ENGLANDS Faiths Defender VINDICATED, &c.
OUt of that meaſure of light the Lord hath been pleaſed to afford me in theſe gloomy, and dayes of diſmal darkneſs, I think my ſelf bound both in Conſcience and Duty as a Subject, and as a Chriſtian, to witneſs againſt ſuch Diabolical devices as may be ſcattered abroad to the diſhonor of God, our poor exiled innocent long-ſuffering Prince, and of Chriſtian Religion it ſelf, that the devices of the Devil may not alwayes be ſeducively prevalent, but that the miſled people may have ſome light to clear them of damnable doubts; As now of the falſity of the enſuing, which without doubt in its coming forth in ſuch damnable colours, hath much terrified the Souls and tender Conſciences of many of Gods people. I therefore have taken upon me this enſuing, to Vindicate that true and fundamentally grounded-Proteſtant, and Defender of the Faith and Church of England, CHARLES the Second, King of England, Scotland, France and Ireland, &c.
Give me leave then, and I hope without offence I may anſwer for the abſent; if not, Ile preſume: for it cuts my very Soul to hear ſuch notorious Scandals caſt upon that moſt innocent Prince, which would paſs for currant, ſhould none riſe up to reprove the backbiters: But let them hear what the Apoſtle ſaith, 1 Pet. 2.1. Wherefore laying aſide all maliciouſneſs, and all guile, and all diſsimulation, and envy, and all Evil speaking. Then, now that the men of the Times, who under pretence of Holineſs, Zeal and Religion, have ſubverted this late glorious Church and State, and brought it to nothing, but a ruined4 heap of innumerable Calamities. Now that God in ſome meaſure hath opened the eyes of the people to diſcern their wicked deteſtable, infernal, and out of meaſure ſinful actings; now that they ſee their Plots diſcovered, and that they fear ſome dolefull Ca aſtrophe to Crown their perniciouſly publick deſtructive Labours; the Counſels now on foot portending an unlucky Omen towards them, they have gone to conſult with their Maſter, who hitherto hath ſtill backt them on to all their damnable Deſigns, who now ſeeing there is no probability left in them to advance his Kingdom here, hath forſaken them, to run for a ſpace at their chains length, upon that Stage wherein they have Acted with a Devilliſh Plaudite ſo many direful Tragedies, that they may receive the ſhame and deriſion of the Multitude, until ſuch time as the hand of an earthly Executioner ſhall recommend them to the Stygian Charon (according to the Poets.)
Seeing thus he hath cancelled their Commiſsions, and denied them his aſsiſtance, they call a Grand Convention, to ſee what they can doe, and hope by the ſtrength of their own Arguments, that they ſhall dive out of the Hell of Hells within them, to remount the Saddle which of late hath given them ſo ſcurvy a turn on the dirt; and nothing is ſo conducent to the affair in this extremity, but to give out this:
What, are the People poſſeſſed with ſome Infernal, that they will readmit of that Religion, which at the price of ſo much Blood, Treaſure, and other perillous hazards, hath been expunged this Commonwealth? Know they not the blindneſs and ignorance of the Papiſts, and that it is a ſure way to Perdition? and will they make that Apoſtate, great Papiſt grown, Charles Stuart, their King? Surely the Lord hath left them, and given them up to a ſtate of Reprobation. Well, we will waſh our hands, and the guilt of their Souls be upon their own heads.
Thus vent they their damnable Forgeries, which bear no other impreſſion, than that of Hell: But God will confound their helliſh inventions, and bring to light their works of darkneſs. God revealeth the hidden works of darkneſs, and bringeth to light the counſels of the wicked. What (ſaith the Pſalmiſt) doth the wicked man do? behold, he travelleth with iniquity, and hath conceived miſchief, and brought forth falſhood, &c. Pſal. 7.14, 15, 16. And 1 Cor. 1.19. The wiſdom of this world is fooliſhneſs with God, for it is written, He catcheth the wiſe in their own craftineſs.
Dear Friends, Examine your ſelves, and your own Conſciences will5 tell you, that the wiſdom of theſe Hyyocrites is a lie, and their hopes ſhall periſh. Reaſon with your ſelves my following Arguments which I ſhall preſently lay down, and I am confident you will ſigne them as a confirmation to your troubled Souls, That he is no other than a true Proteſtant according to the Church of England; and I preſume, if occaſion ſhould require, he would expoſe himſelf to the Martyring Stake, for the Defence of the true Proteſtant Religion, and Church of England, and therefore deſerves the Title of his Predeceſſors, Defender of the Faith.
