Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A92405
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Remarques upon the new project of association: In a letter to a friend.
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Paterson, William, 1658-1719.
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1681
(1681)
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Wing R949B; ESTC R182616
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10,538
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17
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Parliaments and part of those Forces with great difficulty caused by them to be Disbanded at the Kingdoms great Expence And it being Evident that notwithstanding all the continual endeavours of the Parliament to deliver his Majesty from the Councils and out of the power of the said D. yet his Interest in the Ministry of State and others have been so prevalent That Parliaments have been unreasonably Prorogued and Dissolved when they have been in the hot pursuit of Popish Conspiracies and ill Ministers of State their Assistants 4. And that the said D. in order to reduce all into his own Power hath procured the Garrisons the Army and Ammunition and all the power of the Seas and Souldiery and Lands belonging to these Three Kingdoms to be put into the hands of his Party and their Adherents even in opposition to the Advice and Order of the last Parliament In the Third and Fourth Clauses the Kings Guards are pronounc'd to be Contrary to Law The Officers chosen by thc Duke Subservient to his Designs and Dangerous to his Majesties Person c. The King himself Charg'd with following Popish Councels Vnreasonable Prorogations and Dissolutions in favour of Popish Conspirators and Ill Ministers of State their Assistants The Garrisons Army and Ammunition in the hands of the Dukes Party and their Adherents It is not my Work to amplifie upon these Falshoods and Slanders in this place so that I shall proceed 5. And as we considering with Heavy Hearts how greatly the Strength Reputation and Treasure of the Kingdom both at Sea and Land is Wasted and Consumed and lost by the intricate expensive management of these Wicked destructive Designs and finding the same Councils after exemplary Justice upon some of the Conspirators to be still pursued with the utmost devilish malice and desire of Revenge Whereby His Majesty is in continual hazard of being Murdered to make way for the said D 's Advancement to the Crown and the whole Kingdom in such case is destitute of all security of their Religion Laws Estates and Liberty sad experience in the Case Queen Mary having proved the wisest Laws to be of little Force to keep out Popery and Tyranny under a Popish Prince The Fifth Clause Deplores the sad Estate of the King and Nation by reason of the same Councel And after this Remonstrance upon the whole matter We the Knights c. come to a point in that which follows That is to say 6ly The King will not agree to Barr and Exclude the Duke in a Parliamentary way and therefore we 'l enter into a League and Invite the Kings Subjects to Joyn with us in a Vow of Mutual Defence and Assistance in an Vn-Parliamentary way to the Intent of a Declaration in the Form Ensuing 6. We have therefore endeavoured in a Parliamentary way by a Bilifor the purpose to Barr and Exclude the said Duke from the Succession to the Crown and to Banish him for ever out of these Kingdoms of England and Ireland But the first Means of the King and Kingdoms Safety being utterly rejected and we left almost in Despair of obtaining any real and effectual security and knowing our selves to be intrusted to Advise and Act for the preservation of his Majesty and the Kingdom and being persuaded in our Consciences that the Dangers aforesaid are so eminent and pressing that there ought to be no delay of the best means that are in our power to secure the Kingdom against them We have thought fit to propose to all true Protestants an Union amongst themselves by solemn and sacred promise of Mutual Defence and Assistance in the preservation of the true Protestant Religion His Majesties Person and Royal State and our Laws Liberties and Properties and we hold it our bounden Duty to joyn ourselves for the same intent in a Declaration of our United Affections and Resolutions in the Form insuing Now put all together and the sum of it in short is this There 's a Plot upon the Kings Life c. The Duke is in 't And preferrs Ministers of State Officers Civil and Military for his purpose Prorogues and Dissolves Parliaments Saves the Popish Lords makes the King a Cypher And therefore since he will not agree to Exclude and Banish his Brother by Act of Parliament We the Knights c. will joyn with all True Protestants in a Sacred promise to destroy him and his Adherents without exception to His Maiesty himself who for Refusing to Exclude his Royal Brother is declared to be one of the Party To what Ends and purposes will be seen in the Association it self THE ASSOCIATION I A. B. Do in the presence of God solemnly Promise Vow and protest to maintain and defend to the utmost of my Power with my Person and estate the true Protestant Religion against Popery and all popish Superstition Idolatry or Innovation and all those who do or shall endeavour to spread or advance it within this Kingdom I will also as far as in me lies maintain and defend His Majesties Royal Person and Estate as also the power and priviledge of Parliaments the lawful