O F PLOTS T HE restless Enemies of our Peace and Religion, leave no Methods unattempted to effect their villanous Designs for the Subverfion of Both. It is the profefs'd Intention of this Paper, to ferve (as far as it can) the Liberties of Mankind, and in particular of our dear Country; and therefore I think it feasonable to offer fome Things concerning the prefent Methods in which our Enemies attack them; I mean thofe Plots and Confpiracies, by which they are contriving to deprive us of them. Where open Force fails of Succefs, Men of wicked and pernicious Purposes betake themfelves to the Shelter of Clouds and Darkness. to all the studied Arts of Treachery and Deceit: True to nothing but their Ambition and Luft of Power, their implacable Revenge, or their furious Superftition. But by these they are carried on to any Methods that may ferve to gratify their Paffion; tho' with the Ruin of whole Nations, and the unspeakable Miferics of their own Country. A 2 Men Men of boundlefs Ambition cannot reft, till they have form'd a Scheme that promises them Succefs; and are continually working to bring others into their Measures; Some as united to them by the fame ambitious Profpects; Others as Dependants upon them, or brib'd over to their Party. Implacable Hatred and Ill-will to Perfons in Power, often puts Men upon all Methods to ruin and deftroy them, tho' with the manifelt Mischief of the Community; nay, and fometimes when they involve themselves in the Common Ruin: As a great Enemy of King William was reported to have faid, He would n.b. ruin him if he could, tho' he was fure to be damn'd for it the next Moment; But befides thefe wicked Paffions which have occafioned Plots in all Ages, there is another Cause that has been at the Bottom of the most, and most mischievous Plots in our own Country, and Neighbour Nations, for a long Time; that is, a falfe and fuperftitious Zeal. On this the Antichriftian Polity of Rome is founded. A Means has been found out to form a wordly Polity out of a Religion intended to wean Men from the World. The Pope, by enflaving the Confciences of all that own him for the Head of their Religion, has lifted to himself a fpiritual Militia; and hereby has Numbers ready at Hand to undertake any Mischief he fhall put them upon: Since they are taught to believe all Things conduce to the Salvation of their Souls, that are done in Obedience to his Commands. This Principle can procure a CleA ment, or Ravillac, to take off Princes, when they are fufpected to ftand in their Way. This can engage engage Men to form unnatural Designs of deftroying the beft Part of a whole Nation at once by Gun-powder, and a great Part of another by an inhumane Majacre. In fine, it can command and direct all manner of Wickednefs, for the Destruction of any Perfons who fhall be fo hardy as to imagine, the Servant of God's Servants is not Emperor of the World: So that however Ambition and Covetoufnefs may be the Springs of A&tion, in the principal Promoters of fuch Confpiracies, 'tis yet a fierce and falfe Zeal for Religion, by which they are conducted to their Execution. One would have hoped these Mischiefs of Popery had been re&tified at our Reformation; but yet our Histo ry affords too many Instances, that the Popi Emiffaries have ftill the Skill and good Luck to dupe those that have even protefted against their Errors and Conduct; to engage them in Plots for their own Destruction; and make them give the most unaccountable Instances of a real Fanaticism, when they are halloow'd by an Italian Policy to worry their Brethren under the Name of Fanaticks. That this is the main Principle of our Plots, in England at leaft, for above this Hundred Years laft paft, may appear from the Perfons engaged in them, and the Methods they have ufed to promote them. These have been fo much one and the fame, and the Steps taken against our Government, as Proteftant, fo Uniform, that 'tis a Wonder even the Common People do not fully fee through them, and perceive whence they come, what they aim at, and by what means fuch Projects are to be executed. The England Beland The Perfons concern'd in these Plots have ever been the Papifts out of the Church, and the High-Flyers, or Popifhly-affected within the Church. They have indeed, as under Plots of their own, made a Few for the Whigs and ProWe teftants. Mrs. Celier midwiv'd one into the World out of a Meal-Tub; and by another, they got fuch brave Men as Lord Russel, AlBee gernoon Sidney, &c. out of the Way: for thefe, and fuch like pretended Proteftant Plots, have plainly appeared upon Examination, and in their Confequences, the Effects of Popish Councils and Tory Defigns. I joyn the Papifts and High-Flyers together, because they have ever been united in the fame Measures; have gone Hand in Hand with each other at every Turn, and have fallen into all the fame common Methods of deftroying our Religion and Liberties., Thus when they found a Prince, for Inftance, inclinable to favour Popery, or any Advances towards it, these were the Men who joyntly made court to him; complimented him with unlimited Paffive Obedience and Non-Refiftance; made the Titles of fuch as they had Hopes from, Unalienable and Indefeafable; and their Power fuperiour to all Law; and every Provifion to the contrary, tho' it had a Parliamentary Sanction, void and infignificant. The fame Perfons mutually concurr'd to engage a Party among the Clergy, to fupport thefe Tenets by a Divine Sanction, and more effectually spread them among the Common People; and the more heartily to engage Them, and at the fame Time to promote their own Designs in view, they concurred to advance Their Power and Authority to equal Extravagancy with that of the Crown; |