How the members of the Church of England ought to behave themselves under a Roman Catholic king with reference to the test and penal laws in a letter to a friend / by a member of the same church.

SECT. V. The Affrightments and Arts now used to make the Sub∣jects believe that the Prote∣stant Religion is to be ex∣tirpated here.

THese are a set of Men, who by their whispering dissatis∣faction

and suspitions of the dan∣ger of the Protestant Religion, are but fitting their Mouths, and preparing their Lungs to blow the Bag-pipe of Sedition: And when they have allured the Crowd, will endeavour to de∣coy them into the same Designs with themselves, and excite us to follow the Methods they used in our Fathers days. That new Ja∣pan doth much resemble the old Varnish, only they have found out new Exotick, affrighting Figures: And whereas before the Emblem of Venient Romani was placed at so great a distance from the Sight, that it was but faintly delineated, as in a re∣mote Prospect: Now they think they may be bold to place it in a nearer Light, and hope to allure the Tender-sighted, and well Affected to the Church of England, to believe the reality of the Representation: which is no other, but that the Roman

Altars are to be placed where Communion Tables now stand. That the great Fabrick of St. Pauls is to have a Cupula with the Sword of that Saint, and the Keys of St. Peter upon it: That our Common Prayer is to he changed for a Mass-Book: And in fine, that the Protestant Religion is designed to be ex∣tirpated.

The Plausible Inducements they pretend to have to believe this, are the Liberty the King grants to all his Catholic Sub∣jects to Exercise their Religious Worship; the suspending the execution of all the penal Laws against them, and the placing of Catholics, contrary to the Provision made by Act of Par∣liament to exclude them.

These Proceedings of the King, they would make us be∣lieve, are manifest Demonstra∣tions of his intentions to re∣cede from his Royal Promise of

protecting the Church of Eng∣land: and consequently that it will crumble to nothing, by his withdrawing it.

This they endeavour to infer, by the consideration of the in∣fluence the Pope and the Ca∣tholick Fathers may have upon his Majesty, who will be conti∣nually instilling into his Royal Mind, how glorious an Enter∣prise it will be, rowsing his slow and unresolved Thoughts, with the Consideration, what a per∣petual renown it ever will be to King Henry the VII. that he united the Houses of York and Lancaster: and how glorious the memory of King James the I. ever must be, who unit∣ed the Kingdoms: And how transcendent a Jubile it would cause over all the Roman World, That his Grandson should re∣unite his Subjects to the Roman Catholick Church; which will be so irresistable a Charm, they

say, that it cannot be in his power to escape the Enchant∣ment: Nor could he want the Charity to wish it, or neglect the essaying all means to effect it, being prepossessed with a firm Perswasion that the under∣taking of it would be an accep∣table Service to God Al∣mighty.

It is not my design to write any thing that may lessen the esteem and due regard Men have for the Church of England, of which I own my self an un∣worty Member. Neither shall I meddle with any Points in con∣troversie, but only offer my Rea∣sons why I cannot conceive, by the Proceedings of the King hi∣therto, nor the consequences flowing from those steps he makes, That the Protestant Reli∣gion is either in danger, or de∣signed to be rooted out, or so e∣clipsed, as we are invited to be∣lieve.