me in it I have transmitted the Book of Common Prayer with those Alterations and Additions which have been presented to me by the Convocation to the House of Peers with my approbation that the Act of Vniformity may relate to it so that I presume it will be shortly dispatched there and 89. It requires great prudence and discretion no passion and precipitation when we have done all we can the well-setling that Affair will require great prudence and discretion and the absence of all passion and precipitation You see how his Majesty promised that he would give up all his endeavours to compose the unhappy differences in matters of Religion and to restore the Languishing Church to Peace Vnity and Order Constantine himself hardly spent so much of 90. How mightily his Majesty has laid out himself to restore the Church to peace unity and order his own time in private and publick conferences to that purpose His Majesty Lord Chancellors Speech to both Houses of Parliament on Saturday Decemb. 29 1660. The Day of their Dissolution pag. 8. in private Conferred with the Learned Men and heard all that could be said upon several Opinions and Interests apart and then in the Presence 91. Constantine himself scarce spent so much time about it of both Parties himself moderating in the Debates and less care and diligence and authority would not have done the work And if after all this his Majesty doth not reap 93. If after all some will keep up old Breaches they must be reduced by Law to the obedience of the Law the full Harvest he expected from those Condescentions if some men by their Writing and by their Preachings endeavour to continue the old Breaches c. I shall say no more than that I hope their want of modesty and obedience will cause them to be disclaimed by all pious and peaceable men who cannot but be well contented to see them reduced by Law to the obedience they owe to Law ON Tuesday April 5. 1664. as if his Parliament were somewhat doubtful of it The King when he came then to give his Royal Assent to two Bills breaks out into these words to them I do assure you upon my word and I pray believe 9â— The King has no other thoughts or designs in his heart but to support the Religion Established and make us happy by it me That I have no other thoughts or designs in my heart but to make you all happy in the support of the Religion and Laws Established pag. 4. The Late King lost his Life in the defence of the Reformed Religion and his present Majesty whom God Almighty long continue among us hath manifested his affection to the Church of England as by Law Established in despight of all calumnies and through extream difficulties with the highest acts of Solemnity imaginable WHEN his Majesty met his both Houses of Parliament in 67. how instant was he to have them take it into their considerate thoughts how to settle Religion more to the quieting of his Peoples minds and His Majesties Speech to both Houses Monday 10 Feb. 1667. pag. 4. for the Establishment of Unity and Concord among them Saith he one thing more I hold my self obliged to recommend unto you at this 94. And therefore reminds his Parliament that they would think of some course to beget a better union among his Protestant Subjects as being the best way to support the Government present which is that you would seriously think of some course to beget a better union and composure in the minds of my Protestant Subjects in matters of Religion whereby they may be induced not only to submit quietly to the Government but also chearfully give their assistance to the support of it WHEN the King sent his Grace the then Earl of Lauderdail his Maiesties High Commissioner for the Parliament of Scotland You shall hear what he said to them concerning his Majesties 95. The Kings constant and unalterable zeal to maintain and defend the True Reformed Protestant Religion in Scotland Resolution to maintain the True Protestant Religion there It was by command from his Royal Master to say in his Name at the opening Earl of Lauderdail 's Speech to the Parliament of Scotland Oct. 19. 1669. pag. 3. 4. of that his Parlirment And first saith he I am to assure you of his Majesties constant and unalterable zeal for maintaining and defending the True Reformed Protestant Religion in this 96. That â—e will maintain and defend the autient Government of it being most suitable to Monarchy his Kingdom for which he will constantly lay out his whole power and authority as also for discouraging and punishing all Atheism and Prophanities and all that is contrary to true Religion and Godliness I am further particularly commanded to assure you that with no less zeal and constancy he will maintain and defend the Antient Government by Arch-Bishops 97. Episcopal Government the most Primitive and Apostolick and Bishops as now it is happily setled as a sure Fence for the True Refromed Protestant Religion a Government most suitable to Monarchy and well may I call it Antient for whoever 98. The King will refend the persons of the Archbishops Bishops all the Orthodox Clergy in their Functions will look into Antiquity shall find Episcopal Government hath continued in the whole Catholick Church both East and West even from the most Primitive and Apostolick Times and a little after in the said 4 pag. after he had just touched upon the sad Calamities and Confusions of the Late Times he says farther in his Majesties Name and by his special Command I do assure you he will employ his utmost power in the maintenance 99. Will not endure those numerous Conventicles that tend to Sedition and Schism of that Government and will protect the persons of my Lords the Archbishops and Bishops and of the Loyal Orthodox and Peaceable Clergy in the exercise of their Functions he will not endure those numerous and unlawful Conventicles 100. The King of late hath set up some that were peaceable men in vacant Churches though they came not up to the Rules Established They should therefore carry themselves worthy of that high favour which tend to Sedition and Schism which have been too frequent in some few Shires of this Kingdom Good Laws have been made and in prosecution of those Laws the Lords of his Majesties Privy Council have shewn their care for suppressing those Seditious Assemblies yea and of late his Majesty has graciously indulged the planting of some who were esteened peaceable men in vacant Churches though they came not up to the Rules Established it will be expected that they walk worthy of so great a favour but if after this removal of the very pretence of unlawful Conventicles any Factious People shall in contempt of his Majesties Laws yea 101. But if any factious people in contempt of his
himself the most malicious men room to say I had not removed all causes which could be pretended to influence me towards Popish Councels BESIDES that end of Vnion which I am at and which I wish could be extended to Protestants abroad as well as at home I purpose by this last step I have made to discern whether the Protestant Religion and the peace of the Kingdome be as truly aim'd at by others as they are really intended by me FOR as he afterwards brings it in in the same Speech 155. He will defend the Protestant Religion with his life pag. 7. saith he I do give you this assurance that I will with my life defend both the Protestant Religion and the Laws of this Kingdom NOW with a very easie transposition of the Lord Chancellors own words in his Speech at the same time to both Houses of Parliament pag. 10. I may with great truth say that if his 156. Sure then his Majesty wants no evidence of his Zeal for our Religion Majesty had wanted any evidence of his Zeal for our Religion surely this testimony from his Enemies who were about to sacrifice him for it is sufficient to satisfie the whole World For as there neither is nor hath been these fifteen hundred 157. Not a purer Church than ours these 1500 years years a purer Church than ours so 't is for the sake of this poor Church alone that the State hath been so much disturbed It is her truth and peace her decency and order which Our Enemies labour to undermine and pursue with so restless a malice Id. Pag. 14. WHEN we consider the afflicted condition of the Protestants 158. What the Protestants abroad suffer is in some measure a weakening of the Protestant Interest abroad we may be sure that every calamity they suffer is in some measure a weakning of the Id. p. 15. Protestant Interest and looks as if it were intended to make way for a general extirpation HOW watchful therefore does it become us all to be that the same evil Spirit and temper does not get too much ground 159. Let us watch that no ill men do us harm at home among us here at home how ought we all to use our utmost vigilance and activity care and prudence to prevent those disturbances which the restless spirits of ill and unquiet men will be always contriving THERE are so many things to do and so little time to 160. No time to be lost do them in that there ought not to be one minute lost Id. p. 16. AND therefore the King makes it his constant care to do 161. The Kings constant care to do all things to preserve our Religion and to secure it for the future every thing that may preserve Our Religion and secure it for the future in all events and he there saith he hopes the several particulars Kings Speech to both Houses Wednesday April 30. 1679. p. 4. he hath commanded my Lord Chancellour to mention will be an evidence that in all things that concern the publick security he shall not follow Our Zeal but lead it THAT Royal care which his Majesty hath taken for the general quiet and satisfaction of all his Subjects is now more evident by this new and fresh instance of it HIS Majesty hath considered with himself Lord Chancellors Speech to the same pag. 5. that 't is not enough that your Religion and Liberty is secure during his own reign but he thinks he owes it to his people to do all that in him lies that these blessings may be transmitted to your posterity and so well secured to them that no succession in after ages may be able to work the least alteration AND what he there had in command to say to that Parliament I shall refer you to the Speech it self it being too tedious here to insert it all but shall conclude this with my Lords own words pag. 7. THUS watchful is the King for all your safeties and if he could think of any thing else that you do either want or wish to make you happy he would make it his business to effect it for you and therefore we may tell those who still contrive the ruine of the Church the best and the best reformed Church in the Christian world reformed by that Authority and with those circumstances as a Reformation ought to be made that God would not so miraculously have snatched this Church as a brand out of the fire would not have raised it from the 162. And therefore surely God would never have done so much for our Reformed Church as he hath unless it were a Church very acceptable to him and which shall continue for ever grave after he had suffered it to be buried so many years by the boisterous hands of prophane and sacrilegious persons under its own rubbidge to expose it again to the same rapine reproach and Impiety Lord Chancellours Speech Dec. 29. 1660. p. 20 21 That Church which delights its self in being called Catholick was never so near expiration never had such a Resurrection that such a small pittance of Meal and Oyl should be sufficient to preserve and nourish the poor Widow and her family so long is very little more miraculous than that such a number of pious learned very aged Bishops should so many years be preserved in such wonderful straits and oppressions until they should plentifully provide for their own succession that after such a deep deluge of sacriledge prophaness and impiety had covered and to common understanding swallowed it up that That Church should again appear above the waters God be again served in that Church and served as he ought to be and that there should be still some revenue left to support and encourage those who serve him nay that many of those who seemed to thirst after that revenue till they had possest it should conscientiously restore what they had taken away and become good Sons and willing Tenants to that Church they had so lately spoil'd may make us all piously believe that God Almighty would not have been at the expence and charge of such a Miracle so manifested himself to us in such a deliverance but in the behalf of a Church very acceptable to him and which shall continue to the end of the world and against which the gates of hell shall not be able to prevail The End of the first Chapter concerning Religion CHAP. II. Of Popery BUT notwithstanding his Majesties unquestionable affection 1 But yet notwithstanding the People are mighty jealous of Popery and zeal for the True Protestant Religion manifested in his constant profession and practise against all temptations whatsoever yet many of his Subjects generally are much affected with jealousie The Parliament Petition to the King concerning Romish Priests and Jesuites 1663 pag. 3 4. and apprehension that the Popish Religion may much encrease in this Kingdom which yet his Majesty
GAROLUS SECUNDUS Dei Gratia Angl Scotice Francice Et Hibernice Rex Fidei Defensor etc. HONI SOIT QVI MAL Y PENSE DIEV ET MON DROIT MEMORABILIA Or the most Remarkable Passages and Counsels Collected out of the several DECLARATIONS AND SPEECHES That have been made by the KING HIS L. Chancellors and Keepers AND THE SPEAKERS Of the HONOURABLE House of Commons IN PARLIAMENT Since His Majesty's Happy Restauration Anno 1660. till the End of the last Parliament 1680. Reduced under Four Heads Viz. 1. Of the Protestant Religion 2. Of Popery 3. Of Liberty and Property c. 4. Of Parliaments By Edward Cooke of the Inner Temple Esquire Humbly Dedicated to the GRAND COUNCIL or SENATE of this KINGDOM LONDON Printed for Nevil Simmons Tho. Simmons and Sam. Lee at the Three Cocks at the West End of S. Paul's the Princes Arms in Ludgate-Street and the Princes Arms in Lombard Street MCDLXXXI THE INTRODUCTION SOME Persons there are in the World of a humour not to be pleased with any thing they shall see in Print unless withall the Author puts himself to the trouble of giving them some considerable Reason which induced him to that undertaking now whether or no this that I shall give them will be to their greater satisfaction I am not certain but however I will thus far ingenuously confess my self to them as to declare it was the true and only One that moved me to present the World with these following Sheets HAVING too notoriously observed of late since this licentious Sickness of the Press the many abominable Pamphlets that have come abroad no doubt with Malitious design enough to alienate the Affections of the good people of England and to infuse strange Perplexing Fears and Jealousies into them of the King and the Government as if presently the whole Nation was to be turn'd Topsy Turvy our Laws Cancell'd our Liberties and Properties to be quite taken away from us our Parliaments to be cashiered our Religion changed and our Lives wholly at the Merciless Devotion of Thirsty men of bloud I say having observed with great and sorrowful Resentment these ill and dangerous Books that have with a too open and insolent face appeared to the heinous scandal as well as disturbance of the peace of these Kingdoms This is to prevent His Majesties Declaration to all his loving Subjects Dec. 26. 1662. p. 12. the mischiefs aim'd at by the cager endeavours of rash and unquiet men whom though weak and credulous Persons may be beguiled by them yet I am sure all honest and good men will look upon with detestation as the most dangerous Enemies of the Crown and of the peace and happiness of the Nation AND among the many venemous Insinuations which have been Lord Keepers Speech Jan. 7. 1673. Fol. 18. 19. made use of the Fears and Jealousies of Religion and Liberty are of the worst sort and the most dangerous impressions CERTAINLY Malice was never more buisy than it hath been in these Reports and it hath been assisted by a great deal of invention BUT it is to be hoped that no mans Judgment or Affections will be either misled or disturbed by such reports THIS as nothing is capable of gratifying them more the great Lord Keepers Speech Ap. 13. 75. Fol. 18. Enemies of our security are most industrious to promote as knowing very well that this alone will do them more Service than the best of their Auxiliaries These are they that hope to see and Practise to bring about new Changes and Revolutions in the Government 'T IS almost an irreparable reproach the Protestant Religion hath Lord Chancel Speech Sep. 13. 1660. p. 22. undergone from the divisions and distractions which have been so notorious within this Kingdom This you shall find hereafter I will demonstrate to you in its proper place AND as differences and distempers in Religion have too much disturbed Lord Ch. Sp. Sep. 13. 