Selected quad for the lemma: england_n
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A60768
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Some considerations about The new test of the Church of Englands loyalty in a letter / from a country gentleman ; occasioned by the present invasion.
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Whitaker, Edward.
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1688
(1688)
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Wing S4480A; ESTC N36684
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5,853
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8
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SOME CONSIDERATIONS ABOUT THE New TEST OF THE Church of ENGLANDS Loyalty IN A LETTER From a COUNTRY GENTLEMAN Occasioned by the present Invasion SIR I Have great Obligations to you for the continual Accounts you send me I have not Power or if I had I am not at leisure to express my Engagements For to tell you truly your late Accounts of our strange Revolutions do so fill my Thoughts that I am pausing upon them continually Indeed you have all along represented Things as became that Important Station and Honourable Character you bore when the Crown was in danger the time before But I must need say that in these latter Relations you have so Instructed me that I am at a perfect loss with my self whether you have been more Just or Kind For as indeed the Case requir'd you have given me such a particular view of things that if I liv'd in London and had those compleat Freedoms which you enjoy with so many Men of Sense and Quality yet I should never be able to form so exact an Idea of our Publick Affairs as I take from your Paper as it lies before me I have also had the pleasure of Entertaining my Friends at your Expence for so the Honesty and Ingenuity of your Letters requir'd I should Besides it was necessary to Inform my Neighbours that we might find out by Consultation which were the best Methods to serve His Majesty now His Necessity calls for our Help again and His Wisdom does us the Honour to Command it You remember Sir since you made us happy in your Conversation what a considerable Neighbourhood we have how Persons of Honour and Quality Loyalty and Conformity live thick about us and what a powerful Influence they have upon the Common People I leave this to your Reflection But it was necessary I should put you in mind of it in order to what I am going to say for now I am coming to set down those Thoughts which caus'd you this trouble And yet before I can speak directly I must observe the Seasonableness of these Considerations There is a time for every Purpose said the Wise King Solomon and 'tis made good in this particular for if that be the time to consider and expose False Reasonings when our Advesaries are bound to take notice of what we say then this is the very time to Vindicate our from those Odious Slanders which have been outragiously thrown upon us Particularly in May 1687. there came out a Scandalous Paper call'd A New Test of the Church of Englands Loyalty The design of which Paper is to prove that our Ecclesiastical Constitution as 'tis now Reform'd was Hatch'd Nourish'd and Supported to this day by Disloyal and Treacherous Practices I need not prove that this is the pretence of the Paper for we our remember it sufficiently and the Author of it will not I'me sure pretend that I Misrepresent him If all the Instances he brought to prove his Accusation had been true it had yet been no Blemish to our Church at all 'Tis an horrid practice of these Adversaries and they have been as loudly told of their Reasonings against us to the Damage and if they could to the Ruine of our Common Christianity And such amongst many others is this Mâ—thod of Reasoning against Mens Practices in spight of their Principles For what if some of our Members prove Disloyal 'tis yet no more Reproach upon our Ecclesiastical Constitution than the wicked Lives of Christians if objected by a Turk would be an Argument against the Divine Institution of our Blessed Lord himself Thus his Paper would have been good for nothing if his Instances had been true But how utterly False they are his Judicious Answerers have plentifully shewn These Worthy Persons have done more than was necessary in exposing this Paper for every common Reader discerned the Deceit of it and therefore it is not my Intention to add any particular Reflections Tho' if I wrote to gratifie any Pique I could not forbear there are so many lewd things in the Paper which have not been yet exposed But my design is only to shew our unthinking Adversaries the plain Consequences of it and how much Mischief this Paper and that which follow'd to Abett it NOW does the Royal Cause till a Mark of Infamy be fixt upon them For in a word the Dispute is not between him and me but between these Rascally Papers and His most Sacred Majesty For the plain Relation of the Case is thus His Majesty upon His coming to the Crown did Graciously let me add and Gratefully acknowledge our Loyalty His Sacred Words are these I know the Principles of the Church of England are for Monarchy and the Members of it have shewn themselves Good and Loyal Subjects And again at the opening of the Parliament May xxil 1685. What I said to my Privy Council at My first coming there I am Desirous to Renew to