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This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copy order if, in its judgement, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of the copyright law. AUTHOR: rpiwrjn w jrp REASONS FOR LAYING SOME RESTRAINT ON.. LONDON DA TE : 1715 COLUMBIA UInUVEI^ITY LIDRAKIES PRESERVATION DEPARTMENT DIBLIOGRAPinr MirRoroRM TAunr-r Master Negative it Ori gina! Malerial as FilineU - Existing Dibliogmpluc KcCUld 1< 942.069 I ^23 Roaconc for laying coao restraint on tho li- centiousne3« of tho pulpit, with a ToYj c.'iort refloclions on tho prosont state of affairs, in a lottor to a mombor of- Parliament London 1715 O^ p 1 ^ f V w^ y Restrictions on Use: 3jC TECHNICAL MICROFORM DATA REDUCTION KATIO: FILM SIZE: IMAGE PLACEMENT: lA £3 m IIB DALE FILMED: ^_ZlL-l\ __ _ INITIALS ^^^<^ HLMEDBY: RESMRCH_PUDLICAt10NS. INC wnnnTwTnnJi^' M r^ c AIIM Association for information and image iManagement 1100 Wayne Avenue, Suite 110a Silver Spring, Maryland 20910 301/587-8202 Centimeter 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 |MMllMI|lllllll|)||l|||MllMlllMljlllMllirillllll|Mllll||l|l|||||||M I I i I i I I I I I I i I I t I I I I • I 12 3 4 Inches I i I III 1 1 1 11 1 1 lIMMMMMMM 1.25 12 13 14 15 mm '■;'!l"''''iiiiiUJl"'' M 23_ 2.5 i|5 6 1 ■^•^ 2.2 16.3 ■ 80 III 4.0 2.0 LS. »i ^ ■iibu 1.8 1.4 1.6 MPNUFRCTURED TO OHM STRNDPRDS BY nPPLIED IMfiGE, INC. n^ # o-h in. ^^^^.oa^ k i' -.i i % P 3Q03QO CCX}Jot yQCQ00 3QQ4^ N S For Restraining the !i HtcentiottfneCjs OF THE PUT 13 T T* • •^ jOet'OeoSo^coeoO-COc^fc' « J' '^3 > '^^\.^^'^ "RH?. (toixxxxxbia \lxxixn:v^xi\s xx\ thv (GitiT oX ^Unu IJavii rV ^' J: Si «A> 3QQ5QQGQO joj QQ00Q0aC3 0^ ^. REASO For Restraining the icenttouCnet O F T H E PULPIT k r'<^3e t 'C!:3eo^5B *|^ bc^^eoc3© wC30' ',*'; ^ 1 ' V ^ Il A E A S O N S ^ i' JT- c: i-\. — -.— . \ I "Pi FOR Laying fome Restraint N I H E Mtmtioutntts O F T H E TT T p 1 X W I T H A Few fliortREFjLECTioNs on the prefent State of x4.ff ai rs. In a Letter to a Member ofPadtament. LONDON: Printed by W. VVilkins, and Sold by J. Roberts in Warwick-^Lane, I'jiy, { Price Six-Pence. ) :* *-h.^' ^.yf> *f I J ( •y » ^-^^^l^ wf^^ JT^f -^^ ^^ .t^^ ^^ g^-^ ^^^ ^,^ EASO For Restraining the leentioiiiiicls r > O F T H E I. .> r-'^--..^.^ H E dcfign of this Letter is by no means to run down or to undervalue the Sacred Funaion ; I am well af- J fur'd, whoever fhall think iit to take fuch a Task in Hand, will, at iame time, fhew himfelf to have as little Underftanding as Religion ; fince the very Name of an Ecclefiaftick, joyn'd to 344604 [ 6^ to tbatoFa Good Man, lias been ever held an additional Charaacr iii die Judgment of ail Men of Senfe and So« brie?}. For what can be more Honou- rable. tlianaDinocCoiiimiflion, to lead Men. in the way to Heaven? "^^liat can be more beneficial to the World, than to tcncli Mankind how to live peace- / ably and comaitcdiV here, and to be for ever happy when their Lives fhall have an end ? Men, who make this their Stu- ' hIv, may juftly be faid to be worthy of double Honour : And as they have feldom faJlM of having a due regard paid them here on Earth, fo when gone from hence, their Names have been had in ruerUJttng Remembrance. But, Sir, thefe are not the Men I have now to deal with ; I am forry to leave fo good Company for thole who are the very reverfe, for fuch who have ful- ly folfiU'd the PrediaiQii of their Ma- fter, who csme not to Je^d Peace^ hut a. Sm>rd ; to fet a. Man 4t 'variance againfl his father, and the Daughter againfi her m^ ther, and the D ^aghter-in^aw agatnfi her Mother -inlaw, and a Man^s Foes to be thofe cf his crvn Hou^jold^ Matt. X. J4, 35, 36. f/ ) I [7 J 36, Such who have turnM Religion in- to Politicks ; and inftead of preaching the Goipel, have more than