1660. p. 19 20. the Peace of the Kingdom which is a consideration that must make every Religious heart to bleed to see that Religion which should be the strongest Obligation and Cement of Affection and Brotherly kindness and compassion made now by the perverse wranglings of Passionate and Froward men the ground of all Animosity Hatred Malice and Revenge So no less heaty and distempered have some persons been on the other hand in wickedly labouring to set us altogether by the Ears and to put us into a fatall Combustion by their slanderous Calumnies and Factious reproaches of the State Never was this Spirit of Libelling more Lord Ch. Sp. Monday May 19. 6â— at their Prorog p. 10 11. pregnant than it is now nor King nor Parliament nor Church nor State ever more exposed to those flagella linguae those stroaks of the Tongue from which God Almighty can only preserve the most Innocent and most Excellent Persons as if repining and murmuring reviling and affronting publick Authorities were the peculiar exercises of the Nation to keep it in health as if England had so much of the Merchant Nunquam habendi fructu faelix semper autem quaerendi Cupiditate Miserrima Now does it not His Majesties Speech Mond March 21. 1663. p. 5. behoove us all to be as watchful to prevent as they are to contrive their mischief Should not we make it our business to strengthen the hands of Government and to shame the Enemies of it by bannishing all manner of distrust If we do not we shall be in danger to Lord Ch. Sp. Thurs May 23. 78. p. 18. become not only the most miserable but the most unpittied Nation under heaven Let this then be to restore the whole Nation to its primitive temper Lord Ch. Sp. Thurs Sep. 13. 1660. p. 12. and integrity to its old good manners it 's old good humour and it 's old good nature a Vertue so peculiar so appropriated by God Almighty to this Nation that it can be translated into no other language and hardly practised by any other people His Majesties Speech Tuesday July 30. 1661. The Day of Their Adjurr p. 5. And though there are very many alas too many distempered Spirits which lie in wait to do mischief by laying Reproaches upon the Court upon the Government reproaches upon the King reproaches upon the Parliament yet I hope by our Joynt Unity right understanding our vigilant carefulness and application we may be able to weigh down and prevent any Mischief they intend against us Forreign Nations have laid it down for a Maxime in their Politicks Lord Chancel Speech Thurs March 6. â—â—78 p. 18 that England can never be destroyed but by its self and that 't is in vain to make any attempt upon this Nation until they be in some great disorder and confusion amongst themselves Let us then every one in the way of our several capacities indeavour to make the ambitious despair as soon as we can by establishing so perfect an intelligence
that there may be but one heart and one soul among us He that does not now put his Hand and Heart to support the King Lord C. S. to Si. Job harleton then chosen Speaker to the House of Com. Feb. 5. 1672. p. 23. in the Common cause of this Kingdom can hardly ever hope for such another Opportunity or find a time to make satisfaction for the Omission of this Let us tryby our means to raise up the hearts and hopes of all those whom ill men have wrought upon to such a degree as to cast them into a sadness end into a despondency which is most unreasonable Lord Ch. Sp. Ap. 13. 75. p. 22. What the Romans Scorned to do after the Battle of Cannae what the Venetians never did when they had lost all their Terra firma that men are now taught to think a vertue and the sign of a Wise and Good man desperare de Republica And let us try what we can to confirm the faith of those that p. 23. are made weak and give to the King the present of all our hearts and the full assurance of all our Lives and Fortunes to preserve him in his just Prerogatives that he may with the Greater confidence and chearfulness still secure and further promote the true protestant Religion and all due Liberties and Properties to these Kingdoms Then will the King esteem himself a Richer Prince then if he were possest of all the treasures of the East And if any man should question or suspect His Majesties affection towards the Protestant Religion and his firm resolution still to maintain it together with all our Civil Rights let him be pleased to hear him give his own Royal word for 't and as Solomon saith where the word of a King is there is Power And first to begin with Religion CHAP. I. Of the Protestant Religion FOR as his Majesty very wisely hath observed to us in his Declaration to all his Loving Subjects of his Kingdom 1. Of Religion of England and Dominion of Wales concerning Ecclesiastical Affairs in the very year of His Happy Restauration 25th day of Oct. 1660. pag. 3. There is so close a Connexion between the Peace of the Church and the Peace of the State That the One cannot be disturbed without the Other These are his words how much sayth he the Peace of the State is concern'd in the Peace of the Church and how difficult a thing it is to preserve Order and Government in Civil whilst there is no Order or Government in Ecclesiastical Affairs is evident to the world and this little Part of the World our own Dominions hath had so late experience of it that we may very well acquiesce in the conclusion without enlarging our self in discourse upon it it being a Subject we have had frequent occasion to contemplate upon and to lament abroad as well as at home TRUE Religion has an enlightning Influence 2. What Religion is over the minds of men It works upon Lord Keep Speech April 13. 1675. pag. 11. the Conscience is an inward Principle of the divine Life by which good men do govern all their actions And if rightly followed and obeyed how great 3. How sweet and peaceable where it is right would the harmony of affection be amongst us The Impressions which the Law of Religion makes in the hearts of good men are all healing and Sanatory There is no divide Impera within her Districts no furious Heats and hostile Clashings to be heard where she has uncontrolled Power and Sovereignty That unruly and unmanly Passion which no question the Divine Nature exceedingly abhors sometimes and I fear too frequently Transports those who are in the right as well as those who are in the wrong and leaves Lord Chan. Speech Thursday Sept. 13. 1660. p. 20. 21 22. the latter more excusable than the former when men who find their manners and dispositions very conformable in all the necessary obligations of humane Nature avoid one anothers conversation and grow first unsociable and then uncharitable to each other because one cannot think as the other doth And from this Separation we Entitle God to the Patronage of and concernment in our Fancies and Distinction and purely for his sake hate 4. An Eminent Instance of Christian Love and Charity one another heartily It was not so of Old when one of the most Ancient Fathers of the Church tells us that Love and Charity was so signal and eminent in the Primitive Christians that it even drew admiration and envy from their Adversaries Vide inquiunt ut invicem se diligunt Their Adversaries in that in which they most agreed in their very prosecution of them had their Passions and Animosities amongst themselves They were only Christians that loved and cherished and comforted and were ready to dye for one another Quid nunc illi dicerent Christiani si nostra viderunt tempora Says the Incomparable GROTIUS how would they look upon our sharp and virulent Contentions in the Debates of Christian Religion and the bloudy Wars that had proceeded from those Contentions whilst every one pretended to all the Marks which are to attend upon the True Church except only that which is inseparable from it Charity to one another How did These in the Late Distracted Times who would 5. How different Christians are from the temper and spirit of Christ needs be call'd Christians differ from Christ the True and Only Head of the Church How calm and quiet how sedate and peaceable was he throughout the whole Conduct of his Life though he walked in the midst of a stubborn and perverse Generation that despised his Doctrine reproached him for his Miracles in saying That he cast out Devils through Beelzebub the Prince of the Devils he came to his own and his own received him not yet he was sweet and affable in all his Conversation 6. Christ was meek and Curteous gentle and affable to all continually doing good to those who were his Enemies and the worst of them too Though he was reviled yet he reviled not again and though he was oppressed and afflicted yet he opened not his mouth when he was wounded for our Transgressions and bruised for our Iniquities and the Chastisement of our Peace was upon him and by his Stripes we are healed yet he went as a Lamb to the slaughter and as a Sheep before the shearers he was dumb and opened not his mouth but just before his expiration upon the Cross he mercifully poured out this prayer for those his Enemies that could not forbear breaking forth into this curse of his Blood be upon us and our Children that God would freely pardon them in this their sin Father says he forgive them they know not what they do But how did these make it their business to rend 7. We are sowre and morose fierce and bitter one against another and divide the Church by tying it up
such reproach upon the Protestant Religion in general from the Enemies thereof as if upon obscure notions of faith and fancy it did admit the practice of Christian duties and obedience to be discountenanced and suspended and introduce a Licence in opinions and manners to the prejudice of the Christian Faith And let us all 59. And to strive to advance the Protestant Religion abroad by supporting the Dignity of the be Reformed Church at home endeavour and emulate each other in those endeavours to countenance and advance the Protestant Religion abroad which will be best done by supporting the dignity and Reverence due to the best reformed Protestant Church at home and which being once freed from the Calumnies and reproaches it hath undergone from these late ill times will be the best shelter for those abroad which will by that countenance both be the better protected against their Enemies and be the more easily induced to compose the differences among themselves which give their Enemies more advantage against them 60. No wonder why the â—ing was â—o zealous to Establish the True Protestant Religion before Indulâ—ent Dissenters from it NOW it must not be wondered at that being so zealous as we are saith our Royal Master again to us and by the grace of God shall ever be for the maintenace of the True Protestant His Majesties Declaration to all his loving Subjects Decemb 26. 1662. pag. 7. Religion finding it so shaken not to say overthrown as we did we should give its Establishment the Precedency before Matters of Indulgence to Dissenters from it For it is the great Wall and Bulwark of all the Reformed Churches abroad by this they stand are sheltered and defended and therefore as it were still the better to explain his meaning to us he repeats with enlargement saying We have been zealous to settle the Vniformity of the Church of England in Discipline Ceremony and Government pag. 8. and shall ever constantly maintain it AND whereas according to a former Declaration of the 61. The King Declares Liberty to Tender Consciences King from Breda 14 April 1660. in these words viz. We do declare a Liberty to tender Consciences and that no man shall be disquieted or called in question pag. 3. for differences of Opinion in Matters of Religion which do not disturb the Peace of the Kingdom and that we shall be ready to consent to such an Act of Parliament as upon mature deliberation shall be offered to us for the full granting that Indulgence SO saith he as for what concerns the Penalties upon those who living peaceably do not conform thereunto i. e. to the Act of Vniformity through scruple and tenderness of misguided conscience but modestly and without scandal perform their Devotions in their own way We shall make it our special care so far forth as in us lies without invading the freedom of Parliament to incline their 62. And Promises to try to incline the Parliament to consent to an Act of Indulgence for that purpose wisdom at this next approaching Sessions to concur with us in the His Majesties Declaration to all his loving Subjects Decemb. 26. 1662. Published by advice of his Privy Council pag. 7. 8. making some such Act for that purpose as may enable us to exercize with a more universal satisfaction for it seems the King did before now remember this Part of his Declaration and was sollicitous for one but he says just before that That Parliament to which those promises were made in relation to an Act never thought fit to offer us any to that purpose I say to exercize with a more universal satisfaction that power of dispencing which we conceive to be inherent in us Nor can we doubt of their chearful cooperating with us in a thing wherein we do conceive our selves so far engaged both in Honour and in what we owe to the Peace of our Dominions which we profess we can never think secure whilst there shall be a colour left to the malicious and disaffected to inflame the minds of so many Multitudes upon the Score of Conscience with despair of ever obtaining any effect of our promises for their ease 63. But the Parliament by no means did think it fit that such persons should have an Iudulgence who would dissent from the Act of Uniformity BUT the Parliament though they did with great joy receive his Majesties Most Gracious Speech wherein they were invited to consider this his above said Declaration did thus humbly give their advice hereupon That it was in no sort advisable that there be any Indulgence to such Persons who presume to Dissent from the Act of Uniformity and the Religion Established for these reasons 64. For several reasons here shewn BECAUSE it is not a Promise in it self but only a Gracious Declaration of your Majesties Intentions to do what in you lay and what a Parliament should advise your Majesty to do and no such advice was ever given or thought fit to be offered nor could it be otherwise understood because there were Laws of Uniformity then in Being which could not be dispensed with but by Act of Parliament THEY who do pretend aright to that supposed Promise put the right into the hands of their Representatives whom they chuse to serve for them in this Parliament who have passed and your Majesty consented unto the Act of Uniformity If any shall presume to say that a Right to the benefit of this Declaration doth still remain after this Act passed IT tends to Dissolve the very Bonds of Government and to suppose a disability in your Majesty and the Houses of Parliament to make a Law contrary to any part of your Majesties Declaration though both Houses should advise your Majesty to it WE have also considered the nature of the Indulgence proposed with reference to those consequences which must necessarily attend it IT will Establish Schism by a Law and make the whole Government of the Church precarious and the censures of it of no moment or consideration at all IT will no way become the Gravity or Wisdom of a Parliament to pass a Law at one Session for Uniformity and at the next Session the reasons of Uniformity continuing still the same to pass another Law to frustrate or weaken the execution of it IT will expose your Majesty to the restless Importunity of every Sect or Opinion and of every single person also who shall presume to Dissent from the Church of England IT will be a Cause of increasing Sects and Sectaries whose Numbers will weaken the True Protestant Profession so far that it will at least be difficult for it to defend it self against them and which is yet further considerable those Numbers vvhich by being troublesom to the Government find they can arrive to an Indulgence vvill as their Numbers encrease be yet more troublesom that so at length they may arrive to a general Tolleration vvhich your Majesty hath declared against
