A SERIOUS VINDICATION OF THE Church of England; SHOWING The Nation's Happiness Under the Present Government. BEING A Seasonable Answer To a late PAMPHLET, Entitled, The Naked Truth.  By a Wellwisher to the Nations Happiness and Prosperity. 
IN this sad Dissension and Division of Religion; the Seers, (who are appointed to be the Watch- men of the Church,) can't but observe, that the Supplanters and underminers of the Church, (as is evidently seen) are daily (by Papism, Factions, Sedition and Schisms,) digging down the Foundations of our Church and State, as it is now lawfully Established: And having by such Instruments already destroyed, so are they running fiercely on again to destroy all Public Forms of Ecclesiastical Government, Discountenance an Excellent Liturgy, take off the very Hinges of Unity, Disgrace the Articles of a Pure Religion, Pollute Public Assemblies, take away all Cognizance of Schism, by mingling all SECTS, and giving Countenance to That, against which our Power ought to stand upon our Guard, against such Rebellious, Self-Interested, and Bloody-minded People, as we have (more is the Pity,) in this our Kingdom. They, who have seen this our Jerusalem so much involved in our late Unhappy uncivil Wars, and lived under the Tyranny of Traitors and Usurpers, who Imprisoned and Murdered their Good KING of ever Blessed Memory; and Imprisoned, Sequestered, Plundered, and Beheaded our Nobility, Gentry and People, (for which many suffer to this Day;) And our now Dread Sovereign, and the Royal Family forced to fly for Refuge into strange Nations; The Ministers of the Church turned out, and Barbarously Used; And a Company of Perverse and Wicked Wretches, (who Preached nothing but Sedition and Rebellion against the King and Government,) were put into their Places, and all this done under the Cloak of Religion, and being thereunto Inspired by a Holy Zeal, (as they always pretend) And thus, in short, were We enslaved under those Holy Tyrants, till God of his Infinite Mercy and Providence brought home our Most Gracious King to his Lawful Throne again, and Restored the True Church to its former Prosperity, which God Preserve from all its Malicious Opposers, etc. And shall we forget all this? and the Order of the Morning and Evening Sacrifices, and the Beauty of the Temple? and be Tempted to Neglect so Excellent a Ministration? and be content with any thing that is brought to us, though it be but the very Husks and Acorns of Prodigals and Swine, so They may get Money by it? We must now take care that the Young Men who were born under that Captivity, may be taught how to Worship the God of Israel after the manner of their Forefathers; For, never did the Excellency of Episcopal Government appear so Demonstratively and Conspicuously as now under their Conduct and Order; For We have a Church, so United, so Orderly, so Governed; A Religion so Settled; Articles so True, Sufficient, and Confessed by all sober Men; Canons, so Prudent, and so Obeyed; Devotions, so Regular, and so Constant; Sacraments, so Adorned, and Ministered; Churches, so Beauteous and Religious; Circumstances, so Grave and Prudent, so Useful and Apt for Edification, that the Enemies of our Church, (who serve the POPE 〈◊〉 all things, and 〈◊〉 Christ in some; who dare transgress an Institution and Ordinance of ●●RIST, but dare not break a Canon of the POPE,) did Despair of prevailing against Us and Truth; and know no Hopes, but by setting their Faces against Us, to Destroy the best of Governments; which if they could, than they would Triumph without having any Enemy: So Balaam the Son of Bozer, was sent for to Curse the People of the Lord, in hopes that the Son of Zippor might prevail against them that long prospered under the Conduct of Moses and Aaron.  
