[1]THE DANGER OF THE Proteſtant Religion, FROM THE Preſent Proſpect of a Religious War in EUROPE.

UPON the Preſent ſtrange Circumſtances of Affairs in Europe, Occaſion'd by the Succeſſion of a Prince of France to the Crown of Spain, People are mightily concern'd, as their ſeveral Thoughts and Intereſts guide them.

Some, and reaſon good, apprehend England eſpeci⯑ally will come under many Diſadvantages with reſpect to Trade, both in the Straights and in America, where the French will always have Aſſiſtance from the Spaniſh Power to encroach upon Our Trade, have the Preference in their Ports and Markets; and ſeveral other things which I cou'd enlarge on as well as another.

[2] Some apprehend the Growth of the French Power at Sea, his Dangerous Neighbourhood, and his En⯑croaching Humour; which they give melancholy In⯑ſtances of in all the late Wars, Particularly in 1672; which 'tis needleſs here to repeat.

But I do not yet find any Concern expreſs'd, or any Danger fear'd for the Proteſtant Religion: Methinks 'tis too certain a Token the Care of it does not lye next our hearts.

We are allarm'd at every ſtep made by our Power⯑ful Neighbours, to the Detriment of our Politick In⯑tereſt: We can ſee Dangers to our Trade and Ship⯑ping at the Diſtance of an Age or two; form Leagues, whether right or wrong; commence Treaties, ſettle Alliances, and join in Confederacies and Guarranties, for the Preſervation of the Ballance of Power and Trade.

But ſince Anſwering of Queſtions is become the Sub⯑ject, and ſome are pleas'd to Anſwer them before they are ask'd, give a poor Pamphleteer (or Scribler, or any thing what you pleaſe to call him) leave to ask one Queſtion:

The Concern of Religion is not the meaneſt Article in the Peace of Europe.

I am not going to preach a Lecture of Divinity, to ſhow the Value of Religion, and how near the Thoughts of it ought to lye upon our Minds; I wou'd have ſo much Charity, as to believe every Engliſh Proteſtant has a juſt Concern for the Proſperity, as well as the Secu⯑rity of his Religion.

[3] But poſſibly every Man that does value his Religion, may not be ſenſible of the Danger it is in; and there⯑fore it may not be amiſs to examine the State of the Proteſtant Religion, as it now ſtands in Europe; with reſpect to its own Power, and the Power of its Ene⯑mies.

In order to which Scrutiny, 'tis neceſſary to go back a little to the Original of the preſent Settlement on which we ſtand.

The Proteſtant Religion has been profeſs'd in almoſt all the Dominions of Europe, Spain and Italy excepted, and in moſt of thoſe Countries where it has obtain'd on the Inhabitants, it has been Eſtabliſh'd by Leagues and Treaties; which Eſtabliſhments have generally been the Effect of bloody Wars; the Liberty the Proteſtants enjoy, has, next to God's Goodneſs, been the Purchaſe of the Sword, at the Price of the Blood and Treaſure of the People.

For the better underſtanding the preſent Condition of the Proteſtants in Europe, I ſhall Divide them into ſeveral Heads of Nations, and Diſcourſe of them apart, bringing their ſhort Hiſtory down to the preſent Time.

Firſt, the Princes of Germany: I place them firſt, becauſe they were the firſt that ſtood up for the Defence of Religion; the Chief of theſe are the Kings of Swe⯑den and Denmark, the Dukes of Brandenburgh, Saxony, and Lunenburgh, Hanover, Heſs Caſſel, Zell, with a Multitude of ſmaller Princes, States, and Cities.

Theſe maintain'd a long and bloody War with the Emperor Charles the Fifth, who reduc'd them to low Circumſtances; but by the Aſſiſtance of Henry the Se⯑cond, King of France, their Religion receiv'd the firſt Security by Treaty at the Peace of Paſſau, in the Year 1525, and was afterwards Eſtabliſh'd at the Diet, at [4] Augsburgh Anno 1555. But in the Year 1618, the War was renew'd again by the Emperor Ferdinand the Se⯑cond, who by the hand of his Old General Tilly brought the whole Proteſtant Intereſt in Germany to the Brink of Ruin.

The Bohemians were ruin'd at the Battel of Prague; the Palatinate given to the Duke of Bavaria; the Circle of the Lower Saxony over-run by Tilly; and the King of Denmark, who headed the Proteſtants, overthrown at the Battel of Kings-Lutter; the Dukes of Mecklenburgh, Po⯑meren, Biſhopricks of Bremen and Halberſtadt; the Countries of Sleſia, Luſatia, and innumerable others ſeized, and in the Emperor's poſſeſſion, and the Victo⯑rious Tilly trampled down Religion, with the Fury of a True Son of Rome.

The Proteſtants in this Diſtreſs, as we did lately here in a like Caſe, fly to a Neighbouring Prince for Pro⯑tection. Guſtavus Adolphus, King of Sweden, a King who perhaps never had a Parallel till now, came to their Aſſiſtance with only Twelve thouſand Men; he Land⯑ed at Straelſundt; took all the Dutchies of Pomeren and Mecklenburgh; ſecur'd the Duke of Brandenburgh's Coun⯑try, and enters Saxony juſt as Tilly had reſolv'd to ruin it: Tilly meets him with an Army of Forty-four Thou⯑ſand Old Soldiers, is overthrown, and his Troops en⯑tirely ruin'd at the Battel of Leipſick.—God, whoſe Inſtrument this Gallant King more particularly was, carried him on with ſuch a Prodigious Courſe of Victory, that in Two years he over-run two Third parts of the Empire; ſettled all the Proteſtant Princes free and uninterrupted in the Poſſeſſion of their Liberties and Religion.

And though he loſt his Life at the famous Battel of Lutzen, though his Party was afterwards baſely forſaken by the Duke of Saxony, who had been twice ſav'd from [5] ruin by them; though the Swedes were routed at the Battel of Nordlingen, yet they carried the War on with ſucceſs, 'till they reduc'd the Emperor to demand a Peace, in which the Liberty and Religion of Germany was en⯑tirely ſetled on the Foot whereon it now ſtands. This is that famous Treaty of Weſtphalia, made in the Year 1648. and which the Proteſtants of the Palatinate now complain is broken; by this Peace care was taken, as it ſhould be in all Leagues, of Religion firſt, and of Pro⯑perty afterward; the Liberty of the Proteſtant Religi⯑on in Germany has its being here, and the King of France and Sweden are Guarrantees of the Treaty.

The next general Clauſe of Proteſtants in my account ſhall be the Hugonots of France; theſe had long ſtruggled with faithleſs Kings, had vigorouſly ſupported them⯑ſelves in Eight Civil Wars, under the conduct of Gaſ⯑par Coligni Admiral of France, two Princes of Condè, and the King of Navar.