Rights and Liberties of the Subject against all Incroachments and Usurpation of Arbitrary power whatsoever and endeavour intirely to Disband all such Mercenary Forces as we have reason to believe were raised to advance it and are still kept up in and about the City of London to the great Amazement and Terror of all the good people of the Land Moreover I. D. of Y. Having publickly professed and owned the popish Religion and notoriously given Life and Birth to the Damnable and Hellish plotes of the papists against His Majesties person the protestant Religion and the Government of this Kingdom I will never consent that the said J. D. of Y. or any other who is or hath been a papist or any ways adher'd to the papists in their wicked Designs be admitted to the Succession of the Crown of England But by all lawful means and by force of Arms if need so require according to my Abilities will oppose him and endeavour to Subdue Expel and Destroy him if he come into England or the Dominions thereof And seek by force to set up his pretended Title and all such as shall Adhere unto him or raise any War Tumult or Sedition for him or by his Command as publique Enemies of our Laws Religion and Countrey To this end we and every one of us whose hands are here under-written do most willingly bind our selves and every one of us unto the other joyntly and severally in the Bond of one firm and loyal Society or Association and do promise and vow before God That with our joynt and particular Forces we will oppose and pursue unto Destruction all such as upon any Title whatsoever shall oppose the Just and Righteous ends of this Association and Maintain Protect Defend all such as shall enter into it in the just performance of the true intent and meaning of it And lest this Just and
but there was a Talk in Town of an Association Foreman Did you not hear of it in Parliament Mr. Secretary Indeed there was an answer to a Message from the House of Commons that had something in it that did strongly Imply an Association but this particular Association I do not remember to have heard propos'd Foreman Don't you remember in the House of Commons Sir it was read upon Occasion of that Bill Mr. Secretary I heard such a thing spoken of but at the Reading of it I was not present to the best of my rememberance I know nothing to the contrary but that the forme of this Vow and protestation meaning the three first Clauses of it might possibly be read in the House But to imagine that the Honorable House of Commons would ever have endur'd the starting of a project to overturn the very Foundations of Government were to do them the greatest indignity in the world The late Usurpers themselves were halfe way through the Rebellion before they arriv'd at that degree of Boldnesse If any man should Interpret these Glancing Interrogatories in such manner as to take this project for an Act of the House The Jesuits themselves could not have done the Popish plot a greater piece of service then the promoting of such an Errour as might creat a Jelousie of Treason within these Walls But on the other hand there may be Scandals Taken as well as Given If it were not for Tiring of yow out I could shew ye the Originals both of this Draught and Design and Trace the very footsteps of our Reforming Hero's from His Majesties most Dutiful and Loyal Subjects with their Outcrys of plots and popery and Eyes and Hands lifted up unto the Lord in a Holy Covenant to the severing of his Majesties Sacred Head from his Body upon a scaffold But it is too Copious a Theme and there needs no more then Dipping any where in the Records of the Late Times to famish the parallel There remains yet another Abuse to be clear'd wherein they impose upon the people that this Association is founded upon the same Grounds and Considerations with that of the 27th of the Queen You will better judge whether it be so or no upon a view of the Instrument it selfe and some few Remarques thereupon The Instrument or Writing of Association that the Protestants of England enter'd into 27. Eliz. FOrasmuch as Almighty God hath Ordained Kings Queens and Princes to have Dominion and Rule over all their Subjects and to preserve them in the Pessession and Observation of the true Christian Religion according to his holy Word and Commandment And in like sort that all Subjects should Love Fear and Obey their Soveraign Princes being Kings or Queens to the utmost of their power at all times to withstand pursue and suppress all manner of persons that shall by any means intend and attempt any thing dangerous or hurtful to the Honour States or persons of their Soveraigns Therefore we whose Names are or shall be subscribed to this Writing being Natural Born subjects of this Realm of England and having so Gracious a Lady our Soveraign Elizabeth by the Ordinance of God our most rightful Queen Reigning over us these many Years with great Felicity to our inestimable Comfort And finding lately by divers Depositions Confessions and sundry Advertisements out of Forreign parts from credible persons well known to her Majesties Council and to divers others That for the furtherance and advancement of some pretended Title to the Crown it hath been manifested that the Life of our Gracious Soveraign Lady Queen Elizabeth hath been most dangerously expos'd to the peril of her Person if Almighty God her perpetual Defender of his Mercy had not revealed and withstood the same By whose Life we and all other her Majesties True and Loyal Subjects