IN which words you have first a Duty injoined, Let every Soul be subject to the higher Powers. Secondly, A rea­son inforcing it, for the Powers that are, are ordained of God. In the duty there are three things considerable. First, The extent of it, it is to every Soul. Secondly, The matter of it, it is to be subject. Thirdly, The Object of it, the higher Powers; of each of which I shall discourse very briefly.

First, Here is the extent of this Duty, it is to every Soul, that is, to every man of what Order or Degree or Quality soever, whe­ther he be High or Low, Rich or Poor, Spiritual or Secular, none are exempt, let every Soul be subject; without any excepti­on [Page 2] either of St. Peter and his Successours, or of the Body of the People, for the rea­son extends equally to both, because the Powers that are, are ordained of God; they are by God's Commission and rule by his Authority, and therefore neither the Bishop of Rome, nor the majority of the People can claim exemption from this duty of Subjection, without arrogating to themselves an Authority superiour to God's; for if we must be subject to them, because they rule by God's Authority, then it's certain there are none that are sub­ject to God but are under the force and obligation of this reason.

But then Secondly, You have here the matter of this Duty, and that is to be subject, in which comprehensive phrase is included the whole Duty of Subjects to their Princes and Governours, honouring their Persons, reverencing their Authority, assisting them against their Enemies, defending the rights of their Government, and conscientiously rendering to them their due Customes and Tributes; but more especially and particu­larly, it includes our free and ready sub­mission to them in yielding a chearfull obe­dience [Page 3] to their Commands, so far as we can innocently and consistently with our duty to God, and where we cannot in patiently undergoing all those pains and penalties they shall think meet to inflict on us for our disobedience, in suffering their unjust perse­cutions without murmuring or clamour, without disturbing their Government, or resisting their Authority, or indeavouring to repell their Force with Force, but meekly submitting our cause to the judgment of God, who is the Patron and Protectour of oppressed Innocence: But for our clearer understanding this necessary duty of subjection to our Princes and Governours, I shall briefly explain the particulars implied in it, which are these five.

First, It implies our ready and chearfull obedience to them in all lawfull things.

Secondly, Our obedience to them in all doubtfull things.

Thirdly, It implies our obedience to them in all those cases wherein we are not able to judge for our selves.

Fourthly, It implies great wariness and caution, in pronouncing against their judg­ment and determinations.

Fifthly, It implies our meek and patient submission to the penalties of their Laws and determinations, when upon a full perswa­sion of the unlawfulness of them, we cannot actually comply with them.

First, This subjection to our Prince im­plies our chearfull and ready obedience to him, in all lawfull things, for, whatsoever God hath neither commanded nor forbid­den by his own immediate dictate and au­thority, he hath authorized his Vicegerents to command or forbid, as they shall judge it most expedient for the publick; so that when they command what God hath not forbidden, or forbid what he hath not commanded, their will is God's, who com­mands us by their mouths, and stamps their injunctions with his own authority; and unless we admit this, we totally devest the Magistrate of his power of making Laws, because there remains no other mat­ter for new Laws, but onely that which the Laws of God have left indifferent: so that unless this may be commanded or forbid­den by the Magistrate, he hath no new mat­ter left to make new Laws of, when there­fore the matter which he injoins or forbids, [Page 5] is left free and unrestrained by the Laws of God, we are obliged in Conscience by that divine Authority which God hath vested him with, to render him a free and chear­full obedience.

Secondly, This Subjection to our Go­vernours implies our ready obedience to them in all doubtfull things, for it is to be considered, that 'tis as much our duty to obey our Governours in things that are lawfull, as not to obey them in things that are unlawfull; and therefore if we onely doubt whether their Commands are lawfull, or no, our doubt ought to make us as fear­full of disobeying as it doth of obeying them, because the danger of sinning is on both sides equal, and therefore in this case where we are necessitated to determine our selves one way or t'other, it is doubtless our duty to determine on that side which makes most for the publick security and peace, which next to the Honour of God and the Salva­tion of Souls ought to be prefer'd above all things; wherefore in cases of a doubt­full nature, 'tis both modest and safe to subscribe to the judgment of our Superi­ours, because in so doing we have not [Page 6] onely our own ignorance to excuse, but their authority to warrant us; and if we should happen to be in the wrong through our modesty and humility, 'twill be safer for us than to be in the right through our pride and self-conceit.

