THE PREROGATIVE OF Primogeniture SHEWING That the Right of SVCCESSION TO AN Hereditary Crown DEPENDS Not upon Grace Religion c. But Onely upon Birth-Right and Primogeniture AND That the Chief Cause of all or most Rebellions in Christendom is a Fanatical Belief That Temporal Dominion is founded in Grace By DAVID JENNER B. D. Prebendary of Sarum and Rector of Great Warley in Essex LONDON Printed for J. Hindmarsh Bookseller to His Royal Highness at the Black Bull in Cornhill 1685. TO THE Most Royal and High-Born PRINCE JAMES DUKE of YORK AND ALBANY EARL of VLSTER LORD High Admiral of ENGLAND IRELAND And all Foreign Plantations Constable of Dover-Castle Lord Warden of the Cinque-Ports Governour of Portsmouth c. Most Royal Sir YOUR Unparallel'd Magnanimity and other Your most Eminent Vertues and Excellencies are so well known to the Christian World as that Envy it self cannot obscure them And whatever English Man does or shall hereafter audaciously presume to deny You his hearty 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and Euge is and ever will be unworthy any longer to be an Inhabitant of Great Britain Whose present Peace and Prosperity next unto Almighty God's Over-ruling Providence and unto Our most Gratious King 's Wise Conduct of Affairs is Owing unto Your Highness's Matchless Valour and Prudence The which You have most signally demonstrated in Vanquishing the King's and the Nation 's Enemies Abroad And in being highly instrumental in Suppressing them at Home So that if Fabius Maximus Deserved the Thanks of the whole Roman-Senate for his prudent Management of their Republick Concerns Then infinitely more has Your Royal Highness Merited not onely the Thanks of Our English Senate but over and above even Statues and Shrines of Gold Gratefully to be erected in perpetual Memory of Your most Glorious Atchievements But Ah ungratefull England That after Your most Illustrious Highness had Jeoparded Your Royal Person in many desperate and bloudy Battels at Sea and at Land onely for the Honour and Welfare of this Your Native Country whose Safety You oft times most Generously preferred before Your Own You should at last be so basely and so inhumanely requited As to have an Vnchristian and Unnatural Bill of Exclusion from Your Undoubted Birth-Right pass against You through the Prevalency of the Anti-Protestant and Factious Associatours in the late House of Commons who over-powering the Loyal Party in the said House Voted Sabbati 6. die Novembris 1680 and on Sabbati a day when surely those Fanatical Persons thought the Holy Jesus was again gone out of this World down into the Grave as to his Body and Descended into Hell as to his Soul doing Penance there for Mankind And so would not on a Saturday be present upon Earth to eye and behold their disloyal and disingenuous Actions and therefore They became Rampant and did what they pleased in spight of God and the King And being a Majority they Voted Nemine Contradicente Sabbati 26 die Martii 1681. Your Royal Highness's Exclusion from the Imperial Crown of England and Ireland c. Printed by the Order of Wi. Williams Speaker A Vote steep'd in so much Gall and Vinegar and attended with so much Disloyalty and Ingratitude As might justly have set All Your Noble and Heroick Passions on fire But God be praised In imitation of the Captain of our Salvation You have perfectly Conquered Your self Which personal Victory according to not onely the Stoical but also Christian Philosophy is more Memorable than All your other most Famous Conquests And Caesar like nay rather Jesu like You have forgot Nothing but to be Revengefull upon Your inveterate Enemies Which is Your Immortal Glory And one thing I most humbly suggest to Your Princely and most Christian Consideration as an undeniable Truth Scil. That Those Your Enemies who have or still do endeavour Your Royal Highness's Exclusion Contrary to the Divine and Natural Law of Your Birth-Right and Primogeniture neither were nor are Protestants nor any true Sons of the Church of England as now established by Law But they were and are onely a Company of Perjured Pseudo-Protestants Who under the specious pretence of being Vogued Protestants did and still do carry on their Diabolical Faction and Treasonable Association For in England onely He is a Protestant Beaufrons c. 1. who heartily believes and as heartily protests for and couragiously defends The King's Supremacy And who Christian-like Cordially declares for the Succession of the King 's Lawfull Heir according to Primogeniture whether He be Papist or Protestant whether Morally Good or Bad For This is the constant and professed Doctrine of the Apostolical-Protestant Church of England As I humbly conceive is sufficiently proved in the following Treatise The which does truly blush to approach Your Royal and most Illustrious Presence in its mean Dress and Country Garb. But forasmuch as it is the lively Draught of a most Loyal Heart towards His Majesty and of a most Faithfull and Devoted one towards Your Highness The Authour therefore most humbly begs Your Candid Acceptance of it Assuring Your Highness That He has no other Ambition in Publishing the same than where he lives to be instrumental