Kingdom, moving to and fro, to the Terror of every Thing, which is Noble, Generous, or Religious? Wou'd you fee the Loyal Gentry haraffed, starved, and undone by the Oppression of base, insulting, grinding Committees? Wou'd you see the Clergy torne in Pieces, and Sacrificed by the Inquifition of Synods, Tryers, and Commiffioners ?

And to mention the greatest last; wou'd you have the King, with his Father's Kingdoms, inherit also his Fortune? Wou'd you see the Crown trampled upon, Majesty haled from Prison to Prison; and at length with the vilest Circumstances of Spite and Cruelty, bleeding and dying at the Feet of Bloody, Unhuman Miscreants? Wou'd you, now Providence has cast out the Destructive Interest from the Parliament, and the House is pretty well swept and cleansed, have the old unclean Spirit return, and take to itself seven Spirits, seven other Interests worse than itself, and dwell there, and so make our Latter end worse than our Beginning?

We hear of Plots and Combinations, Parties joining and agreeing; and let us not trust too much in their Opposition amongst themselves. The Elements can fight, and yet unite into one Body. Ephraim against Manasseh, and Manasseh against Ephraim; but both equally against the Royal Tribe of Judab.

dab. Now if we dread these Furies again being let loose upon us, oh! let us fear the Return of our former Provocations. If we wou'd keep off the Axe from our Princes and Nobles, let us lay it to our Sins. If we wou'd preserve their Lives, let us amend our own. We have complain'd of Armies, Committees, Sequestrators, Tryers, and Decimators. But our Sins, our Sins, are those that have fucked the Blood of this Nation; these have purpled the Scaffold with the Royal Gore, these have plowed up so many Noble Families, made so many Widows, and snatch'd the Bread out of the Mouths of fo many poor Orphans. It is our not fearing God, that has made others not to Honour the King; our not benefiting by the Ordinances of the Church, that has enrich'd others with her Spoils.

And now, fince I have slid into a mention of the Church of England, which at this time is so much struck and railed at, and in danger (like its first Head) to be crucified between two Thieves: I shall say thus much of it; that it is the only Church in Christendom we read of, whose avowed Principles and Practices disown all Resistance of the Civil Power; and which the saddest Experience, and the truest Policy and Reason will evince to be the only one, that is durably confiftent VOL. V. with

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with the English Monarchy. Let Men look both into its Doctrine, and into its History, and they will find neither the Calvins, the Knoxes, the Junius Brutus's, the Synods, nor the Holy Commonwealths of the one fide; nor yet the Bellarmines, the Escobars, nor the Mariana's of the other. It has no Fault, but its Revenues; and those too but the Remainders of a Potent, Surfeited Sacrilege. And therefore, if God in his Anger to this Kingdom should suffer it to be run down, ei ther by the Impious Nonfenfe and Idolatry of one Party, or the fordid Tyranny and Fanaticism of the other; yet we will acquiefce in this, that if ever our Church falls, it falls neither tainted with the Infamy of Popish Plots, nor of Reforming Rebellions; and that it was neither her pretended Corruption, or Superstition, but her own Lands, and the Kingdom's Sins, that destroyed Her.

For when I hear of Confpiracies, Seditions Designs, Covenants and Plots, they do not much move or affright me. But when I fee the same Covetousness, the same Drunkenness and Prophaneness, that was first punished in ourselves, and then in our Sanctify'd Enemies; when I fee Joy turned into a Revel, and Debauchery proclaim itself louder than it can be proclaim'd against; these, I muft confefs, stagger and astonish me; and I can

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hot perfuade myself, that we were delivered, to do all these Abominations.

But if we have not the Grace of Chriftians, have we not the Hearts of Men? Have we no Bowels, no Relentings? If the Blood and Banishment of our Kings cannot move us, if the Miseries of our Common Mother the Church, ready to fall back into the Jaws of Purchasers, and Reformers, cannot work upon us, yet shall we not at least pity our Pofterity? Shall we committ Sins, and breed up Children to inherit the Curfe? Shall the Infants now unborn have cause to say hereafter in the Bitterness of their Souls, Our Fathers have eaten the fower Grapes of Difobedience, and our Teeth are set on edge by Rebellions, Rebellioce, and Confufions.

How does any Man know, but the very Oath he is swearing, the Lewdness he is committing, may be scored up by God as one Item for a new Rebellion? We may be Rebels, and yet neither Vote in Parliaments, fit in Committees, or fight in Armies. Every Sin is virtually a Treason; and we may be guilty of Murder, by breaking other Commands befides the Sixth.

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But at present we are made whole: God has by a Miracle healed the Breaches, cured the Maladies, and bound up the Wounds of a Bleeding Nation: What remains now, but that

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we take the Counsel, that seconded a like mi raculous Cure: Go, sin no more, left a worfe Evil come unto thee? But since our Evil has been so Superlative, as not to acknowledge a worse; since our Calamities having reached the highest, give us rather Cause to fear a Repetition, than any Possibility of Gradation; I shall dismiss you with the like, though something altered Advice, Go, fin no more, left the fame Evil befall you.

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Which God of his infinite Mercy prevent, even that God, by whom Kings reign, and Princes decree Justice; by whom their Thrones are established, and by whom their Blood will afssuredly be revenged. To whom therefore be rendered and ascribed, as is most due, all Praise, Might, Majesty, and Dominion, both now, and for evermore. Amen.

DLEIA

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