Thirdly, This duty of Subjection to our Governours, implies our ready obedience to them in all those cases wherein we are not capable of judging for our selves; for he who refuses to obey his Governours in matters that he cannot judge of, disobeys he knows not why, and to avoid doing that which he doth not know to be a Sin refuses to doe that which he knows to be a Duty; so that though that which he refuses should be unlawfull, yet this cannot be the motive of his refusal who under­stands not the reasons which make it so; but by following the reason of our Gover­nours where our own cannot guide us we take the best course we can not to be mi­staken, and if we should be mistaken we have this to excuse us, that 'twas by follow­ing an authority which God himself hath set over us, whereas if we are mistaken on the other side, we are altogether inexcusable.

[Page 7] Fourthly, This duty of Subjection to our Superiours doth also imply great wari­ness and caution in pronouncing against their judgment and determinations, for by the Laws of Christian modesty we are ob­liged to believe our Governours to be wiser than we, because they have a larger pro­spect of things, and greater advantages of inquiring into them; and therefore though we may have some little probability that their judgment is false, or their command unlawfull, yet we ought not presently to determine it so, unless it be in such plain and evident cases as do not onely outweigh the probability of their opinion but the authority of it too; for he who rashly re­jects the command of his Superiours as un­lawfull, plainly shews that 'tis not so much the Sin of their Command that displeases him as the Authority of it, and that 'tis not his Conscience that takes offence at it, but his Humour; for if it were Conscience, the reverence which he bears to the autho­rity which commands him would inspire him with an awfull respect to the judg­ment of his Superiours, and a modest su­spicion of his own: He therefore who [Page 8] upon every slight appearance of probabi­lity against the judgment of his Superiours immediately pronounces it false and erro­neous, plainly shews that he hath too little deference to them and too much to him­self; and while he thus undervalues their Wisedom and overvalues his own, it's e­vident that he wants a great deal of that modesty and humility that becomes a du­tifull and obedient Subject.

Fifthly and lastly, This duty of Subjec­tion to our Superiours also implies our meek and patient submission to the penalties of their Laws, when upon a full persuasion of the unlawfulness of them we cannot ac­tually comply with them; for when the Commands of our Prince do interfere with the Commands of God, it is an undoubted Rule that we must obey God rather than Man; but then at the same time that our Allegiance to the Throne of Heaven obli­ges to refuse active Obedience to our tem­poral Prince, it indispensably obliges us to render passive, and not to use any violence against him, though it be in the defence of our Estates, or Liberties, or Lives, or which ought to be dearer than all, our Religion; [Page 9] for the just use of violence is founded in a just authority over the Person upon whom it is exercised, and supposes a right in him that uses it to call the Person to ac­count against whom he uses it, and punish him according to his demerit, without which right the use of violence is an inju­rious outrage and oppression; but sove­reign Princes are in their several Domini­ons next to and immediate under God, the most high Sovereign of the World, and therefore having no Authority but his a­bove them are accountable onely to his Tribunal; so that for Subjects in any case whatsoever to offer violence to their Prince is to usurp the Throne of God, and invade his sovereign Tribunal, for in offering vi­olence to them we claim a superiority over them, and in so doing impiously trespass on the peculiar of the Almighty, and ar­rogate his divine Prerogative of being King of Kings and Lord of Lords; for since God alone is placed above them, as being the sole King of sovereign Kings, how can we assume superiority over them without set­ting our selves in the place of God? unless therefore we will render our selves guilty [Page 10] of the highest affront to, and prophana­tion of the divine Majesty, we have no o­ther remedy, whenever we are reduced to that extremity as that we cannot obey our Prince without disobeying God, but to discharge our duty courageously and faith­fully to God, and meekly and quietly to submit to the unjust Persecutions of our Prince, referring our Cause to that sove­reign Tribunal before which Princes and Peasants must one day give an account to­gether for every unjust and unrighteous action: And though this may seem a hard Chapter to those who consider onely one side of the case, yet there is nothing more appa­rent than that the liberty of resisting Princes would prove a far greater mischief to the World than all the Cruelties and oppressi­ons of the most barbarous Tyrants; for what though there never was any Gover­nour so wise and good as not to be charge­able with some faults and miscarriages, we ought to consider that our World must be governed by Men and not by Angels, and that perhaps there never was any lawfull Prince so bad, the benefits of whose Go­vernment did not far out-weigh the mis­chiefs [Page 11] of his Tyranny; and that therefore it is wisely eligible for us rather to suffer a less evil than to deprive our selves of a greater good. It is a notable saying of Tacitus, where he brings Cerialis the Roman General thus bespeaking his revolted Souldiers, Quo­modo sterilitatem, nimios imbres & caetera na­turae mala, sic luxum vel avaritiam dominan­tium tolerate: vitia erunt donec homines, sed neque haec continua, & meliorum interventu pensantur; i. e. you must bear the Luxury and Covetousness of your Rulers as ye do Barrenness and unseasonable Showers; there will be faults as long as there are Men, but bad Men are not always, and we are generally compensated for them with a suc­cession of good. But had God left us at liberty to resist when we are opprest, the consequence of this must have been an e­ternal state of War, in which instead of suffering the oppressions of one Tyrant, we should every one turn Tyrant to every o­ther, and therefore 'tis apparently for our good that he hath tied up our hands. And thus with all possible brevity I have explai­ned the Particulars included in this Duty of Subjection.

