all private Interests whether Personal or Relative and exhibiting incorrupt Loyalty under the greatest Temptations and durance Nay even the better sort of Doggs have shewn grateful Fidelity to their Masters to the extremity of Breath So far have those other pretenders to the great Titles of Piety put off even Morality and Nature But such as truly fear God and revere Conscience upon each neglect or injurious act declare to themselves what David proclaimed to Abner and the People who sleeping left the King to David and Abishai's mercy As the Lord liveth we are worthy to die because we have not kept the Lords Anointed And wise men who know the danger will be as careful not to incurr the Divine Displeasure by sleeping when it is time of Action but rather they hate the Act of Negligence more then the desert and are so in love with their duty that no violence can seperate Affections or hinder their diligence in Preserving or Rescuing from danger the Lords Anointed the Breath of our Nostrils And this although good men in the performance of their duty least think of a Temporal reward yet they know to be the highest part of Prudence too or Rational Subtilty They know the Divine Power to be no Fiction or Dream but recollect and treasure up in their Memories the Omnipotent Acts of revenge of its dishonour upon the unthinking Contrivers of Treason and the most frequent Temporal manifestations of his Love and Honour to the Faithful They see it to be but a Tryal and being confirmed for their Duty are sure of being approved and that when God seeth his time to Turn again the Captivity of his people for their present Grief they shall obtain the chief places in the Theaters of Joy It being Gods promise That the King shall joy in Gods strength and that he will prevent him with the Blessings of Goodness They know that as the Kings Sorrow was theirs so shall his Joy be So that their Trouble although excessive hath yet much Consolation because they Hope always and their Hope is Rational depending on God who besides Scriptural most delicious Promises and Examples hath further amply furnished us with incomparable modern Patterns and Observations In the midst of their Griefs Sufferings and Endeavours they seem to hear directed to each of them as well as lamenting Rachel Refrain thy Voice from Weeping and thine Eyes from Tears for thy work shall be rewarded and they shall come again from the Land of the Enemy They are as a Faithful Wife whose Husband being either in the field ready to engage in a desperate Battle or at Sea in stormy weather and a road Infested by Pyrats Anxity and Fear make her continually Mournful she is viduated and neglectful of Ornaments and Food using but little enjoying nothing Yet Hope taketh its vicissitudes of administring Comfort minding her of the prevalency of Prayer and Patience repeating the successes with which God hath hitherto blessed either him or others who Industriously relyed upon the excellency of their Cause and which he hath to such promised This giveth Intermissions of Grief and often gaineth victory although subject to frequent relapses At length his return banisheth Hope and Fear but both serve to make great the joy which without them must have remained among the small and disregarded ones The King is the Soul of his Countreys Joy and Felicity whose Dangers or Absence cause Convulsions of Spirits in his Faithful Subjects who are Espoused to him and sharers in all his Fortunes And it is impossible while men are under greatly distracting cares for the Publick but that private Affairs and Pleasures must cease to be respected But before these Thoughts swell the heart to despair Divine Comfort appeareth encouraging Fidelity with Promisses of a Blessed Conclusion For by the Generations past they are taught that Adversities may fall upon Kings for their Kingdoms Wickedness God designing them as Punishments and Tryals for the Peoples Amendment but in his appointed time is wont to Turn him to the Prayer of the poor destitute and not to despise their desire And although God doth sometimes afflict yet he patronizeth the Cause of Kings and calleth it his own And the very success of the wicked is an assurance of their approaching fall for it is alway by them tyrannically and savagely used and accompanied with such prodigious haughtiness that the expectation must be inevitable ruine These interchangeable sorrows and hopes did once long contend for victory in the minds of the Loyal party of these Kingdoms The delays and improbabilities of our most Gracious Kings Restauration after we had seen His Blessed Father exalted to a more glorious Crown gave grief the longer possession But our reason when grief well nigh spent would permit us the use of it shewed us the impossibility of such sanguinary Pride long continuing or that those mens insatiable desires which by receiving were the more extended till at length they were enlarged as Hell should wanting supplies abroad not fall to feed upon their own Instruments first afterward one upon another