and in time some prevalent Sect vvill at last contend for an Establishment vvhich for ought can be foreseen may end in Popery IT is a thing altogether vvithout Precedent and vvill take avvay all means of Convicting Recusants and be inconsistent vvith the Method and Proceedings of the Lavvs of England LASTLY it is humbly conceived that the Indulgence proposed vvill be so far from tending to the Peace of the Kingdom that it is rather likely to occasion great disturbance And on the contrary the asserting of the Lavvs and the Religion Established according to the Act of Uniformity is the most probable means to produce a Setled Peace and Obedience throughout your Kingdom because the variety of Professions in Religion vvhen openly indulged doth directly distinguish Men into Parties and vvithall gives them opportunity to count their Numbers vvhich considering the Animosities that out of a Religious Pride vvill be kept on foot by the several Factions doth tend directly and inevitably to open disturbance nor can your Majesty have any security that the Doctrine or Worship of the several Factions vvhich are all governed by a several Rule shall be consistent vvith the Peace of your Kingdom These Reasons vvere too povverful for his Majesty not to be 65. These Reasons o're-powred the King so that He yielded to them and He hoped that the Truly Religious and Peaceable would soon do so too overcome by them and therefore he yielded to their force and prevalency and doubted not but in a little vvhile The Truly Religious and the Peaceable vvould likevvise be brought over to a submissive Acquiescence and a dutiful compliance with them and that their minds would be better composed and the Peace of the Church Established And though he was verily perswaded That the great Piety and Devotion the Moderation Wisdom Charity and Hospitality of the Bishops would in a short time recover the Weak and the Misled to 66. And that by the Bishops Care and Example the Weak would be brought over to their Primitive Temper of Obedience to Laws and Government their Primitive Temper of a chearful Obedience and Submission to Laws and Government and so to be the best Neighbours and the best Friends and the best Subjects of the World yet was he not also insensible that the forwardness and pride of some might not be yet enough subdued The Humours and Spirits of such Men being too rough and boisterous and therefore was willing that there should be prepared sharper Laws and Penalties to contend with those Refractory Persons and to break that stuborness which would not bend to gentler 67. That those who would not must feel the weight of sharper Laws Applications and it is great reason that they upon whom Clemency cannot prevail should feel that severity they have provoked but still the Execution of those sharp Laws depends upon the Wisdome of the King who is the most discerning 68. But yet the Execution of those Laws depended on the King who was merciful and of a tender conscience himself generous and merciful Prince in the world and of so excellent a Nature and so tender a Conscience himself that he hath the highest compassion for all Errours of that kind as before is said But his constant zeal for the Church hath been visible throughout the whole course of his Reign scarce can he admit a Speech to come from him unless it hath in it some 69. His constant zeal the Church went above all things earnest request that his Parliament would take care of the Protestant Religion That they would see to secure the Church of England and to keep that up in all its just and Antient Rights THIS Zeal of his for the Church after the Dreadful Conflagration of his great City of London made the King so earnest with them soon after to get up some of their Churches Reedified that so the Service of God in the publick Worship might be performed and that we might there mourn for those our grievous sins which was the cause of Gods so heavy a judgment upon us These are his words We do heartily recommend it to the Charity and Magnanimity of all well-disposed Persons 70. How instant the King was to have Churches Rebuilt after the Fire of London that some might have publick places to worship and serve God in and we heartily pray unto Almighty God that he would infuse into the hearts of Men speedily to endeavour by degrees to Reedifie some of those many Churches which in this Lamentable Fire have been burnt down and defaced that so men may have those publick places of God's Worship to resort to to humble themselves together before him upon this his heavy dipsleasure and joyn in their Devotion for his future mercy blessing upon us as soon as we shall be informed 71. The King invites his People to it by the promise not only of his assistance and direction but of his Bounty too any readiness to begin such a good work we shall not only give our assistance and direction for the Model of it and freeing it from Buildings at so near a distance but shall encourage it by our own Bounty and all other ways we shall be desired Is not this sufficiently expressive of his zeal for upholding the True Religion What after this astonishing Judgment of Fire upon the Metropolitan City of this Kingdom was the King's first care ought to have been that of us all to endeavour to have God worshipped in his Sanctuary for this makes up the Beauty of Holyness and declares our great desires for what we all do at least outwardly profess to believe the Communion of Saints NOR did his Majesty rest here his zeal for the Church was his zeal for the service of it and he was resolved that nothing justly belonging to it should be lost Says He Our Care and Endeavours for the Preservation 72. His Majesty hath all along shewâ—d his care to preserve the Rights and Interests of the Church of the Rights and Interests His Majesties Declaration to all his Loving Subjects March 15. 1671. pag. 3. 4. of the Church have been sufficiently manifested to the World by the whole course of our Government since our happy Restauration and by the many and frequent ways of Coercion that we have used for reducing all erring or dissenting persons and for composing the unhappy differences in matters of Religion which we found among our Subjects upon our Return but it being evident by the sad experience of twelve years that there is very little 73. By the way the Supream Power in Ecclesiastical Matters is not only inherent in the King but is Recognised so by divers Acts of Parliament Fruit of all those forcible Courses We think our Self obliged to make use of that Supreme Power in Ecclesiastical Matters which is not only inherent in us but hath been declared and recognized to be so by several Statutes and Acts of Parliaments and
about eight months after you shall see the King keeps close to the same Text as being that which he can never find in his heart to forget and therefore he may very well begin thus I Ihope need not use many words to perswade you that I am steady in maintaining all the professions and promises I have 126. The King steady to all his professions and promises made you concerning Religion King's Speech to both Houses Monday Octob. 27. 73. pag. 4. and I shall be very ready to give you fresh instances of my zeal for 127. Is ready to give fresh inuances of it preserving the Established Religion and Laws as often as any occasion shall require BY this you cannot but take notice that as to Religion 128. His Majesties heart with those of his people His Majesties heart is with the hearts of his people perfectly with their hearts Lord Chancellors Speech to the same pag. 9. 129. If therefore any thing be wanting to secure Religion all reasonable proposals shall be kindly received AND therefore about three months after that says the King again to his Parliament If there be any thing else which you think King's Speech January 7. 73. pag. 4. wanting to secure Religion there is nothing which you shall reasonably propose but I shall be ready to receive it One would wonder with ones self what can be expected more from a Prince to be said than such a hearty and generous Declaration as this It is delivered with so obliging and so satisfactory an Accent that he whose affections are not raised by that discourse he who cannot acquiesce in the fulness of this Lord Keepers Speech to the same pag. 7 130. He who cannot acquiesce in this assurance will never be prevailed upon by any other expedient assurance he whose heart is not Established by it in such a belief as may entirely dispose him to the service of the Crown will hardly be recovered to a better disposition by any other expedient IS not this an ample demonstration of his willingness to repair the Hedge about our Vineyard and to make it a Fence indeed against all those who are Enemies to the planing of it Who would be glad to see it trodden Id pag. 8. down or rooted up and study how to sapp and undermine our very Foundations THE King calls his Parliament to examine and concur with 131. The King calls his Parliament to examine and to concur with him in the best ways to preserve the Protestant Religion him in the best expedients for the Preservation of the Protestant Religion The Lord Keeper's Speech to both Houses April 13. 1675. pag. 8. and for securing the Establishment of it by a due execution of the Laws HE gives them leave to study and contrive their own assurance and if they think they want any further security if any 132. And will be perswaded by them in all reasonable things thing hath escaped his Majesties care who meditates nothing more than The Lord Keeper's Speech to both Houses January 7. 73. pag. 10. our preservation you see they have free leave to make any reasonable proposition 133. This surely should satisfie all our wiâ—â—es and his gracious promise that he will receive it THIS one would think were a satisfaction equal to all our wishes and that there wanted no more to the improvement of this happiness but the wisdom of the Id ibid. Parliament to use these advantages with a due moderation AND still his Majesty seems to be dissatisfied with himself and that he has not yet done enough for the interest of Religion no he must be further solicitous and importunate his chief design of Assembling his Parliament is again to refresh their memories with it and as he thinks it can never be too much in his thoughts so likewise it can never be too often repeated 134. The Kings chief end in calling the Parliament to think what yet may be wanting to secure Religion by him THE principal end saith he of my calling you now is to know what you His Majesties Speech April 13. 1675. pag. 3 4. think may be yet wanting to the security of Religion and to give my self the satisfaction of having used the utmost of my endeavours 135. And will leave nothing undone to shew his Zeal for it to procure and settle a right and lasting understanding between us I will leave nothing undone that may shew the world my zeal to the Protestant Religion as it is established in the Church of England from which I will never depart AND may he not then very justly begin his next Speech to his Parliament after this manner and say I think I have given sufficient evidence to the World that I have not 136. The King not wanting in his endeavours to establish our Religion and our property been wanting on my part in my endeavours to procure the full satisfaction of Kings Speech June 9. 1675. pag. 3. all my Subjects in the matters of both Religion and property I have not only invited you to those considerations at our first meeting but I have been careful through this whole Session that no concern of my own should divert you from it WELL the next Speech of his Majesty to them is still to provide what they shall think fitting to make us all safe in our Religion And particularly saith he 137. 'T is his particular recommendation to his Parliament to secure the Protestant Religion I recommend to you whatever may Wednes Octo. 13. 1675. The Kings Speech p. 4. tend to the security of the Protestant Religion as it is now established in the Church of England TO that you cannot but plainly take notice that his Majesty hath so often recommended to his Parliament the Considerations of Religion so very often desired them to assist him in his care and protection of it Lord Keepers Speech to the same p. 6. that the defender of the Faith is become 138. The Defender of the faith is the Advocate for it the Advocate for it too and hath left all those without excuse who still remain under any kind of doubts or fear AGAIN does that noble and eloquent Lord thus say speaking to both Houses of Parliament in pag. 8. and 9. WOULD you raise the due estimation and reverence of the Church of England to its just height Would you provide for the safety and establishment of it ALL your Petitions of this kind will be grateful to the King and you may with ease effect this and much more which your great wisdomes will suggest to you WHEN the King met his Parliament after as he himself is there pleas'd to call it a long Prorogation he still keeps up the same language to them as you have heard him speak all along 139. The King stil putting Parliament in mind to make his people happy I am now resolved saith he to
distracted with Jealousies incurable gratifie the Papists in the revenge they wish for this Discovery if they could see us distracted with Jealousies incurable and distrusting the Government to such a degree as should weaken all that Reverence by which it stands for then the Plot would not be altogether without effect but those whom they could not destroy by their Conspiracie they should have the satisfaction to see ruining themselves after the Discoverie So 85. This would make them see us ruining our selves that though we had escap'd that Desolation which they intended to have brought upon us nothing could save us from that Destruction which we should bring upon our selves Id. p. 13. BUT their expectations of this are as vain as their other 86. But these their expectations are vain designes were wicked for his Majestie hath already begun to let them see with what severity he intends to proceed against 87. For his Majesty hath let them see with what severity he will proceed against them them he hath passed a Law to disable all the Nobilitie and Gentrie of that Faction ever to sit in Parliament and not content with that he did offer to the last Parliament and doth again renew the same Offer to this Parliament to pass any further Laws against Poperie which shall be desired so 88. And that he will pass any further Laws against Popery so as they do not intrench on Prerogative alter the Descent of the Crown in the right Line nor defeat the Succession as the same extend not to the diminution of his own Prerogative nor to alter the descent of the Crown in the right Line nor to defeat the Succession He hath refused the Petition of the Lords who during the interval of Parliament desired to be brought to their Tryal and after so long an imprisonment might reasonably enough have expected it But his Majestie thought it fitter to reserve them to a more publick and conspicuous Tryal in Parliament Ibid. BUT that which the King hath been pleased to mention to you this morning surpasses all the rest and is sufficient of it self alone to discharge all those Fears of Popish Influences 89. He hath parted with his Brother the D. of Y. which many good men had too far entertained For now You see his Majestie of his own accord hath done that which would have been very difficult for You to ask and hath deprived himself of the Conversation of his Royal Brother by commanding him to depart the Kingdom to which Command his Royal Highness hath paid a most humble and a most entire 90. And he that could do this sure now hath no Favourite but his People submission and obedience This Separation was attended with a more than ordinary Sorrow on both sides But he that for your sakes could part with such a Brother and such a Friend you may be sure hath now no Favourite but his People Since therefore his Majestie hath shewn so much readiness to concur with and in a manner to prevent the desires of his Parliament 't is a miserable Refuge our Enemies trust to when they hope to see our Zeal out-run our Discretion and that we our selves should become the unhappy Occasion of making our own Councels abortive AND now that I may come to the highest step of all and 91. Now 't is not enough that our Religion be safe during onely his Reign but he will so well secure it to us that no after-Succession shall be able in the least to alter it shew you what his Majesty once more had commanded his Chancellor to declare unto his Parliament saith he His Majesty hath considered with himself that 't is not enough that your Religion and Liberty is secure during his own Reign but he thinks he owes it to his People to do all that in him lies that these blessings may be transmitted to your Posterity and so well secured to them that no Succession in after-Ages may be able to work the least Alteration And therefore his Majesty who hath often said in L. Chanc. Speech to both Houses 30 Apr. 79. p. 5 6 7. 92. And therefore that no Papist may make any change either in Church or State 1. a Popish from a Protestant Successor is to be distinguished and then to circumscribe his Authority thus Parliament That he is ready to consent to any Laws of this kind so as the same extend not to alter the descent of the Crown in the right Line nor to defeat the Succession hath now commanded this to be further explained AND to the end it may never be in the power of any Papist if the Crown descend upon him to make any Change either in Church or State his Majesty is willing that provision may be made first to distinguish a Popish from a Protestant Successor then so to limit and to circumscribe the Authority of a Popish Successor in these cases following that he may be 93. No Popish Successor to present to Ecclesiastical Benefices disabled to do any harm First IN reference to the Church his Majesty is content that care be taken that all Ecclesiastical and Spiritual Benefices 94. As already no Papist can sit in Parliament so there shall never want a Parl. when the K. shall happen to die but that then in being shall continue indissoluble for a competent time or if there be no Parl. then the last Parl. to reassemble c. and Promotions in the Gift of the Crown may be conferred in such a manner that we may be sure the Incumbents shall always be of the most pious and learned Protestants and that no Popish Successor while he continues so may have any power to controul such Presentments IN reference to the State and civil part of the Government as it is already provided that no Papist can sit in either House of Parliament so the King is pleased that it be provided too that there may never want a Parliament when the King shall happen to die but that the Parliament then in being may continue Indissoluble for a competent time or if there be no Parliament in being then the last Parliament which was in being before that time may re-assemble and sit a competent time 95. During such a Popish Successor's Reign no Privy Counsellors nor Judges shall be put in or displaced without any new Summons or Elections AND as no Papist can by Law hold any place of Trust so the King is content that it may be further provided that no Lords or others of the Privy Council no Judges of the Common Law or in Chancery shall at any time during the Reign of any Popish Successor be put in or displaced but by Authority of Parliament And that care also be taken that none but sincere Protestants may be Justices of Peace IN reference to the Military part the King is willing that 96. No Lord-Lieutenant or Deputy-Lieutenant nor Officer in the Navy to
