Selected quad for the lemma: church_n
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A35705
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The deplorable state and condition of the poor French Protestants commiserated, and humbly represented to all princes and people of the true reformed church with reasons for a Protestant league.
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1681
(1681)
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Wing D1076; ESTC R38
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14,092
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12
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THE Deplorable State AND CONDITION Of the POOR French Protestants COMMISERATED And humbly Represented to all Princes and People Of the TRUE Reformed Church With Reasons for a Protestant League LONDON Printed for Richard Janeway in Queens-Head-Alley in Pater-Noster-Row MDCLXXXI The Deplorable State and Condition of the Poor French Protestants Commiserated c. NO sooner have these Popish Hornets their Priests been Expel'd and Fired out of any Kingdom or Countrey but like the fallen Angels They use all means and endeavours to recover again their lost Dominions and accordingly leave no expedient unattempted whereby they might draw over the most Powerful Princes to their Party With the Emperour the King of Spain and others of weak Judgments they make a Religious account only and the Promotion of the Catholick Cause to be a sufficient ground for their assistance or at least to prevent their interruption of those more Vigorous Princes who help to carry on their Designs With the French King and others of more refined Politicks abandoning all motives of Religion they use the Perswasives of some temporal Interest engaging to assist him in the Design of his Universal Monarchy if he will as mutually promote their Universal Hierarchy and the extirpation of Heresie Thus as the Jesuits have given him many Tastes of their services in a Politick way So now they think it high time that his most Christian Majesty should present them with some Testimony of his Zeal for the Church service And as in order to his Universal Monarchy they have divided the English with Plots bred Jealousies between the States and Prince of Orange by the Lovaisten Faction exasperated and divided the Emperour and Princes of the Empire one against another and Betrayed the Counsels of all other Courts to the French So now in requital for all these Eminent State-services His Majesty though Impartial to all Religious in His Judgement yet on a Politick score hath thus begun the Extirpation of Heresie by this Barbarous Invasion of the Lives of some but Fortunes and Children of all his most Loyal though Protestant Subjects From hence it more plainly appears that the Plot for Introducing Popery into England was but one small part of their Designs who undoubtedly intended an Universal Extirpation of the Protestant Religion out of all parts of the World Wherefore this is the time that all Protestant Princes and States ought Firmly and Unanimously to League and Confederate with the same zeal against the Papists and their false Religion as They do against the Protestants and the true Worship of God Whereto we are oblig'd both by the Law of God Law of Nature and Law of Nations as appears by many Presidents as well Sacred as Prophane which I shall here produce in behalf of these distressed and miserable People who by this Jesuitical Hector of France are reduced even to the extremity of Want and Misery expecting every hour in the Night to be Allarm'd with another St. Bartholomew's Massacre who like Herod Butchering the Innocents may serve to Warn all other Protestant Subjects what quarter they are like to meet with under a Popish King There are many Princes who hoping to advance their own ends and encroach on others Rights will rightly embrace the part of the afflicted and proclaim the Lawfulness of it but the hope of gain is the certain and only aim of their procecedings Thus the Romans Alexander the great and divers others pretending to suppress Tyrants have oftentimes enlarged their own Territories It is not long since Henry the second of France made Wars upon the Emperour Charles the first under Colour of defending and delivering the Protestant Princes As also Henry the eighth King of England was in like manner ready to assist the Germans if the Emperour Charles should molest them But if there be some appearance of Danger and little expectance of Profit then it is that most Princes dispute the Lawfulness of the Action And as the former cover their Ambition and Avarice with the evil of Charity and Piety So on the contrary do the others call their fear and Cowardise Integrity and Justice Therefore without leaning either to the one side or the other let us Impartially examine those rules in such cases which Piety and Justice trace us out in matter of Religion First All accord in this That there is one only Church whereof Jesus Christ is the Head the members whereof are so united and conjoyned together that if the least of them be offended or wronged they all participate both in Harm and Sorrow as throughout the Holy Scripture plainly appears Wherefore the Church is compared to a Body Now it many tims happens that the Body is not only overthrown by a Wound in the Arm or Thigh but also sometimes endanger'd and killed even by a small hurt in the little Finger Vainly therefore doth any Man boast of the safe custody of his Body if he suffers that to be Dismembred and Pulled in pieces which he might have preserved whole and entire The Church also is compared to an Edifice on which side soever the Building is undermined it often happens that the whole tumbles down and on what Rafter or piece of Timber soever the Flame takes hold it endangers the whole House of Burning He must needs be therefore very ridiculous who should defer to quench the Fire which had seized on his House-top because he dwells most in the Celler Again the Church is resembled to a Ship which as it Sails together so doth it Sink together insomuch that in a tempest those who be in the Fore-castle or in the Keel are no more secure then those who remain at the Stearn or on the Lower Deck they both venture in one Bottom This being granted questionless whosoever hath not a fellow-feeling in Commiserating the Trouble Danger and Distress of the Church is no Member of that Body nor Domestick in the Family of Jesus Christ nor hath any place in the Ark of the Covenant of Grace He who hath any sense of Religion in his heart ought no more to doubt whether he be obliged to aid the afflicted Members of the Church than whether he would be assisting to himself in the like distress for the Union of the Church Unites us all into one Body and therefore every one in his calling must be ready to assist the Needy Now as this Church is one so is she recommended and given in charge to all Christian Princes in general and to every one of them in particular for in as much as it was dangerous to leave the care to one alone and the Unity of it would not by any means permit that she should be divided into pieces and every portion assigned unto one particular God hath Committed it all entire to particulars and all the parts of it to all in general not only to preserve and defend it but also to amplifie and increase it as much as might be insomuch that if a Prince who hath undertaken the