and in the end ravingly exspire This reason was strengthened by a firm belief that God would not suffer such and so much blood to cry unrevenged that the patient abiding of the Meek should not alway be forgotten but that our God would be pleased to shew a token upon us for good that they who hated us might be ashamed Our fears were more durable but our hopes by these dependencies and encouragements were more quick and powerful and in the end vanquishing our fears were themselves lost in the following pleasant and celestial enjoyments The benefits whereof I humbly beseech God we may by our virtues and pious thankfulness make truely our own and by such patterns leave the possession of Posterities But the foul interruption which ill men have by indirect counsels made putteth us again upon the rack and giveth even the name of Joy but an unwelcom reception until judicious Hope relieveth us with assurances that their expectation is but short and sheweth us the Achitophels politickly contriving the frame and as cunningly erecting the Ladder from the top of which they may boast their success and give perpetuity to their memories Each dutiful Subject in the mean time with a lamenting care beholdeth his Princes troubles and the fate of those who so occasion them And such is the usual course of Divine Rewards descending upon prudent Obedience although he is least in his own thoughts yet by all his faculties endeavouring it he beginneth his own prosperity at his Soveraignes Being careless of all even life it self that is being resolutely willing to expose all that is dearest to him as the purchase of the Kings peace he best keepeth and secureth his All. By this means his adversity is shortned his joy rendred more durable and copious CHAP. VII The Princes Peace and thereby the Kingdoms settled can truely influence with joy none but Good Subjects WHat good men ask of
apprehensions of His and the publick Danger by mischiefs threatning the Church and some humble overtures of Prevention submitted to his Princely Judgment they have gone as far as Good Subjects dare But if their Prince see more sharply into his own affairs while they will needs suppose him to oversee it is utterly incoherent with the Office of Religious and good Subjects to use any violence or ill Arts to compel him forasmuch as they can but barely justifie their most humble Entreaties Some have exceeded their Commission and extended their Priviledges from Just and Honourable to Vnwarrantable and Rebellious under pretence that their Prince did not see neither would be advised how imminent his danger was Instead of Faithful and Loyal Subjects assembled to offer him their Lives and Fortunes against Forreign or Domestick Enemies they have first fallen to other Debates and more trifled out time about Eye-sores and harmless Wens in the Body Politick then to apply themselves to the cure of the Distempers so much complained of to endanger the Vitals And then to pare the Nails of his Power and shave the Excrescencies as they call them of his Prorogatives at the time of greatest need as themselves confessed when supplies should have been freest were the onely means they found to restore health to these Kingdoms and exalt above his Neigbours their Princes Scepter At length when his acute Judgment saw and great Spirit disdained their Counsels they resolved as Guardians of a foolish or mad Pupil by Fetters to perswade and most horrid indignities to lash him into compliance and had not Divine Providence as his Shield diverted their aims would no doubt have accomplished their promised Glory and Grandeur by the before practised course of rendring their King Immortal How rationally these and the like actions conclude the Peace of Church and State designed and the Authors meriting the Name of Good Subjects is so unfit to be enquired into that I wonder even Fools and Madmen who take almost any thing upon credit of the Deliverers have no Stones to hurl at these grossest of Pretenders But the Lovers of Peace are excessively ashamed and our incomparably Reformed Church scandalized to hear and observe the most reproachfully distracting studies of men who seem to envy all others the Fame of Religious and Loyal all their expressions proclaiming their restless care of Gods and the Kings Honour But we see that smooth words tend most to the breach of Peace when there is War in the Heart and that no Crimes are so odious as those over which the Name of Holiness is superintended To prevent the excess of which Debauchery of the Mind and the Calamities which inseparably attend it we must warily avoid the creeping Folly at the beginning which admitted openeth the passage for what is most monstrous and prodigious To that end we must reserve no patience of the ear for them who by the magnitude of danger whether fictitious or real perswade men that they may divert themselves somewhat from the exactness of duty This once received presently confineth and enlargeth Obedience at will allowing it no proper bounds or assigned station