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A65010
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A vindication of addresses in general, and of the Middle-Temple address and proceedings in particular in answer to the impartial account of addresses : wherein the popular pretences of some men are exposed / by a barrester of the Middle-Temple.
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Barrester of the Middle Temple.
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1681
(1681)
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Wing V469; ESTC R18697
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15,280
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8
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to go to Arms See them in Charles the first 's time making the whole Kingdom a Bloody Theatre and to groan under all the heaviest calamitous pressures that the most miserable distressed Nation could possibly be subject to All backwardness in Murders Rebellion and Robberies was then branded with Lukewarmness in the Cause of God And Curse ye Meroz c. Was thundred out against lots for God Then the blessed Covenant was entred into That we shall endeavour the extirpation of Prelates c. and shall not suffer our selves directly or indirectly by whatsoever Combination Perswasion or Terrour to be divided and withdrawn from the blessed Vnion and Conjunction whether to make defection on the contrary part or to give our selves to a detestable Indifferency or Neutrality in the Cause .c. But shall all the dayes of our Lives zealously and constantly continue therein against all opposition and promote the same according to our Power against all Lets and Impediments whatsoever And what Signs what Indication have they given of Repentance for the Commission of these hellish Tragedies or that they do not believe this Covenant this blessed Union as they term it Obligatory No other than that they have drawn the Sword in Scotland than that they have brought us even us who have so lately so severely smarted into a Relapse of Faction Parties and Confusion than that they live in perpetual contempt and non-conformity to what they have Covenanted against Certainly therefore their hot pretended care for the present Government is but to terrifie the People with a greater danger than really there is Thus I have demonstrated that Phanaticks are in earnest for nothing but Rebellion even by their most specious and popular pretences I need not therefore trouble my self to shew their more open impudence tends thereto Such as Treasonable Pamphlets against the King Such as Libelling of the Government Such as vilifying of the Clergy which was the second way I observed they daily take to alienate the Affections of His Majesties People and stir them up to Rebellion and yet in such Cases 't is difficult to depose against particular Persons I shall present you with one smart Example only and conclude Who the Author of the Character of the Popish Successor is I know not therefore cannot depose against him But this I know He deserves severe punishment for the great pains he has taken to propagate Rebellious Principles This man is the Darling of the Phanaticks and he speaks downright in terms for Rebellion for which Reason I quote him rather than another tho' at the very naming of him I begin to be in a sweat for you must know Reader it is a Plaguy thing this hot Weather to be tumbling over a huge Company of great rumbling words without one dram of Sense for ones refreshment Therefore take it kindly that I shew you this thundring Fellow And stand clear here how be comes p. 8. The Judges Sheriffs Justices of Peace and all the Judicious Officers are of the Kings Creation But if the Publick Ministers of Justice betray the Liberties of the Subject the Subject may petition for a Parliament to Punish them for 't But what if he will neither hear one nor call the other Who shall compell him Good God! Here 's a Rogue thinks I to my self He has taught the King to make us all Slaves whether we will or no S'bud we must all doff our Dublets and away to making of Bricks without allowance of Straw But Mr. Charactarizer since you are so good at invention can you find out no trick to prevent this Devilish thing No there 's no way but a Parliament and what if he won't call one who shall compell him That 's true no body can compell him as I know on but hang 't I shall fair as well as the rest Getting a little life at this thought tho it did stick confoundedly in my Maw that the Fool did not keep private to himself this easy way of making Kings of England Arbitrary on I