[Page 12] I now proceed to the third and last con­siderable in this Duty, viz. the Object of it, viz. the higher Powers; by which it's e­vident we are to understand the Persons of sovereign Princes and Governours, and not the Laws and Constitutions, as some of our Republican Doctours pretend, for this Epi­stle was writ either under Claudius or Nero, whose Wills were the onely Laws they go­verned by, and yet these were the higher Powers to whom the Apostle requires our Subjection; and those whom he here calls the higher Powers in the third Verse he calls the Rulers, and in the fourth Verse he tells us that this higher Power is the Minister of God, and a Revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil, which must necessarily be meant of the Governours, and not of the Laws; and accordingly St. Peter thus explains it, 1 Pet. 2. 13. Be subject to every ordinance of Man for the Lord's sake, whether it be to the King, [...], as supreme, which is the very word that is here u­sed for the higher Powers, so that by the higher Powers here must be meant the Per­son or Persons that are vested with the su­preme and sovereign Power; for that in [Page 13] every Nation there should be a sovereign Power is as indispensably necessary as that there should be a Government; for where­ever there is any Government there must be a last Appeal, otherwise no diffe­rence or controversie can ever be finally decided; and whereever the last Appeal is, whether it be to a King, a Senate, or the majority of the People, there must be ab­solute and sovereign Power from which there can be no farther appeal, and against which there can be no opposition or resi­stence; for to talk of a supreme Power which is not unaccountable and irresistible is nonsense, for whatsoever Power is liable to be called to account or resisted, hath a Power that is superiour to it, and so can­not be supreme: and accordingly the Apostle declares in the Verse ensuing my Text, that whosoever resisteth the Power, resisteth the Ordi­nance of God, and that they that resist shall re­ceive to themselves damnation. Now the su­preme power to which we of this Nation owe subjection is the King, whom our Laws do declare and recognize to be our su­preme and sovereign Lord, for so, for in­stance the Statute of Praemunire declares, [Page 14] that the Crown of England is in no earthly Subjection, but immediately subject to God in all things touching the Regality of the same, and 25 H. 8. 21. makes this Recognition to his Majesty, That his Grace's Realm hath no su­periour under God but onely his Grace, and that next unto God they owe him a natural and humble obedience; and in other Laws it is declared to be high Treason to levy Arms against the King either within or without the Realm, and that it is unlawfull for both or either Houses of Parliament to raise or levy War offensive or defensive against his Majesty or his Heirs and lawfull Succes­sours, and that it is not lawfull upon any pretence whatsoever to take Arms against the King, and that we are to abhor that traiterous Position of taking Arms by his Authority against his Person, or against those who are commissioned by him; by all which it is abundantly evident who this higher Power is among us, to whom we are to render our Subjection.