nor indeed any thing more then a bare Name to serve the basest ends The strictness of Duty towards our Prince well observed is the greatest assurance of Peace because the firmest Bond of Religion being in God and for God performed This calmeth all thoughts in us by begetting a due and seasonable Confidence in our King trusting him with our selves and fortunes which he cannot injure so long as we Love and Honour him And suspition removed we shall be generously executive Ministers of Peace either in our common Employments or the particular charges with which he vouchsafeth to honour us leaving the grand care thereof upon him with whom God hath entrusted it This is virtuous noble and consentaneous to Religion being the Ornament of that Profession While we know our Duty distinguished from our Superiours and act Christianity more than discourse it we need not fear our tranquillity to be over-whelmed by force or undermined by Subtilty For our care of Peace and Religion will make us watchful over our selves to continue Innocent and over Pretenders to keep them from Sacrificing to their Malice and Ambition our most glorious and dearest fruitions And by dutiful returns of seasonable provisions in token of gratitude to our King and the better to enable his Love and Care of us reciprocal affections will alway abound and Gods Blessing will manifest his approbation that this is the onely right course of obteining that Glory may dwell in our Land The Disturbance of the Princes Peace is the same of the Subjects OF this much needeth not to be said to such as are apprehensive what is the Duty of Good Subjects in the acquiring and establishing Peace their griefs shew them also sensibly knowing how much what ever is matter of vexation to their King is perplexity to them and their labouring thoughts are restless until relieved by assurances that he hath overcome the difficulty Others less sensible of the reason are not by their ignorance the more exempted from Sufferings although they too too frequently impute them to contrary causes and so render them heavier and sharper to themselves and others Under Pagan Kings and Magistrates without their Peace and Prosperity a quiet and peaceable life in Godliness could not be presumed to be obteined by the Primitive Christians therefore was it enjoyned as the first work of Piety that Intercessions and giving of thanks should to that end be made for them Certainly the Case is not now altered nor will disorders of Christians greiving a most Christian and Gracious Prince promote Peace and Religion But now the King is become the Churches Defender his Troubles are the Subjects more direct wounds and his Griefs more generally afflicting Sometimes men are troubled and augment their troubles by causlesly accusing their Prince of mistakes when it was their own perversness first disturbed him and that continuing is his farther vexation and much more both theirs and every Mans. It happeneth to them as to a reasty Jade which without cause is sullen and winceth against its Rider discomposing him but Galling its own Back and Bruising its own Heels and being severely Spured and Whip't is the more angry but altereth not its Quallities Nevertheless can have no Remedy but alteration The weakness of many Mens Judgments frequently proceedeth to Insolence and if their Governour go not the way which they prescribe Kick Murmur and Rebell and by disquieting him Gall and Torment themselves Whereas his only desire is that with them he may be quiet and Prosperous The Vexations are great and Spreading until they are reduced to good Discipline but his compliance is most Fatal to all We have an instance in Sacred Writ which will sufficiently evidence the Calamities befalling Prince and People when the Prince is overuled by a Clamourous Multitude Saul being possessed of the Israelitish Diadem was
sent by God with an especial Commission to lead an Army against the Amalekites and utterly destroy all that they had Man and Woman Infant and Suckling Oxe and Sheep Camel and Asse But after Victory obtained the People Murmur that so chargeable an Expedition of two Hundred and ten Thousand Men should have no Recompence That the Spoils of a Rich Eastern Country and such Plenty of Fat Sheep and Oxen Younger Fatlings and Lambs should all while they had neglected their Farms Flocks and Herds at Home Perish to no Mans benefit That at their return there must be Publick Thanksgivings Sacrifices and Feastings with their Wives Children and Relations at Home which they judged would prove a Lean and Barren joy if the Sacrifices and Beasts to be Slaughtered must be fetched from their own Folds and Stalls These or the like were the Voices of the Multitude and were specious Arguments used by the Nobles Rulers and Chief-Captains to perswade the King to neglect his Duty towards God for the good of the People They all concluded that the present Interest was the best Religion and that the shew and noise of Sacrifice would Silence Heavens Decree pronounced for the Contempt of its