tear it self in pieces or otherwise in like manner it is no less cruelty to the Spiritual sight of reason to behold the Parts of the Body politick to be divided and persecure one another as a Sovereign his Subjects and there is in effect a persecution in this when they interfere and deprive one another of their Offices and Rights for naturally every thing depends and maintains its own right and doth repel a violent Action done to it by violence Vim vi repellere licet 't is lawful to give a Man as good as he brings hence it is manifest that they are in the wrong who tell Lords that all is their own and that they may do what they please and are uncontroulable and unaccountable if they assume and appropriate to themselves without any just Title thereto whatsoever appertains to the Subject But what 's the meaning of this that violence can do all things and what will follow from thence why the same inconvenience will follow as if the Head should attract to it self all the Blood Spirits and Marrow and Substance of all the other Members and what would be the event of this but that it must prove it 's own ruin and destruction And a little below that adds I confess I dont understand whence this error proceeded for to assert this would be to cause Men tamely to submit like Sheep and set Superiors like ravening Wolves over them or to let fly Kites amongst Chickens Like as Poyson kills the human Body so Tyranny is a Poyson and Mischief that brings infallable ruin and destruction to not only the Body politick but to the Regal also For a Tyrant who by hook or by crook appropriates all to his own advantage is very unnatural it being manifestly contrary to Civil Society of which Aristotle in the fifth Book of his Politicks hath spoken more at large and may be comprized in this Distich Pauca Sciant de se diffidunt sint egeni Sic rege subditos dire Tyranne tuos A Tyrant would have his Subjects to know little to mistrust themselves and to be indigent this is extreamly contrary to a right Regal Power which chiefly aims at this that Subjects should be powerful wise and knowing c. for what worse thing could the Peoples mortal enemy or even the infernal devise then necessitate them to be poor and divided one would much rather choose to be without a Prince than have such a one as the Fable goes of the Frogs who had a Scorpion for a King that devoured them all And yet a little further again we conclude saith he that if the Head or any other Member of Civil State should chance to fall into such an inconvenience as to desire to lick up this deadly poyson of Tyranny each Member in its particular Station should use his outmost endeavour to prevent and obviate the same by all expedients convenient to that purpose And a little further And therefore the Person who abuseth it meaning the Power aforementioned is rightly served if he be divâ—sted of it Wherefore it is plain these Men who presume to lead their King or Prince into so foul an Error or into a condition of Tyranny deceive them and are their very Enemies The same Author in his Ten Considerations against Flatterers of Princes saith It is a mistake to say that a Prince is nothing beholding to his Subject during his Reign because it is agreeable as well to Divine Right as to natural Equity and Justice and also to the chief Intent and Design of Dominion that as the Subjects are to yeild Fealty Assistance by Taxes or otherwise and homage to their Liege Lord so likewise the Lord on his part ows faith and protection Nay and if so be the Prince in an obstinate manner persist in his wronging and persecuting them de facto then this natural rule is Vim vi repellere licet holds good and takes place as does that of Seneca in his Tragedies also Nulla adeo grata est victima quam Tyrannus At the end of this Consideration he yet adds therefore Kings who in an Arbitrary manner exact such grievances call them their Rights no otherwise than the Pagan Idols are called Gods not because they are indeed so but because they are called so by them Thus far the Chancellor of the University of Paris then which nothing could have been spoken more pithily and elegantly or more seasonably to cur present purpose indeed it concerns both People and Princes that Kings should be good proficients in the School of so great a Master There is one Man whom all Europe knows is but a poor Scholler in it Now let that famous civil Lawyer Bartolus come out and speak his mind It is a just Cause saith he that would have a tyrannical Government laid aside and as a just cause that is for a just Regiment Some later Writers bring up the Rear Bellarm. Peron Francise Torrensis and Hen. Holden To suffer saith the first an Heretical or a pagan infidel King endeavouring to bring Men over to his Sect it is to expose Religion to evident danger and Christians are not obliged nor ought to tollerate a King that is an Infidel when Religion lies at stake for when Divine Right seems to clash with the Human then indeed we must stick fast to the Divine Right omitting the other but now it is of Divine Right to maintain and prâ—serve Religion and Faith which is but one only and not many but it is of Human Right to have such or such an one for King The same Author in another place thus delivers himself For albeit we ought to give obedience to a King whilst he is a King yet it is not Jure Divino that we should not abrogate or change the Constitutions of a Kingdom nor deprive a King of it let him do what he will And again I taught you but just now that when we have once this or that King