prefer Slavery to Liberty, and that they should be fo much in Love with Chains, that when they were fairly fhaken off they fhould run furiously to be Fetter'd again; as if the Ottoman and French Government were fo charming in our Country, that we cannot live without it, tho' we have fo lately groaned under the difmal Burden of it: And it might have been supposed that even thofe, who had been Inftrumental in Enslaving their Fellow Brethren, and were grown Fat with Sucking the Nations Blood, would have taken another Method to reconcile themfelves, than by perfwading us to purchase their Safety, at fo vast an Expence as the Ruin of more than three Parts of the Nation will neceffarily amount to.

If we do but a little reflect on the Motives which thefe Men (blinded by Self-Interest) make use of to Delude the Nation into a Security that wanted very little of proving Fatal to it, and compare them with the ftrong Reasons, we have to diffwade us from being fo impofed on, they will be found fo Weak and Impertinent, that we muft judge it next to Impoffibility, to fuffer our felves to be twice Deceived. But if the Experience of our former Miseries, so lately hanging over our Heads, (the very thoughts of renewing which, make all good Men to tremble) has not made us Wifer, and be not of Efficacy enough, ro deter us from venturing another Shipwrack, and exposing all again to the Discretion of Roman Catholicks: It's more than probable that GOD has abandoned us, and given us up to believe strong Delufions.

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First, They will endeavour to perfwade us, that Kings are eximed from Punishments here on Earth, and nothing they do can be Quarrelled with by their Subjects, which indeed might with fome reafon be urged among the Turks, who referve nothing from the Power of their Sultans, and where it's Death to Difpute his Commands, tho' never fo Arbitrary and Tyrannical: But with what Impudence can fuch Stuff be imposed on us, who never admit our Kings to the Government, till they Swear to Rule us according to Law, and no otherwife? The Laws are the only Security we have for ourLives and Properties, which if our Sovereign fubvert, Subjects cannot be

blamed,

blamed, for making ufe of the ordinary means to preferve them, and fince that cannot be done without withdrawing Obedience from fuch a Magiftrate as goes about to deftroy them, fuch an Act cannot properly be faid to punish him, because we take nothing from him to which he has a just Claim, but only fhun the occafion of making our felves Miferable. The Speculative Doctrine of Paffive Obedience has done too much Mifchief among us, and what has befallen the King may be justly imputed to it; for the believing that without Oppofition he might do what he pleafed,encouraged him to take fuch Meafures as have drawn all thefe Misforunes on him.

Secondly, Others are fo fond as to believe, that we may be fecure in calling the King back, provided they fo Limit him, that it will not be in his Power to hurt us. Thefe Men do not confider, how small a Complement this is to a Man of the King's Temper, from an Abfolute Prince, as he was pleafed to fancy himfelf, to content himself with the bare Title of a King; and how infupportable the Change muft be, if from being Master of all, he must force himfelf to comply with a Thoufand Mafters, and fee his Throne become his Prifon. But how airy is it to fancy,that any Restrictions of our Contrivance can bind the King? For, It's most certain they can never be Voluntary, and what is conftrained and done by Force, is by Law declared to be void and Null; to whofe Afiftance the Pope's Difpencing Power being joyned, would quickly blow off thefe Sampfen Cords, and the Royal Power would again 'revive all its Vigor and Luftre.

Thirdly, The King is of a Religion that has in a Famous Council Decreed, That no Faith is to be kept with Hereticks, much lefs with Subjects whom he looks upon as fo many Rebels, and will not mifs to treat them as fuch, whenever they give him the Opportunity of doing it; for his greatest Admirers do no run to that height of Idolatry, to imagine him fo much Angel,as not to take all methods to revenge fo great an Affront, and fecure himself at our Coft from fuch a Treatment for the Future; the apprehenfions of which Refentment will ftrike fuch Ter

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ror in Mens Minds, that nothing will be capable to divert them from offering All for an Atonement, and Popery and Slavery will be thought a good Bargain, if they can but fave their Lives. Then we may lament our Miferies, but it will not be in our Power to help them; for a Prince of Orange is not always ready to rescue us, with fuch vaft Expence and fo great hazard to his Perfon; and if our Madnefs hurry us fo far, we deferve rather his Pity than his Refentment.

Fourthly, What Arguments has the King given fince he left us, to perfwade us he will be more faithful in obferving his Words and Oaths, than hitherto he has been? Does he not in a Letter lately Printed here, exprefly fay he has Ruled fo, as to give no occafion of Complaint to any of his Subjects? Is not the fame Letter Signed by one who Sacrificed both Confcience and Honour to Intereft, whofe pernicious and headstrond Counfels has pofted him to his Ruin, tho' all that has been done cannot make him fenfible of it? Sure the reducing Hereticks to the See of Rome is not lefs Meritorious than before, nor King James VII.by breathing the French Air, become lefs Bigot? It were a Dream to fancy it. For fo long as the Vatican thunders Excommunications againft all fuch as do not ufe their utmoft Endeavours to extirpate Herefie, a Roman Catholick must have no Religion at all, if that be not terrible to him.

