Page:A Letter from a Person of Quality, to His Friend in the Country (1675).pdf/42

 I shall conclude with that, upon the whole matter, is most worthy your consideration; That the design is to declare us first into another Govern­ment more Absolute, and Arbitrary, then the Oath of Allegience, or old Law knew, and then make us swear unto it, as it is so established: And less then this the Bishops could not offer in requital to the Crown for parting with its Supremacy, and suffering them to be sworn to equal with it self. Archbishop Laud was the first Founder of this Device; in his Canons of 1640. you shall find an Oath very like this, and a Declaratory Canon preceding that Monarchy is of divine Right, which was also affirmed in this debate by our Reverend Prelates, and is owned in Print by no less Men then A. Bishop Usher, and B. Sanderson; and I am afraid it is the avowd opinion of much the greater part of our dignified Clergie: If so, I am sure they are the most dangerous sort of Men alive to our English Govern­ment, and it is the first thing ought to be looke into, and strictly examin'd by our Parliaments, 'tis the leaven that corrupts the whole lump; for if that be true, I am sure Monarchy is not to be bounded by humane Laws, and the 8. chap. of 1. Samuel, will prove (as many of our Divines would have it) the Great Charter of the Royal Prerogative, and our Magna Charta that says Our Kings may not take our Fields, our Vineyards, our Corn, and our Sheep is not in force, but void and null, because against di­vine Institution; and you have the Riddle out, why the Clergy are so rea­dy to take themselves, & impose upon others such kind of Oaths as these, they have placed themselves, and their possessions upon a better, and a sur­er bottom (as they think) then Magna Charta, and so have no more need of, or concern for it: Nay what is worse, they have truckt away the Rights and Liberties of the People in this, and all other countries wherever they have had opportunity, that they might be owned by the Prince to be Jure Divino, and maintain'd in that Pretention by that absolute power and force, they have contributed so much to put into his hands; and that Priest, and Prince may, like Castor and Pollux, be worshipt together as Divine in the same temple by Us poor Lay-subjects; and that sense and reason, Law, Properties, Rights, and Liberties, shall be understood as the Oracles of those Deities shall interpret, or give signification to them, and ne'r be made use of in the world to oppose the Absolute, and Freewill of either of them.

Sir, I have no more to say, but begg your Pardon for this tedious Trou­ble, and that you will be very careful to whom you Communicate any of this.