An Antidote against Pretended Caution, To the INHABITANTS in every WARD, In the Choice of their COMMON-COUNCIL.  
THE Cautioner's Advice is like the Wolf's to a well-guarded flock of Sheep, which must be divided that it may become an easy Prey.  
With such gentle Policy he would make several Religions, not only between Protestants comforming to Ceremonies, which the Wisdom of our late Parliament has left indifferent, and them who scruple the use of them; but between the strict adherers to them, and those who believe they may serve God acceptably, either with or without them.  
That he may secure success with Men of different Capacities and Understandings, he has varied his Phrase in two several Editions; or rather some Body, less a Stranger to common Sense, has lent him some in a friendly correction, with a small sprinkling of Salt.  
One Edition will have it, That our Disease is grown desperate, and will soon be incurable, unless we do herein countermine our Adversaries. It seems he has a Faculty of curing desperate Diseases. Indeed upon correction he says, the Disease is growing desperate. There, he says, the Adversaries are both vigilant and secret( and so most dangerous) Agents; but in the first 'tis, they are [ invisible] and so more dangerous: and indeed most of the Adversaries to the settled Religion, for which he would be thought very zealous, are of his own conjuring up, and invisible to all that are unacquainted with his Spell.  
To follow the Example of them who composed the Form of Prayers for the Restoration of their Prince, whom they say the Sins of Priest and People have kept out; this Writer has his Litany too.  
According to one Edition.  But let us choose such as have been constant to our settled Religion, not easily swayed by Faction, nor byassed by Interest, joining with us in Worship, and in Design with our Enemies; [ who can] be in the Morning a Church-man, and in the Evening for Separation, [ and if the Wind turn the next day, join with the Papist in pulling down our Fences to bring in Popery] By which our Church and Government is first divided, weakened, undermined, and at last betrayed. From all such, as from our worst Enemies, let us pray, Good Lord deliver Vs. 
The other Edition.  But such as have been constant to our settled Religion, not easily swayed by Faction, nor byassed by Interest; joining with us in Worship, and in their Designs with our Enemies, be in the Morning a Church-man, and in the Evening for Separation. By which our Church and Government is first divided, weakened, undermined, and at last betrayed. From such, as from our worst Enemies, let us all pray, Good Lord deliver Vs. 
Notwithstanding the great noise Men of that Opinion, which this Writer professes, make for catholic Communion; according to one Edition, they who are ready to communicate with Protestants of several Denominations, are to be prayed against as the worst Enemies to the Church and Government; Which is demonstration, that such Men plant both, upon a Bottom divided from common Protestancy.  
According to the other Edition, all who are of such generous Principles, as not to confine the Reformed Religion to a Party, are upon that account uncharitably censured, as ready to join with the Papists in pulling down our Fences to bring in Popery. If indeed Ceremonies are the Fences, some will say they have many Briars and Thorns in them; and, perhaps, many good Men may, in a legal way, be for pulling them down, or here and there opening a Gap.  
But it would seem strange if Papists should join with them in removing those Things, which were retained for their sakes by our First Reformers, who hoped to win them over to us, and found the benefit of such their condescension, till the Papists were forbidden our Communion by the Pope. And ever since they have slighted the Invitation; and these Fences have served only to keep out many, who profess the Religion settled and established among us.  
They who labour to divide its Professors, therein manifestly serve the only real Adversaries to it; as formerly they did, when under colour of Zeal for the Church, and Loyalty to the Crown, they resigned the English Liberties into the Hands of the Papists, of whose Designs and Expectations they could not be ignorant.  
But they thought their Merit would secure to them the Places and Profit which they got by their Treachery to their Country. And therefore they who surrendered Charters to have their own Names inserted in them, never apprehended any danger in that Clause, which gave the King a Power to turn them out at pleasure.  
