of K. James II. when he came among them sacrificing his Interest to the carrying on of their own Designs did justly deserve that Judgment which fell upon them in the Issue of that War We have done with their Loyalty at least their Mouths are stopt against the Defection of so many of the Church of England Of the Roman Catholicks of England And I think the Roman Catholicks of England too are not to insult For though the Oaths be not come to them and therefore we cannot say certainly whether they will Swear or not yet there lies this against them viz. in their publick Chapels here in London they pray for K. W. and Q. M. which some of their Communion told me I hear that all the Protestant Non-Jurors say There is the same Argument against praying as swearing And of all their number none did allow himself to pray but Dr. Sherlock alone who as he tells in the Preface to his Recantation stood single among the Non-swearing Clergy upon this account and you see he did not stay with them But the same Principle that led him to pray brought him to swear too rather than stick out Therefore let not these Roman Catholicks be high-minded because others have fallen but rather fear lest having gone already Dr. Sherlock's length of Praying they may come to Swear like him if they should be pinch'd as he was Nay I have heard several of them argue for the Lawfulness of it only they would keep from it as long as they could I say not that this does conclude upon others who do not so but it may make them more modest in rejoycing over our Fall Non-Jurors of the Church of England Upon the whole I must say That there are none have cleverly stuck to the Principles they profess'd but the Non-jurors of the Church of England For as they profess'd them all along in the same sense they have stuck to them now and have given that demonstration of their being in earnest that they are content to lose all rather than deviate from them And this is one Discovery among the rest that this Revolution has made It has discovered the inflexible Loyalty of these Men whom neither personal Injuries nor Attempts upon their Religion Liberty or Property can move from that Duty to the King which they think a Principle of their Religion and this is a high Vindication of their Religion and a Recommendation of it But now we are upon the Discovery let us not forget to do Justice to all We cannot forget the Rise and Source of our Disease whence all these Evils we now feel and foresee have come upon us and that is our wicked Presbyterian Rebellion against K. C. 1. which banished his Children into Popish Countries God thereby fulfilling a just Judgment upon these Unchristian Rebels Presbyterian Loyalâ—y permitting his Son to suck in the Principles of Roman Catholick Religion of which these Hypocrites against their own Consciences accus'd his Father and on that pretence instigated his deluded Subjects to Rebell against him Therefore it is plainly the Presbyterians we have to thank for K. J's being a Roman Catholick and all the ill Consequences which depend upon it God often in his All-wise Providence suffers Rebellion to bring on those same Evils for prevention of which we chose to Rebell as the Jews crucified Christ lest the Romans should come Joh. 11.48 and his Death brought the Romans who did take away their Place and Nation This had been an Application more befitting a Divine and to have warn'd us of those Sins which have provok'd God to send his Judgments amongst us rather than to bite the Stone not minding the Hand that threw it to lay all upon K. J. if it had been true But to tell down-right Untruths of him or to misrepresent the Truth to appear other than really it is which is likewise Lying and perhaps the more wicked of the two being harder to be discovered and so more apt to impose upon unwary and unthinking People This is direct Diabolical the Office and the Denomination of the Adversary and false Accuser Popish Principles which are embraced It had been a more proper and serviceable Undertaking of this Author to justifie himself and others of his complection from this Imputation and several other things formerly rail'd at against Popery as the Deposing Doctrine Dispensing with Oaths Jesuitical Equivocations and Mental Reservations Not keeping Faith with Hereticks c. where we own we must have kept the same Promises made to another and all this or any other Falsity or Immorality to be allow'd for the Good of the Church If to preserve the Protestant Religion will excuse us to dispense with God's Commands as much as we say the Papists have done to preserve their Church we must expect that the Protestant Religion will grow as hateful to all good Men as the Church of Rome is to the most Bigotted against