The state of the Protestants of Ireland under the late King James's government in which their carriage towards him is justified, and the absolute necessity of their endeavouring to be freed from his government, and of submitting to their present Majesties is demonstrated.

SECT. XX. 6. King James and his Party endeavoured to destroy the Protestant Religion, by misrepresenting the Persons and Princi∣ples of Protestants.

1. THe violences used to out us of our Churches, and to discourage our Clergy, had no great success in making Converts; but there was another way set on foot, which did seduce some; and it was by making a Monster of the Prote∣stant Religion and Protestants; insomuch that young People who liv'd remote from Conversation, and had not opportuni∣ty to inform themselves of the Truth, conceiv'd strange Ideas of both, by the insinuation of the Priests.

2. It was one of the first steps of the Reformation to re∣nounce the usurped power of the Pope, and to restore to the Crown the Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction, which originally be∣longs to the Civil Magistrate; that is, the power of punish∣ing Offenders with the Temporal Sword, whatever their Crime be, whether Ecclesiastical or Civil: Now the Priests represented this Doctrine after a strange manner; they per∣swaded those that would lend them their attention, that the Protestants believed all Spiritual power to be in the King; that he could Consecrate whom he pleas'd Bishops; set up what Religion he had a mind to, and oblige all his Subjects to be of his Faith; and they railed most grievously at the Protestants for not turning Papists, in complyance to their King; calling them Traitors and perjur'd Persons from their own Principles.

3. 'Twas another Principle amongst Protestants, that pri∣vate Men should not take up the Sword, or resist the King up∣on any pretence, such resistance being against Law; by which no more was understood, than that Subjects should, accord∣ing to the Laws and Gospel, behave themselves peaceably and submissively towards their Superiors, and not upon any pretence of private injury or wrong done to them in particu∣lar, enter into Conspiracie and Combinations against their Governours; but by it was never intended to give up the

Constitution of the Government, or to part with the Liber∣ties and Priviledges of the Kingdom; yet the Priests would needs perswade the World that by this Principle, the Protestants were obliged to part with all at the King's command; that he might use them if he pleased, as the Grand Signior or the French King use their Subjects, and their Lives, their Liberties, and Estates, were all at his Mercy, and they Devils, and Traitors, and Perjur'd Villains (I use their words) if they demur'd at his Command: There was hardly any Principle peculiar to the reform'd Religion, but they thus misrepresented it.

4. Nor did the persons of Protestants escape better than their Principles. They loaded them with the most odious Calumnies and Misrepresentations; they aleadged that the Protestants had no Religion at all; that they only preten∣ded to it, but were Atheists and Traitors in their Hearts; they were more especially malicious against the Clergy; King James himself contributing to it, as appear'd on this occa∣sion; two young Gentlemen, Brothers to the Earl of Salis∣bury, followed King James out of France; they profest them∣selves Protestants and associated with such; the Bishops of Meath and Limerick had an Eye on the Gentlemen, and en∣deavoured to secure them against any attempts which might be made to pervert them; but King James called the young Men to him, forbad them the company of Protestants; nay even of one Mr. Cham a Gentleman that came over with them; but above all he forbad them conversing with the Bi∣shops and Clergy-men; for said he, they are all false to me, and will pervert you to disloyalty and Treason; this was the common saying of them all, even of the Chancellour on the Bench; and tho they would on occasion magnifie the loyalty of some of the Protestant Clergy in England and Scotland, yet at other times they would profess that they believed them all treacherous, and would never trust any of them.

5. In order to abuse the Protestants, and especially the Clergy, they set up one Yalden a Convert, Councellor at Law, to write a weekly Paper, which he called an Abhorrence, in which he endeavoured to rake together all the little Stories that might reflect on Protestants, and all the arguments his

Wit could furnish him with for his Cause; he made it his business to invent false stories and lies concerning the Clergy, and began with Dr. King and Dr. Foy. He had published a Collection of passages out of the Bishop of Ely's Sermon, and some Sixteen others for Passive Obedience; whether this was his own work, or only, as I have been informed, a Peice compos'd by some others which he assumed to him∣self, I cannot say, but it met with very slender reception in Ireland, and lay on the Booksellers hand. To vent it there∣fore, as some thought, or rather to abuse the Clergy, he published an Advertisement in his Abhorrence, declaring that Dr. King and Dr. Foy had approv'd this Book, by their Certificate under their hand; by this he thought to intrap them: for either they (as he imagin∣ed)* 1.1 must have let this pass; and then the Pro∣testants must think them, if not ill, at least very imprudent Men; or else they must disown it; and then he knew how to improve their refuting his calumny so as to render them odious to the Government: and the Papists did a little please themselves with the contrivance; But Dr. Foy and Dr. King found means without concerning themselves much in the matter, to let all Dublin know that they never read Mr. Yal∣den's Collection; that no body ever askt their opinion of it, much less had they given any certificate concerning it, and that they could give no censure of it, having neither read it, or the Sermons out of which it is pretended to be taken. This discovery would have da••ht any other out of Counte∣nance; but Mr. Yalden went on his way, and became every Day more and more abusive till he and his Abhorrences were routed together. His work was to magnifie the Party that adhered to King James in England, to represent their pre∣sent▪ Majesties interest as sinking, to black••n and abuse all Protestants, and to vent his Spite in a more peculiar manner against the Clergy, whom he endeavoured to redicule and make odious to the Government, and if possible, to sow dissention between them and their People. We have reason to thank God that he had no success; but yet the Counte∣nance he and his Papers met with from the Government,

his Abhorrences being Licensed either by Sir Richard Nagle or Alb••ville, Setretaries of State, plainly discover what in∣clinations they had towards the Protestant Religion and Clergy.

6. And now upon the whole I suppose it is manifest, by what has been said in this and the former Section, that King James not only designed to destroy us, but also made a con∣siderable progress in it, and 'twould have been inexcusable ingratitude to God and to their present Majesties if we should have refused to close heartily with a Government that rescu∣ed us from so great misery and apparent danger; nor can any reasonable Man blame those amongst us that desired or assisted in this deliverance, and to their utmost power la∣boured to procure it.

7. If a Christian Army should go at this time into Greece to redeem the Christians there from the slavery of the Turks, I would enquire of any indifferent Casuist, whether it were lawful for the oppressed Grecians to accept of that delive∣rance, and to join heartily with and recognize their Re∣deemers; and I am well assured there is not one argument could be produced to justifie such a defection in them, but it may be urged with greater force in our vindi∣cation. The usage we have met with being full as inhu∣mane as any thing they suffer, and with this aggravation, that every Act of violence exercised against us, is likewise against the Laws, and against the nature and Constitution of our Government; whereas their Laws vest their Emperour with an absolute power, and they have no other title to any thing but his will; every Act therefore of oppression from our King, was so much more intolerable and provo∣king to us, than the like from the Grand Signior▪ is to his Subjects, as an illegal violence is more insupportable than a legal

Notes

• * 1.1

  See Appen∣dix N. 29.