Laws Neither was this easily obtained of the King who although a Valiant Man was forced to yield for the Murmurs and Mutiny had proceeded so High that he was put into a great fear such as Subjected him in the meanest sort to the Raving Populacy for as he saith of himself he Feared the People and Obeyed their Voice But thus the King pleased the People to his own and their Ruine For God immediately commanded the Kingdome to be Rent from him And although some Years Intervened between the Sentence and Execution yet the rest of his Reign was but improsperous and at length upon Mount Gilboa the King his Sons and People fell down grievously Slaughtered by a Forreign Enemy and Invasion and the Victory over them was used most Savagely and Insolently Such are the usual Harvest which Subjects Reap from their undutiful behaviour wherein the more Successful they are the more inevitable is their destruction Miscarriages in any such attempts are most happy which instruct them what should have been forborn what practised and convince them of a necessity of renouncing all Rude and Irreverent thoughts of their King in order to the establishment of Happiness But that so powerful an Example set down by the Holy Penman must needs be prevalent with Men so much professing Religion I should not have gone farther for one then the so fresh and Sadly memorable of our late times Then were seen the Tides of Popular Fury to Swell to such an excess that they Swallowed up all Government both in Church and State our Kings Princes and most eminently Pious and Loyal Churchmen were either Murthered Banished or driven into Corners and in short after the discontented Rabble had taken the matter into their own hand to which frequent Royal Condescentions did but the more embolden them to Repair Reform Cure and Settle all their miseries and dissatisfactions did even infinitely abound And then to find what they sought for they were compelled to retreat to acknowledge their folly and distress supplicating him whom they most rebelliously and ignominiously dispossessed of his Crown and Dignities Return thou and all thy Servants Until his Peace was restored theirs was in excilement none other with their Boasted Sciences of Government could after a long and wretched experience give any hopes of effecting the publick safety but the same they had rejected Whom with accumulative Honours they Petitioning to return acknowledged that nothing but want of confidence in their lawful Monarchs virtue and judgment had so miserably enslaved them under Anarchical Tyranny nothing but that confidence could revive the Sinking Kingdoms Glory So great a Calamity and unexpected Redemption successively furnishing us with infalliable Rules for prosperous enjoyments our suddain forgetfulness or careless observance of them maketh us appear the most despicably Sottish of Mankind We are uneasy and thoughtful by listning to the Authors of our newly vanquished afflictions who with an ill natured but most genuine Ofspring instill Poysonous Opinions into the minds of their Fellow Subjects in detraction of the present Government I should rationally think their very Persons caution enough against any their insinuations much more when they repeat Rebellion in the same methods and rush on with more impudenoe then their former beginnings knew Nevertheless we have seen divers of them promoted to be of the Grand Council of the Nation and there Principals of such ungrateful and undecent Orations that while they pretended to represent Greivances ought themselves to have been proceeded against as the most intolerable of all Grievances We hope that Members of a Sound constitution may by Gods Blessing succeed them to repair in Truth those breaches which the former vitiated ones have opened to Scandal Confusion and the Terrour of our Prince and all Religious People Otherwise we ought to intercede with God and the King that such Prodigies of State may no more appear among us to Subvert our Peace and Religion with novel and unheard devices of Government and Vnion What considerate Man seeth not the Foundations now stricken at when by the same courses and many of the same Hands they were before Subverted and when the Nation Sinneth again its old Crimes after such a Miraculous Restauration what can hinder the worse thing from befalling it Or where shall we look for a second Redemption who have so Idly undervalued the First In former Ages the Great Assemblies did indeed what they undertook support the Nation by Strengthening their respective Kings but of late they have been so far from treading in the Steps of their Ancestours as that Blessed Prince delivereth it who afterward more sharply felt the mischief of such Parliamentary digressions by dutiful expressions in that kind that contrarily they have introduced a way of bargaining and contracting with their King as if nothing ought to he given him by them but what he should buy and purchase of them either by the quitting somewhat of his Royal Prerogative or diminishing and lessening his