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A25313
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A præfatory discourse to a late pamphlet entituled, A memento for English Protestants, &c. being an answer to that part of the Compendium which reflects upon the Bishop of Lincoln's book : together with some occasional reflections on Mr. L'Estrange's writings.
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Amy, S.
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1681
(1681)
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Wing A3032; ESTC R16932
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26,021
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36
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For the Promise he makes us at last in imitation of the Pishop's That he himself will turn Protestant if the Bishop shews him but one single Paragraph in all his Book in relation to their dangerous Principles that he has not fully answer'd c. I will be so civil to him at parting to let him know he need not be in any pain about it for though the Condition of his Obligation be not in the least measure nor is ever likely to be perform'd yet I can assure him there 's no body intends to take any advantage of the Forfeiture Though he has been so far from answering every single Paragraph of the Bishop's Book that he has not in truth answer'd one single word of it to any purpose as I have already show'd him yet we will not be so unmercifully rigorous to require a Person of his Form of Parts to turn Protestant and force him to be a reasonable man and a good Christian against his Conscience no no let him stay where he is we are not at all fond of his Company and the Religion he has will best suit with his Wit His little Stroke of Common Place Arguments being now spent he is at last reduc'd to Story telling and the conclusion of his loose Ramble in this Paragraph against the Bishop is an incredible scandalous Tale about a Friend of his and Doctor Taylor by which he represents that late famous and worthy Divine not only as a Papist but a Knave and implicitely throws the same dirt upon the Bishop maliciously insinuating as if neither of them believ'd their own Books His words are these To conclude says He let me once more reminde his Lordship of his Promise and then tell him for I know he is a man of Parts what Dr. Taylor said to a Friend of mine concerning his Dissuâ—sive from Popery viz. That though 't were lik'd yet 't was but turning the Tables and he could write a Book twice as good This Story has the very complexion of a Popish Lye all the Lineaments and Features of 〈◊〉 Jesuitical Slander 't is a known Artifice of the Romish Agents when they cannot deal with their Adversaries Reasons to assault their Reputations by all kind of unjust Calumnies and impudent Forgeries and finding that the absurdness of their Tenets cannot be disguis'd to men who have the use of their Faculties their despaire to proselyte the Living sends them among the Charnel Houses to make Converts of the dead This is a trick they have perpetually put upon us ever since the Reformation all Protestants of any note who dye either in their Acquaintance or Neighbourhood are sure to be of their Faith after their Deaths though all their lives they abhorr'd it the Dead are as constantly reported theirs as if they had been Baptis'd in their Names according to the custome of the Primitive Corinthians or as is they were to be reckon'd natural Escheats to that Church which contrary to the Scripture prays for them and most commonly the dying too when they are no longer able to contradict their whispers are hook'd within the Toyls of their Vniversality no sooner does a man's Reason and his Sence begin to leave him but presently the Catholick Religion lays claim to him and indeed he is then most fit for that Communion and a proper Tool for Priests and Jesuites to work their ends by and Sanctify'd Rogues to make their Markets of Wheresoever the Carcase is there will these Roman Eagles be gathered together for their Prey Protestants cannot dye quietly in their Beds nor so much as rest in their Graves for the unwearied practises of the Popes Emissaries and the endless Persecution of their false Tongues who think it meritorious to Lie for the Propagation of their Faith and a piece of Godly Zeal to defame their Neighbours for the Honour of their Church But this is one of the small Games their ill successe has forc'd them to play at rather than stick out a despicable shift to keep up some little rest of Credit to their baffled Cause and would they observe any sort of Bounds in the Spoyl and Havock they make of mens good Names and their Invasions of the best and most lasting Property of Mankind in their Unchristian Violations of the Honour of the Dead Would these lawlesse Church Corsairs these desperate Picaroons for Popery robbe with modesty and be satisfy'd with making private men their Prize we should perhaps content our selves to despise their little Pyracies and laugh at their feeble Inroades But when they endeavour to sink our strongest Men of War and take our very Admirals in the Port when they will needs have our chief Leaders to be their Followers and our most famous Champions at the Wheels of their Triumphal Chariots when like the Tartar's Scotch Captive they will pretend to hold their Goalers Prisoners and erect their ridiculous Trophies upon the Tombes of their Conquerours When nothing will serve their turns but that Chillingworth himself must be believ'd to dye a Papist and Bishop King to be reconcil'd to their Church in Articulo mortis when Dr. Taylor must now after his Death be thought a Friend to Popery who in his life was both an Honour and a Defence to the Protestant Faith their impudence is intollerable and their Lyes grow mischievous 't is then necessary to expose the folly of their vain Pretences and warne the people of their large Dispensations I shall now appeale to the Judgement of any unprejudic'd man who has read Dr. Taylors Dissuasive from Popery and if he thinks there is the least probability that the Author of that excellent Book should say he could write one twice as good against Protestants or indeed any possibility that either He or any man else though never so willing should be able to do it I will hereafter believe that Jesuites can speak Truth and that Popish Controvertists may be sometimes in the right Dr. Taylors Relations and those who did particularly know him which I had not the happiness to do otherwise than by his Reputation and his Writings are able without doubt to say much more upon this Subject than I can pretend to and I question not but some of them will take care in convenient time to vindicate his Memory from soe foule a scandall as that of being a conceal'd Papist and of Writing what he did not think I shall therefore leave it to them whose proper concern it is not having at present the means to make any enquiry my selfe into the businesse In the mean time let us suppose this Story to be true which according to all appearance is next to impossible what is here pretended to have been said by Dr. Taylor was I perceive a thing said in private conversation and probably in great trust and confidence of the person to whom 't was spoke how to Print this to the World with Design to blast the Reputation of a Divine after his Death is such a piece of
