against it because 't is possible they may and easie to say nay to perswade Credulous People they have Dispensations from him to do such things But Colemans Letters they say speake of the Dukes Zeal for the Romish Church and Religion therefore he is not only a Papist but a Zealous one the inference is not certain because though those Letters say so yet they may speak falsly What are Papists so great lovers of Truth as to make any Conscience of telling a Lye Do not the Excluders think them a Faithless and Deceitful Generation and Men that have no truth in them Do they not believe that the Jesuites and others nay Coleman himself that were Executed for the Popish Plot who asserted their Innocence and deny'd themselves to be Guilty of or Privy to any such design at their Death do they not believe I say that these Men Dyed with an Impudent and Notorious Lye in their Mouthes And if they dare do that at their Death to be sure they are not affraid to do it at other times when they apprehend no harm nor danger near them They that are so Prodigal of the Blood of Princes as to think it Lawful nay Meritorious to kill them will make no Conscience of Blaspheming and Slandering them of speaking all Words that may do them Harm and Injury blast and stain their Honour render them Suspected to and Rob them of the Love Esteem and Reverence of their People Was not that glorious Prince King Charles the Martyr as I observed before Reproach'd and Ruin'd by the Odious name of Papist which his Enemy's falsly cast upon him and can any Man think the Jesuits and other Zealots of the Romish Faction were careless or backward to spread so Mischievous a Rumour to publish such a story as would Expose him to the Hatred and Contempt of a great part of his People for knowing him to be so Zealous and Resolved a Protestant that he could never be gain'd to their Church their Malice and Reveng prompted them to call or report him a Papist that they might Inrage and Provoke his Subjects to take Armes against him But there can be no Colour nor Pretence for this the Excluders will say because Colemans Letters were not writ to Protestants but Papists therefore tell a true not feigned Story Supposing them to be writ to Papists why may they not only declare Colemans Opinion of his Royal Highness Or else be an Artifice or Trick of Colemans to get Mony of the French Kings Confessor Declare the Opinion he had of the Duke for Men of that Church are very Credulous otherwise they would not be of it apt to believe any thing they either desire or fancy if a Man shew them the least Kindness chance to speak any thing in Favour of their Church though it be little and inconsiderable and he have no Thought nor Intention ever to be a Proselyte to it they believe presently he is theirs and tell it far and near what a Convert they have gain'd when no such thing is 't is probable will never be done therefore what those Letters speak of the Dukes Zeal for the Romish Church may be no more but a vain glorious Brag or confident Fancy of him that pen'd them or else a crafty Trick or Wheedle to get Mony from France or Rome or Both by the Confessors interest in both those Courts to carry on the Plot in England Coleman knowing very well that such a Story as this of the Dukes Zeal for the Romish Religion would be a mighty Motive or Inducement to prompt his Holiness and all the Zealots of that Communion to a great and Liberal Contribution the Design they had in hand being so expensive that it would too much exhaust and impoverish the English Catholicks to manage or carry it on at their own Charge Well but if the Duke be not a Papist why doth he not say so Why doth he keep the Nation in Suspence Why doth he not declare himself of the Church of England and publickly profess the most Holy and Excellent Religion Established in it To these Queries divers Answers may be given That he hath declared it for in his Speech to the Lord Mayor and Aldermen of the City of London he said if my Intelligence deceive me not My Lord I am sure I am the first Man that can demand October the 21. 1679. Property in England and have the greatest Property of any Subject in England and therefore have the greatest Reason to defend it any other Man may have private Interest but I can have none for I know very well that as long as this City and this Nation are well I shall be so and that I can be so no longer And I do assure you My Lord that no one Person in all this Assembly can ever Venture his Life more freely in the Defence of this Nation and City and the Government thereof as it is now by Law Establish'd than I will and have been always Ready to do as I hope is well known If this be not plain enough His Royal Highness hath declared since if my Information be true as I believe it was That he was satisfied this Monarchy had no true Friends but the Church of England And if he be so perswaded of is as he hath the highest reason to be how can he be of any other Church Will a Prince that is next Heir to the English Crown depart from a Church he confesses to be the only true Friend to it and joyn himself to one which by consequence he acknowledges to be no true Friend to it This is too unreasonable to be supposed But these if they be admitted they will say are but private Declarations and not so generally known nor so satisfactory as a publick Declaration would be The first was publick enough being made to the Lord Mayor and Aldermen of London Would they have him declare it in Parliament He may do so if he pleases but it would be to no purpose to do it in an Excluding Parliament for if he tell them never so seriously that he is no Papist they will not believe him Should he make the most solemn Protestations take all the Oathes and Tests that can be devis'd Vow Swear receive the most Blessed Sacrament upon it call the Pope Antichrist and Heretick give him all the hard words and infamous Appellations he could invent it would be in Vain for the Excluders would not believe him but say he had a Dispensation to say and do all these things And therefore if he be never so desirous to declare it in Parliament Common Prudence will oblige him to stay till the Excluders are shut out of it and Men of better Principles and a more moderate temper are elected in their stead To do it before would be to tell them that which they have no Mind to hear and no Faith to believe and what can it be but lost Labour and a vain Attempt to
constant custom hath been to invocate or call upon God and in all their dangers and necessities to make addresses to him in hopes to be heard protected and supply'd by his Infinite Wisdom Power and Goodness for if this had not been their hope or expectation they would never have done the other for to what purpose should men supplicate such a Being as hath no kindness for and refuses to help them takes no notice of makes no return to the petitions that are put up to him 'T is true indeed most Nations of the World have been so ignorant as to present their Prayers to a wrong Object to invocate false and imaginary Deuties that could neither hear nor help them but they thought them to be wise and powerful and the dispensors of all manner of blessings otherwise they would never have gone to their Temples nor approach'd their Altars nor lifted up their hands and hearts and voices to them But we thanks be to God understand better than to be guilty of such gross and impious Errours we direct our Prayers to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who is pleased to be called as by one of his most eminent titles of honour a God hearing Prayer and commands us to make our devout addresses to him nay invites us to do it with great and gracious promises It shall come to pass that before they call I Esa 65. 24. will answer and whilst they are yet speaking I will hear So propense is the Divine Goodness to help all Pious People that it will not stay to be asked but prevents them many times with great and eminent blessings and therefore much more will he do it when they humbly beg such favours of him as their present exigences require Are they in trouble or danger Call upon me saith this most merciful Being in the time of trouble I will deliver thee and thou shalt glorify me And lest any man should think his condition not capable of help suppose his dangers or wants too great to be averted or reliev'd by his Prayers our Lord hath given us that most large and comprehensive promise verily verily I say unto you whatsoever ye shall ask the father in my name he will give it you St. Jo. 16. 23. Not every thing indefinitely but whatsoever good thing holy and good men rightly ask of him for a good End he assures us God will give it if the persons praying be pious and holy the things pray'd for just and lawful the end for which they are desired good if they be asked in Faith with submission to his holy will and pleasure with a pious importunity and dependance upon him then the Prayer is within our Saviours promise and of great efficacy with God so St. James affirms The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man Chap. 5. 16. Phil. 4. 6. availeth much is of such mighty Power with God that St. Paul commands us to be careful of nothing not to vex or disquiet trouble or torment our selves with dreadful apprehensions of the dangers that threaten and incompass us not to say how shall we escape what shall we do to decline the rage and cruelty of our Enemies but in every thing by Prayer and Supplication with thanks-giving let our requests be made known unto God do but recommend your selves to God in holy and frequent Prayer with thankful acknowledgments of his former Mercies and you need trouble your selves no farther but leave the event to him who will either give you deliverance here or that which is better and more desirable eternal happiness and Salvation hereafter The more and greater our dangers are the more frequent and fervent our Prayers and Devotions ought to be for when all other helps and means have failed these have procured the most eminent blessings and deliverances the Church in all Ages hath experienced the benefit and advantage of them for the Prayers of holy men have saved Cities and Kingdoms from Ruin obtain'd Victories done Miracles shut and opened Heaven By the Prayer of Moses the Amalekites the most malicious Enemies of the People of Israel were vanquish'd by the Prayer of Asa the Ethiopians their most numerous Enemies were discomfited And by the Prayer of Isaiah and Hezekiah the vast Army of Sennacherib was destroy'd by an Angel the Seige of Jerusalem raised and he return'd into his own Land where he fell by the Swords of his own Sons And if the devout Prayers of holy men have been so advantageous and successful in former Ages how come they to have lost their power and efficacy now or to be of such small credit with Christians that they dare not trust to them and other lawful means but seek to secure themselves by those that are sinful and unrighteous May not we expect the same help and benefit by them which they have afforded others in their dangers and distresses yes certainly And therefore let it be our care as it is both our wisdom and duty to make use of these to put up Supplications Prayers and Intercessions First for the King that God will give him along Life a secure happy Reign save or deliver him from all his Enemies hide him from the gathering together of the froward and from the Insurrection of the wicked doers discover and defeat all the Councels and Conspiracies of Traytors that they may fall into the Pit which at any time they dig and be taken in the Snare which they are so Impious as to lay for him For his Royal Highness that God will preserve him from the hands of Violence from the cruel bloudy Zeal of Fanatick Spirits that he will be graciously pleased if he be a Papist to inlighten him with the knowledg of the Truth to convert him to this Pure and Holy Church that he may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus For our Religion humbly beseeching the great and glorious Author of it that he will be pleased to preserve and continue it to us and our posterity for ever that though our sinful and unsuitable lives deserve so sad and fearful a Judgment yet that he will be merciful to us not suffer his Truth to fail amongst nor his Gospel to be taken from us And that he will be pleased to keep us from dishonouring our Religion by using any unjust or unlawful means for the Defence and Preservation of it lest whilst we appear Zealous in such a way for the true we run into such errours extravagancies as will give the World just cause to think that we have really no Religion at all If these things were piously and frequently recommended to the Divine Goodness both in publick and private by all that in this Nation profess the Reformed Religion we should soon see the Blessed effects of and obtain a Gracious answer to such Prayers And therefore before we trouble our selves about any more let us try this most excellent Expedient which hath in all Ages done such wonders in the
I leave it to the Consciences of the Excluders to determine what high and horrid Injustice it is to deprive or take it from him if he have not forfeited this Right which is now to be Examin'd or enquir'd into All I know that is pleaded for the affirmative is his changing his Religion or turning Papist and the Dangers thence proceeding to our most Gracious King and excellent Religion here then two things are to be enquired into First Whether the Duke be a Papist Secondly If he be whether that forfeits his Right SECT IV. First Whether His Royal Highness be a Papist revolted from ours to the Romish Church and Religion I may have leave I hope to put the Question and no good Man will be offended at me if I have that honour for a Grand-Child of our English Solomon King James who was so zealous an Opposer of the Romish Superstition for a Son of the Royal Martyr who Lived and Died in the Holy Apostolical Faith professed in our Church for a Brother the only Brother of our present most Gracious Soveraign who is the Great Patron and Protector of the Reformed Religion as not rashly to conclude him guilty of such a change a change so reproachful to them and Injurious to himself The Excluders I know will laugh at nay be angry with me for putting the Question it being as they affirm Notorious that he is a Papist and they believe him so to be as verily as they believe any Article of the Creed but I confess I do not think it so notorious as is pretended but look upon it as a doubtful Case because his Royal Highness hath so much reason to disswade him from such a change and because the Arguments for the Affirmative that he is a Papist do not as I apprehend prove him so to be There is nothing which they that are serious in it use to adhere to with a more firm stable and immoveable Resolution than the Religion in which they have been educated this if it have nothing else to endear and recommend it ingages their constancy and fixes them firmly to it like the magnetick needle to the North even a false Religion having the advantage of prepossession will keep its ground against the true though it comes with the clearest reason the most convincing Arguments and such unanswerable Proofs of its Divine Original and Authority as may justly not only perswade but Command Admittance and Reception This detain'd the Heathens in their Abominable Idolatry and Superstition it was the Religion they had been brought up in which they suck'd in as we say with their Mothers Milk and they were resolv'd to follow their Ancestours in it as they had happily done those that went before them and they pleaded in defence of their refusing Christianity that it was a new Doctrine and an upstart Sect not known nor heard of in the Days of their Fore-Fathers and they asked the Christians in the greatest scorn where was your Religion before Jesus Christ And it hath ever been accounted a mighty Dishonour and Reproach to any Nation or Persons to change their Religion but upon the greatest most weighty and pressing Reasons and Motives and therefore God upbraids his People with it Hath a Nation Jeremiah 2d 11. changed their Gods which are yet no Gods but my People have changed their Glory for that which doth not Profit Never any Nation was so absurd and unreasonable as to change their Gods though false and but supposed ones till they were fully or throughly convinced that they were not what they took them for As wild an Errour and oversight is it for Men to change their Religion unless there be the biggest reason and the greatest necessity for it It argues great Lightness Ignorance and instability of Mind to be of an Ambulatory and gadding Humour in a matter of such moment and concern as Religion shews the Persons guilty of it to be of a weak and Childish temper Like Children tossed to and fro and carryed about with every Wind of Doctrine It reproaches their Wisdom Arraigns their discretion that they should imbrace a Faith or Religion they dare not be constant to such considerations as these do commonly keep Men firm stedfast in the Religion they first imbraced though a better be offer'd and proposed to them But this is Foolish and Wicked Obstinacy a blind and dishonourable Constancy it being as St. Ambrose well observes nullus pudor ad meliora tranfire no shame no reproach at all to change for the better to quit errours for the truth a corrupt for a Pure Church a dangerous and sinful for a safe and holy Religion but to turn from the truth to errour from a pure to a corrupt Church to exchange a safe and holy for a lewd and dangerous Religion is a great shame and such a Sin as without Repentance must needs be Damnable if any Man thus draw back my Soul saith God shall have no Pleasure in him They therefore that say the Duke hath changed his Religion reconciled himself as they call it to the Church of Rome must say he did it either with Reason or without that he had great and considerable motives to induce him to it or he had not If they say he had not but did it without Reason they put the greatest slur and abuse upon him imaginable charge him with the highest imprudence make him a Child not a Man cast a greater Calumny or Reproach upon him than that base slander for which he brought his Scandalum Magnatum against the impious impairer of his Honour this being to say that he would in a sullen and unaccountable humour Create his Royal Brother a Brother so tender of his Honour and Interest so great danger Vexation and Trouble put the Nation into such horrid Tumults Disorders and Confusion bring upon himself so many Dangers incur the Clamours Obloquies Hatred and contempt of all the Factious People without any cause or inducement at all If they say his Royal Highness had reason for this change considerable motives to induce him to it these must be either his Interest and Advantage in this World or his Salvation in the other because these are the greatest and most momentous reasons that could be offered to move him to such a change but to turn Papist I shall prove is neither for his Interest and Advantage here nor his Happiness and Salvation hereafter both these being better secured and provided for by his stay in ours then they can be by joyning himself to the Church of Rome His interest and advantage in this World for what can a Prince whom Heaven is pleas'd shall Reign desire more then all the Authority Priviledges and Prerogatives belonging to the Royal Dignity a Loyal and Obedient People their Welfare and Felicity with all that Honour and Renown Fame and Glory that these are always attended with Every wise Prince if he was permitted to chuse his happiness would have it Compounded or
