I Thank you for the favour of Commu­nicating the grateful (tho I cannot say unexpected) News of an eminent Divine of our Church, who has a long time scrupled the Oaths to their present Majesties, has now at last answered all his Doubts, and reconciled his Judgment to the Interest of the Protestant Religion, by affording his Talent to the support of their present Majesties, who, under God, are now the Defenders of it, not only here, but all Europe over. I wish your next Letter might bring me the much to be wished for Account of all our Wor­thy Prelates and Divines, who have la­boured long under that Difficulty, ob­taining the like Victory.

And whereas you, at the same time, give me to know the Discourses of se­veral Men, who are no great Lovers of our Church, about it; as if this great Man seemed to be ruled by Interest in this Affair, because he has stood out so long, and now (as they think) all of a sudden taken it, I shall beg the Liberty of briefly giving you my Sentiments about it.

And first, All own that an Oath is a Sa­cred thing, and therefore requires the greatest Deliberation in the World before it be taken. An inconsiderate Man may rashly venture upon an Oath, but a think­ing, and an honest constant Man, will be loath to engage himself by any Oath, till he has fully considered all that may fol­low upon it, which must needs cost a Man some time: But especially, when Scru­ples arise, that the Oath imposed upon, interferes with another Oath formerly taken, then it must needs cause great Wrestlings in the Mind of a truly honest Man, which cannot be easily appeased, which was the Case of this Famous Di­vine. It's to be fear'd there are too many who have taken the Oath with little or no Deliberation, who are more to be Censured, than he, who rather than he would take it with the minutest scruple, would run the hazzard of Tem­poral Inconveniencies.

And in the next place, when the Oath imposed, seems to contradict former O­pinions, it must needs render a person very averse from taking of it, and take up a great deal of time before he can di­vest himself of those Principles. You and all Men know sufficiently, that it has been the Opinion of many of the Clergy of England, that an Oath taken to a Prince, obliges the Subject to him for his Life-time, if he were the greatest Op­pressor that ever lived. And therefore it must needs be supposed, That this Re­verend Person could not easily, and in a short time, get free of this difficulty.

Those Persons ought rather to rejoyce, that those Tenets that have been foisted into our Church, no less prejudicial to the King than the Subjects, (as late Ex­perience demonstrates beyond all con­tradiction) are now justly repudiated, as the principal Causes of all the Miseries we have met with, than to vent their Spleen [Page 2]against a Learned Gentleman, for not having his Conscience at their Beck.

I may likewise add, That such is the Nature of Man, that even in the best of Men there is a Vanity of retaining their former Opinions, lest by changing them, however prejudicial otherwise they may be, they should undergo the Impu­tation of Changlings. I do not say this is the Case of any, but even a good Man may even be Byast with this, and it may be a long time before this may be over­come.

I shall here add some few of those many weighty Reasons or Considerations which I humbly conceive have prevailed with this Reverend Person to take the Oaths.

Reason I. Because it is evident, That no Rule or Form of Government is pre­scribed by the Law of God and Nature; for that then they would be both immu­table, and the self-same in all Countries, but Almighty God concurreth or permit­teth such particular Forms which the Common-wealth appoints. Can any Man say, That God did not concur as well with Italy when it had but one Prince, as now when it hath so many; and the like with Germany, and also with Switzerland, which was once one Com­mon-wealth, under the Dukes of Austria? England also was first a Monarchy under the Brittains, and then a Province under the Romans, and after that divided into Seven Kingdoms at once, under the Saxons, and after them of the Danes, and then the Normans, and then the French, and now a Monarchy again under the English, and all this by God's Providence and Permission, who suffered his own peculiar People the Jews to be under di­vers manner of Governments at divers times; as first under the Patriarchs, A­braham, Isaac, and Jacob; then under Captains, as Moses, Ioshua, and the like; then under Judges, as Othoniel, &c. then under High-Priests, as Eli and Samuel; then under Kings, as Saul, David, and so on, until the Government was lastly taken from them, and they brought un­der the Power of the Romans. And last of all, That God does concur with what Magistrate or Magistrates the Commu­nity thinks fit to appoint, is plain by the Testimony of Holy Scripture, as when God said to Solomon, By me Kings Rule, and Nobles, even all the Judges of the Earth, Prov. 8.16. that is, by His Per­mission they Govern, tho' Chosen by the People: And St. Paul to the Romans a­voucheth, that Authority is not but of God, and therefore he that resisteth Au­thority, resisteth God, Rom. 13. which is to be understood of Authority, Power, and Jurisdiction in it self, according to the Laws of every Country▪