in educating and instructing the People in the true Principles of Primitive Piety and Loyalty And whilst He lives be serviceable according to his Capacity unto God the King and the Church And to let the World know that He is Your Royal Highness 's Most Dutifull most Humble and Devoted Servant David Jenner THE CONTENTS CHAP. I. THE Necessity of Government Page 1. CHAP. II. Monarchy the best Form of Government p. 6. CHAP. III. That all Kings and their Lawfull Heirs ought by Right of Primogeniture to Reign and Govern Successively whether they be Morally Good or Bad whether Infidels or Christians Papists or Protestants p. 18. SECT I. The Proposition proved by Humane Authority of Heathens ibid. SECT II. The Proposition That Succession to the Throne ought to be by Primogeniture and not by Grace proved by Divine Authority p. 21. SECT III. The Proposition proved by the Vnalterable Law of Inheritance by Primogeniture p. 25. SECT IV. The Proposition proved by Reason and the Common Sentiments of Religion p. 37. The Bill of Exclusion of the Duke of York proved to be unlawfull and sinfull p. 38. Atheistical and Factious ibid. Opposite to the known Law of God p. 41. The Cause of perpetual Civil Wars and Sedition p. 42. The chief Pleas and Arguments for it Answered p. 43 44 c. CHAP. IV. That all Subjects ought Actively to obey their Lawfull Prince in all things which be not Positively against some known Law of God although their said Prince be an Heathen Idolater and Apostate or never so Morally vitious p. 56. SECT I. The Duty of Obedience to Superiours whetheh Morally Good or Bad proved by the Law of Nature an of Natural Reason p. 57. SECT II. The Duty of Obedience to Superiours whether Christians or Heathens Good or Bad proved by Authority of
(a) Ita nihil mali contra Imperatorem faciebat Nicomedensis Patricius qui Edictum publicè propositum concerpsit Melancth in Dan. c. 6. p. 101. Edict although the said Edict was possibly not so good as the generality of Reformers would have had it For that passionate and rash Action was no other than Rebellion against the Emperour's Person and Authority And the man might as Lawfully have torn into pieces the Emperour's Person as his Edict And in truth the countenancing such a Rebellious Action does very much encourage disaffected men unto a General Rebellion For if it be Lawfull for One private man then is it Lawfull for every man to Rebell and in like manner to tear the King's Proclamations Laws and Edicts into pieces Which to affirm or to doe is directly contrary to the Doctrine of the Gospel and to the Profession and Practice of the Apostles and Primitive Christians Unto the above-mentioned Foreign Writers we will add The late and present Covenanters and Fanatical Associatours of both Scotland and England Whose Disloyal and Factious Tenents and Positions the Famous and Loyal Vniversity of Oxford have Sum'd up and have printed them with the Authours of them and have by a Vote of their Congregation on July 24. 1683 Decreed That their said Fanatical and Seditious Positions and Doctrines Oxfords Decree and the Books containing them be publickly Burnt by the hand of their Vniversity-Marshall in the Court of their Schools Some of which Seditious Positions were these that follow 1. That if Lawfull Governours become Tyrants or Govern otherwise than by the Laws of God and Man they ought to do they forfeit the Right they had unto their Government Lex Rex Jo Milton Jo. Goodwin Rich. Baxter H. C. And we will add 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 aliàs Jo. Blackbdell 2. That the Sovereignty of England is in the Three Estates scil King Lords and Commons The King has but a co-ordinate Power and may be over-ruled by the other two Lex Rex Hunton of limited and mixed power Rich. Baxter H. C. And note that they took this false Doctrine from Calvin Beza and the rest abovementioned 3. That Proximity of Bloud and Birth-Right give no Title to Rule or Government and that it is Lawfull to preclude the next Heir from his Right and Succession to the Crown Lex Rex Doleman Julian Apostate and we may add the Votes of the late Associatours against the present Duke of York's Succession to the Crown of England 4. That it is Lawfull for the Subjects without the Consent and against the Command of the Supreme Magistrate to enter into Leagues Covenants Associations for defence of themselves and their Religion Solemn League and Covenant and the late Association 5. That the Presbyterian Government is the Sceptre of Christ's Kingdom to which Kings as well as others are bound to submit And the King's Supremacy in Ecclesiastical Affairs asserted by the Church of England is injurious to Christ the sole King and Head of his Church Altare Damascenum Cartwright Travers add Presbyt General Assembly in Scotaland 1592. Jam. Guthry's first Speech to the Parliament in Scotland 6. That wicked Kings and Tyrants ought to be put to death and if the Judges and Inferiour Magistrates will not doe their Office the power of the Sword devolves to the People if the major part of the people refuse to exercise this power then the Ministers may excommunicate such a King after which it is Lawfull for any of the Subjects