Regions above for his most faithful Servants So that a Popish King cannot be safe unless he sets up that Religion he must be a Zealous Assertor Promoter and Maintainer of it or else his own Party will depose and lay his Honour in the Dust down he must come unless a special Providence Guard him descend into his Grave by a violent and untimely Fate if he do not Imploy all his Power and skill to advance or set up that if he refuse to do this he Ruins and undoes himself for being of that Religion he must have some of its Priests to perform the Sacred Offices of it which gives them access to his Person and consequently Oppertunity to Dispatch him And therefore if his Royal Highness be a Papist and as such comes to the Crown by refusing to set up that Religion he will expose himself to the fiercest Rage of that party and Consequently to the greatest Danger though that rage of theirs will be most unreasonable because unprofitable to them all the rest of the Royal Family being known and professed Protestants so that no advantage can accrue to them by his Deposition or Death Besides 't is very probable that he may have no fear or Apprehension at all of it for if he be a Convert to that Church to be sure he hath a good Oppinion of it and thinks them honest Men or else he would never have joyn'd himself to them and being so Perswaded how can he apprehend any danger from them if he do not set up that Religion which he agrees with them in their Profession of He may think he doth the Romish Faith Honour enough by the open owning of it and sufficient Service as his Example is a great allurement to invite others to imbrace it and he may Consider that to set it up by force will produce such Cruelty and Oppressions let in so many Miseries that his Clemency and Goodness may oblige him to abhor the thoughts of doing it If it be said that every Man desires to Propagate and Advance his own Religion and therefore the Duke if he be King will have the same desire to Promote his I grant it but then I say every Man will not make use of unjust and cruel Methods for that purpose but endeavour to win Men to it by Arguments and Perswasions he will do the Religion he is of all the Right and Service he can without wronging others he will by fair and lawful ways gain all the Converts he can to it but he will not make Sacrifices of those that refuse it and no Man knows but this may be the Dukes Resolution if he come to be King and be a Papist To say he will think that God requires him to set it up and that he cannot be Saved unless he do it is to say that he will think God requires him to make three Kingdoms Miserable to commit many Oppressions Cruelties and Murders and that such Horrid things as these which God forbids and declares to be Damnable are necessary to his Salvation which are most Unreasonable for any man that is truly Religious to think If the Duke think the Roman to be the true Religion he will think God requires him to beleive and profess it and to Endeavour by all Lawful means to Convert his People to it but if those do not Prevail he must in reason think himself Obliged no farther because the using cruel and unlawful means to that Purpose is Apparently Destructive of that Salvation which he designs to obtain by Imbracing that Religion And being assured God will not be Displeased with him if he do not set it up because it cannot be done without doing those things against which his Wrath is revealed from Heaven he may either Apprehend no danger from the Professors of it or if he do despise it relying upon the Divine Protection which his Consulting the safety and welfare of the People is a great Endearment of For if he set up the Romish Religion the People must either become its Proselytes or not If they do they lose Heaven If they do not they are sure to be Miserable upon Earth For Men to profess known Errours and to Practise Gross and known Sins must needs be Damnable but all Protestants know and are Convinced in their Consciences that the Romish Church is guilty of many and great Errours Sins and Impietys Errours in Doctrine Impieties Hainous Impieties in Worship such are the Images they make of God and the Divine Honour or Worship they give unto them as also their Praying to Saints Adoring their Images and Reliques and the Elements in the Eucharist with divers other Abominations which they are Guilty of and therefore for them that are convinced of the Sinfulness of these things to turn to that Church must needs be to shut themselves out of the Kingdome of Heaven But if that be too great a good to be so parted with then to secure it they must resolve to undergo all the Miseries and Cruelties and Sad things which upon their refusing the Romish Religion will break in upon them for either they must fly from the Storm become voluntary Exiles leave their Native Country their dearest Friends and Enjoyments go seek their safety and some of them their Maintainance in other Nations which is a great and sad Calamity or else stay and be Executed as Hereticks at home And seeing these will be the Lamentable consequences of his setting up the Romish Religion I desire those that are so forward to believe he will do it to consider what advantages can accrue to his Royal Highness by such violent and Tragical actions can it be any Pleasure to him to hear the Groans of Dying Men or to see the Funeral Piles of them that are Sacrifiz'd for the Faith of Christ Blaze before him Or can it be for his safety to destroy many of his best and most Loyal Subjects and by the Terrour and Severity of their Sufferings to force others to turn Papists this is to drive them from a Loyal to a Trayterous Church and how can he expect they should be true to him whom he Compells to be Unfaithful to their God Is it for his Honour to Execute the Bloody and Inhumane Sentences of Rome upon his good Subjects to be the Popes Instrument to commit what Cruelties he pleaseth in these our Brittish Islands Is not Murder an Hainous Sin and will not Innocent Blood the Blood of those that will be Slain if Popery be set up for professing the true Faith and Holy Religion of Christ cry aloud to the Righteous God for Vengeance and Provoke him to punish him here with a short Reign with the Terrours of a guilty Conscience with one Plague and Judgment after another till he pass from Hence to the other World and instead of the Glorious Crown the Pope and his Priests flatterd him with the hopes of he find an Horrid and Intolerable Ruin Search all Histories Examine all the Annals of the
of their Instruction and for Direction of their Conscience to such Casuists as their own Men say have Dishonour'd Christian Religion with their Abominable Lessons She feeds them with a dry Communion and bids them obey Jesus Christ and the Pope if they will be Saved She hath also her Bishops Priests Masses Monks Monasteries but such as have nothing almost common with those of the Primitive times save only their Names In brief with all possible Artifices she labours to keep her poor Laity Hoodwinckt in Ignorance for Blind Men are more Tractable and Obedient unto their Leaders She tells them it is Creed enough for them to believe only the Catholick Church that is to Resign up to her self their Understanding but if any of them be farther Curious to know more Especially if they will be Prying into that Dangerous Book the Bible she sends them into the Inquisition to be there better Catechised Thus she deals with her own But for all Us that are in her Opinion Hereticks if her power were answerable to the Malignity of her desires no Remedy we should all pass through the Inquisition into Hell To go from a safe Church as Ours is wherein there is a Certainty of Salvation to such a Dangerous Church as the Roman is wherein there is but a meer Possibility of it is a wilder and more unaccountable Errour or oversight than if a Man that was to Sail in a Rough Dangerous and Tempestuous Sea full of Rocks and Sands should refuse a stout and well built Ship that had Skilful Careful and Honest Pilates and chuse one that is Crasy and full of Leaks or Breaches to let in the angry and devouring Billows and is steered by such Pilates as are either Treacherous or Careless Ignorant or Knavish His Royal Highness then had no reason to change his Religion upon this account his Eternal Happiness and Salvation being certain and undoubted by his stay in our Church that is by believeing and living as it teaches and requires all its Members to believe and lead their lives But exceeding doubtful and hazardous no more than possible in the Romish Communion And being neither for his Interest in this nor his Happiness in the other World to turn Papist his Royall Highness could have no just Motive or Inducement to do it These Arguments as they prove the Duke ought not so they will Oblige all that consider them to question whether he hath changed his Religion for being a wise Prince how can he be Guilty of so Deplorable an Errour as to do that which is against his interest now and his Happiness for ever that will make him Inglorious whilst he lives and Miserable when he is Dead and gone But the Excluders will say this is to doubt whether the Sun Shines when he appears in Subsect 5. his highest or noon day Glory to question matter of Fact for did not his Royal Highness refuse the Oaths and Subscription against Popery and do not Colemans Letters speak of his Zeal for the Romish Church and Religion and if he be not a Papist why doth he not declare himself and satisfy the Nation that he is of the Establish'd Religion these things they say make it Evident to all that will not shut their Eyes that the Duke is a Papist As for the first his Refusing the Oaths and Subscription against Popery That is no evidence of his being a Papist because he might have reasons for that Refusall He might think it a dishonour to him being a Prince of the Blood and next Heir to the Crown to take the Oaths and make the Subscription which every Justice of the Peace and every Captain in the Militia and persons inferiour to these were by that Law Obliged to do Is there any thing that a brave generous Prince such as his Royal Highness is Is more tender of than his Honour And would it not have been a lessening and impairing of that a descending from his greatness a stooping much below himself to take those Oaths and Subscribe as every person that hath any Office Civil or Military is by that Law required to do Sure there is some difference to be put and some distinction to be made between a Prince and Men of lower degree between a Son of the late and a Brother the only Brother of this present King and other Subjects 'T is true indeed the Duke whilst the King lives is but a Subject but then he is the highest the greatest Subject next to the King both in Blood and Dignity and hath such a property and capacity as no other Subject hath and therefore what may be Honourable enough for other Subjects to do may look meanly in him and be in his own Apprehension if not in the Opinion of others a lessening his Esteem and impairing his Honour The Dukes Refusal too might proceed from a just dislike and aversion to the great Contriver and Promoter of that Law which requir'd the taking those Oaths and the making that Subscription a Man Popular Ambitious Busy and Designing and as since appears most Trayterous and Disloyal who had misbehaved himself towards his Royal Highness and without any Provocation was become his Enemy and openly profess'd or declared himself so to be the Duke I say might justly hate the Child for the Fathers sake refuse to observe a Law Contriv'd and Promoted by his open Enemy to comply with and do those things at the Motion of Such an One being both dishonourable in it self and that which would encourage the Man to more and greater rudeness and sauciness towards him and set his invention a work to frame new Impositions and lay greater Burthens upon him there being no end of some mens Projects and Impertinencies and if they be humour'd in one thing they will demand an hundred and grudg if they be not satisfied and if you do not let them lead you by the Nose as long and as far as they please your first complyance is Slighted or Contemn'd as a thing of no worth nor merit and therefore the best way to be freed from such Troublesome and Imposing persons is to withstand or give them a repulse at the first for if they find a Man resolute and not to be wrought upon they will be discouraged and in time give over their Impertinent and Saucy attempts Besides the Dukes taking the Oaths and Subscribing could not have acquitted him from the Suspition of Popery with them that were desirous he should be reputed that they might treat him as a Papist for so long as his Holiness pretends a power to grant Dispensations and is willing to exercise or put that power into practice which he will do as long as he hath any Zeal for the Catholick cause or any Concern for his own gain and profit so long they that love to brand others with the hatefull name of Papists will think or call them so notwithstanding all the Oaths they can take and the Subscriptions they can make
The Grand Expedient FOR Suppressing POPERY EXAMINED OR The PROJECT of EXCLUSION Proved to be contrary to Reason and Religion By Robert Clipsham Canon of Chichester To the Excluders Are your minds set upon Righteousness O ye Congregation and do ye judg the thing that is Right O ye Sons of Men Ps 58. 1. LONDON Printed for William Freeman over against the Devil-Tavern by Temple-Bar in Fleetstreet 1685. To the Honourable Sir John Farrington Knight one of his Majesties Justices of the Peace for the County of Sussex SIR THat I have prefix'd your Honour'd Name to this Discourse will not I am confident be displeasing to you for as much as in it I plead that Cause for which you have express'd so great a Concern When the Enemies of the Royal Family were at the highest puff't up with the vain hopes of gaining their so much desired Point the Exclusion of his Royal Highness When they reviled and treated the Opposers of that wicked Project at their pleasure even then as became a Person of Eminent Courage and Loyalty you declared your just Indignation against and condemn'd it as a most impious Device And seeing one great design of this Discourse is to prove the Bill of Exclusion to be as unjust as you have always thought it to whom with greater Reason can this that I have writ address it self for protection than to a Person of such known and unquestion'd Loyalty you being One of those Brave and Loyal Persons that truly honour and heartily desire the Felicity of the King and his most Glorious Family and this in so high a degree that you have suffer'd for it been most unjustly deprived of a considerable part of your Birth-right for no other cause at all but your Devotion to your Prince and Zeal for his Service But hereby you will be no looser in the end because God Almighty I am sure will bless and prosper you and all good men do and will love and honour you Besides your good opinion of this Discourse that it will be serviceable to the Great Ends I writ it for encouraged me to make it publick and to put it into the World under your Patronage not doubting but you will accept that which you were pleased to entertain such favourable thoughts of Hereby also I have an opportunity openly to acknowledg my great obligations to you and beseech you to receive this as a Testimony of my Gratitude for the many and undeserved civilities with which you have treated me which if you please to do I shall ever own it an high favour to him that hath the greatest reason to Subscribe himself Sir Your most humble and devoted Servant Robert Clipsham To the READER WHat Entertainment the following Discourse will find with Two sorts of Men is no hard matter to foretell They will Cast all the Contempt and Reproach they can upon It and the Author Muster up all the Calumnies and Slanders Attaque me with all the Wrath Bitterness Clamours and rude Language which they that reprove Mens Errours though for no other end but that they may be perswaded to reform them are commonly assaulted with One of the Factions will call me Heretick the Other Jesuite or Papist at the least That will be angry and revile me for declaring against the Errours of the Church of Rome This will be inraged and rail at me for charging some of the same crimes upon it especially for Condemning that they admire and are so fond of their beloved Bill of Exclusion But the great Searcher of hearts will I am sure acquit me from both those hateful Imputations because he knows me to be neither Heretick nor Papist though I confess indeed with St. Paul that after the way which they of the Church of Rome call Heresy and those of the Seperation as falsly call Popery so Worship I the God of my Fathers I am that is of the Excellent Religion by Law Establish'd amongst us and by the help of God resolve to live and die in it and therefore can be neither Heretick nor Papist and shall laugh rather than be troubled at them that call me either Though I have given neither of the Factions just cause to call me so because I have done them no wrong but fairely represented their Opinions and faithfully shew'd them their Errours that as becomes men calling themselves Catholicks and Christians they may reform them and therefore they ought rather to thank me for my charity than be angry with me They are to be blamed for running into such Errours and doing such evil things not I for proving them so to be If Rome be a dangerous Church for men to venture such a Treasure as their Souls in I did not make it so but only call upon all that please to read me to chuse a safer that they may be sure to obtain that Immortal glory and happiness the hope of which is the great joy of our Life and our only comfort and support when we are to dye and the enjoyment of it so desireable and unspeakable a good that none but the most foolish and the most faithless men can be careless and unconcern'd about it And if the Bill of Exclusion be unjust therefore contrary to the Excellent Laws of Christ the Authors Promoters and Admirers of it are to be blamed for fixing upon such a sinful Expedient not I for proving it so to be That God who hath done it hitherto is still able to protect our Gracious King and Excellent Religion from the designes of all their Enemies and it is mine and every good mans daily Prayers he will be pleased to do it Why then should any so far distrust his goodness as to do an unworthy thing to secure them which are as safe already under the shadow of his protection as they can possibly be And if this Project of Excluding his Royal Highness be unjust as I suppose I have proved it if it were put in practise it would rather deprive them of the safety they have already than procure them any more this being to renounce the Providence and the Defence of the Almighty which are endear'd and assured by Righteousness and to make Sin our Refuge which as he forbids so it must needs highly provoke him For my part I bear no hatred nor ill will to the persons in either of the Factions but wish them all happiness and shew them the way to obtain it that is by renouncing their Errours and all those Practises that are therefore Dangerous because Contrary to sound Doctrine and common Honesty Nor was it an itch after vain glory or a desire to be in Print that prompted me to write this Discourse I had no such mean inducements in my thoughts when I resolv'd upon this Subject for if that had been my design I could have chose one less obnoxious to censure and misunderstanding The Truth is I saw the King endanger'd for refusing to pass this unjust Bill the Kingdom miserably divided and