The little Honour the Papiſts ſhew'd them in their Treaties, and the many Surprizes and Maſſacres they met with when under the protection of the Publick Faith, kept the Sword always in their hand, till at laſt a Breach between Hen. the III. and the Houſe of Guiſe, forced that Prince, though he had uſed them very ill before, to throw himſelf into their Hands for protection, but being ſtabb'd by James Clement a Jacobine Fryar, he fell a Sacrifice to the fury of the Guiſes, and the Crown devolv'd to the King of Navar, Henry the IV. the Head of the Proteſtants; which King, though he chang'd his Religion to ſecure the Crown, yet ſo far he took care of the Proteſtant Intereſt, as to ſecure them in the free exerciſe of their Religion by the famous Edict of Nants; which how it has been obſerv'd you ſhall hear pre⯑ſently.

[6] The Dutch are the next in courſe. Theſe being Subjects of the King of Spain, but having embrac'd the Proteſtant Religion, were moſt cruelly treated by the ſeveral Gover⯑nors ſent from the Court of Madrid; and as Oppreſſion is the firſt Motive to Complaint, they made their frequent Application to the King of Spain for redreſs of their Grie⯑vances, who anſwer'd them as Rehoboam did the Iſ⯑raelites; and to make his Words good, ſent them Fer⯑dinand de Toledo Duke D' Alva, for their Governor; who boaſted that he had Executed Eighteen thouſand of them by the hand of the Hangman: Which bloody Proceed⯑ing, together with the Approach of the Spaniſh Inquiſi⯑tion, which he was reſolv'd to introduce drove the Peo⯑ple to the laſt Extremity, viz. To uſe Force in the De⯑fence of their Natural Rights, Lives and Religion: A Doctrine, which however it may be cried down by our Modern Politicians, has obtain'd upon the whole World, and been more or leſs practiſed by all Nations at one time or other.

This War begun by the Prince of Orange, the famous Predeceſſor of our preſent King, was carried on with various ſucceſs; and the Union of the Seven Provinces, which we now call the States of Holland, was form'd head⯑ed and protected by him, 'till he was murther'd by Bal⯑thazar Gerrard, at the procurement of the Spaniards, being ſhot with two Bullets through the Body, as he was going from Dinner into a Withdrawing Room in his Palace at Delft.

His Succeſſor Prince Maurice carried on the War with better ſucceſs for almoſt Forty Years, and at laſt reduced the Spaniſh Power ſo low, that they rather ſued for Peace than granted it; which Peace was the known Treaty of Munſter; at which the Spaniard renounc'd the Sovereign⯑ty of the United Provinces, and declar'd them a Free State as they are this day.

[7] England, Scotland, and Ireland is another Claſs: The Reformation obtain'd here with leſs difficulty, and has continued from the beginning of Queen Elizabeth, without ſuch Oppoſition and Interruption as it met with abroad.

Let us now conſider theſe Four Claſſes, under One General Head of Confederacy, as they were engaged in the late War, and we ſhall preſently put the whole in the general Ballance, by which the meaneſt Underſtanding may make a judgment what is like to be the Condition of the Proteſtant Intereſt in Europe.

Almoſt all the Proteſtants of Europe, the Two Nor⯑thern Crowns who ſtood newter excepted, were unani⯑mouſly confederated in the laſt War againſt the Power of France; and though the Emperor and Spaniard, guided by Reaſons of State, join'd with them, 'tis plain to all the World what difficulty the Confederates had, what Blood, what Treaſure was expended to reduce the French to the Terms of an Honourable Peace.

If we re examine the Preſent State of Europe, we ſhall find it, as to the Intereſt of Religion, in worſe Circumſtances on ſeveral Accounts, than it ever yet was ſince the Treaties of Munſter and Weſtphalia.

Firſt, The Saxon, one of the moſt Conſiderable Princes of Germany, and formerly the great Barrier of the Proteſtant Religion on that ſide, is to be counted loſt, their Duke turn'd Papiſt to get a Crown hardly worth keeping; a cloſe Confederate with the Emperor, and dependant upon him for his ſupport in his new gotten Kingdom.

The Electorate, though it remains Proteſtant, is beg⯑gar'd and exhauſted to maintain their Prince in his New Throne; their Forces abſent, and which is worſe, al⯑ready employ'd in an Unjuſt and Diſhonourable War with a Proteſtant Prince, in defiance of Leagues unbro⯑ken, [8] and begun on frivolous pitiful Pretences, and like to be carried on to the ruin of its Author.

The Palatinate, another Proteſtant Electorate, by the Succeſſion of the Houſe of Newburgh is fallen into the hands of the Papiſts, and now in the Power of a Prince, who in confidence of a ſupport from the Emperor his Brother in Law, is making the firſt open Infractions into the Treaty of Weſtphalia, and perſecutes his Prote⯑ſtant Subjects with all the rigor and cruelty of a Bigot⯑ted Prince, who thinks he thereby does God good ſer⯑vice, and expects to be well paid for it.

The Proteſtants of Bohemia and Hungary are both remote, and both abſolutely cruſh'd under the weight of the Imperial Rigor.

The Proteſtants of France, who I rank'd in the ſecond Claſs, and were once a powerful Branch, are quite loſt, ſunk and gone; either ſuppreſt and driven to Popery at home, in defiance of the Edict of Nants; or like the Ten Tribes of Iſrael, ſcatter'd abroad into ſo many unknown Countreys, that they have loſt them⯑ſelves, and in one Age more will be quite ſunk out of Name and Memory.

England was at the brink of Ruin, and the Founda⯑tion of the Proteſtant Religion ſtood abſolutely under⯑min'd, the Devil like Guy Fauks in the Gunpowder-Polt ſtanding with the Dark Lanthorn and Match in his hand, till the people took ſuch a Fright, as put the Na⯑tion into Fits, of which they could never be cur'd till they had ſpewed out that Generation of Vipers that would have betrayed their Religion to the Pope, and their Country to the French.

God and the Prince of Orange, the one as Author, the other as Inſtrument, help'd us out; and I ſay without flattery, No Man can have a ſenſe of the Goodneſs of the Firſt, and have no Gratitude for the Good-will of [9] the Laſt: And 'tis a juſt Cauſe of Wonder to con⯑ſider what ſort of Proteſtants they are, who have forgot the condition the Proteſtant Religion was in at the firſt coming over of our preſent King; and I would be glad to hear a Jacobite Proteſtant, if ſuch a Heterogeneous thing can be, anſwer me this Queſtion,

How any Engliſh Proteſtant, without mortgaging his Sen⯑ſes and Religion, can ſo much as wiſh either that King James ſhould have continued King, or ſhould return to be King in the ſame Temper, Power, and other Cir⯑cumſtances as he was in when his Preſent Majeſty was invited over?

Thus we ſee ſeveral conſiderable Branches of the Pro⯑teſtant Power quite Loſt.

