A MOST SERIOUS EXPOSTULATION With several of my Fellow-Citizens In reference to their standing so high for the D. Y's Interest at this Juncture of time.  
Gentlemen,  
I Hope no discreet and honest Person will look upon it as any Presumption, but as necessary Counsel, humbly to caution you (my Brethren) with myself in time well to consider, whither you are running: What it is that you are doing? Above all, it behoves you to consider it at this time, why should we delight in our own Destruction and help forward our own Ruin? Perhaps you may think that's strange and impossible, that any should be so weak, but yet 'tis no new thing, for some to be blinded, deluded, and beguiled, 'tis but what is and hath been too common in all Ages: though certainly for any Nation or Number of men to endeavour or effect their own Destruction, is one of the severest Judgements of God that can befall a People, I pray God, none of you may come under this Curse, of having Eyes and Ears, and see and hear not, Hearts, and will not understand.  
2. But 'tis to be feared, that too many among you are running headlong the Pathway of Destruction, by endeavouring to foment Division amongst those that are Protestants, and not only to keep open, but to widen the Breach betwixt the Church of England and other Protestants of different Persuasions; whereas neither of you can ever be safe if you do not both unite and join hand in hand against the Common Enemy, viz. the Papists and Popery, as the Case now stands with us.  
This indeed may be unminded by many of you by Reason there are so many Blinds daily endeavoured to be put upon us under the Notion of the Church of England, whereas the Name of the Church of England is only made use of (by the Jesuit Party) as the Papists Stalking-horse, and not by the true Sons of the Church of England, but to blind them; as Coleman's Declaration runs all in the name of the Church of England, though designed and penned by him and other Papists, the greatest Enemies, in Truth, to the Church of England. And no Doubt but most of the Pamphlets that now come out under that Notion, are of the same Stamp, forged by the Jesuits, those Firebrands of all Europe; you may easily guests at them by their Extenuating the Plot, and advising us not to have any Fears, but to lessen our Guards in the City, by their endeavouring to create and increase the Divisions betwixt those of the Church of England and other Protestants, which I am sure no sincere hearted Son of the Church would do at this time, but would disown and disclaim all such Proceed as spurious; you may easily know of what Kidney they are by their pleading for a Popish Successor, etc.  
Now Sirs, permit me to expostulate the Case, and tell you whoever you are that are for the D's Interest, in the Circumstances as he now stands with England, are you not most certainly (if you do but rightly understand yourselves) for these three Interests, viz. First for the Pope and Papists Interest— Secondly, for the French Interest— Thirdly for Arbitrary Government.  
I pray you consider, you that are for the D. in the Circumstances he hath at present brought himself and the Nation under (by his Adhering to, and so much countenancing the Papists and French Interest) are you not in plain English, against these three things, though it may be ignorantly, yet in the sequel it may prove so, viz. 

1. Against the Interest of the Church of England and the Pretestant Religion.  
2. Against the Interest of England your Native Country.  
3. Against the Interest of all Parliaments, and so against your own Freedoms and Liberties as you are Englishmen.    
Solomon says, A wise man's Eyes are in his Head, and are not a Fool's too? Yes, but he makes no Use of them to foresee the Evil and avoid it; and that we may not come under that Denomination, let us most seriously ponder and consider these Particulars, for 'tis no less than your Religion, your Lives, your Liberties, your Estates, and your All that is concerned in the Consequence of it.  
Now to demonstrate not only the Probability of its being so, but the Certainty of it, and the Impossibility of its being otherwise in all humane Appearance, I shall beg of you but to consider of these things over again, viz.  
First, If you stand for the D's Interest, do you not undoubtedly so far stand for the Pope and Popish Interest, yea, Jesuits and all (the worst of Papists) and by this you will give the greatest Blow to the Church of England, that ever it had since it was a Church; pretend what you will for the Church of England, while you are for the D. you are certainly the greatest Enemies of it; if you are for a Popish Successor, or the D. as a Romanist; you are in Truth Enemies to the Church of England in Particular, and the Protestant Religion in General.  