Distracted about it I perceiv'd it to be a bone of Contention because there was so much snarling about it and was very apprehensive of the dreadful consequences of it and therefore I thought my self obliged to contribute my endeavours to undeceive the People by shewing them the Evil and Injustice of it it being the duty of every good Subject to bring Water to quench the Flames of Sedition and Contention which this Device had kindled And I had as I apprehended great encouragement and weighty reasons to prompt me to undertake this Subject The first because The Right Honourable the House of Lords cast out the Bill as an abominable thing and all the Loyal Gentry had publickly protested against and declared their abhorrence of it and indeed all of the Church of England that I converse with though they heartily abhor and pray against Popery did freely own their great dislike and hatred of it which satisfi'd me that it was not my singular Opinion that it is unjust but that I had therein the suffrages and consent of all good men The reasons too that moved me to it were weighty which are these To vindicate the Justice of my Soveraign by shewing he had the highest reason to reject this Bill and consequently to stop the mouths of those that are so prophane as to blame his Sacred Majesty for refusing it To assert and defend the Right of an Injured Prince to shew them that were so unjust and unchristian as to Treat him so despitefully and to offer him such hard measure the evil of their doings that they may repent and humbly beg pardon both of God and Him To do honour to the Church of England both by protesting in its name against this Project and by proving it teacheth the right way to Heaven which will certainly lead all that follow it to the Immortal Joys and Felicities of that blessed place to reprove the folly wickedness of those fugitives that run from the Communion of it either into Popery or Fanaticism To caution or warn all that love the Establsh'd Religion not only to have no hand in but to abhor and oppose the Bill of Exclusion as that which will be an indelible stain or blemish to it make it if it should expire at any time goe out in a snuff leave an ill savour behind it and hinder its happy Resurrection To allay the heats and calm the passions it hath put men into and to let them see if they please to open their eyes what an evil and wicked thing it is they admire so much and therefore unworthy of the value they put upon it These are the reasons that moved me to undertake this Subject and are sufficient in my apprehension to justifie the doing of it so that if any blame me for it I shall answer them in the words of David to his peevish Brethren VVhat have I now done Is there not a cause wherein have I transgress'd or offended VVhat have I done unbecoming a Christian or a Protestant in writing upon this Subject Had I not great cause just and cogent Reasons for it But I hope I have given no offence thereby to any honest Man I am sure I did not intend it And as for the censures of all that are otherwise I scorn and think them below my notice or observation let them censure me as they please I shall never trouble my self about them All that can require an Apology is that which I am very apprehensive of that I have wrong'd this great Argument by my low and unskilful manage of it I wish with all my heart I could have done it better it being in my apprehension a Case of very great moment and concern though I must say it was my endeavour to speak reason in the case and I hope what I have done will find acceptance with all good men and conduce to the great ends I design'd it for And seeing we all call our selves Christs Servants and Disciples I thought it the fairest and most equal way to compare this so much admired Expedient with some of the prime Laws of Christianity by which we shall all be judged at the last day and have made it appear I think to be an open defiance and contradiction to them and therefore not to be done by a Nation professing his most just and merciful Religion which commands us to do good to all men and injury to none That which may be thought by some a great omission is that I have not consider'd that which is alledg'd in the beginning of the Bill as the prime Reason ef their Resolve to Exclude his Royal Highness That by his turning Papist great encouragement hath been given to the Popish Party to conspire the Destruction of the King and Government and the Extirpation of the True Protestant Religion This indeed I said nothing to not because it is unanswerable but in truth because I thought it deserv'd no Answer for unless they can prove he turned Papist with that intention their taking encouragement from it to conspire against the King doth not involve the Duke in their guilt nor make him justly punishable because Wicked and Trayterous People are glad of any occasion to do mischief and encourage themselves to attempt it when no motive or inducement is offer'd them and it is most unreasonable as well as uncharitable to believe he had any such intention unreasonable because no Prince will be a Proselite to that which he believes to be a Trayterous Church This being to put himself into the hands of his Enemies and to run wilfully upon his own Destruction If his Royal Highness be of the Romish Communion which I do not believe to be sure he thinks it an holy and a loyal Church and upon that perswasion joyn'd himself to it If so he could not possibly intend to encourage that Faction to attempt the Kings Life because he believed them honest and loyal People that heartily abhor'd such wicked and cruel practices but if he was deceiv'd in his Opinion of them and those whom he thought to be Sheep be Wolves ravening and blood-thirsty People and those whom he took to be Saints be really Devils this is their crime not his and therefore he is not answerable for it and to punish him with the severity the Excluders design'd upon this supposal is the most execrable Injustice because it is to punish him for other mens Crimes to deprive him of his Birth-right because the Zealots of the Church he is of are though he neither knew nor believed them so to be Trayterous and Cruel This will appear more plainly and convincingly to some if we put the case thus suppose the next Heir to the Crown thinking theirs to be the best and purest Religion and such as would conduct him most safely to eternal Glory and Happiness should turn Fanatick and that Faction Encouraged by his being their Proselyte should Conspire the Death of the King and the Destruction of the Church
which horrid Conspiracy being by the goodness of God discover'd the Church party to preserve the King their Religion their Lives and Estates from the Rapine Oppression and Cruelty of that Faction slighting all other means of safety should resolve upon this as the only sure Expedient for that end to Exclude the Fanatick Successor In this Case he by becoming their Convert intended only to save his Soul or go the right way to Heaven but the wicked Faction thinking they should never have such an opportunity again to set up their Discipline and way of Worship took encouragement though he meant to give them none from his joyning himself to them to Plot the Death of the King and the Destruction of the Church I demand then if it would be just for this reason to Exclude this Prince How would the Faction take it Would not their mouthes be Open'd and their pens Sharpen'd against the Authors and Promoters of such a Bill of Exclusion Would they not Fill Heaven and Earth with complaints and cries against such Injustice and Injury done to a Prince of their Perswasion no doubt they would why then do they offer that hard measure to a Prince of another that they would not have done to one of their own Church For if it be unjust to Exclude the Fanatick it must be equally so to Disinherit the Popish Successor because he no more intended by turning Papist to encourage his Party to Conspire against the King than the other by turning Fanatick design'd to animate his Party to the like wicked attempt So that to Exclude his Royal Highness for this reason because his being as they suppose a Papist hath encouraged the Papists to conspire the destruction of our King and Church is most unjust because as I observ'd before it is to punish and that most severely the Innocent for the Guilty to ruin one man for the Sins of others For that he intended by turning Papist if he be so to encourage that Faction to attempt such execrable things as it cannot be proved because 't is known to none but the great searcher of Hearts so it is the highest and most horrid uncharitableness to suppose that the Duke in defiance to God common Honesty natural Affection every thing that is Great Good and Just should turn Papist on purpose to prompt and exite that Faction to murder his Royal Brother that he might Fill his Throne They that harbour such black thoughts of a Prince so Just in all his other actions and so great a lover of the King as he is known to be must needs be odious to God his Angels and Saints in Heaven and to all good Men upon Earth and without such a purpose or intention their taking Encouragement from his being a Convert to their Church to conspire the Destruction of the King and our Religion doth not cannot make him justly punishable Their other Pleas and Arguments for this Project of Exclusion I have Consider'd in the Discourse it self and given I suppose full and rational answers to them If any where my pen hath slipt I hope Reader thou wilt be either so ingenious as to pass it by or so charitable as to shew me my mistake that I may reform it for I am none of those stiff and obstinate people that resolve to adhere pertinaciously to their own Sentiments or Opinions be they right or wrong but shall ever account it a greater glory to amend an Errour than to be able to defend it One favour more I beg of all my Readers which they cannot well deny me that they will please to read the whole Discourse before they pass Sentence upon it because that which may look like an Objection in one place may be answer'd or taken off in another I have no more to add but my hearty Prayers to Allmighty God that he will graciously please to lead us all into the Pathes of Peace Piety and Loyalty that we may be happy now and blessed for ever Amen The Grand Expedient FOR Suppressing POPERY Examined OR The PROJECT of EXCLUSION Proved to be contrary to Reason and Religion WHen great and extraordinary dangers steal upon People and give them no notice or warning at all of their approach they produce in them strange Disorder and Confusion of Mind a mighty Tumult or Hurry of Thoughts then as the Psalmist speaks of men tossed in an angry and tempestuous Sea they are at their Wits ends and know not what to do fain they would according to the dictate and inclination of nature preserve themselves decline the impending evil and the danger which approacheth them with an Aspect so menacing or full of terrour and thâ— first Act of their mind upon the apprehension of it is to decree and determine that it must be avoided this is so great an evil that we cannot bear it if it comes we are undone it doth certainly bring ruine and destruction along with it therefore we must and will if it be possible prevent or stay its approach block up all the avenues and ways by which it may make its passage to us Whilst they thus resolve every thing that offers it self as a means of safety and comes with fair pretences of security is welcome and receiv'd with all expressions of love and joy they applaud and hug it as their Friend and Deliverer and their minds are so pleased transported with it that they are not at leisure to consider whether it be just and lawful whether God and his law allow them to preserve themselves by such means to enquire whether the safety it offers them at present be not attended with more and greater dangers hereafter Whether that which they resolve upon as a means to save them now be not inconsistent with their eternal happiness and such as will ruine or destroy them for ever For if either Reason or Religion might be heard they would satisfie and convince men what a wild attempt it is to decline temporal dangers by such ways as lead to eternal miseries to make use of such Arts to save them from suffering here as will expose them to the wrath and vengeance of God hereafter that no evil unjust or wicked thing is to be done though according to the rules of humane policy it might preserve and secure us at present because it is of infinite hazard to our Souls and will be their eternal undoing When we can by fair and innocent ways provide for our safety we are unjust to our selves if we do it not but when these fail and we are reduced to a sad necessity either to Sin or Suffer if we chuse rather to sin then suffer we are prophane and wicked have no Religion nor Fear of God But in great dangers there is no room for such thoughts or considerations as these but every thing by some People is accounted good and lawful or however excusable that promiseth safety and security and when their Religion their Lives and Estates either are or are
apprehended to be endanger'd they hope God will not be extream to mark what they do amiss for the safegard and defence of them These seem to be the sentiments or opinions of the Authors and Promoters of the Bill of Exclusion otherwise they would never have fix'd upon this as the only Expedient to obviate and disappoint the black and bloody design of the Church of Rome An Expedient so highly and apparently unjust so dishonourable and reproachful to our Religion that tended to blast and brand it with eternal infamy and make it the scorn of all the wise and honest world Blessed God! Whither do pale and gastly fears and blind or furious zeal hurry Men Had not our Nation incurr'd shame and contempt enough from Men as well as the dreadful displeasure of God by the barbarous murder and untimely fall of that incomparable Prince King Charles the First who was deposed and murdered and hurryed to an hasty grave by the Fears Jealousies and Suspicions of Popery which the Enemies of his Royal Vertues and Greatness buzz'd into the ears and minds of his People For what moved them to leave their quiet dwellings to loath the peace and plenty they injoy'd What drew them into the field of War but Fear of and Zeal against Popery They were told by those who they thought would not deceive them that the King was turning Papist that the Queen ruled all that most of the Ministers of State and the great Men at Court were Popishly affected and waited for a change and if they let them alone the Romans would come and take away their Place and Nation An accusation though as false as the Devil and such as had nothing to colour or make it seem probable yet all that wise and good Prince could do to confute the slander to wipe off such an odious and lying imputation all his excellent declarations shewing his High Esteem his Royal Affection his Prudent Zeal for the Protestant Religion his frequent and learned disputations with some of the most Eminent Papists who to their astonishment found themselves silenced and confuted by him and unable to defend their Church against the mighty and convincing Arguments with which this incomparable disputant shattered and beat it down not his solemn protestation before a great concourse of People at his receiving the most Blessed Sacrament nor any thing else he could either say or do could clear him from the suspicion of Popery or satisfie Multitudes of his People that he was not gone off from the Reformed Religion but so deep root had the calumny took in their hearts that they persisted in the belief of it and that excited their rage and so inflamed their zeal that in defiance to God and his Law they offer'd themselves as freely to fight for the Faith as the Christians did in the Primitive times to suffer Martyrdom for it and would not lay down their Rebellious and Unchristian Arms till they had beat him in the Field seiz'd his Royal Person and by the Mockery of Justice condemned him to die But when they heard him in his last words and dying speech profess and declare himself a Protestant that being no time to dissemble either with God or the World then tho too late all of them that had any remains of honesty or fear of God perceiv'd their errour and said in the bitterness of their Souls what have we done How have we been cheated into Rebellion by Fears Jealousies and Rumours of Popery stain'd our impious hands with Royal and Innocent Bloud Wicked men Sons of Belial have blasphemed and slandered the Lords Anointed accused him to us as a Papist and an enemy of the true Religion and we were so wicked and credulous as to believe them and contribute our accursed endeavours to depose and destroy him After such an horrid crime and tremendous wickedness as this had rendred our Nation and Religion odious and contemptible to the World and we had endeavoured to make some reparation for it by our impatient desires and longings for the return of our present most Gracious Soveraign by Congratulating his arrival with the loudest acclamations and expressions of joy by doing justice upon those execrable wretches that were the prime actors in that black Tragedy and with solemn penitence beg'd Pardon of and reconcil'd our selves to God so that hereby we began to recover our lost honour and the good opinion of our neighbour Nations After all this I say to return to our vomit again to be so frighted out of our Wits and our Religion by the news of Popery and the discovery of the Cursed and Cruel design of the Papists to destroy our King and Church as to overlook and despise all lawful means of safety and to resolve upon a wicked and barbarous Bill of Exclusion as the only Preservative or Expedient to save them What is this but to rave and be mad again To brand our selves with new Infamy and Reproach To proclaim the Injustice and Impiety of our Nation To draw the eyes and curses and Arms of all the Christian World upon us Nay to defie Heaven it self and all the Thunder Bolts of the Almighty or as the unjust judg confess'd of himself neither to fear God nor regard Man Sure this Popery is some horrible monster a dreadful bugbear that it can at every turn thus fright our English People out of their Wits prompt them to the wildest and most unreasonable practices That the very suspicion of it could exasperate and inrage them so against their lawful King who had the Devotion of an Angel the Piety and Innocence of a Saint and more then humane Mercy and Goodness as to bring them to that Impious Resolution which the Jews took up against our Blessed Lord and Saviour we will not have this man rule over us And if not that yet a probability of his being a Convert to the Romish Church should provoke our Commons and some few of our Peers in so high a degree as to put them upon disinheriting and excluding a Son of such a Father and forgetting all the Vertues and Glories of his Renowned Ancestours treat him as a publick Enemy and take from him all possibility as far as a Law could do it of wearing the Crown that encircled and adorn'd their Wise and Royal Heads Such premises as these must needs infer one or or both of these conclusions That Popery is a vile thing or they exceeding wicked men that seek to prevent and block up its passage to us with such Rampires and Bulwarks of Injustice with the greatest Wrong and Robbery and Oppression For my part I am no advocate either for Popery or them that make such wicked and unchristian use of it but renounce and abominate them both That 't is certain is an evil and impious thing but yet the fears and apprehensions of it must not ought not to provoke or instigate our People to do any unjust or sinful thing to keep it out because this
