prover of the Principles and Opinions maintained in thefe Debates, and a zealous Defender of the Entail of the Crown, which had been made by a fecond Act of Settlement near the end of King William's reign, on the Proteftant family of the Dukes of Hanover, and that he published thefe Debates a fecond time in that critical season, with a view to fupport the right of King George to the Crown, (which was derived from that fecond Act of Settlement,) against the claim of the Pretender, by again prefenting to the view of the Publick, the excellent arguments that had been used in favour of a fimilar Provifion for the maintenance of the Proteftant Religion, and the Rights and Liberties of the Subject, in that celebrated and courageous Parliament of 1680. And these fentiments he has expreffed very fully in a fpirited and inftructive Introduction,

And now, in the year 1807, when a great number of perfons of high rank and large fortunes, and even of distinguished abilities, and who particularly affume to themselves the name of Whigs, have fo far departed from the fentiments of Lord Russell, and Sir Henry Capel, and Sir William Jones, and the other Whigs of the year 1680, as to look-upon Popery as a very inoffenfive fort of Religion, from which no danger ought to be apprehended by Proteftants, and to think that Members of the Church of Rome ought therefore, not only to be freely tolerated in the exercife of their Religion, however idolatrous, (which toleration very few Proteftants, at this day, are inclined to refuse them), but also to be admitted, equally with Proteftants, to all forts of Offices of Power in the State, both Civil and Military, fo that the Judges of the King's Courts of Law in Westminster-hall, and the Lords Chancellors of of England and Ireland might be Papifts, and even

that

that an Army of Irish Papifts, commanded by a Popish General, (which was the Inftrument with which King James the Second endeavoured to over-turn the whole Conftitution of England both in Church and State,) should be no longer contrary to law;-it feems highly expedient that these excellent Debates should be again brought-forward to the View of the Publick; to the end that the Members of both Houses of Parliament may well confider them, before they give their affent to a measure that is fo contrary to the Principles on which the Revolution in the Year 1688, and the Declaration of Rights then folemnly proclaimed by Parliament, and the A&t of Settlement then made in favour of the Prince and Princefs of Orange, and the fecond Act of Settlement of the Crown (made about ten years after,) on the Princefs Sophia, Dutchefs dowager of Hanover, and the Heirs of her Body, (by virtue of which A&t our prefent Sovereign fits upon the Throne) were, all, founded, and before they, in confequence of fuch affent, follicit his Majesty, (notwithstanding his known difinclination to the Measure,) to give his Royal Affent to an A&t, that seems, at least, to have a strong tendency to undermine and weaken his Majesty's Title to the Crown. And it is to answer this useful purpose, that these Debates are here again re-printed from the faid Second Edition of them, in the year 1716, together with the Introduction of the Publisher of that Edition.

THE INTRODUCTION TO THE SECOND EDITION OF THE SAID DEBATES IN THE YEAR 1716.

So wide has the Deviation of the prefent Age been from the glorious Paths of their Ancestors;-fo violent a Propenfion has appeared in too many, who have made an open Profeffion of the Proteftant Religion, towards reviving the abject and exploded Doctrine of implicit Obedience, and falling-back into the rankeft Superftition and Idolatry; that Popery has broke-in like a Torrent, and all that we have been able to do, for fome Years paft, has been juft to carry-on a defenfive War against it, whilst the Balance at present is but barely inclining to the Proteftant Side. Such has been the powerful Magick of the Roman Emiffaries; fo ftrong has the Operation of their Poyson been upon the Senfes of this poor, deluded, Nation, that we have been driving-on an open Commerce with Rome, bartering our Eafe and Plenty for Want and Barrenness, and the very Dregs of human Oppreffion; our Birth-rights, for the imperious Dictates of lawless Tyrants; and the mildeft Laws in the Univerfe, for the most infupportable Slavery, (which is Spiritual,) without giving ourselves Time to caft-up the Account, and examine what Loffes we were likely to fuftain by fo unequal an Exchange.

That Rome, and her officious Agents, have been inceffantly at Work for our Destruction, is no Wonder, when we confider ourfelves as the nation that enjoys the boafted Remains of Liberty, and pure Religion, throughout

throughout Europe, and as forming the main Bulwark against arbitrary Encroachments. But that we, who profefs an abhorrence of those Principles, fhould give an helping Hand to our Ruin, and be in the Plot againft our own Faith, our Property, and Lives, feems as difficult to reconcile as the Doctrine of Tranfubftantiation. Yet, to our eternal Dishonour, fuch there are at prefent amongst us, who have advanced half-Way to meet them; nay, to fhow their Sincerity, and cut-off all manner of Ceremony, have gone-over to them.

This Delufion, which has been fo univerfally spread through all Ranks and Complexions, calls loudly at this Juncture for the Publication of the following Sheets. It had been a Crime fcarce expiable, not to have rescued them from Oblivion, and give them a fresh Reading; especially at a Time, when a Set of profligate Wretches, who have the Impudence to call themselves Proteftants, are in ftrict Combination with the fworn Enemies of our Religion, to place a Popish Impostor on the Throne of King GEORGE, to make this Free-born Nation a Land of Bondage, and our Fertile Plains a Scene of Blood and Confufion.

Apprehenfions of the like Danger from a Popish Suc ceffor, infpired our great Forefathers with lively Senti ments of the Kingdom's Danger, and with Refolutions becoming that great Truft repofed in them by their Principals. They faw a Popish Plot carried-on against our Liberties and Religion, under the Administration of a Proteftant Prinee; though not juftified by open Arms, or profecuted in that audacious Manner it is at prefent. They found there were too many of the fame Stamp with the Rebels of this Day, affectedly Proteft ants, who ftrove induftriously to smother it, and under hand abetted the Treafon. The Day at that melancholy

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choly Seafon, was favourable to Roman Monsters; they had their Partizans in the Senate-House; the Cabinet, and the Pulpit; and too many upon a certain Bench, who ought to have been the moft vigorous Affertors of the Reformation, lay as a dead Weight upon the House. The Oppofition thofe worthy Patriots met-with, no Ways impaired their Spirit; they broke through all Difcouragement, and went to the Root of the Griev

ance.

The fole Expedient for preventing all future Calamities, was the Exclufion of the Duke of York; a Bill which had a predictive Spirit in it; a Bill not Spiritedup by Revenge, or Partiality to a certain Family, as was odiously infinuated, to divide the wicked caufe from the Perfon; but from the fatal and neceffary Consequences which must attend a Popish Administration; a Bill which, if it had paffed, would have faved this infatuated Kingdom an Hundred and Thirty Millions, and extinguished even our remoteft Fears of Popery.

But the Genius of France, and her devoted Penfioners got the better of Britain's faithful Sons From the Difficulties our wife Ancestors faw there was in carrying a Point of that Importance under a Proteftant Prince, it was natural to conclude, how great the Struggle muft be, even to make a Stand, under a Popish one. Their Penetration went deeper; they knew, that Will and Pleasure was to fucceed in the room of Laws and inviolable Statutes; and that Freedom, Property, and Religion, muft bend to the Roman Yoke, if once a Papift came to be the Director. Those who opposed the Bill, could not deny the fawey Advances of Popery, and feemed hearty in coming into any Expedient, but that of the Exclufion. But their Schemes were fo fantastick, that it was obvious to the dimmeft