The Swede, who is one of the moſt Potent Princes in Europe, in the part of the World where he is particular⯑ly uſeful, we find his hands full with two faithleſs Neighbours, and the flame of a War broke out, which if he be not timely aſſiſted, may burn him out of Ger⯑many.

He is a young King, though by what appears, likely to come behind none of his moſt Glorious Ance⯑ſtors; and we have ſeen one Snare laid for him already, which if the Engliſh and Dutch had not untied, would have entangl'd him ſufficiently; however, as he is, there can but ſmall help be obtain'd from him, for the general ſafety of the Proteſtant Religion, who is now ſuing at the Courts of his Allies for Aid againſt the Pole and the Muſcovite.

It were to be wiſh'd the Proteſtants of England would agree to give ſuch ſpeedy and powerful aſſiſtance to the Swede in this juncture, as may effectually free him from both his Aſſailants, and put him into a poſture to enter into a general Alliance for the defence of Religion, if there ſhould be occaſion.

[10] There are ſome other Circumſtances which weaken the Proteſtant Intereſt; and that is the Temper of the Danes, whoſe King ſeems diſobliged in the higheſt man⯑ner againſt the Engliſh, Dutch, and Swedes; and ſome have ſaid, how true I do not determine, not very zealous for the Proteſtant Religion—At leaſt, no great mat⯑ters are to be relied on from him, in caſe ſuch a War ſhould break out, unleſs you will ſuppoſe him to be firſt thoroughly reconciled to thoſe three foremention'd Powers.

Whether the Buſineſs of making the Elector of Bran⯑denburgh King of Pruſſia, and the Duke of Hannover E⯑lector of Brunſwick, may not cool the Zeal of thoſe Prin⯑ces, in favour of the Emperor, I ſhall not deter⯑mine

Upon the whole it appears, that the whole ſtrength of the Proteſtant Power in Europe, lies now upon the Engliſh and Dutch, and the German Princes in the Circles of Suabia, and the Lower Saxony.

I ſhall next examine the growth and power of Popery, which plac'd in a juſt Balance with the reſt, will need but a ſhort Inference to ſhew any rational man the diſ⯑proportion of power that lies between them.

The Popiſh Powers of Europe are as follow.

The French; a whole and entire Monarchy, undivided at home, and free from the incumbrance of Proteſtants among them, who had ſeveral times in former Wars ei⯑ther byas'd their Power in favour of the Proteſtants, as in the Reign of Henry the II. or diverted their Deſigns by Civil Wars at home, as in the days of Lewis the XIII. But the preſent King of France having not broken the Edict of Nants only, but aboliſhed it, has entirely broke the Body of the Hugonot Party, and rooted the very name of it out of his Kingdom; ſo that the French Power be⯑ing [11] altogether Popiſh, and united under the greateſt King France ever ſaw, may juſtly ſtand foremoſt as the Firſt Champion of Popery in Europe.

I ſhall not enlarge here on the formidable Power of France, how he has ſhown himſelf a Match for the grea⯑teſt part of Europe; nor upon the zeal and fiery rage of the French King againſt the Proteſtant Religion; they are things ſo known in Europe, that it is needleſs to add any thing to our Apprehenſions that way. Let the French Proteſtants, who are ſcatter'd over the face of all Chri⯑ſtendom, be a daily Memorandum to us on that Head.

The Emperor, though he be the firſt Prince in Europe, I place next to the French, becauſe I think him ſome⯑thing inferior in power to France, at this time eſpecially, in the Circumſtances we now are treating of, disjointed from the Proteſtant part of the Empire.

By the Emperor here we are to underſtand the Empe⯑ror and the Popiſh part of the Empire, which may thus be enumerated.

The Emperor, the King of Hungary, and Bo⯑hemia, the Elector Duke of Bavaria, a warlike and powerful Prince, and always a Champion of Popery; the Elector Palatine, the Electors of Ments, Trier and Cologn, with the Biſhop of Munſter, and ſome ſmaller Popiſh Prin⯑ces of the Empire.

The Third Head of Power on the Popiſh ſide is the Spaniard, under which Name I comprehend all the Prin⯑ces and Powers of Italy, with the Pope the Grand Image of Antichriſt, the Duke of Savoy, the King of Portugal, and the Provinces of Flanders.

I have purpoſely omitted here the Swiſs and Griſons, becauſe being ſome Popiſh, ſome Proteſtant, and lying out of the way, they can neither add nor diminiſh in the caſe in hand, but will be hired on both ſides, as the Par⯑ties [12] find occaſion for them, or can ſpare Money to pay for them.

It might ſeem needleſs to make any Remarks here on the Powers on one ſide and the other; thoſe who are ac⯑quainted but in a tolerable meaſure with the preſent State of Europe, muſt be convinc'd of this juſt conſe⯑quence, That there is no manner of Compariſon to be made.

But ſince our Saviour directs thoſe who go out to War, to conſider whatever they are able with their Ten Thou⯑ſand to encounter the Twenty Thouſands of their Ene⯑mies, let us recollect the Debate, and conſider the caſe, if it were now coming to a War.

I'll allow that the Proteſtants on every ſide were firm⯑ly leagu'd together by their own Intereſt for their gene⯑ral preſervation; and that all private Diviſions, petty Diſputes and Quarrels among themſelves were at leaſt laid aſide for the preſent, till the Common Danger was over; which if it be not true, I wiſh it were.

I muſt ſuppoſe alſo that which I think there is too much reaſon to fear, that the Popiſh Powers before men⯑tioned, whether ally'd or no, ſhould join in a Common Deſign to ſuppreſs their Proteſtant Neighbours; and whether jointly or ſeparately it matters not much, ſhould fall upon thoſe which lay next them.

Having rang'd the Powers of either Party, 'tis neceſſa⯑ry to declare the poſture of ſuch a War, in caſe it ſhould ever come to paſs.

If ever the Popiſh Powers of Europe ſhould enter into a Confederacy to attack the Proteſtants, it would be thus.

The Dutch would be fallen upon by the French on one ſide; and the Spaniſh Netherlands being in the hands of the Papiſts, the Barrier of Flanders is loſt, by which means the War is brought home to their own Doors, [13] and the firſt Shock muſt fall on their Frontiers, where they muſt defend themſelves againſt the Spaniards on the ſide of Sluice, Bergen Op Zoom, Breda, and the Boſch, againſt the French on the Maes and the Rhine, from Maeſtricht to Nimeguen, and againſt the Munſterians on the Frontiers of Groninghen to the ſide of Embden and the Sea.

Nor wou'd their Fleet ſtand them in any ſtead, the War wou'd be all by Land: They muſt maintain Three Royal Armies at leaſt to keep the Field, or their Ene⯑mies will break into their Country, and make them maintain both Armies in a place.