made up of such excellent and desireable Ingredients as these First I say he would injoy his full Authority Subsect 1. all the Priviledges and Prerogatives belonging to his Royal Place and Dignity all the Rights that God hath annex'd to it he would be a King not an Image of one exercise his Regal Power in the full latitude or extent of it not have it restrain'd or limited to a few things and those the meanest and most inglorious parts of his sacred Office This he cannot have in the Church of Rome for there the Mitre Perks up above the Crown the Pope I mean is Lord over the Prince claims a Superiority pretends to a Power and Jurisdiction over all Kings or Soveraign Princes by Divine Right a Power to Excommunicate and depose them to declare them fallen from all Dominion and Rule to dispose of their Kingdoms and give them to whom he pleaseth to unty the bonds of Obedience or absolve and discharge their Subjects from their Allegiance The first that is the Popes pretended Superiority over him impairs and lessens the Princes Honour makes him a Subject instead of a Soveraign Prince degrades him from the high Station thrusts him lower than Heaven hath placed him renders him not Gods but the Popes Vicegerent or Deputy makes him a Servant to him who is but a Fellow Servant with all the Bishops of Christ and is as strictly and indispensably bound as they are by the express Command of St. Paul to be Subject to the higher Powers that is Kings and Soveraign Princes Let every Soul be Subject to the higher Powers every Man that is whether he be of the Clergy or Laity if of the Clergy tho' a Prophet an Apostle an Evangelist a Patriarch a Metropolitan a Bishop all are included in it and must be Subject to the higher Powers so was St. Paul nay St. Peter himself from whom his Holiness claims Superiority over Kings unto that Cruel Emperour Nero both of them suffering Martyrdom under him and so far was St. Peter from claiming that Supremacy which his pretended Successors have so proudly challeng'd so unjustly usurped since that he gives it to Kings Commanding the Christians to whom he writ to submit themselves to every Ordinance of Man for the Lords sake to the King as Supream as the chief or highest Minister of God upon Earth And if every Soveraign Prince be Supream or the highest Minister of God within his own Dominions as St. Peter calls him how can he have any Superiour To make two such as they of the Church of Rome do in every Kingdom one to superintend the Affairs of Religion the other Civil Rights or Matters of State besides that it is impudently and faucily to divide and separate the Powers that God hath joyn'd together Kings and inferiour Magistrates as the Apostle exhorts being to be pray'd for That we may lead quiet and peaceable Lives in all Godliness and Honesty but how absurd is it that we should pray to God they may do that which according to the Doctrine of the Romish Church they have no Commission nor Authority from him to meddle in that is to provide that their Subjects may lead quiet and peaceable Lives in all Godliness as well as Honesty to take care that their People not only deal Justly one with another but also Worship God aright profess the true Faith and the Holy Religion of Christ and be taught to lead their Lives according to it Besides I say the guilt of dividing the Powers that God hath conjoyn'd or united it is the very dregs of contradiction to make two Supreams in one Kingdom for how can one be Summus or Supremus the chief or highest if the other be equal to him 't is as evident as the Sun when it shines brightest that these are inconsistent one cannot be the greatest if the other be as great nor one the highest if the other be as high and therefore to give the Pope a Supream Power in all the concerns of Religion is however it may be colour'd or guilded over to make the Prince his Slave to give him not an equal but a subordinate and dependent Authority for he that Rules Religion must needs Rule all and therefore the Assertors of the Popes Supremacy as they give him a direct and absolute Power in Spirituals so they give him an indirect and relative Power in Temporals in order to Spiritual and Religious concerns when the Interest of Religion requires it he may Exercise a Temporal Power or Jurisdiction over Princes Excommunicate or Depose them give their Kingdoms to others absolve their Subjects from their Allegiance give them Commission or Warrant to take Arms against them nay to Murder or Destroy them So that the Pope where he hath the Supremacy is really the Kings Master and absolute Lord over him his Dominion is but precarious during the pleasure of his Holiness for so long as he behaves himself humbly and dutifully towards his Holy or Spiritual Father Executes all his orders observes all his injunctions though never so barbarous bloudy and inhumane so long he shall have his Blessing and injoy his Favour and being so dependent he must needs have a tottering Throne and an uncertain Authority the Crown sits loosly on his Royal Head ready at every turn to drop or fall off If he dispute the Commands of his great Master the Pope complain of his Exactions remonstrate against any of his proceedings though never so modestly if he express any sorrow for the intolerable oppressions of his People if he be unwilling to Butcher and Cut their Throats like Sacrificed Beasts or to make Bonefires of Innocent and harmless Men meerly for professing the True Faith and obeying the Holy Religion of Christ If the Divine Goodness be pleas'd to inlighten his Royal Soul with the knowledg of the Truth and by the splendour of that Light he see and condemn the errours and corruptions of the Romish Church then he is an Heretick and they say of him as the Jewish Zealots did concerning St. Paul Away with such a Prince from the Earth for it is not fit that he should Live Excommunicate curse him with Bell Book and Candle then it is meritorious to kill him and his Holiness hath a Ravilliack or a Jaques Clement or some such Villain to assassinate or murder him wholf he effect the execrable Parricide shall be well rewarded upon Earth or if he Perish in the attempt be made as far as the Pope can do it a Saint in Heaven Consider then what Charms or Allurements such a Church can have to invite a Prince into its Communion These certainly are so far from being attractives that they are the strongest disswasives imaginable and instead of drawing him to must needs deter and drive him from it A Prince that knows and hath had Communion with a better must first run out of his Wits before he can joyn himself to such a Church A Church in which he cannot ascend his
Royal Throne without a Rival a Rival did I say nay a most imperious Master that is very hard to please and yet if he be not pleased and humour'd in all things 't is a thousand to one but he will jostle him out of it and lay his Honour in the dust A Church in which he can Exercise but a part and that the meanest and most ignoble part of his Authority that only which concerns the Civil Polity and Rights for he may not meddle with Religion nor the Ministers of it who are exempt from his Jurisdiction and Sworn Vassals to his Superiour and as such ready to revenge the Injuries and Affronts the Prince offers to their great Masters if he dares be so rash and unadvised as to be guilty of any but of that afterwards A Church in which he that is Gods Image and Representative less only then God must sneak and truckle Meanly to an Upstart and Usurper a meteor drawn from the Earth and raised on high by Pride Avarice and Cruelty What Temptation then could his Royal Highness who is a wise Prince of a brave and generous Spirit and so exceeding tender of his Honour that he must needs in the highest manner resent the least Violation of his Right all diminution or lessening of his Power all invasion and usurpation of the Priviledges and Prerogatives belonging to it both by Divine and Humane Right if the Crown should descend to him What Temptation I say could such a Prince have to joyn himself to a Church in which he shall be so degraded and dishonour'd be a Vassal Underling to one that unjustly insolently and prophanely exalts himself above all that is called God that is all the Kings of the Earth Especially if we consider that the Church he forsakes or goes from Courts his stay by giving her Kings their full Authority all the Priviledges Prerogatives and Preheminences belonging to them in this that is the Church of England the King is declared Supream not only in Temporal but in all Causes Ecclesiastical superintends Religion as well as Civil Rights governs the Clergy chuses the Bishops convenes them when he sees cause to make Canons Constitutions Authorises Impowers them to consult debate to order conduct the Circumstances of Religion the Essentials of it being determined by God in Scripture what they agree upon he doth at their humble Petition if he approve of them by his Royal Edict confirm or pass into Laws Ecclesiastical and when they have effected what he called them together for he dismisses or dissolves the assembly Here the Kings Power within his Realms and Dominions is affirm'd and declared to be the Highest Power under God Canon 1 of the Canons Anno 1603. to whom all Men as well Inhabitants as born within the same do by Gods Laws owe most Loyalty and Obedience And whosoever shall deny or oppose the Royal Supremacy is to be Excommunicated Canon 2. ipso facto and not to be restored but only by the Arch-Bishop after his Repentance and publick Revocation of those his Wicked Errours So that they must be blind or wilfully shut their Eyes that do not see a vast difference in this great affair between ours and the Church of Rome in this the Pope is Supream Governour in all causes and over all Persons Ecclesiastical nay in Temporal too so far as they concern Religion in that our Church I mean she Supremacy is given intirely to our Kings whose Power is expresly declared to be the highest under God and their Authority extended to all Persons as well Clergy as People and to all causes as well Ecclesiastical as Temporal In the Church of Rome if the Prince claim the Supremacy which belongs to him by Divine Right he is Reputed and Treated as an Heretick that is Excommunicated and Deposed and if any of his Subjects dare to assert and openly maintain his Supremacy as in Duty and Conscience they are bound to do because it is their Princes undoubted Right they are Condemn'd to Dye and Adjudg'd Guilty of such a Crime as cannot be purged but by casting them into the Fire In our Church all the Clergy are requir'd to the uttermost of Canon 1. their Wit Knowledg and Learning purely and sincerely without any colour or dissimulation to teach manifest open and declare four times at least every Year That all Usurped and Forreign Power forasmuch as the same hath no Establishment nor Ground by the Law of God is for most just Causes taken away and abolish'd and that therefore no manner of Obedience and Subjection within His Majesties Realms and Dominions is due unto any such Forreign Power but that the King is Supream Governour Canon 55. in all his Realms and Dominions in all causes and over all Persons as well Ecclesiastical as Temporal Or as it is express'd in the excellent Canons of the Year 1640 A Supream Power is Canon 1. given to this most excellent Order that is of Kings by God himself in Scripture which is that Kings should Rule and Command in their several Dominions all Persons of what Ranks or Estates soever whether Ecclesiastical or Civil and that they should restrain and punish with the Temporal Sword all stubborn and wicked doers The Care of Gods Church is so committed to Kings in Scripture that they are commended when the Church keeps the right way and taxed when it runs amiss and therefore her Government belongs in chief unto Kings for otherwise one Man would be commended for anothers Care and taxed for anothers Negligence which is not Gods way And if any of our Clergy or Laity dare to impugn or oppose the Royal Supremacy they are Anathematiz'd or decreed to be Excommunicated which is the greatest Punishment the Church can inflict and the most dreadful one any Man can suffer in this World 'T is most apparent then that our Church gives and secures to the Crown that great and most precious Jewel the Supremacy which is the chief Glory and Ornament of it which the Church of Rome so unjustly steals from and Robs it of Here the Prince hath no Rival nor Competitor none to insult or Domineer over him as in the Romish Communion no Lord at all over him but the great Governour of all the World God Almighty to whom it is his Glory as well as Duty to be Subject and submit himself in all things And as our Church doth not diminish or lessen the Power of her Kings so it is so far from pretending any Jurisdiction or coercive Authority over them that it abhors and detests it declares it to be Treason both against God and the King for any to claim or challenge such Authority over them For any Person or Persons to set up maintain or a vow in any their said Realms or Territories Canons of 1640. Canon 1. respectively under any pretence whatsoever any Independent Coactive Power either Papal or Popular whether directly or indirectly is to
Accusation of Herisie which they may easily do because they are the Judges of it and may call every thing they please so yet they will be sure to do it with the charge of unprofitableness he is no longer useful to the Church that is his Holiness is weary of him and that with them is a Just and Sufficient cause of Deposition and when they pronounce that Sentence upon him they only take from him the Name or Title of King because they had Rob'd him of all the Power and Authority before for how can he be a King that doth not Rule and Govern his People and if the Pope Commands the Clergy and they Rule the People for Gods Sake who doth the Prince Govern or what Authority hath he none none at all his Empire is but Imaginary a meer Chimera or faigned thing I appeal then to all the Wise and Rational World whether the Romish Clergy deserve the Name of Subjects much less of Loyal Subjects that neither Obey the Prince themselves if he refuse to be a Subject to the Pope nor suffer the People to do it any longer than he is constant to be their fellow Subject to the Pope his Throne must needs totter and his Authority be a poor and precarious trifle that is sure of the Obedience neither of the Clergy nor People And if it be a Princes Happiness to have a Loyal Obedient People as undoubtedly it is 't is against the Dukes Interest to leave our Church all the true Members of which are eminently so and to join himself to the Papists who are Notoriously known not to be so this being to exchange Sheep for Wolves Doves for Vultures and consequently to underdo and make himself miserable if he come to the Crown I confess indeed there is a Generation of Men amongst us that call themselves Protestants and would be thought the best and purest part of the Reformation that have equal'd if not outvy'd the Jesuits themselves in their Treasons Seditions and Rebellions against Kings these were they that took Arms against and Murder'd that Incomparable Prince King Charles the First of Glorious and never Dying Memory These abjured and exiled our Present most Gracious Soveraign and since his Happy Restauration have Created him so great Vexation Trouble and Disturbance These too with the new Converts and Proselites they have gain'd from the Church and poyson'd with their Seditibus Principles Headed by some of the Great Men that either had cast off Religion or being Male-content because they had not all the Honours and great Offices they desired or being promoted to them did not injoy them as long as they would have done but for their Misdemeanours were justly deprived of them that they might be confer'd upon more deserving Persons with others Alarum'd by the late Popish Plot and Excited by their hatred of the Romish Religion are the Enemies of the Royal Family known Authors and Promoters of the Bill and the late more damnable and accursed intended Exclusion But then I desire it may be consider'd that these are not of the Church of England but Fugitives and Runnagates that have withdrawn and separated themselves from it they renounce the Church and the Church renounceth them they will not own her for their Mother nor she them for her Children they are so far from being Members that they are the Sores and Ulcers the pest of the Church as well as of the Crown and that they are equally hateful to them is Evident because they destroy'd the King and the Church together or rather the Church first that this being taken away which was the support of it they might more easily and readily overthrow the Monarchy and verifie that which King James in his great Wisdom foresaw would certainly be No Bishop No King And therefore none can with any appearance of Justice charge the Insolencies Mutinies Seditions Teasons and Misdemeanours of that Stubborn Generation upon our Church this being to blame it for the Crimes and Offences of those that are profess'd Enemies to and open Dissenters and Separatists from it nor in Reason expect Loyalty and true Obedience from them so long as they continue such for how should they Learn to Reverence and Obey their Prince that refuse to come into our Assemblies where such great and useful and concerning Duties are Preach'd to and press'd upon the Hearers Or if at any time they vouchsafe to be present at our Churches 't is never till the Loyal as well as most Pious Prayers of our Liturgy are over and then too if either the Text or the Sermon have any smatch of malignancy so they called Loyalty in the Days of old or as the new Word is Toryism away they run as if they were frighted out of their Wits or the Preacher had vented some damnable Heresy which their Ears tingle and their Souls are astonish'd at These are Duties that are never taught in their Conventicles if they had any mind to it the Apostles of the Separate Churches have not the face to put their Hearers in mind of Obeying their Prince because their Preaching and the People coming to hear in those Places are Acts of great Scandalous and Sinful Disoobedience And if the seeds of Obedience be not sowed in their Hearts by Learned and Constant Preaching how should Loyalty as the precious Fruit thereof grow up in their Lives and Actions They that prefer the Opinion of that Scotch Villain David Blake who said all Arch-Bishop Spots Woods Hist Church of Scotland pa. 423. Kings were the Devils Bearns before that Affirmative of God I have said ye are Gods and you are all the Children of the most High and that assertion of St. Paul who writ by the Inspiration of the Holy Ghost There is no Power but of God the Powers Kings that be are Ordain'd of God and neither desire to be nor care to come where they may be better inform'd and Preach'd out of such Damnable Principles cannot possibly be good Subjects Do Men gather Grapes of Thrones or Figs of Thistles As unreasonable is it to expect Loyalty from these People who have not hitherto been Taught and have still no mind or desire to Learn any and do therefore cast off all Obedience to the King and do all they can to tear or rend the Government from him because like the Bramble they would fain be so that is Govern all themselves 'T is then apparently the Interest and consequently ought to be the Care of the Government to reduce or bring back to the Church these People that are gone from it because whilst they continue separated or divided from it they are open and profess'd Enemies to the Government and there is no other way to make them good Subjects To grant them Toleration is a sure way for the Government to Ruin and undo it self because it is to give them not only opportunity but Licence and Commission to Preach Treason and dissiminate their Seditious Principles with Impunity to strengthen