set over us we are bound to obey him jure Divino so long as he sits upon the Throne but that it was not de jure Divino that he should always so long as he lives sit on the Regal Throne for it may so come to pass that either he himself may Abdicate his Regal Power or may be brought low being overcome by some other King or may be deposed upon some other account as for Heresie or the like now by what means soever he ceaseth to be King obedience and homage likewise ceaseth to be due to him A Man would swear Bellermin had written these things on purpose against King James's caâ—e Peronius comes next who in a Speech of his he made to the States General at Blois maintains stiffly that a King may be discharged from his Office but as well became a Parasite of the Pope he leaves this Game to be played by him and not by the People whom he terms the Beast with many Heads as if a General Council in
the like punishment be any one of the Clergy or any Christian whomsoever who shall be involved in his errour be thought worthy By the Law of the Fiefs and Feudaries which contain also Empires and Kingdoms a Vassal doth not owe feality or service to his Lord once excommunicated nay he is even absolved of his Oath of Allegiance as may be seen in Lib. 2. Feudor Tit. 28. S. 1. In this Decree of the Senate we meet with two things observable First Thâ—t the King is obliged by an Oath not to permit the Catholick Faith to be violated or infringed the other is That in case he shall be found a violator of this same pâ—omise that he shall incur the censure of Anathema lie and all his complices and adherents Both these do run exactly parallel with the case of K. James for he promised when he came to the Crown That he would not suffer the Religion of the Church of England to be violated by the Papists whose banishment out of the Kingdom had been oftentimes debated he stood not to his word nay he shews himself a Ring leader and authoriser of such who endeavoured might and main the subversion of the said Religion he is therefore made justly sensible of the Parliaments severity in discarding and disowning him By this Deree it is likewise prohibited that none shall ascend the Regal Chair except he be a Catholick The same Synod C. 17. adds moreover Unless by his demeanour and good conversation he be thought fit and worthy to be advanced to Regal authority much more unless he be judged fit upon the account of his orthodox Religion This does very much countenance and justifie the Parliaments proceedings in their Act whereby it is expresly provided that none shall ascend the Throne except he be a favourer at least of the Church of England Now it will not be amiss to hear K. Beccesuinthus in the Eighth Toledo Council confessing that the unrully desires of Kings had need of being checkt and restrained who signed and ratified this Law for himself and Posterity Since then in the Ages successively last past the immoderate unbounded covetousness of Kings hath extended it self to the spoils and incroachments upon the people and that the lamentable Imposition and burthensome Taxes have much augmented their lawful Revenues at length it is revealed to us by divine Inspiration that seeing we prescribe Laws and Statutes of respect and obedience to be observed by the Subjects it is meet we should set some bounds of restraint and temperance to the vitious excesses of Princes Moreover out of our princely clemency and after due consideration as well for our selves as for all those who shall succeed us in our glory we by Gods assistance do enact a Law and do publish and declare that no King upon any private motive or impulse or by any Faction shall take away by force or cause to be taken away any writings or deeds concerning any thing due to another so that he may prove himself unjustly to be Lord of and lay claim to the things so due to them K. James offended against this Law when following his brother Cha. II. his steps he vsolently by Quo Waranto deprived Citizens of their Charters and did in a manner wholly cancel and disannul the Priviledges and Immunities of the Nation King Beccesuinthus was not of these Opinions that Kings were Lawless who enacted a Law for himself and his successors Let us on the other hand return to the Synod prescribing Laws to Kings From hence saith the Synod may Kings convince Men that all things is owing to them and depends on them when they govern all things wisely whence they doubt not but that these things are due not to their Person but to their Power and Dominion 't is Rights that make a King not his Person for to be King does not so much consist in the ordinary meanness of personal qualities as in his honour and sublime grandeur the things then that are due to honour are assistant to honour and what Kings heap up and amass they leave to the Kingdom that forasmuch as the glory of the Kingdom casts a Lustre upon them so they likewise do not imbezle or diminish the Kingdoms glory but render it more glorious besides 't is requisite that those who are constituted Kings should have minds full of care in ruling in acting with a great deal of moderation in decreeing righteous judgment in sparing and having a tender regard to such who are willing to obey in procuring sew parties in siding with fewer A little below that Whilst the vastness of the propriety of Princes includes all in the Bosom of its receivings and nothing but the Princely Belly is stuft all the rest of the Members of the Nation drain'd and exhausted languish and decay for meer lack of sustenance from whence