The Dutch are not inſenſible of the Truth of this, as may be plainly prov'd by the Care and vaſt Expence they have been at to protect Flanders in all the laſt War; from which all the Benefit they have propos'd to themſelves, has been the Maintaining a good Barrier between Them and France, and thereby keeping the War from their own Country.

The German War will in all probability be on the Banks of the Elb, the Oder, and the Main: The Pro⯑teſtant Countries lye from the Oder to the Rhine, and contain the whole Circles of the Upper and the Lower Saxony, and a ſmall part of the Circles of Weſtphalia, Franconia, and Suabia.

But the Weight of the War on the Proteſtants muſt lye on the Elb and the Main: On the Elb the Imperialiſts will have their main Forces to Attack the Dukes of Brandenburgh and the Princes of the Houſe of Lunenburg; and on the Main, the Heſſian, with the Princes of the Lower Saxony, will be Attackt by the Duke of Bavaria, the Prince Palatine, and the Electors of Treves, Mentz, and Cologn; backt ſtill by the Em⯑peror, the French, and the Spaniards.

[14] The Swedes and Brandenburghers will again have the Emperor on their backs upon the Oder, with the Poles to aſſiſt him.

Here, if ever ſuch a Time ſhall happen, the War will be very bloody; and were not the French to join on the Banks of the Main, perhaps the Emperor might have his hands full: But a French Army to fall in among the Princes of the Circles of Franconia and Weſt⯑phalia, is an Article not to be conſider'd without giving up the Cauſe; Nothing but the Angel of God in the Army of Senacherib, can prevent their Total Deſtru⯑ction.

I foreſee I ſhall be attackt by a ſort of Men, who are Carrying on Deſigns of their own, and think every Man aims at them with Arguments like theſe.

• 1. This is Diſcovering the Weakneſs of the Prote⯑ſtants, and leading their Enemies by the hand to de⯑ſtroy them; betraying our Friends, or expoſing them. Or,
• 2. This is frighting the World with Chimera's of our own brain, which perhaps may never come to paſs. Dangers as likely, as that the Turks may Over-run Chriſtendom, and Extirpate the whole Chriſtian Reli⯑gion: Things to come to paſs, when the Sky ſhall fall.
• 3. This is another Shift to bring England to a Ne⯑ceſſity of a Standing-Army, which ſome people migh⯑tily want, to ſubject her Liberty to the Arbitrary De⯑ſigns of her Enemies.

For the Firſt I anſwer: 'Tis no Diſcovery at all; and they that will make ſuch an Objection, muſt ſup⯑poſe the Popiſh Princes of Europe very dull, if they do not know it as well as we.

[15] But to make my Anſwer as ſhort as the Queſtion: They who pleaſe to inform themſelves, will find that in the ſeveral Audiences of the French Ambaſſadors at Rome, his Holineſs gave the moſt Chriſtian King ſeve⯑ral Exhortations to reſtore Peace to the Church; which we find explain'd at Paris in the Speeches made to the King of France by the Pope's Nuncio, where he Ex⯑horts him again to Peace with the Spaniards, that their United Arms might be employ'd in the Extirpation of Hereſy.

If I ſhou'd need Arguments to convince Men, that the French know as well as we the Power of the Prote⯑ſtant Princes, I cou'd refer them to a late French Pamph⯑let, printed at Paris, and Re printed at Rome, Entitu⯑led La Cruſade, which laments the Catholick Princes tearing out the Bowels of their Mother the Church; and Exhorts them very paſſionately to employ their Victori⯑ous Arms to the Extirpation of Hereſy, and the De⯑ſtruction of the Enemies of God and the Bleſſed Vir⯑gin.

2. As to the Improbability of the matter, and its be⯑ing a Chimera, &c.

Firſt, Gentlemen, it is no ſuch Improbable thing nei⯑ther; for what has been, may be. Charles the Fifth un⯑dertook it ſingle-handed againſt all the Proteſtants in his time; and though the French Oppoſed him, he went a great way with the Work; for he reduc'd them to ſuch low Terms, that had not the Treaty at Paſſau been obtain'd by the Power of France, the Proteſtant Religion had been totally ſuppreſs'd in Germany.

Secondly, The French have abſolutely Effected it up⯑on one of the moſt Conſiderable Branches of Proteſtants, and thereby ſhown us a Teſt of their Good will to the whole, and given an Inſtance of the poſſibility of the practice.

[16] Thirdly, The Proteſtant Power was never in weaker Circumſtances, nor the Popiſh in ſtronger, if they ſhou'd but Unite: So that I muſt own, if they do not attempt it, they ſlip a manifeſt Opportunity, and muſt be count⯑ed Fools too; which, by the way, we never found them to be.

3. As to England, Standing-Armies, Liberty, Arbi⯑trary Power, and the like, I muſt crave leave to ſay a little. I have no mind to meddle with the Diſputes of Politicians, nor know nothing of thoſe who have De⯑ſigns either way.

They that wou'd Enſlave our Liberty by Standing-Armies; and they that wou'd leave us naked to our Enemies, or put us out of a Poſture to help our Friends, are equally Enemies to the Proteſtant Religion.

They that wou'd make our Kings out of Love with their Proteſtant Subjects, or our People jealous of a Pro⯑teſtant King, are Beautefeus of their native Coun⯑try, and want to ſee her again involv'd in Blood, that ſhe may not be able to protect or defend the Proteſtant Religion.

They who wou'd advance the Prerogative of Kings to the Ruin of the Subjects Properties; and They who wou'd ſubdue the Engliſh Monarchy, and the Juſt Power of the King to the Will and Pleaſure of a Party, equally drive at the Deſtruction of Our Conſtitution, and in that of the Proteſtant Religion.

'Tis not Arbitrary Power which is the preſent Caſe, nor Standing-Armies, nor Liberty, nor Property, but the Proteſtant Religion. Let England have a care ſhe does not take ſo much Care of her Liberties, as to for⯑get her Religion: But let us ſo ſee the one done, as not to leave the other undone.

In Reading ſome late Pamphlets Pro and Con about the Danger of Trade, and the Power of our Enemies, I [17] obſerve ſome are for maintaining Confederacies with Foreign States, and Alliances with Neighbours, and ſome are againſt it.

Truly, Gentlemen, in the Caſe I am Treating, I Rank all the Powers of Europe into two Claſſes only, Papiſt and Proteſtant: And we are ſuppoſing the Popiſh Powers ſhou'd link themſelves together in a Confede⯑racy for the Extirpation of Proteſtants, whom they call Hereticks, let any Rational Man make the Conſequence: What ſhou'd Proteſtants do? Can any human Methods preſerve them, but a ſtrict Union among themſelves to join in their mutual Defence?

I know better than to reflect on Parliaments: But if a Parliament of Proteſtants forgets the Safety of the Pro⯑teſtant Religion, they neglect the chief Work they aſ⯑ſemble about.