it or the Jewish Doctrine of Corban which dispenses with the fifth Commandment upon the same Pretences viz. for the Good of the Church to enrich the Treasury of the Temple or the Phanatick Confession of Faith That Dominion is founded in Grace But all these have the Advantage of our Church of England Clergy The Jews had the Tradition of their Elders to plead and the Church of Rome have their Great Council of Lateran for the Deposing Doctrine the Council of Constance for Violating Faith to Hereticks c. and they have their Traditions too for the Benefit of the Church and the Presbyterian has his Solemn League and Covenant But the Church of England Clergy are destitute of all these Helps There is nothing of these but the direct contrary in all her Articles Homilies Canons Rubricks or any Constitutions of her Church The Church of England Vindicated And the Metropolitan of all England with a Quorum of Bishops and several hundreds of the Inferiour Clergy have adhered to the Doctrine of their Church and suffered themselves to be Deprived rather than act or teach contrary to it Therefore this cannot be called a Defection of the Church of England but only of particular Persons who have done it in opposition to their Superiors in the Church as well as in the State and let them answer for it but let the Reputation of the Church be preserved It has already received both a Testimony and a Vindication from the Mouth of K. J. himself who as some present have told when an Irish Lord at Dublin attending upon His Majesty at Supper began to reproach the Church of England for her Apostacy from her former Principles of Loyalty c. The King reply'd They are the Church of England who have kept to the Principles of the Church of England The Lord made Answer But Sir how few are they in comparison with the rest The King said They are more than Christ had to begin Christianity with And all Rightful Kings of England have this
Religion The Passage is Pag. 11. Sect. 2. of the Sermon where the Doctor in profound Adoration of the Royal Authority and the Legal Establishment of a Nation makes it unlawful to preach against the established Religion of a Nation though it be false unless we could justifie our Commission by Miracles as the Apostles did All says he that Persons of a different Religion can in such a Case reasonably pretend to is to enjoy the private Liberty and Exercise of their own Conscience and Religion for which they ought to be very thankful because by the way it is impossible for any Government to hinder any Man from the private Exercise of his own Conscience and Religion and to forbear the open making of Proselytes to their own Religion though they be never so sure that they are in the right till they have an extraordinary Commission from God to that purpose Now because some do think That that extraordinary Commission Matt. 28.19 20 Go teach all Nations belongs to the Successors of the Apostles to the end of the World to which time Christ there promises to assist this Commission of his and to be with those who preach it therefore the Dr. barrs that Pretence in what is said above for he not only requires That such Men should be extraordinarily Commissioned as the Apostles and first Publishers of the Gospel were but that they be able to sustifie that Commission by Miracles as they did This indeed does effectually secure any People from being disturbed with the hearing of the Christian or ony other Religion but that wherein they were bred till a new Age of Miracles shall arise If our Author had gon to this length of Passive Obedience I should not wonder that some Irish Protestants had been offended for it did not relish with us here notwithstanding the good Dr. was at the pains to print it twice for our Information And 5 Nov. 78. before the H. of Com. And that he had two Years before Instructed the Honourable House of Commons in the same flight of Loyal Principles in his Sermon preached before them 5 Nov. 1687. upon Luke 9.55 56. Where in the second Head of his Discourse p. 17. he speaks Of an evil Spirit in the World which not only contrary to Christianity but the common Principles of Natural Religion which by Falshood and Perfidiousness by Secret Plots and Conspiracies or by open Sedition and Rebellion by Deposing and Killing of Kings by the ruine of their Countrey and betraying it into the hands of Foreigners by all the wicked Ways imaginable doth invite Men to promote and advance their Religion But when Religion says he p. 19. once comes to supplant Moral Righteousness to lye for the Truth and to kill Men for God's sake when it seems to no other purpose but to be a Bond of Conspiracy to inflame the Tempers of Men to a greater fierceness and to set a keener edge