Having thus explained the Terms of the Duty, I proceed in the next place to the Reason of it, for the Powers that are, are or­dained of God.

[Page 15] All Sovereign Princes do derive their power and authority from God, whose Al­mighty providence doth more peculiarly concern it self in the disposal of Crowns and Sceptres, and doth influence all second causes to conspire in the advancement of such persons to Empire, as he himself has first chosen and approved, for there is no person can have right to govern in God's Kingdom under him, unless it be by com­mission and authority from him; and indeed to derive the authority of Sovereign Princes from any other head but God, is in effect to deny him to be the supreme Governour of the World, which those persons would do well to consider who make the people the Fountain of regal authority; for as on the one hand, if it be by God's Authority that Kings Reign, it is God that governs by them, and not the people, so on the other, if it be by the peoples authority, it is the people that govern by them and not God, if it be the choice of the people that makes their Prince without any Commission or Authority from God, then it is certain that Princes are the peoples Vicegerents and not God's, but now in all governments the su­preme [Page 16] is the Fountain of all inferiour au­thorities, and if there be any authority with­in its Jurisdiction that is not from it, and dependent upon it, it must be coordinate with it, and then it cannot be supreme, how then can God be supreme Governour of the World, when there are other coordi­nate Authorities with him that are indepen­dent from him, and that owe not their be­ing to him? The Peoples choice therefore even in Elective Governments, can signifie no more than the bare presenting of a per­son to God, to be authorized his Vicege­rent by him, who if their choice be just and lawfull, is supposed to direct them to it by his providence, and consequently to consent to and approve it, and thereby to authorize the person so presented, for So­vereign authority in the abstract is ordained and instituted by God, but abstracted Au­thority cannot govern without a person vested with it, and to vest him with it, he must not be onely applied to the Autho­rity, but the Authority must be applied to him; but now where the people have a right to Election, they can onely apply the person to the Authority, but 'tis God's con­sent [Page 17] and approbation which applies the Authority to the person, who thereupon commences supreme under God, and hath no superiour Tribunal but God's to account to, and thus according to the Prophet Daniel, the most high rules in the Kingdoms of men, because as Lord of all the Lords, and King of all the Kings of the Earth, he rules by their Ministry, and they rule by his Authority; and hence in Scripture they are said to be the Ministers of God, Rom. 13. 6. The Christs or anointed of the Lord, Isa. 45. 1. And are styled Gods, and the Children of the most high, Psal. 82. 6. And hence also they are said to act in God's stead, and to judge not for men but for God, 2 Chron. 19. 6. And their Kingdoms are said to be given them by God, and they to be advanc'd to their Thrones by God, 2 Dan. 21. 37.

Since therefore all supreme Powers are ordained and commissioned and authorized by God, it hence necessarily follows, that to refuse subjection to them is no less than open Rebellion against God himself; for Kings in their several Provinces, are the Viceroys of the Almighty Sovereign of the [Page 18] World, and therefore as he who denies sub­jection to the King's Viceroy affronts the Authority of the King, so they who deny subjection to the King, brave and affront the Authority of the King of Kings; for since it is by God's Authority, that the King rules, 'tis God's Authority that they refuse to be ruled by, for whatsoever the personal qualifications of Princes are, we ought to consider that the Character they bear is Di­vine, as being a ray and representation of the great Majesty above; and therefore 'tis not so much to them that we are obliged to bow down as to the Divine Image which they bear about them, so that like Ambas­sadours they derive not their honour from themselves, but from the Sovereign Majesty which they represent and personate, and the veneration we render them like that which Moses paid to the burning Bush, is not so properly rendred to them, as to the Divinity in them; whether therefore they are good or bad we are obliged to respect them as the supreme Vicegerents of God in the World, and to consider their Persons as consecrated with the Divine Majesty which Robes and invests them, and herein consists [Page 19] the force of the Apostle's reason, for the Powers that are, are ordained of God.

And now having given you an account of the duty in the Text, Let every Soul be subject to the higher Powers. I shall crave leave briefly to inforce it, by some other motives and considerations, besides that which the Apostle here urges, viz. That the Powers that are, are ordained of God.