You wherein I Fully Declared My Opinion concerning the Principles of the Church of England whose Members have shewed themselves Eminently Loyal in the Worst of Times in Defence of My Father and Support of My Brother of Blessed Memory Here are Principles and Practices too But this little Author on the contrary says We must Change our Old Principles of Loyalty This surely is bad enough to be said directly in the Face of our Royal Master and if it were for this Reason only methinks the Paper should not have an Allowance to the Printing Perhaps they will excuse themselves by saying as they have done that we have forfeited the Kings Protection and so He may break His Word with us They have said so indeed to the Kings Damage but be sure our present Circumstances will convince them that 'tis false and then there will be no Remedy but this Desperate Paper must be Stigmatiz'd or else it will fly in the Kings Face and deceive Posterity into an Opinion that He began His Reign with what I abhor to mention a Solemn and Deliberate Falshood in His Mouth But there is yet another Scene of Mischiefs which will be sure follow if this Paper be still protected We heard some Reports or Amuzements rather about the Dutch preparations but when you sent the Kings Proclamation Dated the xxviii of September last we then thought seriously of things and stood on Tiptoes as it were to see what was the matter and what Measures would be taken When behold we found the King so far from believing that we had forfeited our Right to His Promise and Protection or that we were Disloyal and Treacherous as this Pamphletâ—landers us that He did not think Himself Safe till we again were made His Life-Gard I might alledge many things to prove what I now Assert but I only alledge that Famous Proclamation as Posterity will call it Dated the xvii of October last by which Proclamation the King Intrusts again all His Corporations in the hands of the Church of England We thank the King
abundantly for His goodness towards us but 'tis not my present business to invent for handsome Expressions for we are now considering the Mighty Trust and taking notice how it flatly contradicts this provoking pamphlet so that a second time the matter comes to be debated as it were between this wicked Author and our dread Sovereign But the King as he is gracious so he has manifested himself to be Superlatively Tender to those of his own Perswasion and so I shall insist no longer upon this mischief least I wholly lose my labour for I am dealing with Adversarys who care not much for the Kings Honour as they have shewn the World abundantly and the King surely has too much Goodness to insist upon it against them But now if the Members of this Communion should fail him A man that loves his King and Country does even shrink at the Supposition But because there is no harm in the bare Supposal we'll imagine that they may I need not be told that we ought to do our Duty to the King what ever Disappointments or Severities we meet with and by the Grace of God we resolve that we will But yet these men should consider that we are frail Men and our passions may be provoked till they master our Reason and then indeed tho' we shall be Guilty yet neither will they be Innocent and be sure the Misery will be chiefly theirs And now let's look upon those High Provocations they give us 'Tis plain if the King may be Judge from first to last they are all unreasonable and that is a most provoking Circumstance But I shall be so exceeding fair with our Adversaries as to overlook a whole multitude of Exasperations and Confine my self to this bold Paper and this surely will oblige them and so will have some good effect 'Tis twice already within the compass of seven years that we have hazarded our Lives and Fortunes in the service and defence of this very Prince and by God's goodness have been successful too and that is an Endearing Circumstance But now that we are called upon for further Assistances we shall be apt to enquire what Returns have been made to our past Services I never mean from the King but from the Papists for they are the greatest gainers and being our fellow Subjects are be sure our Debtors Why if this question should be asked and may be answered it must be replyed that by way of Recompence we are Reproached as Disloyal and Treacherous in a Paper that comes out WITH ALLOWANCE and so is made into a Record against us and shall so far as they can effect it be an Evidence to Posterity that ever since the Reformation we are one continued Race of Villians Now this is a Carriage would amaze one beyond what any Exclamation or notes of Admiration can discribe But as I direct my self to the Romanists so I shall not attempt to move them by any Passion or Affection or any thing less than the Kings and their own dear Interest We ought indeed to do our Duty thro' evil Report and good Report as the Apostle expresses it and by the grace of God we will But yet we are a mixture for like other Societies of Men the Tares and the Wheat grow up together What a stupid folly therefore and desperate madness is it to jear us of our Loyalty as in another Paper Printed Permissu Superiorum or to tempt and provoke us to be Disloyal by slandering and reproaching of us upon Record for a Race of Traytors notwithstanding all our eminent Services to the Crown I say what stupid folly and