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TO All who love their God, Religion, Coun∣trey, in SINCERITY.
Dearest Brethren:
YOu might justly repute me (especially since the late solemn Cove∣nant) a perfidious Traytor to God, Religion, and my now blee∣ding, dying native Countrey, should I wittingly conceal the under∣hand attempts of any mortall whatsoever, against them. I have therefore by authority of Parliament published these ensuing Letters, Warrants, Papers, extant under His Majesties own, His Councells, Secretaries, Hands and Signets, with sundry Orders made in open Court by Royall direction, for protection of Popish Recusants, Priests, Jesuits, against the many good Laws enacted to suppresse them; by means whereof, and of his Marriage Articles, that dangerous Traiterous Faction hath grown so power∣fully great by degrees, and insinuated so far into the Kings affections, that they now threaten a sudden extirpation of the Protestant Party and Religion, out of his Maje∣sties Dominions; a speedy subvertion of our Laws, Liberties, the present Parliament, by open force of Armes; having already fully possessed themselves of His Majesties Royall Person, Issue, Forces, Forts, Affections, bearing chiefest sway in all his late Councels, Proceedings, as we may now clearly discern, to our greatest grief, by ma∣ny wofull experiences and visible Demonstrations, written in red Capitall Characters of our own English Protestant blood; especially by the late sending for and landing of Irish Rebels to destroy us.
It seems a strange mystery of Iniquity to me; First, that from the beginning of His Majesties reign till this present Parliament, the most zealous, conscientious, pious Pro∣testants have been continually persecuted under the Title of Puritans (the better to co∣lour the design) with extraordinarie rigour by the Prelatical and Popish faction, against the expresse Laws of the Realm, both in the High Commission, Prelates Consi∣stories, Councell-Chamber, and Star-Chamber, to the losse of their Estates, Bene∣fices, Liberties, Eares, Limbs, Lives. Yea, thousands of them have been expelled the Realm, or forced to flie into forraign desolate American Plantations for securitie: