been endangered by the cruelties and furious persecutions of the Devil and his Hellish Agents Since the Murther of the Divine Author of this Excellent Religion there is no Age nor Kingdom but hath seen multitudes of his sincere Followers sent after their Good Master How furiously did the Pharisees rage against the Apostles how barbarously did they handle the first Christians how many Consultations and Attempts to stifle this Religion in its Infancy in the Rivers and Torrents of the Blood of its Professors And when by S. Paul's Preaching the Truth was generally known and embraced all over the Roman Empire how many Massacres and Tragedies have been acted upon Christians As it is not possible to describe the inhumanities of Nero Domitian Dioclesian and other Caesars it is impossible to declare the number of Christ's Disciples murdered in all parts of their Dominions in every Town and Hamlet and in every Province fire and sword misery and torments were the portions of all that were so bold as to own this sacred Name Afterwards when by the goodness of God the Roman Emperors began to open their Eyes and perceive the Divinity of this Faith when they began to draw the whole World by their Religious Examples to worship a Crucified Saviour the Devil whose Empire was thereby overthrown took other measures and an other course to destroy Christianity and hinder its progress amongst men Instead of opposing the whole Body of it which had gained an invincible credit in the World he resolved to pick quarrels with some of its Doctrines and to poyson the Hypocritical Professors with such pernicious persuasions as might spread to the forming of a Party for himself No sooner did the Primitive Christians come out of the Heathenish Persecutions but this grand Enemy of all Truth and Piety advanced amongst them the Heresies of Arius Apollinarius Nestorius Novatus Pelagius and others of his Champions who either by subtilty or cruelty assaulted again Christ's Church afresh and raised persecutions against her in her very bowels But Satan's Malice was never so remarkable nor the Sufferings of the Church never so many nor the Plots and Combinations against her never so frequent under the Governments of the Jews and Romans as they have been since the Apostacy of the Roman Church from Christs true Faith and its reception of the antient Heresies The Devils Throne established in the Old Capitol seems to be now transferred to the infamous Vatican of Rome the antient abode of the Whores and the now Seat of the Great Whore of Babylon Corn. Tacit. lib. 2. in fine Vitel. Imperij for from this place it is impossible to number the Decrees and Commissions that have been sent to murder destroy burn and overthrow Christ's true Church on Earth How many Wars have been kindled how many Massacres acted how many Plots set on foot how many Cruelties and Tragedies have proceeded from the Resolutions and Orders of the Vatican In all Ages and Kingdoms of our Northern-World the Roman Party was never wanting in any bloudy Scene to destroy Christ's Disciples It is observable that for above seven hundred years there hath scarce been a War in Europe but the Pope of Rome hath been the first Contriver and greatest Promoter of it chiefly when Christ's Church and People were concerned For it hath always been the Policy of the Roman Court when the Princes of Europe were grown so Rich or Great as to give them a Jealousie to stir them up by their Nuncios to some chargeable and dangerous War or to raise against them their discontented Neighbours And since the Reformation hath separated from them a part of Europe all the Protestant Blood that hath been spilt may be charged upon the Pope and his Agents How many millions in France Germany Spain and other parts of Europe have been slain by the Papists How many private Massacres and publick Wars have been begun and encouraged by them I dare assert and offer my self to prove from a certain knowledge of the Histories of former Ages that in this Northern World since the first Reformation the Pope and his Papists have been so great Enemies of the Peace of Christendom that there hath been no War kindled nor scarce any Bloody Scene acted by any Authority nor any noted Wickedness performed but the Pope had there a hand and was concerned as one of the chief Actors This unreconcileable hatred which he bears to Christ's Church and his Gospel inrages him and all his restless Agents against this flourishing and happy Kingdom Since the beginning of Queen Elizabeths Reign how many hundred Plots and Conspiracies have been set on foot by the Papists against the Lives of our Kings and Princes and the Peace of this Nation This Land seems to have been the chiefest Theater of their Cruelty and private Conspiracies As soon as by the Goodness of God one Plot is disappointed another is immediately begun and advanced to trouble this Kingdom I shall not mention here the former Discoveries that have been made of the Popes designs against us of our danger in Eighty Eight of the Gunpowder-Plot of our late Civil Wars of our Royal Martyrs Murder of the Noble Blood that hath been privately spilt and of our