and Dignity which may be look'd upon as a Reward of his Fidelity as a glorious and honourable acknowledgment of Divine Providence of our Prince's faithfulness to the Profession of the true Protestant Religion and a Testimonial from God himself of his reality in his Faith sufficiently evidenced to all the World by the wonderful Circumstances of his happy Restauration I say since his Majesties return how many plain and undoubted Testimonies hath he given us of his sincerity in the Protestant Profession and Resolution to maintain it in his Kingdoms against all Dissenters and Opposers His Royal Father left him this Charge I do require and intreat you as your Father and you King that you never suffer your Heart to receive the least check against or disaffection from the true Religion establish'd in the Church of England I tell you I have tried it and after much search and many disputes have concluded it to be the best in the World not only in the Community as Christian but also in the special Notion as reformed c. Therefore as soon as he was settled by the advice of his Loyal Parliament he restored the Orders and Government of the Church of England which in the approved judgment of the King his Father is the best in the World because it is the most conformable in Doctrine and Practice to Christ his holy Apostles and and the Primitive Church as he expresly declares And to secure this most excellent Religion the better by removing all the causes of dissention and Obstacles that seem'd to hinder such as had received contrary principles from embracing it the Kings Majesty yielded to an amendment of certain things which gave offence What could have been desired more from generous and a gracious Prince than was then granted in complyance with the peoples weakness and mistakes The Nation was then through the disorders that had been in Church and State split into many pieces and sad divisions Mens judgments were possessed with unreconcileable Prejudices and strange Principles in opposition to the Church of England which they would not nor could not speedily overcome It was therefore judged convenient to grant them time and yet to establish those Law as might both declare to the World His Majesties constancy in the true Protestant Religion and direct them that were Dissenters to embrace it Examine but the Royal proclamations and the Acts of Parliament and see what they say and it will plainly appear that the Kings Majesty never had any design since his Coronation nor before but to settle protect favour and maintain according to his Royal Promise the true Protestant Religion of the Church of England as it was establish'd in Queen Elizabeth's King James's and his Martyred Father's days And if not withstanding out of his royal goodness and wisdom the Laws against Papists were not always strictly put in Execution it was because the necessities of the Kingdom and the good of the Publick did so require it for the preservation of Peace and the better settlement of the Truth Fire and Sword are not always seasonable against Dissenters in Religion It belongs to a King to mitigate his Laws and suit them to Times and Cases He is not always bound to observe them in all their rigour and exactness neither doth such proceedings consist with the general good and happiness of a Kingdom though the surious zeal of inconsiderate Subjects may sometimes wish for the contrary But as in distempered Bodies the Physician doth not always observe the same Rules of his Art nor apply the same Remedies but changeth and altereth them according to the Diet Humour Pulse Country Air and other Circumstances of the Patient So it becomes a wife Prince to handle the Distempers of Church and State in such a manner as may answer the universal good the chief end of Government and prevent the increase of the Disease It is therefore a grand presumption for every petty Fellow and ignorant Mechanick to exclaim against his Superiours Actions in such a case when he is not capable to understand the great Reasons of Sate that govern them Besides the Papists did scemingly express their Duty and Allegiance to the King out of a design as it is now supposed by some when he was in his Banishment when many Protestants were unable to do him service but with their Prayers and Wishes After his happy return could he do any thing less than grant them some freedom under his good Government for which many of them had taken up Arms against Rebellion It was but just whiles they confined their Religion within their own Breasts and professed to live as peaceable Subjects and quiet in their Offices and Estates that they should reap some of the Fruits and taste of the sweetness of that Reign for which many of them had ventur'd their Lives and Fortunes As they had a share in the sufferings it was but just that they should have also a share in the happiness that succeeded As they have been concerned in his Majesties Calamity Reason and Conscience obliged him at first to suffer them to have an Interest in his Restauration and happiness This is sufficient to justifie our Kings gracious Proceedings towards the Papists from all jealousie and suspicion and to make it appear that his Grants and Allowances proceeded not from any approbation of the Popish Idolatries and Superstitions but from a Principle of Justice not from an allowance of their Religion and Abominations but of their Persons and faithfulness to him in his distress which had obliged him in requital to shew them some favour And