and increase their party to gain every Day new and numerous Converts and Prosselites the ignorant People being exceeding fond of and greatly delighted with their impudent and Enthusiastical way of Praying and Preaching and when the Terrour of the Laws doth not restrain run after them with as much an eagerness as they do the most pleasing pastimes and entertainments till they grow strong enough to overmaster and depose the Prince and therefore they that advise him to grant them Toleration do neither better nor worse then perswade him to be Felo de se to Ruin and Destroy himself But the Mischiefs and Dangers of Toleration are so fully proved by the excellent Author of the late Eccesiastical Dr. parker Polity that I need say no more against it but only desire all that Love the King and have any Authority under him and wish the Peace and Prosperity of the Nation to Read that Learned Eloquent and most Rational Discourse which will convince them if Reason can do it that the Government cannot stand if these People be Tolerated As for those kind and good humour'd Gentlemen that propose Terms of Accomodation and would Unite or bring them to us by removing some of those things which they dislike in our Church This I must tell them is rash and erring Charity for they do not consider the surly peevish and insolent temper of the Dissenters nor mind what their Designs and Perswasions are For is it probable they who believe their Discipline to be the Scepter of Jesus Christ and say all the Kings and Rulers of the Earth must and ought to Obey and Submit to it and if they do not are the Enemies of the Lord Jesus and will not let him Rule over them And that their way of Worship only is agreeable to the Purity and simplicity of the Gospel and are so stiff and peremptory in the belief of these things that no Arguments not all the Reason in the World can perswade them from it Is it probable I may say possible that Men who believe these things with such immovable Resolution will ever be gain'd to our Church which explodes and condemns them as impudent Errours and Lying Pretences by removing a Ceremony Abolishing suppose the use of the Sign of the Cross after Baptism kneeling at the receiving of the Lords Supper the Surplice or any other harmless Rite which the Grandees of the separation are convinc'd to be Innocent things No no this will not do the work they are for a through Reformation the Common Prayer is an Idol an Abominable Idol The Order of Bishops not only a Superfluous or needless thing not only an unprofitable burthen of the Earth but Antichristian and an unlawful Government in the Church which they have solemnly Covenanted or Sworn to Abolish and extirpate and will the shaking off a few Leaves casting away two or three harmless Ceremonies either satisfie or divert them that have laid the Axe to the Root of the Tree because they think it Cumbers the Ground They have the same thoughts of our Church Government as that Famous Scotch Presbyter Mr. Andrew Melvill had of theirs who affirmed That Arch Bishop Spots His Church of Scotland pa. 275. the Corruptions crept into the State of Bishops were so great that unless the same were removed it could not go well with the Church nor could Religion be long preserved in Purity And therefore amongst other things which the Presbyters of that Nation proposed to the Bishops for Reforming the Corruptions of their Order they urged according to their wonted Modesty That the Bishops should be content to be Pastors or Ministers of a Idem pa 303. Flock that is of one particular Congregation and that they should not Empire over Presbyters but be Subject to the same Very good this is it they would have either no Bishops for to confine them to one Congregation is to make them not Bishops but Parish Priests or if any such as will truckle be Subjects and Underlings to them A Blessed Reformation indeed to make the Fathers Submit or be Subject to their Sons them that stand in the Place of St. Paul and possess the degree of St. Peter are that is the undoubted Successors of the Apostles do homage to them that succeed the Seventy Disciples Which is to invert or turn the Ordinance of our Lord upside down You are deceiv'd ye Charitable Souls that think to bring the Dissenters into the Church by casting the Ceremonies they except against out of it 't is not that but the Preheminence and Superiority they contend for they would be uppermost Rule all both in Church and State this is the point they would gain for this they whine and wrangle stir up strife and Sedition Plot Treason from Age to Age from Generation to Generation for this they make Schisms and set up new Churches and scare the People from the Old by declaiming against the Ceremonies and crying cut of Popish Prayers Vestments Rites and Bishops and bawling upon every Occasion as if they would tear their Throats Popery Popery 'T is not Conscience but Interest that puts them upon these extravagant courses they are not so silly I mean the leading Men amongst them as to believe it a Sin to Communicate with our Church in all the parts of its Worship though they are such Knaves as to tell the People so that they may draw them from it and having got a party strong enough destroy the Church and with it the Monarchy that they may Reign as Kings and injoy their so much courted Empire and Soveraignity Wipe off the Paint and Varnish the Colours and pretences with which they endeavour to cover and conceal it till a fit Opportunity and every Eye that is willing to see may discern this to be the great Design they are Ingaged in Another Expedient I find tender'd by a Charitable hand for reducing the straglers to the Church is Instruction that they be shew'd the Innocent and Lawfulness of the things they scruple in our Church and that they be fully Explicated as also the Sinfulness of their Schism or Separation from it together with the mischievous and dangerous consequences of it This is a good way indeed but then the question is how it shall be put in Practice I know but these three ways Preaching Writing and Conferences Preaching cannot do it because they will not hear our Clergy 't is a rare thing to see any of the Dissenters come to our Parish Churches when they may safely go to their own Meeting Houses or if any of them be pleas'd at any time to come if the Sermon tend to justifie the Constitutions of the Church to refute the Cavils and Objections that are made against them to reprove though with all Gentleness and the softest words the Sin and Errour of those that separate from it they are sad nay angry at such sayings go away highly provoked and offended and will not be so civil as to hear
the Preacher out And as Preaching cannot unless they be forced to hear and the just Correction of the Laws drive them from their Conventicles to our Assemblies so Writing hath done no good upon them all the excellent Books that have been written both formerly and of late Years by the excellent Divines of our Church in which all their exceptions against it have been fully answer'd all their scruples satisfi'd all their Pleas and Apologies for their Separation throughly confuted and the Authors of them put to all the shame and silence Men of their Confidence are capable of yet they are never the better but persist stubbornly in their wicked Schism and prove to all the World that they are such as hate to be Reformed the crafty seducers tell their Credulous followers that such are Lewd and ungodly Books and that frights them so that they dare not upon any Terms give them the Reading all that their guides think fit to do in the case is to imploy some Pragmatical Fellow to write an Answer which how silly or impertinent soever is admired and applauded by the whole Faction as an Incomparable piece and the Author hugd and caress'd by the Brethren and Holy Sisters as a very precious Man Nor can any better success be reasonably expected from the other way that of Conference because if they will not hear our Clergy Preach nor Read the excellent Books they have writ in defence of the Church they will be as averse especially when they have their Liberty to private Conference be with great difficulty brought to admit the Charitable Person that comes to undeceive them or if they do they are generally so ignorant and so conceited that it is very hard to make them understand the nature of the things disputed what Schism is and how exceeding Sinful and if this be done they are so highly conceited of their own Gifts and Godliness as to think themselves Wiser and Holyer than he that offers them Instruction Besides they are such Slaves to so wholly at the Command of their own Guides and Teachers that if they tell them their separate Meetings are Innocent and Holy Assemblies and those of the Church so impure or defiled with Popish Prayers Ceremonies and other Humane Inventions that it is not safe for them to venture their precious Souls in them they believe such lying words as firmly as if they were Divine Truths and adhere to them in spight of all the Scripture and Reason that can be brought against them These therefore and all other vain projects laid aside the Government if it will be safe and happy must with great and earnest care endeavour to reduce them to the Church which can be effected no other way but by a strict Executing the Laws upon all Dissenters an unwearied persisting in it letting them see that if they dare be so impudent as to Affront Transgress the Laws and defie Authority that both will and dares do Justice upon such bold Offendors This in time will make them leave their Fooling to give it no worse Title Teach the People to shun the Meeting-Houses with the same caution and waryness as they do the Dreadful and Disconsolate Places where Misery and Ruin dwell This will put them upon serious Thoughts and Considerations Oblige them strictly to Examine the Cause for which they Suffer prompt them to ask themselves such questions as these what harm or venom is there in the Ceremonies of the Church that we should be so affraid of them as to run from the Communion of it Do not our own Guides and Teachers confess the Doctrine of it to be pure or agreeable to the Scriptures Are there not abundance of Learned Pious and Holy Men that Live and Dye in the Communion of it and can we think that such Men are not Saved And if they be Why will not the same Faith the same Doctrine the same Prayers and Holyness carry us to Heaven Are not the Doctrine Government and Worship the same that were Taught exercis'd and used by those brave and Holy Men that with such admirable zeal and courage suffer'd Martyrdom in the Reign of Queen Mary How can that be Popery now which was practic'd by them who would rather burn at a Stake then turn Papist and are we Wiser or more Conscientious than they The Wise Merciful Correction of the Laws will by degrees bring the Offendors to a sight and abhorring of their Errours and produce in them such good Thoughts as these and consequently ingage them to return from whence they are fallen I mean to our Holy and Excellent Church which will put an Happy end to all our Schisms and Divisions and the People by coming constantly to our Pious Loyal Assemblies will in a little time Learn to Fear God and the King and meddle no more with them that are given to change But if this great means of reducing them be waved or neglected or coldly prosecuted such a Blessed and desirable Revolution can never be attained but our fewds and contentions will be Immortal and we shall be as the scorn of so the most Miserable and Distracted Nation in the World Without this nothing can reduce them but in Conjunction with and Subordination to it there are other things that will contribute very much to it as the Exemplary Piety and strict Conformity of the Clergy and the putting them into such a Condition that they may not depend upon the Benevolence of the People for their Maintenance Their Exemplary Piety that none be suffer'd to Dishonour our most pure and holy Church by their Evil and unsuitable Lives for though 't is certain we have the most Learned Pious Unblamable and therefore Excellent Clergy in the World yet if there be any irregular Persons amongst them as 't is possible there may in such a great Body of Men be here and there one that forgets himself that care be taken and means used to Reform them that they give no Offence Minister no Occasion to any to Reproach the Church or to speak Evil of our most Holy and Undefiled Religion We see how cautious and careful the Schismatical Preachers are to seem Holy that they may gain the Esteem and Veneration of the People and lead them by the Noses whether and to what they please and if the shadow in them to be sure the Substance of Holiness a Vertuous and unblamable Life in all our Clergy will gain them great Authority with the People and convince them that must needs be an Holy Church that hath so Pious Regular and Excellent a Clergy The next is their strict Conformity that all of them be compell'd to observe all the Orders and Constitutions of the Church Unless this be done the People can never be drawn off from their prejudices against and misperswasions concerning them but will think them unlawful Impositions because some of the Clergy do not observe them and they will admire applaud and follow those that do not observe them as
go about to satisfie Men that will never be satisfied A time may come and I hope it is approaching when such a Declaration will not only be believ'd but receiv'd with the joyful Acclamations and grateful Acknowledgments of both Houses and if it be thy Blessed will Oh God let such a time a time so much desired by all good Men come and that quickly But for my part I do not think it civil or decent for those that are unacquainted with the greatest affairs of State to take upon them to prescribe to his Royal Highness or to tell him when or in what manner he should declare himself because this would Savour of Rudeness and Presumption and therefore they must leave it to his own Prudence and the Wise Determinations of those Great and Honourable Personages that understand and conduct the weighty concerns of the Government it being for Them to know the times and seasons of so important an Action and not for Men of privacy and low degree Stay a while then and consider what you are doing be not too confident Oh ye Excluders make not so much hast nor such a stir to shut the door upon a Prince that you are not sure is gone from you believe it possible for you to Err or be Mistaken in your Opinions of him you see he hath no Reason to be a Papist and the Arguments for it are insufficient do not prove it therefore be not too confident he is so SECT IV. So far I have consider'd the first Question Whether his Royal Highness be a Papist The next and great Enquiry is Whether if he be so that Forfeits his Right That it doth not I assert and am now to prove In order to which I affirm That it is possible for a Good Conscientious and well meaning Man one that desires to go the Right way to Heaven to turn Papist Errour may look so like Truth and Superstition be so adorn'd with the paint and fair colours of true Piety that Men of good understanding and great integrity may be deceived and deluded by it Thus the excellent Chillingworth a Pious and Learned Man was seduced to the Romish Church though by the Grace of God he saw his errour return'd to our Church and lived and died in the Holy and Apostolical Faith which it professeth and not long after his return to it mindful of that sacred precept of our Lord to St. Peter when thou art converted strengthen by Brethren writ his excellent Book St. Luke 22. 32. in which he fully and unanswerably proves that which is the Subject or Title of it That the Religion of Protestants is a safe way to Salvation a Book highly meriting the perusal of all that either need or desire satisfaction in that Great and most weighty point In the Preface to it he tells his Readers the Motives that perswaded him to turn Papist which though they were as he truly calls them and to which he there gives full and satisfactory answers silly Sophisms and false Suppositions yet they so abused that good Man as to Proselyte him to the Church of Rome And why may not others as Pious Prudent and Conscientious as he be deceiv'd and misled into Popery by these or such fallacious Arguments or Reasons 'T is very well known that the Jesuits and Missionaries of the Roman Church are Persons Learned and Subtile trained up by the most expert Masters and not suffer'd to go abroad till they are thoroughly skil'd and instructed in the controversies between them and us and furnish'd with all manner of Arts and Abilities to seduce and deceive People And cannot Persons so prepared and fitted for it make gross errours and the foulest practices look fair and plausible varnish them over so with Apologies or Excuses extenuate their guilt pare off the Absurdities adhereing to them with Distinctions and set them out to such advantage that an honest Man shall not only think them Innocent things such as have no harm nor venome in them but be very much enamour'd of or taken with them They that read their Books must acknowledg if they will speak the truth that nothing is wanting in them that either Wit or Zeal can invent to defend or put a fair gloss upon the errours of their Church though what they plead in Justification of them be false or deceitful Argumentations poor idle Sophisms meer Paint Varnish no better than Gilding a Rotten Post or Cloathing Errour in the dress and vestments of Truth yet they seem so plausible look so fair and inviting that a Good Conscientious and well meaning Man as I said before may be so abus'd and deluded by them as to become a Proselyte to the Roman Church And being so is he not a Christian A Papist I suppose cannot truly be deny'd to be a Christian because the Church of which he is a Member is a Christian Church though lapsed into great Errours and Impieties a Christian Church it must needs be because it makes Profession of the Faith and Religion of Christ ascribes enough to him to secure to it self the Glorious Title and Denomination of Christian for the Council of Trent in the Explication of the Article of Justification gives this account of it Hujus Justificationis causae sunt c. Session 6. cap. 7. page 35. The Causes of this Justification are these The Final Cause is the Glory of God and of Christ and Eternal Life The Efficient Cause is the Merciful God who freely washeth aod sanctifieth signing and anoynting with the Holy Spirit of promise who is the the earnest of our Inheritance The Meritorious cause is the most beloved and only begotten Son of God who when we were Enemies for his great Love wherewith he Loved us did by his most holy passion upon the Cross Merit Justification and give Satisfaction to God his Father for us By which it is Evident that the Church of Rome holds That the Merits of Christ are the moving or procuring Cause of our Justification so absolutely necessary to it that as that Council speaks a little after Nemo possit esse justus nisi cui page 36. merita Passionis Domini nostri Jesu Christi Communicantur no Man can be Just or Righteous but He to whom the Merits of the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ are Communicated Now they that acknowledg or own this Great and Fundamental Truth that we are justified by the Merits of Christ and consequently that he is our only Saviour and do adore him as the Christ or Son of God which they cannot be deny'd to do though that Acknowledgment this Worship of theirs be mixt and accompany'd with many and those very dangerous Errours must be acknowledg'd to be a Christian Church And if the collective Body be such the particular Members must be so too I suppose then it will be easily granted me by the greatest Zealots against Popery it being but a reasonable concession and such as I shall not
and patient people that are not easily Provoked not Revengful Turbulent nor Seditious but of a Gentle Pleasing and Complying Temper these saith Christ shall Inherit the Earth spend their days in great tranquillity be happy in the friendship of their Equals the favour of their Superiours and the protection of their Governours every man is or may be ashamed to injure those that are of such a sweet and obliging temper not that this meekness gives them a Right to any part of the Earth or any of the possessions of it that belong to others but preserves them from many dangers miseries which they that have it not betray expose themselves to renders them patient and contented in all conditions and will if conjoyn'd with all other Christian Vertues secure to them a blessed portion in the Land of Promise the Heavenly Canaan of which the Earthly which God promised to the People of Israel was but a Type or poor Resemblance for of that our Lord here speaks it being the happy Country which every true Christian desires and seeks after an Inheritance as Saint Peter calls it incorruptible and undefiled and that fadeth not away reserv'd in Heaven for him And so far was our Lord from saying any thing in favour of this Principle that he utterly declin'd or refused to intermeddle with mens Temporal Rights at all unless it was to secure them to the owners of which we have two remarkable instances one in the man that came and said to him Master speak to my Brother that St. Luke 12. 13. he divide the Inheritance with me the man was modest you see he did not desire the whole but would have been contented with half the Inheritance To this Proposal Christ answers by way of Reproof Man who made me a Judg Verse 14. or a Divider over you Thou art mistaken I am not come as a Temporal Prince or Judg to give Estates or Possessions to any in this World but to propose an Heavenly Kingdome and Immortal Happiness to all mankind and to tell them upon what Terms or Conditions they may obtain them This is the great concern I am imploy'd in and if thou wilt consult me herein I will soon give thee full Satisfaction That the Man who made this Motion had no Right to the Inheritance seems Evident to me both by the smart Reprehension Christ gives him in these words Man who made me a Judg or a Divider over you I will not meddle in so Unjust a thing as to bid thy Brother divide his Inheritance with thee and also by the Admonition he gives him in the following words Take heed Verse 15. and Beware of Covetousness for a Mans Life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth Thy desire of wealth and endeavour to encrease thy own by lessening thy Brothers Possession is a great Sin in thee and of such mighty danger that it ought to be avoided with the highest Care and Caution for though Estates and Possessions are useful to sustain Life yet no Man can prolong his Life nor make it really the more happy by possessing Superfluous Wealth The other Instance is the Question proposed to him by the Herodians What thinkest thou Is it Lawful to give Tribute unto Caesar To St. Mat. 22. 