Revenues This was spoken of Disrespects and Demeanours inconsiderable in comparison of what himself became afterwards Sensible of and his Royal Son hath lately found too much cause to mention and reprove And each of these disloyal Practises encrease the consternation which hath Seized us and is general though diversly afflicting Men according to their diversity of Humours Some are entangled in Labyrinths of Conceits that their Prince is ill advised and hath no good Councel as if he wanted their judgment in Choosing and all of their Choice and Representatives were endued with Infallibillity some are so fearful of disorder in the State and so jealous of Religion least Superstition should enter in and corrupt it that they presently break the Peace which they only fear may be broken and most Superstitiously Idolize those
are its Enemies Peace is his desire his delight and glory the end of all his Actions the emblem of his Eternal recompence his Heaven upon Earth And this no corrupt minds can truly rejoyce in they may peradventure be pleased with it for a time but are soon glutted with its pleasures and stores grow insolent and kick at her Blessings But good men cannot surseit upon her favours though abundantly satisfied with them For in sound minds the same plenty be getteth desire which in depraved groweth to an abhorrency Neither can Peace be obtained by evil or unstable men any more then continue by them when it is in their power to disturb it For the Sacred Oracle declaring that there is no peace to the wicked they certainly can never give that to others which they cannot procure for themselves or brook in others So that to be able to rejoyce in Peace every man must conform to a Virtuous Life and be wife with Sobriety For vitious living enclineth men to anger suspitions and all sorts of unruly courses and generally begetteth in them an over-value of their own Judgments and Abilities which hath been sadly experienced in some of the great Debauches of our times Some men again well deserving and who have been long known to govern themselves in the proper rules of this Joy have at length become too apprehensive of being useful and thereby have ceased to become Good Subjects a proud confidence destroying that Loyalty which had been admirably excellent had it continued among the works and labours of Love Because they hear that well doing deserveth a reward they wrong their judgments in reaching at an immature one and too much discover a long concealed malignity in their minds which hath disturbed their Joy although without publick observation For where there are illegitimate hopes there must be sometimes great fears which as we see break out into disorders and are ever disturbing the contentment of the Soul which by well doing only should be kept in tranquility The Pious satisfaction of Gods great favour in hearing the cries of his afflicted people and restoring to us our Dread Soveraign in Peace and the virtuous care of continuing this mercy certainly mind nothing but God and the Kings ' approbation If these performances observed produce any further Grace it is venerably received not as a recompence but a Princely condescention and Bounty Good Mephibosheths Loyalty is an incomparable pattern who was so truly glad of his Princes Return that the Joy was to him a Possession for other things he careth not but saith Calumniating Ziba Yea let him take all forasmuch as my Lord the King is come again in Peace But some of the great pretender to Loyalty have stained the glorious repute which they had gotten at a most foolish rate For where the King hath been pleased to accept the Services of some Subjects and to signalize them with grants of eminent Indulgences they who were profitable Servants became foolish Favourites and what they have industriously managed to their Princes advantage in an Inferior Station their Pride hath ruined in advancement For wanting continence in elated Fortunes they though their Deeds merit not Duty and judging themselves such men of excellence that the Scepter could not be weilded without their councell they have presumed to act above the condition of Subjects forgetting their Original and the Humility which gave their Honour a Being And these were so far from following Mephibosheth's example of leaving all for Joy that they have thought nothing sufficient reward which accumulative liberality hath laid upon them And indeed herein the strength of their judgments met with the severest tryal For they who could laudably sustain and overcome the sharpest adversities have been drawn into a snare by the blandishments of Fortune and their Fortitude being eneruated by her leniments she hath led them about as the most ridiculous Captives So easily are heedless men divested of their Joy in the midst of their Triumphs by yielding to the beginning of temptations of making reward the chief inducement to Loyalty CHAP. VIII No Considerations of past or ensuing damages which have or may accrew to him do hinder this Joy in a Good Subject TRue