Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A88001
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A letter on the subject of the succession
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1679
(1679)
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Wing L1584; ESTC R40245
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6,477
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11
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A LETTER ON THE SUBJECT OF THE SUCCESSION Do Regum Domino Regi Patriaeque tibÃque Hunc librum tantùm candidus esto cape Nullum numen abest nam Rex procerésque favebunt I liber sanos instrue vince malos Printed at LONDON 1679. To the READER AN Epistle to an Epistle might well enough be spared especially to one so short I will not stand to dispute whether it be a fault or not only if it be it shall be no great one for I shall end it almost as soon as begun What follows is not like most of the late printed Pamphlets an imaginary but a real Letter It was designed only for a private however now it meets the publick view The Author neither fears nor values the Censure of any in this case There was no accasion for an Accurate Stile in a Letter to an intimate Friend For the rest the Author has spoken as an honest Man his real Judgment and in the integrity of his heart has owned a righteous Cause If any thing he has said shall conduce to rectify those contrary erroneous Opinions wherewith too many minds are tainted he shall heartily bless God for making any thing of his instrumental to so much Good FAREWELL D. H. L. Sept. 18. 1679. SIR I Intend now to write you some of my Sentiments upon that great Subject of Discourse here The Succession of the Duke of York in case of our present Sovereign's Death without lawful Issue But on such a nice Thesis tho I know your Loyalty and your Friendship so much yet for fear what I address and design to your self only should by some chance fall into other hands I shall repeat to you things that you are very well acquainted with already that is That I am an Englishman by Birth and by Descent by Interest Alliance and Affection That I was born and educated in the Metropolis of England and even in the House from whence I write you this That I am not alienated from the Love of my Country but on the contrary that I highly cherish in my self the sence of that Duty and Fidelity that I owe it That my Religion is Christianity which some perhaps for the sake of this Letter after the usual abundance of their want of Charity may fairly question more particularly that I profess my self a Son of my sacred Mother the Church of England as it is now by Law established assenting fully to her Doctrine and Discipline and after mature consideration resting satisfied that no Church or pretended Church upon Earth does come so near to the Truth to the Simplicity to the Purity and Holiness of the Primitive Christians as the Church of England does in her Constitutions and Canons I thank God I am neither way warped in my Principles I mean neither popishly nor schismatically I appeal to your knowledge of me and besides am ready if a just and necessary occasion requires it to appear in my own vindication and free my self from the Aspersion of Jesuit or Papist that I am sensible will certainly fall to my share if chance guide this Letter among phanatick hands instead of yours For whoever goes about to defend the Dukes just Right to the Succession of these Crowns notwithstanding his defection from the Protestant Church is sure to be treated by them with the Titles of Priest Jesuit Papist popishly affected Betrayer of the Protestant Cause and the Liberty of his Country But I am not nor can be affrighted from my Duty and Loyalty to my God my King and my Country by the loud causeless Outcries by the Falshoods and Calumnies of Men of so guilty Principles and Practices I can be secure enough from their unjust Rage and Fury by the only sence of my own Innocence and can see the Storm spend it self under the safe shelter of a just Cause Who would have thought a private Letter to a Friend should have needed a Preface Yet such is the Iniquity of our Times and the Judgments of so many are infatuated by that Spirit of Schism and Faction that prevails so much amongst us that every loyal Word stands in need not only of an Apologist but of a skilful and vigorous Defender No Man does or can doubt but that His Royal Highness the Duke of YORK is the true certain and indubitable Heir apparent to His Brother King CHARLES the Second our present Sovereign now reigning whom God long preserve as having no Issue by His Royal Consort the Queen No Man doubts of this the Law of the Land and constant Practice of this Kingdom has ascertained the thing that the Imperial Crown of these Nations is Hereditary and the Succession is universally acknowledged and determined to be vested in the lawful Heir Who is the Heir has sometimes been the Question but that the Heir should reign has always been unquestionable I need not Sir cite either Law or History to you to prove the Truth of what I have said You are too well acquainted with both Though this indeed is so known a Truth that none I think so much as pretend either to doubt or be ignorant of it That vain malicious distinction of Heir apparent and Heir presumptive endeavoured to be set up by some in hatred to the Duke as it may well be thought was quickly exploded with the just and general detestation of honest Men. Well then there is no shadow for Dispute either that the Crown is hereditary or that the Duke is Heir With what strange impiety is it then that Men who would be thought both good Protestants and good Patriots go about to deprive the Illustrious Prince of his undoubted Right of Succession to these Crowns I seriously vow Sir that I cannot reflect upon this paricidical Attempt for so me thinks it is but with infinite trouble and sorrow The Name of the English and the Religion and Morals of Protestants will become the Scorn and Odium of the World if we again endeavour to repeat our former accursed Crime of deposing our Prince by pretence of Zeal for our Faith and with a Face of Law and Justice Our provocations of God must sure have been infinitely great that we are thus given over to our Destruction that we run thus violently again to the same Precipice where so very lately our Religion Laws Liberties and Properties were fatally dashed to pieces never but by Miracle to be restored I cannot conceive how it has happened that the Duke is thus fallen in the Esteem of the People It must be sure by the evil Arts of bad Men who for private Ends of their own have alienated the Minds of Men from the Duke and in so doing have at the same time infinitely hazarded the publick Peace of these Nations Are not these kind of Attempts to disturb the Succession in the Right Line and Course a sort of acting that seems to justifie the Actions of the late eternally infamous Regicides For God's sake is the Cry of Law and Justice Liberty and
