IX.

GOD, who, at fundry Times, and in 'SER M. divers Manners, hath formerly delivered this Nation from Popery, hath, in a remarkable Manner, refcued Us from the imminent Apprehenfions of it arifing from the late Rebellion: A Religion which Men of good Nature must abhor for it's many Cruelties; Men of Senfe, for it's many Abfurdities; and Men of Virtue, for it's large Indulgences to, and Encouragements of Immorality. It was to have been ushered in, and indeed could only be ushered in, by Bloodshed, Rapine and Defolation, and could only have been fupported by arbitrary Power, and illegal Acts of Cruelty and Oppreffion. There could not have been a more terrible Thing than to have had a Popish Prince at the Head of a Proteftant Nation Nor could any Thing have been more unreasonable. For is it reasonable that a Papist, because He is of Royal Descent, fhould be invefted with a Regal Power in a Country, where if he had been born a private Man, he could not in Law, and ought not in Reafon to have been intrufted with the loweft Office in the Government? No Nation under the Sun ever permits a Perfon, who is of a different Religion from it, to fit at the Helm of it; and the Reafon is, because it is very abfurd to put it in any Man's Power to fubvert one Part, and a very valuable Part, of our Conftitution,

SER M. Conftitution, who has a strong and rivetted Inclination to do it.

IX.

Promises, that they will fecure us in the Poffeffion of our Religion, fignify nothing; because fuch Promifes are never to be depended upon. People in Adversity promise generally very fair, who, when they have got the Reins in their Hands, break through all Vows, Ties and Engagements. The fame Profeffions Queen Mary made; and how she kept them, let the History of her Reign inform us, which was one continued Scene of Cruelty and Martyrdom; Cruelty, intirely owing to her Religion. For, setting aside that, she was in her own Nature very compaffionate. Nay, so far did the Fury of that Reign extend, that the helpless Infant, forced from the Mother's Womb by the Extremity of Tortures, was thrown alive into the Flames as guilty of it's Mother's Herefy, and under the Sentence of the Holy Court, which had condemned the Mother without excepting her Womb *. Such Promises King James the Second

fo

*See Bishop Burnet's Hiftory of the Reformation, Vol. II. p. 314. Anno 1556. But this July there was done in "Gernfey an Act of as great Inhumanity, as ever was "recorded in any Age. A Mother and her two "Daughters were burnt at the fame Stake; and one "of them a married Woman big with Child, when "fhe was in the Fire, the Violence of it burfting her Belly,

66

Second made with Tears in His Eyes before He came to the Throne; and no fooner was he settled in it, but he left no Stone unturned to deftroy the Reformed

"Belly, a Boy fell out into the Flame, that was
"fnatched out of it by one that was more merciful
"than the Reft: but after they had a little confulted
"about it, the Infant was thrown in again, and there
"was literally baptized with Fire. There were many
"Eye-witneffes of this, who attested it afterwards in
Queen Elizabeth's Time, when the Matter was en-
"quired into, and special Care was taken to have
“ full and evident Proofs of it. For indeed the Fact
"was fo unnatural, that a Man must either be pos-
"feffed with a very ill Opinion of the Actors, or be
"well fatisfied about the Number and Credibility of
"the Witneffes, before he could believe it. But
"Lies and Forgeries are seldom made of Actions done
"in the Face of the Sun, and before fo great an
"Affembly as was prefent at this. Therefore Com-
"plaint being made of it to Queen Elizabeth, the
"Dean of Gernfey was put in Prison for it; and
"afterwards he, and nine more that were all acceffary
"to it, took out their Pardons. So merciful was the
"Government then, to pardon an Action of fuch a
"monftrous Nature, because done with some Colour
"of Law; fince it was faid, the Mother was con-..
"demned to be burnt, and no Exception was made
"of her Belly." And p. 315. "And above all;
"the Barbarity of Gernfey railed that Horror in the
"whole Nation, that there feems ever fince that Time
"fuch an Abhorrence to that Religion to be derived
"down from Father to Son, that it is no Wonder an
"Averfion fo deeply rooted, and raifed upon fuch
"Grounds, does, upon every new Provocation, or
Jealoufy of returning to it, break out in moft
"violent and convulfive Symptoms."

SER M.

IX.

SERM. Religion. And yet He was a Prince of IX. many excellent Qualities, and would have

made a Nation of Roman Catholics very happy. The Truth of it is, We have only the Vices of a Proteftant Prince to fear, and may be made happy by his Virtues : But the very Piety of a Popish Prince obliges him to our Deftruction, and in Proportion as he is more religious, he becomes more infupportable.

But how little their Profeffions, or even Oaths, are to be depended on, the following Instance, related by Hiftorians of their own Persuasion, fufficiently fhews; and I the rather mention it, as it contains a remarkable Inftance of a particular Provi-, dence. Uladislaus King of Hungary made a Peace with Amurath the IId Emperor of the Turks, for ten Years. The King swore upon the Gospel, the Turk upon the Alcoran, to observe the Treaty then made. The Pope diffolved the Oath, and dispensed with the King of Hungary's Obligations to it. Upon this he invades the Enemy, unfus-. pecting any fuch Thing, and confequently unprepared: A Battle enfues, and Amurath was in Danger of being overpowered and defeated. In this Diftrefs, in the Heat of the Action, Amurath the Emperor of the Turks pulls out of his Bofom the Treaty of Peace which the Papifts had made, and fworn to obferve; and looking up to the

Crucifix,

Crucifix, which was carried before them; SER M. "This, fays He, O Chrift, is the League, "which Thy Chriftians made with me, "fwearing to obferve it by Thy Name. "If Thou be a GOD, avenge the Injury "which they have done both to Thee and

me

* ""

He had hardly uttered these Words, when the Battle began to turn against them. The King, who had broke his Oath, was flain in the Action; a total Defeat followed, and fcarce a third Part of the Army escaped. A fignal Proof that there is a particular Providence, as well as that the Romanifts do not think themselves obliged to keep Faith with Heretics, as they call us; but will, in full Poffeffion of Power, recant thofe Vows as null and void, which they made in Diftrefs.

Nay, those very Men, if any fuch there were, who, though fincere Proteftants, favoured the Interests of a Popish Pretender, under the groundless Hopes of having what they called Grievances redreffed, would have been juft in the Cafe of the Man in the Fable, who, labouring under a Load, tho' not very heavy, called for Death to relieve him from it but when he came, would have been glad to have compounded for his Burden, by getting quit of a much greater

* See Knolles's Turkish Hiftory, p. 203. P 2

Evil,