Loyalty is so little swayed by interest that it is its own contentment and rejoyceth in the King's Peace for God his Church and Peoples sake looking for no reward beyond self satisfaction The excellency of the Example biddeth me again repeat it and make Remarques upon the sacred History or Mephibosheth He was the Son of Saul as the Holy Text speaketh it in the relation of that action more observably yet came down with an unparallel'd Joy to meet King David returning from Exilement This Mephibosheth was Heir Apparent to the Crown of Israel as it respecteth the House of Saul being the Son of Jonathan Saul's eldest Son Neither the reflections upon his disinherison not withstanding his Title by a most direct descent nor David's preceipitate dispossessing him of his Lands upon the false accusations of Ziba his servant before he had liberty to answer for himself did any thing prevail with him to lessen his affections to the King or his gladness that he was returned in Peace The King indeed had sent for him to eat at his own Table and restored unto him all his Patrimony But the respect to his succession could soon have fitted him with replies That the specious Kindness of calling him to Court might be both pride and policy pride to render his own Majesty the more awful by so great a Princes attendance And policy to keep him near him alwaies in view that so he might not be able to cause Sedition or Innovation And then what did an Inheritance which his Title to the Crown considered was but part of his right in a corner of one of the Tribes signifie to a man thoughtful of the loss of a Kingdom What was it but an occasion for his Brethren the Benjamites to upbraid him with want of courage and judgment who should so tamely acquiesce in this as a favour and content himself with a private Fortune who was born unto so glorious a Scepter But piety quasht all these suggestions so apt to swell and puff up a young Princes mind and gave him a most sacred Judgment to discern God's Work and Decree and taught him by meekness to enjoy himself and all that the King bestowed upon him as truly Royal favours The same Almighty power which exalted his Grandfather Saul to be King had for disobedience to his commands denounced by the same Prophet who anointed him the renting away of his Kingdom and giving it to his Neighbour and soon after the denunciation caused David by the same Prophet to be anointed That he was ordained King by God Saul knew and envied him for it and often endeavoured to frustrate the Divine Decree by killing him This Jonathan knew and loved him this Mephibosheth knew and thence gave him the Honour which true
prejudicing the general Welfare Men of unsetled but self-confident Councels think themselves great and able for the most eminent Atchievements and sufficient for the highest flight if but bedeckt withsome of the Ealges Plumes but being too feeble for the work and consequent weight of envy do shame their undertakings and followers whom some Name of reproach signifying their folly and crime distinguisheth from the rest of mankind Additions to them or at least fortifications of such as impairing time hath in any part enfeebled are looked upon by all that judiciously mind their own preservation to be continually necessary For the Prerogative of the Crown rendred infirm do inevitably cause to halt the Priviledges of the Members which may peradventure swell high but then speak their Sickliness and Fate and that they then incline most to Dissolution Without doubt that Kingdom is most Happy where Discourses of this nature are least heard But on the other hand it much more conduceth to the publick Good that the Prince be rigourous even to the brink of Tyranny then addicted to Lenity and easie Concessions of Popular demands The errors of the first sort are little felt and scarce discernible those of the latter are universally and apparently pernicious But in no part are the Prerogatives more dangerously intrench'd upon then in those which concern Religion wherein the People by seeking and the Prince by yeilding do the same as when Fond Parents to their crying Children allow the handling of R-zours and Lances In this case a sharp reprehension conserveth the peace and hindreth a certain effusion of Blood For Protestations Leagues and Covenants and projectures of impossible Vnions have no tendency to what they speak but to what is most contrary these terms being taken up premeditatly to the Dissolution of the most inviolable and Sacred Obligations without the Religious observance of which Vnion hath no consistence Where are the wise Contrivers of them Or what Bonds can unite those to the Church whom Rebellion Blood and Devastation hath separated from her Such Vnitings are the Debauches of Religion and the directest courses to the Subverting Monarchy and Hierarchy What Fury did before Act is now required to have a legal Introduction And although we abhorr the Murderers of Kings and Prince and give Sacrilegious men their merited Epithites yet that these be by opinion