not only to them his Majesty hath given several Expressions of Royal goodness but also to all Dissenters from the Religion of the Church of England Though the Laws are severe against Conventicles and Conventiclers whiles they are peaceable and not mutinous though their Practices are of ill consequence and not agreeable with Law yet so great is his condescention as to suffer them in their way without disturbing their Meetings according to this Christian Speech which hath been often heard from his Majesty I will never trouble any for his Conscience but let no Man trouble nor disturb my Government If the Papists had not plotted the Nations ruine and agreed together to murder both Prince and People they might have yet continued freely in the enjoyment of their Religion and of as much priviledge as they could reasonably desire under the Government of so favourable a Monarch No person would have dream'd to disturb them in their Privacies and secret Devotions They might have lived and died without any fear of the Execution of the Laws in the fruition of their Estates and Places with as much liberty as the Protestants themselves We all began to look upon them with kindness to esteem them as our Brethren and good Countrymen and to favour them in many respects But how strangely have we been mistaken and deceived let the World judge However this is our comfort
to Religion and the Publick safety for they are like Sampson's Foxes they spread the Fire every where in this Field of England they borrow from beyond the Seas that subtilty which together with the courage and strength of Resolution natural to our Nation renders them the most fiery and desperate Enemies of our Religion and Government and carries them to the boldest Attempts against the Lives of our Kings and Princes Of this number were Pool Campian Garnet Piercy Catesby and others of the same Principles To prevent such Evils for the time to come and hinder our English Gentry from Popish and Jesuitical Infection the Kings Majesty sent out his Proclamation on the 8th of January to command home all such young persons as are in forreign Seminaries and their Parents or Guardians to send for them speedily promising his gracious Pardon for their former offence if they return according to his Majesties Order forbidding for the future any such persons to be sent into those Forreign Schools of Papists and their Parents and Guardians to send them any relief Besides his Majesty declares in this Proclamation That he expects due obedience to this Command and that such as shall disobey shall be punish'd according to Law as well as deserve his high displeasure Here are several Proclamations in which all the ways and methods that can be imagined to prevent the growth the machinations and wicked designs of Popery are carefully observed All that may or can conduce to the settlement and security of the Protestant Religion and the present Government is established and commanded The Papists are banished from Court disarmed in the Country confin'd to their Dwellings bound to their good behaviour their Children are commanded away from Popish Schools their Priests and Jesuits are sought for and imprisoned penalties and rewards are promised and threatned for to encourage the Execution of the Laws What greater Testimony of his Majesties Sincerity to our Religion and care of our Welfare can we wish for What means more effectual could be employed for that good purpose What other Orders and Commands can we imagin seasonable and sit to secure our selves from Papists or Popery But if these Commands and Proclamations have not met with an exact obedience in all respects and in all parts of the Land I suppose it is the fault of some private Officers who prefer their Obligations to and intimacy with Papists to the performance of their Princes Orders and a due obedience to his Commands I am perswaded no reasonable people can justly desire from a good King greater assurances of his reality in the Protestant Profession and of his resolution to maintain it than we have always had In his Majesties most gracious Speech on the 9th of Novemb. to the Lords and Commons when his Majesty went to thank them for their care of his safety and preservation in these times of danger he assures them That he studies as much their preservation and promiseth to joyn with them in all the ways and means that may establish a firm security of the Protestant Religion according to their hearts desire In his time his Majesty tells them that they need not sear but for the time to come he promiseth to concur with them readily in all Bills and Acts which they will present for the security of their Persons and Religion and desires them to think of some more effectual means for the Conviction of Popish Recusants In the conclusion his Majesty declares That he is ready to do any thing that may give comfort and satisfaction to all his dutiful and Loyal Subjects In these words his Majesty's Royal Sincerity and candour in Religion appears as clear as the Sun in its splendour and no reasonable Person can desire greater Evidences of his care of his peoples safety of his resolution to maintain the Protestant Profession and to keep Popery out of this Land than his Majesty hath lately given us Likewise at the Prorogation of the last Parliament his Majesty was pleased to tell them That he would immediately enter upon disbanding the Army and that he would let all the World see that there was nothing that he intended but for the good of the