upon their Spirits then surely it loses its Nature and ceases to be Religion For let any Man say worse of Atheism and Infidelity if he can And for God's sake What is Religion good for but to reform the Manners and Dispositions of Men to restrain humane Nature from Falshood and Treachery from Sedition and Rebellion It is true indeed that the Christian Religion is the most conducive to promote Temporal Peace and good Government of any thing in the World But we have been taught and I hope it is true that it has much more Spiritual and greater Ends than these viz. Eternal Happiness in the clear Vision of God and Enjoyment of him for ever And therefore that it is good for something else than Temporal Quiet among Men which it does not always procure nor is it always a Blessing unless when accompanied with Truth Peace and Security in our Sins is the greatest Curse And therefore a Religion which happens to disturb the outward Peace of this World may not be worse than Infidelity or no Religion as the Dr. supposes for Let any Man say worse of Atheism and Infidelity if he can says the Dr. with great Courage But good Sir if you would give me leave Does not Atheism and Infidelity lead to Hell and Damnation And that is a little worse I humbly conceive than any Imbroylments in this World that were ever caused for Religion even that of Joshua among the Canaanites which by all the Arguments in this Sermon was an attempt contrary to the Nature of true Religion and must have byast all who look no farther than Temporal Quiet against Joshua's Religion and to embrace rather that of the Canaanites who acted only on the Defensive But I will not be so unjust to this learned Dr. as to conceal the Strength of his Argument That Hell is worse than Temporal Disturbance does indeed carry the Vogue among unthinking People and consequently they do suppose contrary to the Dr. that Atheism and Infidelity are worse than the Disturbance of our Quiet here But he has taken pains to instruct them in his Sermon Preached before the Queen 7 March 90. upon Matt 25.46 and Printed By their Majesties special Command That all God's Threatnings of Hell may be only in Terrorem to Frighten Men but that there is no Necessity nor Certainty that Hell will be Eternal as is threatned or that there will be any Hell at all But a less threat than that of Eternal Punishment he says is not sufficient to deter Men from Sin And therefore that God did wisely to threaten it But the Dr. to prevent God from Deceiving of Mankind has told this great Secret Has God said ye shall surely dye But the Dr. says Ye shall not surely dye Taste of my Knowledge and it will open your Eyes For as he goes on in that Sermon on the 5th of Novemb. abovesaid Better it were there were no Revealed Religion Both these Serm. are Pr. anew in the Year 91. in the 3d. Vol. of Dr. Till Sermons and that humane Nature were left to the Conduct of its own Principles and Inclinations than to be acted by a Religion that is continually supplanting Government and undermining the Welfare of Mankind Such a Religion as teaches Men to propagate and advance it self by Means so evidently contrary to the very Nature and End of all Religion And p. 21. The Doctrine of the Lawfulness of Deposing of Kings and Subverting Government is as bad or worse than Infidelity and no Religion How much better Teachers of Religion were the Old Heathen Philosophers In all whose Books and Writings there is not one Principle to be found of Treachery or Rebellion But blessed be God says Dr. Burnet in his Sermon upon Rom. 13. v. 5. p. 36. Our Church hates and condemns this Doctrine from what Hand soever it come and hath established the Rights and Authority of Princes on sure and unalterable Foundations injoyning an entire Obedience to all the lawful Commands of Authority and an absolute Submission to that supream
Power which God hath put in our Sovereign's hands This Doctrine we justly glory in and if any that had their Educations in our Church have turned Renegadoes from this they prove no less Enemies to the Church her self than to the Civil Authority So that this Apostacy leaves no Blame on our Church If you think the Titles of Renegado and Apostate to be too plain Dealing I cannot help it they are the Doctors own Words and no dout proceeded from a godly Zâ—al and Indignation against such base Deserters of these Principles of Loialty which are taught by the Church of England in her Homilies Canons Articles and Authentick Records As did likewise that pious Ejaculation of our Author c. 2. s 7. n. 2. p. 29. That he is a very dishonest man that dissembles or alters his Opinion without any other visible motive besides Gain or Preferment And that their living so long in the