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Anno 32Car.II. of your Majefty's Perfon, the Proteftant Religion, and the Security of your Kingdoms.

1680.

6 Thefe Requests we are conftrained humbly to make to your Majefty as of abfolute Neceflity, for the fafe and peaceable Enjoyment of our Religion.

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Without thefe Things, the Alliances of England will not be valuable, nor the People encouraged to contribute to your Majefty's Service.

As fome farther Means for the Prefervation both of our Religion and Property, we are humble Suitors to your Majefty, that from henceforth fuch Perfons only may be Judges within the Kingdom of England, and Dominion of Wales, as are Men of Ability, Integrity, and known Affection to the Proteftant Religion: And that they may hold both their Offices and Salaries, quamdiu fe bene gefferint. That (feveral Deputy-Lieutenants and Juftices of the Peace fitly qualified for thofe Employments, having been of late displaced, and others put in their room, who are Men of arbitrary Principles, and Countenancers of Papifts and Popery) fuch only may bear the Office of a Lord-Lieutenant, as are Perfons of Integrity and known Affection to the Proteftant Religion. That Deputy-Lieutenants, and Juftices of the Peace, may be alfo fo qualified, and may be moreover Men of Ability, of Eftates and Interefts in their Country.

That none be employed as military Officers, or Officers in your Majefty's Fleet, but Men of known Experience, Courage, and Affection to the Proteftant Religion.

These our humble Requests being obtained, we fhall, on our Part, be ready to affift your Majefty for the Prefervation of Tangier; and for putting your Majefty's Fleet into fuch a Condition, as it may preferve your Majesty's Sovereignty of the Seas, and be for the Defence of the Nation.

If your Majefly hath, or fhall make any neceffary Alliances for defence of the Proteftant Religion, and Intereft and Security of this Kingdom, this Houfe will be ready to affift and ftand by your Majefty in the support of the fame.

After this our humble Anfwer to your Majefty's gracious Speech, we hope no evil Inftruments whatfoever, fhall be able to leflen your Majefty's Efteem of that Fidelity and Affection we bear to your Majefty's Service: but that your Majefty will always retain, in your Royal Breaft, that favourable Opinion of us your loyal Commons, that those other good Bills which we have now under Confideration, conducing to the great Ends we have before mentioned, as alfo all Laws for the Benefit and Comfort of your People,

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which fhall from time to time be tendred for your Majefty's Anno 32 Car. II. royal Affent, fhall find acceptance with your Majefty.'

1680.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I have hearkned with all the Attention I could to this Addrefs, and do agree with the firft A Debate on the Speech. Part of it. The Dangers and Inconveniencies arifing from a Popish Succeffor are very obvious; and that there will Edward be no Peace nor Tranquillity in this Nation for the present, Vaughan as long as there is a Popish Succeffor; and that our Religion will be loft, if there fhould be a Popish King, I am afraid, is too true: But yet I muft crave leave to diffent from the true Opinion of thofe worthy Members that have drawn it, as to the other Parts thereof. I think it is not convenient, at this time, to prefs fo hard for the Exclufion-Bill, because we know we cannot have it without a Prorogation; which, for my part, I fear at this time, as much as I do a Popish Succeffor; for I do believe, if it fhould happen, that you will fooner fee the Duke at Whitehall, than this Affembly met together again, between thefe Walls: And therefore, I am not willing to give the Popish Party fuch an Advantage to procure our Diffolution, left they fhould lay hold of it, as I believe they would; by which the Protestant Interest, both abroad and at home, would be ruined. And as I cannot agree in this, fo neither in preffing the Affociation-Bill; for, being it hath not yet been brought into the House, we do not well know what will be the Purport of it. And it is not proper, that we should ask of the King we know not what; nor expect that he fhould grant us what he can know nothing of. And truly, Sir, I think that these things about the Judges, Deputy-Lieutenants, and Juftices of the Peace, are too minute things to be infifted on at this time, compared with others which might be demanded Queen Elizabeth's Counsellors never thought her fafe, until the Popish Succeffor was inclofed in a Tower; and I am afraid that you will never be fafe, until you take some fuch Course that may bring things to an Iffue. When you have done that, and banished all the confiderable Papifts out of England, I think we fhall not be in fo apparent Danger, as we now are. And feeing this may probably be granted, and the other Bills not, I humbly move you to recommit the Address, that it may be better confidered. I know not how this may agree with the Senfe of the Houfe; but I fhall always crave Leave to fpeak in this Place according to my Confcience, that fo I may have Peace within me; but readily fubmit to better Judgments.'

