Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n
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A47603
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The present great interest both of king and people in a letter written to one of the Lords of the Privy-Council / by a lover of his king and country.
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F. K.
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1679
(1679)
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Wing K8; ESTC R20181
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5,430
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4
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and Canting as the worthy Sherlock and Falkner have done so that thereby their Congregations begin to grow thin oh then a hue and cry goes out against them Seize the Arminian he is departed from the Church of Englands Articles and its Homilies seize the Socinian that denies the satisfaction of Christ So that were not Mr. Sherlock a very tall stout man Mr. Falkner at Lynn and Dr. Jane under the Protestant Bishops protection 't is ten to one but they had been delivered up to the Rabble as a great man was about 1643. for being charged with the same Crimes And then they are admirable too at recommending Publick Magistrates if they were but the Sons of some of the old Rebellion and have never so little tincture of Fathers crime but especially if they hunt Jesuits day and night and appear at a Conventicle at least once a Lords day that 's the Man all the Rabble shall be possessed with he is a precious man to sit in Parliament to defend us and promote our cause against Popery and Prelacy Now my Lord for the other sort of Monsters that have principally given their helping hand to bring ruine and destruction on us I mean the Debauchees and the Atheist I know not what to say to them I would only ask the Justices of Peace and other publick Magistrates these two Questions 1. Whether if they had observed to put in execution the Laws establisht in this Nation against these Sons of Belial who thus bid defiance to God and all things Sacred or had not been frighted from their duty by great examples we had seen the present misery of this Age Is it not a shame in a Christian Kingdom to permit such Monsters amongst us I cannot forget one of this sort that is One of Davids Fools that said in his heart c. is mighty angry first with himself for being punish'd severely for his ill life then with all Mankind proving they are in a worse condition than Beasts because he himself has suffer'd like one A ROD for that FOOLS back 2. Whether if the Magistates had put in Execution the Laws made against Popish Recusants and other Sectaries we had heard of so many Plots and Contrivances against our King Government and Religion Then I say my Lord let not the King be evil spoken of that these things are come upon us but charge it on the careless Magistrate that has forgot God and his Duty and as long as we have such Magistracy we shall wax worse and worse till we are beyond recovery and must of necessary Consequence be so In all Ages the Sanction of Laws duely executed were the best defensatives for any Kingdome or Common-wealth 'T was Debauchery and not observing the Laws brought to nothing the Roman Empire Had our Laws been duely executed should we have heard the cryes of the Fatherless and Widdow in our streets so much as we do should not Cursing Swearing and Blasphemy been out of fashion and esteemed dishonourable in the highest and abandoned by the meanest Would not Adulteries and Fornications and the lewdness of the present times have crept into the dark and not appeared so out-daring the Laws of Modesty as well as the Laws of our Land judge you that are the Magistrates of the Land My Lord surely it is high time for some of the most prudent among the Nobility and Gentry to arise on behalf of God Religion and the Laws that our King and we perish not together for if there be not a hook put into the Nostrils of these unruly and ungodly persons 't is impossible but we shall come to confusion and every evil work and also that we in the lower sphere should carry our selves humbly and loyally to our King and endeavour to put to silence the turbulent hot-spurs of the Age that gape after change in the Government but I hope the Lord will disappoint their expectations and blast their designes In order to which I onely will with your Lordships leave propose these eight things to the consideration of both King Lords and Commons and so shall bid your Lordship Good night First Would it not much conduce to the rooting out and destroying the present ill Manners of the Age if His Sacred Majesty would be pleased to appoint fit persons of unquestionable Integrity Sobriety and Loyalty to enquire into the Lives of all his Officers and Servants from the highest to the lowest and find out the most expedient way by the Law to reform the Swearer the Blasphemer the Whoremaster the Flatterer and the Lyer the neglecter of God and his Worship or to remove them from his Person and Service then would Vertue be in fashion at Court 2. That great care be taken to admit none to be Justices of Peace but such as are of very unquestionable Loyalty