to kill him as the people did Athaliah and Jehu Jezabell Buchanan Knox Goodman Gilby 7. That King Charles the First was Lawfully put to death and his Murtherers were the Blessed Instruments of God's glory in their generation Jo. Milton Jo. Goodwin Jo. Owen and we will add John Blackbdell aliàs 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 By these and the like Instances which may be brought it is proved to a very Demonstration That the wicked Doctrine and Practice of Resisting Lawfull Kings and of Deposing and Killing them and of Excluding their Right Heirs from Succeeding in their Thrones for ill Government Heresie or want of Grace is Grounded on Fanaticism And was never preached nor practised by any Episcopal Protestants but onely by the Papists and Fanaticks who ever denied The King's Supremacy The English Churche's Episcopacy CHAP. VI. A Paralle or A Brief and True Account of some Plots and Treasons of Papists and Fanaticks against the Kings and Queens of England since the Reformation and Abrenunciation of Popery EVER since the Abrenunciation of the Pope's Jurisdiction in England the Papists and Fanaticks have gone hand in hand in plotting and raising Sedition and Rebellion against our Kings and Queens upon the Pretence of Religion As for instance The Papists having Sir Francis Bygott for their General raised War against King Henry the Eighth for his being a Protestant and for Marrying a Lutheran The Fanaticks having Sir Thomas Wyat for their Commander made War against Queen Mary for her being a Papist and for Marrying a Papist The Papists Humfrey Arundell being their chief Captain Rebelled at Excester in Devonshire upon the account of Religion in King Edward the Sixth's Reign exclaiming bitterly against Protestantism The Fanaticks Robert Kett being their chief Leader made War and Rebelled at Norwich in Norfolk against the same King Edw. the Sixth under the pretence of Religion exclaiming Loudly against Popery The Papists plotted several times but were not able to effect the Deposition and Death of Queen Elizabeth a Protestant The Fanaticks plotted and effected the Deposition and Expulsion of Mary Queen of Scotland a Papist The Papists plotted the Alteration of the Protestant Religion that they might introduce Popery in Queen Elizabeth's Reign The Fanaticks in her Reign plotted the Alteration of the established Protestant Religion Some as Cartwright Travers c. that they might bring in their Genevan-Discipline Others as Hacket Barrow Brown Coppinger Penry Thacker c. that they might usher in their Libertinism Enthusiasm and Donatism The Papists plotted to alter Religion and to destroy King James by Gunpowder and other ways The Fanaticks particularly George Brook Henry Brook Lord Cobham Lord Gray of Wilton c. joyning in Conspiracy with the two Popish Priests Watson and Clark plotted to destroy King James to alter Religion to subvert the State and to procure Foreign Invasion The Papists in Ireland upon the account of Religion openly Rebelled against King Charles the First and most barbarously Massacred thousands of his Protestant Subjects thereby endeavouring to bring in Popery The Fanaticks in England and Scotland upon the account of Religion openly Rebelled against the same King Charles the First and caused a bloudy Civil War in which thousands of the King 's Loyal Subjects were Butchered and Murthered they hoping thereby to extirpate the established Protestant Religion and to bring in their Genevan Presbytery or Belgick Consusion The Papists in France Murthered King Henry the Third and King Henry the Fourth of that
Kingdom and in Print justified the said Murthers The Fanaticks in Scotland Murthered King James the Fifth And the Fanaticks in England most inhumanely Murthered in the open sight of Heaven and Earth King Charles the First and in Print they justified the said horrid Murther to be a Lawfull and Meritorious Act. The Papists of Lombardy Banished their Lawfull Prince Frederick Barbarossa the Emperour and at last betrayed him to the Sultan of Egypt The Fanaticks of England by Vote of their Rump-Parliament Banished their Natural Prince King Charles the Second and all the Royal Family and did what they could to have betrayed Him into the hands of his Foreign and Domestick Enemies Since the King 's happy Restauration the Fanaticks have out-done the Papists as to their Number of Plots We hear but of three Popish Plots and onely two of them fully proved The Papists Plots were 1. The Burning of London for which Hubbard a Papist of Roan was Executed 2. Oates his Popish Plot for which Edward Coleman and several others suffered Death 3. The Meal-Tub Plot for which Mrs. Celliers a Papist was imprisoned and fined Whereas the Fanaticks Plots have been Many more since the King's Restauration such as 1. Venner's Plot for which he and several others were Executed 2. The Disbanded Officers of Oliver's Army and others plotted the Burning of London before 1666 and Killing the King for which seven or eight of them were hang'd and quartered at Tyburn 3. Tong 's and other Fanaticks Plot in 1662 to Murther the King and the Duke of York c. was proved against Him and his Confederates at Old-Baily London for which They were Executed 4. Mason's Northern-Plot in 62 and 63. for which about twenty suffered Death in Yorkshire and elsewhere 5. Rathbone Tucker c. in 1666 their Plot to have kill'd the King and to have deposed the Bishops and to have altered Religion 6. Colledge's Plot to have seized on the King at Oxford and with his Protestant-Flail to have Murthered the King's Leige-Subjects for which he died by the hand of Justice 1681. 