Trade, Liberty, Property, Right and Wrong, Juſtice and Equity, are Things the Convocated Aſſemblies of the People are call'd together about; and they are in the right: but theſe are but the ſubſervient Preliminaries to preſerve a State or Country in Peace, that they may with their joint Force reſolve, and be able to defend and ſecure their Religion.

The Proteſtant Religion is the Fundamental of the Engliſh Conſtitution; and I hardly ever remember the Aſſembling a Parliament in England, but they had their Grand Committee for Religion. What thoſe Commit⯑tees have done of late towards the propagating or ſe⯑curing Religion, is beſt known to them who can ſearch the Journals of the Houſe; nor is it proper for me to examine.

I am not for preſcribing Methods how the Proteſtant Religion is to be Defended; but I crave leave to give ſome Hints from the preſent Circumſtances of Affairs, to awaken Proteſtants, that they may ſee their Religion is [18] aim'd at by the Popiſh Powers of Europe; a weak Poli⯑tician may foreſee, That if ever a Union ſhou'd happen between the French, Spaniards, and Germans, all the Proteſtants of Europe, except us, are loſt and undone, unleſs ſome wonderful Revolution, which a wiſer Head than mine cannot foretel, ſhou'd happen.

Wherefore I deſire only of Parliaments, of Prote⯑ſtants and Kings, that they wou'd condeſcend ſo far, as to take the poor Diſtreſſed Proteſtant Religion into their Care: Let it be by ſuch Ways and Means, as to their Honour in their Great Wiſdom ſhall ſeem meet. If it may be done without Standing-Armies or Confedera⯑cies abroad, with all our hearts: If the Walls of Jeri⯑cho will fall down at the Sounding of Rams-horns, never let us raiſe Batteries, or plant Cannon againſt them.

Here is no room to talk of Pretences and Shooing-horns for Standing-Armies; God and the Proteſtant Religion calls upon all the Profeſſors of it in Europe to look to themſelves, and to ſtand up for the City of our God: And if the Enemies of the Church of Chriſt ſay, A Con⯑federacy, they are to give the Curſe of God on all thoſe who ſhall refuſe to help the Lord againſt the Mighty.

In this Caſe a War of Religion will require us to lay aſide all our ill-natur'd Animoſities: Here is no Foreign⯑ers, no Refugees, no Dutch Men; 'Tis a Proteſtant, is the General Term; as in Two Armies that are to Engage, where One Party wears a White, and the Other a Green Signal in their Hats, they do not enquire what Nation any Man is of; but if any of the White Party meets a Souldier with the Green in his Hat, Down with him; if they ſee another with the White in his Hat in Diſtreſs, Relieve him is the word.

In this Cauſe of Religion, Gentlemen, if the Swede, or the Dane, or the moſt remote Nation be Attackt, we are only to examine if the Proteſtant Religion be his Sig⯑nal; [19] if ſo, we ought to help and relieve them, let them be what Nation or People ſoever; and let Natural and Political Averſions be never ſo great, if our Enemy's houſe be on fire, we'll endeavour to put it out, if it be for nothing elſe but for fear it ſhou'd burn our own: When the Proteſtants in any part of Europe are Attackt, Proximus Ardet; Let us conſider, if ever the Fire of Po⯑pery conſumes the Proteſtant Powers of Europe, the Flame will certainly catch hold of us in England.

Some Gentlemen have ſaid lately, That Confederacies and Alliances never are of any Advantage to England, becauſe we live by our ſelves in an Iſland, and have a good Fleet.

I ſhall not examine whether what they ſay will hold in Matters of Policy and Government: But, Gentlemen, let me tell you, If the Engliſh Nation ſhou'd ſee the Reſt of the Proteſtants of Europe deſtroy'd, without helping them, even with all her Forces, upon this principle, That we are ſafe, having a good Fleet; ſhou'd we not expect, beſides all the other fatal ill Conſequences, our Saviour ſhou'd rank us among thoſe, who when he was an hungry, gave him no meat; or, when he was in Diſtreſs, gave him no help, which is all one.

But becauſe I wou'd a little preſcribe in the Caſe too, and come to Anſwering Queſtions as well as other peo⯑ple, I ſhall enquire, What England ought to do?

I Anſwer, Principiis obſta; prevent the Conjunction of Popiſh Powers; cruſh the Leagues and Confederacies of Popiſh Princes in the beginnings of them, and by all poſſible Methods keep them from ſuch a Union as is here ſuppoſed to be aim'd at.

This is the way to take away the Cauſe, that the Effect may vaniſh: This takes away all ſhadow of deſigning a Standing-Army; there will be no Occaſion to Fight; divide but the Intereſts of the Popiſh Powers of Eu⯑rope; [20] if you can do ſo, you certainly divide their For⯑ces.

The late War is a certain Demonſtration that they will never unite againſt Religion, if they cannot unite their Intereſts. Whoever gives themſelves leave to exa⯑mine, will plainly ſee 'tis Intereſt, not Religion, governs Princes. I refer for it to the Anſwer the Emperor gave to King James when he demanded Aſſiſtance of him againſt King William. When having told King James, ‘"That if he had rather hearkened to his friendly Re⯑monſtrances, made him by the Imperial Ambaſſador the Count de Kaunitz, than the Deceitful Inſinuati⯑ons of the French; and if he had put a ſtop by Force to the many Breaches made by the French in the Trea⯑ty at Nimeguen, of which he was Guarrantee, and had entred into Conſultations with the Imperial Court, and their Confederates, he might have quieted the Minds of his People; and then enumerating the Cru⯑elties of the French, chiefly in the Catholick Coun⯑tries, exceeding the Turks themſelves;’ the Emperor concludes, ‘"That the Intereſt and Safety of the Em⯑pire is a ſufficient Argument to juſtify his not aſſiſt⯑ing him on account of the Popiſh Religion againſt the Proteſtants, having a Papiſt to Encounter with, who on account of Intereſt and publick Safety, ought in the firſt place to be Oppoſed; and that for mutual Preſervation and Defence he muſt be juſtified in ta⯑king Meaſures, with all thoſe, meaning the Prote⯑ſtants, who are concern'd in the ſame Deſign.’

Thus we ſee when joint Intereſt and Preſervation is the Caſe, even the Popiſh Princes themſelves think it juſtifiable to join in Confederacies, even with Hereticks, to ſuppreſs an unjuſt Invaſion of an encroaching Neigh⯑bour, though a Catholick.

From whence I draw this ſhort Conſequence,

[21] That if you keep the Popiſh Powers of Europe from Uniting their Intereſts, you, in effect, keep them from Uniting their Forces, and thereby from Invading the Proteſtant Religion.