went with my reading but found a tormenting deal of Rubbish in my way sometimes as I was telling you over head and ears pop't I amongst a great heap of empty words sometimes fast stuck between contradictions at last puffing and blowing I came to p. 20. where I met with this crum of Comfort There 's scarce a Precedent in the oldest Historical part of the Bible that shall not by an extorted application be appropriated even to the duty and necessity of all ages places and constitutions of the World for example they 'l tell you the Prophet Samuel makes the answer to the Jews that desired a King that he would make their Sons c. and you shall cry out in that day because of your King that ye have chosen which was as much as if the Prophet had said If a King shall as he may do this you have no redress but to your Prayers for his conversion He does not tell them they might Revolt or Rebell to Redress themselves No Heaven forbid he should for their King was absolute c. Here indeed a passive Obedience is due But what 's this to a King of England Say you so quot hI then given me my Whinyard I 'm resolved to have a brush for 't before I come to the making Bricks for it seems if we think a King of England intrenches upon our Liberties and Properties we may Revolt and Rebell to Redress our selves All places in Scripture which teach obedience to Princes in such cases are appropriated to us by extorted applications Now Reader if you should object as 't is very likely you may First How it comes to pass that no body could Rebell In p. 8. But that every Body may Rebell in p. 20. That there was no Redress in p. 8. but Prayers for a Parliament and if the King would not call one no body could compell him But that in p. 20. Prayers for Redress are proper only for Subjects of absolute Princes But all that 's nothing to a King of England we need not pray for the turning of his heart but turn all the Kings of England as Charles the first was turned My solution to this objection is in p. 8. The Peoples conditions were to be made inevitably miserable they must not be allowed the least hopes of Redress that the Remedy of Rebellion when 't was offered might be the sweeter and more greedily received Secondly If you should object how this doctrine of taking up Arms is reconcilable to the Statute of the 14. of this King Chap. 3. which saith For as much as within all his Majesties Realms and Dominions the sole and Supreme Power Government Command and Disposition of the Militia and of all Forces by Sea and Land and of all Forts and Places of Strength is and by the Laws of England ever was the undoubted Right of His Majesty c. and that both or either of the Houses of Parliament cannot nor ought to pretend to the same nor can nor lawfully may raise or levy any War Offensive or Defenssive against His Majesty His Heires c. I have no other solution than as Ben Johnson told us there were three sort of Lights So I tell you there are three sorts of Wars 1st War Offensive 2. War Defensive 3. No War at all Now tho' the two first Wars are mentioned in the Act you know the Last is not Ergo So far I have manag'd well enough but the next page does wonderfully gravel me And if now at last Popery must and shall come in as by Law it cannot it must be restored by Arbitrary Power if a new Monarchy then a new Conquest and if a Conquest Heaven forbid we should be subdued like less than English men or be debarr'd the common Right of all Nations which is to Resist or Repell an Invader if we can This justifies all the Plots Conspiracies and Rebellions of the Papists for if Protestanism could not be brought-in by Law as it could not for the same reason Popery cannot consequently by Arbitrary Power If a new Monarchy then a new Conquest and if a Conquest Heaven forbid they should be subdued like less then English men or be debarr'd the Common Right of all Nations which is to Resist or Repell an Invader if they can To be serious can there be greater impudence for a Fellow whoseignorance fits him for a Schoolmasters Lash with the help only of a hard Forehead and a few words borrowed out of some bombast Heroick Poem to dare to lay down Principles that justifie all Popish Plots and Conspiracies Principles of Rebellion which run exactly Counter to an Act of Parliament And yet all this is humbly offered to the Parliaments consideration Al 's These men can't write against an Act of Parliament They don't design Rebellion for shame for shame let us see our Temporal as well Spiritual Interest loudly and hastily call us to be quiet and united to be good Christians and Loyal Subjects LONDON Printed by N. Thompson 1681.
