Selected quad for the lemma: kingdom_n
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A59010
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A Second remonstrance by way of address from the Church of England to both Houses of Parliament
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1686
(1686)
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Wing S2329; ESTC R38227
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3,856
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4
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A Second REMONSTRANCE by way of ADDRESS FROM THE Church of England to both Houses of PARLIAMENT My Lords and Gentlemen I Hope the tender Concern of a Mother for her Childrens safety and the tye of Nature for self preservation will sufficiently Apologize for this my Second Remonstrance And I hope if either Piety towards my Children or solicitude for my self or both should make me seem Importune or as you may think too apprehensive Nature will be my Plea which cannot hinder the one and also commands the other Yet I cannot think my Apprehensions Vain nor my Importunity unseasonable when I consider what mischief the Basilisk may do if not crushed in the Egg What Conflagrations have been occasioned from neglected Sparks and what Countreys and Kingdoms have been imbroyl'd and ruin'd for not obviating small beginnings I am concern'd for You and all my Children and You ought also to be concerned with Me both for Me and for your selves I am concern'd for the King and the Kingdoms good and quiet and You ought equally to share with me in this concern For when I see Rebellion begin to appear bare-fac'd and my Phanatick Enemies flock to an ungrateful aspiring Wretch I cannot but think that tho' his and their cry be The Security of the Protestant Religion Yet it is not the Protestant Religion as by Law Established It is not Me they mean thereby but a Religion compos'd of all Dissenters 'T is not Episcopacy they would secure but on the contrary I fear pull down under the Name of Popery Or rather if we look upon their Practices tho' Religion be in their mouths we may assure our selves it is not in their Intentions seeing they destroy the very Foundations of it by Rebellion No no 't is not Religion 't is Ambition and Des … animates the unthinking Tool their Leader 'T was not Religion 't was 〈◊〉 hatred of Monarchy excited the Republicans to invite him in and lend him their assistance 't is not Religion 't is a delight to Fish in troubled Waters and to enrich themselves by the Spoyls of others causes the Crowd to follow him And if some be led by a Zeal no less Criminal then blind for Religion they are but like their Leader Tools in the hands of Knaves who should they obtain their ends which God forbid would throw them by as useless When therefore I see Ambition grasping at a Crown as the last Refuge of Desperation When I see Republican Spirits lending their assistance to pull down Monarchy When I see the discontented hungry Rabble flock together in hopes once more to enrich themselves by the Ruine both of Church and State And when I see blinded Zealots cry up Religion with all the other damned crue of Rebels whilst they all joyn hands to pluck it down I think I have great reason to fear my own and my dearest Childrens Ruine and to offer up my poor Endeavours towards our common security from the rage of those plodding Knaves and Hood wink'd Fools I know no thinking Persons who are either zealous for mine or the Kingdoms good and quiet will ever joyn with them For they cannot but see the Methods these pretended Zealots take to secure Religion are the only means to ruin it We find our selves safely sheltred under the promise of Our most Great and Gracious Soveraign and we see and experience in this as in all other things His Constancy to his Promise But it behoves us to reflect this promise was Conditional if we were true to Monarchy Those therefore who joyn with or abett Rebellion against their Lawful Prince have neither Right nor Title to his Promise as having broken the necessary conditions required by it Religion is and always has been the common Cry of Rebels but what Religion must that be which takes its rise and its security from Rebellion I am sure it cannot be Orthodox which does so manifestly thwart the Gospel that teaches due submission No no 't is not Religion but Interest sways such Monsters as this ungrateful Rebel And we may assure our selves also that those Republicans who help to set up such a Tool and lead the Rabble-rout by the plausible cry of Religion intend no other but a Republican Religion as well as Government And then a farewel being given to Monarchy we must give a farewel also to Episcopacy and your Mother the Church of England Can we imagine a Person who has no Religion but Debauchery will be a sit Instrument to Protect or Establish Truth and Piety Can we imagine He who never sought any thing but his own private Ends will have any generous thoughts for the Publick Can we imagine He who Plotted the death of a tender and a Royal Father and prefer'd the Lives of those Conspirators who seduced him before the safety of the King Kingdom has any sence of Piety Honesty or Religion in him Can we think He who declares against all You my Children here Assembled as a pack'd company of Papists because you have shown your selves true and Loyal Subjects to your King and Zealous for the Welfare and Honour of the Nation can intend any thing but Your and My Destruction with the Kingdoms