Selected quad for the lemma: england_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
england_n	abandon_v	church_n	forsake_v	29	3	7.4446	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A70113	Their highness the Prince & Princess of Orange's opinion about a general liberty of conscience, &c. being a collection of four select papers.; Correspondence. Selections	Fagel, Gaspar, 1634-1688.; Stewart, James, Sir, 1635-1713. Correspondence. Selections.; Burnet, Gilbert, 1643-1715.	1689 (1689)	Wing F93; Wing B5930; ESTC R3295	28,089	40

may come before the Prince of Wales be of Age to manage an unruly Spirit that I fear will accompany it Humane Nature can hardly digest what it is already necessitated to swallow such provocations even alters mens Judgments I find that men who otherways hate severity begin to be of opinion that Queen Elizabeths Lenity to the R. C's proves now cruelty to the Protestants The whole Body of Protestants in the Nation was lately afraid of a Popish Successor and when they Reflected on Queen Maries Reign thought we had already sufficient Experience of the Spirit of that Religion and took Self-preservation to be a good Argument for preventing a second Tryal But now a handful of Roman Catholicks perhaps reflecting on Queen Elizabeths Reign are not it seems afraid of Protestant Successors But if some Protestants at that time from an Aversion to the Remedy hoped that the Disease was not so dangerous as it proves I am confident at present all Protestants are agreed that henceforward the Nation must be saved not by Faith. And therefore I would advise the R. C's to consider that Protestants are still men that late Experiences at home and the Cruelties of Popish Princes abroad has given us a very terrible Idea of their Religion That opportunity is precious and very slippery and if they let the present occasion pass by they can hardly ever hope that it will be possible for them to recover it That their Fathers and Grandfathers would have thought themselves in Heaven to have had such an offer as this is in any of the four last Reigns and therefore that they had better be contented with Half a Loaf than no Bread. I mean it will be their Wisdom to embrace this Golden Occasion of putting themselves on a level with all other English-men at least as to their private Capacity and to disarm once for all the Severity of those Laws which if ever they should come to be in good earnest Executed by a Protestant Suceessor will make England too hot for them And therefore I should particularly advise those among them who have the Honour to approach His Majesty to use their Credit to prevail with him to make this so necessary a step in favour of the Nation since the Successors have advanc'd two thirds of the way for effecting so good and pious a work Then and not till then the R. C's may think themselves secured and His Majesty may hope to be great by Translating Fear and Anger from the Breasts of His Subjects to the Hearts of His Own and the Nations Enemies But if an Evil Genius which seems to have hovered over us now a long time will have it otherwise if I were a R. C. I would meddle no more but live quiet at home and Caress my Protestant Neighbours and in so doing I should think my self better secured against the Resentments of the Nation than by all the Forces Forts Leagues Garranties and even Men Children that His Majesty may hope to leave behind him As for the Protestant Dissenters I am confident the Body of them will continue to behave themselves like men who to their great Honour have ever preferred the Love of their Country and Religion to all Dangers and Favours whatsoever but there are both Weak and Interested men among all great numbers I would have them consider how much the state of things is altred upon the coming out of this Letter for if hitherto they have been too forward in giving Ear to Proposals on this mistake that they could never have such a favourable Juncture for getting the Laws against them Repealed I hope now they are undeceived since the Successors have pawn'd their Faith and Honour for it which I take to be a better security as matters go at present than the so much talk'd of Magna Charta for Liberty of Conscience would be though got in a legal way for our Judges have declared That Princes can dispence with the Obligation of Laws but they have not yet given their Opinion that they can dispence with the Honour of their Word nor have their Highnesses any Confessor to supply such an Omission However it is not to be charg'd on their Highnesses if such a Magna Charta be not at present given them provided the Test be let alone but I fear the Roman Catholicks Zeal will have all or nothing and the Test too must be Repealed by wheedling the Dissenters to joyn with willing Sheriffs in violating the Rights of Elections which are the Root of the Liberties of England a prudent way of recommending their Religion to all true English-men But if any of the Dissenters be so destitute of Sense and Honesty as to prefer a Magna Charta so obtained Void and Null in it self to their own Honour and Conscience to the Love and Liberties of their Countrey to the present Kindness of all good Men and their Countenance at another time and above all to the Favour and Word of the Successors who have now so generously declared themselves for them We may pronounce that they are men abandoned to a Reprobate sense who will justly deserve Infamy and the Hatred of the Nation at present and its Resentments hereafter Is it possible that any Dissenter who either deserves or loves the Reputation of an Honest Man can be prevailed with by any pretences of Insinuations how plausible soever to make so Odious and pernicious a bargain as that of buying a precarious pretended Liberty of Conscience at the price of the Civil Liberties of the Country and at the price of removing that which under God is the most effectual Bar to keep us from the Dominion of a Religion that wouldas soon as it could force us to abandon our own or reduce us to the Miserable Condition of those of our Neighbours who are glad to forsake all they have in the World that they may have their Souls and Lives for prey As for the Church of England their Clergy have of late oppos'd themselves to Popery with so much Learning Vigour Danger and Success that I think all honest Dissenters will lay down their Resentments against them and look on that Church as the present Bulwark and Honour of the Protestant Religion I wish those high men among them who have so long appropriated to themselves the name and Authority of the Church of England and have been made Instruments to bring about Designs of which their present Behaviour convinces me they were ignorant as I suppose many of the Dissenters are whose turn it is now to be the Tools I say I wish such men would consider to what a pass they have brought Matters by their Violences or rather the Violences of these whose Property they were and at length be wise They cannot but be sensible of the Advantages they receive by this Letter I suppose they apprehend I am sure they ought to do it that the Ruine of their Church is resolv'd on But if the Dissenters upon this Letter withdraw