unreconcileable differences in Religion known to be fomented by the Pope and Papists and many other of their contrivances within these few years tending to disquiet and disturb Christ's Church amongst us I shall in this short Tract give an Account only of the present designs of the Papists against the Protestant Religion in Europe from certain and well grounded Intelligence that I have had with worthy men of the Popish Religion and the Acquaintance that I have desired to get in the Affairs of Europe within these twenty years I shall here give a prospect of a private Consultation and a crafty Contrivance which hath caused already much Christian Blood to be spilt in all parts of Europe and God knows how much more the carrying on of these designs will cost God knows what miseries and afflictions it will bring upon us For the prevention of the mischiefs intended against us in this Land and our Protestant Religion I here offer this Discovery to the Publick or as much as is necessary to be known I pray God that our Brethren of the same Religion would seriously consider it so as to reunite again with us in the sincere profession of the Truth and Worship of our God that our Enemies may not advantage themselves by our divisions for this purpose I shall shew what this Popish Design is by whom commenced and who are chiefly concerned Alexander the Seventh of the Family of Chigi was looked upon as one of the greatest Politicians of his days As soon as he was setled in his Papacy he sent his Nuncios into France Germany and Spain to reconcile the Popish Princes and to conclude between them such a League as that they might be able to suppress the Calvinists at home and oppose
FRIENDLY ADVICE TO PROTESTANTS OR AN ESSAY TOWARDS Comprehending and Uniting OF ALL PROTESTANT DISSENTERS TO THE Church of England HUMBLY Offer'd to the Consideration of this present PARLIAMENT as the best Expedient of this time to secure the Safety Honour and Welfare of the KING and Kingdom By a Sober Protestant LONDON Printed for Samuel Heyrick and are to be Sold at his Shop at Grays-Inn-Gate in Holborn 1680. TO THE Courteous Reader Courteous Reader I Intreat you to peruse with a mild a moderate and a Christian Temper these few sheets which have been thought fit to be recommended to the publick view as well to give a full prospect of the Jesuitical Designs against us and our Religion as to persuade our Brethren to that Vnity and Vniformity which will secure us against all their Hellish Attempts This Invitation will appear so much the more seasonable because we are yet threatned with strong Combinations with mighty Conspiracies with the Conjunction of Foreign Powers that promise to themselves the overthrow of Christ's Gospel and Truth amongst us Methinks that the greatness of the Common Danger in which we are all concern'd should Alarm us into a compliance with one another and oblige us to joyn to maintain that Profession which our Enemies joyntly strike at Methinks their Policy should teach us how to preserve our selves and cause us to unite also in Affections in Gods Worship in our Cares and Endeavours for the Publick Safety for the prevention of their mischievous purposes too much encouraged by our groundless and unreasonable Divisions In this juncture of time the Nations welfare and preservation hath such a dependency upon this Conjunction that we can never expect it without this reconciliation It is the Vnity of the people that will render us invincible and draw down upon our heads the Blessing of Heaven The safest Defence of States and Kingdoms It will establish Religion upon an unmoveable Basis and maintain the envied Hierarchy of our Church in the midst of all Disorders It will prevent many wicked Designs of the Pope and his bloody Agents and silence the jealousies and tumultuous fears that disturb our quiet In a word Vnity in Religion and Gods Worship will preserve the Nations Peace from Foreign Invasion and Intestine discords If therefore our Brethren of the same Religion who differ from us only in shadows would hearken at last to this Reconciliation and joyn with us at least in outward appearance If they would consent to lay aside all prejudice and partiality and banish from among us all names of dissention innumerable advantages would from thence proceed and this happy Conjunction would infallibly prove the most Invincible Bulwark of our Church and Nation against the malice of Hell and the Popes fury In order thereunto several particulars are here recommended to the publick view to dispose mens minds for this blessed unity in Religion and prepare them for a Cure But as there are distempers which the Patients frowardness and other circumstances will not suffer to be healed by every common Physitian the grand disease of our Nation is such that only the Wisdom of our Superiours can compleat the cure and close up our bleeding wounds torn and inlarged through our Enemies subtil practices Several endeavours have been formerly made for the same purpose but success hath not answered the expectations of good men because their Judicious and Religious proceedings have been frustrate as some imagin through