First, Consider, that upon our dutifull Subjection to our Prince, depends our tem­poral Happiness and welfare; for as with­out government there can be no Society, so without obedience there can be no Govern­ment; and so long as men are indisposed to obey, the Government must be a burthen to them, and they to the Government; and whilst the Rulers and Subjects instead of be­ing supports are oppressions to one another, they are in the ready way to dissolve and fly in pieces, and what can the consequence of this be, but an over-flowing deluge of Miseries and Confusions, of the truth of which, we of this Nation have not many years agoe made a wofull experiment; for when through our restless impatience of Subjection, we had pull'd down our lawfull [Page 20] Sovereign from his Throne, and unhing'd the ancient frame of our Government, what was the issue of it but Oppression and Sla­very, and endless Confusion? for when once we had unfixt our selves from our pro­per Centre, how did we roul through eve­ry form of Government, still addressing to each for relief and ease? and when we had moved every Stone, and raised it to the top of the Hill, it still came tumbling down again upon us; so that ours, like Sisyphus his labour was like to have no other end, but various, restless, and endless Calami­ty, till at last, God took pity on us, and resetled us on our ancient Foundations; so that had it not been for this late shameless and barefac'd Rebellion, by which if God had not been more mercifull to us, we had hurl'd back our selves again into our old confusions, I could never have imagined we could have been so abandon'd of our rea­son, as in the same age to act over the same Tragedy again; but if as a just punishment of our Sins, God should permit us to be so far infatuated, as to sell our liberties again, for fear of being inslaved, to fight against the principles of our Religion in the defence [Page 21] of it, to rip up the Bowels of our native Countrey to preserve it, and in a word, to go to cross or pile with a company of beggar­ly Male-contents for our own Estates and Fortunes, and run our selves into present and certain mischiefs, to prevent future and contingent ones; if these things, I say, should happen again, which God forbid, a very small Prophet may easily foretell the wofull consequence of it; and when we shall see our Fields strewed over again with the Car­kasses of our Friends and Relations, our Cities, Towns and Countries laid waste by an unnatural War, and shall come to cast up our accounts, and to reckon all the Bloud and Treasure we have spent, onely to purchase Confusion or Slavery, then we shall remember perhaps with tears in our Eyes, that it was nothing but a surfeit of hap­piness that caused our misery. But, beloved, I hope better things of you, and of the wisedom and dear-bought Experience of the Age; if therefore we would be secured from these publick Calamities, let us render to our Prince all dutifull subjection, the least defect of which is an apparent advance to­wards Ruine and Confusion.