once well nigh ruiifd our happy Coiiilitucion. , . To go no farther back than the Rcign orCHARLES I yen will fee, Sir, how that good King was fo far impos'd on by Evil Couacillors and FoUtick Friefts, as £0 be made believe, that the whole Le« giflaturc was contain^^d within his own Breaii ; that he had Fower to raiic Mo- ney, creft Monopolies, imprifon Men's Bodies, fufpend Laws, &c. as he in his Princely Wifdom lliould think lit : We all know what a Train of ill Confcquences this Doftrine brought along with it, and how it ended at Lift in a bloody CataftTophe ; and how angry foever the Clergy may lie (or (eem to be) on the Ttiirticch of Jmnm^ if they would but give thcniiclvcs leave to confldcr the Conduft of Bifliop Laud^ SibthorP and Mmwaiing, they might have realbn to conclude, chat the Clergy has as much reafon as the Laity to aiake it a Day oi Jlumiliation. N [ ^ ] The unlimited Power and unlimited Obedience preaclfd up in the Reign of King C HJ R E S IL encouragd'tliat Prince to feize on Charters, and do many other illegal Afls ; hence it came to pab, Juries were packed, and under prcitxt of Law were committed fome of the moll barbarous Murders, That unliappy Prince having had part of his E- diic ition in Fra^tce^thought he could never make fuiFicicnt Acknowledgnicni: to the King of that Country ; and thereupon contributed to lay the Foundation of that Great nefs, that even at this Day we tremble to behold. This Sycophantizing Doftrine was ear- ned on in the Reign of JAMEU li. but here it happened to meet with another Turn ; for as before it had well nigh ruia'd our Conftitution, 'twas now the lucky Occafioa of fending this credulous Prince to fpend the remainder of his Days, with thofc who had been longer accjuaimed with Non-refifting Principles. Thefe Facts are too well known, to be longer infifted on ; 'tis evident. Sir, from what has appeared within the compafs of i I % •r . C9] of our own Tinnes, that this Doftrine, ^vhich the Political Clergy have been fo fond of, muft neceffarily tend to the Ruin of either Prince or Conftitution ; and tho' thefe good Men may pretend nothing more than the Honour and Greatnefs of their King, yet, if he be Wife, he will bid them rather mind their own Bufinefs, than be decoy M into fuch Meafures, as may prove fatal as well to Prince as People. But before we proceed, IF you pleafe, we will ftand ftill and take a fliort View of our Britifb Government. Here, Sir, you may behold a King that has all the Fower he can wilh for to do good, yet can do no >vrong ) and who fo properly may be called God^^s Vicegerent, as he who refembles him in his moft beloved Attributes ? Nothing being a greater Moral Perfeftion than to communicate Good, nothing a greater Infirmity than to work Mifchief ; the one the Delight of Divine Nature, the other the Property of the Devil. Here, Sir, you may behold the Subiea endow'd with LIBERTY, the highell Perfetlion of Human Nature, not tied to his Allegiance with the Chains B of c lO 1 of a Slave, but with the dutiful Sub- jeftion of a Son, not fo much by Con- ftraint, as by Filial Affedion ; and fure, among the imperfedt State of Things be- low, no Government was ever better fram'd for the mutual Felicity both of King and Feople. To return from whence we broke of • After King J J MES had abdicated the Crown, and the Prince of Orange had af- fnm'd it by Confent of ParHament ; al- tho' there was not a Body of Men in the Nation had greater reafon to be fen- fible of their Deliverance than the Cler- gy, nor ought to Iiave more dreaded the Refentment of the Man they had deluded, by thofe Doarines which they themfelves did not think fit to praftife, fhould he e- verhave return'd again : Yet notwith- ftandingthefe weighty Confidcrations, fo unaccountable are the ways of Men, fo apt