just to such a Party â—nd such a Perswasion as if only Loe here was Christ where they were pleased to have him and not there whereas alass it is not different Forms as to Circumstantials that denominate us Christians but it is the holding of the Truth in the substance of it And is it not too much so now in our dayes what Parties what Factions what Interests and separations are among us and in matters meerly circumstantial how hasty are we in stamping a Jus Divinum on such things as are doubtful dark and disputable among men that perchance are equally wise and pious judicious and learned on both sides We ought to put no more weight nor a greater necessity on those things than the Divine Wisdom hath clearly put upon them in his word nor to Spend more of our Zeal about such things than is proportionable to its weight and measure We should allow for the imperfection of men and the imperfect state of the Church for here we know but in part and therefore we should bear with one another if in any thing we be otherwise minded one to another But we are instead of this pecking one at another How positive are we of our own ways as if we were all infallible stretching our Authority far beyond our just Rule and Line when we have catched up a new Notion strait we lay it upon Conscience as that which must be maintained although to the great prejudice of the whole Interest of Religion and so rend the Church and run away from all those that agree not with us in all things Oh! what peeques and grudgings what heart-burnings and contentions are there between parties that differ What defamatory Speeches what scandalous Reflections and how unbecoming are their heats of language one against another so much that we are in a very fair way of running into the same if not more violent and worse distractions than we were in in the late sad and dismal times if God of his infinite wisdom and mercy heal not these our breaches and compose our differences Quis Talia fando Temperet a Lachrymis THIS disquisition hath cost the King many a sigh many a 8. This division among us hath cost the King many a sigh sad hour when he hath considered as was said before the almost irreparable reproach the Protestant Religion hath undergone from the divisions and distractions which have been so notorious within this Lord Chan. Speech Thursday Sept. 13. 1660. pag. 22. Kingdom What pains he hath taken to compose them after several discourses with learned and pious men of different perswasions you shall see by and by as also his great Indulgence to those who can have any protection from Conscience to differ from their Brethren And he is a most discerning generous and merciful Prince who hath had more experience of the Nature and humour of mankind than any Prince living can best distinguish between the tenderness of Conscience and pride of Conscience between the real effects of Conscience and the wicked pretences to Conscience who having fought with Beasts at Ephesus knows how to guard himself and Lord Chan. Speech Monday May 19. 62. pag. 17. the Kingdome from the assaults and violence of a strong malicious corrupted Understanding and Will and how to secure himself and the Kingdome from the feeble traps and nets of deluded fancies and imaginations In a word He is a Prince of so excellent a Nature 9. Who is a most discerning Prince and of a tender Conscience himself and hath the highest compassion for all Errours of that kind and so tender a Conscience himself that he hath the highest compassion for all Errours of that kind and will never suffer the weak to undergo the punishment ordained for the wicked and knows and understands better than any man that excellent Rule of Quintilian Est aliquid quod non oportet etiam si licet aliud est jura spectare aliud justitiam Therefore let us hold Communion in such things wherein we are agreed and Love and Charity wherein we differ HIS Majesty hath considered Religion first in General as 10. Religion considered 1st generally as opposite to Popery 2 d. as established by Law in the Church of England it is PROTESTANT and stands in Opposition to Popery and Secondly more particularly as it is the Protestant Religion Established by Law Lord Keep Speech Apr. 13. 1675. pag. 9. 10 11. in the Church of England he sees that as such it is not only best suited to the Monarchy and most likely to defend it but most able to defend it self against the Enemies of all Reformation Upon the former account 11. Therefore the Laws against both Papists and Dissenters are now awakened he hath awakened all the Laws against the Papists there is not one Statute extant in all the volume of our Laws but his Majesty hath now put it in a way of taking its full course against them Upon the latter account his Majesty with equal and impartial Justice hath revived all the 12. Not with equal severity against the latter Laws against dissenters and Non-conformists but not with equal severity for the Laws against the Papists are edged and the execution of them quickned by new rewards proposed 13. These and all other Laws subject to the pleasure of a Parliament to the Informers those against Dissenters are left to that strength which they have already Both these and all other Laws whatsoever are always understood to be subject to the pleasure of a Parliament which may alter amend or explain them as they see cause and according unto publick convenience FOR when we consider Religion in Parliament we are supposed 14. Religion how to be consider'd in Parliament to consider it as a Parliament should do and as Parliaments in all Ages have done that is as it is a part of our Laws a part and a necessary part of our Government Of this more hereafter Let us now hear what this our most Excellent Majesty hath declared and said to us concerning it WHEN he was at his Court at Breda a little before his 15. How the King declares for the establishment of the Protestant Religion happy coming over to us and sent his Letter to the Speaker of the then House of Commons Assembled in Parliament he thus Writes to him what he should read to the House If you desire saith he the advancement April 14. 1660. pag. 5. 6. and propagation of the Protestant 16. Nothing could stratle the King or make him in the least degree swerve from the true Protestant Religion Religion we have by our constant profession and practise of it given sufficient testimony to the World that neither the unkindness of those of the same faith towards us nor the civilities and obligations from those of a contrary profession of both which we have had abundant evidence could in the least degree startle us or make us
Majesties Laws shall afterwards Assemble They must â—o brought to condign punishment and of his Indulgence also seditiously assemble themselves under pretence of Religious Worship his Majesty doth require his Parliament and all in Authority under him vigorously to suppress such Meetings and to bring the pretended Preachers and Ring-leaders of such unlawful Assemblies to condign and exemplary punishment AGAIN his Majesties Commissioners Speech to the Parliament of Scotland that were met at Edinburgh 102. The King is unalterable in his zeal to maintain the True Reformed Protestant Religion and Government by Arch-Bishops and Bishops mentioning Religion has these words I July 28. 70. p. 5 6 7. need not repeat the assurances of his Majestie 's constant and unalterable zeal for maintaining and defending the true Reformed Protestant Religion in this his Kingdom and that with no less zeal and constancy he will maintain the Antient Government by Arch-Bishops and Bishops now Happily Restored and Established here for in 203. And will not endure those numerous Conventicles that tend to Sedition and Schism all the exercises of his Royal Authority he doth daily give full and undeniable testimonies thereof AT the opening of the first Session of this Parliament I told you in his Majesties Name that he would not endure those numerous and unlawful Conventicles that tend to Sedition 104. But will have them supprest and the most guilty brought to punishment and Schism which had been too frequent in some Shires of this Kingdom and the King did then require you and all in Authority under him vigorously to suppress such Meetings and to bring the most guilty to condign punishment In prosecution of which the Lords of the Privy Council 105. Field Conventicles look more like rendezvouzes for Rebellion than any thing for Religion have done their duty carefully though not with that success which they desired for his Majesty hath been informed that this Summer divers Seditious and numerous Conventicles have been kept even in the open fields which look liker endeavours to rendezvous for Rebellion than any pretence 106. Because it was in contempt of the Kings Authority and of the Parliament which they knew so soon would Assemble of Religious Worship and that in high contempt of his Majesties Authority and of this Parliament which they well-knew was so soon to Assemble Yea such hath been the Insolent Barbarity of that incorrigible sort of Non-Conformists that in some places the Houses of Orthodox and Peaceable Ministers have been Robb'd their persons and Families wounded and they threatned to be murther'd 107. And some of those Non-conformists robb'd the Conformable Ministers houses wounded the Parsons and threatned to kill them if they stai'd in their Churches if they stay at their Churches THEREFORE His Majesty doth most seriously recommend 108. Therefore good reason why the King recommends them to make good Laws and vigorously to prosecute them it to your special care by good Laws and vigorous prosecution of them to curb punish and prevent those Seditious Conventicles to cure the withdrawing of Protestants from their Paroch Churches and the Ordinances there which is the occasion of those Conventicles and cannot 109. For this cannot be conscience but deâ—â—gn to perpetuate Faction and Schism be pretended for conscience but must be esteemed only out of design to perpetuate Faction and Schism seeing the Form of Worship here is the same which hath been since the Reformation as also to punish Exemplarly those Barbarous Robberies and Assassinates committed against honest and peaceable Ministers and generally to provide what you shall think necessary for continuing the peace of the Kingdom The Work will be easie and I doubt not your care in it The Kingdom generally is Loyal Peaceable and Dutiful it is but 110. The Kingdom generally is Loyal Peaceable and Dutiful a small part of it which is tainted with such principles and practices pag. 7. AND again further in the year 1672. His Majestie 's High Commissioner for his Kingdom of Scotland at the opening of that Session of Parliament continues the same Language to them and assures them his Majestie 's Resolution is not in the least altered saith he I am particularly commanded to renew again to you His Grace the Duke of Lauderdail 's Speech June 12. 1672. to the Parliament of Scotland pag. 12. 111. The Kings Resolution continues the same still for the Government of the Church by Archbishops and Bishops and for suppressing of Conventicles preventing the growth of Schism and securing the peace of the Church the assurances of his Majesties most constant continuance in his unalterable resolutions to maintain the True Reformed Protestant Religion and the Government of this Church by Arch-Bishops and Bishops whatever Seditious and Disaffected Persons may suggest to the contrary and I am fully impowred to all such further Acts as you shall judg convenient for the quieting the minds of peaceable people and for curbing and punishing Seditious Conventicles for preventing the increase of Schism and by all good means securing the Peace of the Church BY this you may see that his Majesty was not only resolved to settle Episcopacy in this his Kingdom but his pious intentions were all along visible firmly to Establish it throughout all his Dominions BUT to return to our selves here of England when the House of Commons Presented the Bill to his Majesty to Repeal that Law which was made in 17 Car. whereby the Bishops were Excluded the House how great was the King's joy and thankfulness to them at the Receipt of it You shall hear both their Speeches of this Matter AND first to begin with the Speaker's when he Presented the Bill saith he Your Majestie 's Royal Grandfather was often wont Sir Edward Turner 's Speech delivered on Tuesday July 30. 1661. at their Adjournment pag. 4 5. to say no Bishop no King we found 112. No Bishop no King found true in the late times of confusion his words true for after they were put out the Feaver still encreasing in another Fit The Temporal Lords followed and then the King himself nor did the humour rest there but in the Round The House of Commons was first Garbled and then turn'd out of their doors IT is no wonder when a Sword is put into a mad Man's hand to see him cut off Limb by Limb and then to kill himself WHEN there is a great Breach of the Sea upon the low Grounds by the violence of the Torrent the Rivers of sweet Waters are often turn'd aside and the Salt Waters make themselves a Channel but when the Breach is made up good Husbands drain their Lands again and restore the Antient Sewers THANKS be to God the Floud is gone off the Face of this Island our Turtle Dove hath found good footing Your Majesty is Happily Restored to the Government The Temporal Lords and Commons are restored to sit in Parliament and shall the Church alone
