Selected quad for the lemma: sense_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A59824
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A letter to a friend concerning a French invasion to restore the late King James to his throne and what may be expected from him should he be successful in it.
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Sherlock, William, 1641?-1707.
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1692
(1692)
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Wing S3295; ESTC R37546
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16,796
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33
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English Forces but thanks be to God the King of England and the English Forceâ— are now at leisure to attend his Motions those Forces which beat him at the Boyn at Athlone at Agrins at Lymerick in a word which beat him out of Ireland and have now got a habit of beating the French And it is no wonder that he is not fond of such company in Flandâ—rs but endeavours to find some new work for them at home And if he can but send them home again and embroil us in a Civil War that is one great point gained but if he proves successful in his Attempt he makes England his own and will turn their Arms upon the Confederates and what can then stand in his way What should hinder him from being the sole and absolute Monarch of the West And then it is easie to read the Fate of Protestants Thus Sir I have freely told you what I apprehend will be the necessary and unavoidable effects of a French Conquest I pretend not to prophesie nor to demonstration in such cases but what I have said has all the appearances of probabiâ—ity all the degrees of moral certainty thâ—t any thing of this nature can have and that is the only Rule in these matters by which wise men are to judge and act And this has prepared a plain and easie Answer to your Second Question What English Subjects are bound in Conscience to do in case the late King should land in England with French Forces to demand his Crown Now there are two sorts of persons concerned in this question 1. Those who have not sworn Allegiance to King William and Queen Mary but account the late King James as much their King as he was when he sat upon the Throne and that their obligations to him are the same now that ever they were 2. Those who have sworn Allegiance to King William and Queen Mary And there are two parts of this Question 1. Whether they are bound in conscience to assist the late King if he return 2. Whether it be lawful for them to oppose him and fight against him As for the first part of this Question and as far as it concerns the Non-swearers I shall ask them two or three Questions and leave them to answer them themselves 1. The first question is Whether they can think themselves bound in conscience upon any pretence whatever to fight for Popery against the Protestant Faith and Worship that is as they must confess if they are Protestants to fight for Heresie and Idolatry against the true Faith and Worship of Christ or to fight for Antichrist and against Christ Can any consideration make this lawful If nothing can as I will venture to take it for granted that nothing can then whatever duty they may fancy they still owe to their Abdicated Prince it cannot be their Duty to fight for him when they cannot fight for him without fighting against Christ and his Religion though they must not fight against their Prince for Christ because Christ in such cases requires his Disciples to suffer not to fight for him yet it does not follow that they must fight for their Prince against Christ to bring a Persecution upon his faithful Disciples and to contribute what they can to extirpate the Name and the Religion of Protestanâ—s out of Europe Do they think themselves bound in Conscience to fight for their Prince against the Laws and Libeâ—ties of their Countrey as well as against the Faith and Worship of Christ Let the Rights of Princes be nevâ—r so Sacred have the rest of mankind no Rights but only Princes Is there no such thing as Justice due to our selves nor to our Fellow-Subjects Have the Free born Subjects of England no Natural no Legal Rights And is there any Law of God or man to fight for our Prince against the Laws and Liberties of our Countrey which are the measuâ—es and boundaries of that Duty which we owe to Princes that is to fight for our Prince against the rule of our duty and obedience to Princes when our Prince and the Laws and Liberties of our Countrey are on contrary sides tho we should grant them according to their own Principles that we must not fight against our Prince for our Laws and Liberties yet no more must we fight for our Prince against oâ—r â—aws and Liberties It is abundantly eâ—ough to be Passive in such cases but a Nation which fights against its own Laws and Liberties is Feâ—o de se guiâ—ty of the worst kind of Self-Murder Can any â—nglish-man whatever opiniâ—n he has of the late Kingâ—s Right think himself bound in consciâ—nce to maintain his Right by giving up his Countrey to France To make him King and all his Subjects French Slaves For can any Prince have more Right to be King of England than the Kingdom of England has to be England Is it not an unaccountable tenderness and scrupulosity of Conscience to be so concerned for any one Prince's Right as to sacrifice the Rights and Liberties of all the Princes in Europe to his To set him upon the Throne to drive all other Princes from theirs We are Citizens of the World as well as Subjects of England and have our Obligations to Mankind and to other Princes as well as to our own and though our obligation to no one other Prince is so great as to our own yet the publâ—ck good of mankind or of a great part of the world is a more sacred obligation than the particular Interest of our own Prince or Countrey much less then can the Right of any particular Prince be it what it will stand in competition with the Rights and Liberties of our own Countrey and of all Europe besides It is to no more purpose to dispute with men who do not feel the Force of this Argument at the first hearing than to reason with blind men about Colours they have no sense left nothing but a stupid and slavish Loyalty all things tho never so sacred must give place to this the care of Religion the love of their Countrey their Justice and Charity to all mankind must vail to their senseless mistake of the true meaning of this word Loyalty by which they will needs understand an â—bsolute Obedience without Limitation or Reseâ—ve when most certainly it signifies no more than Obedience according to Law 2. I would ask them What they would think themselves bound to do in such cases were the late King upon the Throne again Unless they have chang'd their minds and then they are not so steady to Principles as they pretend to be we may very reasonably guess what they would do by what they did while he was upon the Throne It is certain they so much dislik'd his open designs of Popery and Arbitrary Power that they opposed him as far as they durâ—t and would not Fight for him to keep him on the Throne nay by their Examples and Counsels they had so influenced the Army that