By preventing the Union of the Popiſh Powers, poſſi⯑bly ſome may ſuppoſe, I mean, that England ſhou'd En⯑gage in a New War with France, to ſupport the Title of the Arch-Duke Charles to the Crown of Spain; and there comes in the Old Story, a Standing-Army, again by head and ſhoulders.

Why truly, Gentlemen, If ever we pretend to have a War, whether it be with France, or any body elſe, we muſt certainly have an Army of our own, or ſome bodies elſe, or we ſhall make but ſorry work on't.

Whether thoſe Gentlemen wou'd not chuſe to ſee the Proteſtant Religion in Europe ſunk and loſt, rather than ſee an Army raiſed in England, I cannot conclude? But this I am bold to affirm, That they who had rather run the riſque of the Proteſtant Religion, than of their Li⯑berties, value their Freedom above their Religion, and may very well be ſuſpected to have no Religion at all.

Now the Riſque is not equal neither; for we have had Armies in England, and have loſt our Liberties; and we have had Armies in England, and have not loſt our Liberties. The Difference lies here, That we had Armies rais'd to Enſlave us, and they did it; but the laſt were raiſed to Defend us; and when that was done, ſubmitted the Military to the Civil Power, and left our Liberties entire. I wou'd ſay alſo, but that I ſhall of⯑fend ſome folks, That the grand Difference lay in the Kings we had.

Some of our Kings deſign'd our Ruin, and in a great meaſure compleated it by Standing-Armies; but a King that protects the Laws by a principle of Honour and Juſtice, can make Armies that are ſo fatal to Liberty, [22] be the protection of Liberty: So that really it has been our Kings of pious Memory, who have been Agents of the People's Ruin; and the late War has ſhown the World, that Armies may be rais'd and laid down again, if Kings, who Command them, pleaſe but to ſay the word, without ruining a Nation's Liberties.

On the Other hand; If Religion be attackt, it muſt be defended, or 'twill be loſt.

Thus far I have ventur'd to touch the nice Article of an Army in England; I hope every Engliſhman will agree with me in this, That I had rather ſee an Army in Eng⯑land and run the hazard of our Liberties, than ſee the Proteſtant Religion in Europe trodden down for want of our helping to defend it.

But theſe are General Points only.

There are a great many Methods to be preſcrib'd how the Proteſtant Religion may be Defended, and yet no ſtanding Forces raiſed or maintain'd in England, and ſo our Liberties may not be in danger; and the firſt is touch'd at already, prevent the Union of Popiſh Powers and Intereſt, and you'll need no fighting.

Whether this may be done by giving powerful Aſſi⯑ſtances to the Emperor, to carry on the Pretenſions of the Houſe of Auſtria; or by appearing in the Mediterranean with a good Fleet, to confirm the Italian Princes in the Intereſts of the Emperor; or by ſending over what For⯑ces we have in England and Ireland, to make a Diver⯑ſion, in Conjunction with the Dutch, on the Rhine, or in Flanders, or by what other Ways or Means it may be done, with or without an Army, 'tis all one, ſo it be but done, that the Proteſtant Religion may be protected, and the Papiſts prevented from Overturning us with a General deſtruction.

But that no Man may have any ſhadow to ſuſpect me guilty of a Deſign to Argue for a Standing-Army, [23] which is the great Bugbear of the Times, or at leaſt made the Watch-word of a Party that wou'd be thought to be more Zealous for our Liberty than any body elſe; I'll put it on another point: Our Neighbours may be ſo aſſiſted by our Money, as never to want our Men; and ſo, Gentlemen, you will be try'd whether 'tis your Liberty or your Money that ſo much ſtir has been made about; and if we ſhall let our Proteſtant Neighbours ſink, rather than part with our Money to ſupport them; then the Truth will come out, That 'tis our Money which was at the bottom of the matter: For really, Re⯑ligion and Liberty are ſo much in the ſame Intereſt, that 'tis very ſeldom they Claſh; and he that ſhall re⯑fuſe to defend his Religion for fear of his Liberty, de⯑ſerves to loſe both.

Thus we are got over the point, that our Neighbours may be ſupported, the Proteſtant Religion defended, and the Union of the Popiſh Powers of Europe prevent⯑ed, by the Proteſtants at this time falling in, to ſupport the Emperor in his juſt Pretenſions on the Spaniſh Domini⯑ons; and all this without a Standing-Army in England.

Our Pamphleteers need not diſpute about the Con⯑ſiſtency or Inconſiſtency of an Army with the Eng⯑liſh Conſtitution, nor whether they that are for or againſt it are the beſt Subjects: I am ſure he that has the greateſt Concern for the Proteſtant Religion, is moſt likely to be the beſt Chriſtian; They need not Enter⯑tain us with their Diſcourſes of the Danger of our Li⯑berties and Properties from a Standing-Army, with their little Reflections on the King, by way of Excla⯑mations againſt the ſad Conſequences which may hap⯑pen, or may not happen; They need not enter into the Hiſtories of Standing-Armies, nor tell us the Won⯑derful Power of our moſt Formidable Militia: But the Caſe will be alter'd when your Proteſtant Brethren call [24] for Aſſiſtance, if you are afraid to truſt Arms in the hands of your own Countrymen: As truly Engliſhmen are dangerous Fellows when in Arms, very ſurly, and loth to be Disbanded without their Pay. If therefore we do not think it ſafe to Truſt our Own people, never let us deſert the Proteſtant Cauſe; for Germany and Swiſſer⯑land are Inexhauſtible Store-houſes of Men: If you will but aſſiſt the Proteſtants with Money, 'twill be the ſame thing; or if we aſſiſt the Emperor at this time, it may be the ſame thing; for Prevention is all one as Execution, or rather the better of the two.

And this leads us to conſider what, with ſubmiſſion to better Judgments, ſeems to me to be the only poſſible Means to prevent the Union between the Popiſh Powers of Europe, and therein the Ruin of the Proteſtants.

I have ſaid already, Our way is to Cruſh the Confe⯑deracies of the Papiſts; and if I do ſay, that the Only way to do ſo, is to prevent the Crown of Spain de⯑ſcending by Will to a Prince of the Houſe of Bourbon; and that Prince marrying a Daughter of the Houſe of Auſtria, I ſhall believe I am in the Right, till I can hear a better method propos'd.

This Union is much eaſier prevented than it will be diſſolv'd; Treaties and Alliances may diſappoint it. Now whereas Armies and Fleets will hardly defeat it afterward, if the Houſe of Bourbon and Auſtria Unite, and Conform the Intereſts of their Dominions, they can have no body to bend their Arms againſt, but the Proteſtants, or the Mahometans.

I ſee no War can be Rais'd in Europe, but what will of Courſe run into a War of Religion: For if the Po⯑piſh Princes agree in Intereſts, they can have nothing to quarrel about: And to confirm this, I appeal to a Review of the General Hiſtory of Europe: In which I offer to make it appear, That ſetting aſide the Quar⯑rels [25] between the French and the Spaniards, and between the Engliſh and the Dutch, almoſt all the Wars of Eu⯑rope have been Wars of Religion.