now suffer Sit Ecclesia Anglicana libera habeat libertates suas illaesas Magna Charta IN order to this great work the Commons have prepared 113 A Bill brought by the Commons to Repeal the Act fâ—â— exclusion of the Bishops from sitting in the House a Bill to repeal that Law was made in 17. Car whereby the Bishops were excluded this House These Noble Lords have all agreed and now we beg your Majesty will give it life speak but the word Great Sir and your Servants yet shall live TO which his Majesty presently was pleased to return this 114. The great thanks the King gives them for the Repeal of that Act as being an unhappy Act in an unhappy time most gracious Answer I thank you with all my heart indeed as much as I can The King's Speech to both Houses July 30. 1661. pag. 4 5. do for any thing for the Repeal of that Act which excluded the Bishops from sitting in Parliament it was an unhappy Act in an unhappy time passed with many unhappy circumstances and attended with miserable events and therefore I 115. It has restored Parliaments to their Primitive Institutions do again thank you for repealing it You have thereby restored Parliaments to their Primitive Institutions AND his Majesty was so greatly pleased with this Act of Repeal that he found it as it were impossible for him to forbear coming to his House of Lords even the very first day of their meeting after the Adjournment and what was it for you shall immediately know from his own words I know the Visit saith he I make you this day is not ne necessary is not of course yet if there were no more in 16. How the King visits them the first day of their next Meeting to give them thanks again and how he rejoyces to see the Lords Spiritual and Temporal House of Commons met together c. it it would not be strange that I come to see what You and I have so long desired to see The Lords Spiritual and Temporal and the Commons of England met together to consult for the peace and safety of Church and State by which Parliaments The King's Speech to both Houses on Wednesday Novemb. 20. 1661. pag. 1. are restored to their Primitive Lustre and Integrity I do heartily congratulate with you for this day THIS surely was a signal evidence of his true love to the Church his hearty joy to behold the great Supporters and Pillars of it restored to their rightful Seats in Parliament And this both the King and the Parliament knew was one ready way to restore to them their due honour and reverence from the People If the Authority of the Church should not carefully be upheld how quickly should we come to have no Church at all and into what sad Calamities should we lapse by such an abandonment which in some sense but little differs from a Persecution LET us suppose that possible which the piety and goodness of the Kng hath made next to impossible says the 117. What would become of the Church if her Authority were despiled Lord Keeper in his Speech to both Houses of Parliament but let it be for once supposed Lord Keepers Speech April 13. 1675. pag 12 13. that the Church of England were forsaken her Authority made insignificant her Government precarious suppose her disarmed of all those Laws by which she is guarded denied all Aid from the Civil Magistrate and that none were obliged to obey her commands but those that have a mind to it would not this turn a National Church into nothing else but a Tolerated Sect or Party in the Nation Would it not take away all appearance of Establishment from it would it not drive the Church into the Wilderness again where she should be sure to find her self encompassed with all sorts of Enemies if at least she should find her self at all in the midst of so many Tolerations THEREFORE is it not most fitting that a strict Rule should be observed and that we could have the Law to be that Rule and not to leave every Man to be a Law and Rule unto himself WELL then may the King say to his Parliament what 118. His Majesties assurance that he will preserve the True Reformed Protestant Religion and the Church as now established he has said since in almost every one of his Speeches to them I will conclude with this assurance to you that I will preserve the True His Majesties Speech to both Houses Feb. 5. 16672. pag. 4. Reformed Protestant Religion and the Church as it is now Established in this Kingdom and in the whole course of my indulgence to Dissenters I do not intend that it shall any ways prejudice the Church but I will support its Rights and it in its full power THE Church of England and all good Protestants says 119. The Church and all good Protestants have reason to rejoyce in this their Defendour the Lord Chancellor to this Speech of the King in his own pag. 12 13. have reason to rejoyce in such a Head and such a Defendour His Majesty doth declare his care and concerns for the Church and will maintain them in all their Rights and Priviledges equal if not beyond any of his Predecessours He was born and bred up in it It was that his Father died for 120. Good reasons to induce his Majesty to it We all know how great temptations and offers he resisted abroad when he was in his lowest condition and he thinks it the honour of his Reign that he hath been the Restorer of 121. He hopes to bring it into greater lustre than ever yet it has been the Church 'T is that he will ever maintain and hopes to leave to posterity in greater lustre and upon surer grounds than our Ancestours ever saw it but his Majesty is not convinced That violent ways are the interest of Religion or the Church 122. violent ways not conducing to it AND after his Majestie 's conclusion of his Speech let me 123. Let us then all bless God and the King conclude nay let us all conclude with blessing God and the King Let us bless God that he Idem pag. 14. 15. hath given us such a King to be the Repairer of our Breaches both in Church and State and the Restorer of our paths to dwell in LET us bless the King for taking away all our fears and 124. That God hath given us such a King who makes the Church of England his great care leaving no room for jealousies for those assurances and promises he hath made us Let us bless God and the King that our Religion is safe that the Church of England is the care of our Prince what more hath a good English Man to ask but that this King may long Reign 125. Long therefore should we pray that this King may Reign WHEN He met his Parliament
let the world see that it shall not be my fault if The Kings Speech to both Houses Feb. 15. 1679. pag. 1 and 2. they be not happy by your Consultations in Parliament AND how shall the world see this why saith he in the 140. By securing the Protestant Religion to them very next words For I declare my self very plainly to you that I come prepared to give you all the satisfaction and security in the great concerns of the Protestant Religion as it is established in the Church of England that shall reasonably be asked or can consist with Christian prudence TO be sure his Majesty when he said this was sufficiently sensible of what the Lord Chancellor at the same time had in command to say viz. that The Peace of the Church is harder to preserve than the 141. For the Peace of the Church is harder to be preserved than that of the State peace of the State for they who desire Innovations in the State most commonly Lord Chancellors Speech to the same p. 6. begin the attempt upon the Church AND by this means it comes to pass that the peace of 142. Hence it is so oft disturbed by two sorts of persons by mistaken souls and by malicious designing men the Church is so often disturbed not only by these poor mistaken souls who deserve to be pittied but by malicious and designing men who deserve to be punisht And while things continue in this State it cannot be avoided but that the Laws which are necessary to restrain the malicious must and will sometimes disquiet and wound those that are weak Yet the Phanaticks Sectaries and Nonconformists as the 143. How Phanaticks no friends to the established Government Speaker of the Honourable House of Commons then said as they differ in their shapes and species accordingly are more or less dangerous but in this they all agree they are no friends to the established Sir Edward Turnors Speech Tuesday May 14. 1664. pag. 9. Government either in Church or State And if the old Rule hold true Qui Ecclesiae contradicit non est pacificus we have great reason to prevent 144. Therefore was the Bill against Conventicles their growth and to punish their practice Therefore was the Bill then prepared against their frequenting of Conventicles the Seed-plots and Nurseries of their Opinions under pretence of Religious Worship BUT yet by such Bill no man is hindered the use of his own Judgement in the exercise of Religion by himself or in his own Family or in the presence of 145. But by it none are hindred the use of their own Judgement in their families four strangers but because the peace Sir Edward Turnors Speech to the King Monday April 11. 1670. Vpon the Parliaments adjournment p. 5. of the Nation may be endangered by more populous meetings contrary to the Liturgy and practice of the Church of England therefore from a prudent prospect of such a destructive inconvenience to the weal of the State did the Parliament prepare such a Cautionary prevention AND yet for all this their great care and wisdom 't is somewhat an unpleasant observation to see how slow many inferiour Magistrates are in the 146. How slow the inferiour Officers are in this to discharge their duty discharge of this part of their duty Lord Keepers Speech to both Houses April 13. 75. p. 11 12. which refers to the safety of the Church against the Enemies on both sides of it the Papists and the Dissenters For this is that which opens men's mouths to object against the Laws themselves This is that which encourages offenders to dispute that 147. This encourages Offenders to dispute Authority and to judg the Laws Authority which they should obey and to judge those Laws by which they ought to be judged They have found a way to make even Justice it self criminal by giving it a hard name and calling it persecution IT is no doubt a duty which we owe to God and to our 148. It is the duty of us all to improve the opportunities God gives us to fence our Vineyard selves to the present Age and to posterity to improve the opportunities God gives us of fencing Lord Chan. Speech Thursd May 23. 1668. p. 13 14. our Vineyard and making the hedge about it as strong as we can And therefore goes the Lord Chancellor on saying The King hath commanded me to tell you i. e the Parliament that he is ready to concur with you in any thing of this kind which shall be found wanting and which the Christian Prudence and Justice of a Parliament can propose as expedient LET not any then give themselves up to complain of the danger 149. Let none complain of the dangers of Religion of Religion for fear lest they should and that too justly too be thought to complain only for complaining sake id ibid. FOR what can possibly be said to satisfie any people as to 150. What more can be said to satisfie the people of the security of the Protestant Religion than what the King hath said to his Parliament the security of the Protestant Religion than what the King said to his Parliament When he gave them all his most hearty thanks for the great and extraordinary care they had already taken and still did continue to shew for the safety and preservation of his Royal Person in these times of danger NOR saith he do I think it enough to give you my thanks only but I hold my self obliged to let you see withall that I do as much study your preservation too as I can possibly and that I am as ready to joyn with you in all the ways and means that 151. Our own hearts can't with for more than what he is ready to do for us that way may establish a firm security of the The Kings Speech to both Houses Nov. 9. 78. p. 3 4. Protestant Religion as your own hearts can wish AND this not only during my time of which I am 152. He would secure it to us for ever sure you have no fear but in all future ages even to the end of the world HE proceeds in the next Speech to give them a further demonstration of his Zeal and he saith I meet you here with the most earnest desire that Man can have to unite the minds of all my Subjects both to me and to one another and I resolve it shall be your faults if the success be not suitable to my desires I have done many great things already in order to that end as the Exclusion of the Popish Lords from their Seats in Parliament 153. He has excluded the Popish Lords the House c. And above all I have commanded His Majesties Speech to both Houses on Thursday March 6. p. 3 4. my Brother to absent himself from me because I would not leave 154. Commanded his Brother to absent
hath most piously desired may be prevented and so the Peace 2. Because of the Resort of so many Jesuites and Popish Priests both in Church and State may be insensibly disturbed to the great danger of both WHICH was the reason of both the Houses of Parliaments Humble Suit to the King That he would be pleas'd to Issue out his Proclamation to command all Jesuites and Popish 3. Therefore the Parliament desire the King to issue out his Proclamation for their departure Priests c. to depart this Kingdom by a day under the penalties of the Laws to be inflicted on them but saith his Majesty to them presently in his Speech at the reception of that Petition pag. 5. It may be the general jealousie of the Nation hath 4. His Majesties present answer to them made this Address necessary and indeed I believe nothing hath contributed more to that jealousie than my own confidence that it was impossible there should be any such jealousie and the effects of that confidence but saith he in the next words I shall give you satisfaction and then I am sure you will easily satisfie and compose the minds of the Nation Answer to this Representation and Petition he 5. Afterwards his more deliberate return AND in his April 1. 1663. pag. 7. 8. saith having seriously considered it and having made some reflections upon himself and his own actions he is not a little troubled that his Lenity and Condescensions towards many of the Popish Perswasion which were but natural effects of his generositie and good nature c. have been made so ill use of and so ill deserved that the Resort of Jesuites and Priests into this Kingdom hath been thereby encreased with which his Majesty is and hath long been highly offended and therefore his Majesty readily concurs with the Advice of his Two Houses of Parliament and hath given order for the preparing and issuing 6. That he readily concurs with the advice of his Parliament to grant a Proclamation and that to be more effectual than any of that kind have ever been out such a Proclamation as is desired and his Majesty will take farther care that the same shall be effectual at least to a greater degree than any Proclamation of this kind hath ever been AND his Majesty further declares and assures both his Houses of Parliament and all his Loving Subjects of all his Dominions that as his affection and zeal for 7. For nothing is greater than his zeal for the Protestant Religion and to hinder the Growth of Popery the Protestant Religion and the Church of England hath not been concealed or untaken notice of in the world so he is not nor will ever be so sollicitous for the setling his own Revenue or providing any other expedients for the Peace and Tranquillity of the Kingdom as for the advancement and improvement of the Religion Established and for the using and applying all proper and effectual 8. That being the best way to Establish the Peace c. of all his Kingdoms remedies to hinder the Growth of Popery both which he doth in truth look upon as the best expedient to Establish the Peace and Prosperity of all his Kingdoms AND when it was as artificially as the King himself truly phrases it as maliciously divulged throughout the whole Kingdom That at the same time we deny a fitting liberty to those other His Majesties Declaration to all his Loving Subjects December 26. 1662. pag. 3. Sects of our Subjects whose consciences will not allow them to conform 9. The Malicious Scandal of his being more favourabie to Papists than other Dissenters to the Religion Established by Law We are highly indulgent to Papists not only in exempting them from the penalties of the Law but even to such a degree of countenance and encouragement as may even endanger the Protestant Religion As to that most pernicious and injurious scandal so artificially spread fomented of our favour to Papists saith 10. A Repetition of the same detestable Arts of the late Rebellious Times the King as it is but a repetition of the same detestable arts by which all the The same Declaration pag. 9 10 11 12. late calamities have been brought upon this Kingdom in the time of our Royal Father of Blessed Memory who though the most pious and zealous Protestant that ever Reign'd in this Nation could never wash off the stains cast upon him by that malice but by his 11. And therefore we should all be prepared against such poison Martyrdom We conceive our Subjects should be sufficiently prepared against that poison by memory of those disasters especially since nothing is more evident than that the wicked Authors of this scandal are such as seek to involve all good Protestants under the odious name of Papists or Popishly affected yet we cannot but say upon this occasion that our Education and course of Life in the True Protestant Religion hath been such and our constancy in the Profession of it so eminent in our most desperate condition abroad among Roman Catholick Princes 13. Yet the Education of the King in the Protestant Religion hath been such that should any but believe this Scandal it would be a most impardonable offence when as the appearance of receding from it had been the likeliest way in all humane forecast to have procured us the most powerful assistances of our Re-establishment that should any of our Subjects give but the least admission of that scandal into ☞ their beliefs We should look upon it as the most impardonable offence that they can be guilty of towards us 'T is true that as we shall always according to justice retain so we think it may become us to avow to the world a due sense we have of the greatest part of our Roman Catholicks 14. 'T is true the Roman Catholicks did adhere to the King his Father with their Lives and Fortunes against those who employed both against him of this Kingdom having deserved well from our Royal Father of blessed Memory and from us and even from the Protestant Religion it self in adhering to us with their Lives and Fortunes for the maintainance of our Crown in the Religion Established against those who under the name of zealous Protestants employed both fire and Sword to overthrow them both We shall with as much freedom profess unto the world that it is not in our intention to exclude our Roman Catholick Subjects 15. Therefore ought not to be excluded from all share in the benefit of the Act of Indemnity who have demeaned themselves well who have so demeaned themselves from all share in the benefit of such an Act viz. the Act of Indemnity as in pursuance of our promises the wisdom of our Parliament shall think fit to offer unto us for the ease of tender Consciences It might appear no less than injustice that those who deserved well and continued to
