order to a better understanding among them For this purpole let there be a Select Assembly of some out of All Persuasions in which these two Proposals may be duly weighed That whosoever Believe and Own what shall be therein contained shall be Reputed and Protected as true Protestants p. 9. But we must never forget the horrid Murder of Henry III and of Henry IV. of France our Kings renowned Grandfather And would to God our King would consider that all his Humanity to them can never secure him from their Stroak they were both better Catholicks and yet both Assassinated The first a bred Papist yet because he would not Murder all the Hugonots or Protestants of his Kingdom and his known best Subjects they did as much for him The last was their Convert all they seem'd to desire of him and all they can expect from our King yet how did they use him they did twice assassinate him and the last time kill'd him What security then can any Prince promise to himself from Men that make not the profession of the same Religion a Protection to them that own it but upon humors or suspicions of their own or to introduce another PERSON or Family more immediately under their influence and disposed to their turn will make no scruple of killing him What Slaves are Kings with such Men and under such a Religion Let not the mildness of our Prince be thus abused shew your selves his great and best Council in this Conjuncture and deliver him from these Men of ingratitude p. 11. From this Religion O Lord God deliver us O King and Parliament protect us 'T is your duty to God and your obligation to the people We beseech you excuse us and take all in good part our fears are great we fear justly and our desires reasonable Remember our dreadful Fires consider this horrid Plot and think upon poor yet worthy Sir Edmond-bury Godfrey let not God's Providence and his Blood rise up in judgment against you God of his great Mercy animate you by his power and direct you by his Wisdom that the Succession of his Deliverances from Queen Elizabeth's days may not be forgotten nor his present Mercy slighted Let us do our duty and God will give us that Blessing which will yet make England a glorious Kingdom the joy of her Friends and terror of her Enemies which is the fervent and constant Prayer of yours p. 12. This Column is what they Published in behalf of the Papists when uppermost A Defence of the D. of Buck. Book 1685. in Reply to a Church of England-man who Answered the said Book NOw this Man would think it imprudent in me and that it is none of my business to vindicate the Persons charged i. e. the Papists c. yet I have so much Justice I confess as not to condemn Parties by particulars and Charity as to be satisfy'd with their Solemn disclaiming of such Practices I must also tell him I cannot admire his Wisdom Manners or Justice in his Reflections upon the Roman Catholicks after the assurance of so great an ONE of that Communion has given him and his Friends of their Security and Protection For the late occasion he takes let him be just and he will find the Excluders almost every Sunday at their Parish Churches and if three quarters of them were to Pray for their Lives it may be they could better read their CLERGY than say their prayers without the Publick Liturgy p. 25 26. A Reply to the Answer of the Man of at Name to the Duke of Buck c p. 22. 23. ONe thing I must say the Roman Catholicks have been Loyal in England and Holland and who knows not that they the Church of England Men were such as hardly knew how to Pray but out of our Liturgy that attempted to exclude the Presumptive Heir to the Crown upon the score of his Religion Animadversiâ—ns on the Apology of the clâ—mâ—râ—us Squire c. BUt when he has done all he can they were not Dissenters that in 80. prosecuted the Roman Catholicks and resus'd them Liberty but Church of England-men and such of them too as would not allow it to some Protestant Dissenters for fear the Papists should hide themselves amongst them and that they therefore must swallow the most severe Cests that could be fra to shew themselves not Friends to that Communion and to tell Truth and I beseech the Gentleman not to take it amiss that I say the Dissenters were invited to the share they had in opposition to Popery by Church-Men ay they were for a Comprehension to make the Church stand broader the better to receive the Assaults of Rome without hazard p. 3. 