Kingdom and for the safety of Religion That he would prosecute this Plot and find out who were the Instruments in it And in the Conclusion his Majesty promis'd That he would take all the care that lay in his Power for the security of Religion and the maintenance of it as it is now established To the same purpose his Majesty declares in his gracious Speech to both houses of Parliament lately assembled That for the publick good and satisfaction of all his Subjects he had done many great things Again in order to our safety his Majesty in that Speech offers to confirm any new Law which they shall think seasonable or necessary for the securing of the Kingdom against Popery and assures them That with his life his Majesty will defend the protestant Religion and the Laws of this Kingdom By these Gracious Words and Promises this wife and Loyal Parliament is encouraged to act in order for their own security as vigoously as they can What now can any Prince say or do more in such a case as this He hath endeavoured to secure Religion from Domestick Plots and Forreign Attempts He hath set all Engines at work and made it his whole and chief business to provide for our good welfare security and the happiness of the Kingdom according to the pious and Religious Examples of the Royal Martyr his Majesties Father and of King James his Grand-father under whose Governments these Kingdoms and true Religion have long flourished in Peace and would never possibly have been so much disturbed with Wars Tumults and Civil Dissentions had it not been for the Jesuits that thrust themselves amongst us King James was sensible of their dangerous proceedings therefore he enacted against them most wholesome and just Laws which caused them to attempt often upon his Sacred Life For our late Royal Martyr we know by whom he was condemned to dye before that Arch-Traytor and Usurper Oliver and his Butchers brought him to his Tryal The most noble Family of the Stuarts it seems is not sit for their unjust and superstitious purposes they have been the nursing Fathers of Gods true Church amongst us they have defended Religion against their Idolatries with their Swords Pens and Blood their noble and generous minds cannot stoop to acknowledge any other Superiour but God they will not yield to their cruel purposes therefore these wicked Traytors have alwayes laboured to cut off that most Religious Family There can be no greater Testimony of our King being a true Protestant than this that the Pope and his Papists have declared him to be their Enemy and have sought to destroy him who is God's Anointed and the best of princes By these wicked Designs and restless endeavours the Papists have from time to time drawn upon themselves the
preservation to give our assisting hand to our Religious Prince in so blessed a work as the settlement of our Religion and Government chiefly in these particulars which I shall recommend to the perusal and practice of all sincere Protestants First Let every one of us in our several Places and Callings watch with diligence over our Enemies designs and motions at home and abroad and in all occurrences that we may justly suspect let us carefully give Intelligence to Authority take heed of concealing out of friendship or fear resolutions and actions that are ominous to Prince or people They that are abroad in forreign Courts have a great advantage to learn all Transactions and understand the designments of great Revolutions for such weighty matters can never be so secretly intended but they must be discovered to many whose hands and assistances are needful to further and advance them Secondly Let us all return to his Majesty the Tribute of sincere and Loyal affections out of a sense of his care of our welfare The Crown of it self is heavy our Enemies render it heavier by their daily Conspiracies let us not who are true Subjects add more weight and trouble to the Crown of our good King by unreasonable jealousies and unreasonable fears and murmurings but in our several Spheres and according to our Abilities let us alleviate as much as in us lies his Majesties Burden And by all dutiful expressions of our love and respects discover to him our sensibleness of his continual care of our safety and welfare 3. Take heed we discredit not his Authority vilifie his Person or dishonour his Government by any wicked and slanderous Reports of our own or others invention for this kind of Ingratitude which his Majesty never deserv'd from the Hands of his Protestant Subjects nor any others will breed ill blood amongst the People and afflict the Heart of a good Prince 4. Let us Protestants be so sensible of our danger and good as to reunite again in the Profession of one Religion and in the publick worship of our God that our Enemies seeing that their often repeated malice hath caus'd us to stick and unite closer together may be discouraged from all future attempts of this kind and never be advantag'd through our Divisions 5. Let us as well for the honour of our Protestant Profession and for the credit of our Nation as to prevent the Judgments of God threatened upon us for our Sins abstain from all National Sins and such Crimes as deserve the severity of Gods Justice and have heretofore involved Kingdoms in dismal Calamities Chiefly let the Ministers of the Gospel look carefully to themselves and their behaviour that they may not give occasion of scandal by their Lives And they whose Actions are look'd upon as Examples should take heed how they