Property intended so particularly for the People that the King must have no share Cannot Privileges be kept without interfering with Prerogative And whilst Right and Property is secured to all Men must the Heir apparent to the Crown be the only Person excluded I am sorry to perceive so much ingratitude in Englishmen Has not the Duke asserted the Rights of his Country with the hazard of his Life Has he not acquired immortal Honour by Victories obtained over the Enemies of his Country Has he not often freely with an undaunted Mind exposed himself to a thousand hazards and dangers for the Glory and Service of his Prince and People The whole World answers Yes and that the Military Atchievements of the Illustrious HERO shall live in the Breath of Fame eternal Ages Is he not likewise Son to Charles the First the best of Men and Kings that ever graced a Throne A Prince who having worn a Crown of Gold at his Coronation a Crown of Thorns in his Afflictions and a Crown of Martyrdom at his Death enjoys now in Heaven a Crown of Glory as the Reward of his consummated Virtue and on Earth his Memory is crowned with Blessings and Veneration Is he not moreover the only surviving Brother of King Charles the Second A Prince whose God-like Clemency and Mercy whose Love of all Justice and true Paternal Piety to his People can be never enough valued or admired Is there any Royal Blood in Europe whereof that that flows in the Veins of Royal York does not participate Are not the Qualities of his Mind answerable to the Greatness of his Birth All Men acknowledge the Gallantry of his Actions and confess that there can be no where found a greater Captain or a braver Soldier He is indeed Master of all those Royal and Heroical Virtues that are wont to distinguish Princes from Common Persons Valour Resolution Conduct and Magnanimity are the Habits of his Soul And all that ever knew him nearly do unanimously agree in this That he is the best Master the best Friend and the most just to his Word of any Prince in the World But alas it were in vain for me to attempt his Character I leave that Province as the Task of some great Historian and the greatest of them or the best Masters of Eloquence will find it difficult enough to adapt Expressions to the Grandeur of the Subject The Genius of the Nation has sure abandon'd it it would not else suffer us thus at once to thrust from us that Happiness we might reasonably expect under the Reign of a Prince so fitly qualified for Government What can we say to this more than with sorrow and amazement to repeat the old Verse Tantum religio potuit suadere malorum Religion the true and only real Happiness even of this Life but the sole and most certain Guide to the Joys of Eternity but the wretched artifice of pernicious Men is made the Pretence for those worst of Crimes Rebellion and Treason What streams of Evil have flowed from that Fountain Nay what Wickedness is there that has not been perpetrated under the Mask of Devotion Let us but look back upon our late intestine Wars and consider a little the lamentable prospect it affords us At the first view we discern nothing but poor innocent Devotion humbly supplicating on the behalf of tender Consciences for a due Reformation of Abuses crept into the Church only in order to the Regulation of Life and the Purity of Religion But look we yet a little forwarder and we discover such a Series of horrid Facts committed under the shelter of those Pretences as Hell it self can hardly parallel Murders Rapine Oppression Plunderings Sequestrations Sacrileges Prophanation of all Things holy whether Times Places Persons or Things Contempt of Laws intermixt with a thousand other wretched Villanies too dreadful to be repeated Yet in less than twenty years we grow weary of our Quiet and are mad to be involv'd again in those wretched Distractions from which nothing but the infinite Power and Goodness of God has miraculously freed us It is to me matter of the greatest wonder that the same People twice in the same Age can be drawn to ruin by the same Cheat. Yet so it is with us or would be if the earnest and continual endeavours of too many among us might prevail But the over-ruling Providence of the Almighty will I hope disappoint the Expectation of these Boutefeu's and scatter that Wild-fire they intend for the Destruction of Church and State into their own Houses to their own confusion Methinks the worthy English Nation should at last awake from the fatal Lethargy that has hung so long upon them should look on the Maxims they are led by and not with the same implicit Faith that they so worthily condemn in Papists be blindly drawn on to the Commission of the greatest Evils because some leading popular Men who direct those mischiefs for their own advantage are pleased to stile themselves most falsely God knows the only maintainers of the cause of Religion and the sole Defenders and Pillars of support and safety to the State For with how much scorn soever they would reject any that should accuse them of blind and implicit Obedience they are yet most notorious guilty of it being basely and cruelly imposed on in matters of the highest moment by men that only pursue their own private Interest or Revenge Nothing is more apparent than the truth of this for would they but open their Eyes and consider things truly as they are they must needs plainly see that the methods they pursue can never be the result of Councils designed for the Interest of Religion or the Peace and Safety of the State Not for the Interest of Religion for Religion abhors to be Established but by those ways and means that God himself has appointed Do we condemn that practice of too many Romanists who allow of any Act of Sin directed to the Good of the Catholick Church and shall we our selves fall into the same Guilt that we condemn in them Shall we commit evil that good may come of it In plain words shall we break the known Commandments of God that enjoyn Duty Obedience and Loyalty to the King with pretence of doing it for the Churches safety Were all their pretended Fears for the Protestant Religion grounded upon Truth and Reason yet sure the Church of the Most Holy God is not to be rescued by the power of Satan as they would impiously do For Rebellion is as the Sin of Witchcraft Let such fiery Bigots remember and tremble at the Judgment shewed upon Uzzah who inconsiderately stretching out his sinful hand was struck dead for his temerity They may see by that fearful Example how dangerous it is to follow even good Intentions where there is no express Command of God and infinitely more then when by so doing they shall act contrary to his express Command God and Religion are both highly dishonoured