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I am very glad that worthy Member Sir William agrees in the Apprehenfions of the Dangers arifing from Jones. a Popish Succeffor, and in the Neceffity of the Bill of Exclufion; and am very forry I cannot agree with him in the TOME II.

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1680.

Anno 32 Car.II. reft of his Difcourfe. I cannot imagine, without a high Re fleétioun upon his Majefty, that if he fhonld be perfuaded to prorogue the Houfe for two or three Days, in order to pafs the Exclufion-Bill, that he should, inftead of permitting us to meet again, diffolve the Parliament; which is quite contrary to it. I fear a Prorogation, without being intended for this; but if once we could prevail with his Majefty to do it for this end, I fhould not doubt the defired Effect. And in preffing the Affociation-Bill, we shall not prefs the King to grant us we know not what: The Word Affocia..` tion may very well be understood, and the Ends of it are declared to be for the Security of his Majesty's Perfon, and the Proteftant Keligion. And if, when drawn, it should be directed to other Ends, I fuppofe this Houfe will take care to mend it; if not, the King's Promife can bind no farther than to pass a Bill for thofe Ends. But I do much admire to hear, that the having of good Judges, Juftices, and Commanders at Sea and Land, is a trivial thing; for I think that all other things you defire without it, would fignify nothing, As long as the Laws and Militia of the Nation are in the Hands of Perfons not well affected to the Proteftant Intereft, I am afraid we shall have no Security against Popery. As to the new Way that hath been propofed, of bringing Matters relating to the Popish Succeffor to fuch an Iffue, as that he may be fecured, as in Queen Elizabeth's time. If he had been fenfible, that there are none in Office but what are for his Intereft, he would firft have agreed to have endeavoured to have got fuch changed, before he would have propofed that Way. And it would be neceflary that we fhould alfo have fuch PrivyCounsellors as Queen Elizabeth had, and not eleven to seven for the Popish Succeffor. And therefore feeing these Propofals have no more Appearance of being for your Service, I fee no reason you have to be diverted from the Way you were going: And therefore I humbly move to agree with your Committee.'

The Speech agreed to.

The Houfe agreed.

The 21ft of December, 1680. A Bill was read for uniting Debates on a Bill his Majefty's Proteftant Subjects.

for uniting his Majefty's Proteftant Subjects.

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Mr. Speaker, Sir, It is not to be doubted but that the Happiness of this Nation, and Safety of our Religion, doth depend very much upon preferving the well-conftituted Government of the Church; and that the Government in the State will not long ftand, if that be pulled down, to which, I am afraid, this Bill will contribute very much. Sir, it is well known, how, notwithstanding all the Endeavours of his Majefty, as well in Parliament as otherwife, all the Acts that are in force against Diffenters, all the Endeavours of

the

1680,

he Fathers of the Church, there are a Sort of Men, and Anno 32 Car. II. great numbers too, who will neither be advised nor overruled; but, under the Pretence of Confcience, break violently through all Laws whatsoever, to the great Disturbance both of Church and State. And if you fhould give them more Liberty, you will encourage them to go on with more Boldness; and therefore I think it will be more convenient to have a Law for forcing the Diffenters to yield to the Church, and not to force the Church to yield to them; and I think we are going quite the wrong way to do the Nation good. And therefore I am against this Bill.

