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truth_n church_n religion_n true_a 7,548 5 5.1593 4 true
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ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A90957 A paradox. That designe upon religion, was not the cause of state misgovernment: but an effect of it. 1644 (1644) Wing P332; Thomason E19_7; ESTC R17629 7,451 15

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A PARADOX THAT DESIGNE UPON RELIGION Was not the cause of STATE Misgovernment But an effect of it LONDON Printed for T. W. 1644. A PARADOX That designe upon Religion was not the cau●● of State misgovernment but an effect of it HOw much the English Nation for many yeares has groaned under the oppression of Illegall government the meanest of understanding among all the people cannot be ignorant The particular grievances are too well knowne and too many to be recited in a short Discourse but whether those illegall actions of them that sate at the Helme in England proceeded from meere injustice and temporall ambition or had a further end as relating to Popery and Iesuiticall continuance is made a great question Some suppose the latter and thinke that so great a violation of Lawes tended not only to deprive the people of their just liberty but to make them Papists as well as Slaves And indeed there are great inducements to that supposition considering the many entercourses betweene Rome and the English Court of late yeares the particulars of which are fully expressed in some rationall discourses which I will not here meddle with at all But let it be granted that there might be a concurrence of wicked designes upon this unhappy Nation yet it is my opinion that Popery was not the first intended and chiefe end of our Rulers but rather subservient to tyranny or as they called it Absolute Monarchy Nor can I thinke that the Iesuits taught our Statesmen to be unjust but the unjustice of those Statesmen taught the Iesuits to hope for their ends and that the waters would be at last enough troubled for them to fish in As we shall see the ancient Popes though then the State of England was of their Religion and there was nothing for them to seeke further in that kinde did alwayes take advantage for their temporall ends upon such times and in the reignes of seduced Princes advance their revenues and civill power Such Princes have therefore been most enslaved by Popes and their Thrones shaken by Papall thunderbolts because their Thrones were not so firmly established in justice as they should have beene Then when there could be no aime at all at changing of Religion when there were no Iesuits in the world to tempt or plot this very Kingdome for forreigne instances are not so proper had seduced Princes and wicked Statesmen who acted the same parts that we have lately seene who laboured to overthrow Parliaments and utterly subvert the Lawes and Liberties of the Kingdome nor could they have taken greater paines to have brought in a new Religion then they did to gaine an unlawfull power by those unhappy actions instead of strengthning their estates they much weakned them and made themselves lyable to the Popes temporall encroachments and no doubt had they been of a different Religion from the Pope the same injustice had made them more lyable to his Spirituall underminings and his pretence had been fairer for Religion though his end were not which was only power and revenue For whosoever knows history can tell what were the great causes from time to time of the Popes anger against any Kingdome and provoked his excommunications and other censures namely denying of his power and stopping his revenue not contradicting the tenents of his Religion unlesse in the case only as that might cause the former To keep a Towne which he claimed from him has beene called in plaine termes Heresie and the parties excommunicated in as great fury as if they had denyed an Article of the Creed Henry the eight though he retained that Religion yet for denying the Papall power and revenue was as great an Hereticke as Queen Elizabeth And the King of Spaine in this age for detayning the Kingdome of Naples from him is at certaine times accursed in as solemne manner as Arrius or the greatest Heretick would be if he were living So that we see it could not be matter of Religion that caused either the Popes encroachments or the injustice of those Princes but they were therefore more subject to the Popes injuries because they had lost that shield that should have beene their defence against him the strength of right government in a Parliamentary way by which Edward the first was able to resist him in those things which King Iohn and others could not doe And as this Kingdome by bad government was made more lyable to those encroachments in temporall cases so may it be in Spirituall matters when those fenses are broken downe by which next under God the Church is established and defended for if they can take away all priviledges of Parliament and all lawfull power of resistance from the representative Body of the Kingdom where is the strength upon earth that should defend our established Religion but whether our Rulers of late times together with their injustice and oppression of the people did intend to change Religion or not I think we need not much trouble our selves to consider Though they had no designe upon Popery at all yet were they enough guilty in robbing the People of those Laws and Liberties which were their due and a guard to whatsoever else they possessed Therefore let a State look first upon that cause which is neerest and most visible If we see thieves breaking of our house we doe not stay and make it a long dispute within our selves what kinde of goods they intend to steal or what they would leave behind but presently apprehend and cause them to be punished as felons for breaking of the house And indeed such disputes do somtimes so amuse the People that whilest they look farther off at things which they cannot so well perchance and clearly discerne they lose the sight or consideration of that which is neer at hand and easie to discerne and which is of concernment and weight enough though nothing else were put into the scale Besides consider this That our Religion like a most precious Pearle and more in value then all the other goods is contained within this House whose walls are thus broken down perchance those Thieves which breake them looke not for this Pearle nor thinke of it but some other goods yet when the walls are broken another Thiefe who better understands the value of that Pearle may come with more ease and rob us of it It was far easier for the Iesuites and the Church of Rome to rob us of the true Religion in England when the just power of Parliaments by which under God it was established and defended was so far trodden down though perchance those Thieves which breake them looke not for this Pearle nor thinke of it but some other goods yet when the walls are broken another Thiefe who better understands the value of that Pearle may come with more ease and rob us of it It was far easier for the Iesuites and the Church of Rome to rob us of the true Religion in England when the just power of Parliaments by which under God it was established and defended was so far trodden down though perchance those Statesmen who trod it downe had no designe of letting in the Church of Rome to supplant the Truth but