524 SOME CONSIDEKATIONS ABOUT
and interest in England, without any recourse unto sucli a churcli- power as fills all with divisions. This, I say, is that church of Eng- land which is the principal bulwark of the protestaut religion and interest in Europe, — namely, a protestant king, a protestant parlia- ment, protestant magistrates, protestant ministers, a protestant con- fession of faith established by law, with the cordial agTeement of the body of the people in all these things, esteeming the protestant religion and its profession their chief interest in this world. To suppose that a few men, having obtained honours, dignities, and revenues unto themselves, exercising a power and authority (liighly questionable, whether legal or no) unto their own advantage, oppres- sive unto the people, and by all means perpetuating differences among Protestants, are that church of England which is justly esteemed the bulwark of the protestant religion, is a high and pal- pable mistake. The church of England, as unto its national interest in the preservation of the protestant religion, is not only separable from it, but weakened by it. Yea, if there be such a national consti- tution as, in its own nature, and by the secular advantages which it supplies men withal, inclines them to prefer their own interest above that of the protestant religion in general, it will always endanger that religion in any nation; for hereon they will judge, when they are pressed on any occasion or circumstance of affairs, that it is better to preserve theu own interest, by virtue of some dispensations securing unto them their power and secular advantages, than to ven- ture all })y a rigid contest for the protestant religion.
Nor is it morally possible that ever Popery should return into this or any other nation, but under the conduct of such a church consti- tution ; without this it hath no prevalent engine but mere force, war, and oppression.
But if the interest of Popery can j)ossess this church-state, either by the inclinations of them, or the greater number of them, who have the management of it, or by their deiDondence, as unto their interest, on the supreme authority ; if that happen in any age to give counte- nance thereunto, the whole nation will quickly be insensibly influenced and betrayed into Popery, as it were, they know not how. Hence have been such national conversions to and fro in England as have been in no other places or countries in the world ; for the care of the public preservation of religion being, as it is supposed, intrusted in this church-state and the managers of it, if by any means it be pos- sessed by Popery, or influenced by a popish prince, the religion of the whole nation will be lost immediately.
For as unto all other ministers who have the immediate guidance of the people, they will suppose that they can do nothing of them- selves in this matter, but are only obliged unto the conduct of the
UNION AMONG PROTESTANTS. 525
churcli-state itself. And having their station therein alone, and de- pending thereon, they may easily be either seduced by their interest or excluded from their duty by the power of that church-state where- unto they are subject. By this means the whole interest of the pro- testant religion in this nation, as unto its presei-vation, depends on such a state as, being the concernment of a few, and those such as have an especial interest of their own, distinct from that of the protestant religion in general, maybe easily possessed by Poperj;, and probably Avould be so, if the}^ should have a popish prince to influence them.
But whereas the people are now possessed and fully persuaded of the truth of protestant religion, if there be no public machine or engines insensibly to turn about the whole body of them, l)ut they must be dealt withal individually or parochially, it will, as was said, be morally impossible that ever Popery should become the religion of this nation any other way but by the destruction or killing of the present inhabitants.
Allow that the church-state supposed may, in those who have the trust and power of it, be seduced, corrupted, or any way induced or disposed unto the interest of Popery, as it may be ; it is possible some individual persons may be found that, for the sake of truth, will ex- pose their lives to the stake or otherwise, — so did many in the days of Queen Mary, though now esteemed, by not a few, foolish zealots for their pains, — but the body of the people, through their various legal relations unto this church-state, deserting the care of then- own preservation, by their trust in the conduct thereof, whereunto they are unavoidably compelled, will quickly be inveigled so as not to be able to extricate themselves. But set them at liberty, so as that every parliament, every magistrate, every minister, every good Chris- tian, may judge that the preservation of their religion is their own duty in all their capacities, and Popery with all its arts will know neither how to begin nor how to proceed with them.
If, then, there were no such church-state as, being in the manage- ment of a few, is seducible, and not difficult to be possessed by the interest of Popery, whereby the whole nation would be at once be- trayed, the protestant religion is now so firmly seated in the minds of the people, so countenanced by law, so esteemed by all to be the principal interest of the nation, that the wit of all the Jesuits of the world knows not how to attack it, much less endanger it; which, if there be need, shall be farther demonstrated.