Ruine In a word can we imagine He who is a monster of Ingratitude of Impiety of Debauchery and of all the ills imaginable as appears by This and all his late attempts carries any thing but the Seeds of these Crimes under the goodly Husks of Liberty Property and Religion Or can we imagine those who abet such Villanies have either better or more Religious Designs though they Cloak them under that most specious appearance It is not an Age since we sufficiently experienc'd the effects of Rebellion That Tree though it may for some time spread and flourish yet the Fruits thereof are always bitter It may promise much in the Blossom but the Fruit tho' fair in appearance is poysonous in the effect It behoves You therefore my dearest Children to endeavour by all means to defend His Sacred Majesty against his Enemies upon whom the future quiet and Glory of the Nation does depend It behoves You to defend Him upon whom depends my Peace and my support It behoves You to defend Him upon whose Security Your own Lives and Fortunes do depend and to obviate all those Evils which make hast to ripen if they be not nipp'd in the Bud. This it behoves you to do if you love your King if you love your Countrey if you love Me or if you love your selves And when so many Motives excite you to resist those Rebels and to quell them to secure our quiet methinks nothing that is conducing thereunto but may be seasonably represented to you My own thoughts I told you in my last Remonstrance which I must here again repeat The only way and most secure is without doubt to procure a Vnion with those who are undoubtedly the King and Kingdoms Friends and whose Interest as well as Principles oblige them
to be Faithful to Him We ought to secure all the Friends we can and not exclude those who are both able and willing to assist us by Oaths and Tests which are so far from assuring us of their Fidelity that we cannot firmly relie upon their Allegiance who take them The Romanists have often offer'd to swear Allegiance to their King in any form so it thwart not what is due to God and as we may assure our selves that they who break their Allegiance due to God under pretence of serving their King are led by nothing but their Interest which would byass them to any thing So those who are known to be faithful to their God and prefer their Religion and Conscience before their Interest will no doubt make a Conscience likewise to serve their King and Countrey when the same God and Religion obliges them to do it Our former Christian Kings were for many Ages secure even under the Roman Religion when their Subjects were ty'd by Oaths no less obliging 't is true then these but couched in other Terms Other Kings and Kingdoms think themselves no less secur'd than We when such an Allegiance is sworn unto them And shall We alone endeavour to Fetter the Consciences of those who make a Conscience to serve their King and Countrey tho' ty'd by no other Bonds than the true Principles of Religion and sound Morality We know 't is not Allegiance they boggle at for That they are always ready to pay with the hazard of their Lives and Fortunes but 't is their Religion they would not abandon their Faith they would not quit their God to whom they would not be Rebellious Shall we therefore when we know they are Persons will be faithful to a King who has promised Us His Protection and under whose Protection alone we can ever hope to subsist shall We I say refuse their assistance in these conjunctures We know many of the Romanists have shewn their Valour and their Conduct in Forreign Countreys where they learnt Military Discipline by Practice and not by speculation only And shall We when we know them to be fit Persons to be Imploy'd so far injure our selves and the Nation as to exclude them from assisting us for Niceties in Religion We cannot doubt of their Fidelity to their own King who sought so faithfully for Forrâ—igners we cannot doubt their Courage who shew'd their Valour in the greatest hazzards and we may hope their Conduct will be no less advantagious having learnt it in so great a School Those no doubt who are either for His Majesties security for my safety or the Kingdoms good will be desirous to see them imploy'd None certainly but those who care not if they saw me again pull'd down and the Kingdom turn'd into a Common-wealth can be against it Both They and I and all those who are for Monarchy are concern'd in the preservation of His Sacred Majesty and where our concern is common why should we not be at perfect Vnion My Lords and Gentlemen It depends wholly upon your generous Action to see this great thing effected We see His Majesty is not willing to infringe the Laws nor alter any thing without your Council nor give occasion to the discontented to esteem him Arbitrary But You methinks should prevent him in this and before you break up this Assembly freely desire him to imploy any that are known to be his Friends If you be afraid of Persons who are nor tyed by Oaths either take those old Ones which secur'd His Predecessors or frame new Ones with all the tyes imaginable to Fidelity so they touch not upon Religion Then will you show your selves true Subjects to your King truly concern'd for me Your tender Mother who run the same Fate with Him true Friends to Monarchy and may therefore expect His Majesties protection under Gods I hope you will be Vnanimous in this step to our Vnity Peace and Security which I shall perpetually pray for in giving you My Blessing God save King JAMES the Second