admitted into the great Employes of State and Bosome of the Church no Contrition or desires of Reconciliation preceding is the best prescribed Rule of Preservation and Canon of Ecclesiastical Communion In fine the much applauded Projectors of our Constitutions of Peace do no otherwise then tell us that to prevent the Potency of such as are feared will spare neither King nor Church our only course is to promote and Impower those whose hatred to both is known and implacable It is not to be doubted but that the Indulgences and Connivances of these times have raised to this height of Insolence as their accustomed gratitude the Spirits of these Zealots and thence is to be conjectured their future deportment upon a Toleration fortified with Legality Reason not assisted by the sadest Domestick Experiences sheweth any Toleration of diversities of Religions to be of ill consequence but that inevitably destructive to Monarchy which ceaseth to be a favour and standing guarded with one Law is enabled to command more and at length what it will All these mischiefs which the humourous Multitude led by some Pestilent Councellors esteem their Happiness till the pungent sting of their enjoyments sharpen them to an apprehension of their folly Good Subjects resolutely oppose yet behold with pitty to see Religious Assemblies void of Piety Kingdoms whose Administrator of Justice hath his hands bound and Obedience Charity Humility and all other Virtues dwindle into names only stir up their magnanimous Souls by commiseration to cares of Relief And this they discern no way to be effected but by restoring and confirming their King to and in His Royal Prerogatives by promoting his Peace that by it all may live a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty And as they are herein zealous so constant not apt to be diverted by the gawdy hopes of Change nor disencouraged either by suspition of disrespected merit or apparentcy of good services ill repay'd They Act knowingly and so are above Change and their generous minds admit not the torments of Suspition unless of deficiency in themselves And this same temper inclineth them to an assurance that besides his Princly inclinations the Kings Interest diverseth him from remunerating Loyally with injuries which if at any time thy befal a Good Subject he considereth and findeth them to proceed from the ill representation of envious Detractours a sort of State Moths which cannot without great difficulty be kept out of the Linings of the Crown Reward is least in their desires except that great one the innocent Glory of well performing and nothing but omission of duty can afflict them thence they are stedfast and unmoveable knowing that their labour is not in vain but that their recompence and inheritance shall be for ever And now that Peace and Love may unite us under our Head by the virtuous government of our selves let us work His Security By vitious living all mischief is propagated that introduceth ruine of Subjects and bringeth contempt upon Princes who become not Governours of Men but Kings of Beasts and God angry that his inesteemable Pearls are cast before Swine surrendereth them to the possession of the Legion That insuperable Goodness which magnifieth its power most chiefly in shewing mercy and pity is wearied and made deficient by ingratitude nay more is converted into fury by our misguided and corrupted affections It is from this cause that the clamours and murmurings too much heard in our Land do proceed Vices abounding encrease Suspitions prepare men for strifes and multiply disorders then these make mens minds like the troubled Sea to cast up mire and dirt And indeed God seemeth to have abandoned a great part of this wretched Nation to the Curse of their own follies and imaginations to delight in Seduction and to believe Lies because they would not retain the discipline and order of holy Peace and Joy Continually leading Lives contrary to Divine Obligations and their own Professions they were brought first to suspect what they knew afterward to believe what they suspected They have lost their Reason by becoming enemies to Virtue its illustrious Guardian so that the reclaiming them is an impossibility to all but a miraculous Compassion This happening to many ought to be the more exemplary to others All of us who see their miscarriges and the cause should be as quicksighted into the ways of duty and keep our selves happy by loving and esteeming Peace that is by an holy care of continning affectionatly zealous of Gods Honour obeying his Ordinance with true Love and a pure Conscience Let us therefore duely offer up our Thanksgivings for what we enjoy and perfect them by Obedience by the humility and sincerity of which let us aspire each man to an Immortal Crown magnanimously raising our Subjection to Heaven by imitating the Lowliness and Meekness of the King of Kings Amen FINIS London Printed for the Author and are to be Sold by Ben. Harris at the Stationers Arms under the Piazza of the Royal-Exchange 1681.