do so should be denied some part of that mercy which we 16. For that would seem unjust have obliged our Self to afford to ten times the number of such who have not done so Besides such are the Capital 17. It is grievous to put any to death for their Opinions in matters of Religion only Laws in force against them as though justified in their vigour by the times in which they were made We profess it Would be grievous unto us to consent to the execution of them by putting any of our Subjects to death for their Opinions in matters of Religion only but at the 18. Yet let them all know if they hope for Toleration of their Profession c. or that Priests shall appear and avow themselves to the scandal of good Protestants and of the Laws we will be severe same time That we declare our little liking of those Sanguinary Ones and our Gracious Intentions already expressed to such of our Roman Catholick Subjects as shall live peaceably modestly and without scandal We would have them all know that if for doing what their Duties Loyalties obliged them to or from our acknowledgment of their well-deserving they shall have the presumption to hope for a Toleration of their Profession or a taking away either those marks of distinction or of our displeasure which in a well-governed Kingdom ought always to be set upon Dissenters from the Religion of the State or to obtain the least remission in the strictness of those Laws which either are or shall be made to hinder the spreading of their Doctrine to the prejudice of the True Protestant Religion or that upon our expressing according to Christian Charity our dislike of Bloodshed for Religion only Priests shall take the boldness to appear and avow themselves to the offence and scandal of good Protestants and of the Laws in force against them They shall quickly find we know as well to be severe when wisdom requires as indulgent when charity and sense of Merit challenge it from us WitH this we have thought fit to arm our good Subjects 19. This is to arm the good Subjects minds against the practises of our ill ones minds against the practises of our ill ones by a True Knowledg of our own of which now rightly perswaded we make no question but that whatsoever they be from whom they can derive the spreading or somenting of 20. That those who foment such suggestions are the most dangerous Enemies of the Crown and the peace of the Nation any of those wicked suggestions they will look upon them with detestation as the most dangerous Enemies of our Crown and of the Peace and Happiness of the Nation I thought it could not be too tedious either for me to Recite or for you to hear thus much of his Majesties Declaration upon this Head because he has in it so clearly fully delivered himself as one would think it should be to the general if I may not say Eternal satisfaction of all his loving and dutiful Subjects IS it not a superlative expression for the King to say of those 21. What can be higher said than this that give out that most pernicious as well as malicious scandal of his favour to Papists that he looks on it as the most unpardonable offence that any can be guilty of towards him and that those wicked Aspersers by all his good and Loyal People will as they deservedly ought to be looked upon as the most dangerous Enemies both to his Crown and the Peace and Welfare of the Kingdom AND whereas still some men would fain possess the people 22. Never any Prince hath given more convincing proofs to the contrary of his favouring Papists that his Majesty is a Favourer of Popery though never any Prince in Christendom hath given more convincing and irrefragable proofs of the contrary let them take heed and consider that by such aspersion they run the hazard of a Praemunire upon the Act for the safety of the King's Person in scandalizing his Majesty for a Favourer of Popery NOW where the humours and spirits of men are too rough 23. Where mens humours are too rough for soft indulgence shar Laws must be made to break their Stubborness and boisterous for the soft remedies of signal indulgence and condescensions of suspension of the rigour of former Laws there must be prepared sharper Laws and penalties to contend with those refractory Lord Chancellor's Speech to both Houses May 19. 1662. pag. 16. persons and to break that stubbornness which will not bend to gentler applications and it is great reason that they upon whom Clemency cannot prevail should seel that severity they have prcvoked I pray hear what the Speaker of the House of Commons could say in his Address to the King from the whole House they being there present Above The Address of the House spoke by Sir Edw. Turner Feb. 28. 1662. pag. 7. all saith he we can never enough remember to 24. The Speaker of the House of Commons acknowledges His Majesties most solemn invitations of them to make Laws against the growth of Popery the Honour of Your Majesties Piety and our own unspeakable comfort those solemn and most indearing invitations of us Your Majesties Subjects to prepare Laws to be presented to Your Majesty against the growth and increase of Popery and withal to provide more Laws against Licentiousness and Impiety at the same time declaring Your own resolution for maintaining the Act of Uniformity And when a little after both the Lords and Commons Petitioned His Majesty by his Proclamation to command all Romish Priests and Jesuits c. to depart this Kingdom by a day at the reception of the Petition His Majesty thus begins his Speech to them My Lords and Gentlemen You do not expect that I should give you an Answer presently to your petition yet I will tell you that I will speedily send you an Answer which I am confident will be to your satisfaction and was it not so think ye when he in his Gracious Answer on the 1st of April 1663. told them that he did readily concur with their advice and that he had given order for such a Proclamation as they desired which you may see more at large a little before This made the Speaker of the House of Commons no doubt so sensible that he could not be kept off from a fresh mention of it when he spake to his Majesty although it was almost four years afterwards Saith he We have been allarum'd from all parts of the Kingdom 25. His Majestie commands all his Officers and Souldiers to take the Oaths of Allegiance and Supremacy â—d and Priests an Jesuits to de part by a day which much secures us aginst fears c by the insolencies of Popish Priests and Jesuits who by their great numbers and bold writings declare to all the world they are in expectation of a plentiful harvest here in
he hath lately received Information of Designes against his own Life by the Jesuites And though he doth in no sort prejudge the Persons accused yet the strict enquiry into 54. This is a Plot of the Jesuits this matter hath been a means to discover so many other unwarrantable practices of theirs that his Majesty hath reason to look 55. But the King will look to them to them NOR are these kinde of men the onely Factors for Rome 56. Lay-persons too are agitators to promote the Interests of a forrein Religion but there are found among the Laity also some who have made themselves Agitators to promote the Interests of a Forreign Religion who meddle with matters of State and Parliament and carry on their designes by a most dangerous Correspondency with Forreign Nations WHAT kinde of Process the Proof will bear and to how high a degree the Extent and Nature of these Crimes will rise is under consideration and will be fully left to the course of Law ALAS it is the professed and avowed principle of these 57. 'T is the principles of such men to kill Kings rather sooner than other men sort of men not to distinguish between the King and another man nay to kill him sooner than any other man and yet the King's Mercy hath been no less obstinate than their Malice and Wickedness few persons have suffered and he hath restrained the Law from being severe to many who at the same time continue their This was spoken by the Lord Chancellor May 8. 1661. of those Traitors that went arm'd through the City but it may justly be applied to these of this damnable Popish Plot. Guilt and undervalue his Compassion There hath not been a Week 58. Scarce since the Plot was first found out a week has been free without some fresh Conspiracies since the first breaking out of this Jesuitical Plot in which there have not been fresh Combinations and Conspiracies formed against his Person and against the Peace of the Kingdom And yet upon all these Alarms and the interception of such Letters as would in all other Countries have 59. Which in other Countries would have produc'd the Rack here the Offenders are tryed by the precise Forms and Rules of Law produced the Rack for further Discoveries he hath left the Offenders to his Judges of the Law and those Judges to the precise Forms and ordinary Rules of the Law HOW hath his Majesty invited all persons even those that are criminal to the highest degree of guilt upon his gracious promises of Pardon nay and of reward too if they would but in the prescribed times lay hold of the Scepter of his Grace to come in and make their ingenuous confessions to him and his Council of this Damnable and Hellish Designe against both his Royal Person and these his Kingdoms yet how obstinately have they withstood all the tenders of his Proclamations that have been so unspeakably to their own benefit and have chosen Death rather than Life as if they were resolutely bent to out-go all his infinite Kindnesses by the most cruel revenge upon themselves So that very well what was said of Caesar might here be spoken of his Majesty that libentius vitam Victor jam daret quà m victi acciperent WELL but to proceed The Parliament having shewed 60. When the Parliament had shewed their great care for the Kings preservation he could not satisfie himself but must heartily thank them their great and extraordinary care for the safety and preservation of his Majesties Person in these times of danger the King as he saith there could not satisfie himself without coming thither on purpose King's Speech to both Houses Saturday Nov. 9. p. 3 4. to give them all his most hearty thanks for it NOR do I think it enough to give you my Thanks onely but I hold my self obliged to let you see withal that I do as much study your preservation too as I can possibly and 61. But not onely so he studies as much our preservation as they did his and will joyn with them in all the ways that may establish the Protestant Religion that I am as ready to joyn with you in all the ways and means that may establish a firm security of the Protestant Religion as your own hearts can wish AND this not onely during my time of which I am sure you have no fear but in all future ages even to the end of the world AND therefore I am come to assure you that whatsoever reasonable Bills you shall present to pass into Laws to make you safe in the Reign of any Successor so as they tend not to impeach the right of Succession nor the descent of the Crown in the true Line and so as they restrain not my Power 62. And that not only now but for future ages nor the just Rights of any Protestant Successor shall finde from me a ready Concurrence AND I desire you withal to think of some more effectual 63. And therefore he tells them all reasonable Bills shall find from him a ready concurrence means for the Conviction of Popish Recusants and to expedite your Councils as fast as you can that the World may see our Vnanimity and that I may have the opportunity of shewing you how ready I am to do any thing that may give comfort and satisfaction to such dutiful and Loyal Subjects 64. And he desires them to think of some more effectual way to convict Popish Recusants c. HE meets his new Parliament in March and then he tells them what he hath been doing since the Dissolution of the other to gain the hearts of all his people saith he My Lords and Gentlemen I meet you here with the most earnest desire that Man can have to unite the minds of all my Subjects both to me and to one another and I resolve it shall be your faults if the success be not suitable 65. He hath excluded the Popish Lords from their Seats in Parliament he hath executed several men and hath not been idle in prosecuting the discovery of the Plot. The Kings Sp. on Thursday 6 March 1678 9. p. 3 4. to my desires I have done many great things already in order to that end as the Exclusion of the Popish Lords from their Seats in Parliament the execution of several men both upon the score of the Plot and of the Murder of Sir Edmundbury Godfrey and it is apparent that I have not been idle in prosecuting the discovery of both as much further as hath been possible in so short a time AND above all I have commanded my Brother to absent himself from me because I would not leave the most malitious 66. He also commanded the absence of the D. of York men room to say I had not removed all causes which could be pretended to influence me towards Popish Councels I shall not cease my endeavours daily 67.
And will daily indeavour to find out what more he can and desires his two Houses assistance in that work to find out what more I can both of the Id. p. 5. Plot and Murder of Sir Edmondbury Godfrey and shall desire the Assistance of both my Houses in that work I have not been wanting to give Orders for putting all the present Laws in Execution against Papists and I am ready to joyn in the making such further Laws as may be necessary for the securing of the Kingdom against Popery 68. He hath ordered that the present Laws be put in execution against Papists and is ready to add such further Laws as may secure the Kingdom against Popery I will conclude as I begun with my earnest desires to have this an healing Parliament and I do give you this assurance that I will with my Life defend both the Protestant Religion and the Laws of this Kingdom AND now my Lord Chancellor coming to speak to them I pray take notice with what force and Eloquence he delivers himself The Considerations saith he which now are to be laid before you are as urgent and as weighty as were ever yet offered to any Parliament or indeed ever can be So great and so surprizing have been our dangers at home so formidable are the appearances of danger from abroad that the most united Councels the most sedate and the calmest temper together with the most dutiful and zealous affections that a Parliament can shew are all become absolutely and indispensably necessary for our preservation Id. p. 10. 69. The Plot industriously carryed on by Priests and Jesuits and their Adherents who to subvert our true Religion find the most likely way to be by wounding us in the Head and by Killing the King AT home we had need look about us for his Majestie 's Royal Person hath been in danger by a Conspiracy against his Sacred Life malitiously contrived and industriously carried on by those Seminary Priests and Jesuits and their Adherents who think themselves under some obligation of Conscience to effect it and having vow'd the Subversion of the true Religion amongst us find no way so likely to compass it as to wound us in the Head and to kill the Defendor of the Faith Id. Ibid. HIS Majesty wanted not sufficient evidence of his zeal for our Religion without this Testimony from his Enemies who 70. His Majesty needed not this Evidence to testifie his zeal for our Religion were about to Sacrifice him for it but it hath ever been the practice of those Votaries first to Murther the Fame of Princes and then their Persons first to slander them to their people as if they favoured Papists and then to Assassinate them 71. What has ever been the practise of the Roman Votaries for being too zealous Protestants And thus by all the ways and means which our Law calls Treason and their Divinity calls Merit and Martyrdome they are trying to set up the Dominion and Supremacy of the Pope as if the Dignity of his Triple-Crown could never be sufficiently advanced unless these Three Kingdoms were added unto him and all brought 72. The search into this Plot has been closely pursued back again under that yoke which neither we nor our Forefathers were able to bear 73. More Evidence found Pag. 11. THE Enquiry into this Conspiracy hath been closely pursued and the Lords of the Councel have been careful to prosecute 74. More Malefactors discovered this Discovery ever since the Rising of the last Parliament and the King doth now recommend it to you to perfect 75. Justices stirred up to perform their duty More Evidence hath been already found out and more Malefactors discovered some in hold some fled Justices of Peace have been quickened in the Execution of their duty the 76. Faithful Messengers sent all over the Kingdom where any hopes of service was to be done Negligent have been reproved and punished the Diligent encouraged and assisted in doubtful cases by the Opinions of the Judges active and faithful Messengers have been sent into all the corners of the Kingdom where there was any hope of Service to be done the very Prisons have been searched to 77. Prisons have been searched see whether any had fled thither to hide themselves there and under pretence of Debt to escape the pursuit and if any have desired leave to go beyond Sea they have first given security 78. Persons going beyond sea first have given security not to go to Rome nor send their Children to be bred up in Forreign Seminaries not to go to Rome nor send their Children to be bred in any Forreign Seminaries and then they have been obliged to give in a List of all their Menial Servants and those Servants too have been examined upon Oath and order is given that they be again examined at the Ports and make Oath they are the same persons were examined above so that all possible care hath been taken that no Malefactors might escape us in 79. Their menial Servants are Listed and examined upon Oath Disguise Ibid. AND though the Priests themselves do not keep the Confessions of their Proselytes more secret than these keep the Injunctions of their Priests yet enough hath appeared 80. All care taken that no Malefactors should escape in disguise Pag. 12. to bring some Capital Offenders to publick Justice and to convict them of the Crime some of the Traitors have been Executed several Priests have been Arrested and Imprisoned 81. Some have banished themselves others Imprisoned for not taking the Oaths all are hiding themselves and lurking in secret corners like the Sons of darkness The Murderers of Sir Edmondbury Godfrey have been Condemned and suffered death some Papists have banished themselves out of the Kingdom others are Imprisoned for not taking the Oaths all are prosecuted towards Conviction 82. And the shame that attends such practises hath converted several and the very shame and reproach which attends such abominable practises hath covered so many faces with new and strange confusions that it hath proved a powerful argument for their Conversion nor is it to be wondered at that they could no longer believe all that to be Gospel which their Priests taught them when they saw the way and means of introducing it was so far from being Evangelical Ibid. IN a word so universal is that Despair to which the Papists 83. Their despair is so universal that all their hopes now are that we may over-do our own business are now reduced that they have no other hopes left but this That We may chance to over-do our own business and by being too far transported with the fears of Popery neglect the Opportunities we now have of making sober and lasting Provisions against it Ibid. AND 't is not to be doubted but that it would infinitely 84. How pleased they would be to see us