profession of the Protestant Religion he is speaking of Converts to Popery and you may apply it to the Converts from Passive Obedience to the Doctrine of Resistance and Common-wealth Principles if they did not believe it was to all honest men an Argument of so great Hypocrisie that the person guilty of it one would think should not have been trusted by any that valued either Truth or Honesty but if this Declaration viz of their new Opinion was only feigned as I am apt to believe it was in many then their Conversion was on Effect of Covetousness or Ambition and an Act of Hypocrisie to be ababhorred by all good men However to persuade the World that they were real they were very mischievous to Protestants in general to those whose Principles they had forsaken especeally to those that had been kind to them whil'st in an inferiour condition And it was observable of these Converts That they immediately on their Reconcilement made themselves signal by some eminently wicked Act. Thus our Author And he says p. 31. The truth is they were people that made no distinction between Right and Wrong but as they served their Interest It would perhaps be thought malicious if I should retort every word of this upon our Author in relation to his present Conversion from his former Principles of Loyalty and Passive Obedience And if his present Principles be not true he has hansel'd his Conversion by an Act much more eminently wicked beyond all Comparison by the writing of this Book than what he observes of Converts to Popery in Ireland What Proportion is ' there twixt tossing a Butcher in a Blanket which he tells p. 29. or two or three small Murders in the heat of Blood and breaking a Cryer's head which is set out p. 30 as the first Fruits of these Papists Conversion what Proportion do these bear to a Bishop's deliberate giving up of half the Nation at a time to the Slaughter and Hallowing it in all past and to all suture Generations This I have enlarged upon already Again if his Matters of Fact be false or but in the least aggravated or misrepresented how eminently wicked will this first remarkable Act of our Author's Conversion appear when he takes God to Witness and protests before him p. 239 that he has neither aggravated nor misrepresented But before I take leave of this Author with the rest of his Brethren the Dublin Clergy who remained there and complemented as it proved K. J. with full assurance of their adhering unalterably to their Church of England Loyalty who durst doubt it even with Relation to K. J. after he was declared Abdicate and a new King even K. W. himself set upon the Throne and claiming the Allegiance of his Subjects in Dublin and the rest of Ireland even then did the Right Reverend the Lord Bishop of Meath at the Head and in the Name of their Dublin Clergy with some others as many as could get thither out of the Country again affirm their Allegiance to K. J. in most express Terms and all the Rhetorick he could invent to perswade K. James into an entire Confidence of their adhering to him as their Rightful King and that it was pursuant to the Principles of the Church of England so to do Which Speech we had here printed two Years agoe together with another of the same Bishop to K. W. when he came to Ireland in the Name of the same Clergy and I have annexed them to this with the Answers of both Kings No. 8. Appendix Now before we part with these Gentlemen I would earnestly desire them to answer me with the same Sincerity with which they addressed to one or both of these Kings Whether it King James had suceeded at the Boyne and been then re-established in England they would have put that Comment upon their Speech to him which they did afterwards in their Speech to K. W And whether if any Man should have charged them for meaning it with that Reserve they would not have called it a base Calumny and sworn to the contrary if K J. had required it at least if an Act of Parliament had been made to have Deprived them if they did not I ask again Whether they would have confest as now they do that they did not mean sincerely in what they Prayed for K. James viz. That God would give him strength to vanquish and overcome all his Enemies Nay farther Whether they would not have boasted of their Loyalty and sincere Intentions towards King James and reproached those of Disaffection to Him who had forsaken Him and of quitting the true Principles of the Church of England and that they were ready to suffer not only much more than they did but even Death it self without Threatning or Reviling much less Resisting the Lord 's Anointed according to the Command of Scripture the Practice of Christ and his Apostles and the Primitive Christians and the express Doctrine of our