are they to contemn the part Dangers, fo ungrateful to their prefent Benefaaors, that not only the Doarine of Faflive O- bediencc lay dormant, but even the com- mon Duty to the Civil Magiftrate was but fpanngly preach'd throughout the Rcrgn of King H^/LL/^^/j nay, what % \ . ^^ ['II ] wjiat is worre, and fhocks even Human Nature the bare mentioning, (and ought indeed never to be mention'd, if that would help the matter) thofe wicked Mifcreants who were to have killed this good King, found Wretches to abfolve them, without lliewing any figns of Con> punftion. I (hall no longer infift on part Tranf- aftions, but come to our prefent Times ; but before I dofo, I (haU firft of all fhew you, that the Clergy have no Divine Commiflion or Authority to concern them- felves with Secular Politicks ; and in the lecond place, that when-ever they have thought fit to meddle therein, they have feldom faird of doing a great deal of Mifchief. In the firft then, I defire it may be obferv'd, Our bleffed Saviour, the great Author of our Religion, did publickly declare, thatliis Kjngkm WdS not of this World ; and fo far was he from dividing Kingdoms, or difpofing of Monarchies, that when one came to him, and defired him to fpeak to liis Brethren, to divide the Inheritance witj;i him, his Anfwcr ^ B 2 was, [ 12 ] was, Who made me a 'judge or a Dit'/Jer over jou^ Luke xii. 14. His Commlflion to his Difciples was to Teach and Bap- tize^ and preach Repentance, and for- givenefs of Sins through his Name ; and when-everthey afpir'd at Worldly Gran- deur, he never failM to rebuke them ; particularly when there was a Strife a- mong them, which of them fhould be accounted the greateft, that is to fay, premier Minifter, (for at this time i hey dream't of nothing but an earthly King- dom) hefaid unto them, Jht Kjngs of the Gentiles exercife Authority upon them^ and they that exercife Authority upon them are called Btnef actors ; but ye (hall not be foy but he that is greatefi among you^ let him he as the younger • and he that is chief as he that doth ferve^ Luke xxii. 25, 26. And when the Mother of 7sthedee\ Children came to him, and defired that her Sons might be made great Men, Grant that thefe my trvo ^ons may ftt^ the one on thy Right Handy and the other on thy Left in thy Kjngdom ; he tells them, they knew not what they ask'd, and lets them know, they were called to be Servants and not Mafters ; Whofoever mil be great ^among youy let him he your Mtmjter^ ana moofoe'ver tvill he chief among c r^ among you y let him he your Servant ^ Matt. XX. 26, 27. And then he fets them his own Example for a Pattern, Even as the Son of Man came not to he minifirei untd^ hut to mimftefy verl. 28. The Apoftles, who doubtlefs beft knew the Will of their Mafter, enjoyn all thofe that were fet apart for the Gofpel, to difengage themfelves as much as poflible from the Affairs of this Life, that they might be intent on this very Thing. St. Faf/l fpeaking of the Work of the Minirtry, bids Timothy Meditate upon thefe Things ; giue thyfelf wholly to them^ i Tim. iv. 15. and again he fays, A^^ Man that Warethy entangleth himfelf with the Affairs of this Lifey that he may pleafe him rvho hath chofen him to be a Soldier^ 2 Tim* ii. 4. 