Laws in full force and power and hath not 32. Our Safety most consists in being govern'd by Law Justice been equally and impartially administred to all ever since the happy Restoration of the King LET There be then no Complaining in our Streets no Murmurings 33. And if our Civil Rights can be yet made more firm to us the King's Heart is full of gracious Intentions for our general Satisfaction in our Borders if we have not Laws enough to secure and please us if we think our Liberties and Civil Rights can be yet more firmly established to us then let us lay down our just Necessities before him Who saith God knows Our Heart is full of Gracious Intentions The King's Declaration to all his Loving Subjects Dec. 26. 1662. pag. 13. not only for the Plenty and Prosperity but for the Vniversal Satisfaction of the Nation And no doubt but he will concur with us in all things which may advance our Peace and preserve our Just Rights to us THIS We may stedfastly believe when he assures his Parliament 34. For nothing can be reasonably proposed but he will readily receive That If there be any thing you think wanting to secure Property there is nothing The King's speech Jan. 7. 1671 4. pag. 4. which you shall reasonably propose but I shall be ready to receive it THEREFORE Be but pleased your selves 35. Therefore being pleased our selves he is best pleased and perswade others to be so contrive all the ways â—â—e Lord Chanâ—â—llor's Speech â—eptemb 13. â—â—60 pag. 23. imaginable for your own Happiness and you will make him the best pleased and the most happy Prince in the World NOW nothing recommends the present Age 36. Nothing so much recommends the present Age as the good Laws made in it unto Posterity so much as the Wisdom and the The Lord Keepers Speech Apr. 13. 1675. p. 15. Temper of the Laws that are made in it for all succeeding Ages judge of our Laws as we do of our Ancestors by the true and unerring Rule of Experience IN Making of Laws therefore it will import us to consider that too many Laws are a Snare for Id. ibid. 37. But too many Laws are a Snare Mr. Grivel in 35 Eliz. said in Parliament as Sir Robert Filmer reports it in his Freeholders Grand Inquest he wished not the making of many Laws since the more we make the less Liberty we have our selves Her Majesty not being bound by them 38. Too few a Weakness in the Government pag. 49 50. too few are a weakness in the Government too gentle are seldom obeyed too severe are as seldom executed And Sanguinary Laws are for the most part either the Cause 39. And Sanguinary Laws either the Cause or Effect of a Distemper in the State or the Effect of a Distemper in the State TO establish this State there seems not to need Id. ibid. many new Laws some will always be wanting And therefore saith the King to his Parliament in his Speech before this of my Lord Chancellor's The principal End of my Calling you now is to know what The King's Speech Apr. 13. 1675. pag. 3. 40. Some Laws will always be wanting you think may be yet wanting to the Security of Religion and Property THIS Speech of the King 's as my Lord Chancellor says very 41. Therefore the King calls his Parliament to know what is wanting truly Was in order to unite the Hearts of his The Lord Chancellor's Speech Apr. 13. 1675. pag. 8. Parliament and People to himself by all the Emanations of Grace and Goodness that from a great and generous Prince can be expected And here 42. And this in order to unite the Hearts of both Parliament and People to him The King is pleased to add the Consideration of your Id. ibid. Liberties and Properties And while he does so you may be sure that he who is so careful of your Rights will be mindful of his own too for he that does Justice to all can never be wanting to himself AND Saith the King about two Months after I think I 43. And he that is so careful of our Rights sure ought to mind his own have given sufficient Evidence to the World that I have not been wanting on my part The King's Speech to both Houses Jun. 9. 1675. pag. 3. in my Endeavours to procure the full Satisfaction of all my Subjects in the matters 44. The King not wanting in his endeavours to have all his people satisfied in matters both of Religion and Property both of Religion and Property I have not only invited you to those Considerations at our first Meeting but I have been careful through this whole Session that no Concern of my own should divert you from them RELIGION and Liberty stand secured by The Lord Keepers Speech Jan. 7. 1673 4. p. 19. the most Sacred Ties that are Nay the King 45 45 He invited his Parliament to those Considerations not only at first but all along 46 46 Religion and Liberty secured by the most sacred Ties that are 47 47 The King's Interest to prefer both greater than ours hath a greater Interest in the preservation of both than you your selves for as Religion the Protestant Religion commands your indispensable Obedience so it is a just and lawful Liberty which sweetens that Command and endears it to you DOTH not every man see that the King hath 48. The King hath given new life and motion to Laws given new Life and Motion to such Laws as were The Lord Keeper's Speech Jan. 7. 1673 4. pag. 19. long dead or fast asleep HATH he not commanded a rigorous and severe Prosecution at Law of all the Officers and Soldiers in His 49. All Officers and Soldiers severely to be prosecuted when they misbehave themselves Majesty's ordinary Guards when they mis-behave themselves towards the meanest Subject And doth not this secure your Properties ARE not all the Priviledges from Arrests which were claimed by His Majesty's Servants extraordinary Id. ibid. who are very numerous abrogated And doth not this 50. All Priviledges of Arrests claimed by any of the King's Servants abrogated prevent the Delays and Obstructions of Justice THESE are not single and transient Acts but such Acts as flow from Habits These are not Leaves Id. ibid. and Blossoms but true solid and lasting Fruits Long long may that Royal Tree Live and Flourish upon which these Fruits 51. These not single and transient Acts but such as flow from Habits do grow BUT the King doth not think this yet sufficient but he will go further on and give us new Assurances that nothing can be more welcome to him than the receiving of such Bills from his Parliament as may truly tend to the Happiness and Ease of his 52. The King ready to gratifie his People in further securing
all possible Earnestness Id. pag. 3 4. and do conjure you to provide for as speedily as is possible and in such a manner as may give us Security at home and some Reputation abroad I make this Discourse to you with some Confidence because I am very willing and desirous that you should throughly examine whether these Necessities I mention be Real or Imaginary or whether they are fallen upon us by my Fault my own ill Managery or Excesses and provide for them accordingly I am very willing that you make a full Inspection into my Revenue as well the Disbursements as Receipts and if you find it hath been ill managed by any Corruption in the Officers I trust or by my own Vnthriftiness I shall take the Information 138. But not to believe any loose discourses of giving away vast sums of Money in a Morning and Advice you shall give me very kindly I say if you find it for I would not have you believe any loose Discourses how confidently soever urged of giving away Fourscore Thousand Pounds in a Morning and many other Extravagancies of that kind 139. For he is sorry he can reward his faithful Servants no better I have much more reason to be sorry that I have not to reward those who have ever faithfully served the King my Father and my self than ashamed of any Bounty I have exercised towards any Man HERE you find is plain dealing The King comes to ask of 140. Thus if the King ask for Money it is to provide for our Safety and Interest his Parliament some Supply but it is to this end that the Nation may be the better by it that some necessary Provisions for the very Safety of the Kingdom may be made without delay that we may have cause to rejoyce in our own Peace and Quietness being under the Covert of his Wings whose Princely Heart and Head cannot no more than it ought to be free from cares and thoughts of our Protection and Happiness NOR unless upon serious Examination these pressing Necessities be found real and that they have not happened by any fault in him who is perfectly willing that they should enter into the strictest Search in the Case does he require any thing And he would take the Information kindly from them if they would be so free as to tell him upon the Enquiry that they do find Corruption in any of the Officers that he trusts WHEN His Majesty met the House of Commons in the Banquetting-House at Whitehall in March and told them That 141. And he is exceedingly deceived if whatever he hath had given him be any otherwise given than to be laid out for the publick use and benefit and so it shall and we shall find we are the richer by our giving in truth he did not know they were any whit nearer setling his Revenue than they were The King's Speech to the House of Commons Mar. 1. 1661 2. pag 5 6. at Christmas Saith he I am sure I have communicated my Condition to you without Reserve what I have coming in and what my necessary Disbursements are and I am exceedingly deceived if whatever you give me be any otherwise given to me than to be issued out for your own use and benefit Trust me it shall be so and if you consider it well you will find that you are the richer by what you give since it is all to be laid out that you may enjoy the rest in Peace and Security GENTLEMEN I need not put you in Id. ibid. pag. sequente 142. Miserable have been the effects that attended the Wants of the Crown mind of the miserable Effects which have attended the Wants and Necessities of the Crown I need not tell you that there is a Republical Party still in the Kingdom which hath the Courage to promise themselves another Revolution and methinks I 143. Therefore to have such Provision made for the Crown as that it might be able to support it self and secure us is all the King desires and that only for our Preservation should as little need to tell you that the only way with God's Blessing to disappoint their hopes and indeed to reduce them from those extravagant Hopes and Desires is to let them see that you have so provided for the Crown that it hath where withal to support it self and to secure you which I am sure is all I desire and desire only for your Preservation Therefore I do conjure you by all the Professions of Affection you have made to me by all the Kindness I know you have for me after all your Deliverations betake your selves to some speedy Resolutions and settle such a real and substantial Revenue upon me as may hold some proportion with the necessary Expences I am at for the Peace and Benefit and Honour of the Kingdom that they who look for Troubles at home may have that Esteem and Value of us as may secure the Interest and Honour of the Nation and make the Happiness of this Kingdom and of this City once more the Admiration and Envy of the World THUS you see the Peace and Benefit the Interest and Honour and Happiness of this Nation the King's Heart is full of Gracious Intentions to procure and support This is it he greatly desires and desires it for our sakes as well as his own Under his 144. Well when the Parliament had given the King Moneys how does he thank them for it and tell them he will apply it all to the greatest advantage for the Peace and Happiness of the Kingdom Protection he would have us to enjoy our Safety not only that our Persons should be safe but that all that belongs or is dear to us should be so likewise our Religion our Liberties and all our Civil Rights And what more is it possible for a King to do to win over all the Hearts of his Subjects to him And shall he so deserve our Affections and we ever grudge him our Purses BUT to return to the King 's own further Words Saith he to his Parliament My Lords and Gentlemen You have so much obliged me not only in the The King's Speech to both Houses at their Prerogation Mond May 19. 1662. pag 4. matter of those Bills which concern my Revenue but in the manner of passing them 145. And with the best Advice and good Husbandry he can he will contract his Expences with so great Affection and Kindness to me that I know not how to thank you enough I do assure you and I pray assure your Friends in the Country that I will apply all you have given me to the utmost Improvement of the Peace and Happiness of the Kingdom and will with the best Advice and 146. How the King found the Crown when he came to it good Husbandry I can bring my Expences within a narrower Compass THE Lord Chancellor in his Speech after this of the King 's said