But now instead of this Excellency of Condition, and Constitution of Religion, the People are Seduced, and fallen under the Harrows and Saws of Faction, Sedition, Railing, Despising, Drolling, Impertinent and Ignorant, Self-Interesting Solemn League and Covenanting Preachers, who think all Religion is a Sermon, and all Sermons ought to be Libels against Truth and Government; who think they are Saints, and none like them, when they are great Hypocrites, and Wolves in Sheepsclothing, for by their Fruits you may know them; who Expound Chapters, that the meaning may never be understood; and Pray, that they may be thought able to Talk, but not to hold their peace; Who speak Evil of Dignities, Resist the Power and Ordinances of God; who take up Religion for a Cloak, who Delude silly Women to Cheat their Husbands; who care not to obtain any thing but Wealth and Victory, Power, and Plunder; And all the People do reap the Fruits thereof that are apt to grow upon such Crab-stocks: They grow Idle and False, Hypocrites, and careless; They deny Themselves nothing that is pleasant; They Despise Religion, Forget Government, and some of them never so much as think of going to Heaven; And if at any time they chance to do, They think to go thither in such Paths, which all the Ages of the Primitive Church did give Men warning of, lest they should that way go to the Devil. But when Men have tried all that they can, it is hoped they will return to the Excellency and Advantages of the true Christian Religion as it is taught by the Church of England; For, by Destroying it, no End can be served, but of Sin and Folly, Faction, and Death Eternal: For besides that, no Church that is an Enemy to this, does Worship God in that Truth of Propositions, in that Unblamable and Pious Liturgy, and in Preaching the Necessities of Holy Life, so much as the Church of England does. Besides this, (I say,) it cannot be persecuted by any Governor that understands his own Interest, unless He be first abused by False Preachers, and then prefers his secret Opinion, before his Public Advantage: For no Church in the World is so great a Friend to Loyalty and Obedience, as She, and her Sisters of the same Persuasion; She Preaches no Rebellion against her Prince, and is no Councillor, Contriver, or Projector of PLOTS and Conspiracies, but a True Lover of Peace and Quietness, etc. They that hate Bishops, destroy Monarchy; And They that would Erect an Ecclesiastical Monarchy, must consequently subject the Temporal to it; and both One and the Other would be Supreme in Consciences: And they that Govern there, with an Opinion that in all things they ought to be attended to, will let their Prince G●●ern others, so long as he will be R●●e●●y Them. And certainly, for a Prince to persecute the Established Protestant Religion, is, as if a Physician should endeavour to Destroy all Medicaments, and Fathers kill their Sons, and the Masters of Ceremonies Destroy all Formalities and Courtships; And, as if the Pope should root out all Ecclesiastic State. Nothing so Combines with Government (if it be of God's appointment,) as the Religion of the Church of England; because nothing doth more adhere to the Word of God, and disregard the Crafty Advantages of the World. If any Man shall not decline to try his Title by the Word of God, It is certain, there is not in the World a better Guard for it than the True Protestant Religion, as it is taught in our Church; For it is Via Tuta, the safe way: And certain it is, that in that day we shall prevail against all God's Enemies and Ours, not in the Purchases and Riches of the World, but in the Rewards and Returns of Holiness and Patience, Faith and Charity; For by these we Worship God, and against this Interest we cannot serve any thing else. And there is none can leave our Communion, or have Reason to reprove our Doctrine, unless they be abused with Prejudice, and suck in Venom with their Milk: And there is a more solid Comfort, and Material support to a Christian Spirit in one Article of Faith, in one Period of the Lords Prayer, in one Holy Lesson, than in all the Disputes of the Impertinent Rabble, who take more pains to prove there is no Purgatory, than to persuade Men to avoid Hell: And that a plain Catechism can more Instruct a Soul, than the whole days prate which some usually spit forth, to bid them get Christ, and persecute his Servants.  
It will not be unnecessary to tell you in part, (as I did at the beginning, how our Kingdoms were Ruined, as is too well known,) how our Divines were persecuted, how our Churches were Demolished, and made Stables by Sacrilegious Rebels and Tyrants; And it's evidently seen at this day, That there are abundance of such Saints among us, (and if not timely prevented,) may play the Devil's Game over again: For have they not began already to Rebel in Scotland? They killed in a most Barbarous manner the Archbishop of St. Andrews, etc. What Impious, Devilish and Hellish Declarations, and Covenants lately by them openly proclaimed? How many Conventicles are there contrary to Law? How are our Orthodox Divines most scurrilously slandered by them? How bold and Audacious are they, daily to publish Answers? Joque, Droll, Libel and Asperse our Able Divines? How many go under the notion of Protestants, (for in Discourse they say they are so,) when really they are none, For you shall have them all the week Railing against the present Government, frighten the People into Fears and Jealousies at Coffeehouses, Booksellers shops, Private Cabals and Factions Clubs up and down the Town; And on Sunday they'll run to a Conventicle, and there exhort their ignorant Congregation to do the like, etc. Much more might be said; But I shall conclude, with my hearty Prayers that all our Differences may be composed, and that we may be United in one True Church, and that God would save and Defend Us from the Hands of all our Enemies, and Infatuate their wicked Designs; That we may study Peace, and not Wars, Strife, Confusion and Dissension, which lead to the ways 〈◊〉 Destruction: That God would Bless, Preserve, Defend and Keep His Sacred Majesty from the Hands of all his Enemies, and to give him Victory over them, and send him a Long, Happy and Prosperous Reign over Us; And that We may live in God's Fear, and in Duty and Obedience to Our King: And God bless the Great Council of the Nation the Parliament; And when they shall be Assembled, to Direct and Prosper all their Consultations to the Advancement of God's Glory, the Safety, Honour and Welfare of our Dread Sovereign, and Kingdoms, That Peace and Happiness, Truth and Justice, Religion and Piety, may be Established amongst Us to all Generations; And let all True Subjects with me, say, Amen.   

LONDON, Printed for A. Banks, Anno Domini, 1680.