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ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A37070 The interest of England in the Protestant cause Dury, John, 1596-1680. 1659 (1659) Wing D2864; ESTC R15464 21,459 33

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The Interest OF ENGLAND IN THE Protestant Cause Zach. 4.6 Not by might nor by power but by my Spirit saith the Lord of Hosts Isa 59.19 They shall fear the name of the Lord from the West and his glory from the rising of the Sun When the enemy shall come in like a flood the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a Standard against him LONDON Printed in the Year MDCLIX The Interest OF ENGLAND IN THE Protestant Cause THe Duke of Rohan in his life time a wise Statesman an excellent Captain and a zealous Protestant did write a Solid discourse to shew the Interest of the States of Europe wherein upon most rationall grounds he doth make it appear that the Interest of England is to make a third party in Europe upon the Protestant account to ballance all publick affairs and State-transactions between France and Spaine and doth assert that if the State of great Britain doth not divide and weaken it self by civill controversies no forraign State can molest it but it will be able to uphold the persecuted Protestants every where and ballance the powers of Europe so between France and Spain that neither of them shall become too potent to sway the affairs of Europe Monarchically for their own ends which is the constant design of those two opposite Nations His discourse will be found by all that read it very rationall and clear but he onely reflects as a S ates-man upon the outward circumstances of humane affairs and the ways which Policie doth suggest to ballance power with power and treaties by treaties and corresponde cies by correspondencies concerning the transactions which are between States and by these means he would have England to interpose in all publick affairs to make it self considerable wherein he stands up for the honour of England and the advantage of the Protestant cause as a States man in matters belonging to his clement But there are other matters of farr greater weight concerning the interest of England in the Protestant cause then any he doth mention or could speak of in his time which now ought to be taken into consideration not so much upon a State as upon a true Christian account For the Protestant Cause if rightly understood doth not rely upon such State transactions as hee doth mention but is bottomed upon matters of a higher nature which few States men understand or regard for they measure all things in the ballances of Power and Policy as they may tend to the settlement or unsettlement of their present greatness or to the furtherance or hinderance of their future designes But the Protestant Cause if rightly understood is not so much upheld and propagated by the ballance of power and policy as of Righteousnes and of Truth manifested By the ballance of Righteousness the liberty of Christians is maintained that the Tyranny of power may not make them slaves to the lusts of men and by the ballance of Truth which is the Word of God the understandings of Christians are enlightned to discern pernicious errors to avoid them and their wills directed to follow the ways of Godliness wherein their strength doth lye to advance the Kingdome of Christ in their generation For whereas all the States of the world do mind nothing else but their own greatness in might in honour and in riches above their neighbours The Protestant Cause doth aim at nothing properly but at the greatness of Jesus Christ that his Kingdome of Truth of Righteouseness of Peace and of joy in the Holy Ghost may bee exalted and set up in the hearts of all men above all other advantages of might of honour or of riches So that the Protestant Cause is not to be taken for a Combination of worldly powers in a league to oppose the Papists by outward might but to be a conjunction of heavenly powers that is of spirituall virtues and grace to be held forth in the way of impartiall Christianity whereby the Kingdome of Satan which Popery doth uphold will be at last made manifest and overthrown And to bring this to pass the means which God hath ordained to advance the Kingdome of Jesus Christ is to be set a work in a Gospell way which is none other but the Communion of Saints in spirituall concernments of Truth and Righteousness And this Holy Communion cannot be entertained without a Religious correspondency to maintain and propagate the common Interest of the souls of men into Christ's Kingdome which is the proper work of the Protestant Cause and ought to be the main designe of those who are obliged to prosecute the same And although all Protestants as such are all equally obliged to mind unanimously the advancement of this Cause yet I conceive that the godly party of these Nations are more then any others stricktly and solemnly obliged thereunto that therefore they ought more then others to lay it seriously to heart and to act therein more directly and professedly that is to lead other Protestants in the way for the discharging of their duty The reasons which move me to hold forth this assertion I have thought expedient at this juncture of time wherein the great Assembly of the representatives of the Nations is met to lay open that such as are sober minded godly wise and conscionable Christians who are intrusted with the great concernments of these Nations may be put in mind of the engagement which before God and men doth lye upon them And that there may be no mistake of the true aim of this discourse the thing to be made out and insisted upon is this That all who are godly and faithfull in the three Nations are bound in Conscience before God and towards all the Churches of Christ jointly to intend a Religious correspondency with forrain Protestants that the Kingdom of Christ in this our generation may be advanced by the communion of Saints which we are more strictly bound to prosecute towards other Churches then other Churches are unto us Nor is the State it self for so farr as it is a Christian State free from this engagement And to prove this I shall first consider the engagement of the Godly and then of the State as Christian The engagement of the Godly will appear from three grounds First from the truth of the Christian Religion whereof we make profession Secondly from the sad condition wherein all the Churches are at present Thirdly from the designes of the adversaries and their attempts to ruine the Protestant Cause Of the First THe Truth of the profession of Christianity doth oblige all that are Godly to maintain a Religious correspondency with their Brethren of the same profession in three respects First in respect of the substantialls wherein the Truth of the profession doth consist Secondly in respect of the ends for which the gifts and graces of God are given to us and received by us in the profession Thirdly in respect of the means by which these ends are attained 1. The substance of the