Homilies c. All these good Words we should have had from themâ— no doubt these only had been the Men of Principles Firmness Courage nay even of Christianity But they are detected God would not suffer such masked Hypocrisie to deceive the World It is told Luke 2.35 as one of the Effects of Christ's coming into the World That the Thoughts of many hearts should be revealed The Behaviour of the Clergy in taking the Oaths This has been remarkably fulfilled in this Revolution but especially in the Clergy There never was so sudden and so shameful a Turn of Men professing Religion and the manner of doing it so impolitick as to make it evident they took the Oaths with at least a doubting and scrupalous Conscience the Sentence of which they may read Rom. 14.23 for they did not take them freely but haggled and kept off some to the last day roaring against them all the while and then coming about all at once with new coyn'd Distinctions and Declarations point blank contrary to the declared Sense of the Imposers They differed among themselves every one had a
here do tell it The Earl of Inchiquin and Captain Henry Boyle with the generality of the Protestant Gentlemen in the Province of Munster having entred into an Association in Decemb. 88. as the Protestants in Ulster and Connaught had done they resolved to seize upon Corke and Bandon as the places of greatest Strength and Consequence in the Province Their Design took effect at Bandon which joyned with them But the Lord Deputy having notice of their Proceedings sent Major-General Mac-Carty now Lord Mount-Cassell to observe them He pretending to keep fair with them they attempted bringing him over to declare for the P. of Orange and some of them had hopes of it but he proved too cunning for them prevented their seizing of Corke and when Captain Henry Boyle upon that disappointment fortified his House Castle-Martyr he besieged him there Upon this Sir Tho. Southwell in the County of Limerick and several other Protestant Gentlemen marched with the greatest Force they could make to raise the Siege in their march they seiz'd on all the Papists Horses and this Mr. Browne who was then one of them took the Horses of Neagle of Moyallow who was then High-Seriff of the County of Corke and a Man was killed in the Fray and all this our Author calls only making his escape from those who came to plunder him But to tell out my Story Sir T. Southwell and his Company hearing upon their March that Castle Martyr was surrendred he endeavoured to make his way to Sligo to joyn the Lord Kingston and other Associators in Connaught who were all in Arms and as this Author tells p. 170. he and 200 of his Men were taken by a small Party of K. J's Dragoons not much to the Glory of their Courage And this Author says p. 171. That they were over-persuaded to plead Guilty though they had not been guilty of any Overt Act that could be construed Treason What this Author means by Overt Acts or what by Treason he will tell us in the next and likewise give us some probable Reason why K. J. should Reprieve and afterwards Pardon Sir Thomas Southwell and all the rest who were engaged in that business and have such a particular Malice only at Browne whom he knew as little as any of the rest Otherwise he must give us leave to suspend a little our belief of his Narrative in this matter particularly that K. J. should influence either Judge or Jury to take away Mr. Brown's Life and that he should be inexorable in Mr. Brown's Case alone and yet so very merciful to all the rest is a Contradiction to believe if his Case or Circumstances did in no ways differ from theirs But it is no wonder that this Author cannot keep him self from Contradictions through the whole Series of his Book when the very Titles the Heads of his Discourse are contradictory one to another which one would think an ordinary Care might have avoided C. 2. s 8. n 10. the Title is That K. J's Desire to be absolute induced him to change his Religion And yet c. 3. s 1. n. 5. the Title is Zeal for his Religion made him act against his Interest to that Degree says this Author in his Prosecution of this c. 3. s 1. n. 5. p. 46. that the Protestants could not but conclude that K. J. was so intent upon destroying them that so he compassed that Design he cared not if he enslaved himself and the Kingdoms P. 45. That he had a setled Resolution not to mind any Interest which came in Competition with his grand Design of advancing Popery and the Slavery of the Nations To effect which it is manifest he was content to be a Vassal to France Thus the Author Here are Contradictions upon Contradictions That K. J. should be content to be a Vassal that he might be Absolute If you say that must be understood only