For can you once imagine that by bringing in a Popish Successor, you will not inevitably set up Popery? Will such a Successor, think you, have so much Love for another Religion as his own, or for those of another Profession (whom by his Persuasion he is obliged to esteem all damned Heretics) as for those of his own? therefore will it not naturally follow, that he will advance the one and discountenance and depress the other? nay, do you forget, that so far as he could, he lately did the same, when he was in Power, so that the most ready way to get into Office or Preferment, was either to turn Papist, or be a Favourer of them, and then such were quickly brought in, made Governors of our Castles and Garrisons, Captains and Colonels of our Forces, yea, even Captains of our Men of War, besides hundreds of Places at Court no less than Lord High Treasurer of England, witness Clifford, and lately one of the Clerks (if not more) under the Treasurer Danby must be a desperate subtle Roman Catholic, for it seems he could find none so fit for him; and what will the Effect of this be in a little time think you? Will not this be a great weakening to the Church of England, to lose so many Members as by these do have within this ten years been seduced from her, and so many of her Members turned out and kept out of Places of Trust, Profit and Honour, whilst her Enemies are placed in them? and will not this think you, cause great Numbers to become Roman Catholics, some for Favour, some for Fear, some for Offices, and others for Profit and by Persuasion, besides very many by Example, who look upon it as a great Piece of Godliness, or at least good Policy, to be of their Prince's Religion? I wonder any man can be so weak as to think these Do will make for the Interest of the Church of England, surely such must strangely be infatuated; and Besides consider, for you to endeavour to make one who is a Papist Head of the Church of England, you labour thereby to make our Church a great Monster; for if our Head reckon (as he then must) us his Body, Heretics, rotten and damned, where's our Body? Where will be our Church? What Agreement between the Head and Body? Will it not inevitably run into Confusion? shall we have a Father of our Church, who by his own Faith is obliged, as much as he can, to destroy her, and is bound by the Romish Principles to deal with her as a Harlot? therefore if you set up his Interest, farewell Church of England, farewell Protestant Religion in England, there's no Medium in the World, considering the Power, when in his hand, and the implacable Restlessness of the Jesuits. Therefore seriously consider of it, you see plainly that so far as you are for this Interest you are against the Church of England.  
Is it possible you can forget Queen Mary's days? the number of Martyrs that then suffered? enough to show you the sad Effects of a Popish Successor's coming to the Crown; and will you desire to send yourselves, Wives, Children, Fathers and Mothers to the Stake to be burned for Heretics? Read the Book of Martyrs, if these things so easily slip your mind: Oh! never forget her fine Wheedles to the Suffolk men, to assist her coming to the Crown, the fair promises she made them; not to alter the least point in their Religion, yet assoon as she thereby obtained her End, she burned more of them than of any County in England else: Remember how many she martyred in the space of four or five years; consider what havoc she would have made with the Church of England, had she Reigned forty or fifty years: undoubtedly she would not by her good will have left one Protestant alive all over England: I say, consider, would you have it so again? will you endeavour to put the Protestant Religion in as great hazard of the same Persecution once more? Oh! let your Tongues rather cleave to your Mouths, or your right hands perish: Use your utmost Endeavours to prevent it, whilst, in some measure, it is in your Power, lest, in a little time the Papists with their tricks put it out of your power, and when too late, you may relent with anguish of Soul, and without Remedy.  
Secondly, If you are for the Succession of the D. are you not for the French Interest; so consequently against the Interest of England, your Native Country?  
That this is so, I beg you consider how the D. is linked with the French K. that cruel, bloodthirsty— *.  
How the D. hath all along espoused the French Interest, appears by the Letters brought to light in the Trial of Coleman, (the D's chief creature) there was no doubt about those Letters, no not so much as denied. I pray do but call to mind some of those Expressions in reference to the D. viz. page 45. Knowing the Interest of our King, and in a more particular manner, of my more immediate Master the DUKE, and his most Christian Majesty to be so inseparably united, that it was impossible to divide them, without destroying them all.  
His Majesty [the French King] was pleased to give order, to signify to his R. H. my Master, that His Majesty was fully satisfied of his R. H's. good Intentions towards him, and that he esteemed both their Interests but as one and the same; that my Lord Arlington and the Parliament were both to be looked upon as very unuseful to their Interests.  
Page 46. Father Ferrier— begged his R. H. to propose to his most Christian Majesty what he thought necessary for his own Concern, and the advantage of Religion, and his Majesty would certainly do all he could to advance both, or either of them.  