the unseasonableness and sharpness of the Remedies or the untractableness of interessed persons or rather through the secret Plots of our busy Enemies who lay in our bosoms and had a finger in our actings of this nature But now these obstacles are partly removed now the greatness of our danger hath alarm'd many into a compliance with our Church and begot in us an earnest desire of a Conjunction we only wait for an Invitation and the perfecting of that Vnion which will render us and our posterity happy for ever I shall desire from all True Protestants a favourable acceptance of and a charitable construction to these my endeavours which I hope will prevail upon men of calm spirits and unbiassed judgments my zeal and affection for the service of my Country and for the preservation of the true Religion for which I have been a sufferer hath encouraged me to this Attempt Who knows but that these considerations that I here offer may prevail upon many may satisfie their doubting Consciences and oblige them to study for the future Vnity and Peace Who knows but that a Person though in a mean Station may contribute something towards that Blessed Work of Vniting us and our Brethren together For it is the usual Method of Divine Providence to make use of the unlikeliest Agents to bring to pass the great Designs and the noble effects of his Power and Wisdome that the Glory might be ascribed to him alone and that none might partake with him in that which is all his due I beseech the God of all Wisdom Vnity and Peace to unite us all together to reconcile our differences te enlighten our understandings with his Truth sanctifie our wills and affections with his Spirit of Love I beseech His Divine Majesty to preserve in health and prosperity our gracious and religious King and bless the zealous endeavours of the wise and great Council of our Nation for his Glory and the Nations Welfare This shall always be the Prayer of M. D. THE CONTENTS CHAP. I. The Conspiracy and present Designs of the Popish Party in Europe against the Protestant Interest discovered with the methods observed by them to overthrow the Church of England Pag. 1. CHAP. II. The danger of Division in a Nation about matters of Religion and what pernicious consequences it hath had in foreign Countries and in this 12 CHAP. III. That there is no reasonable cause of dividing from our Church and that the most scrupulous Conscience may and ought to conform according to the Laws of God as well as man 20 CHAP. IV. The true causes why most part of our dissenting Brethren will not joyn with us in the Worship of our God enquired into In what particulars our differences chiefly consist and their grand Objection Answered 32 CHAP. V. Seasonable and Christian Advices for our Non-Conforming Brethren who are possessed with such strong prejudices against the Church of England that they cannot easily overcome them and a Reconciliation proposed 49 CHAP. VI. An Exhortation to all the Learned Pious and Christian Teachers amongst our Non-Conforming Brethren to prevent in time the Nations ruin by an Vnity with us and to lay aside all Prejudice and Partiality 56 A SEASONABLE ADVICE TO ALL True Protestants IN ENGLAND IN This present posture of Affairs CHAP. I. The Conspiracy and present Designs of the Popish Party in Europe against the Protestant Interest discovered with the methods observed by them to overthrow the Church of England THE true Christian Faith in all Ages hath
together the Turk abroad The differences between the French and the Spaniards were composed by the Marriage of the eldest Infanta of Spain with Lewis the Fourteenth the yongest being given to the Emperor the Chief of the House of Austria This Peace gave leasure to the French Court and an opportunity to the Pope and his Agents to Work and Solicit the Ruin of the Protestants by pulling down their Churches and denying them the priviledges allowed them before Several ways were then proposed in the Assembly of Cardinals answerable to the state of every Kingdom England was then groaning under the Tyranny of an Usurper dreadful to all Europe but a Religion was then here professed in opposition to Popery The Kings Majesty was in his Banishment It was therefore resolved to get here such an Interest in the Army and in the Land as that the Papists might be able to make a strong party when time should serve for that purpose several Jesuits were sent over to set up new Religions and divide the people amongst themselves and to joyn with the Army into which they were admitted in Offices of Trust under their usual disguises A proposal had been made to our Gracious Soveraign to draw him from the Truth with large hopes of an universal assistance of the foreign Papists in such a case to settle him again in his Throne but he was not to be drawn to be the Popes Slave in hopes of a Crown nor to be perswaded to embrace such absurdities against his Conscience and Reason God therefore performed for him what his Enemies had but proposed and restored to him his inheritance as a reward of his Fidelity to Truth contrary to the whole Worlds expectation When the Court of Rome saw so great a revolution in