And that I may not be thought to ſpeak without⯑book, I refer the Reader to Examine,

1. The Wars in Germany, which, with ſome few In⯑termiſſions, laſted from the Year 1508, to 1648, being 140 Years; and begun on pretence of Recovering the Lands of the Church, ſequeſter'd by the Duke of Saxo⯑ny, and ended by the Conqueſts of King Guſtavus and his Generals, at the Treaty of Weſtphalia; in which War, that Great Conquering King loſt his Life, and confirm'd what I am ſaying in his laſt Words, which ſome Hiſtories tell us were thus: being wounded with a Carabin-ſhot, and ask'd by a German Trooper who he was, Anſwer'd I am the King of Sweden, who do Seal the Re⯑ligion and Liberty of the German Nation with my Blood.

2. The Wars in the Low-Countries begun with the Spa⯑niſh Inquiſition being Introduc'd into the Netherlands, and Continued to the Peace of Munſter, with the In⯑termiſſion of Twelve years Truce only, and ended in the Liberty of the Proteſtant States, being declar'd free by the King of Spain; which War Philip the Second of Spain declar'd a little before his Death, had coſt him 564 Millions of Ducats, and the Expedition to In⯑vade England 12 Millions.

3. The Civil Wars of France, which began in the Reign of Henry the Second, and Eight ſeveral Times engag'd the whole Kingdom; and after that was carried on by Henry the Fourth againſt the Guiſes, and the League backt by the whole Power of Spain, on account of Religion, and never had any long Ceſſation till the Edict of Nants, and the Peace of Vervins.

I forbear to Inſtance any more, being unwilling to enter into the Miſeries of our Native Country: but I think the Matter admits of no diſpute. That if the Uni⯑on we ſpeak of ſhould ever come to paſs, there hardly [26] can Commence any War in Europe but what muſt be upon the account of Religion. Europe has really no⯑thing elſe to quarrel about, or nothing but what Neigh⯑bours and Guarrantees can oblige one another to de⯑cide without a Rupture, as lately it was in the Caſe of the Dane and the Duke of Holſtein.

Religion is the only Diſpute left: What bloody Bat⯑tels have been fought! How has Europe been fill'd with Slaughter between thoſe powerful Princes, Charles the Fifth, and Francis the Firſt, for the Kingdom of Na⯑ples, for the Dutchy of Savoy and Millan, and for the Frontiers of Burgundy and Flanders!

What incredible Expences, and how many heaps of ſlaughter'd Carcaſſes has the Quarrels between the French and the Imperialiſts coſt on the Banks of the Rhine and the Moſelle, and between the French and the Spaniards in our Age in Catalonia and Flanders! Theſe have been the Capital Wars of Europe; and if the Uni⯑on between France and Spain be compleated, the Cauſe is remov'd, and the Effects ceaſe of Courſe: There can be no War in this part of the World but what muſt Engage the Proteſtants, unleſs the Proteſtants ſhou'd fall out among themſelves; which wou'd be worſe ſtill. Hitherto the Wars between the Popiſh Powers has been the Safety of the Proteſtants; if one potent Prince has Attackt them, the Jealouſy of another has Defended them. The Proteſtants have from the very beginning been ſhel⯑ter'd and protected only by the Animoſities and Jealouſies maintain'd between the French and the Houſe of Auſtria.

I cannot liken the Proteſtants of Europe to any thing more aptly than to the City of Hamburgh, between the Danes and the Dukes of Brandenburgh and Lunen⯑burgh; or to the Duke of Savoy's Dominions, between the Spaniards, French, and Italians.

If the City of Hamburgh had had but one of thoſe Neighbours, it had either been no City at all, or their City, long ago: but the Jealouſy and Miſunderſtanding [27] of thoſe Princes is the Security of the Hamburghers.

Either the French or the Spaniards had long ago An⯑nexed the Dutchy of Savoy to their Eſtates, had the one been but willing to ſit ſtill, and let the other Enjoy it.

Charles the Fifth had certainly ſubdued all the Prote⯑ſtants in the Empire, if Henry the Second of France had not upheld them; and that not from any kindneſs he had to them, but that he was not Eaſy to ſee the Em⯑peror be ſo Great. Afterward the Emperor himſelf en⯑courag'd the Proteſtants of France, and ſuffer'd Men to be Levied in the Empire for the King of Navarr; leſt he being quite ſuppreſs'd, the French ſhou'd be at leiſure to quarrel with him. Thus the Jealouſies between the Powers of France and Germany have been the Security of the Proteſtant Religion in Europe.

Since that, in our Memory, the Emperor and King of Spain, both Papiſts, Declar'd War againſt France, and Form'd the Tripple Alliance only to ſave the Proteſtant States of Holland from falling into the hands of the French Anno 1672, when our Proteſtant King, Charles the 2d, of pious Memory, did his Utmoſt to Overthrow them, and ſubject them to an Abſolute French Conqueſt.

If any man ſhall be ſo weak as to Reply in the Lan⯑guage of ſome late Pamphlets, What's all this to us? What does the Union of Spain and Germany, or of any body elſe, ſignify to us? I crave leave to Anſwer ſuch a Queſtion, by ſaying as our Saviour to the Phariſees, And I alſo will ask you a Queſtion:

What ſignifies the Proteſtant Religion to us? And if they will undertake to Anſwer the Laſt, I will promiſe to Anſwer the Firſt.

I might go on here to give Inſtances how near the Pro⯑teſtant Religion has been to be ſuppreſs'd in England, and what a juſt Concern other Nations have always had for its preſervation.

But ſetting that aſide, for we do not love to hear of it: I deſire only to re-mind the Reader, That the Par⯑liaments [28] of England, together with our Proteſtant Kings and Queens, have always expreſs'd deep Reſentments at the Danger of the Proteſtant Religion, and of our Pro⯑teſtant Neighbours; and have always thought it became them by Treaties and Interceſſions to procure their Re⯑poſe, or by Money and Forces to aſſiſt them to defend themſelves.

And after giving ſome Inſtances, I ſhall examine the Reaſons of it, and ſee if the ſame Reaſons do not now call on us for the ſame Proceedings.

Queen Elizabeth, after ſhe had provided for the Safety of Religion at home; her next Care was to aſſiſt her Proteſtant Neighbours. What vaſt Sums of Money did ſhe Give and Lend; what Number of Troops did ſhe Raiſe to ſupport the Hugonots in France, and Prince Mau⯑rice in the Netherlands; Even before ſhe had any actual War with the Spaniard? The Hiſtories of thoſe Times rec⯑kon up above 80000 Engliſh Soldiers, including Volun⯑teers, that fought during that long War, in the Quarrel of the Proteſtant Religion in the Low-Countries; where they behav'd themſelves ſo well, and gain'd ſuch Reputation, that 40 Years afterwards, when our Civil Wars broke out in England, an Old Low-Country Soldier was always counted a Man of Value.