do enjoy an inestimable benefit of peace in this Land do for the Reasons and Causes before alledged not only acknowledge our selves most justly bound with our Lives and Goods for her defence in her safety to persecute suppress and withstand all such Intenders and all other her Enemies of what Nation Condition and Degree whatsoever they shall be or by what Council or Title they shall pretend to be her Enemies or to attempt any harm upon her Person but do further think it our bounden Duties for the great benefit of peace and Wealth and Godly Government we have more plentifully receaved these many Years under her Majesties Government than any of our Forefathers have done in any longer time of any other Progenitors Kings of this Realm Do declare and by this Writing make manifest our bounden Duties to our said Soveraign Lady for her safety And to that end We and every of us First calling to Witness the Name of Almighty God do Voluntarily and most Willingly bind our selves every one of us to the other joyntly and severally in the Band of one Firm and Loyal Society And do hereby Vow and promise by the Majesty of Almighty God That with our whole Powers Bodies Lives and Goods and with our Children and Servants We and every of us will faithfully serve and humbly obey our said Soveraign Lady Queen Elizabeth against all States Dignities and Earthly powers whatsoever and will as well with our joynt and particular Forces during our Lives withstand offend and pursue as well by force of Arms as by all other means of Revenge all manner of persons of what state soever they shall be and their Abetters that shall attempt any Act Council or consent to any thing that shall tend to the harm of her Majesties Royal person and will never desist from all manner of forcible pursuit against such persons to the utter Extermination of them their Councillors Aiders and Abetters And if any such wicked Attempt against her most Royal Person shall be taken in hand and procured whereby any that have may or shall pretend Title to come to this Crown by the untimely death of her Majesty so wickedly procured which God for his Mercy sake forbid may be avenged We do not only bind our selves both joyntly and severally never to Allow accept or favour any such pretended Successor by whom or for whom any such detestable Act shall be Attempted or Committed as unworthy of all Government in any Christian Realm or Civil State But do also further Vow and Protest as we are most bound and that in the presence of the Eternal and Everlasting God to prosecute such person and persons to Death with our joynt or particular Forces and to ask the utmost Revenge upon them that by any means we or any of us can devise and do or cause to be devised and done for their fitter Overthrow and Extirpation And to the berter Corroboration of this our Loyal Band and Association We do also Testifie by this Writting that we do confirm the contents hereof by our Oaths corporally taken upon the Holy Evangelist with this express condition that no one of us shall for any respect of persons or causes or for Fear or Reward separate our selves from this ASSOCIATION or fail in the prosecution thereof during our Lives upon hasard of being by the rest of us prosecuted and supprest as perjur'd persons and publick Enemies to God our Queen and to our Native Country To which punishment and pains we do voluntarily submit our selves and every of us without benefit of any colour and pretence In Witness of all which Promises to be inviolably kept we do to this Writing put our Hands and Seals and shall be most ready to accept and admit any others hereafter to this Society and Association You may be pleased to Compare this Association with the other which pretends Effectually to write after this Coppy You have in this an Ample and Solemn Acknowledgement of Soveraign Power in the Queen and Indispensible Obedience in the Subject but in the other not only a Disclaimer of the Kings Authority and the Subjects Duty unless his Majesty will Comply with whatsoever his People shall Impose upon him but a Total Abdication of his Imperial Power And a Vow of Conspiracy to Oppose him by Force and set up an Inconsiderable part of the people Masters of the Government You have here ane Association to defend the Queen against any pretendent whatsoever upon a false Title The other is a Conspiracy for the Destruction even of the present King brcause he will not Consent to the Dispossessing his Brother of a Just and Legal Title both before God and Man This Engagement Extends only to a Remote Prospect of Injury to the Crown with a Resolution to Employ Violence when the Occasion requires it and not before But the other is a Confederacy to offer Violence to the Crown themselves and to Embroile the Nation forthwith in a Civil War upon a pretended Fear of Danger at a Distance This is a Combination against the Queens Enemies with Her Royal Approbation and consent The other is a Confederacy against the Kings Brother and his Friend and against his Majesties Approbation and Consent The one in short is for a Submission to a Lawful Authority The other for the Final and Irreparable Extirpation of it To Conclude whoever layes both Ends together of this Late Association will find that it begins in the Name of God for the Preservation of Religion and Ends in the Divils Name with the Total Extinction of King and Government Imprimatur WILLIAM PATERSON December 20. 1681. Edinburgh Re-printed by David Lindsay 1681. Cum Privilegio