never Lived under the Slavish Fear of it as the Dissenters did but doth Trust God with all and desires nothing else but to Serve God Truly and the King Rightly And as for Her Revelations as you say is Peculiar to Her Self is a clear Mistake and yet Her Lord and Head hath promised That the gates of Hell shall not prevail against Her And what is the Gates of Hell But all those things that lead us to Darkness and Ignorance and to fling down Gods Holy Will and to set up the Will of Men and secretly makes us to be an Enemy to Christ and a Friend to Anti-Christ But Christ is able to Save HIS OWN and that you shall know for He hath His Chosen People amongst all and I really do believe He hath His Saints and Servants in the Church of Rome as well as any other and I hope our of His Infinite Mercy He will Reconcile our Differences and make us Happy And as for those that envies our Happiness They shall not be able to stand before the Almighty in the Day of His Anger for His Power is able to disperse them and to blow them away in a Minute as his Divine Power did the Locusts Therefore I would Advise all the Enemies of the Church of England to be Quiet and Amend for the time to come for while we are Contriving the Ruin of one another God may justly destroy us all and bring in the Heathens who may bring forth better Fruits than we And for your Allowing our Loyalty to King Charles I. I do not thank you for it is well known or else you would not have owned it For that Destruction of Three Kingdoms and the Death of the Best of Princes is Writ in Gods Book and who shall be called to an Account for it God Almighty knows but I am sure You cannot be Acquitted For was it not the Fear of Popery with your Pride that caused the Difference when you Compelled the Queen to go bare-foot and in the mean time such as you Rid in Her Coach to the great Hazard of Her Life For as I was told She Miscarried who did you learn it of I am sure not of Christ nor His Disciples