'T was the Gentlemen of that Communion that Impeach'd the Prerogative in the Declaration of Indulgence and set the Political Capacity of the King in Opposition to his Natural and to make the Business the more Popular bestow'd that Comment upon it of a Design in the Court to let in Popery and Arbitrary Government p. 5. A Persuasive to Moderation submitted to the King c. 1686. WE have not to do with an insensible Prince but one that has been Toucht with our Infirmities More than any body sit to Judge our Cause by the share he once had in it in Preface Good Advice to the Church of England c. 1687. IT happens now that God and Cesar are both of a Mind which perhaps does not always fall out at least about the Point in hand p. 17. Edw. VI. by Archbishop Cranmer was compell'd to Sign a Warrant to burn poor Joan of Kent a famous Woman but counted an Enthusiast Thus even Protestants began with Blood for mere Religion and TAUGHT the Romanists in succeeding times how to deal with Them pag. 30. If She hopes by her aversion to a general Ease to set up for a Bulwark against Popery one year will shew the Trick and mightily deceive her and the opportunity will be lost and another Bargain driven I dare assure her mightily to her disadvantage Violence and Tyranny are no Natural Consequences of Popery for then they would follow every where and in all Places and Times alike but we see in 20 Governments in Germany there is none for Religion nor was not for an Age in France and in Poland the Popish Cantons of Switzerland Venice Lucea Colonia c. where that Religion is Dominant People enjoy their Ancient and Civil Rights a little more steadily than they have of late time done in some Protestant Countries nearer home almost ever since the Reformation p. 42. 43. It is her Interest to Repeal those Laws She else breaks with a King heartily inclin'd to preserve her by any way that is not persecuting p. 44. Let us not uphold Penal Laws against any of our Religious Persuasions nor make Tests out of each others Faiths to exclude one another our Civil Rights by the same reason that denying Transubstantiation is made one to exclude a Papist to own it
ever indulge your cruel Persecuting Whipping Racking Inquisition Murdering Spirit whose Popes Faith Church-Government and whole Religion was founded and are maintained by Inhuman Bloodshed as your own Histories plainly manifest Who gave life to these things but the Devil who was a Murderer from the beginning Thus have you Papists through many Generations been always shedding the precious Blood of those whom God in every Age raised to testifie against your Superstitions and Will-Worship Therefore Woes from God Almighty to that Romish Whore who has corrupted the Nations and sits upon a Scarlet-coloured Beast full of Names of Blasphemy drunk with the Blood of Saints and Martyrs of Jesus The hour of her Desolation is nigh and in the Cup which she hath filled shall it be filled to her double for strong is the Lord God of Hosts who judgeth her pag. 56. See A Seasonable Caveat against Popery c. by W. Penn. WE hope it may not be too late to militate for Truth against the dark Suggestions of Papal Superstition to vindicate that of the REFORMATION from the quaintest Stratagems and most unwearied Endeavours of Romish Emissaries to put both it and us into their Inquisition We know they have so far Mastered their Ancient Fierceness and Masked their Sangum Looks with those more modest and familiar that though we need not more Reason than before we need more Skill and Caution or else we may too fatally experience the force of that Vulgar Proverb Laugh in thy Face and cut thy Throat They are grown so Complaisant that none seem more exasperated at Persecution than themselves whilst the very Fathers of it decrying the fierceness of it in some Countries whose Incendiaries they were and still are and imputing all the Blood of poor Protestants to some unwarrantable Civil Score thereby abusing the Magistrate with their own Conspiracies Nay for all their venerable Esteem of the Popes Infallibility they have not stuck to Censure his Roaring Bulls though procured by their own means and all that might express their New Tenderness that many unacquainted with their Practices are ready to believe them what they say themselves to be whose Moral is to have two Strings to their Bow to be Ambo-dexters and furnish't with Meanings to sute the Compass of ALL Occasions pag. 3. I stand amaz'd how any Man of Sense can be a Papist when the only Demonstration of his Religion must be his not understanding it pag. 14. In those frequent Bulls for Massacres which can no more be denied than Light at Noon day by which People have been stirred up upon the Promise of Forgiveness of Sins Redemption from Purgatory and Eternal Salvation or dreadful Denunciation of Eternal Damnation to Enterprise that Work of Murdering many Hundred thousands of Men Women and Children without any Legal Presentment Trial or Conviction But the Consideration of these things are out of fashion in England that many Embrace them upon their present Disguises and not in their true Sanguinary appearances pag. 30 31. To conclude If we would not receive a Thief till he has Repented let the Papist first Recant his Voluminous Errors but above all let us have good Testimony of his Hearty Sorrow for that Sea of Blood-shed in England France Holland Ireland Spain Italy Savoy Switzerland and Germany of many Hundred thousands of Poor Protestants that for pure Conscience could not Conform to their most Exorbitant Practices as well as new Doctrines imposed upon them such Inhuman and Barbarous Inventions and Cruelties as no Age could ever Parallel and are the only Demonstration of their Wicked Wits that lived in that Age and that not only upon the Parties themselves but their poor Innocent Babes For that English Protestants should so far neglect these weighty Considerations as to be Gull'd and Cheated