7. Shaftsbury's Rumbold's c. Plot at Rye-House in Hertfordshire to have Murthered the King and the Duke of York for which Captain Walcot and others were Executed 1683. and Sir Thomas Armstrong and Holloway were Executed for the same Plot 1684. We cannot but note that The Papists in their Plot would have killed the King but have saved the Duke of York the Right Heir to the Crown The Fanaticks in their Plots would have Murthered both the King and his Right Heir the Duke of York The Papists had their Jesuits Whitebread Gavan Hartcourt c. to promote their Plot. The Fanaticks had their Priests Lob Ferguson Casteers c. who encouraged their Plot. The Papists engaged several of the Nobility in their Plot against the King if Oates Bedloe and others may be credited The Fanaticks engaged many if not as many of the discontented Nobility in their Plot if Keeling Rumsey and the Condemned persons Confession may be believed In Oates his Popish Plot Were six Lords Impeached in Parliament and none fled for it Such as The Earl of Powis Viscount Stafford who was Executed Lord Petre. Lord Arundell of Wardour Lord Bellasis In Keeling's Fanatick Plot were accused to be eight Noble Men Such as The Earl of Shaftsbury who fled and died in Holland The Earl of Essex who destroyed himself in the Tower The Duke of Monmouth who submitted Ford Lord Gray who fled William Lord Russell who was Executed Lord Howard of Escrick a Witness Lord Melvin who fled Brandon Lord Gerard Bailed And be pleased to Note that All the Papists both Nobles and others denied the Popish Plot to the last but acknowledged the Treason upon the Hypothesis Oates his Plot were true The Fanaticks both Noble Men and others confessed Keeling's Plot but denied the Treason attending it although the Plot was true And which of the two whether Papist or Fanatick lived and died the better Christian we will leave to the World to judge And here we may not impertinently add Two Solemn Leagues Oaths and Covenants one made against the King by the Papists the other made against the King by the Fanaticks And in both they pretend Loyalty and Obedience to the King Zeal for Religion and Good-will to the Common-wealth The Solemn Oath and Covenant of the Papists in Conspiracy against King Henry the Fighth To wit YE shall not enter into this out Pilgrimage of Grace for the Commyn-welthe The Popish Bygot's Covenant Speed's Hist H. 8. c. 21. p. 787. but only for the Love that you doe vere unto Almighty mighty Godde his Faith and to Holy Churche Militant the maintenance thereof to the preservation of the King's Person his Issew to the purifying of the Nobilitie and to expulse all Vilayne Blode and Evil Councellers against the Commyn-welthe from his Grace and the Privie Counsell of the same and that ye shall not enter into oure said Pilgrimage for no particular profite to your self nor to doe no displeasure to no privey person but by Councell for the Commyn-welthe ner Slee ner Murder for no envye but in your herts put away all fear and dread and take afore you the Crosse of Criste and in your herts his Faith the Restitution of the Churche the Suvpression of these Herytyks and their Opynyons by all the holle Contents of this Book The Fanaticks Solemn League and Covenant against King Charles the First To wit YE doe swear The Fanaticks Scotch and English Covenant That ye shall sincerely really and constantly thorough the Grace of God endeavour in your several places and callings Full. Hist ch 1. lib. 11. c. 21. p. 201. The REFORMATION of RELIGION in England and Ireland as it is Reformed in Scotland That ye shall without respect of persons endeavour the extirpation of Popery Prelacy that is Church-Government by Archbishops Bishaps Deans their Chancellours and Commistiaries and all other Ecclesiastical Officers depending on the Hierarchy That ye shall with the same sincerity reality and constancy in your several Vocations endeavour with your Estates and Lives mutually to preserve the Rights and Privileges of the Parliaments and the due Liverties of the Kingdom and to Preserve and Defend the King's Majesty his Person and Authority That the World may bear witness with your Consciences of your Loyalty and that ye have no thoughts or intentions to diminish his Majesty's just Power and Greatness That ye shall also with all faith-fulness endeavour the discovery of all such as have been or shall be Incendiaries Malignants or evil Instruments by hindring the REFORMATION dividing the King from his People that they may be brought to Tryal and receive condign punishment That ye shall assist and defend what ye can all those that enter into this Blessed League and Covenant That ye profess and declare before God and the World your unfeigned desire to be humbled for your sins and for the sins of the