'Tis true they recommend the preach- ing Obedience to the Civil Magiftratc, to be ftibjeii to Principalities and Powers^ to ^ fubmit to every Ordinance of Man^ for f^. Lord*s Sake ; whether it be to the KJng as Supreme ; or unto GovernourSj as unto them^ that are fent by him for the Punijhment of Ml Dofrs, and for the Pnife of them that do ^ I ill J^ [ '+ } « do weH, But fhould any one imagine that this Doctrine, or any other of this kind contained in the Holy Scriptures, was to be appropriated to any one particular Form of Government more than another ; or fhould take occafion from thence to ad- vance arbitrary Notions, or flavifli Prin- ciples, he will at the fame time proclaim his own Ignorance, as well as want of Honelly ; fince there is no reafonablc Man but muft know, diat as the Laws of the Land are the Standard of Mens Obedience, fo thefe Doftrines are every whit as much calculated lor the little Common wealth of Lucca^ the State of Geneva^ or the States General^ as for the molt ablblute Monarchy in the World. The laffc of thele States, I thiak, fuffer not their Clergy to meddle with Affairs of Government, nor will there be any great Danger, as long as a Staff and pair of Shoes is all the Encouragement they muft expeft ; which leads me to the Second Propofition, that is to fay, when- ever thefe Gentlemen turn Politicians, they feldom fail of doing a world of Mifchicf. Solomon has long ago obfcrv'd, that every thing i:> beautiful in its Seafon^ it w m \ \y i %\ > I ^ [ 15] It may llkewife be faid, that every thing looks comely whilft moving in its pro- per Orb ; the Soldier appears well in Arms, the Lawyer at the Bar, the Mer- chant on the Exchange^ and the Minifter preaching the Gofpel of Chrift ; but if the Soldier fliould take a fancy to be a Lawyer, or tKe Merchant SolJler, or the Lawyer Stock-jobber, or the Parfon Statefman, the Pofitioa would be much altered for the worfe. I knew a Gentle- man who was fo whimfical in his Oeco. nomicks, that his Cook muft be fome- times Gardner, the Gardner Cook, the Plowman Butler, and the Butler Flow- man; and this Contrivance was, that his Servants might learn to turn their Hands to every thing ; but the Iflue was, the Mafter was undone, and the Servants were good for nothing. . I have, in great meafure, ahead y pre- vented myfelf making good this fecond Alfertion, having in fomp meafure fliewn tJie Conduf^ of our politick Clergy, du* ring the Reigns of fome of our former Kings, I could wifh there were no frefli Complaints againft them; brut before I enter on this Subjeft, I fhall lead you a htde m C i<5] [ 17 ] little on the other fide the Water, and take a fhort View of the Ecclefiaftical Folicy of fome other Countries. HENR T the Third of Frame was a Prince who had given fufRcient Proof of his being a Papift, having been ele6led King of Poland fome time before he came to the Crown of France ; but he had the misfortune not to be HIGH-CHURCH : As inconfiderable a Matter as you may take this to be. Sir, I can tell you it coft him his Life. PHI I I F'the Second of Spam^ a cruel^ haughty, ambitious Prince, terrible to his own Subjefts as well as Neighbours, was then threatning the World with univer* fal Monarchy. Tt happened that in the Reign of CHARLES t\\t Ninth, a weak Frince, and altogether govern'd by his Mother, a cunning haliar?^ the Fami- ly of thQG'VIS ES got to be chief Mi- nifters of State, the Queen-Mother think- ing it Policy to deprefs and keep under the Princes of the Blood ; but CHJRLES dying, and HfiA'jRrfucceeding, thought fit to remove the GVISESj finding them not only a haughty turbulent fort of Men, but i h but like wife to be intirely in the Intereft of the {;rand Monarch PHILIP the Se- cond. This Condua of HE/VRVs ala- rumM the Clergy to that degree {who for the moft part bare a Good- Will tO the univerfal Monarch that would be) that not only through the City of Pans, but throughout the whole Kingdom likcwife, nothing was heard from the Pulpit, but fatfe, malicious, fpightful Invedives a^ gainll the King and his Miniftrv. The late Mwipy were cryM up to the Skies for nothing elfe. but being' what they call HIGH-CHURCH ; for it did not appear they had done one good Atx for their Country , all the while they had been in play, unlefs the Maffacre of P^- ris muft be reckoned of that kind. The Dukeof Gi;/5£,where-ever he