of his other Grand Design viz. advancing Popery which had the Ascendant even over his Interest or his desire of being Absolute This will contradict the other Head of Discourse which gives the desire of Absoluteness in him the Ascendant over his Religion as being the Ground-work and Motive which induc'd him to change his Religion And yet page 10. of his Thanksgiving-Sermon Perhaps says he K. J. chiefly desired an Absolute Authority over his Subjects that he might compel them into the bosom of his Church And it does not appear a less Contradiction than any of these that a King should change the Principles of the Church of England as then taught for those of Rome out of a desire to be the more Absolute The Church of Rome 4 Coun. Lat C. 3 c. gives Power to the Popes to Depose Kings and they have shewn many Examples of it On the other hand the Church of England when K. J. forsook her Communion damn'd this Deposing Doctrine and the Practice of it and valued themselves upon the Principle of Non-Resistance to their King upon any Pretence whatsoever as their distinguishing Character and an essential part of their Religion and they had never varied from it nor was it thought by any or themselves that ever they would I am sure if they were not in earnest with it then they can give no demonstration now that they can be in earnâ—st with any thing and it is in every bodies mouth That K. J's trusting too much to their Passive Obedience hastened his Ruin which could not be if he had not thought this to have been their Principle Now for a King of this Opinion to quit this Church and go to that Church which teaches the Deposing Doctrine to do this out of a desire of Abâ—â—luteness is such a Contradiction as this Author would have seen at another time C. 3. s 12. n. 15. p. 153. he makes K. J. most absolute in the Parliament in Ireland That this Parliament openly profess'd it self a Slave to the King's Will and that he was look'd upon as a Man factiously and rebelliously inclin'd that would dare to move any thing after any Favourite in the House had affirm'd that it was contrary to the King's Pleasure Accordingly the Author instances several particulars of K. J's Absoluteness in this Parliament particularly That upon his signifying his dissatisfaction to the Repeal of Poyning's Act the Parliament let it fall with several other Acts tho' the Irish had talk'd much and earnestly desired the Repeal of Poyning's Act it being the greatest sign and means of their Subjection to England Yet p. 37. you have the Irish dispute his Orders and and stand on the Laws and they would not suffer him to dispense with their Act of Attainder c. And yet p. 18. They pish'd at the Laws as Trifles and declared they liked no Government but that of France that they would make the King as Absolute here as that King was there P. 31. The Temper and Genius of these Men were at Enmity to the Laws and fitted for Slavery They promoted and
227 Alben Howell 17 Dec. 88 Back Isle of Wight Cast away 5 Lively Prize 250 W. Tichburne Oct. 89 at Sea Retaken by the French  Fire-Ships Charles and Henry 120 W. Stone 29 Nov. 89 Plymouth Cast away  Alexander 150 Tho. Jennings 21 June 89 at Sea Burnt by accident  Eliz. and Sarah 100 28 Oct. 90 Sherenesse Sunk for securing the graving place  Hopewell 253 Tho. Warren 3 June 90 Downes Burnt  Emanuel 170 25 Feb. 89 Portsmouth Delivered to the Prize-Officers to be sold  John of Dublin 90 Portsmouth   Sampson 240 27 Oct. 89 Sherenesse Sunk for the graving pl.  Bomb-vessel Fire-Drake 202 John Votear 12 Nov. 89 at Sea Taken by the French 6 Dragon Sloop 57 Fred. Weyman 12 Jan. 89 Isle of Thanet Cast away 6 Drake 151 Thomas Spragg 90 Jamaica Cast on Survey 6 Blade of Wheat 150 25 Dec. 89 Plymouth Cast away 6 Supply Geo. Cross Delivered to her Owners 6 Dumbarton 191 Simon Row 90 Virginia Cast on Survey 6 Deptford Ketch 79 Tho. Berry 26 Aug. 89 Virginia Cast away 6 King's-Fisher Ketch 61 Rob. Audley 23 Mar. 89 at Sea Taken by the French 6 Talbot 91 Ch. Staggens 19 July 91 at Sea Taken by the French  Hulk Stadthouse 440 28 Oct. 90 Shereness Sunk for securing the graving place  Stephen 716 Woolwich Broke up SHIPS that have been Damaged by running on Shoar Rate Ships Names Tuns Captains Time and Place 2 Vanguard 1397 Richard Carter the 10th of September 1691. on the Goodwin Sands 3 Northumberland 1048 Andrew Cotton  Royal Oak 1107 George Byng  Elizabeth 1097 Henry Priestman  Warspight 892 Stafford Fairborne 3d of Septemb. 