this Kingdom and the Protestant Religion succeeding to the former Anarchy in the Church when they saw no hopes of that Change they wished for they sent as many Emissaries as they could to sow the seeds of division amongst us and our brethren of the same perswasion for the carrying on of their damnable designs the ruin of our Kingdom and Church against which they planted all their Engins A Consultation was regularly had in London of the most experienced and wisest Jesuits who had intelligence with most parts of the Kingdom and knew by Letters the posture of all Affairs and the Peoples dispositions The result was sent over to their General at Rome and the Assembly appointed there for English Affairs From thence they received every month new Orders how to proceed which Orders they had a general Commission to correct according to the unexpected accidents that might happen During the late Civil War and Usurpation the Jesuit had got many Proselytes to his Religion by drawing them from the Truth or causing some to cast off all respect of any other Religion but that which their sordid Interest recommended The Wicked and Antichristian Principle of the former and the prophaness and licentiousness of the latter made them both ready to embrace Popery as soon as it should appear with any credit amongst us but all this while the Knave lurked under the shape of an Anabaptist of a Quaker of a Fift-Monarchy man and sometimes for his Interest he would appear amongst the Presbyterians and Independents The severity of the antient Laws and the Peoples general hatred of Popery and Jesuits suffered him not to lift up his Mask therefore all his proceedings were private and secret and under such outward garbs as hindred him from being visible to every eye But as soon as the Kings Majesty returned to his Crown and Kingdom the Jesuits and Papists were resolved to take other measures The services of some of their Party and the Authority of Crowned Heads emboldned them to appear amongst us with more Courage and less Fear of the Law which by the King 's merciful temper was mitigated towards them and they suffered to make profession of their Religion without fear of punishment All that they seemed then to desire and pretend to was but the freedom to exercise their Religion but give the Devil an Inch and he will take an Ell. Their secret aim and private contrivances have always tended to the overthrow of Church and State for the better carrying on of their purposes they have endeavoured to have all the Interest they could make amongst the great ones There was then three obstacles to their grand Design not to be overcome on a sudden The Kings reality in the Protestant Profession the Nations general aversion for Popery some out of Interest and for Fear of losing their Impropriations and Abbey-Lands others out of a principle of Religion and the third obstacle was the Parliaments Sincerity and Loyalty to God and their King To attempt openly to overcome these impediments was but a madness which could not turn but to their ruin They found out a way to batter these invincible Bulwarks and if not to render them assaultable at least to prevent the danger they apprehended from thence the Peoples aversion they took away by degrees by their officious and kind behaviour civil deportment and usual professions of fidelity to their Prince and care of the publick safety honour and happiness by spreading abroad both in the Countrey and the City Books of their Religion with moderate Disputations and Refutations of ours which they gave to all that would hearken to them or shew them any countenance or likelihood of embracing their ways and by settling of Popish School-Masters in every corner of the City who endeavoured if not to poison the Children with their principles at least to give them such a tincture of their Religion as might remove the natural aversion They dealt with every one according to his quality disposition and place To the Great and Noble they seemed to be true trusty and officious to the meaner sort they appeared with hopes and promises of advantage and to all they discovered the Popish Religion under the disguises of pleasure and profit as many as were not well principled they endeavoured to debauch and corrupt chiefly if they were in any place of trust that they might shew themselves favourable to Popery and Papists Some they would recommend and promote to places of profit to Offices and Employments in Noble Families and in the State to others they would give monies and with all persons they endeavoured to ingratiate themselves casting all the misery and troubles of our Civil War upon Presbyterians Reformation and Non-conformity to render them the more odious to King and People One thing gave them a jealousie and they were resolved to employ all their Skill and Art to prevent it That was a reconciliation between the Episcopal Party and the moderate Non-Conformists endeavoured by the Kings Majesty and desired by the whole Nation To hinder this conjunction which doubtless would have proved fatal to Popery in this Land and break the neck of all their designs they laboured to interpose between both