— I communicated it to his R. H. to which his R. H. commanded me to Answer, as I did on the twenty ninth of the same Month, That his R. H. was very sensible of his most Christian Majesties Friendship, and that he would labour to cultivate it with all the good Offices he was capable of doing for his Majesty, [the French King] that he was fully convinced their Interests were BOTH ONE; that my Lord Arlington and the Parliament were not only Unuseful, but very DANGEROUS both to. England and France; that therefore it was necessary they should do all they could to dissolve it. page 53. I did communicate this Design of mine to Monsieur Ravigney, who agreed with me, that it would be the greatest Advantage imaginable to his Master, to have the D's Power and Credit so far advanced— page 54. If we can advance the Duke's Interest one step forward, we shall put him out of the reach of Chance for ever.— Then would Catholics be at rest, and his Most Christian Majesty's Interest secured with us in England, [mark that] beyond all Apprehensions whatsoever;— Our prevailing in these things would give the greatest BLOW to the Protestant Religion here, that ever it received from its birth.  
Page 55. If the D. should once get above them, (after the tricks they have played with him) they are not sure he will totally forget the Usage he has had at their hands. For my part (says he) I can scarce believe myself awake, or the thing real, when I think on a Prince in such an Age as we live in, converted to such a degree of Zeal and Piety, as not to regard any thing in the World, in comparison of— the Conversion of our poor Kingdom, which hath been a long time oppressed, and miserably harassed with Heresy and Schism, etc.  
See the whole Letter in the D's own name in page 66. and 67. it being too long here to recite; but, in short, the D. gives therein all Assurances imaginable to the French King's Confessor.  
Above all that passage in another Letter, page 69. ought never to be forgotten, viz.  
We have here a Mighty Work upon our hands, no less than the Conversion of three Kingdoms, and by that perhaps the utter subduing of a pestilent Heresy which hath domineered over great part of the Northern World a long time; there were never such hopes of Success since the Death of our Queen Mary, as now in our days, when God has given us a Prince who is become (may I say a Miracle) zealous of being the Author and Instrument of so glorious a Work— that which we rely upon most, next to God Almighty's Providence and the Favour of my Master the Duke, is the mighty mind of his most Christian Majesty.— I must confess, I think his Christian majesty's Temporal Interest is so much attracted to that of his R. H. (which can never be considerable but upon the Growth and Advancement of the Catholic Religion) that his Ministers cannot give him better Advice, etc.  
I think, Gentlemen, here's enough, (and too much, God knows) to convince any wise man in England: Possibly we might have had enough to have filled a Volume, had not Coleman had time (after he was questioned) to burn so many of his Papers; these Letters aforesaid he only left as inconsiderable, and not worth his destroying.  
Thirdly, If you are for the D. so consequently for a Popish Successor: are you not for Arbitrary Government, and against all Parliaments: is it not too notoriously known, that the D. hates our Parliaments with an implacable hatred; none ever set himself against our Parliaments more than he; therefore, if he Succeed, adieu to all Parliaments: must you not expect to be Ruled by Force; if you submit not to that, will he not call in Force enough from France, with whom he hath had such a strict League, and who would be glad of such an opportunity to Assist him; so that you must expect nothing but a French Slavery at the best.  
Besides, it's not unknown, that the D. is a Wilful Person, and naturally most obstinate; if you put the Power in his hands, he will not easily forget what our Parliaments have done, but would be glad to put an End to them; and than you must lie wholly at the mercy of ambitious Courtiers, and merciless Soldiers.  
Sirs, Be not so weak as to let any of those specious Discourses, spread abroad by the Jesuits, under the Notion of the Church of England-men, (as Coleman's Declaration was) to advance the D's Interest, or a Popish Successor, deceive you: be not deluded, beguiled, and lulled asleep, but be Watchful, Sober, and Considerate; look before you, and take care of your approaching Election of your Parliament-men; choose such as you have had experience of already to be Courageous and Faithful in this time of Danger to this our City, and the Protestant Religion: for if that once goes, our Liberty goes with it. Remember, Popery and Slavery are linked together: from which, Good Lord, for ever prevent and defend us.  
FINIS.