Selected quad for the lemma: england_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
england_n	witness_v	world_n	year_n	42	3	3.7834	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A65410	An answer to the late King James's declaration to all his pretended subjects in the Kingdom of England, dated at Dublin-Castle May 8, 1689	Welwood, James, 1652-1727.	1689 (1689)	Wing W1299; ESTC R24610	16,973	14

AN ANSWER TO THE Late King JAMES's Declaration To all his pretended Subjects in the Kingdom of England Dated at Dublin-Castle May 8. 1689. Published according to Order WHEN one reflects upon the continued Conduct of the Late King James both before and after his Accession to the Crown and the dismal Consequences thereof to these Three Kingdoms and at last to himself I cannot but regrate the Fate of those Princes that abandon their true Interest Reason Conscience and Honour to Jesuitick Councils and enslave themselves to a Party justly abominated by the better part of the Romish Church it self for their gross Encroachments upon Religion Morality and all that 's Sacred among men When I look back to the many Tragedies acted by that Fraternity both in this and the last Age scarce a Kingdom of State in Europe where their Villanies have not come up to the utmost reach of depraved Nature When I call to mind the Horrid Desolations Murders and Wars they have been Instrumental of in the most remote parts of the World witness some Millions of Souls is Japan and other parts of Asia sacrificed not many Years ago to their Ambition and Intrigues under the Notion of propagating the Catholick Faith I say when I confider all there things I am the less surprized with the dismal Effects of their Councils in England since the same Fate attends them every where But I must confess That among all the Martyrs to Loyola's Principles there is none more justly claims our Compassion than the Late King James To see a Prince naturally of no bad Temper Imposed upon by these zealous Bigots to trample upon the Religion and Liberties of His People contrary to Fundamental Laws and the most solemn Promises and Oaths under the false Mask of piety and Zeal to the Catholick Faith and at length to find him seduc'd to abandon His Kingdoms and thereby an absolute necessity put upon the Representatives of the People to fill up His Throne vacated by His own Fault is a Subject that naturally displays the vanity of human Greatness And I may add That the unaccountable Doctrine of Passive-Obedience as it was the Source of a great many Mischiefs among our selves so what has befallen that King may be partly imputed to it for believing That without controul he might do what he pleas'd encourag'd him to take such measures as have brought upon him all his Misfortunes I cannot but at the same time represent to my self with that emotion of mind the affrighted Passenger looks back upon the devouring Billows he has lately escap'd the dismal Scene of Ruin that so lately threatned us and that Abyss of Misery we had certainly been plung'd into e're now if his present Majesty had not opportunely delivered us from the very Jaws of Death and Ruin. That any of the Protestant Perswasion at home should be found Repiners at this mighty deliverance is in my humble opinion an unaccountable place of Ingratitude and Weakness at once When all the Reformed States abroad look upon this great Revolution in Brittain as the most happy Providence that has appear'd on the Theatre of Europe this Century of Years The late mighty Enterprize of His Majesty was the Result of the united Consultations of all the Foreign Protestant States and Princes in this part of Christendom who settled upon it as the last Cast of the Dyce for their Religion and Liberty and with a trembling Expectation made Vows to Almighty God for the Success of an Attempt they wisely forsaw carried in its Womb the Fate not only of these Three Kingdoms but of all the Reformed Churches of Europe When Heaven laid smil'd upon this stupendious Attempt and had beyond the usual Tract of Providence vouchsafed us a Deliverance scarce equal'd in the Records of Time Who would have imagin'd that England should produce such a sort of Monsters as seem to be in love with Slavery and Ruin the necessary Consequences of their unhappy Wretches that have so industriously dispers'd through this great City that Paper called King James His Declaration to all His Loving Subjects in the Kingdom of England A Paper I could have wish'd for King James's own Honour had been buried in Eternal Oblivion since it contains a heap of Falsities that was below a Prince to affirm and which are known to be so by no fewer than the people of Three Kingdoms In giving my Reflections upon this Declaration the Respect due to one that was lately a Crowned Head with some other just motives obliges me to do it with more reservedness than perhaps such a Paper deserves and in stead of a needless exposing a Prince that has his Honour too much sunk already in the eyes of all Europe I shall with all the Calmness and Candor possible examine the Declaration it self without Reflections upon the Prince whose it is and shall not omit one single Sentence in it that can be interpreted even by Himself of any Consequence Thus His Declaration begins Altho the many Calumnies and dismal Stories by which Our Enemies have endeavoured to render Us and Our Government odious to the World do now appear to have been advanc'd by them not only without any ground but against their own certain knowledge as is evident by their not daring to attempt the proving these Charges to the World which we cannot but hope hath opened the eyes of Our good Subjects to see how they have been imposed upon by designing men who to promote their own Ambitious Ends care not what Slavery they reduce Our Kingdoms to It seems King James continues in His wonted road of taking wrong measures both of Persons and Actions which has been the occasion of all His Misfortunes When he talks of his Enemies that have rendred him and his Government odious to the World He mistakes himself if he means those Worthy Patriots that being weary of his insupportable Incroachments upon the Religious and Civil Liberties of these Nations did lend a hand to deliver themselves and Fellow subjects from a Ruin that seem'd almost inevitable But if He had been at the pains to make an impartial Survey of his own Actings and the pernicious Counsels of a sort of Men about him He might easily come to know That His only and real Enemies were those Popish Emissaries that valued not how much His Honour suffer'd nor his Crown were indanger'd if so be they might bring about their own hidden Designs and were willing to sacrifice both Him and His Interest to their own by ends Never Prince was so unhappy in His Cabinet-Council as He and that false light which led Him to imploy none about Him with any intimacy of confidence but those of His own Perswasion prov'd an ignis fatuus than cheated Him into paths never trode by any of His Predecessors but to their destruction If he had been so happy as to have continued in His most Secret Councils a great many Persons of the Reform'd Religion whom he kept at a distance