Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n
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A70628
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A Most serious expostulation with several of my fellow-citizens in reference to their standing so high for the D.Y.'s interest at this juncture of time
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1680
(1680)
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Wing M2919A; ESTC R14647
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5,553
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6
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to make one who is a Papist Head of the Church of England you labour thereby to make our Church a great Monster for if our Head reckon as he then must us his Body Hereticks rotten and damned where 's our Body Where will be our Church What Agreement between the Head and Body Will it not inevitably run into Confusion shall we have a Father of our Church who by his own Faith is obliged as much as he can to destroy her and is bound by the Romish Principles to deal with her as a Harlot therefore if you set up his Interest farwell Church of England farwel Protestant Religion in England there 's no Medium in the World considering the Power when in his hand and the implacable Restlesness of the Jesuits Therefore seriously consider of it you see plainly that so far as you are for this Interest you are against the Church of England Is it possible you can forget Queen Maries dayes the number of Martyrs that then suffered enough to shew you the sad Effects of a Popish Successor's coming to the Crown and will you desire to send your Selves Wives Children Fathers and Mothers to the Stake to be burn'd for Hereticks Read the Book of Martyrs if these things so easily slip your mind Oh! never forget her fine Wheedles to the Suffolk men to assist her coming to the Crown the fair promises she made them not to alter the least point in their Religion yet assoon as she thereby obtained her End she burn'd more of them than of any County in England else Remember how many she martyred in the space of four or five years consider what havock she would have made with the Church of England had she Reigned forty or fifty years undoubtedly she would not by her good will have left one Protestant alive all over England I say consider would you have it so again will you endeavour to put the Protestant Religion in as great hazard of the same Persecution once more Oh! let your Tongues rather cleave to your Mouthes or your right hands perish Use your utmost Endeavours to prevent it whilst in some measure it is in your Power least in a little time the Papists with their tricks put it out of your power and when too late you may relent with anguish of Soul and without Remedy Secondly If you are for the Succession of the D. are you not for the French Interest so consequently against the Interest of England your Native Countrey That this is so I beg you consider how the D. is linked with the French K. that cruel blood-thirsty * How the D. hath all along espoused the French Interest appears by the Letters brought to light in the Tryal of Coleman the D's chief creature there was no doubt about those Letters no not so much as denied I pray do but call to mind some of those Expressions in reference to the D. viz. page 45. Knowing the Interest of our King and in a more particular manner of my more immediate Master the DUKE and his most Christian Majesty to be so inseparably united that it was impossible to divide them without destroying them all His Majesty the French King was pleased to give order to signifie to his R. H. my Master that His Majesty was fully satisfied of his R. H's good Intentions towards him and that he esteemed both their Interests but as one and the same that my Lord Arlington and the Parliament were both to be look'd upon as very unuseful to their Interests Page 46. Father Ferrier begged his R. H. to propose to his most Christian Majesty what he thought necessary for his own Concern and the advantage of Religion and his Majesty would certainly do all he could to advance both or either of them I communicated it to his R. H. to which his R. H. commanded me to Answer as I did on the twenty ninth of the same Month That his R. H. was very sensible of his most Christian Majesties Friendship and that he would labour to cultivate it with all the good Offices he was capable of doing for his Majesty the French King that he was fully convinced their Interests were BOTH ONE that my Lord Arlington and the Parliament were not onely Unuseful but very DANGEROUS both to England and France that therefore it was necessary they should do all they could to dissolve it page 53. I did communicate this Design of mine to Monsieur Ravigney who agreed with me that it would be the greatest Advantage imaginable to his Master to have the D's Power and Credit so far advanced page 54. If we can advance the Duke's Interest one step forward we shall put him out of the reach of Chance for ever Then would Catholicks be at rest and his Most Christian Majesty's Interest secured with us in