have already discours'd is more than enough to prove the present Point viz That the Monarchy of England has gotten by the Reformation and that no body but a man who either understands not or cares not what he sayes would affirm the contrary The Compendianist possibly may here object as he seemes to do pag. 77. lib 9. That popish Princes abroad are not sensible of these Inconveniences in their Religion nor do they perceive any such ill Consequences to arise from the Profession of it as the Bishop of Lincoln's Book and this Preface charges it with but altogether the contrary For Who sayes He find themselves so flourishing and great as they I suppose he speaks this of the French King for I know no other popish Prince that is at present either flourishing or great and if he means that Popery has been the cause of his Greatness I shall not dispute it with him but this I will affirme and maintaine against all the World That 't was neither his owne Popery nor that of his Subjects though every Body knows the French Popery is much gentler and more converseable sort of thing than the Spanish or Italian more plyant and submissive to the Civil Magistrate and more hospitable to Strangers and Dissenters and consequently lesse prejudicial to the growth of Power and the greatness of a State than the other The Priviledges of the Gallican Church and the Doctrines of the Sorbonne together with the manners of the people and the Exclusion of the Inquisition have a little qualified this pernicious Imposture and temper'd the Malignity of her Influence as the most destructive Plants do sometimes lose the Virulence of their poisons by a change of Soyle and Mercury it selfe by a mixture of Ingredients is rendred innocent Physick I grant therefore that Popery in some places and under some Circumstances of alloy may not absolutely hinder but it can never be the cause nor of it self in any degree contribute to the prosperity of either Prince or people for 't is plaine That the Principles it teaches and the Consequences it draws after it do evidently tend as I have already made appear to the lessening of the one and the impoverishing of the other indeed to the ruine of both and if Popery have not at all times and in all Places so bad an effect it must be attributed to some such causes as I have now mention'd which do in France serve to take out the sting of this monstrous beast this Spawn of the Old Serpent and prevent the Mischiefe which it is otherwise so apt to doe the Blast it would infallibly bring upon the ordinary fruites of good Government and the common ends of Civil Societies To conclude this point if any Prince or State happen by some favorable conjuncture and fortunate Accidents to be great with or rather notwithstanding Popery there is no doubt but they would be either of them much greater without it 'T is now left to the Reader to judge upon a due considerat ion of the Whole what an excellent Engine this Popery would prove to buoy up a sinking Monarchy and make it again emerge as the Compendianist calls it in his pedantical Latin phrase were ours in that desperate low condition to need it which I hope 't is far from or if it do at present decline I am sure no man in his right wits except this Author will say 't is for want of Popery What kind of men are those Protestants then who if we may take the Compendianist's own word for it would recommend to his Majesty in a case of extremity this dry antiquated Drugge this uselesse Lump of Formality and Foppery this discover'd Cheat this Insulter and Braver of Crown'd Heads this Usurper upon the Rights of Princes this Enemy to God's Annointed I say what kind of Creatures must these be They are certainly a Species by themselves and have not the same common Faculties and wayes of understanding with other Christian people if at least there be any such which I will not be overpositive in upon the Authority of this Writer for some of his stories are as unlikely to use his own words about the Plot as any Romance Extant But Protestants does he term them It is impossible Why will he abuse his Friends at this Rate and call them out of their Names I 'll warrant them they are as good Catholicks as himself Does he indeed thinke to put this upon us that Protestants are for the bringing in Popery He may as well hope to make us believe Transubstantiation it self 't is a Contradiction in Terms an errant Bull. However upon this occasion I cannot but reflect that I have sometimes met with a sort of ridiculous Animals commonly call'd Protestants indeed whose Heads are giddy and whose Brains turn round with the Notion of a Catholicke Church and a visible succession of Bishops ever since the Apostles Who run stark mad in love with reverend Words holy Places consecrated Habits and godly Gestures who have abundance of odde superstitious Zeale with not one grain of true sence Disciples of Heylin and Thornedike in a word a kinde of L'Estrange Protestants men who have listed themselves in our Service and rank'd on our side only to betray our cause and give our Enemies the Victory They seem to have no other designe in the Church of England than Sampson had in the Philistines Temple viz. to pull it downe upon our Heads and bury us in the Ruines Now what discourse these sort of men have had with the Compendianist I cannot tell nor am much concern'd I will not dispute but that 't is possible they may have acknowledg'd some such thing as he affirms for their Politicks are much of a pitch with their Divinity and I know they will say or confess any thing that tends to undermine and weaken the Protestant Faith and Interest though it be never so foolish and absurd Yet do they take it hainously ill to be thought Papists and particularly Mr. L'Estrange seems more than ordinarily disturb'd when he finds himselfe charg'd with this Imputation how does he fling and flounce in his late Pamphlets like a gaull'd Hackney who can neither bear the whipp nor mend his dull Dog-Trot But let him bestow the foamings of his Rage never so fast among the Rabble and in hasty uncorrect Libells throw about the eâ—pty Froth of his Anger Let him fret himself never so lean and talk like a mad man in the overboyling of his Passion Let him make never so many professions of a Protestant Faith and never so many Good-Morrows to the Church of England we shall still believe him a Papist while he soe notoriously promotes the Designes and serves the Interests of that Party I think nothing is plainer than that the great Endeavour of the Papists ever since the Discovery of the Plot has been by all kinde of means and artifices to turn off the Publick Odium under which they have so justly suffer'd as much