1691. at the Hamose at Plymouth  Hope 1048 Peter Pritchard  Eagle 1065 John Leake  Sterling Castle 1059 Benj. Watters Note That this List extends onely to the 13th of November 1691. There is a large List of Men of War lost since that time besides above Two Thousand Merchant-men Numb 13. The Oath of Allegiance given to the Protestants in Cork Limerick and some other Garrisons by the Officers when King James drew out the Soldiers from these Garrisons into the Field YOU shall Swear that from this Day forward you shall be true and faithful to our Sovereign Lord King James and his Heirs and Truth and Faith shall bear of Life and Member and Terrene Honour and you shall neither know nor hear of any Ill or Damage intended unto him that you shall not defend so help you Almighty God 7 E. 2. tit Avowric 211. 4 E. 3. fol. 42. 13 E. 3. and in Britton 5 E. 1. c. 29. Numb 14. A Letter written to my Lord Russel in Newgate July 20. 1683. My Lord I Was heartily glad to see your Lordship this Morning in that calm and devout Temper at the Receiving of the Blessed Sacrament but Peace of Mind unless it be well-grounded will avail little And because transient Discourse many times hath little effect for want of time to weigh and consider it therefore in tender compassion of your Lordships case and from all the good Will that one Man can bear to another I do humbly offer to your Lordships deliberate thoughts these following Considerations concerning the points of Resistance if our Religion and Rights should be invaded as your Lordship puts the Case concerning which I understand by Dr. B. that your Lordship had once received satisfaction and am sorry to find a Change First That the Christian Religion doth plainly forbid the Resistance of Authority Secondly That though our Religion be establish'd by Law which your Lordship urges as a Difference between our Case and that of the Primitive Christians yet in the same Law which establishes our Religion it is declared That it is not Lawful upon any Pretence whatsoever to take up Arms c. Besides that there is a particular Law declaring the Power of the Militia to be solely in the King And that ties the Hands of Subjects though the Law of Nature and the General Rules of Scripture had left us at liberty which I be-believe they do not because the Government and Peace of Humane Society could not well subsist upon these Terms Thirdly Your Lordships Opinion is contrary to the declared Doctrine of all Protestant Churches and though some particular Persons have taught otherwise yet they have been contradicted herein and condemned for it by the generality of Protestants And I beg your Lordship to consider how it will agree with an avowed asserting of the Protestant Religion to go contrary to the General Doctrine of Protestants My end in this is to convince your Lordship that you are in a very great and dangerous mistake and being so convinced that which before was a Sin of Ignorance will appear of much more heinous Nature as in Truth it is and call for a very particular and deep repentance which if your Lorship sincerely exercise upon the sight of your Error by a penitent acknowledgement of it to God and Men you will not only obtain forgiveness of God but prevent a mighty Scandal to the Reformed Religion I am very loath to give your Lordship any disquiet in the distress you are in which I commiserate from my Heart but am much more concerned that you do not leave the World in a delusion and false Peace to the hindrance of your Eternal Happiness I heartily pray for you and beseech your Ldship to believe that I am with the greatest sincerity and compassion in the World My Lord Your Lordship 's most faithful and afflicted Servant J. Tillotson Printed for R. Baldwin 1683. Numb 15. The Earl of Sunderland's LETTER to a Friend in London Plainly discovering the Designs of the Romish Party and others for the subverting of the Protestant Religion and the Laws of the Kingdom Licensed and Entred March 23. 1689. TO comply with what you desire I will explain some things which we talked of before I left England I have been in a Station of great Noise without Power or Advantage whilst I was in it and to my Ruine now I am out of it I know I cannot justifie my self by saying though it is true that I thought to have prevented much mischief for when I found that I could not I ought to have quitted the service Neither is it an Excuse that I have got none of those things which usually engage men in publick Affairs my Quality is still the same it ever was and my Estate much worse even ruined though I was born to a very considerable one which I am ashamed to have spoiled though not so much as if I had encreased it by indirect means But to go on to what you expect The pretence to a Dispensing Power being not onely the first thing which was much disliked since the Death of the late King but the foundation of all the rest I ought to begin with that which I had so little to doe with that I never heard it spoken of till the