17. which having first reproved them for their Treachery and Hypocrisy he Answers Render Verse 21. unto Caesar the things which are Caesars Pay your Prince the Tribute that is due to him do not defraud or wrong him of any thing that belongs to him far be it from me to Advise or Counsel any to detain the Emperours Right from him If our Lord had design'd to found Dominion in Grace here had been a fit Oppertunity to have done it for when they said Tell us is it Lawful to give Tribute unto Gaesar He might have reply'd no it is not Caesar is an Infidel or Heathen or Wicked Man and as such is fallen from all Dominion and therefore hath no Right to Demand Tribute of the People nor they any Obligation upon them to Pay him any But so far was Christ from giving them such an Answer that he Acknowledg'd Tribute to be Caesars Right and Commanded it to be pay'd unto him and though he was the Son of that God from whom Caesar receiv'd his Imperial Power and Authority yet when the Officers Demanded it of him rather than he would deprive him of his Right he wrought a Miracle that he might have wherewith to pay it which shews the admirable Justice and Integrity of our Lord in that he was careful to secure and preserve all Mens Rights and Properties If any Man refused to Submit unto his Excellent Laws and to come over to his Religion he told him he should have no part nor portion in his Kingdom but then to avoid mistakes he declared that his Kingdom was not of this World not an Earthly but an Heavenly Kingdom and all Right to this he affirms is founded in Grace that it is the Free and Royal Gift of God and the Purchase of his Meritorious Holiness and Sufferings there being nothing in Men to Merit so great a Good the things he requires of them being necessary Dispositions to qualifie or fit them for the Injoyment of it not the Cause moving God to confer it upon them So that though a Pious and Holy Conversation be the great Condition of a Crown hereafter and so absolutely necessary that it cannot be obtain'd without it And though it be an Ornament and Security to him that hath one upon Earth an Ornament as it Gives an admirable Lustre to his Greatness and Renders him Excellent in his Person as well as upon the Account of his Royal Office A security as it Indears the Providence of God and Ingages his tender care of him as it Discourages Wicked and Trayterous Men from attempting or enterprising any thing against him whose Piety makes him Dear to Heaven renders him so highly the Joy and Delight of the Blessed Angels that they are Ready to offer themselves as a Guard and Defence to him and as it procures him the Love Honour and Admiration of all good Men yet the highest Piety or Holiness gives no Man a Title to that Dominion or Soveraignty upon Earth to which he had not an Antecedent Right nor doth the Want of it deprive him that hath it of that Right Christ offers Indeed an Heavenly Kingdom upon Condition of a good Life but an ill one Forfeits no Mans Right to an Earthly And seeing our Lord hath said nothing in Favour of this Tenure but on their contrary that which overthrows and destroys it It cannot be true that Dominion is founded in Grace for he having not founded it so who is the great Law giver to his Church no humane Authority can do it without invading his Prerogative nay as I observ'd before without destroying his Religion because Experience shews us most Men are mightily byassed or led by their
Murderers from entring their Dominions who came upon the most Bloudy and Mischievous designs either to Assassinate their sacred Persons or to Seduce their People from their Allegiance and Animate them to Rebell or take Arms against them And therefore if the Romish Priests and Jesuites who have nothing to do here will venture to come they can blame none but them-themselves if they suffer for it they receive the Reward of their Sin and Folly but have no Injustice done them If they stay away they are safe but if they will Run into Danger when they need not they Destroy themselves fall into the Pit are taken in the Snare which they came to dig and lay for their Prince whose Natural Subjects they are though they become Voluntary Vassals to a Forreign Power that imploys them against their own Prince for whose Safety and Preservation they ought by all Laws both Divine and Humane to expose themselves to the greatest Dangers freely Venture their own Lives to save his And seeing the Excluders attempt and would do that to his Royal Highness which our Laws do to no Ordinary Subject meerly for his Religion and which they would not have done to themselves that attempt must needs be a manifest Affront to and Violation of this Law of Christ and therefore most Wicked and Unjust To say they are of the true and the Duke as a Papist of the false Religion makes no difference in the Case because Christ excepts no Man but Commands us to do to Men Indefinitely that is to all Men whether they be Orthodox or otherwise believe Aright or Err from the Truth Christians or Heathens All things whatsoever we would that they should do unto us And also because no Man that owns the Principles of Natural Religion that believes there is a God Eternal Rewards Punishments after this Life will be a Disciple of that which he is perswaded is a false Religion and Renders the Salvation of them that are of it hazardous and doubtful and seeing he thinks the Church and Religion he is of to be true and the best though he be deceiv'd and thinks amiss 't is to lay aside both the Justice and Mercy our Lord Requires of us to Treat such a Person with the Rigour and Severity which the Excluders offer to his Royal Highness because he follows the best Light he hath his Conscience duly instructed by Scripture explain'd and apply'd as he apprehends by Right Reason for 't is certain a Man can use but his best care in the choice of his Religion that is he can but Pray and Read and Meditate and Obey as far as he understands and Consult the Learned or Advise with those he thinks best able to direct him but because all the Learned of the World are not of one Opinion he must imploy his Reason to Judg which of them is in the Right and if he do it sincerely though he chuses amiss mistakes his way yet he is to be Pitied not Ruin'd to be Restored in the Spirit of Meekness not Degraded nor Undone for following his Conscience God t is certain will be Merciful to a Christian so Erring and therefore if Men be extreme to Mark what such an one doth amiss they Treat him as they would not be used themselves and so bid Defiance to this great Law of Christ all things whatsoever ye would that Men should do unto you do ye even so unto them Compare it Secondly with that Noble Precept of our Lord which requires all Christians to Love their Enemies and you will soon see the Impiety of it I say unto you Love your Enemies St. Mat. 5. 44. Bless them that Curse you do Good to them that Hate you and Pray for them which Despitefully use you Persecute you this is my Will and Pleasure this I enjoyn you that you Love not only your Friends or those that Love you as the practice of the Jews and Heathens is but your Enemies what are our Enemies is fully declared in this Law even they that Curse and Hate that Despitefully use and Persecute us Every Man thinks him his Enemy that offers any of these things to him but he that doth them all is the worst most Cruel and bitter Enemy any Man can have and yet how bravely every Christian is to behave himself towards such an Enemy our Lord tells us he must Love or bear him good Will desire his Welfare or Happiness do him all the Good and Charitable Offices he can Pray to God to give or bestow all manner of Blessings upon him and to Forgive all the Wrongs he hath done him This because it is a Duty that hath some Difficulty in it he presseth us to the Performance of with the most weighty and perswasive Arguments Love your Enemies That ye may be the Children Vers 45. of your Father which is in Heaven for he maketh his Sun to Rise on the Evil and on the Good and sendeth Rain on the Just and on the Unjust hereby you will prove your selves be the Children of God shew that you resemble or are like that most excellent Being who is kind and bountiful to all Men even the most Prophane and Wicked that are his Enemies and Discover themselves so to be by their wilful and open contempt of his Laws who though they received their Being and all their Injoyments from his Bounty will hardly give him a good Word or pay him any Respect at all but Blaspheme oftner than they Praise him Curse him more than they Pray unto him Affront him oftner than they Adore him and yet so admirable is his Goodness that he not only lets such Vile and Ungrateful Wretches as these Live and Injoy the Light though they are Unworthy of it but showers down his Blessings upon them gives them an equal share at least if not greater Plenty of these outward Injoyments than he Communicates to the Good and Righteous Propose therefore his great example to your selves think it your Glory to Love and do Good to your Enemies because the God you Worship is pleased to Treat his so and cannot but take great Delight in those brave and generous Souls that Imitate him therein own them for his Children and give them a Blessed Portion in his Heavenly Kingdom but if you refuse to do this saith Christ you Dishonour me and Degrade your selves For if ye Love them which Love you what Reward have ye Do not even the Publicans the same If you confine all your Love and Kindness to your Friends to them that bear you good Will and do you good Offices you can expect but a small Reward from my Father Me for such Love as this it being that to which Nature it self inclines and Common Gratitude prompts you Besides this Low and Abject Charity which is produced and preserved by Mutual Offices of Friendship and Respect Ranks you amongst the Worst and most Impious Men the very Publicans whom all the Pious Men of your
them to Rejoyce and be exceeding glad of them Blessed are they St. Mat. 5. 10. saith our Lord that are Persecuted for Righteousness Sake for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven Blessed are ye when Men shall Revile you Verse 11. and Persecute you and shall say all manner of Evil against you falsly for my Sake Rejoyce and be Verse 12. exceeding Glad for great is your Reward in Heaven for so Persecuted they the Prophets which were before you Behold saith St. James we count Ch. 5th 11. 1 Epist 3. 14. them happy which endure And if ye suffer for Righteousness sake happy are ye saith St. Peter and be not affraid of their Terrour neither be troubled Beloved think it not strange concerning Ch. 4th 12 13 14. the Fiery Tryal which is to Try you as though some strange thing hapned unto you But Rejoyce in as much as ye are Partakers of Christs Sufferings that when his Glory shall be Revealed ye may be Glad also with exceeding Joy If ye be Reproached for the Name of Christ Happy are ye for the Spirit of Glory and of God Resteth upon you These words had such Influence upon the Primitive Christians that they Courted Martyrdom with as Vehement and Longing desires as ever the Ambitious did the Honours or the Covetous the Riches of the World When the most Cruel Edicts were Publish'd against them they did not care to Fly or Hide themselves from the Fury of their Persecutors when the to others Dreadful Sentence of Death was pass'd upon them they gave their Judges Thanks in the midst of the most exquisite Torments they did nothing but Sing and give Thanks and Expired with Praises and Adorations of God St. Babylas Bishop of Antioch as he was led to Martyrdom broke out into these words of Joy and Triumph Return unto thy Rest Oh my Soul for the Lord Dr Patricks Witnesses to Christianity part 2d Page 646 hath dealt Bountifully with thee When Liberatus and his Monks who Defended the Christian Faith against the Heresy of Arrius were Condemn'd to be thrown bound into a Ship full of Faggots and there to be burnt in the midst of the Sea they Sung aloud this Hymn Glory be to God in the highest Behold now is the acceptable time behold now is the Day of Salvation in which we Suffer Punishment for the Faith of our God St. Ignatius as he was going to Rome to be Devour'd by Wild Beasts that being the Death he was Condemn'd to because he would not Renounce the Faith of Christ thought the time long and the way tedious and express'd his passionate desire after it Oh said he that I might come to those wild beasts that are prepared for me I heartily wish that I may D Cave Primitive Christian part 2d pa. 182 presently meet with them I would invite and encourage them speedily to devour me and not be affraid to set upon me as they have been to others nay should they refuse it I would even force them to it I am concerned for nothing either seen or unseen more than to Enjoy Jesus Christ Let Fire and the Cross and the rage of wild Beasts the breaking of Bones distortion of Members bruising of the whole Body yea all the punishments which the Devil can invent come upon me so I may but Enjoy Jesus Christ When Laurentius the Deacon espied Sixtus the Bishop of Rome going to his Id. part 2d page 183 Martyrdom he burst out into tears and passionately call'd to him saying Whither Oh my Father art thou going without thy Son Whither so fast O Holy Bishop without thy Deacon Never didst thou use to offer Spiritual Sacrifice without thy Minister to attend thee what have I done that might displease thee hast thou ever found me degenerous and fearful make Triall at least whether thou hast chosen a fit Minister to wait upon thee By this their admirable courage patience and constancy they did the highest Honour to our Lord and his Religion Shamed and Confuted all the Clamours Reproaches and false Accusations that were brought against it Convinced the wise or intelligent that Christianity was a Divine and Holy Doctrine because it inspired the Professors of it with such undaunted courage and greatness of mind as made them despise not only the pleasures and delight but the terrours and miseries of the World render'd them not only content to Dye but desirous of and in love with Death caused them not only patiently to bear but to Triumph and Rejoyce in those horrid Torments which those that stood by trembled and were affrighted to see them Endure This conduced mightily to the increasing the Church brought in Numerous or rather Innumerable Converts to it till the greatest part of the World became Christian and humbly adored the Crucified Jesus The care and concern of Christians then consisted but of these two parts to live without Sin and to Dye without Murmours or Complaints their Religion was composed of these two admirable ingredients Innocence patience this was their study to let their Conversation be as became the Gospel of Christ and to be conformed as much as they could both to the Life and Sufferings of Jesus They were neither so base nor timerous as to endeavour to shift the Cross from themselves and lay it upon others they scorn'd to do any unjust thing to decline suffering never attempted to deprive any Prince because they knew him to be an Heathen and feared he would be a Persecutor of them This this was their great care to live and dye in the Lord to Glorify him by a pure and unspotted Life by a Pious or Godly Death Hereby also they gain'd great Honour to themselves render'd their names and memories precious and immortal for the Church was careful to do all Lawfull honour to the Saints or Martyrs to those brave and worthy Persons who living shin'd as lights in the World by their Exemplary vertues and dying sealed the truth of Christianity with their Blood had that ardent love for our Lord that no dangers nor sufferings nor torments nor miseries could lessen or overcome that Zeal for his Religion which no Injuries Reproaches nor Persecutions could Extinguish The Christians used to meet at the place where such eminent Persons Suffer'd for the Faith or where their Bodies that were Slain for the Testimony of Jesus were Interr'd and make Orations in praise of them commemorate their piety and sufferings praise God for the excellent gifts and graces he confer'd upon them and Exhort one another to transcribe or imitate their Faith and Piety and Patience But this was the least and meanest Part of their Reward for as by Sufferings for Christ they gain'd Honour in this so a brighter Crown and greater Rewards in the other World for it is Evident that our Lord in the Words I mentioned before declares that they which are Persecuted for Righteousness Sake shall not only have a Reward but a great Reward in
us be at any time Removed and the Bloody Laws in Favour of the Romish Church Restored we must be content as the Ancient and Modern Martyrs have done before us to Suffer for the Truth not doubting but he that calls us to them will support us under our Sufferings not let us be tempted above what he will make us able to bear and Reward us abundantly for them in his Heavenly Kingdom And how can we Murmur or Repine to bear that Cross that will procure an Immortal Crown or think that a sad and cruel Death that will be our Conduct to a Blessed and Eternal Life Besides this may be a means to restore our Nation to its ancient Piety to recover it out of that deplorable Prophaness and Debauchery into which it is lapsed for the hypocrisy of the last Age hath produced open Atheism and Irreligion in this and the merciful God having try'd to reclaim us by other means and those very Sharp and Calamitous as War and Plague and Fire which effecting no cure or amendment upon the major part of the Nation it may be his pleasure before he utterly forsake or cast us off to see what the patience and sufferings of Martyrs will do towards our Reformation for this was the great instrument of converting the World from Heathenism to Christianity and therefore may be very effectual to reduce Christians by Profession from Heathen to Christian Practise to ingage them to live up to the excellent rules of their Religion for when lewd and vicious Persons see wise and good Men chuse rather to dye than to do wicked and unlawful things prefer their happiness in the other before all their enioyments in this World chearefully leave all that is dear to them upon Earth in hopes to reign with their Lord and Saviour in Heaven though they do at first like those fools the wise Man speaks of account their life Madness and their end to be without Honour yet when they come to consider better of it they will conclude there is great danger in Sin because such wise persons would not commit it to save so precious Jewels as their lives but chose rather to dye innocent than to live prophane and wicked be convinced there are great rewards provided for the Righteous after this Life because Men so intelligent would not but upon good grounds and the most rational evidence be perswaded to do so great and suffer so dreadful things in hope of obtaining them And when they see with what admirable courage invincible patience undaunted resolution perceive with what transports of joy they go to their Death kissing the stake and courting the flames prepared to consume their Bodies because they look for a blessed Resurrection and believe their souls will ascend by them like Elijah in his fiery Chariot to the Mansions of Glory This produces in them an high esteem and admiration of true Piety and Holiness because they effect such admirable things and from admireing them in these they proceed to love and practise them themselves that being holy in all manner of conversation as he that hath called them is holy they may be fit to Suffer for and to Reign with him in Heavenly bliss and happiness So that the sufferings of the just are Instruments to convert the Wicked and from the Piety they practised in their Life and the patience they shew'd at their Death they learn to lead a good and Christian Life the casting them into the Fire though contrary to the mind or intention of the barbarous Persecutors is a means to inlighten others and they that came to see the blessed Martyr Dye go away confirmd or setled in the Faith nay resolv'd to dye for it Thus the Blood of the Martyrs is the Seed of the Church bringing forth by the blessing of God a plentiful Harvest of new Converts and therefore as it is a most wicked so it is a most imprudent attempt to endeavour to destroy the true Religion by Persecuting and putting the most eminent professors of it to Death because their Sufferings invite and allure others to it and drive none but Hypocrites and weak or foolish People from it 'T is your Wisdom then as well as duty to suffer Innocently rather than to decline it sinfully to bear the Cross your selves rather than lay it so unjustly upon his Royal Highness because our Lord pronounceth that blessed and promiseth a great Reward to them that do it but this hath a curse denounc'd against it will bring the most fearful punishment upon them that are guilty of it by that you will shew your selves Christians this will prove you Persecutors for they that oppress and wrong others upon what colour or pretence soever they do it are any thing rather than Christians instead of being number'd amongst the Righteous shall have their Portion amongst the Cruel and Unjust be the objects of his wrath displeasure Who ordaineth his Arrows against the Persecutors Ps 7 14 Compare it Lastly with that Assertion of St. Paul that no Evil must be done that good may come and both the Sinfulness and Danger of Rom 3 8 your Project of Exclusion will be very Evident for of them that do Evil that good may come the Apostle saith Their Damnation is Just They shall without Repentance be Punish'd Eternally for it and it is Just they be so Punish'd By Evil the Apostle means Moral Evil the Evil of Sin any thing that is absolutely or in its own Nature Sinful and Wicked no such Evil as this may ever be done for the attaining any good whatsoever if it be the Apostle tells them that do it what they are to expect from God as their Recompence even Just Damnation We know not any greater good saith that excellent Casuist Bishop Sanderson than the Sermon 2d pa 30 Glory of God we scarce know a lesser Sin if any Sin may be accounted little than an Harmless Officious lye yet may not this be done no not for that will you speak Wickedly for God and talk Deceitfully Job 13 7 for him If not for the Glory of God then certainly not for any Inferiour end not for the saving of a Life not for the Conversion of a Soul not for the Peace of a Church and if even that were possible too not for the Redemption of a World no Intention of any end can warrant the choice of Sinful means to compass it But your attempt to Exclude his Royal Highness from Succeeding his present Majesty is the committing great and manifest Oppression and Injustice the Robbing an Innocent person of his Right the Doing that to him which you would not have Done to your selves and therefore absolutely or in its own Nature Sinful Wicked and Unlawful and it is intended for a good end to preserve the King and the Establish'd Religion from the Impious Attempts of the Church of Rome to Destroy both So that you do Evil a great Evil an Evil Aggravated as I said