I could offer many Arguments; though I queſtion not but theſe two which I ſhall here inſert, will be ſufficient proof to clear the point: And becauſe I am loth to preſume too much upon your patience, I thus lay down my firſt Argument, to prove that Charles the Second, King of England, &c. is a true Proteſtant; viz. That notwithſtanding his being born a Prince to all the Dignities and Honours of the Crowns and Scepters that his Predeceſſors have ſwayed; His being Baniſhed from all theſe, and all the Pleaſures and Delights of fruitful England, of which he had had ſome ſmall ſmach before his perpetual determined Exile; That he ſhould be forc'd to fly for Refuge to Strangers, hurried and toſſed, upon the reſtleſs wheel of Fortune, from one place to another, out of one perillous danger into another, nothing but fears and dangers encompaſsing him on every ſide; Notwithſtanding his Eleven years baniſhed reſidence to light amongſt the chiefeſt Upholders of Popery; and on the other ſide, ballancing with theſe the large Promiſes have been made to him by moſt Poliſh Potentates (the Pope himſelf) for eſtabliſhment of him in his Throne and Dignity, provided he would renounce his Religion, and imbrace Popery, weighing his Adverſity and Proſperity together: And notwithſtanding all theſe things, that yet he ſhould ſtand firm and immoveable to his firſt Principles, denotes his undoubted Reſolution to live and die for the Church and Proteſtants of England, and the great grace and mercy of God to be working in him, who ſurely hath reſerved him for ſome great and glorious Work. This as a Preamble. Now take the ſum of this Argument; to wit, his following Declaration in the midſt of thoſe (though quite different in the Principles of Religion) from whom he receives his ſubſiſtance; and that to Cardinal Mazarine, a great Inſtigator of the Papiſtical Intereſt, who comes to the King, and and after a dolorous ſtating of the Kings moſt ſad and deplorable exiled6 condition, tells him what friends and means he would procure him in order to his ſettlement, if he would but imbrace the pure Religion of the Papiſts, and renounce the Hereſies of England: And withall, after his eſtabliſhment, but tolerate the Papiſts freely to exerciſe within his Dominions, and that he would ſuſpend the Penal Statutes and Acts of Parliament made againſt them. But mark how the King declares himſelf in anſwer to this ſubtile Temptation, which completes my firſt Argument, That Charles the Second King of England, &c. is a true Proteſtant of the Faith of the Church of England.
Sir, I thank you for your affections and love towards me; but your demands are unreaſonable, as againſt my Conſcience, and thoſe Principles of Chriſtian Religion in which (in the Church of England) I have been trained up: Then how can I do that thing, and ſin againſt the Lord? it is better to ſuffer than to ſin; and I am fully reſolved, rather than ſo to die a Martyr in defence of the Church of England. And beſides, admit I ſhould renounce; ſuch things as in the latter part you requeſt, lye not in my power to give you ſatisfaction in: for ſuch Laws as are made and confirmed by a Parliament (according to the Conſtitution of our Government) no King of England can abrogate; and if my reſtauration can be accompliſhed by none but ſuch an unlawful and unconſcionable way, I do here determine to wait with patience upon God in a perpetual Exile, who if he ſhall not ſee an earthly Crown meet for me, I hope will make me able to ſay, I have fought a good fight, I have finiſhed my courſe, I have kept the faith: henceforth is laid up for me a Crown of Righteouſneſs, &c.
My ſecond Argument is. That ſeeing their ſubtilty could have no prevalency over his ſpirit, or their temptations draw him from the Truth, to embrace their blinde and moſt damnable Errors, they at laſt contrive to force him to ſome ſolemn Proteſtation of that nature by violence, but all had the like operation, in that finding the bottom of their devices, he rather choſe to abandon their Protection, and commit himſelf to the wide world, without any certain place of reception or refuge to fly to, than to hazard his precious Soul, diſhonor God, and ſtigmatize his Progenitors and Royal Predeceſſors, with ſo great a mark of Ignominy, as by ſubmitting to the unlawful, ſubtile and forcible demands of thoſe wicked Papiſts he ſhould. His late eſcape, or at leaſt ſome ſhew of an eſcape, from his Court at Bruxels, doth clearly manifeſt and make good this ſecond Argument, That King Charles is a true Proteſtant of the Church of England.
7Theſe, I hope, will ſtop the mouthes of the ſlanderers, for their further venting abroad any more ſuch damnable falſities; at leaſt, ground all good people from any further belief of them, if they ſhall dare preſume to ſcatter abroad any more of the like nature.
Thus having uttered my knowledge and Conſcience, I hope you will excuſe what I have ſaid amiſs, and ponder this thing, that is of ſuch great Concernment, in your hearts.