Reason II. Because Allegiance is no­thing but Obedience according to Law, which when the Prince violates, he has no right to Obedience, there being a mutual Obligation between the King and People, which, whether it be only Civil or Natural, tacit, or in express Words, can be taken away by no Agreements, violated by no Law, rescinded by no Force; for a Kingdom is nothing else but the mutual Stipulation between the People and their Kings: The Supream Authority of a Nation belonging to those who have the Legislative Authority re­served to them; but not to those who have only the Executive, which is plain­ly a Trust, when it is separated from the Legislative Power; and all Trusts by their nature import, That those to whom they are given, are accountable, tho' no such condition is specified. If the Subject may in no case Resist, then there can be no Law but the Will and Pleasure of the Prince; for whosoever must be opposed in nothing, may do every thing.

If the King Sue, by pretence of Law, and endeavour to take away my Money, [Page 3]my House, or my Land, I may defend them by the Law; but if he comes Ar­med to take away my Liberty, Life, and Religion, which are mine by the Laws of God and Man, may I not secure them with a good Conscience; for most cer­tain, every Man has a right to pre­serve himself, his Rights and Priviledges, against him who has no Authority to In­vade them: And this was the Case of Moses, who seeing an Egyptian Smiting an Hebrew, he Slew him: And Sampson made War upon the Philistines, for burn­ing his Wife and her Father, who were both but private Persons, who knew they could have no other kind of Justice a­gainst them, but what the Law of Na­ture gives every Man.

When once the Christian Religion is become a part of the Subjects Property, by the Laws and Constitutions of the Country, then it is to be considered as one of their Principal Rights, and so may be defended as well as any other Civil Right: Since that these different Forms of Government, that the Iews were un­der, is no Rule for the Government of any Nation or People whatsoever. That Cause is Just which defends the Laws which protects the Common Good, which shall preserve the Realm: And that Cause is unjust which violates the Laws, defends the Breakers of the Laws, pro­tects the Subverters of the Country. That is Just which will destroy Tyranni­cal Government: That Unjust which would Abolish just Government: That Lawful which tends to the Publick Good: That Unlawful which tends to the Pri­vate.