England mark that beyond all Apprehensions whatsoever Our prevailing in these things would give the greatest BLOW to the Protestant Religion here that ever it received from its birth Page 55. If the D. should once get above them after the tricks they have play'd with him they are not sure he will totally forget the Vsage he has had at their hands For my part sayes he I can scarce believe my self awake or the thing real when I think on a Prince in such an Age as we live in converted to such a degree of Zeal and Piety as not to regard any thing in the World in comparison of the Conversion of our poor Kingdom which hath been a long time oppressed and miserably harassed with Heresie and Schism c. See the whole Letter in the D's own name in page 66. and 67. it being too long here to recite but in short the D. gives therein all Assurances imaginable to the French King's Confessor Above all that passage in another Letter page 69. ought never to be forgotten viz. We have here a Mighty Work upon our hands no less than the Conversion of three Kingdomes and by that perhaps the utter subduing of a pestilent Heresie which hath domineered over great part of the Northern World a long time there were never such hopes of Success since the Death of our Queen Mary as now in our dayes when God has given us a Prince who is become may I say a Miracle zealous of being the Author and Instrument of so glorious a Work that which we rely upon most next to God Almighty's Providence and the Favour of my Master the Duke is the mighty mind of his most Christian Majesty I must confess I think his Christian Majestie 's Temporal Interest is so much attracted to that of his R. H. which can never be considerable but upon the Growth and Advancement of the Catholick Religion that his Ministers cannot give him better Advice c. I think Gentlemen here 's enough and too much God knows to convince any wise man in England Possibly we might have had enough to have filled a Volume had not Coleman had time after he was questioned to burn so many of his Papers these Letters aforesaid he onely left as inconsiderable and not worth his destroying Thirdly If you are for the D. so consequently for a Popish Successor are you not for Arbitrary Government and against all Parliaments is it not too notoriously known that the D. hates our Parliaments with an implacable hatred none ever set himself against our Parliaments more than he therefore if he Succeed adieu to all Parliaments must you not expect to be Ruled by Force if you submit not to that will he not call in Force enough from France with whom he hath had such a strict League and who would be glad of such an opportunity to Assist him so that you must expect nothing but a French Slavery at the best Besides it 's not unknown that the D. is a Wilful Person and naturally most obstinate if you put the Power in his hands he will not easily forget what our Parliaments have done but would be glad to put an End to them and then you must lye wholly at the mercy of ambitious Courtiers and merciless Souldiers Sirs Be not so weak as to let any of those specious Discourses spread abroad by the Jesuits under the Notion of the Church of England-men as Coleman's Declaration was to advance the D's Interest or a Popish Successor deceive you be not deluded beguiled and lulled asleep but be Watchful Sober and Considerate look before you and take care of your approaching Election of your Parliament-men chuse such as you have had experience of already to be Couragious and Faithful in this time of Danger to this our City and the Protestant Religion for if that once goes our Liberty goes with it Remember Popery and Slavery are linked together from which Good Lord for ever prevent and defend us FINIS
A MOST SERIOUS EXPOSTULATION With several of my Fellow-Citizens In reference to their standing so high for the D. Y's Interest at this Juncture of time Gentlemen I Hope no discreet and honest Person will look upon it as any Presumption but as necessary Counsel humbly to caution you my Brethren with my self in time well to consider whither you are running What it is that you are doing Above all it behoves you to consider it at this time why should we delight in our own Destruction and help forward our own Ruine Perhaps you may think that 's strange and impossible that any should be so weak but yet 't is no new thing for some to be blinded deluded and beguiled 't is but what is and hath been too common in all Ages though certainly for any Nation or Number of men to endeavour or effect their own Destruction is one of the severest Judgments of God that can befall a People I pray God none of you may come under this Curse of having Eyes and Ears and see and hear not Hearts and will not understand 2. But 't is to be feared that too many among you are running headlong the Path-way of Destruction by endeavouring to foment Division amongst those that are Protestants and not only to keep open but to widen the Breach betwixt the Church of England and other Protestants of different Perswasions whereas neither of you can ever be safe if you do not both unite and joyn hand in hand against