it comes to pass that neither the Commonalty can receive any succour and assistance neither can great ones maintain their dignity because whilst the force of Power hath seized on all the State of the Commonalâ—y are not in a condition to defend the least Rights the Synod do very warily and discreetly prescribe to Kings their duty and do withal neatly decypher to us a Kingdom ruled by a Tyrant such an one as is not to be found in this World The Spaniards grown weary of King Wamba's Government shut him up nolens volens in a Monastry to do penance and compelled him to elect Ervigius Grandee of Spain taking no notice of Theofredus his Son the Twelfth Synod of Toledo was held on purpose to confirm this Ervigius Anno 682. and this is the Language of the Synod And by that means the Peoples hands were loosed from all Bonds and Obligations of an Oath which during the Reign of the said Wambal were kept fast tyed paying duty and allegiance only to this Prince Lrvigius being at liberty by all demonstrations of acceptable homage whom the very Divine Decree had fore-ordained to the Kingdom and the kind and courteous People in general wisht for wherefore these things considered and in acknowledgment of this favour we are to serve none but God alone and our King Ervigius and we are to be obedient to him and devoted entirely to his Will let us then perform with a ready mind and without reserve endeavour to do whatsoever may conduce to the welfare and security of his Royal Person whatsoever may promote the real Interest of him and his Country Now must we hear Ervigius himself accosting and bespeaking the Fathers of the Synod For this in general I beg of you saith he that whatsoever doth not comport with the Laws of our glory if there be any thing that may seem contrary to justice and equity it may be rectified by your good disposition meekness and judgement The same Ervigius how much he esteemed the decrees of these Councils abundantly shews in the Thirteenth Toledo Synod which he Harangues after this manner for 't
this Trust and Charge upon them and after they have once acquitted themselves of it they are no longer the Representives of the Person of the Church the Church it self ever remains superiour to the Pope and at such time as she thinks good to lay down the Authority of a Pope she may commit it to the Cardinals but that Regal Power draws its origin from the People if the business needed proving it might be without much ado demonstrated from the very Coronation of the French Kings For after this manner doth the Archbishop speak to him when he anoints him Maintain that State and Dignity in which you are placed to succeed your Father by the Law of Inheritance by divine Providence by our present delivering it to you VIII Besides there was ever a great difference between Subjects and Servants Subjects are always looked upon in the Scripture as Sons and Brethren but Servants are accounted as the vilest and most abject of Mortals now then if you ascribe Absolute Power to Princes this difference and distinction would be quite out of doors because the Power of Lords over Servants cannot be greater then Absolute nay and Subjects would be in a much worse condition then Servants for as much as the Power of Lords over Servants cannot be called Absolute If the Authority of Justinian the Emperour may be of any moment in this matter But at this time saith he it shall not be lawful for any Man whatsoever within our Empire without some cause approved of by the Laws to exercise any unreasonable excessive cruelty upon his Servants for by the order of Antoninus whosoever shall slay his Servant without cause shall have no less punishment inflicted on him then if he had killed another mans but even too great and extraordinary sharpness and austerity of Lords and Masters was restrained by the Order of the aforesaid Prince for Antoninus being consulted by some Governours of Provinces about such Servants who took refuge in the Temple or fled to the Statue of the Prince gave order that if the cruelty of Lords and Masters should appear intollerable that they should be compelled to sell their Servants upon good Conditions and the price to be given to the Masters and all the reason in the World for it is expedient for the Common-wealth that none make ill use of what he hath The words of this Extract sent to Aelius Martianus are these the Power and Authority of Lords over Servants ought to be just and blameless nor ought any Person whatsoever to be defrauded of his right but it mightily concerns Masters to see that redress be not denied to those who shall lawfully require it for hardships hunger thirst or intollerable injury M. Antoninus seems in these Clauses to Counsel and Advice Servants and Subjects to take their parts against Tyrants Wherefore take cognisance of the Complaints of those of the Family of Julius and Sabinus who have fled for Refuge to the Sacred Statue and in case they be either more hardly used and intreated then justice requires or if you shall judge them ignominously wronged and abused venire jube cause them to be sold so that they may never any more fall into their Lords clutches and if he shall prove to act otherwise then becomes a subject and shall not submit to this my Ordinance let him understand that I shall execute the severity of the Law against him for such a default This constitution of the Emperors doth altogether correspond with the Law of God by which it is commanded that if any one shall deprive a Man-servant or a Maid-servant of one Eye yea or but of a Tooth then he shall be forced to grant them their liberty Exod. 21. 