To conclude in a word: Do not all good people deſire peace and ſettlement in this turmoiled Church, and ſhipwrackt State? Know ye not the way to peace? and that a Kingdom divided againſt it ſelf cannot ſtand? then how do you think to live in peace, whilſt we thus labour againſt the ſtream? What Government are we founded upon? know you not? What has our forefathers been alwayes ſubject unto? what was the Government they have alwayes found ſuch peaceable living under? hath not 300 Kings and more ſwayed the Engliſh Scepter, and are we grown more wiſe than all paſt generations? Doth not the very word of God manifeſt againſt us, Prov. 24.21. My Son, fear God and the King, and meddle not with them which are given unto Changes: v. 22. For their deſtruction ſhall riſe ſuddenly, and who knoweth the ruine of them both? Prov. 28.2. For the tranſgreſsions of the Land, many are the Princes thereof: but by a man of underſtanding and knowledge, a Realm likewiſe endureth long. Ballance the Miſeries and Calamities have been predominant over you theſe 11 years, in expectation of this Utopian Commonwealth, with the Peace and flouriſhing eſtate you have lived under, when Monarchy was your Soveraign, and then you will be able to diſtnguiſh the light from darkneſs; then will you cry no more, Crucifie him, Crucifie him, but, Lord, return us our Judges as at the firſt, and our Rulers and Counſellors as in the beginning. Doth not Nature teach you, that Monarchy runs in Engliſh veins; and you ſee what Diſeaſes have fallen upon you, by the Corruption which you have wrought in your blood? Ought ye not to follow the example of God in all things, for hath not he made you in his own likeneſs? he is the Lord of lords, and King of kings, a God bleſſed for evermore. He hath granted a Monarchical Power and Commiſsion to King Jeſus: Nay, (according to the obſervation of Naturaliſts) the very Bruits and ſenſeleſs Animals, both Walking, Creeping, Swimming and Flying, do govern to our ſhame: And Cuſtom, (a ſecond Nature) pleads a Monarchical Prerogative in this Nation, prohibiting the introduction of any8 ſtrange and new found Government. And laſtly, our Laws are modellized ſo aptly for ſuch a Conſtitution, that the very Lawyers themſelves confeſs and acknowledge, they cannot in their natural preſidential property comply with any other. 〈…〉ſeeing it is thuſ, and that at laſt you grant Monarchy the beſt (which I dare preſume none can deny, but ſuch as have feathered themſelves out of the Nations Ruines, and that not out of Conſcience, but wilful obſtinacy, thinking thereby to ſave their eſtates unlawfully accrewing unto them) ſeeing, I ſay, you have ſome ſpacks of Loyalty yet left to tend that way, ye know that our Government is not Efective but ſucceſsive: Then why thus long ſtand ye gazing on the tedious Exile of you long ſuffering, vertuous, and moſt noble King, the lawful Succeſſor to the Crown of England? Why are ye not preparing for the day of his Coronation? Surely it will be performed in ſuch magnificent manner, as never yet was performed at the Inauguration of any Engliſh Prince. For that ye have had 11 years to make proparations therein: But oh, I fear ye can give but a Tragical accompt, therefore up and be doing, for I aſſure you it is high time: How often has your King knocked at your doors, but ye would not open? How long has his patience waited to enter in, but ye would not receive him with the Laurel branch in his hand? What is it you alledge againſt Charles the Second to be your King? he is an Engliſh Prince, he is Patient, he is Wiſe, he is Vertuous, he is Merciful, he is an Underſtanding Prince, he is Religious, he is Zealous, he is a true Proteſtant: Finally, he is all in all that a good King ſhould be; Ergo, as fit to ſway the Engliſh Scepter, as ever any one that hath ſate upon the Throne before him. If you delight not to ſee the Glory and Honour of God rent in pieces, his Church defloured, his Vineyard trampled down, the Food of your Souls profaned; if you delight not in Blood, and Ruines of Blood, Fire, Famine, Death, continual VVars, and rumours of VVars, Oppreſsions, continual Fea s, the Cries and Shrikes of your Wives and Children, the Ruines of your Houſes, the Deſtruction of your Eſtates, the Hiſsing of all Nations, the Decay of Trading, the VVant of Bread to ſuſtain your ſelves, the ſum of all that ever Horror and Diſſolution can introduce into any Nation: But on the other ſide, if you reſpect the Glory and Honour of God, the Encreaſe of his Church, the Eſtabliſhing of the Kingdom of Chriſt in the uttermoſt Corners of the Earth, the Salvation of your own Souls in the Day of the Lord, the Good of your Selves, VVives and Children, the Abundance of all Temporal Mercies and Bleſsings, the Fulneſs of Trade, and Encreaſe of Traffics, to become the Terror (as formerly) of all the Nations round about ye; Then Call Home your King from Exile, and Eſtabliſh Him on the Royal Throne, that he may Judge the People in Mercy, Righteouſneſs and Truth. Then ſhall all People with Joy and Gladneſs, with Cheerfulneſs of ſpirit lift up themſelves, and cry, Long live the King, and let Him Rule His People unto