and firm to the Church of England of sober Conversation and Piety that would mind an Oath then should our Laws be put in execution against Offenders and Justice not perverted to the destruction of our peace and happiness 3. That since of late through the wickedness of the times there hath been Indulgence given to Dissenters That some persons be appointed very often to hear them in order to put an awe upon them lest they preach against the Establisht Government and that reward be given to such persons employed in that service 4. That the Nurseries of Sedition and Rebellion Coffee-houses be forthwith put down and some reasonable compensation given to the persons of that Profession who shall suffer thereby 5. That an exact Register of all the Popish Families in England be returned to the Exchequer and with them their Children also that care be taken they may have no St. Omers Education in the several Counties by the Justices thereof and to make return of such as dare send their Children beyond sea for Education in Religion 6. That to take off the Scandal and Contempt from the Clergy of the Church of England the Bishops in their several Diocesses would visit in person and not by their Chancellours and would not superficially but strictly and severely enquire into the Lives and Manners of their Clergy and take all care to discard them from their Exercise of the Sacred Office till they become as they ought to be And further that they would by no means admit so many into Holy Orders before they be Thirty years of age and well qualified with Learning and Parts to exercise their Office then should not our Universities spue out so many every year of Sizers or Servitors with a little Learning and less Money to take upon them the Curateship of some Doctors Pluralities which with a present Marriage and a small Stipend let the Living be what it will he becomes the scandal of the Parish Poverty being so esteemed every where in this degenerate Age. And farther that 't would hugely conduce to the encouraging of Learning if the great Preferments of the Church were given to the most Learned and deserving Men such as are sound for the Church of England and that no Pluralities be admitted to any person whatsoever unless to a poor Vicar whose Vicarage cannot scarce maintain his Family in Bread 7. That some of the most noble Personages of the Kingdom Men of Integrity and Learning and reputed Loyalty together with some of our Worthy and Pious Bishops would by way of Humble Address to his Royal Highness represent the present jealousies and fears which are upon the minds of the people of this Nation by his being inclined to the Romish Religion and to represent to his Highness the mischievous consequences of altering the Religion his Father dyed for and he himself is obliged to by the obligation of Baptism and the dying advice and command of his Royal Father and Martyr and earnestly to press him to make a publick satisfaction to the Nation in that respect otherwise the mischiefs that will inevitably follow may too late be prevented 8. To conclude That all honest and Loyal hearts would joyn unanimously together to support the Interest of the King and the Church against all those that have set their hands to work to pull them down their several Characters you have before in this Epistle and 't is no hard matter to meet with them in all places of converse where they assert and maintain their Democratical principles I say let us stand up in behalf of our King and Church as stoutly as they are Enemies to them and God will no doubt save us from the destruction and misery devastation and ruine that threatens us at this time Plymouth Sept. 16. 1679. My Lord I will ever subscribe Your Lordships most devoted Servant F. K.
THE Present Great Interest Both of KING AND PEOPLE IN A LETTER Written To one of the Lords of the Privy-Council By a Lover of his King and Country My LORD I Have so often resolved to wait on your Lordship and as often been disappointed of those Resolutions by such publick concerns as did intervene that I now resolve what should then have been the subject of my discourse with your Lordship had my occasions permitted me to come to London shall be now comprised in this short Epistle and I hope your Lordship will not despise the well meant Offering of your Lordships old Acquaintance My Lord Among the rest of other matters during twenty Years last past I have particularly taken notice of the most remarkable publick Occurrences that have been in this Nation and when I review them to me they seem strange I will only observe with your Lordships leave these things First My Lord You cannot but remember with what an universal Joy did all Parties amongst us even as one man receive the King at his Return England lookt like the most peaceable Paradise in the world We began to entertain the old English Spirit again of Love and Loyalty But behold How soon was our growing Hopes blasted all hands at work to hinder any Settlement either in Church or State First The old Enemy of our Religion the Papist attempts the greatest Personages with their Nicknacks of Religion and had an excellent Harvest especially among a sort of Religious Women who when they had thrown off all sense of Modesty and