Reason III. The Children of Israel slew Amasiah, their lawful King, for his Ido­latry, without any appointment in Scrip­ture, or Prophesie of his Downfal; and yet that this is no where called Rebelli­on, neither were they Punished by his Son, whom they had made King in his Father's Stead. Mattathias slew the King's Commissioner, for compelling Men to Idolatry. The Edom [...]s Revolted from Jehoram, and made themselves a King. And Lib [...]ah did also Revolt, be­cause of his Evil Government, 2 Chron. 21. without any appointment or foretelling of their Revolt by God in Scripture, or being called Rebels. Saul's Subjects Swore, that Saul should not kill Ionathan, and they rescued him that he died not, 1 Sam. 14.45. David (tho' a private Man) Armed himself with Six hundred Men, no doubt but he designed to have Fought Saul and his Army, if the Men of Keliah would have assisted him, and been true to him; when he enquired of the Lord, Whether the Men of Keliah would deliver him and his Men into the hands of Saul? upon the Lords answer­ing, They would deliver them up, he and his Men departed the City, 1 Sam. 23.23. can any Man imagine their meaning was to run up and down the Country toge­ther, and fly before Saul and his Army, if they had been able to cope with any number he could bring or send against them? If Resistance, at all times, was Unlawful, and a Sin, surely David, a Man after God's own Heart, would have known it, and then he would not have Involved the Six hundred Men that came to his Assistance, in the Sin of Rebellion, but have told them, that the Prince was not to be Resisted, though never so great a Tyrant. Canstantine the Great, aided the Oppressed Christians and Romans a­gainst the Tyranny and Persecution of the Emperors Maxentius and Maximinius, with force of Arms, with which he Con­quered those Persecutors in several Bat­tles, Fought against them at the Christi­ans earnest Importunity. The Primitive Christians resisted Lucinius their Emperor, for Persecuting them contrary to Law; and Constantine the Great joyned with them, who held it his Duty, saith Eusebius, [Page 4]to deliver an infinite multitude of Men, by cutting off a few Wicked ones, as the Pest and Plagues of the Time. The Pri­mitive Christians of Constantinople opposed Aspers being made Emperor; but Leo being named, they consented thereto. The Primitive Christians, under the King of Persia, resisted him for Persecuting them, and was assisted by Theodotius the Roman Emperor, who told the King of Persia, He was ready to defend them, and no way to see them suffer for Religion. The Christians of Armenia the Greater, made a League with the Romans for the securing their Persons and their Religion, against the Persians, under whom they lived. The Novations, assisted by the Orthodox, resisted and beat the Macedo­nians, though they were assisted by Con­stantinus the Emperor, with Four Thou­sand Men to drive them from Paplelogonia. The Primitive Christians likewise destroy­ed Julians Idolatrous Temple in his Reign.

Reason IV. It is not our business to enquire into the Justice of all that contributed to this late Revolution in England, that being nothing to our Case, who had no hand in it, and so have nothing to answer for it to God nor Man; supposing it were an ill thing in it self, or that the Managers of it acted upon evil Principles, took ill Methods, or had bad Ends, we may and ought to leave this to be justified by those whom it doth con­cern, (who have already done it beyond all contradiction) we have performed our Oath to the late King so long as he was in a Capacity to receive it; and many of us have had no hand in putting him out of that Capacity: But whether his own de­serting us, or the present Kings Conquest, did Devest him, this is certain, that he is now Devested of all Power to Protect or Govern us here, as much as if he were actually Dead. And truly, unless there be some Cases besides Natural Death, in which our Oath ceaseth to Bind us, the case of Subjects may be extreamly Intol­lerable. Particularly in Portugal, all the Subjects must be said to be Perjur'd, when they Sware to a new King while Alphonso was living: It must therefore be granted, that Madness & Conquest may so far take off the Obligation of a People to their liv­ing King, that they may innocently Swear to another: And it is clear, that both these concurred in our Case.

We are Private Subjects, and must pay our Allegiance to him that administers us Law and Justice, and doth Protect us in all Capacities. If any wrong us in our Estates, or hurt our Persons, we fly to their present Majesties Laws for Redress, and that seems the same thing as owning them, or Swearing Allegiance, unless we think we may make use of this Govern­ment to serve our own Ends, and do no­thing to serve and secure it.

‘It is heartily to be wished for, by all Good Men, that those Reverend Persons who still stand out, would lay aside all Prejudice; and, for the Church's sake, in which they seem to make a Schism; for their Native Countries sake, which they seem to expose by this Division; for their complying Brethrens sake, who Pity and Pray for them; and for their own and Families sake, they would not let a Notion in Politicks keep them at this di­stance, and bring so many Calamities on them. The Oath is short and modest, nothing but what is very necessary, and required in all Governments; therefore why should they, for a nicety and scruple, which may be fully satisfied and solved, endanger their Religion and the whole Nation, and give such advantages to Papists, by countenancing them, and to the Fanaticks, by opposing the present Government, who do not fail to repre­sent it even to the Church's prejudice.’