Queen Elizabeth ſent at ſeveral times 40000 Men to the Aſſiſtance of the French Hugonots under Hen. the 4th.

After the Death of Queen Elezabeth, King James the Firſt, though he had not Courage enough to break with Spain in the juſt Quarrel of the Palſgrave, King of Bohe⯑mia; yet we find the Engliſh Nation and Parliament all along Reſenting, not ſo much the Injury of that Family, as the Ruin of the Proteſtants of the Palatinate; and ſe⯑veral Bodies of Men were ſent over to Count Mansfield to defend it; though by the Craft of the Spaniard the Scotiſh King was Cajol'd into an eaſy Deſerting the Cauſe both of the Proteſtant Religion and his own Family.

In the Reign of K. Charles the Firſt, what vaſt Sums [29] of Money were given by the Parliament to aſſiſt the Pro⯑teſtants of Rochelle; which tho' by the Miſ application of the Court and the Duke of Buckingham, did them little ſervice; yet 'tis plain by it, that the Parliament knew the Protection of our Proteſtant Neighbours, was a Work the whole Nation had a juſt Concern in, both on Civil as well as Religious Accounts.

After this you have 6000 Men at a time twice raiſed, beſides Recruits, and ſent by Sea as far as Pomerania to aſſiſt the King of Sweden in the Quarrel of the Proteſtants in Germany.

In the Year 1679, the Parliament of England addreſs'd K. Charles the 2d to Enter into ſuch Leagues and Allian⯑ces with our Proteſtant Neighbours, as might effectually preſerve Flanders from falling into the hands of the French; and I refer to the Words of that Addreſs, where you have the whole People of England Remonſtrating of what Conſequence the preſervation of Flanders was to the Engliſh Nation; and which ſtands as an Invincible Argument againſt our Modern Politicians, who are for no Leagues nor Confederacies, nor Neghbours, and think England a Match for all the World.

Theſe ſeem to be Inſtances enough, and 'tis matter of Wonder to me, what ſort of Amphibious, Neutral Crea⯑tures thoſe Proteſtants are, which ſhall ask what ſignifies the Proteſtants abroad to England? Suppoſing there was no real Danger of our ſelves in the Caſe.

Let us examine, in the next place, the Reaſons which have all along induc'd the Engliſh Nation to aſſiſt their Proteſtant Neighbours: and they are of two ſorts;

Reaſons of Religion, and Reaſons of State: And I'll be very ſhort with them both, becauſe they are touch'd at already.

Reaſons of Religion, are ſuch as Charity, which obliges the Strong to protect and defend the Weak, when they are oppreſs'd and injur'd, and unable to defend them⯑ſelves: The ſeveral Commands of our Saviour, for the [30] Relief of ſuch as are in Diſtreſs, Illuſtrated by the Story of the Good Samaritan, the Declaration which our Savi⯑our has made, That whatſoever is done to the leaſt of his, is done unto himſelf, and ſhall be Rewarded accordingly, and the like.

Reaſons of State are principally the Great Doctrine of Self-preſervation, which branches it ſelf in ſuch Methods as theſe:

• Keeping Danger at a diſtance.
• Keeping a good Barrier between Our ſelves and pow⯑erful Neighbours, that you may not be forced to a De⯑fenſive War.
• Preventing the Union of Neighbours of different In⯑tereſts from Our ſelves.

2dly. Preſerving publick Peace; which is beſt done

• By ſtrong Alliances and Guarrantees:
• By keeping an Equality of Parties, or a General Balance of Power:
• And by being always in ſuch a poſture of Defence, as to make it dangerous for a Neighbour to break with you.

Theſe, with many others, are the Reaſons why our Princes, and our Parliaments too, have always thought it both their Duty and their Intereſt to protect and de⯑fend the Proteſtant Religion abroad, and have always been very tender of the Injuries done them by their Po⯑piſh Adverſaries, and reſented them accordingly.

I ſhall give one Inſtance more: I hope the Reaſon of State will not be lik'd the worſe for the Stateſman; and that was Oliver Cromwell; who being ſollicited by the Proteſtant Vaudois in Savoy, uſed all his Intereſt to mediate with the Duke their Prince for a Relaxation of their Miſeries; and in his Letters both to the Duke and the French King, af⯑ter a great deal of fruitleſs Interceſſion, threatens to turn all the Roman Catholicks out of England and Ireland, and ſeize their Effects, if ſome ſpeedy Regard be not had to the Afflictions of the diſtreſſed Proteſtants. I refer the [31] Reader for the Particulars, to the Latin Copies of the Let⯑ters wrote on that Subject by his Secretary of Foreign Diſ⯑patches, the Learned Milton; in which there are Reaſons given why the Engliſh Nation ſhou'd think themſelves oblig'd to concern themſelves in the Sufferings of the Proteſtants.

But methinks it ſhou'd be needleſs to go any farther than the Journals of our own Parliaments ſince the Re⯑ſtoration; where it will evidently appear, that Engliſh Parliaments have always had a deep Reſentment at the Growth of Popery, and the Danger of the Proteſtant Re⯑ligion; and there is, no doubt, but an Engliſh Parliament will ever maintain the ſame Sentiments.

The Growth of Popery is certainly dangerous to the Proteſtant Religion; They are the two Buckets in the Well, the two Scales on the Beam of Power; if One comes up, the Other muſt go down; if you add to the Weight of One, it will lift the Other out of its place.

Let all thoſe who wou'd ſtand Neuter in this Cauſe of Religion, remember that God Almighty has declar'd againſt ſuch as are lukewarm Chriſtians: There is no Neuter Gender in Religion. In the Cauſe of Religion, They who are not for him, are againſt him; the Defence of the Proteſtant Religion calls upon all Men who have any Value for it, to appear in the time of its Danger: De⯑fend Religion and Politick Intereſts will be eaſily ſecur'd: à jove Principium, God and your Country; but firſt God, and then your Country.

In ſhort, though I am no Prophet, nor the Son of a Prophet, I think a man with but a ſmall Talent of forcaſt, may be able to foretel, That if we are wanting to God in the due and vigorous defence of his Church and Wor⯑ſhip, which is in Engliſh, the Proteſtant Religion; his Providence has ſo wiſely diſpoſed the matter, and made our Liberty ſo dependant on, and relative to our Religi⯑on, that it is morally impoſſible Liberty in England can be any longer liv'd than Religion. Popery and Slavery [32] are like Sin and Death, direct Conſequences of one ano⯑ther; and whenever we think fit to admit the firſt, any body may promiſe us the laſt.