desperate madness is it to use us thus when if they could prevail upon us they themselves must perish for their Pains But if our reasoning upon all that's past proves ineffectual yet NOW methinks when his Majesty wants and trusts too so much NOW surely they ought to lay all the Engagements upon us and give us all the Encouragements that ever they can to obey the King and defend them To say only that 'tis our Duty and we are Bound to do it is to say plainly that they knew nothing of humane Nature And to give yet a further proof to the World that they have no Skill at all in Politicks The Wisdom of our Prince has judged far otherwise for he has Condescended to do several Acts of Grace And to renew his Promises that so he might the more Engage and Encourage Us to Serve him So that they must again go contrary to the King's prudence as well as against his Interest if they do not make amends for the Injuries they have done us This is so plainly reasonable that suppose we agree thus far But here comes the Pinch of the business what Injuries have they done us And what Amends would we have them make us I have limited my self before to Consider only this New Test and I will keep my method and now that this is an Injury with a witness is undeniable For unless the King was ignorant after so many years Experience of us or unless he began his Reign with a deliberate falshood in his Mouth Or yet again unless he is NOW so imprudent at least to repose his greatest Confidence in this eminent Danger in the Hands of those whom he knows are false My Reverence for the King strikes me with a Sacred awe whilst I do but set down these things but yet they are all true or else this Paper is a gross lying infamous Libel And for the MISCHIEFS it does the Royal Cause which is the next Consideration Now If dangerous Temptations and outrageous Provocations to be Disloyal be an Injury to the Kings Interest Or again if the King himself has done wisely in his late Condescensions and Acts of Grace that so like God Almighty he might allure us to do our Duty and encouage us in it Why then like Satan have they opposed the Kings Method Discoraging and Hindering us all they can And if still we will be Loyal 'tis because they are not able to help it But then because we have so much Infirmity and Corruption about us 'tis much to be feared that like those wicked Instruments they will Slacken some and Pervert others from their Duty And thus you see the mischiefs of this wretched Paper are only as great as the whole Cause it self is worth Perhaps you'll say I aggravate the matter too far upon a single private Paper But then you don't Consider the Allowance which makes it a publick Authentick Act so far as concerns that Party and so long as the Paper stands with this Mark of Publick esteem upon it 'tis an open Declaration that they Account us Disloyal and must use us as such when ever they can So that upon the whole 'tis necessary to put a mark of Disgrace upon this Paper and the very Refusing of it is to stand by the Allowance and call us Traytors still in opposition to the King and to all the Damage they can do him by enfeebling those Hands in which he puts his greatest hopes Perhaps I may be asked Why I put Men in mind of this again But this Supposes it had been forgotten whereas I can assure them Their New Test Printed with Allowance is still fresh in Memory and I have not Revived it as every body will Answer for me But my honest Reason for this Paper at this time is because that NOW is the Season to make us Amends for if they will not do it Now upon so reasonable a Demand they would for certain never have done it and if they will do it Now they could never have done it at a better Time I do not at all consider whether this be a Clergy or a Lay Allowance let us but have a Censure against it by any publick Authority amongst them and that will be some satisfaction for we shall thereby see their Wisdom and true Zeal for the King together I have a long time wished that we might Try the Ingenuity of the Roman Catholicks in a Matter where their Religion is nothing concerned and now here is an Opportunity put into their hands and I hope they will use it well They may Account this for a private Paper but I can assure them the Eyes of the Nation are Now fixed upon them to see how they will behave themselves as in other Particulars so in This. If I did not esteem them as Men of understanding I would suggest how it could be no Disgrace or Shame but an Honour and Reputation to Retract or Disown this Paper Publickly And now dear Friend I have said what occurs to my thoughts upon this matter and I did it because truly I had a mind that something to the purpose should be made Publick and I thought it not reasonable to desire it of you without giving some hints of my Design I have now done when I have only added that the whole is at your disposal absolutly for I am c. Just as this is coming away we hear for certain that the Prince of Orange is Landed with a great Army which Confirms the Design and strengthens the Reason of this Paper For NOW be sure his Majesties Affairs do cry mightily for that PUBLICK SATISFACTION which every Dunful Son is BOUND to Demand in behalf of his Holy Mother the Church of England and if the Romanists will not give it us in such a Necessity They must be considered as the worst Enemies the King has FINIS