Secondly, Consider that upon our duti­full subjection to our Prince, the honour of our Religion depends, for men do gene­rally esteem and value things according to the present good or hurt which they doe in the World; and even Religion it self, though it be the most sacred thing among men, is usually valued by the present advantages which accrew from it, and how beneficial soever it may be as to the other Life, if it should be found hurtfull and mischievous in this, it will be impossible to secure it from the hatred and contempt of mankind. Now there is nothing in which men are at present more generally concerned, than in the sup­port and security of the Government under which they live, the weal of which is like a publick Bank, in which every Subject hath his stock and share; so that if once it should appear that our Religion is mischie­vous to Government, mankind would soon conspire to proclaim War with it, and to decry and explode it as a publick nusance to the World. Now the generality of men do judge of Religion by the actions of those that make the loudest Pretences to it, and if once it appear that they are factious and [Page 23] ungovernable, those who understand no better, will certainly conclude that it is their Religion that teaches them to be so, and being possessed with this opinion of it, it is no wonder if they fall foul on it, and decry it for a common make-bate and kin­dle-cole: for that which strikes at Govern­ment strikes at mankind. When there­fore we represent our Religion as doing so, by making it a pretence for Faction and Disobedience, we doe what in us lies to alarm the World against it, and to expose it as a common Enemy, to the publick Odi­um of mankind; and I verily believe should men consult the Devil himself, what course they were best take to blast the honour of Religion, he could not direct them to a more effectual one than under sanctified pretences to turn Rebels to the Govern­ment; and accordingly heretofore the Adver­saries of Christianity could find no such effectual calumny to blast and expose it as this, that it was an Enemy to the civil Go­vernment, as wisely enough considering, that could they but infuse into mankind a belief of this scandal, there was nothing could be more conducive to antidote mens [Page 24] minds against it, and to render it base and infamous in the opinion of the World; whilst therefore we conduct any seditious design under the holy banners of Christia­nity, we join hands with its open and pro­fest adversaries, and indeavour so far as in us lies, to defend their most malitious Ca­lumnies against it; and our factious beha­viour glossed with pretences of Christian zeal, is a much stronger proof of that Hea­then Calumny, than all the arguments of Celsus, and Porphyrie, and Hierocles toge­ther, because the confession of a seeming Friend, is of much more credit than the accusation of an open Enemy; whilst there­fore we make our Religion a colour for our Faction and Disloyalty, we confess it to be guilty of the most infamous thing that it was ever charged with, by the worst of its enemies, viz. that it lays trains of factious Principles in mens Hearts and Consciences, on purpose to blow up, Thrones and Go­vernments, and throw the World into Ru­ins and Confusions; whereas on the contrary by our firm and unshaken Loyal­ty to our Governours, we give an ocular demonstration to the World, that our Re­ligion [Page 25] is good for the best purposes, that it is not onely beneficial in order to our future happiness, which being distant and invisible is not so apt to affect Men, but that it is the most effectual instrument even of our present safety and welfare, as it is the great prop of Thrones and the su­rest supporter of Government, upon which the welfare of Mankind depends; and if we can but once convince Men, as we might easily do by our steady Loyalty, that our Religion is the best security of Go­vernment, without which the World of Men is a mere Wilderness of Wolves and Tygers, we shall in this doe it greater ho­nour, and give it a more glorious reputa­tion in the World than by our most de­mure and specious pretences to Sanctity without it; for whatever Men may ima­gine, it is demonstrable that factious God­liness is a greater reproach and scandal to Religion than open profaneness and im­piety.

Thirdly, consider that upon our faithfull Subjection to our Prince the safety of our Religion depends; for there is nothing in the World can more indanger our Religi­on [Page 26] than our making it a pretence for Re­bellion, for hereby we inevitably expose it to the hatred of Princes, and doe what in us lies to arm their power against it, for by our actions we do in effect make this open Declaration to them: Sirs, To tell you plainly, ye may thank our Religion for our Disobedience, we would be Loyal but it will not suffer us, and therefore ye were best have a care of it, for if ye do not suppress it it will undermine your Thrones, and one time or other arm the hands of your People against your Persons and Dignities: When therefore we set up our Religion against our Gover­nours, we force them in their own defence to set themselves against it, and to indea­vour so far as in them lies to root it out of the World, and if being provoked by our Se­dition, they should ever draw their Swords a­gainst it, it may thank us for it, who first be­gan the Quarrel and gave the Challenge, and did in effect declare by out Actions, that un­less they forced us to lay down our Reli­gion, our Religion would force them to lay down their Crowns, yea and though we should succeed in our Rebellion and prove too hard for our Governours, yet first or [Page 27] last our Religion will be sure to smart for it; for when we have pulled down them we must set up some others in their room, and whosoever they are, though they may love the Treason by which themselves were advanced, to be sure they will hate the traiterous Religion, and never think them­selves safe in their Usurpation whilst those Principles prevail in the Consciences of the People upon which they rebell'd against their former Governours; for let Men be never so zealous for seditious Principles whilst they are Rebels, you may depend upon it they will be as zealous against them when they are Usurpers, and be as much concern'd to suppress and extirpate them as ever they were before to uphold and propagate them; of the truth of which ye have a notorious instance in the late U­surper, who though while he was a Sub­ject was a zealous stickler for those Religious pretences under which that barbarous Re­bellion was conducted, yet was no sooner seated in the Throne but he grew quite a­weary of them, and could he but have se­duced our sequestred Clergy from their natural Prince, which he sundry times at­tempted, [Page 28] would willingly have pulled down those Seditious Sects that raised him, and re-established the Church of England, of whose inflexible Loyalty to Government he had had sufficient experience.