went, met with little lefs than Adoration, whilft the Kins, tho' he had given them all the affurance in the World for maintaining their Religion, was look'd on no better than a Hc^go^ot. But Matters did not end here, the Pul- pit-Drum beats to Arms: The Duke of GVISE^ with the difcarded Mmifirj, find- ins- no hopes of recovering their StatlOnS, ^ C enter Jk a i I I [ i8 ] ■ - enter into Confederacy with tlie gran J Monarch, who obhges himfelf to fupply them with Men and Money; the Pope likewife comes in and makes a Third, and ro fanftity this their Villainy, Chri- ftens it by the Name of the Holy League : Thus HIGH-CHURCH turns Rebel, and the King has much ado to cfcape being made Prilbner in Paris . It would be te- dioiis, Sir, to recite the many Farticulars of thefe Tranfai£tions ; you may read them at laige in the Fre»c/j Hiftories: In fliort, the Duke of GVISE comes to Bluis^ ancl as a Reward of all his Treafons, meets ■with a Fate not much to be pitied, tho' by no means to be juftified, fince the greateft Traytor may claim the Privilege ol a Legal Trial, and Condemnation. The Faaion, tho' they had loft their Head, perfeverein their Rebellion: The King brings his Army before Paris, and juft as he is at the point of taking the .Cicy,receivcs his Deaths Wound by a Stab Irom the Hand of a HIGH-CHURCH ECCLESIASTICK. Such was the Behaviour of Fremh HIGH-CHURCH during the Reign of It/ENRT; nor did liis Succeffor NENRT the K C- ibe Fourth meet with much better Guar- ter he likewife dying by the Hand of a Rulhan fuppofed to be an Inftrument ot the fame FaftioH. W^« affords us another fatal Inftance ^Church-Polttkks; TROLLE Arch- Biihop of Vpf^, by the help of his Suf- fragans, and others of the Clergy, raifes a ReyilOn againft his Prince >the P e- ^nce was that CHRISTIE RN the Second of Dcmurk had a better Right to the Crown grounded on the Treaty 5;/;/^% whicii gave him a fort of il ^efeafii^k T.tle ; tfieir Bufinefs was to perfwade the People, that they wou d never be u^l fettled until thi Heni S Ztt^'^t ^^^^ ^'^ fake Place. 11 ^,'^''°^^^.«^'^r from whom i Jna rt' S"'^"°"' Sives the follow, ing Charaaer of CHRISTIERN ^IZt "f '"^f .'y Sower, Fierce, and Untraaable ; h.s Courage proceeded rather from an ungovernable Fury than trom a magnanimous defire of Glory • and feemd only to make War that lie might ked Ins Eyes with the blood V nimfelf happy m a Kingdom where C 2 'i the U (4 4( [ ao ] ttie Sovereign Fower was reftrain'd by the Laws, and the Authority of the Senate. On the contrary, he lookM upon Sweden as a Country, where, by the Succefsof his Arms, and Right of Conqueft, he might one Day have the pleafure to Rule with a boundlefs and unbridPd Power j that he look'd upon the Liberty of his Subjefts as incon- fiftent with his Honour and Safety. He imaginM that his Authority was eflentialiy annex'd to the Dignity of his Charaflier, without any Dependence upon the Laws of the Kingdom, and that his Will was the only Rule and Standard of his Government. ' 'I nis was that hopeful Prince the Clergy were fo fond of; nor did he fail to anfwer the Expectations of the wifer fort; for, no fooner got he PoflefTion of the Crown of Sweden^ but he maflacred all the No- bility, and together with them fome of the Bifhops'that had invited him in, tho' he had but juft before Sworn up. on the Gofpeb, and the Rcliques of the Saints, that he would inviolably preferve and maintain the Laws, Privileges, and Cuftoms of the Nation. But, i 4. ii (C (4 the Body is fo far from growng ilronger, that 'tis weak- er and more feeble y and this will better appear if we confider, that free States have been of longer Duration, and have appearM more Formidable than any of the (-22 J tlic moit ablolute Monarchies, of which the Romar7 Common-wealth is a fuffici- eiii Iiiitancc, _ _ « I need not tell you, Sir, what our Kings of England have done in France^ fighting With free- born Subje£ts, and fupjported by free Parliaments; let any one but im- partially confider the State of Things at the Conclurioaoi the laft War, and I doubt not, but he will find we were in muchbcitcr condition to have carried it on, than thofe we contended with j wit- nefe the publick Credit, which was at the loweft: ebb with them, when it ap-. pcared with us in the moft flourifliing Condition : witnefs that Alacrity, with which Men have paid lo many Millions fince the Peace, (notwithftanding the publick Debt, as we have the Royal Word tor it, is encreasM) when they grevy' weary of a fucccfsful War ; all the World muft acknowledge, thisfliewsno lack of Treafure, whatever want there may be of Underftanding. And then as to the French King's em- ploying Ckrgy-men, T cannot but ob- fcrvc to you, tho' it be but a melancholly Con- \ C 23 ] Confideratlon, that whatever Honour the Abbot POLIGN AC may have got tve have the lefs Compliment to pay to another Ecclefiaftick, fince between two oppofite Parties, whatever the one gains, t!ic other mull necelTarily loofe. Befides, wlio knows but this Abbot may have fliot beyond his Mark ? Since properly fp^aking, no Peace can be called good, but what is like to be lafting, and no Feace can likely be iaftmg, but what is m fome mcafure good. After the fecond Pumck War, the Car- thagimms had accepted of fo difadvanta- gious a Peace, tliat 'twas impoflible it ihould long continue ; accordingly in a little time the War broke out again : 'Tis true^ the Fate of thi^ Wu prov'd llie diflblution of their State, but they would have been undone however, the Romans^ upon every occafion, putting them der fevere Conditions ; a juft Rec pence upon them for their vUe Ireat- ment of the viftorious Hannibal^ the MarU borough of thofe Days. I remem- CH] Ir€mcmher,'Slr,-to have read a Story of a conquered People, who ha\ i!ig rc- beird, and being again fubdu'd, and go- ing to beg Peace ot their Mailers, they were ask'd, what kind of Peace thejr could expeft after their !ate Ikhaviour, and how the Commonwealth couK! be alTur'cl ot- their good Deportment for the future ? One ot them fteps forth, and in the Name of the red, fpeaks to this ef- fe£l ; If you think Ht to grant us fuch Terms of Peace as may be fafe and com- tnodious, you may reft affur'd we fhall inviolably obferve them, but if not, you muft not expe^ we fliall long be quiet. This appear'd fo reafonable to the Ro^ mam, (who for the moft part were ge- neroiis Conquerors) that they granted them what they had defired. -And may noc the conquering Britom ex- pect as great a favour, from a Nation they have fo often vanquifh'd? Shall all the va- luable Bleffings of Life be cither torn from us, or in danger of being loll ? Shall Commerce, the Darling of our Ide, and on which fo many Thoufands and Ten Thoufands do fubfift, and on which the very ^. A C 25 ] Very landed Interefl: does fo much depend, be given away as not worth the having ? And fhall all the Riches of the World come into thofe Hands, whom hitherto we have found to be none of the beft Neighbours ? Shall a Harbour be made fo near our Coafl:,- as (unlefs prevented by Goa*s Providence) to be able to fend o- Ver Forty Thoufand Men in a Nights time, and fhall we dream of nothing but Security ? Shall the Proteft-ant Religion look more in Danger than ever by inte- ftinc Divifions, and the united Powers of Popery, and fliall we reft carelefs of what becomes of either Body or Soul ? What would our Forefathers fay, fhooM they come out of their Graves and behold fo flupid a Generation ^ T faw an Admiral once at the head of above a Hundred Sail of Ships, with a fair Wind and fmooth Sea, fleering the ready Courfe for Riches