26 27. God likewise commands that if any one induced by Poverty shall sell himself he shall not be reckoned as a bond Servant but as an hired Servant and a Sojourner he was to serve till the Year of Jubile and then to depart both he and his Children with him he shall return to the Possession of his Fathers he and his Children for they are my Servants which I brought forth out of the Land of Aegypt they shall not be sold as Bonds-men Thou shalt not rule over them with â—igour but shalâ— fear thy God You see that for some certain reasons that is to say for cruelty for hunger or upon the account of insâ—fferable wrongs that Servants might by Gods appointment and by the Emperors Constitutions which have now the force of Laws be exempted from their Masters commands and injunctions Why may not then Subjects be withdrawn from and dispensed of their duty to Princes unsit to bear sway From the Second Book also of the Fiefs or Feudaries Tit. 26. 5. it appears that the Lord is no less capable to commit an act of Treason against the Vassal than is the Vassal against the Lord which if it shall so happen the Lord loseth all his right over the Vassal no nor is that Power of Fathers over Sons Absolute neither though it be founded upon the Law of Nature for a Son is discharged from the Duty to a Farther that with cruelty and beyond all reason misuseth him or if the Father shall thunder out disinheritance against the Son the Laws shall carefully inquire into the occasions of disinheriting and if it be upon â—light Grounds or unadvisedly done that disinheriting shall be lookt upon as null and of none effect Last of all if all Subjects be but Servants what becomes of Peers withcut whom a King cannot try a Peer but if the King hath need of Peers in passing Sentence by Votes what signifies your Absolute Power truly I am even ashamed of those Persons who professing themselves Christians have a flighter opinion of Humanity then the Heathens have It is taken for granted amongst all the asserters and maintainers of Absolute Power by Barklay Grotius yea and by Salmatius the most daring and boldest of them all that the People did not part with or make over all their right to the Prince as for example they did not transfer all their right of chusing to himself a Successor in case the whole Royal Family be extinct Salmatius himself agrees with us in this matter Where the Seed of the Royal Line saith he in hereditary Kingdoms is quite extinct in such case the Power returns to the People to whom it may be lawful afterwards to confer the like Government upon another Person or change it into another form neither did the People grant to the King the right of Allienating the Crown or making it belong to anothers Dominion and that for the publick Good and Advantage for fear least some Stranger or other unfit Person should be set over the People Charles the VI. is a pregnant example of this who at such time as he abandoned Charles the VII his Son and declared and appointed Henry King of England his Son-in-Law Heir to the Crown this disowning and grant was
David produceâ—h before him the result of the Treaty that they have given their consent David signs and agrees to it the Agitator between the Parties together with his Associates having been splendidly and chearfully entertained Abner having got what he would have had and all things necessary to usher in the business thus happlly concluded I will arise saith he to David I will go and gather together to my Lord the King all Israel that they may make a Covenant with thee nor did the High-Priest Jehodadah in any other manner advance Josiah to the Throne of his Ancestors for he made him and the people mutually to contract and bargain together CHAP. V. Wherein are examined those Passages of the New-Testament which our Adversaries endeavour to draw to their purpose HAving thoroughly sifted and discussed all the Succours that reinforce their Cause out of the Old Law Let us now see whether or no the New-Law be more favourable to them than that They judge that Precept of our Saviour's Give unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's as the most material and all in all in this their Cause But if I understand Christ's meaning this famous Oracle of his doth rather make against our nonresistant Parasites than for them For our Saviour doth not say all things are Caesar's but before he would answer this nice and cunning Demand he thought it best to look upon the Inscription of the Medal nor is there any question to be made but that if the Image and Superscription had been Herod's such was the exactness of his Justice he would have commanded to render unto Herod the things that were Herod's Wherefore if the things that are Caesars are to be rendered to Caesar Now if Caesar exact those things for his own which are not so by the Precept of Christ or at least the Precept standing good and in force they may be denied him but the Honour Life and Estaâ—es of Subjects are not Caesar's The Subjects are liable in some respect in duty bound to maintain his Dignity and Prerogatives with all these They are therefore obliged not to grudge venturing their Life and Fortune but it is to be at the disposal of the Nation and not as the Prince pleaseth But now the reason why we are commanded in the Holy Scriptures to honour Kings and even to obey them in such things as are harsh and cross our Inclinationâ— to pay Taxes to pour our Prayers and Supplications for them this if I am