First Whether Phanaticks desire His Majesty's Life more heartily than all the rest of His more Loyal Subjects or indeed more than His Majesty Himself 2dly Whether they are the chief persons aim'd at by the Romanists when their Plots are laid against the Protestant Religion 3dly Whether They are the only persons who would protect and preserve the present Government First That Phanaticks desire His Majesty's life more than He does Himself is wonderfully credible or that they value it more than the Loyal Party is almost as credible for the Question is no more than this Whether those who have Martyr'd the late King and used their utmost endeavour to Martyr This be more zealous for the Preservation of His Majesties Life than those who to their utmost have assisted His late Majesty and this present King in all times of dreadful Tryals and Adversities The decision of this Question I leave to any just man and if it does appear that 't is in reason to be supposed that the King is as willing to preserve His own Life as the Phanaticks are to Preserve it If 't is in reason to be supposed that those who have ventured upon all occasions their own Lives and Fortunes for the preservation of the King covet preservation of His Majesty's Life as much as those who have hazarded their Lives and Fortunes to Deprive HIs Majesty of His Life and Government then it as reasonably follows that their over Fear and Care of His Majesty's Life which exceeds greatly in appearance both the King and his Loyal Subjects are but Pretence and Sham. 2dly Whether Phanaticks are the chief persons aim'd at by the Romanists when their Plots are laid against the Protestant Religion One would believe by these mens over-bustling and noise that they were the only Defenders of the Protestant Faith That 't was only the Ruine of Them the Papists levell'd at as a certain means to eradicate the Protestant Religion Whereas Rome well knows these men are a Goad in our Churches side and therefore its Emissaries were careful to make and increase them That the Papists made them out of meer envy to our incomparable Church is evident from the Examinations of some Popish-Priests in Queen Elizabeth's time The first was one Faithful Commin a Frier of the order of St Dominick he made the first breach in our Churches walls by railing against Forms of Prayer calling the English-Prayers English-Mass perswading people to pray Spiritually and Extempore to whom the Pope gave a reward for his considerable Service Two years after one Thomas Heath a Jesuit was taken acting the same part which stories see at large in Foxes and Firebrands Printed 1680. and in the Reverend Dr. Stillingfleet's Preface to the Vnreasonableness of Separation But the Papists were not only careful to make but ever since constantly to increase Votaries to the Phanatick Party to this end the Jesuits have constantly preache among the Conventiclers to the Truth of this many can witness And Dr. Oates has deposed nay when we press Phanaticks with their actions of 41. they tell us for Excuse they were deluded by the Papists from which it fully appears that 't is against the Church of England all their Plots and Conspiracies are planted So far from being aim'd primarily at Dissenters that the Papists do with all their Art endeavour to preserve them as Instruments and Tools to afflict and overthrow us From these Premisses I shall draw not unnaturally two Conclusions First That those declamatory Revilings the Phanaticks throw upon the Members of our Church as being Popishly affected are but bare-fac'd Lyes and Calumnies for 't is incredible the Papists would vent all their malice agaisnt their Friends and do what in them lies to cherish and increase their only Enemies as the Nonconformists would have the World believe they are Is it not the Protestant Religion Papists would extirpate And can that be supposed a way which increases the preservers thereof Whatever these Dissenters pretend they cannot but know that this is too too absurd They cannot but know the Papists believe them the scandal and affliction to the true Professors of the Protestant Religion that they deserve not the name of Protestant for by Protestant is meant one who protests against the Errors only not the Truths too of the Church of Rome if other wise a Turk may be called a Protestant Is it not them the Papists upbraid us with in all our Disputations Is it not amongst them they shrowd in all their Hellish practices nor had the Papists had any thing to say or do against the Protestant Religion had it not been for the unhappy assistance given them by these foolish and wicked Dissenters A second Conclusion is That whatsoever reasonable fear there is of execution of a Popish plot it ought to be lodg'd in the breasts of the Members of the Church of England they being only the marks and Butts of all the malitious stratagems of the Papists Wherefore when we see those who have least to lose Those whom the Plot is least aim'd at the only men who seem to be scared and frighted out of their Senses the only men who roar out Murder as if the knife were already at their throats and that tho the Plot be defeated it nothing at all abates their unreasonable noise what can a man conclude but that this excessive Feat Zeal they pretend is only to heighten Jealousies among his Majesties Subjects beyond all Prudence and Reason It Non-conformists were in earnest why do they not run into the Arms of our Church which has been always open and ready to embrace them for that 's the only means to make Protestant Strength more Formidable By this means we should be able to oppose the Pope and the Gates of Hell too If they did this there might be some credit given to their zeal But can a considering man believe that they can possibly fancy Popery such a dreadful thing and so unavoidably almost tumbling upon us That they have so great a fondness for the Protestant Interest that now they deem it in extremity of Danger and yet will not make this one easy and certain step to dissipate that Threatning Cloud and to increase the Strength Interest and Reputation of the Protestant Cause Surely these prodigious Fears they express are feigned or they had rather Popery shound come in than they themselves should conform to our present Churches which ever of these it be the Government had need look warily to them Our third Inquity is Whether Phanaticks are the only Persons that are truely zealous for protection of the present Government The Romish Priests did not make nor does increase them for that purpose And we have found them continually owning and practisiing Principles destructive to our envied Government So then in King Jame his time writing to the Lord Hamilton to invite him to be their General they told him the People were animated by the Word and Motion of God's Spirit