the Common Enemy viz. the Papists and Popery as the Case now stands with us This indeed may be unminded by many of you by Reason there are so many Blinds daily endeavoured to be put upon us under the Notion of the Church of England whereas the Name of the Church of England is only made use of by the Jesuite Party as the Papists Stalking-horse and not by the true Sons of the Church of England but to blind them as Coleman's Declaration runs all in the name of the Church of England though designed and penned by him and other Papists the greatest Enemies in Truth to the Church of England And no Doubt but most of the Pamphlets that now come out under that Notion are of the same Stamp forged by the Jesuits those Fire-brands of all Europe you may easily guess at them by their Extenuating the Plot and advising us not to have any Fears but to lessen our Guards in the City by their endeavouring to create and encrease the Divisions betwixt those of the Church of England and other Protestants which I am sure no sincere hearted Son of the Church would do at this time but would disown and disclaim all such Proceedings as spurious you may easily know of what Kidney they are by their pleading for a Popish Successor c. Now Sirs permit me to expostulate the Case and tell you whoever you are that are for the D's Interest in the Circumstances as he now stands with England are you not most certainly if you do but rightly understand your selves for these three Interests viz. First for the Pope and Papists Interest Secondly for the French Interest Thirdly for Arbitrary Government I pray you consider you that are for the D. in the Circumstances he hath at present brought himself and the Nation under by his Adhering to and so much countenancing the Papists and French Interest are you not in plain English against these three things though it may be ignorantly yet in the sequell it may prove so viz. 1. Against the Interest of the Church of England and the Pretestant Religion 2. Against the Interest of England your Native Country 3. Against the Interest of all Parliaments and so against your own Freedomes and Liberties as you are Englishmen Solomon says A wise mans Eyes are in his Head and are not a Fool 's too Yes but he makes no Use of them to foresee the Evil and avoid it and that we may not come under that Denomination let us most seriously ponder and consider these Particulars for 't is no less than your Religion your Lives your Liberties your Estates and your All that is concerned in the Consequence of it Now to demonstrate not only the Probability of its being so but the Certainty of it and the Impossibility of its being otherwise in all humane Appearance I shall beg of you but to consider of these things over again viz. First If you stand for the D's Interest do you not undoubtedly so far stand for the Pope and Popish Interest yea Jesuites and all the worst of Papists and by this you will give the greatest Blow to the Church of England that ever it had since it was a Church pretend what you will for the Church of England while you are for the D. you are certainly the greatest Enemies of it if you are for a Popish Successor or the D. as a Romanist you are in Truth Enemies to the Church of England in Particular and the Protestant Religion in General For can you once imagine that by bringing in a Popish Successor you will not inevitably set up Popery Will such a Successor think you have so much Love for another Religion as his own or for those of another Profession whom by his Perswasion he is obliged to esteem all damned Hereticks as for those of his own therefore will it not naturally follow that he will advance the one and discountenance and depress the other nay do you forget that so far as he could he lately did the same when he was in Power so that the most ready way to get into Office or Preferment was either to turn Papist or be a Favourer of them and then such were quickly brought in made Governours of our Castles and Garrisons Captains and Colonels of our Forces yea even Captains of our Men of War besides hundreds of Places at Court no less than Lord High Treasurer of England witness Clifford and lately one of the Clerks if not more under the Treasurer Danby must be a desperate subtle Roman Catholick for it seems he could find none so fit for him and what will the Effect of this be in a little time think you Will not this be a great weakening to the Church of England to lose so many Members as by these doings have within this ten years been seduced from her and so many of her Members turned out and kept out of Places of Trust Profit and Honour whilst her Enemies are placed in them and will not this think you cause great Numbers to become Roman Catholicks some for Favour some for Fear some for Offices and others for Profit and by Perswasion besides very many by Example who look upon it as a great Piece of Godliness or at least good Policy to be of their Princes Religion I wonder any man can be so weak as to think these Doings will make for the Intrest of the Church of England surely such must strangely be infatuated and Besides consider for you to endeavour