The Fourth Argument they made ufe of to per fwade fuch as are and fhall be chofen Members of the Convention, That the Peace and Happiness of the Nation cannot be otherwife fecured,nor Factions or Divifions extinguished. But what Factions do you obferve, but fuch as they themselves do foment, on purpose to disturb our Harmony? All which would immediately die, if the Government were once fetled on those who deferve it beft; for then, if thefe Fops continued itill fond of Popery and Tyranny they would be Chaftifed as Difturbers of the Publick Peace. The Argument may very juftly be retorted; for if the King return, we will burst out into a Flame, and England, which has already declared, will quickly be on our Top, an Enemy too

Potent

Potent and too Numerous for us, tho' we were all United; befides the Danger to which fuch a Procedure will expofe us, we cut off all hopes of an Union with that Nation, and thereby deprive our felves of an unfpeakable Advantage, which would redound to all forts of People, and would be the only means to fupport an impoverish'd and finking Nation.Neither is this the only Inconveniency, tho' it be a very great one; for if we ftate our felves in oppofition to England, by Reftoring the King whom they Rejected,it is not to be doubted but he will ufe his utmoft Endeavour to recover that Kingdom, the lofs of which is fo confiderable. Now, feeing it were vain to fuppofe that the Scots alone were able to fecond his Defires, he muft needs have Recourfe to the French and Irish, whofe Religion will procure a more intire Confidence than His Majefty can repose in any others. These therefore must be received into our Bofom; and because Scotland is the most proper place for Invading England, it must be the Scene of all the Blood and Confufion that this melancholly Thought gives us a profpect of. And what treatment can fuch Sham Proteftants expect from thefe, who otherwife would have become their Friends and Allies? And what Figure will they pretend to make when they fet up for a feparate Interest from all the Confederate Proteftants in the World befides?

The happy Succefs the Prince's Enterprize has met with, has made a confiderable alteration in the Affairs of Europe; for the great Enemy of the Proteftants, and even of Christianity it felf, who had propos'd nothing lefs to himfelf than an Univerfal Monarchy, whom the ftricteft Leagues and Contracts cannot bind, but without regard to God or Man, threatens all his Neighbours with utter Destruction; by theScene's being changed among us,is fo far humbled, that from a Proud and Infulting Enemy, he is become a Supplicant for Peace; well forefeeing, that if Britain join with thofe other Princes, whom his Infolence, Cruelty, and Avarice, has fo juftly Armed against him, his Ruin is Inevitable: So that if we have not Soul enough to enjoy this great Blessing,and can eafily part with the Glory of being once more the Arbiters,

Arbiters of Europe, let us at least have so much Chriftian Love and Charity for the Neighbouring Nations of our own Perfwafion, as not to expofe them to a neceffary Participation of thefe Plagues, which our Common Enemies are preparing for us,and which will certainly Terminate in our Destruction.

Lastly, I beseech you to confider what Perfons they are who would Inftil this Poifon in you, and you will find them of three kinds, Firft, Thofe who Poftponing the Common Good of the Nation, are wholly acted by Self-Intereft, confidering that in a Government where Justice and Mercy equally Flourish,Virtue and Merit, not Villany, will be rewarded. Secondly, They who are ignorant of the Nature of Government, and were never at the pains to inform themfelves what Measures the Law of Nature and Nations have fet to Mens Obedience, but are angry at every thing that thwarts their wild Notions, and will admit of nothing, tho' never fo Reasonabe and Convincing, if their dull Capacities cannot reach it. The third fort are fuch as have been Inftrumental in the Enslaving their Country, and, are afraid if they be called to an Account,they may be brought to fuffer Condign Punishment; if fuch cannot fucceed in their Design, they at leaft hope to be over look'd in a General Confufion, fo they leave nothing uneffay'd that may tend to their own Safety; and if Heaven fail them, they fummon Hell to their Aid; not Love to their Prince, but meer Ambition and Intereft drives thefe Criminals to fuch Attempts; neither are they much to blame if they are at fuch pains to fow Divifions among us: But no Perfon of Wit and Judgment, nor any good Man that is truly Proteftant, and minds the good of his Country, will fuffer himself to be fo grofly imposed on by fuch Firebrands, who would build their Future Imaginary Greatness on the Ruin of Our Religion, Laws and Country.

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