able to judge doth not at all make for Absolute Power for we are commanded to exhibit Honour to whom Honour Tribute to whom Tribute Fear to whom Fear is due to strive to outstrip one another in well-doing to pray for all men I would fain know if any one can deny but this is also due to Democratical Government it is a thing granted by all Christians in general that all Honour and Reverence is to be paid to Princes even to bad ones so long as they sway the Scepter provided they do not incroach upon the Rites of God Almighty nor meddle with the Spiritual Concerus But herein lies the main stress of the Question and turns upon this Hinge Whether or no Princes not using their Power as they should do and not administring the Common-wealth aright may forfeit their Regal Power if they do so forfeit as we have before sufficiently cleared we do contend that they may incur the Penalty of being discarded and we do readily consent with the Council of Basil in the same Cui piae non predest correctio debita ei non parcat abscissio to him whom pious correction does no good let not a deserved cutting off spare him if so be it be once by the States of the Nation declared that they have forfelted their Government but I do not think it fit for any private Person nor lawfull for divers particular Persons together to pass this Sentence even as it is not lawfull for any private Person to introduce a new form of Government into the Common-wealth but it is generally allowed by all that this belongs to the whole Nation or at least to the better part of it But to the end we may cut off all means and occasions from our Adversaries of expecting any relief for the future from the New-Testament those Precepts by which we are instructed in our Duty towards Princes and Magistrates are to be explained by three Observations 1st Those Precepts as we observe are recommended and enjoined to all who are in Authority over others without exception Now the Authority of those that bear rule is not one and the same in all Nations therefore the Laws of every Nation standing in full force and vertue holy men would introduce their own Laws without prejudice to the other 2ly The Apostles Rules respect particular men not the whole Lump and Mass of any particular Nation For at such time as they were delivered the Church did not compose any body politick nor did compose any till a long time after nay even the Apostles Authority was odious and suspected by all Nations 3ly The Apostles had nothing to do to determine what Laws every Nation were to make use of for our Blessed Lord would not have it that his Church should make us any politick particular Government for since it was to be propagated through all parts of the world which according to the various disposition and humours of the People the forms of Government do very much differ nay and sometimes are quite contrary one to another it was but convenient that the Apostles should leave the administration of Government to it self with this proviso that it should not contain any thing in it that might seem repugnant to the Tenure of the Gospel CHAP. VI. Wherein is treated of the first Ages of the Christian Church BUT now because in the three first Centuries out of an unparallell'd example of humility and patience Christians never made the least insurrection against the Heathen Princes by whom notwithstanding they were most barbarously and sundry ways tortured this does not at all infringe or invalidate the force of our Argument for they were no ways in a capacity of behaving themselves any otherwise being destitute of Force and all along subject wheresoever they were to their Enemies but we lose not one jot of our right when we are debarr'd the use of it either by open force or any other insuperable way whatsoever yet one or other may object that the Christians might have entered into Confederacy with the most moderate Heathens against those who were cruellest and most violent yet neither was it expedient for the Christian Religion to subdue the World to it self it was a piece of indecency for if after this manner to gain Triumphs over Idolatry but so soon as ever it got the upper-hand of the World by abundance of patience and conspicuously eminent good living and became that I may use the words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the prevailing Doctrine
then did God out of his tender mercy grant Princes to his Church who might be able not only to secure them and defend them from the Heathen but even from bad Christians too Now at this day we are by God's blessing in the same prosperous Condition and without all paradventure Christians may now use that Authority wherewith they are impowered by God But if any man shall pretend to scandalize or blame our Cause for not having summoned all those they called Fathers to give evidence to strengthen our Cause in hand let him content himself with this Reply That we have already given an account of the three first Ages But as for the succeeding Ages Constantin the Great will answer for us who levied war in Christ's Name against Maxentius and Licinius and managed it all along accompanied with Soldiers that were Subjects to both those Tyrants who upon the account of his noble and famous Exploits in behalf of Christendom is celebrated by the Praises and Encomiums of all the Fathers It will not be much to deviate from our purpose if we bring in and join to Constantin Constans the youngest of all his Sons who had some thoughts of going to war with Constantius his brother being an Arrian for the