out of their Religion purchas'd them by their Martyr'd Ancestors and be persuaded to embrace that old Bloody Apostatiz'd Church again with all her Slavish as well as Ridiculous Superstitions is a Crime so offensive to God and intolerable to Men as the time hastens that the very Stones of the Streets will rise up in Judgment against them p. 35. Thus have I undertook thô with much brevity an enervation of the Romans Faith at least a detection of their Craft their horrid Cousenage and present way of Insinuation among the People p. 36. Qu. Whether in case they could not be conform'd unto they would allow a Toleration were they powerful Whether in case they should say Yes we ought to believe them since it is one of their most Sacred Maxims not to keep Faith with Hereticks as was seen in the Case of those of the Alpine Vallys J. Hus c. and in that they have in all Ages brought so great a Deluge of Blood upon the European World p. 37. Qu. Whether it be the Interest of the English Nation to subject her-self to a Popish Yoak considering the incomparable Bloody Massacres of that sort of Men in several Reigns p. 38. See England 's great Interest in the choice of Parliament-men c. PRay see that you chuse sincere Protestants Men that don't play the Protestant in Design and are indeed disguis'd Papists ready to pull off their Masks when time serves You will know such by their Laughing at the Plot disgracing the Evidence admiring the Traitors Constancy that were forc'd to it or their Religion and Party were gone beyond an Excuse or an Equivocation The contrary are Men that Thank GOD for this Discovery and in their Conversation zealously direct themselves in an opposition to the Papal Interest which indeed is a Combination against good Sense Reason and Conscience and to introduce a blind Obedience without if not against Conviction and that Principle which introduces implicit Faith and blind Obedience in Religion will also introduce implicit Faith and blind Obedience in Government so that it is no more the Law in the one than in the other but the Will and Power of the Superior that shall be the Rule and Bond of our Subjection This is that Fatal Mischief Popery brings with it to civil Society and for which such Societies ought to be aware of it and All those that are Friends to it p. 4. See Their project for the good of England Dedicated to the Parliament c. THe difference between Protestants and their Dissenters is purely Religious they hold the one common Civil Head and mostly about Church-Government and some Forms of Worship c. But as to the Papists under Correction the case is alter'd for thô it be mostly manag'd on the side of Religion the great Point is merely Civil and should never be otherwise admitted or understood For want of this Caution Protestants suffer themselves to be drawn into tedious Controversies about Religion and give occasion to the Professors and Favourers of that Way to exclaim against them as Persecutors for Religion who had reprobated such severities in the Papists to their Ancestors When in reality the difference is not
methinks we should when the Noise of Fire and Sword is in our Ears when we cannot walk the Streets without Danger of being stabbed nor sleep in our Houses for fear of being burned witness the dreadful Fire at London the Fire of Southwark and that the other day of Limehouse where three poor Souls were burned quick to say nothing of forty Attempts they have made in other places To which let me add the Design in general of Massacring all the best People in the Kingdom begun and amply confirmed in the most barbarous Murder of that Worthy Knight and Judicious Magistrate Sir Edmund-bury Godfrey p. 1 2 3. Thus this poor Gentleman but worthy and brave Patriot ended his days by the Assassinating Hands of Papists whose Butchery made him the Common Martyr of his Religion and Country and his Death is to us the Earnest of their Cruelty in him they have Massacred us all we must take it to our selves and can no more be unconcerned in his Death than disinteressed in the Cause of it The Plot is opened the Tragedy is begun our Wives are frighted our Children cry no Man is sure of his Life a day the choice is only what Death we shall dye whether be Stabbed Strangled or Burned This Consternation and Insecurity must needs obstruct all Commerce scare People from following their lawful Occasions deter all Officers of Justice from their Duty and in fine dissolve Human Society and reduce the World into its first Chaos For the Lord's sake let us consider our Condition let us all turn to the Lord with unfeigned Repentance let us look and cry to him for Help that he who has discovered would confound this Bloody Conspiracy and shew Mercy and bring us Deliverance that we may yet see his Salvation and serve him all the days of our Lives and in order to our Security these things are earnestly requested of you 1. Take effectual Care to preserve the King they say and we believe he is not for their turn we would not have him for his sake and ours In order to this pray find out the Ahithophels the Dangerous Men about him you know who they are Be free and bold prize your time the Conjuncture