Honesty shelter'd themselves under the Priests shroud of Confession and Absolution a rare way to finde out the Intrigues of Protestant Princes 2. The Sectarian he immediately stept in too with Disputes about the Garments of Religion and must needs have long Conferences at the Savoy Whether it were more Apostolical a short Cloak or a Holland Surplice c. And yet these Zealots pretend the Articles of Religion in the Church of England are sound But King James I remember told us He knew that sort of men very well that they would be always demanding alterations in Religious Establishments but could never agree among themselves what 't was they would have and be quiet 3. A sort of wild fantastick men called Fifth-Monarchy arose to disturb our Peace which would have neither Church nor Monarchy as establish'd but overturn all to bring down Our Saviour to reign personally amongst them and no doubt he would have had admirable Subjects 4. With these in comes a Torrent of Atheism and Debauchery as if all sense of Good and Evil were quite obliterated out of their mindes What Cursing Swearing Whoring Blaspheming even in the face of the Sun all manner of filthiness even to a Prodigy And he was no Gentleman nor Person of any Honour that had not in two hours sitting at Wine invented some new modish Oath or found out the late Intrigue between the L. B. and the L. P. laught at the fopperies of Priests and made Lampoons and Droll on the sacred Scriptures themselves This was and is the practice of our young Nobility and Gentry to the great Scandal and Reproach of their Families 5. The old Cunning Statesman observing this steps forth and appears vigorous too on behalf of the Discontented sets up Green-Ribbond-Clubs and le ts fall doubtful Intelligence at each Coffee-house that it may look two ways and neither true nor understood has his Emissaries every where to whisper Treason and Sedition smite the King through the Dukes side Libel and Lampoon him make him the Author of the present miseries Cry out daily of Property and Liberty that it 's like to be invaded when quite contrary their designs are absolutely bent to invade the Prerogative of their Prince and render him onely the bare Complement of a King and no more Yea they have of late made our Citizens Statesmen too whose business lies quite another way one would think every little Ale-draper now can tell what the Privy-Councel intend to do a Month hence and what the King ought to do c. Very fine by my troth Well but the Statesman goes farther yet for in the Countrey he appears for all the Discontented at Elections for Parliament-men there he recommends Godliness in such a man Courage in another against Popish and Episcopal Plotters when a man might have heard of some of them thirty years ago violent against King-Plotters that is those Loyal persons that endeavoured the Kings Restoration Now My Lord we have brought our selves to a very fine pass let me but a little Animadvert on what I have observed and then propose some Remedies for the Cure of our present Misery My Lord methinks it should have been impossible that these things should come to pass in our days as we now see when we had groaned twenty years under the several Tyrannies of Mechanick Princes Reformation Workmen Sanctified Covenanters Preaching Coblers and what not that our great ones should so far forget themselves as to hearken to the secret whispers of those Anti-Christian Traders to endeavour a return to that Slavery under which most of the Princes of Europe have lain many years to countenance a Religion so full of wickedness of all sorts to Plot contrive the death of Princes in order to their design Surely Protestant Religion was never well grounded in these persons or if it had they have sinn'd away all sence of it that teaches other things in Christianity Indeed as for the Female sort that have departed from our Church to that of Rome of late years they were a dishonour to our Church and no protection or allowance in it to those Adulteries and Fornications which are their daily practice so that no wonder they are departed since into that Church where they can sin and repent c. and yet be as innocent as the late Saints departed at Tyburn And again methinks the ill success our discontented Brethren had in their former Enterprizes for Reformation the Miseries Murders Ruine both to Church and State loss of one of the best of Kings by the hands of their Leaders should deter them from attempting the like again But my Lord I have observed among those sort of Men a spirit full of trouble and discontent let the times be good or bad for they are and must be even as they fancy Truly if Laws wisely contrived to keep us all quiet be put in execution against them oh then the beloved Doctrine of Persecution is held forth powerfully to untye the purse-strings of the good Women of the Congregation and to say truth they have then the best harvest Well but if no Law be put in-execution against them and they are permitted to say and do what they please truly then one or other of the Bishops is suspected Popishly inclined and sometimes they are all so but two Then again if a sound able Preacher of the Church of England or two appear against their foppish way of Preaching