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A58931 A seasonable memento both to King and people upon this critical juncture of affaires 1680 (1680) Wing S2232; ESTC R10313 7,362 12

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are in High Places for Mercy will soon pardon the Meanest but Mighty men shall be mightily Tormented Wisd 6. v. 1 2 3 4 5 6. Whereas Subjects who suffer with Patience because they are so commanded by God make him their Debtor by their Sufferings and he always payeth faithfully who saith that if we suffer with Christ we shall also Reign with him And for this World their Wickedness and Oppression is still accompanied with these Fears Destractions and Horrors of Conscience which have ever been inseparable from Tyrannies by which their Lives are render'd more uncomfortable than the Unhappiest of their Subjects And for the most part their Ends are as miserable as their Lives for what they Fear and by their Tyranny seek to prevent doth commonly fall upon them Their People do Revolt and Rebel and although they be never so well Chatechized in the points of Obedience yet their Natural Inclination to recover their Liberty much more to cast off Vnjust Burthens and Oppressions is such that sleight and weak Arguments will easily perswade them to that whereunto they are so strongly inclined and the least pretence of Religion or Colour of Reason or Lawfulness countenancing or tolerating the Freeing themselves from Subjection in any Case will be more prevalent with them than the most passitive Precept of God's Word enjoyning Obedience If in any case taking up Arms be admitted theirs shall ever be that Case And if the Wickedness of their Prince shall be allow'd as a ground of their Rebellion their Prince shall ever be the most Wicked Of all this all Ages have produced many Examples and especially these Later Times through all the Estates of Christendom And wicked Princes will find that Precepts in this ease will not serve the Turn for tho' Hostile Resistance against the King be expresly prohibited by the Word of God both in the Old and New Testament tho it be against the Doctrine and Practice of the Primitive Church and the present Tenets and Confessions of Faith of all the Reformed Churches in the World though it be contrary to the Solemn Oath of Fidelity and Allegiance sworn to the King rhe Laws of the Land which make it Treason and Moral Honesty and Justice yet will it be in this point of Resistance as Tacitus says of Divinations in Rome which was a Wickedness that had been and ever would be forbidden yet ever would be Retained Semper Vetabitur semper retinebitur And so to Princes that will highly Oppress and make their Will and not the Laws the Rule of their Government although I say to resist be a Wickedness and that it be against the Law of God and Man to do it yet where the Wrongs are Great and a Fair Opportunity offer'd of Prevailing it will be ever done For that amongst men there are a Thousand for One that prefer their own Interest or Inclination before Duty or Conscience And certainly a Prudent and Foreseeing Prince that will impartially examine things cannot but expect it should be so For why should he suppose that Other men will be more Honest or more Religious than Himself And when he breaks through all the Bonds and Ties of Oaths of Divine Precepts and Moral Justice only to stretch and extend his Power and Greatness why should we not expect that Subjects should make as bold to transgress the same Duties in hope of Recovering Liberty with even the False shew whereof People are apter to be further transported than by any Earthly Desire whatsoever Neither will the Fear of Death or Danger restrain them because they will not Attempt untill Opportutunity make them hopeful of Prevailing and then they consult by Power to provide for their own Impunities BVT besides this Proneness in People to be easily led and perswaded into Rebellion under the false and specious Shew of recovering Liberty the great Monarchs and Princes of Christendom have been in great part the Fomenters and Upholders of it and their Doctors have not so much by their Preaching and Wriing beaten it down as the Kings themselves have by their Examples and Actions given Encouragement unto it for although I shall ever speak with Reverence of Princes and their Proceedings yet I shall hope that the humble Representation of this Truth will receive a fair Interpretation For it is undeniably true that in this latter Age all the great Monarchies and States of Christendom have been render'd unhappy by Intestine Warrs which have been encourag'd if not contriv'd and design'd by one Christian Prince against Another every one countenancing and indulging Rebellion untill it become his Own Case and then he is offended Of this I shall give no particular Instances the Notariety of it is too great and I fear every State may too easily apply it to what themselves have done And it may be apprehended that the sad Condition of many States of Christendom at this present day may exhibit something of Gods Judgments upon that Account who hath said With what Measure ye mete it shall be measur'd to you again Mat. 7.12 AND wicked Kings as they are sure they shall not ' scape the severe Judgment of God in the next World if they do believe the Scripture so if they will believe ancient Histories of what has past in former Times or their own Experience of what they see daily with their Eyes or that they do believe that God will repay unto them that which they have either countenanc'd or contriv'd against others they must expect to have troublesome and uncomfortable Lives accompany'd with Hatred Hazzard and Infamy And if these Considerations will not restrain them yet We must not be Wicked because They are so Neither will God admit of Recrimation for our Excuse Our Duty of not resisting is Positive upon pain of Damnatition from which no good Success or Prevailing can keep us although it may save us from the Gallows Beside this great Hazard of our Souls Moral Prudence teacheth us that a Civil War which I hope yet we have no great reason to fear is commonly a Cure much worse than the Disease For no Oppression nay no Tyranny brings with it half those Miseries and Calamities which of Necessity do ever accompany an Intestine War Wicked Kings may be cruel covetous and licentious yet their Oppressions and their Lusts are restrained to some Wickednesses and to some Persons But in a War Rapes Murthers Robberies Sacriledges and all manner of Impieties break in and all sorts of People are made miserable which the poor Kingdom of England has found true by sad Experience where in the Space of five years only from 1641 to 1646 more was taken from the Subject than would have been exacted by Subsidies Projects or any unjust Taxes whatsoever by the worst of Kings in the Space of a Hundred and so were all other Wickednesses increas'd proportionably I SHALL conclude this Discourse with my humble and hearty Prayers to God Almighty to avert his heavy Displeasure which the Multitude of our Sins may give us just Cause to dread from this Nation at present the most prosperous and flourishing of any in Europe and that the publick Calamities that befell the Kingdom in the late unhappy War and the lamentable Distractions and Confusions that were wrought by our Dissentions both in Church and Commonwealth may be a Lesson to the People to value and esteem Peace and not so wantonly to engaage themselves afresh in New Miseries THE END