is great 2. Vote an Address to the King to Banish all Irish Papists out of the Army Navy and Kingdom by such a Day and all Papists out of the City of London whose gross Ignorance and base Desperateness renders them the fittest Men for Assassinations Besides it is a shame that the Children and Kindred of Irish Rebels if not some of them the very Men themselves that were Actors in that horrid Massacre in the year 1641 about thirty seven years since in which above Three hundred thousand Protestants were Murder'd in the Kingdom of Ireland without regard to Age or Sex should be employ'd either in the English Army or Navy but more scandalous is it that St. James's should be their Head Quarters and the Park turned into an Irish Walk What do so many Irish Papists Teigs and Rebels do swarming there No good to be sure their Parts Courage and Skill can invite no Man of any to entertain them it must only be their Ignorance and Cowardly Cruelty which make them Instruments of Mischief and fit to be used by those that love foul play p. 6. 3. For God's sake call for the Plot look thoroughly and strictly into it Fear nor Favour no Man Fiat Justitia But fear God do what you do as in his Presence to whom you must tender an Accompt 'T is it he great Action of your Life discharge your Trust and quit your selves now like Men. This has been the perpetual Troubler of our Protestant Israel as you would see God with Comfort and secure your Posterity from Civil and Spiritual Tyranny slip not this opportunity God has so wonderfully cast into your hands be not found Despisers of his Providence neither be you careless or fearful of improving it Now or Never Had they you on this Lock and at this Advantage you nor yours should never see Day more What once you could not have so well done they have now made easie and necessary for you to do and what before you scarcely might do is now become your Duty Be not cheated by a Sacrifice let not the Lives of two or three Plotters be the Ransom of the rest or your Satisfaction 't is not Blood but Security prospect future Safety an Eternal Prevention of the like Miseries for the future otherwise we shall only sit down with the Peace and Joy of Pools and fat our Selves Sacrifices with more security against their next Slaughter p. 7. 4. Let every Protestant Family be well Armed and every Popish Family be utterly disarmed they have tryed out usage of Arms with Ease we theirs with Cruelty enough 5. Let there be an Act with a strict PENALTY that after such a Day no Gun-smith shall sell Guns or Pistols Cutlers Swords or Daggers and Dry-Salters Gunpowder or Bullets without Licence of the Aldermen of the Wards in London or some Chief Officer if in any other Corporations and that the Person so buying them shall before the said Officer subscribe a sufficient Test against Popery but more especially that no Papist be suffered to make or sell any such Implements of War. 6. That care be taken to prevent fraudulent Conveiances of Estates by Papists to escape the Law where they have done mischief For this is to cheat the Government and invalidate the Law. 7. That it shall he Treason for any Papist to Entertain a Priest Jesuit or Seminary in their House because mortal Enemies by Principle and Practice to the Civil Government Consider of the Swedish Law or a better way to clear the Land of all of them let 's buy them out to be safe 8. That in all Schools particularly in Universities Care be taken to Educate Youth in a just abhorrence of Romish Principles especially the Jesuits immoral Morals shewing the Inconsistency thereof with Human Nature Reason and Seciety as well as pure and meek Christionity of which there has been great neglect 9. That our Youth be not suffer'd to Travel abroad but between Twelve and Sixteen and that under the Conduct of approved Protestants for the present way of Education is chiefly to Pleasure and Looseness which makes way for Atheism or Popery no Religion or false Religion p. 8. 10. That speedy Care be taken to release all oppressed Protestants in this Kingdom and since the Papists mark all Protestants out for one Fate and esteem them one Body of Heretichs that they may be as one Body of Protestancy against that Common Enemyâ— This is the Language of God's present Providence those that withstand it are such as love Rome better than London Every Protostant Dissenter or not has the same thing to say against Bopery Agree then so far and let a general Negative Creed be concluded upon and from thence let some general positive Truths be consider'd of in