divers others of the Nobility fled for fear to Lewis King of Germany desiring his Aid it was there in full Assembly agreed that Lewis should wage War against Charles for the Re-establishing in their Good Honours and Estates those whom he had unjustly dispossest Finally as there hath ever been Tyrants disperst in all parts so likewise all Histories testifie that there hath been Neighbouring Princes to oppose Tyranie and Maintain the People in their Rights Wherefore that all Protestant Princes would at this time imitate so worthy Examples by endevouring to suppress that French Tyrant who so oppresses both Souls and Bodies and the true Reformed Church of Christ Office 1.36 is the earnest Prayers of all poor distressed French Protestants and hearty desires of all good Christians For he that repelleth not injuries from his fellow if he be able is in fault as he that offers it saith Ambrose Piety commands that the Law and Church of God be maintained Justice requires that Tyrants and Destroyers of Mankind be compelled to reason Charity Challenges the Right of Relieving and Restoring the oppressed De Bed par 2. Now those that make no account of those things do as much as in them lies drive Piety Justice and Charity out of this World It were to be wished saith Grotius that many Princes and People at this day would take into consideration that free and Pious Spâ—ech of Fuelco Arch-bishop once of Rhemes Admonishing Charles the Simple thus Who may not be affraid seeing you covet amity with the Enemies of God when to the Ruine and overthrow of the Christian Name you take unto you Pagan Arms and enter into Leagues detestable For there is little difference between associating with Pagans and worshipping of Idols as the Papists do 2 Thess â— 15 Be ye not therefore saith St. Paul unequally yoaked together with unbelievers For what fellowship hath Righteousness with Vnrighteousness What communion hath Light with Darkness 2. Cor. 6.14.15 And what Concord hath Christ with Belial Or what part hath He that believeth with an Infidel Nevertheless too too many Protestants have Espoused and Leagued with the Popish Interest whereby alone the French are now rendred thus formidable In so much that under God nothing but a Protestant sincere and Cordial League can retrieve the Reformed Religion That as heretofore Henry the third of France So now Lewis the 14th may be Ruined by that very League which he entred into for the Extirpation of the Protestants Many there are I am sensible who raise a groundless fear and jealousie amongst us as if like Zophirus of Old who by maiming himself and counterfeiting the Renegado from Darius Jâ—â—n liâ— 2 was by that means admitted into Babylon and so betrayed it to the Enemy These distressed French Hugâ—nets should come over with any such design into this Nation But these surmises will seem very ridiculous if we weigh all circumstances concerning them As First the manner of their Arrival in such small Vessels as none but men in greatest extremity would hazard themsâ—lves in Secondly what sort of persons they be that come over whether they be not of all sorts as well Women and Children as Men And whether they are not mostly Men of professions as Fisher-men Clothiers Weavers and such from whom we have more reason to expect advantage from their Trades than danger from their Arms Thirdly whether there are not as manny arrived in Holland and other Protestant Countries as here and whether the States have not the samâ— Charity for their distress as we have Fourthly whether such a conspiracy if so could possibly be conceaâ—ed amongst so many thousands who are Arrived in all parts Fifthly and lastly whether it stands not to reason that the same Popish Fury which banish them from France should not as well to conceal their own Cruelty and keâ—p them from raising an outcry against Popery by their complaints as to have them discountenanced and discredited where â—'re they come Likewise maliciously and out of design raise all these Calumnies and false Reports against them So that there needs little of Argument to a thinking Impartial Protestant to convince him of the reality of their sufferings And for the benefit that may accrue to the Nation by their Planting themselves amongst us He that reads ancient Histories shall find that the Romans Hospitality to Strangers was the first step of their greatness and Corner Stone of that vast Empire Thus whilst Athens and Sparta though for all other things endowed with most excellent Law yet upon their Nicity of admitting Strangers amongst them remained inconsiderable in the World as to power Rome in the mean while having her City throâ—g'd with Inhabitants from being Numerous soon grew Potent Creseit interea Roma Livy Albae Ruinis the Ruin of Alba was the Rise of the Romans and may the fall of France be the same to England Never any State was so open to receive strangers into their Body as were the Romans their manner was to grant Naturalization which they call Jus Civitatis and to grant it in the Highest Degree that is not only Jus Commercii Jus Connubii Jus Hereditatit but also Jus suffragii Jus Honorum and this not to Singular Persons alone but likewise to whole Families yea to Cities and sometimes to Nations And it sorted with them accordingly for winning as much of their generosity as Arms Rome grew to be the Metropolitan of the Universe Now that England following the steps of Antient Rome in her Hospitality may likewise imitate her in her Victories and Grandeur is the Hearty Prayers of Philopatris FINIS