before by the Dignity of the Person against whom it is committed and by the Transcendent Worth or Value of the Right or Property you would so Unjustly Rob or spoyl him of This great evil you do that good may come therefore if you will believe the Apostle without Repentance your Doom is Damnation the Dreadful but yet as he calls it Just Sentence which you are to expect from the Righteous Judg who is no respecter of Persons but perfectly hates and will severely Punish all Wilful and Presumptuous Sin in all the Actors of it be they Publick or Private Persons in Authority or not whatever they be if they do Unjustly the Vengeance of God will be sure to pursue and overtake them The Distinction of Papist and Protestant make no difference in the Case if a Papist do any Wicked or Unjust thing invade the Estate Assasinate or take away the Life of any Protestant as an Heretick though it be done with an Intention that good may come or accrue to the Catholick cause by it still he is a Thief and a Murderer and therefore the Just God will Inflict the most Dreadful Punishment or Damnation upon him And if on the other side any Protestant or Company of Protestants for the preventing of Popery do Injury to or Unjustly deprive any Papist of his Right and Property as an Idolater that or those Protestants notwithstanding the good end they propound to themselves in it are Injurious and Oppressors and must look that the Vengeance of God will come upon them here and that without Repentance their Portion will be amongst the Unjust hereafter And if there be any odds in the guilt it is on the Protestants side such an one thus offending being more inexcusable than a Papist because he hath better means of Instruction for he hath the Holy Scriptures in a Language he understands to shew him the Right Pathes the ways of Justice and Honesty and he acknowledges them to be the sole Rule by which he is to order and conduct his Life and Actions and therefore if he do any Unjust thing he hath no Apology nor Excuse for it But most Papists are deprived of this advantage they have not the Scriptures in a Language they understand and therefore are not so well Instructed in the Duty that God requires of them neither do they own them to be their Rule without Traditions or the Unwritten Word of God which their Guides have both the Keeping and Expounding of and therefore they may easily be Impos'd upon told that is Just or a Part of their Duty which is quite contrary to it and so offend Ignorantly which doth something extenuate or lessen their Guilt Supposing then what you take for granted that your Bill to set aside the Duke would be for the good of the Nation yet it being absolutely Unjust and Sinful it is to do evil that good may come and therefore if St. Paul say true justly Damnable But what if you be mistaken What if it be not for the good but the injury and hurt the mischief and Ruin of the Nation If thus then you do Evil no good comes of it commit a great Sin to your own Eternal and the Peoples Temporal Ruin and Destruction so that instead of Blessing Praising they will have Just Cause to Revile and Curse you for it For let us suppose your Bill of Exclusion passed into a Law and his Royal Highness thereby deprived as far as that can do it of his Right Will he sit down patiently under so great an Injury I believe him so Brave and Just a Prince that such a Wrong though it would be a mighty Temptation could not provoke him to cast off either his Affection or Allegiance to the King but yet if the Duke be as you suppose him a Papist it would exasperate all the Roman Catholicks against the King excite their Rage prompt them to Revenge the Injury done to a Prince of their Religion make them Desperate watch all Opportunities try all ways to Assasinate and Destroy him We see to our Horrour and Amazement how the Kings most Just Refusal to consent to that Impious Project of Exclusion hath Irritated the Zealous Faction blown up their Rage and Malice to that Damnable height that they had design'd a more Dreadful Exclusion to send the King himself and his Royal Brother out of the World by a most Cruel and Barbarous Death that what their Wicked Votes could not their Murdering Bullets should Effect had not the Watchful Providence and the Adorable Goodness of our God Preserved the Royal Victims appointed for the Slaughter and by a mighty hand Rescued them from the Snare and the Ruin laid for them and I take his Majesties Deliverance from this Hellish Conspiracy as a Remarkable Token of Gods Approbation and Reward of his Royal Justice and Integrity in Refusing the Bill And if the Kings just denying his assent to it could so provoke and inrage the admirers of it against him how would the passing of it have Irritated and Rows'd the Romish Faction Would they not have fill'd Heaven and Earth with Complaints of and Outcries against it Have Publish'd Invectives and Proclaim'd the Wickedness of it to all the Christian World to the perpetual Reproach and Dishonour of our Nation nay have meditated Revenge enter'd into the most Dangerous Confederacies and took Counsel together to Destroy the King for to such Black and Cursed attempts as these they are God knows too Prone and Inclin'd when they have no Just Provocation given them to Instigate or Prompt them thereunto But this in their Apprehension would have Justifi'd all manner of Treasons and Conspiracies made them not only Lawful but in the highest Degree Meritorious they would have thought they did God the best and most acceptable Service when they cut off so Unjust a Prince who was so Cruel and Injurious as to deprive his own nay his only Brother of so great and undoubted a Right 'T is certain this would have put them upon frequent Treasons and Attempts against the King and who knows but it might have provoked that God who Loveth Righteousness and hateth Iniquity or Unjust Dealing if not more yet at least as much in Princes as other Men to withdraw his Watchful Providence and Gracious Protection from him to dismiss that Guard of Angells which have hitherto Defended his Sacred Person and most Precious Life from all those Bloudy Villains of what Sect or Profession soever that have Ventured to Attempt any thing against it So that your Bill of Exclusion instead of Preserving would have Indangered the King instead of being a Safe-guard and Defence to him would have exposed his most Sacred Majesty to Popish Rage and Cruelty nay which is Infinitely more Dreadful to the Divine Anger or Displeasure And being not for the Safety of the King it cannot be for the good of the People Besides as it would be the Mother of Secret Conspiracies so in all Probability
with God For what is that but to submit unto his will in all things to resign our selves to his disposal to depend upon his wise and gracious providence in the use of lawful means in all dangers to hope in his mercy to put our trust and confidence in his Power and Goodness not doubting but he careth for us and will so far as he sees it conducive to his honour and our good deliver us from all dangers and sufferings This is to walk humbly and religiously and so as all pious and holy Men have in all Ages walked with God But your Project of Exclusion is a Defiance to all this a plain Declaration that you dare not trust God with your Religion your Lives and Estates nor commit them to his care and keeping but prefer your own evil Inventions before his gracious Protection admire your sinful Policy more than his holy Wisdome as if he was either ignorant of or unable to save us from the cruel designs of our Enemies or cared not what becomes of us or as if that which is an open affront to or violation of his righteous Laws could Minister to the safety or defence of the Nation If this be not an high offence against God I know not what is or can be so Nor have you offended onely against God but against his Anoynted too done all you could to draw the King to be a Partner in your Injustice courted him to give his Royal Assent to your Bill with liberal offers and when they prevail'd not attempted to constrain or force him to it by denying him the necessary supplies which his great Affairs requir'd and the danger the Nation was in exacted from you Are not these high and heighnous offences Is it not a great sin to intice or tempt any Man much more your Prince to an unjust action and when no allurement could perswade unmindful of all reverence to God and Him To attempt to necessitate or compel him to do it These things look black and dreadful and I need not tell you whose works they are the Author of them is easily known and no Christian sure can be ambitious to invade his hateful office The trouble vexation and disquiet which you have created the King by your resolute adherance to it deserve to be consider'd too For how many cares fears and sad thoughts hath this your undutiful behaviour towards him produced in his Royal Soul Is this the love you have for the requital you render him for all his Care of and Royal Favours to you and all the Eminent Blessings which God by him hath confer'd upon the Nation to do what in you lies to rob him of all his tranquillity and content and to make him weary of his Life Is this the Honour God commands you to shew the Obedience he bids you pay to his Anoynted to press and urge him in such an unbecoming manner to the most dishonourable Act and to persist Stubbornly in it when he reproved you for and declared his abhorrence of it 'T is as plain then as any thing can be that you neither fear'd God nor the King but sinn'd against both in pressing with such restless importunity this unjust Device 'T is to sin against the Duke too not only as it offers him the highest injury and injustice but also as it confirms him in his Errour if he be a Papist and tempts him to be so though he was none before Confirms him in his Errour if he be really a Proseyte to the Church of Rome for will he not rejoyce that he hath withdrawn himself from Men that walk so disorderly that have so little fear of God as to do the unjust and evil things he hates so little Faith that they dare not trust him with their Religion but seek to preserve it by base and unworthy Arts are so cowardly impatient and unchristian that they will do a great and certain Injury to avoyd an uncertain one ruin him now for fear they should suffer hereafter But if on the otherside his Royal Highness was no Papist the treating him with such cruelty and unjustice must needs be a mighty temptation to make him so for had he not reason to draw this Inference from your attempt to Exclude him If Protestants use their Princes in this manner 't is fafer to be a Papist My glorious Father was Murder'd my Royal Brother made an Exile by them and forced to wander in Forreign Countries and now their malice is grown so virulent and cruel against me without any just cause or provocation at all I having Injured none of them that they would deprive me of my Birthright and proscribe or banish me as an Enemy to my Native Country I have no way then to secure my self from the danger that threaten me but to leave the Protestants and joyn my self to the Papists who 't is possible may treat me as justly and honourably as they have done despitefully and cruelly This Conclusion is natural from your Premises though I hope and believe his Royal Highness is more Pious Just and Prudent than to be either tempted by it to such a change or to impute this Impious Project to all the English Protestants as if they were favourers or approvers of it The Right Honourable the House of Lords and all the Loyal Addressers and Abhorrers have given him full satisfaction to the contrary but as for you it cannot be deny'd but you have given him great Scandal brought Reproach not onely upon your selves but all the Professors of the Reformed Religion in this Nation done enough to make him hate the very name of Protestant for ever and thereby incurr'd the Woe denounc'd by our Lord against them by whom Offences come You have hereby also misled the People or drawn them into dangerous Errours taught them to think all things Lawful that tend to keep out Popery that Zeal for the true Religion will justifie the most unrighteous Actions that for their own safety and defence they may do Injury to Princes Tempted them to entertain ill thoughts of the King because he did not pass your Bill which you admir'd and cryed up as the only Expedient to keep out Popery Made them apt to Mutiny and break out into Tumults and Seditions Oh how dangerous and fearful a thing is it not only to do evil your selves but to corrupt others What Eli said to his Sons deserves to be well consider'd by you Why do ye such things for I hear of your evil dealings by all this People Nay my Sons 1 Sam. 2. 23. 24. or rather Fathers for it is no good report that I hear ye make the Lords People to Transgress Besides you have hereby likewise dishonour'd the Reformed Religion brought up an ill report of cast reproach and infamy upon it which can never be wiped off but by your great and publick Repentance For consider I beseech you what can more effectually open the Mouths and sharpen the Pens of all its Enemies
they use the best and most pious methods to that purpose Princes and Magistrates 't is certain may ought to do every thing that is just and innocent for the safety of the true Religion but if they use any wicked or forbidden means to protect and defend it these by the just Judgments of God increase the danger both hasten and render the fall of it more ruinous and shameful it dies certainly because God hath determin'd it shall and that with reproach and consequently leaves an ill name behind it not by its own Demerit but by the Errours and evil Practices of its lovers and admirers Now whatever Errours either of Judgement or Practice this Device of yours leads any of the People into and whatever Ruin or Miseries they thereby bring upon themselves either in this World or in the other all these you are answerable and will be called to a sad reckoning for if not before yet in that great day when the Righteous God shall bring every work into Judgement with every secret thing whether it be good or evil if you do not prevent it in time by rectifying their mistakes and changing their opinions of it which you may easily do by representing to them faithfully and plainly the great Jnjustice and Impiety of it that Religion Condemns Right Reason and common Honesty Forbids it that it is Evil in it self Dangerous to the King and Mischievous to the People and therefore to be abhor'd not admired rejected not chosen Such a Declaration as this from you will recover the People out of the Errour and Snare into which you have drawn them and reclaim them from doting on it but if you do it not so long as they have your Persons in Admiration and cry up your Opinions as Orracles they will be very difficultly if at all convinced of the Injustice of it and you omit that which is necessary to compleat your Repentance and consequently to obtain your Pardon from all whom you have thereby injured and offended If you do the other God will be merciful his Anoynted forgive and his Royal Highness be reconcil'd to you then it will be well with you and happy shall you be Well but you will say if we lay aside Subsect 6. this Expedient will not the Romans come and take away our Place and Nation must our Religion our King and all that is Dear to us be endanger'd by the Papists and shall we do nothing for our Defence and Security This is an hard saying who can bear it As for the Romans there is no doubt but they will recover their lost Soveraignty and set up their Religion here if they can though it be a great question whether they can do it and we should be very much to blame and perish cheaply if we do not use all fair and lawful means to preserve our selves But as for those that are unjust and sinful as I have proved this Project of yours to be as they will do us no good so we have no need to use them For first Is there no God nor Providence doth not he that made Govern the World Hath he no care of nor concern for them that profess his Truth and reverence or obey his Laws That he is you do not Question and you have no Reason to doubt the other because St. Peter expresly affirms it calling upon us to cast our care upon him because he careth for us Hath 1 Epist 5. 7. our Lord who when he was upon Earth did with so much Labour and so many Sufferings purchase to himself a Church and People who loved and gave himself to Death the cruel and reproachful Death of the Cross for it hath he I say no kindness for his Church no care at all of it now he is in Heaven Doth the Glory in which he shines on the right hand of his Father the Rapturous Joys and unconceivable Felicities he is there possess'd of divert his thoughts or render him unmindful of his faithful Servants and devout Worshippers upon Earth so that he cares not what becomes of them or if he bears them good will loves and is kindly affected to them is he so poor so impotent a Prince that he is not able to protect them What Shame and Folly and Impiety is it to think so meanly and unworthily of him He that when he was upon Earth healed the Sick raised the Dead and did so many wonderful works must needs now all Power is given him both in Heaven and Earth be a most mighty Saviour and Deliverer of his abillity then to help and defend us there can be no question or doubt at all all the dispute is whether he will do it And to my apprehension those words which St. Mathew relates as the last he speaks upon Earth have a favourable aspect this way Loe I am with you alway even to the end of the Chap. 28 20. world I am going from you returning to the glorious place from whence I came to take possession of the Throne prepared for me in Heaven but assure your selves that when I am there I will be careful of you though you have not my Bodily presence yet I will afford you my Protection and Assistance for those words I will be with you signifie commonly will deliver you as in that promise to the Prophet Jeremy be not affraid of their faces for I am with thee to deliver thee saith the Lord and Chap 1. 8. St. Stephen speaking of Joseph saith God was with him that is as he explains it in the following Acts 7. 9 10. words deliver'd him out of all his afflictions 'T is true indeed this as all other temporal promises are must be understood cum exceptione crucis that Christ will be with protect and deliver his Church and People from all dangers and sufferings so far as is consistent with his Honour and Glory and the Interest of his Religion when their Sufferings are necessary to do him Honour in the world to recommend his Religion to others and gain Converts to it then he is With those he makes choice of to be his Martyrs and Confessors to strengthen and comfort or inable them to bear their Sufferings with Joy and Patience with a thankful and quiet Submission to his good will and pleasure And when his Sufferings can either do honour to Christ or Service to his Religion he is unworthy of the name of a Christian and can expect no portion in his Kingdom that repines at or seeks to decline them by Sinful means This was the case of the Apostles Christ was with them in the first sense to deliver them from many Dangers and all their Enemies till they had accomplish'd their Ministry preach'd the Gospel to the World appointed others to succeed them in their great holy Office left his Religion in such a condition that by his blessing and protection it was able not only to keep its ground but to make new conquests and