Our Loyalty therefore is not onely the honestest but the wisest provision we can make for the safety of our Religion, be­cause hereby we recommend it to Princes as the safest guard of their Thrones, and the surest defence of their Authority, as that which will secure and facilitate their Government, and tie their Subjects to them by their Hearts and Consciences, and when by good experience they are convinced of this, they cannot be enemies to it without being enemies to themselves, and arming their Power against their own authority.

Fourthly and lastly, Consider that if we of this Nation had no other motive, yet in mere gratitude we stand obliged to render faithfull Subjection to our Princes, for con­sidering with what an easie and indulgent Government, and with what a succession of excellent Princes God Almighty hath blessed us, I know no Nation under the Cope of Heaven that may be so happy as [Page 29] our selves if we please; for as our Govern­ment is in the frame and constitution of it a most easie Yoke and gentle Burthen, so for sundry Ages we have had Princes as gentle and gratious as our Government; Princes that have studied our ease and our happiness, and that have in nothing so much exceeded as in their Mercy and In­dulgence towards us; for, not to mention that glorious Lady Queen Elizabeth, that wise and learned, that peaceable and gra­tious Prince King Iames I. of the Blessings of whose Reigns but few if any of us were partakers, not to mention that pious and e­very way incomparable Prince Charles I. whose sacred Bloud is such a monumental shame to Treason and Rebellion, as must make Rebels and Traitours, if they have any modesty remaining in them blush and be confounded for ever; besides these, it is not long since that God almighty hath de­prived us of one of the wisest, most grati­ous and mercifull Kings that ever swayed a Sceptre, a King that had been long endea­red to us not onely by the gentleness of his Reign, the prudence of his conduct, and the incomparable sweetness of his tem­per, [Page 30] but also by sundry miraculous Delive­rances, and as miraculous a Restoration, a Restoration that proclaimed and signalized him the Darling and Favorite of the divine Providence, a Prince that reigned in all ho­nest Hearts by the inconquerable Charms of his own native goodness, which had virtue enough in them, had the thing been possible, to have obliged Ingratitude, and even to have made Faction ashamed, and Fanaticism Loyal. And now to him in despite of all the Hellish machinations of a restless Faction, our present rightfull Lord peaceably succeeds, a Prince whom God seems to have reserved on purpose to make us amends for the inestimable loss we su­stained in Charles the Wise and Good; and indeed considering the great and Princely Vertues which adorn his Mind, and shine through the whole Sphere of his activity, we have all the encouragement in the world to promise our selves a continuance of those Halcion days under his happy influence, if by our own intestine Seditions we do not cloud and disturb them that we have so long enjoy'd under the auspicious Reign of his Brother; for if from an undaunted [Page 31] courage and firmness of Mind, if from an immense greatness and generosity of Soul, if from an inflexible sincerity and integrity of Manners, if from an impartial Justice, sweetened with an indearing benignity of Temper, if from the fair conjunction of all these Royal Vertues in a Prince, a People may presage their own happiness, we have all these to build our hope on in our pre­sent Sovereign, who to give an absolute confidence to our hope, hath gratiously de­posited in our hands that sacred pledge of his own Royal Faith by a publick repeated Declaration inviolably to preserve our Laws, and Liberties, and Properties, and which ought to be dearest to us than all, the e­stablished Religion of our Church, which for purity of Worship and Doctrine, for anti­quity of Discipline and Government, for loyalty of Principles and Practice, outshines all the Churches in the World; and for us to mistrust the security of that Faith which yet was never forfeited to any Man, would be not onely rude and disingenuous, but unjust and malitious; so that considering the admirable frame of our Government, and the unparallel'd goodness of our Prin­ces, [Page 32] we are certainly the most obliged Sub­jects in the World. And if after this we should prove factious and disloyal, what will the World say of us, but that we are a Peo­ple of a base and ungratefull Genius, whom no goodness can indear or oblige? and what may we expect from God, but that, as a just retribution for our black ingrati­tude, he should make us feel the smart of all those barbarous Tyrannies and Oppres­sions which hitherto we have unjustly com­plained of? Wherefore, unless we intend to render our selves both infamous to Men, and odious to God, let us chearfully com­ply with this great Precept of our Religion, Let every Soul of us be subject to the higher Powers, forasmuch as the Powers that are, are ordained of God.