and Renown ; a Day or two after, I faw this very Alan caft dead on the Shoar, without fo much as a Shirt to cover his naked Body : A Man muft have been made of Flint not to be movM at fuch a Sight as this ; and flaall we fliew lefs concern at the Fate D of i [26] of our Country ; let us but confider what we v/ere fome tinn.e fince, and what we are at prefent : Once a Nation at the head of a Confederacy, able to bave gU ven Laws to all the World, muft now behold fome of her moft faithful Friends in the utraoft Mifery, without being able to help them ^ Nay, what is ftill worfe, to fee the Rod fhook over our own Heads, by thofe whom not long fmcc we could have trampled on, as the Mire m the Streets, and fhall be infenfible of fuch a Change as this? And not conftder, that tho' bad Men are made ufc of as Inftruments to bring about great Calamities, yet they could never have fucceeded without Di- vine PermifTion. Some, perhaps, may be fo fond to think that late Services may make Atonement for paft Incivilities, and oblige a certain Monarch to be more our Friend, than we are apt to believe he is : But alas 1 'tis much to be doubted this will prove meer delufion ; Injuries take deep Root, whilft * Fjor Catalans. good A t [ '^7 ] good Deeds fcarce penetrate the Surface, the one make a lafting Impreflion, the o- , ther are prefently forgot, and 'tis a thou- fand to one, but the Wounds Marlborough has given, will fomctimes fmart, not- wUhilanding all the Healing Medicines that have been apply'd. He who has once fet his Heart on U- nlverfal Monarchy, will come in time to think he has a Right to it, and will not , eafily forgive thofe who have kept him fo long out of poffeflion •, 'tis in vain to think to pacify fuch a one by fawning fubmiffion, nothing, 'tis to be fear'd wiii be thought a fufficicnt Refentment, but Utter Extirpation. But, Sir, amidft this gloomy Scene of Affairs, methinks I fpy fome glimmering Beams of Light ; Providence has brought a King to Reign over us, whom, if he pleafes, he can make our fecond Deli- verer •, methinks I fee him like Britain^ good Genius, countermining all the wick- ed Attempts that have been made. Me- thinks I fee a true Br/V//2> Parliament re- folv'd to take no reft till they have con- fulted fomething for their Country's fafc- D 2 ty ; Ife^ir li i* [ 28 ] ty ) w ho will be as indefatigable in tlieir Stations, as nis iVlaiefty has been in liis, whofe Days and Nights have been a coiir tinued Scene of Labour ever fince he came amongft us ; in rectifying what is amifs, in detefting the corruption of publick Offices, and doing all that in him lies to- wards the retrieving the Honour of this unhappy Nation. And fhall fuch an excellent Admini- ftration as this, be traduc'd by a ftt of JMca unworthy Holy Orders ? Shall they be ftill fufFer'd to poifon the Ears of the good People of the Land, who alas ! havebeen fo long abus'd, that they are incapable of diftinguifliing betwixt imaginary and real Pefigns ? Shall the mild Sentence pafs'd on one Criminal, make them conclude, that reviling the Miniftry, and Cfeakirig evil of Dignities^ is the ready Road to Preferment ? Shall they fly from one Ex- tream to another, from their beloved Doftrine of PaiTive-Obedience to that of Sedition, and not be thought worth the taking^ notice of? You beft know, Sir, Xvnat IS to be done ; but as you are the Confervators of the People's Liberties,you will doubtlefs have no lefs regard to the Royal K i 25? ] Royal Authority ; fince Government miifT: nece/Tarily fall to the Ground, uoiefs the Dignity of the one be maintain'd, as well as a due Coiicern be had for the other. I fhall no longer detain you, from tliofc important Affairs your Country have en- trufted you with ; and of which they expefl: a faithful account from you ; I have but