and hath Continued in the Catholick Church without any opposition till Aerius first and the Disciples of Calvin since resisted and where they had power cast it out I appeal then to all the wise and sober World whether the Schisms and Divisions amongst us be not causeless and unprovoked there being no just offence given nothing done by our Church to fright or drive the People from the Communion of it or prompt them to set up several Meetings And if the Divisions we are afflicted with cannot be truly charged upon the Church where must the Blamely or who shall father the base and mischievous Brat They that lay it at the Jesuits door charge them to be both the beginners and continuers of the Schisms amongst us have reason for what they say because the Zealots of that Church think every thing lawful that tends to the good and advantage of the Catholick Cause And nothing can be more serviceable to that than our Divisions and Quarrels divide and rule is a Maxim approved by all the Wicked Politicians If they can but set those they would master at strife and variance they conclude they will thereby so weaken and consume one another as to become an easy prey to them Such Divisions Produce deadly feuds and quarrels implacable hatreds and animosities and are the Causes of cruel Wars for Differences in Religion are for the most part managed with such heat and passion that the contenders proceed from words to blows from disputing to fighting for their beloved Opinions or if they forbear that for a time yet in any exigences of State or Publick dangers they will not afford one another that mutual help and assistance which are necessary for their preservation but one party will look on and see the other subdued if not lend their helping hands to destroy them But the more united any people are the better able they must needs be to defend themselves against a common Enemy but being broken into Sects and Factions their strength is Little and not Sufficient to repel the assaults of their Enemies Cyrus as Herodotus relates intending to Conquer Scythia came to a great River that stop'd his march for as it ran in one channel or current it would have Endanger'd his Army Swallowed them up if they had ventured to ford it whereupon he made use of this Stratagem to cut or divide it into many parts rivulets and sluces which so weaken'd its force that they passed over without any danger at all This seems to be the Policy of the Jesuits in dividing us for if all our people kept within their proper Channel our Church the attempts of Rome would signify nothing but like a mighty torrent we should easily bear down all opposition be strong enough to defend ourselves against them but the Sects and Factions they have caused amongst us weaken and give them great advantages against us For hereby many are Scandaliz'd and turn Papists because they think the Contentions we are ingaged in will be sure to ruin us at last and therefore imagin themselves safer in St. Peters boat than in a ship so leaky and full of breaches as our Church is By this means also great numbers are frighted from Religion in general become Atheists concluding that to be a meer Fable about which there are so many and such endless quarrels and bickerings and which the professors of after so long time and so much consideration are not will never be agreed about and it is indifferent to them that believe all Religion a cheat which gets uppermost for they that are really of none can and will seem to be of any Church or Perswasion they can either get or save by if either their safety or profit require it they can creep as devoutly to a Crucifix as they can kneel to God Almighty Lastly by drawing multitudes of People from it the Jesuits have great hopes of gaining their so much desired and so long endeavour'd point The destruction of our Church for we see how Zealous and Industrious the Dissenters have been and are to ruin or pluck it down which shews them to be set on by the Jesuits and their Agents to do their work for them though perhaps they know not do not consider whose servants they are for if our Church be destroy'd Popery will certainly rise out of the ruins of it there being nothing to make head against it when that is gone this is the great Bulwork or Fort Royal which if they can take either by undermining Treachery or open Force the day is theirs So that they who charge our Divisions upon the Jesuits as the Authors of them have reason to justify that charge and the truth of it is so fully proved by the excellent Dean of St. Pauls in the Preface to his unreasonableness of Separation to which I refer the Reader that nothing needs Page 1â— be added to it And being the first Sowers of these Tares the Causers and Fomenters of our Divisions when they broak in upon our Church presently after the Reformation and which they have with their utmost care and diligence propagated and continued ever since with what face can they Upbraid us with or make them an Objection against it for them to set us together by the Ears and then blame us that we do not agree to be the Incendiaries and stir up Strife amongst us from Age to Age from Generation to Generation and then reproach us with our Contentions is worse than Heathen Malice and Knavery this is as barbarous as if a Man should set his Neighbours House on fire and then blame him for letting it burn We had lived in great Peace and Concord and there had been no Schisms amongst us if they had not help'd to disturb the one and promoted the other and our Wounds would be presently closed we should return to our Ancient Unity and live in the happiest Peace if They and their chief Agents the leading Schismaticks that imbroyl and divide us were as upon all accounts they deserve to be Excluded or Driven out of the Nation 'T is certain that not only all Protestants but the Papists themselves at the beginning of Queen Elizabeth's Reign came to our Churches and if Pius Quintus had not forbidden the Romish party to Communicate with they had not Separated from us and his Emissaries the Priests and Jesuites did under colour of setting up a more Pure and Spiritual way of Worship seduce many Protestants from the Church and cause woful broyls and dissentions which put that prudent and excellent Queen upon such methods as did effectually suppress and quiet them and it is most Unreasonable and right Jesuitical practice for them to father their base and wicked off-spring upon us to cause divisions amongst us and then reproach us with them Besides they that thus accuse and upbraid us with ours have many differences amongst themselves those of their Religious Orders are notorious and managed with great heat and earnestness
should have been murder'd with him and as they are conjoyn'd in blood and the dearest affection so the same untimely and cruel fate was intended for them both that Life which his Royal Highness had so bravely ventured for the safety and defence of his Country should by the most execrable treachery and baseness have been took from him And do or can you think they that had conspired the destruction of two such excellent Princes would if their hellish design had succeeded have been either merciful or just to you No no! Multitudes of you had perish'd by their bloody Swords and those that had escaped would have lead a Life worse than Death the Life of Slaves a life made miserable and tedious by continual fears and intolerable oppressions The Estates your careful Parents left you or which you have obtained by your own Labour and Industry would have been a prey to these your new Masters and when they had been devour'd you must have drudg'd for more to glut their insatiable coveteousness I conjure you therefore by all that is dear to you by the Honour Love and Loyalty you bear to the King and as you tender your own safety and happiness to chuse none of the Excluders none that gave their votes for that as I suppose I have proved it wicked Bill or are known to be admirers and favourers of it if you do you are partakers in their guilt create new trouble and disquiet vexation and danger to the King offer fresh injuries and indignities to his Royal Highness cast more reproach and dishonour upon our Religion encourage men of Trayterous and Wicked Principles to Plot and Imagine more mischief and so bring your selves and the Kingdom into misery and ruin Be wise then and let not remote and distant if not imaginary prompt you to expose the King the whole Nation and consequently your selves to present and real dangers but take the first opportunity to remedy all these evils There is no want of loyal and brave persons thanks be to God that are able and ready to serve him their King and you in that high Station if you please to make choice of them you may know them by their fruits their Addresses and Abhorrences that is by the Declarations they have made of their Loyalty and Resolution to stand by and defend the Kings most Sacred Maiesty with their Lives and Estates against all his Enemies and all Traytors both Popish and Fanatick and their protestations of their dislike and hatred of the injurious Treatment that hath been offer'd to his Royal Highness These are the men that must close our gaping wounds heal our ruinous Dissentions appease our deadly Feuds and Differences and restore us to our Ancient Peace and Happiness But the other are Physicians of no value their Physick is too violent instead of recovering it would destroy the Patient they are not for moderate Counsels but run into dangerous extreams bring fuel to feed instead of water to quench the Feuds and Contentions that burn so fiercely amongst us Be sure then to leave out these and chuse the other the Men of Loyalty and Integrity who as they hate Popery so they do heartily love Righteousness these will please God and the King and it will be an high honour and a great happiness to you and the whole Nation to have such excellent Representatives And hoping the next House of Commons will consist of such worthy Patriots and Members I humbly petition that then truly Honourable House that they will please to do that which God and all good men expect from them and their own loyalty and generosity cannot but prompt them to that they will make some grateful and suitable Returns to the King for all his Royal care watchfulness most prudent and happy endeavours to preserve us in Peace and secure our excellent Church and most holy Religion from all the attempts of all its Enemies The Ship of State and all its precious Lading must needs have perish'd when the winds of Sedition blew so lowd and the waves of Faction raged and the storms of popular Tumults beat so Furiously against it if his Royal hand had not Guided the helm stear'd an even and a wary course But Oh what care and labour how many anxious thoughts sleepless nights and painful days did it cost him to weather the Storm And can you be so ungrateful as to overlook his Royal labours to attain this rest and render him no agreeable returns for them It cannot be your Loyalty will not your Piety cannot suffer you to be so unmindful either of your own Duty or his Princely Care and Goodness to you As you have congratulated his deliverance and paid your solemn thanks to Heaven for it and in his your own so let it be your care to put his Sacred Majesty into such a condition by your liberal Supplies that he may be able to defend himself and you and all his good Subjects from the Violence and Cruelties of all the Disturbers of the Peace and Destroyers of the Happiness you injoy under his Royal Care and most prudent Government This is a Tribute your gratitude cannot your wisdome will not deny to such a Prince that so tenderly loves so watchfully protects you and having fill'd Heaven with thanks for the wonderful preservation of his Sacred Person and most Precious Life and all parts of the Nation with your admirations and praises of his incomparable Wisdom Justice and Goodness what an unpardonable Solecism and Errour will it be to give encouragement to the Wicked and Seditious to enterprise or attempt any thing against him by reason of the emptiness of his Exchequer To keep the Prince poor is dangerous to the People both because it renders him unable to protect them and also abates their fear and thereby animates his and their Enemies to attempt against him and to endeavour the Subvertion of the Government And it is very reasonable to believe the late proceedings had never run so high but that the Authours of them presumed upon the necessities of the King they thought though with strange Insolence and Impiety he would deny them nothing they demanded of him in hopes of getting mony of them All which evils it is now in your power to prevent the Nation by His Majesties Providence and excellent Conduct is in a flourishing condition the Loyal Party are so willing to give that if you do not make hast they will Assess themselves rather than their Prince shall want and the Disafected can find mony Voluntarily to contribute towards the Subversion and Destruction of the Government and therefore should be forced to pay towards the Suport and Preservation of it If the wicked Conspirators had prevailed in their late villanous Design both your Lives and Estates had been a prey to their barbarous Cruelty and insatiable Covetousness and having escaped so dreadful a Danger and such imminent Ruin take heed how you encourage them to imagine any more Mischief
by denying the Ring such Supplies as are necessary for his and yours and all our preservation Let it be your care also to cover the Pit which the Excluders have dug I mean to make his Royal Highness reparation for the injurious and unworthy Treatment he hath received from them You have abhorr'd it without doors therefore do it within cast out the Bill as a wicked abominable thing shut the door after it that it may never return any more Be pleased to do that which your great Wisdom and Justice cannot but prompt you to Go to the Duke and let him know your deep resentments of the wrongs that have been offer'd him and beseech him not to think the worse either of you or the Establish'd Religion for them because this hath taught you and all the true Members of the Church of England to abominate the Project of Exclusion as a peice of high and execrable Injustice Shew him the difference between the true and the seeming Protestants that those have so much Religion and fear of God that they dare do injury to no man much less to their Princes and had rather suffer themselves than they should whereas these have more Zeal than Honesty and care not whom they injure and oppress so they can but secure and preserve their own dear selves Treat him with all the honour and respect due to his Royall Birth Vertues omit nothing that may testifie your high esteem and veneration for him use all the fair and prudent means you can to gain his favour and good opinion of you and to convince him of the justness and honesty of your intentions towards him Such methods as these are Christian and Noble and fit to be practis'd towards a Prince and may by the Blessing of God work very much upon his great and generous Soul brave Spirits being sometimes courted to that which they will never be hector'd into and if he be a Papist be instrumental to his Conversion which will not only be grateful or pleasing to God his Angels and Saints in Heaven but fill this our English Earth with Joy revive our languishing Happiness restore our Nation to its ancient Glory put a blessed period to all our Distractions and Confusions then we shall live in Peace and Unity amongst our selves and unless we be the most ungrateful People in the World in true Piety Obedience to our God who hath done so great things for us then it will be well with us and happy shall we be Forreigners will call these Kingdoms as they did of old The Fortunate Islands All which the great and Gracious Governour of the World God Almighty in whose hands the Hearts of Princes are Grant for the Merits of our dear Redeemor Amen FINIS Some Books Printed for and sold by W. Freeman by Temple-Bar in Fleet-street THE Penitent Pardon'd or a Discourse of the Nature of Sin and Efficacy of Repentance under the Parable of the Prodigal Son By Dr. Goodman Daily Exercise for a Christian By a Person of Exemplary Piety for his own use price 1. s. Holy Devotions with Directions to Pray also a brief Exposition upon the Lords Prayer the Creed Ten Commandments Seven Penitential Psalms and the Seven Psalms of Thanksgiving together with a Litany By the Right Reverend Father in God Lancelot Andrews late Bishop of Winchester the 7th Edition Means to Preserve Peace in Marriage by the Author of Rules of Civility in Twelves Price 1. s. The Manners of the Israelites in Three Parts First of the Patriarcks Second of the Israelites after their coming out of Egypt to the Captivity of Babylon Third of the Jews after their Return to the Preaching of the Gospel The President of Presidents or one general President for Common Assurances by Deeds Wherein there is an Extract of all the General Learning and Forms of Presidents now extant Out of which you may be fitted for most purposes and cases and be able to find the faults of any Conveiances and so Judg of your Right and Title to your Lands and Goods here being upon the matter the Effect and Quintessence of all Books of this kind Of singular use and Profit to all Men. By W. Sheppard Esq The Third Edition Corrected in Octavo The Clerks Manual or an Exact Collection of the most approved Forms of Declarations Pleas general Issues Judgments Demurrers and most kind of Writs now used in the Court of Kings-Bench with necessary Instructions to all Clerks Attorneys Sollicitors c. In the use of the same The Second Edition Octavo The Practick Part of the Law shewing the Office of an Attorney and a Guid for Solicitors in Octavo An Infallible way to Contentment in the midst of Publick or Personal Calamities Together with the Christians Courage and Encouragement against Evil Tidings and the Fear of Death In Twelves The Court of the Gentiles Part Fourth of Reformed Philosophy Book Third of Divine Predetermination wherein the nature of Divine Predetermination is fully Explained and Demonstrated both in the General as also more Particularly as to the Substract matter or Entitative Act of Sin By Theophylus Gale in Quarto Starrons Novels viz. The fruitless Precaution the Hypocrites the Innocent Adultery the Judg in his own Cause the Rival Brothers the Invisible Mistriss the Chastisement of Avarice the Unexpected Choice Rendred into English with some Additions in Octavo ☞ Xenophons Histroy of the Affairs of Greece in Seven Books Being a Continuation of the Peloponnesian War from the time where Thucydides ends to the Battel at Mantinea To which is Prefixed an Abstract of Thucydides and an Account of the Land and Naval Forces of the Ancient Greeks Translated from the Greek by John Newman This will be Published in few days in Octavo