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Mr. Speaker, Sir, I would not open my Mouth in favour of this Bill, if I thought it would any ways prejudice the the Church, or Church-Government; but I believe it may have a quite contrary Effect, and tend more for the Prefervation and Safety of the Church and Church-Government, than any Bill whatsoever that could be contrived. We have a Church-Government fettled by Law, to which the major Part of the People, like good Chriftians and loyal Subjects, give obedience; but it is our Misfortune that there are in the Nation a great many, who will not fubmit to this Government, who may be divided under three Heads: 1. The Papifts, who differ from us in Points of Faith, and will not give any obedience but to the Church of Rome: 2. Inde-` pendants, Presbyterians, and fome others, who agree in Points of Faith, and differ only in Points of Doctrine and Ceremonies 3. Quakers, who difagree not only in Points of Doctrine and Ceremonies, but in Points of Faith, and are a head-strong fort of unreasonable People, that will not fubmit to any Laws made about Religion, but do give obedience to the civil Magiftrates upon all other Occafions. The Church of Englandmen are not only the greatest Number, but have the Government of their fide. What Laws to make, that may tend most to the preferving of it, is your Bufinefs. It is in danger from the Papifts on the one hand, and the rest of the Protef tant Diffenters on the other, who in fome measure agree in their Enmity and Difrefpect to the Church, and therefore the more Care ought to be taken for its Prefervation.

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Having thus, Sir, difcovered the Danger of the Church in general, it will be neceffary, in order to find out a Remedy, to discourse a little of the Strength and Intereft of each. Party in particular.

Sir, the Papifts are not the greatest number, but yet, in my Opinion, upon feveral Confiderations, are most to be feared, because of their defperate Principles, which make them bold and indefatigable, and the Affiftance they may may have from Rome, France, and Ireland; but above all, from the great Share they have in the Management of the Government,

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1680.

Anno 32 Car.II. Government, by the Means of a Popifh Succeffor, and the Fear of their getting the Government into their Hands here after by having a Popifh King: Which of itself hath been fufficient in former Times to change the Religion of this Nation, and, as may_juftly be feared, may have the fame Effect again, unless the Proteftants be well united. The Presbyterians, Independants, and all other Diffenters, may be more in number than the Papifts, and may be willing enough to have the Church-Government altered, if not deftroyed; yet, being they cannot have any Succour from abroad, nor from the Government here at home, I cannot fee any great Danger from them: For, it is not probable they fhall ever have a King of their own Opinion, nor a Parliament, by the Dif covery they made of their Strength in the laft Élections: For, according to the best Calculation I can make, they could not bring one in twenty: And therefore, becaufe they have not fuch bloody, defperate Principles as the Papifts, and because we agree in Points of Faith, and fo there is no fuch great Danger from them as from the Papifts, I think we have reafon to conclude, that the Church is moft in danger from the Papifts, and that therefore we ought to take care of them in the first Place; and we cannot do that by any way more likely to prove effectual, than by fome fuch Bill as this. Becaufe, if it Thould have the Effect defigned, of bringing in many of the Diffenters into the Church, it would difappoint them of the great Hopes they have grounded on our Divifions, and make the Church Aronger, not only to oppofe the Papifts, but fuch Fanatics as may not come in. And if we fhould be fo unfortunate, as that this Bill fhould not have this Succefs, I do not understand it will any way weaken the Church-Government: And therefore I am for this Bill.'

F.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, this Bill is intended for the Preservaperhaps Foley. tion of the Church, and I am of Opinion, is the best Bill that can be made in order thereto, our Circumstances confidered : But I know not what Effect it may have, because you are to deal with a stubborn fort of People, who in many Things prefer their Humour before Reafon, or their own Safety, or the public Good. But, Sir, I think this is a very good time to try, whether they will be won by the Cords of Love or no, and the Bill will be very agreeable to that Chriftian Charity which our Church profefles; and I hope that in a Time of fo imminent Danger as we are in of a common Enemy, they will confider their own Saftey, and the Safety of the Proteftant Religion, and not longer keep afoot the unhappy Divisions that are amongst us, on which the Papifts ground their Hopes. But rather, feeing the Church doth fo far condefcend, as to difpenfe with the Surplice, and thofe other Things which they fcruple at, that they will fub

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