one thing more to add, which, tho' It happens to be the laft, is none of the kaft : You know, Sir, the Cry of the Danger of the Church has been Often made ufe of by ill-defigning xMen , give me leave to tell you, "bir, this way of preaching will not only bring the Church in Danger, but even all Religion, as well natural as reveaPd ] for will not Men of corrupt Principles and Practices (of which the World is never deftitute) thus argue with themfelves ? We have heard (fay they) very devout Men (at leaft Men feeming fo) tells us from their Pulpits, that an unlimited Obedience ought to be paid to Princes, or elfe to be Paffive ro Death ; that we can refift under no lefs I y I* penalty than eternal Damnation. We have heard like wife Men of the fame €ha- ^ raster fpeak all manner of EviJ of thofe in ] N ■i' c 1 op J in Authority ; we have heard them re- vile Government, endeavouring all that in them lay (faving themfelves harmlefs) towards fomenting Tumults and ftnring up Seditions •, one while they tell us, wc rnuft obey without refervc, at another time, that the Laws of the Realm are the meafure of our Obedience : And will they not from thence conclude, cither thefe Gentlemen are very inconfiftent with themfelves, or elfe they do not care liOW they abufe their Hearers ? And will rot this prove the ready way to introduce Scepcifm, Delfm, Athelfm, Free-think- ing, and whatever elfe may be deftruaive to true Religion ? Once more, and I have done : If thofe who are fent to preach the Gofpcl of reace, fliall, inftead thereof, teach Men to revile and hate another, nOt Only thOie who are of different ways of Worfhip, but fuch as are of the fame Communion, fiOiTi that idle and fcnfelefs Notion of i-h'h and Lo^-Cburch, .adiftindion with- X>ut difference, firft fet on foot in this Nation by that Ud Man, whofe future Conduft can never make Atonement for his paft Behaviour : What will the iffue of .r" I ■i ^ i. « ) [31 ] of all this be but eternal Difcord, and the rendring us an eafy prey to the common Enemy ^ But 'tis time to conclude ; if then in the firft firft place, you have that juft Concern for the Honour of God and Re- ligion ; if you have that due regard to his prefent Majefty and hi. Royal Fami- ly (who may be faid to be the Bieath of our Noftrils, and on whom, under God, our very Beings do depend ;) IF yOU hlVt that refpeft to our prefent Safety, our future Fehcity, and your own Foftcnty, all which we doubt not but you have • we make no queftion but you will lay hold on the opportunitj^ which is now put into your Hands, of redrefling the Grievances we labour under, and doing Juftice to a deluded injured People. God be thanked ! Things do not look altogether fo difmal as they did fome time fince • we may now affert the Hdncyer Risht, without bringing ourfelves into Danger ; and when-ever the Pretender fhall land on any part of hisMajefty'sDo- minions, I prefume, we may take him cither alive or dead; without impeaching the .v» 'e [ 32 ] tlie Law of Nature or the Law of Nati ons. Let no Man's Heart fail him, w have a good Caufe : What, tho' there be Enemies who wait only an opportu- nicy to do Mifchief, and bring .us into Confufion ; I doubt not but there are Thoiifands and Ten Thoulands of faiih* ful Brnons^ that arc ready to repair to the Royal Standard when-ever it fliall be difpla) d, and will part with the laft dt op of their Blood, in defence of the preiliit Edablinimenr. And tho' Affairs look melancholy enough Abroad, there h ftilJ an over-rulingf rovidence that may difpofe aU Things ror the befl, if we are not wanting to ourfelves ; ana that all your worthy Undertakings may be crown- ed With Succefs, (hall be the conftant Prayer of SIR, &c. -\ COLUMBIA U 0032194480 ERS TY M'*.^. ^r=3»^ 'Wh ^%^;: ^^ »■'• -Via pmWm r . • V ' iw iXr.Xi