may be made to exclude a Church of England-man a Presoyterian an Independent c. p. 58. Advice to Protestant Dissenters shewing it is their Interest to Repeal the Test c. 1688. THe Test in the nature of it is unreasonable because it puts a Man upon a Temptation to deny that which he believes he cannot be Saved without Believing p. 2. The taking away the Test is the great debate for say the Church of England and those that give Ear to their Insinuation If that is gone there can be no security to the Protestant Religion now as to that in a Roman Catholick Reign what Service is it are they kept for all that out of Places and Offices of Trust No but althô we cannot prevent them of that yet the keeping them out of the Legislative Power is our security But let me aske them one Question Have they not often charged them with those Doctrines viz. Not keeping Faith with Hereticks Or that they are not oblig'd or do not account that of any value or tye to them that they promise to us And further Whatever they do to us provided it is to serve Holy Church let the Act be ever so immoral it is meritorious if we consider this I cannot see that great Bulwark in the Test that many would have us believe for if they may have Indulgences for these Enormities I cannot believe they will be so squeamish at the Test when they find the promotion of their Church so mightily depends upon taking it If the Papists find that the Dissenters break with them upon this Civil Union will not they be oblig'd to betake themselves to the surest way they can for their own security which I conceive will then consist in one of these two Points 1. To get a Dispensation to take the Test or else to bring the Church of England into their Interest As to the First the Church of England tells us as above they can do things Tantamount but if they have abused them in their Tenents and they should refuse that way but should fall in with them what security can they give us that they will not accept of them into their Favour since our Prince is of that Persuasion Who knows but their Ancient pretence to Loyalty may spring again If so from whom must we expect Kindness for of theirs we have had woful Experience and for the Romanists 't is better joyning with them when we can serve them than to expect Favour from them when we have deserted them p. 56. Reasons for the Repeal of the Tests c. ◠16 87. THey ought to be taken away because they are unreasonable and unjust c. p. 3. 'T is highly necessary that these Tests be abrogated this appears in that the King desires it the Papists crave it and the Interest of the whole Nation requires it We are all then in Prudence to consent thereto We have been Taught to entertain very hard Thoughts of their Religion and as we learnt to speak we stammer'd out No Papist No Popery whence sprang this aversion mainly I am sure from our apprehension that Blood and Cruelty attended it the Roman Catholicks thô sure of the King are willing to concert and accommodate Matters with us and to deliver us from what we so dreaded their Persecution upon the most reasonable and equal terms of being freed from the danger of ours I hope our established Church will bethink her self and better consider things than by her stubborn Adhesion to her Laws of Severity and Force to incline us to love Popery when we find it gentle and casy to be intreated p. 3. The King promised to maintain her so he doth and will undoubtedly persevere to do if She runs not her Self into a Forfeiture of the Royal Grace c. Let her cease to be angry and rebuke her Sons very unmannerly Sitting in Judgment upon and censuring the King's Proceedings let her I say be Wise and know her Duty and Interest the Advice is requisite She being at this day tampering to draw the Phanaticks into an Association against the Kings most Gracious purpose to them and all his People It is Insinuated that undue and false Returns may be made of Parliament-men c. but surely there lives not a Man without the Pale of the Church we are talking of so wicked as to think the King doth not detest the Thought of so base a Practice He that whispers a thing so greatly below the King will for ought I know suggest that to Morrow His Majesty will Return us an House of Commons from Hounsloe-Heath Discourses of this kind may not be heard but in Bedlam or Newgate therefore Adjourning them thither for Cure or Correction c. p. 6 7 8. Here follow a few Words taken out of some of their Addresses to the late King. Viz. We pray God to Bless the King His Royal Family and People with Grace and Peace and that after a long and prosperous Reign here He may receive a better Crown among the Blessed Lond. Ap. 1687. Which is the Prayer of c. We cannot but with grateful Hearts both admire and acknowledge the Providence of God that made the Kings retiring into our Country i. e. Scotland 1679. give a happy turn to his Affairs to the defeating and disappointing the Designs of his Enemies We do justly conceive our selves obliged by a special tye to praise God for his Goodness in carrying the King thorow and over all his Troubles since by the same Providence and at the same time by which the Lord began in that more observable manner to evidence His Care of him He made him the happy Instrument to deliver us from our Troubles so that the Prosperity of his Affairs and our peaceable fruition of the exercise of our Consciences beareth the same Date c. June 1687. We pray God Save the King and deliver Him out of all His Enemies hands both Spiritual Enemies and Temporal Enemies Amen Aug. 1687. The foregoing are only their own Words without any Observations or Remarks that being left for themselves or some others to do for them and are but a part of what they have Writ against the Papists when under and on their behalf when uppermost FINIS