Selected quad for the lemma: friend_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A25611
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An Answer to the pretended letter to a friend in the country touching the present fears of the nation and from whence they arise &c.
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1680
(1680)
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Wing A3433; ESTC R26645
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3,167
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6
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AN ANSWER To the Pretended LETTER TO A Friend in the Country Touching the present Fears of the Nation and from whence they arise c. HAving by the Post Received an unexpected Letter without the subscription of any Name wherein the Author informs me he had received mine on the 10th of February last past which hath put me to some trouble of searching my Coppies of that Date wherein I find three several Letters one of which was to the supposed Author being concious to my self that I have Correspondence with none of a debauched lacivious leud and scandalous Conversation but that person the occasion of which hath been the Emergency of some Affairs which now are near a Period by the sequel of whose Discourse compared with his former Letters gives me full assurance it is the same person and as I have not the Art to imbalm a stinking Carrion nor make Deformity appear Beautiful so am I not able to describe our smutty Author in that proper Dress that indeed he truly deserves but shall endeavour to take away some of that little Paint that is upon him that others seeing him in his propper Coulours may have that contempt and scorn for him he deserves But this I cannot but promise that his Letter that came to my Hands was penn'd some Morning after a very debauched Night when perhaps he might commit a mistake not in the designed Subject of his Letter but in the superscription thereof intending it indeed for some Fomenter of discord Pope-poisoned Mallice and Envy like himself and that his Brains being so disturb'd by the Lees of his Evening Cups that he penn'd e'n any that the Devil or his own abused and corrupted Sences could prompt him to tending to Coat holy writ for his Atheistical asseverations and at the same time in plain Terms tells us that Prayer that highly necessary duty is but a meer Art and such an Art as a Man provided he have bui a good stock of Confidence may soon attain unto I do not here design to particularize any Answer to his smutty Sheet looking upon it unworthy any other Answer than to blazen out the Author thereof according to his demerrits which were it not I am perswaded some of those reverend and worthy persons it seems to villifie would undertake the returning a sutable and seasonable Answer First in the Preamble to this Paper the Author says he Resolved upon mature deliberation to give me some satisfaction to my Request whereas the same is not only quite Repugnant thereunto but is a very stinck in the Nostrels of all sober and impartial Men no less shallow and silly are his Assertions of the present Fears and Jealousies of the Nation to arise from the increase of Sects and Factions as he terms them amongst us because forsooth says he these Factions are so increased since the tolleration by which Branch of his Venomous Discourse I gather that the Authors Ears itch to hear of Clandestine Troubles which he would fain lay upon the Shoulders of others having no doubt contrived some expedient by what means to patch up his broken Fortunes through the Murder Rapine and Rebellion he would fain be a promoter of or that his Debauchery hath so consumed that small Patrimony of which he was an unworthy possessor that he calls to mind the high preferment many of those Prentice-belov'd Officers calld Informers have attained and looking upon himself to be very well quallified for that Office having habitually those necessary Vertues of lying dissembling Flattering and swearing to any thing for Gain whether false or true it makes no matter with him and for a Crown would gladly become a Post-Knight 't is such Monsters as these that trouble poor England and ought to be esteemed by all Lovers of their Country as unnatural disturbers of its Peace and welfare England hath two many such Weathercock and Timeserving Libellers and Pamphliteers who make it their chief Study and Drift of their Lives to promote discord and Division amongst his Majesties faithful Subjects whose work it is if a Man believes it is his Duty serve his God his King and Country faithfully to cry him down as a person dangerous and disaffected to the Government to which end they traduce them as Fanaticks Shismaticks or favourers of them whereas such may well be compared to Sampsons Foxes which being ty'd Tail to Tail and the Firebrand of bribes in the midst are enough to set a whole Nation on fire Nay our Author goes on farther and says the of all this is because the penal Laws are not put in Execution Hold I had almost forgot Here comes in Mr. Informers loss whose Trade by his Majesties Great Wisdome and Gracious Favour is much fallen to decay but wherefore is all this Clamour and all this Mallice meerly because his Majesty was pleased for a time to remove the sore Backs of Protestant Dissentors from under the Fcclesiastical Lash and to follow his own Royal inclinations in emitting a Declaration of Indulgence pray let any Reasonable Man judg who can more daringly oppose the proceedings of supream Authority than so impudently to Grudge and Grumble at the Generous and uecessary Indulgence of their Prince for the publick good of his Subjects as our impudent Author does for were there a Reward promised for the apprehending such whom be seems to Callumniate the vertue thereof might be a 〈◊〉 Reason to prompt him to confer some more liberal Treat 〈◊〉 his debauched Dallilah than in his present condition he 〈…〉 capacity of performing and might have divertised 〈◊〉 quaffing his Drunken Cups instead of pausing his swimâ—â—◠〈…〉 upon this Subject 〈◊〉 other part of his odious Paper being not worthy any oâ—â—â— Answer than to scourge him with his own Rod being look'd upon by all sober Men of what Judgment soever to be the most 〈◊〉 and brutal Lines that ever issued from the Press looking 〈◊〉 like the Vomits and Excrements of a Devil incarnate than anything proceeding from Morality it self being highly more necessary for all Protestants of what Judgment or perfwasion soever to joyn heart and hand for the Rooting out of the common Enemy of England I mean the Papists of whom I am afraid our Author is a Member than by any Callumnies or endeavours whatsoever to be divided and distracted amongst our selves and truly I am of Opinion that no Discenters from the Church whatever or at least but the most inconsiderable part of them but would hazard their Lives their Estates and their All for the preservation of his Majesties Royal Person and Government against those incendiaries of the Pope and Hell that are plotting our utter Ruine and Desolation of which some have highly manifested their unwearied Industry in the late I may say present Plot and shall faithful Ministers be afraid of praying to their God in fear of such wretches as our late Author or his Accomplices when Papal violence is undermining both Church and State no it is far better swimming in the Water-works of Repentance than burning in the Fireworks of Vengeance I shall only take notice of some words near the close of his Letter or father Rebellious Pamphlet which tells us that Jesuits come amongst us under the notion of Presbiterian Ministers and what inference think you he draws from thence why says he t is impossible to root the Jesuits our unless the other party and their Ministers be suppressed had he said unless the other party be wholly Rooted our and destroyed I should have thought he had then spoke without dissimulation according to the inclinations of his wicked heart but of this I hope the most eminent in the Nation are fully satisfied and grant such a thing hath been found out it does not follow that that party is the only back-door for the Jesuits to come in at to molest the Nation for their safety in that shelter is so Repugnant to Reason that they run the greatest hazard and had as good be in the Custody of a Jailor as in a Pulpit upon that occasion if any of the Auditors colud from thence find the smell of a Jesuite we have heard that the Devil himself hath transformed himself into an Angel of Light no wonder then that Romes Vipers and Vermine do so industriously use all means to propagate their devillish Designs but it is worth the Remarking that many Pamphlets which in these our times are scattered abroad by the Papists some of which I could name have had their main purport to scandalize Fanaticks and Rail against Popery not aspersing Callumnies on the former without some bitter expressions against the Latter lest by that means the Vizard be taken off and they appear to be whom indeed they are and so indefatigable in their under-hand endeavours to bring the Protestants together by the Ears and then their work is done pray under what notion do these Vermine do this which indeed if suffered may prove a more dangerous back-door than the other of which number I look upon the Author of the pretended Letter to a Frind in the Country to be FINIS