Second made with Tears in His Eyes be- SR.IX. fore He came to the Throne; and no looner was he fettled in it, but he left no Stone unturned to deftroy the Reformed Religion. And yet He was a Prince of 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 Perfuafion, fufficiently fhews; and ĺ the rather mention it, as it contains a remarkable Instance of a particular Providence. Uladislaus King of Hungary made

"And

Exception was made of her Belly." And p. 315. "above all; the Barbarity of Gernsey raised 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 raised upon fuch Grounds, does, upon "every new Provocation, or Jealousy of returning to it, "break out in most violent and convulfive Symptoms."

SERM. IX. 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, unsuspecting any fuch Thing, and confequently unprepared: A Battle enfues, and Amurath was in Danger of being overpowered and defeated. In this Distress, 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, which was carried before them; "This, fays He, O Chrift, is the League "which Thy Chriftians made with me,

L

swearing to observe 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 thefe 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

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

fcarce

fcarce a third Part of the Army efcaped. SERM. IX. 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 those Vows as null and void, which they : made in Diftrefs.

Nay, thofe 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 just 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 1 have been glad to have compounded for his Burden, by getting quit of a much greater Evil. Ever fince the Reformation has been established, from it's Youth up the Papists bave fought against it. But, Thanks be to GOD! they have not prevailed against it! Their Attempts have been often, very often providentially defeated, and all their Measures blasted. We are rescued from a Rebellion that would have impoverished the Publick, raised several Tumults, made

SERM. IX. Our Country a Seat of War and Defolation, and expofed it to the Attempts of foreign Enemies.

Arbitrary Power would have been abfolutely neceffary to introduce a corrupt and abfurd Religion, and would have been fo natural to the Infolence of a Conqueror, that should our Invader have gained the Sovereign Power by Violence, there is no Doubt but He would have preferved it by Tyranny.

Succefs is not always a Proof that we are the extraordinary Favourites of Heaven. However, if it should not be thought strictly providential, there is fomething at least extraordinary and unaccountable, that an illuftrious Perfon, whofe Years did not promife any distinguished Experience or Conduct in Military Affairs, or incline our Men to repofe a firm Confidence in Him, fhould ftrike a Terror into a Set of defperate Men, embarked in a defperate, as well as wicked Cause, who were flushed with repeated Succeffes: That our Armies should be like fo many Cyphers (which however numerous, were of little or no Account) till He, the distinguished Figure, was placed at the Head of them. But from that Time that

that He was placed the principal Figure at the Head of them, their Numbers became of infinite Value, and could earn or purchafe any Thing, however valuable the Acquifition might be. This seems to be the LORD's Doing, and it ought to be marvellous in our Eyes; that We were not given over for a Prey unto them; that We still retain those Bleffings that ought to be most dear to us as Englishmen and Proteftants.

And it is to be hoped, that, by a due Reflexion on the Progress and Event of this Confpiracy, Those who are not convinced of the Wickednefs of Attempts of this Kind, muft at least see the Vanity, Folly and Madnefs of them.

To conclude: We have with a commendable Zeal on many Occafions stood in Defence of our Religion at the Expence of the Blood and Treafure of the Nation; let it not be observed that the Religion of England, like a mere Watch-word for an Army, is never valued but when it is to be fought for; and in Times of Peace laid by and condemned to ruft, with other useless Inftruments of War.

To a Zeal for Religion let us add Charity, the Crown of all Virtues, and let us lay

SERM.IX.