restoring of Athanasius and the rest of the Orthodox Bishops to their Seas but was prevented by death So that I cannot but admire the maintainers of Tyranny should be so blind amidst so clear light and that with such an impudent confidence should what in them lies bear down and oppresâ— manifest Truth and should peremptorily assert That till Augustines time and not till after that time too that there was no mention extant in History of any private person who assassinated his King or took up Arms against him that not the least Cabal of Christian Conspirators durst ever dare to do the same even to the most Pagan King much less did any of the Peers of the Realm ever pretend to stain his Conscience with the like wicked cruelty When it plainly appears by the History of all those Times that Magnentius who listed himself under the Banner of Christ did cruelly and barbarously murther Constans Augustus his Benefactor and an Orthodox Emperor And when it is certainly true that Maximus who was also in the List of Christians did treacherously slay Gratian a Christian and one of the best Emperours And to name no more it is evident that the most Christian King Theodesius did cuâ— off Maximus the Tyrants head who was the Murtherer of Gratian after he had overcome him in War and taken him Prisoner Now we have produced all these before the Age St. Augustine lived in not that we subscribe to and approve of all these God forbid a Christian should be possessed with such a perverâ—e idle Spirit but only to prove by the way that this was matter of fact which our Adversaries has the face to deny And indeed if any one who is not prejudiced shall peruse Ecclesiastical History he stall find that the primitive Christians who were eminent for Authority and power did no less exercise it than those now a dayes besides the Christians of the first thâ—ee Centâ—ries did not stop the cariere of Tyrants by force of Arms but by their Christian and vertuous Piety not that God would have them divested of that authority the Law of Nature granted to all Nations but it so seemed good to his Wisdom that he might instruct all Nations that Christs Kingdom was Spiritual and that the World was to be brought under his dominion only by Spiritual Warsare but when the World was subdued to Christ the Church scattered â—ar and wide over the face of the whole Earth then it became very like to the Net in the Gospel that inclosed abundance of good and bad Fish God out of his infinite goodness did graciously grant them Christian Kings and Magistrates whose business was to separate the good Fish from the bad who should conduct and rule the numerous Church as a well Disciplined Army Moreover I desire you to take Notice of one thing more which puts this Truth beyond all exception and that is this that the Christians of the first three Centuries did never suppress Hereticks by force of Armes but after they had once got the management of Supream Affairs in their own Hand they soon supprest not only Hereticks but even Schismaticks too by Armes I and St. Augustin himself sounded the charge to this Battle which I do not so much approve of It does therefore evidently appear that the Christians of the Primitive Church supposing the Power of the Sword annexed to Magistracy did forbear using it whilst they were destitute of a Christian Magistracy but when once they were Subject to a Christian Mâ—gistracy Christian Religion did never deprive its Disciples of the Natural 〈◊〉 Civil Law and they publickly made appear that Christ came not into the World to destroy and subvert Nature but for the correcting and bettering of it Away then with your Plagues of Mankind who that they may curry favour with Tyrants have the impudence to bring back into more then Egyptian Slavery those whom God hath brought out of the House of Bondage whom Christ hath redeemed with his Precious Blood that they should no longer be under servitude to Man And now methinks we have abundantly evinced both by the Decrees of the Councils and by constant usage and practice as well as by the Laws of Nations by the determinations of the Doctors by the confession of Emperours and Kings and last of all by the Tâ—stimony of the Holy Scriptures that Tyrants may be deposed that the unruly dâ—â—ires of Kings may be restrained by the Laws It doth therefore plainly appear from the Premises that the Parliament of England did very wisely and seasonably provide for the good of the Commonwealth when they rejected James the Second who trod both Divine and Humane Laws under foot and in putting that Pious and Magnanimous Prince that Just Defender of the Faith and of the Laws yea and true Heir to the Crown in his stead We shall not wander abroad to search here and there for Examples and Testimonies beyond the Christian World for since that the matter is to be tryed before Christians and Christian Judges reason requires that it should be decided by Christian Laws We have cull'd out from that plentiful Stock of Arguments the choicest and such as seem to have been offered to the World with the most mature Judgment in which Examples Conscience and the Publick Benefit would very well agree and conspire together We omit those that either have too much to do with popularity or preposterous violence and heat and such which smell too strong of Popish Tyranny lest we should occasion scruples to some good Men and administer any cause of wrangling or quarrelling to our Adversaries and if I be not much mistaken I have so explained and cleared the History of Saul and David that from