While they rendered our Religious and Civil Rights precarious, and encouraged the late King to exercise an Arbitrary Power, to which they would have it believed that he had a Divine Right; 'tis certain, how much soever Religion was pretended, it was for the sake of having the Government with their Party: they had so weakened and impoverished them who opposed their raging fits of Loyalty, that themselves were put to stand the Shock alone; and too soon found how much better it would have been to have come earlier to that Temper with Dissenters, which then they held forth with both hands; and it was almost too late, that they were sensible of what befell them by standing upon too narrow a bottom.  
But when the court complied with the Temptation, in finding them alone to receive the Effects of that Power, which they had incited a Popish Prince to exercise; then they shewed that the case was altered, when themselves were to suffer by it: Nor were any more forward than they to embrace a Deliverance offered by his present Majesty, especially as soon as they found the late King not able to protect them.  
Yet many of them soon appeared in their colours, and made it evident that they were not touched with any Sense of Gratitude to their present Majesties, or Concern for the public Good. But their Turn being served, the late King having been obliged to take new measures, and giving them assurance that they should be uppermost, they were for trusting his catholic, or rather punic Faith, and sending their present Majesties back uncrown'd: and that many of them are at this very day for re-calling the late King is past a Question. Some, tho they have sworn Allegiance to their present Majesties, maintain that the late King has an inseparable Right: Others absolutely disown this Government, and refuse to give assurance of Obedience to it. Some Church-men have composed a Form of Prayers, wherein they pray for its Confusion: and 'tis to be feared that many of the Laity are lead by the show of Devotion in them, 
Our holy Religion needs neither canting nor wheedling to set it off. First Edit.  which whatever the Cautioner talks of canting, have more of Cant, than, I dare say, is ordinarily to be heard among Dissenters.  
Of his Friends it is to be believed that numbers are mere Trimmers, who stand more divided between two Kings, than those, whom he calls Adversaries are between the Church and separate Meetings; they stay for the Event of an expected battle before they think fit to declare themselves.  
But surely all who have any value for the Religion and Liberties of this Protestant Nation, will endeavour that no Man may be chosen at this time, who has not given good proof of his being entirely for the Interest of King William and Queen Mary; and therein for the Defence of the common Protestant Religion, which 'tis to be hoped will no longer become a Term of Reproach among us.  
Nor ought they who have been any way accessary to those heavy Grievances, from which their Majesties have delivered us, to be trusted with means to betray this Great City; till they have brought forth Fruits meet for Repentance.  
This Cautioner advices the Inhabitants within the several Wards, not to choose such as shall again in defiance to Prerogative,( or as the Corrector has it in defiance of Parliamentary privileges and Prerogative) affront the Wisdom and Authority of our Law-makers, in pescribing them Laws, 
The 2d Edit. weighty.  and sending obnoxious Ambassadors on such sacred Errands.  
Wherein he shows himself to wish as well to the City of London, as they who would have its Charter forfeited for petitioning: and the Exercise of an undoubte Right of English-men is made an Offence against Prerogative, and breach of Parliamentary privilege. Men of this height have great reason, with this Writer, to observe the bleeding case of the Widows and Orphans, and that the City Government is out of frame. It is natural for them who have felt these things, to ask who they may thank for them? and to take care that it may not be imputed to themselves, for their foolish Confidence in Men, of whom they have had such woeful Experience.  
But observe the great Justice of these Men, and their equality in relation to themselves and others: for them who are not of their stamp to petition concerning the subject Matter of any Bill, before it has passed into a Law, is an heinous Offence against the Prerogative or privilege of Parliament, they know not which.  
Yet it is very allowable in them to abhor Parliaments after they are dissolved, and to declaim against the fullest and truest Representatives of the Nation, before Corporations had been put out of frame by Arbitrary Judgments, and treacherous Surrenders: And after the great things which this present Parliament has done, for them, they take a liberty in reflecting upon its Wisdom, and say the Government of the City settled by it, is out of frame, and their Freedom is still a Bondage: who therefore most affront the Wisdom and Authority of our Lawmakers, is left to more equal Judges.  
FINIS.   

London, Printed for R. Baldwin, 1690.