Rights which he is so sollicitous for SURELY it is enough for any Kingdom and more than most Kingdoms in the World can boast The Lord Chancellor's Speech Thursd Feb. 15. 1676 7. p. 12. of to have their Affairs brought into such a Condition that they may in all Humane Probability 187. Future Contingencies not capable of certain Prospect and unless it be their own default continue for a long time safe and happy FOR Future Contingencies are not capable of any certain Prospect a Security beyond that of Humane Id. ibid. 188. Let us bless the King for taking away our fears and jealousies that our Properties and Liberties are safe Probability no Nation ever did or ever shall attain to LET us therefore bless the King for taking away all our Fears and leaving no Room for Jealousies The Lord Chancellor's Speech Feb. 5. 1672 3. pag. 15 16. Let us bless the King that our Properties and Liberties are safe as well as our Religion What more hath a good English Man to ask but that THIS KING may long Reign and that the Tripple Alliance of King Parliament 189. And may the Tripple Alliance of King Parliament and People never be dissolved and People may never be dissolved AND let all who pray for the long Life and Prosperity of the King add their Endeavours to The Lord Chancellor's Speech Thursd Feb. 15. 1676 7. p. 17. their Prayers and study to prolong his Sacred Life by giving him all the Joys of Heart which can arise 190. And let those who pray for the King's Life and Prosperity add their Endeavours to their Prayers from the Demonstrations of the lively and the warm Affections of his People TO which most excellent Prayer of the Chancellor let all the People joyn with me in this Response of Amen CHAP. IV. Of Parliaments NOTHING conduceth more to the Happiness of a Nation than a right Understanding 1. Nothing tends more to the happiness of the Nation than frequent Meetings in Common Council for the Security of all we have or are is lodged in our English Parliaments Sir Edward Turner 's Speech to the King Friday Feb. 8. 1666. on the Prorogation pag. 1 2. between the Prince and the People and nothing more advanceth this Correspondence than frequent Meetings in Common-Council By the Wisdom of our Fore-Fathers the Security of our Lives our Liberties and our Properties is lodged in our English Parliaments And so Gratious have Your Majesty's Predecessors been that for the satisfaction of their People they have made several Laws some for Triennial some for Annual Parliaments Your Majesty by their Example upon the humble Suit of your Lords and Commons hath in a former Session of this Parliament passed an Act for Triennial Meetings in Parliament But in this Your Majesty hath exceeded all your Predecessors that as your happy Restauration was in a Convention of Parliament so of your own Accord for the Publick Good and as a Demonstration of your extraordinary Love to Parliaments You have vouchsafed ever since Your Return to converse with your People in Parliament this being the Sixth Year and the Sixth Session of this present Parliament I DO chuse to begin with these words of the Speaker as being vere Emphatical in themselves and most convenient and apposite to usher in the several other following Declarations and Speeches to prove this to you that the King's Affection to Parliaments is extraordinary and that it hath been his Delight and wonderful Satisfaction as well as his very often Use and Practice to converse with his People in them AND that you may have no reason why to disbelieve me I shall without any further trouble of my own words straight fall upon what the King himself hath said IN the Letter which His Majesty sent to the Speaker of the Commons assembled in Parliament what Security did he give us of this in saying WE do assure you upon our Royal Word 2. No former Kings have had a greater Esteem of Parliaments than our present King that none of our Predecessors have had a The King's Letter to the Speaker of the Commons from Breda April 4 14. 1660. pag. 4. greater Esteem of Parliaments than we have in our Iudgment as well as from our Obligation We do believe them to be so Vital a Part of the Constitution of the Kingdom and so necessary for the Government of it that we well know neither Prince nor People can be 3. Neither Prince nor People can be happy without them in any tolerable degree happy without them And therefore you may be confident that we shall always look upon their Counsels as the best we can receive and shall be as tender of their Privileges and as careful 4. Their Counsels the best the King can receive to preserve and protect them as of that which is most near to our self and most necessary for our own Preservation AND as this is our Opinion of Parliaments that 5. He will be tender of their Privileges and careful to preserve them their Authority is most necessary for the Government of the Kingdom so we are most confident that you believe and find that the Preservation of the King's Authority is as necessary for the Preservation of Parliaments 6. The Preservation of the King's Authority as necessary for the Preservation of Parliaments as their Authority is necessary for the Government of the Kingdom and that it is not the Name but the right Constitution of them which can prepare and apply proper Remedies for those Evils which are grievous to the People and which can thereby establish their Peace and Security And therefore we have not the least doubt but that you will be as tender in and as jealous of any thing that may infringe our Honour or impair our Authority as of your own Liberty and Property which is best preserved by preserving the other HOW far We have trusted you in this great Affair and how much it is in your 7. It is in their Power to restore a ruined Nation Id. pag. 5. Power to restore the Nation to all that it hath lost and to redeem it from any Infamy it hath undergone and to make King and People as happy as they ought to be you will find by Our inclosed Declaration a Copy of which We have likewise sent to the House of Peers and you will easily belieâ—e that We would not voluntarily and of Our Self have reposed so great a Trust in you but upon an entire Confidence that you will not abuse it and that you will proceed in such a manner and with such due Consideration of Vs who have trusted you that We shall not be ashamed of declining other Assistance which we have Assurance of and repairing to you for more Natural and Proper Remedies for the Evils We would be free from nor sorry that We have bound up Our own Interest so entirely with that of Our
she comes to Solomon to commune with him of all that was in her Heart Great Sir whilst this your Native Country was unworthy of you Foreign Nations were made happy in the Knowledge of your Person your Piety and your Wisdom and now the Lord our God hath brought you home and set you on your Throne your Subjects long to see you WHAT Striving and Rejoycing was there at Id. ibid. 19. What rejoycing at the King 's Landing your first Landing to see our Rising Sun WHAT Striving was there at your Coronation to see the Imperial Crown set upon your Royal Head WHAT Striving hath here lately been in all 20. What at his Coronation the Counties Cities and Burroughs of this Nation Id. Ibid. who should be sent up to hear your Wisdom and confer with 21. What Striving to be Parliament-Men to hear his Wisdom and confer with him there you in Parliament ROYAL Sir These Chosen Worthy Messengers are not come Empty Handed they are laden Id. ibid. they are sent up to you heavy-laden from their several Counties Cities and Burroughs IF the Affections of all English Men can make 22. How Happy Great and Considerable the King may be both at home and abroad by his Parliament you happy if the Riches of this Nation can make Id. pag. 12. you Great if the Strength of this Warlike People can make you Considerable at home and abroad be assured you are the greatest Monarch in the World Give me leave I beseech you to double my words and say it again I wish my Voice could reach to Spain and to the Indies too You are the greatest Monarch in the World HAVING thus at large given you the Speaker's Words as it were in Extasie of a Parliament I shall now return to give you the King 's which you will find full of a tender and endeared Affection to them 23. The King's Aims have been such as were most agreeable to the antient Order of Parliament and he hopes they will reduce the Proceedings to those ancient Rules and Orders AND what have the Aims and Endeavours of the King been but such as he hath Thought most agreeable to the ancient Order of Parliaments And The King's Speech Thursd Septemb. 13. 1660. pag. 5. I hope you will all joyn with me saith he in reducing the Proceedings of Parliaments to the Ancient Rules and Orders of Parliaments the Deviation from which hath done us no good And when they desired a Recess though he had then some Inclination to have made a Session yet upon Id. ibid. the desire and Reasons given by the House of Commons for an Adjournment without a Session he did very willingly depart from that Inclination And did not this testifie a very great Kindness BUT you shall hear more Gracious Words from him saith he three Months after this I will tell you that when 24. When God restored the King he brought along with him an extraordinary Affection for Parliaments God brought me hither I brought with me an extraordinary Affection and Esteem for The King's Speech Decem. 29. 1660. at the Dissolution pag. 3 4. Parliaments I need not tell you how much it is improved by your Carriage towards me You have outdone all the good and obliging Acts of your Predecessors towards the Crown and therefore you cannot but believe my Heart is exceedingly enlarged with the Acknowledgment MANY former Parliaments have had particular Denominations from what they 25. Former Parliaments have had particular Denominations let this be called The Healing and the Blessed Parliament Id. ibid. have done They have been styled Learned and Unlearned and sometimes have had worse Epithits I pray let us all resolve that this be for ever called The HEALING and the BLESSED PARLIAMENT AND in the Absence of a Parliament which he promises shall not be long how he will carry and behave himself he hath been pleased to give us a very open and ingenuous Confession in these his following Words AS I thank you though not enough for what you have done so I have not the least doubt by the Blessing of God but when I shall call the next Parliament which I shall do as soon as you can reasonably expect or desire I shall receive your Thanks for what 26. The King will not more propose any Rule to himself in his Actions and Counsels than what the Parliament is like to think of them I have done since I parted with you For I deal truly with you I shall not more propose any one Rule to my self in my Actions and my Counsels than this What is a PARLIAMENT like to think of this ACTION or this COUNSEL And it shall be want of Vnderstanding in me if it will not bear that Test Id. Ibid. A PARLIAMENT is such an Assembly My Lord Chancellor hath said that for which the 27. The King hath a kind of Reverence for a Parliament The Lord Chancellor's Speech Thursd 13. Septem 1660. pag. 6. King him self hath even a kind of Reverence as well as an extraordinary Kindness IT will very easily appear so if you will mind what the King tells you that He hath caused two Bills to be prepared for you i. e. the new Parliament on the 8th of May at their Opening which are pag. 2. for Confirmation of all that was enacted at our last Meeting AND as the Chancellor said he commends the Dispatch of those to you with some earnestness The Lord Chancellor's Speech May 8. 1661. pag. 8 9 10. The Truth is it is a great part of the Business of this Parliament to celebrate the Memory of the last by confirming or re-enacting all that was done by that Parliament which though it was not called 28. The last Parliament though not called by the King 's Writ yet seems to have been called by God himself by the King 's Writ may be reasonably thought to have been called by God himself upon the Supplication and Prayer of the King and the whole Nation as the only means to restore the Nation to its Happiness to its Self to its Honour and even to its Innocence How glad the King was of it appears by what he writ to them from Breda when he referred more to them than ever was referred to Parliament He referred 29. He refers to them more than ever was referred to Parliament in truth upon the matter all that concerned himself all that concerned Religion all that concerned himself all that concerned Religion all that concerned the Peace and Happiness of the Kingdom to them And to their Honour be it spoken and to their Honour be it ever remembred that the King Religion and the Kingdom have no reason to 30. The Kingdom have no reason to be sorry for it be sorry that so much was intrusted to them nor they to be ashamed of the Discharge of their Trust It would have been a very
Remedies are extremely to be wish'd other new Remedies it is extremely to be wish'd that those Remedies may be few and withall that they may be gentle and easie too Id. ibid. FOR they that are sick perish as often by too many Remedies 204. The Sick perish as oft by too many as by none at all as by none at all but none fall so fatally and finally as they who being entred into some degrees of convalescence resolve to recover in an instant and had rather make some great effort or try some bold experiment upon themselves than observe the methods or attend those gradual progressions which are necessary to perfect that health and compleat that recovery Id. ibid. DOUBTLESS the King will surpass himself at this time in 205. Doubtless the King will surpass himself in endeavouring the Kingdoms good may you excell your selves in enlarged Affections endeavouring to procure the good of the Kingdom do but you excell your selves too in the enlarged evidences of your Affections and then the glory of reviving this State will be entirely due â—â— your happy meeting as being attended with an unparallel'd Vnaâ—iâ—ity Constancy and Resolution beyond the president of former Parliaments Id. p. 20. THEN they who wait for the languishing and the declination 206. It will strike terrour and amazement in all ill persons of the present Government will be amazed to see so happy a Crisis so blest a Revolution Ibid. AND Ages to come will find cause to celebrate your memories 207. And future Ages will celebrate your memories as the truest Physicians the wisest Counsellors the noblest Patriots and the best Parliament that ever King or Kingdom met with Ibid. So that it may perfect what the last begun for the safety of 208 May it perfect what the last begun for the safety of the King and Kingdom this King and Kingdom that it may be ever famous for having established upon a durable foundation our Religion Laws and Properties that we may not be tossed with boisterous winds nor overtaken by a sudden dead calm but that a Lord Chanc. Sp. 27 Oct. 1673. p. 10. gentle fair gale may carry you in a steady even and resolved way into the Ports of Wisdom and Security AND since a whole Session of Parliament is in the Judgment 209. The whole Session of Parliament is but as one day and Construction of our Law but as one day may you all endeavour that the morning of it the first entrance upon it may be with such fair and such auspicious circumstances Lord Keepers Sp. Wcdnes 13 Oct. 75. p. 11 12. as may give the whole Kingdom an assurance of a bright and a chearful day LET no ill humours gather into Clouds to darken or obscure 210 May no ill humours gather into Clouds to darken it it for this day is a Critical day and more depends upon that Judgment of our affairs which will be made by it than can easily be imagined IT imports you therefore to take care that no part of this time 211. May no part of this time be lost be lost let every precious minute of this day be spent in receiving such Acts of grace and goodness as are ready to flow from the King and in making such retributions for them as may become the grateful hearts of the best Subjects to the best of Kings SO shall this day become a day of disappointment and discomfort 212. So this will be a day of disappointment to our Enemies and a joyful day to this and all future generations to our Enemies but to us and all good men a glorious day a day of triumph and deliverance a memorable and a joyful day to this present and to all future generations AND the God of Peace and Unity prosper all your Lord Chanc. Sp. Thursd 23 May 78. pag. 19. consultations to the honour and happiness of the 213. And the God of Peace and Unity prosper all your consultations King and the joy and comfort of all his good Subjects AND let us all pray that He who hath once more miraculously 214. And continue his Divine protection over us delivered the King the Church and the State would be pleased still to continue his Divine protection and give us thankful and obedient hearts And when we have offered up those hearts to God let us in the next place offer them again to the King 215. And may you have the honour of making him the greatest King and he the glory of making us the happiest people and lay them down at the footstool of his Throne that so the King may see himself safe in your Councels rich in your Affections victorious by your Arms and raised to such a Lord Chanc. Sp. Thursd 6 Mar. 7â— 9. p. 18 19. height by your Loyalty and Courage that you may have the honour of making him the greatest King and he the glory of making you the happiest People Neve major neve minor cura opera suscipiatur quà m causa postulet Tull. Offic. lib. 1. FINIS Addenda THE Title-page having it seems promised you the material substance of the several Speeches in Parliament upon the aforesaid Heads inclusively till the end of the last viz. in January 1680 1. I found my self in Duty bound to add these that follow by way of Appendix to make good the Promise because the Title Sheet was all wrought off before ever I had a view of it And so I hope my Generous Readers will accept of this as a reasonable Excuse in my favour HIS Majesty being very sensible how much our Divisions at home would be likely to render our Friendship less considerable abroad saith To prevent these as much as may be I think fit to renew His Majesties Speech to his two Houses Monday Octob. 21. 1680. p. 4 5. to you all the Assurances which can be desired that nothing shall be wanting on my part to give you the fullest satisfaction your hearts can wish for the Security of the Protestant Religion which I am fully resolved to maintain against all the Conspiracies of our Enemies and to concur with you in any new Remedies which shall be proposed that may consist with preserving the Succession of the Crown in its due and legal course of Descent AND in Order to this I do recommend it to you to pursue the further Examination of the PLOT with a strict and an Impartial Enquiry I do not think my self safe nor You neither till that matter he gone through with and therefore it will be Necessary that the Lords in the Tower be brought to their speedy Trial that Iustice may be done IN his next Speech to his Parliament the King is pleased to remember the same thing and saith I did promise you the fullest satisfaction your hearts could wish for the Security of the Kings Speech Wednesday December 15. 1680. pag. 4. Protestant Religion and to concur