countenance those disorders and Breaches of Gods Divine Laws which his Justice hath been oblig'd to punish severely in other Nations heretofore 6. Let such Magistrates and Justices as are intrusted with the execution of the Laws and his Majesties Royal Commands be vigorous resolute and speedy in the performance of their Duties and aim all their Actions at the publick welfare the honour of their Prince the safety of Religion and Government As their Enemies and ours want not resolution to put in practice the boldest Attempts methinks our Noble and brave Officers cannot want courage to oppose them 7. Let every one be true trusty and faithful in the mannagement of those Publick Concerns that are put into our hands Treachery seldom proves faithful and beneficial to the Traytors It was the Custom of a Turkish Emperour to hang up a Traytor with the Rewards promised for his Treason And we all know the Story of that Roman Virgin who was killed and buried under the heavy weight of that which was in the Enemies lest hand but of all Treasons none more dangerous to the Authors than those which expose their Native Country to the Power and Malice of desperate and Forreign Enemies 8. Take heed of raising or encreasing the Peoples jealousies and needless fears by incouraging idle Rumours It is good to foresee an approaching danger for that will prepare us to receive it but it is dangerous to be too timerous and suspect a Mischief where really there is none and men are commonly disheartened by flying Tales which are wont to breed much mischief in a Government 9. Remember your Places Callings and Capacities and act accordingly without presuming to meddle with or advise Authority in matters that are either above our reach or concern us not immediately 10. Let us not be sparing of our Purses and Estates when the publick safety the honour of our God the safety of our Souls and Religion the Lives and Fortunes of our Children are in danger but as our Enemies are ready to sacrifice their Lives and Fortunes for the promotion of their blind Superstition and our Ruin let us express no less liberality and generosity for our own safety and the defence of our Christian Profession It is better to give a small Portion of our Estates than to lose all Mahomet the Turkish Emperour wonder'd at the parcimony of the Grecians of Constantinople at the taking of that Imperial City for though it was full of Plunder and Gold they chose rather to suffer the Turks to carry all away than to assist their Emperour with Monies to pay his discontented and hired Souldiers Lastly in regard all our endeavours the Prince's vigilancy and the peoples disposition are in vain without a blessing from the God of Heaven let us all by our constant and Religious Prayers strive unanimously to obtain it from God let us beseech his Divine Goodness to watch over us still by his Divine Providence to discover the wicked Machinations of all our bloody Enemies to defend the person and sacred life of our good King to grant him a long continuance amongst us to direct his Councils bless his Armies and preserve our Religion and Government from all future Conspiracies If we could be perswaded to a careful practice of all these Advices and Duties there might be reasonable hopes of securing our selves and Nation from all Papists and Popery We are so much the more engaged to observe them because not only our gratitude to our Prince calls upon us to joyn with him in promoting our own good but also the safety of our Religion is highly concerned for false Religions men have undergone all manner of dangers and difficulties how much the rather should we take care for the preservation of the true Religion of that Religion which Christ and his Apostles recommend to us without which neither we nor our posterity can reasonably expect either safety or salvation besides our lives and fortunes are aimed at by these Popish Plots Thousands of Families will be utterly undone if they can obtain their ends No Mercy nor Compassion will be shewn to such Hereticks as they judge us to be The whole Nation will swim in Blood and we must expect all the Cruelties and Torments to be exercised upon us that Hell and the Devil can suggest and not only our lives will be sacrificed but also the lives of our Wives and of our innocent Children and every where ruine and calamity misery and woe will appear amongst us if we secure not our selves in time Where is that national Soul which this cannot move and oblige to a timely prâ—â—â—â—ntion of Popish Designs of such dreadful Consequences In a word the honour of our God is highly concern'd To him we owe our Wives Children Fortunes Lives and Estates we must part with all for the glory of our Great Maker and Redeemer Suffer not this glory to be stain'd with Popish Superstitions in this Nation What a dishonour will it be if through our weakness neglect parcimony or otherwise the Pope brings in again into this Land his unsufferable Tyranny Ignorance and filthy Abominations To conclude I pray God so to direct his Most Excellent Majesty his Councils and Resolutions so to prosper his Pious and Religious Endeavours and so to stir up all his good Subjects to the defence of their Laws Liberties and Religion that they may all joyn unanimously with him together and always defeat the proud purposes of the Popish Party and that none of them may be more wanting to their own good than his Sacred Majesty will be to the Safety and Security of the Religion and Peace of his Kingdoms FINIS