counfels to fet their master's grandeur and abfolute power, in what they are able, far above the people's li berty. I deny not but that there may be fuch a king, who may regard the common good before his own, may have no vicious favourite, may hearken only to the wifeft and incorrupteft of his parliament: but this rarely happens in a monarchy not elective; and it behoves not a wife nation to commit the fum of their well-being, the whole state of their fafety to fortune. What need they; and how abfurd would it be, whenas they themselves, to whom his chief virtue will be but to hearken, may with much better management and dispatch, with much more commendation of their own worth and magnanimity, govern without a mafter? Can the folly be paralleled, to adore and be the flaves of a fingle perfon, for doing that which it is ten thousand to one whether he can or will do, and we without him might do more easily, more effectually, more laudably, ourselves? Shall we never grow old enough to be wife, to make feafonable use of graveft authorities, experiences, examples? Is it fuch an unfpeakable joy to serve, fuch felicity to wear a yoke? to clink our fhackles, locked on by pretended law of fubjection, more intolerable and hopeless to be ever shaken off, than those which are knocked on by illegal injury and violence? Ariftotle, our chief inftructor in the universities, left this doctrine be thought fectarian, as the royalift would have it thought, tells us in the third of his Politics, that certain men at first, for the matchless excellence of their virtue above others, or some great public benefit, were created kings by the people, in fmall cities and territories, and in the scarcity of others to be found like them; but when they abused their power, and governments grew larger, and the number of prudent men increased, that then the people, foon depofing their tyrants, betook them, in all civileft places, to the form of a free commonwealth. And why fhould we thus difparage and prejudicate our own nation, as to fear a scarcity of able and worthy men united in counsel to govern us, if we will but ufe diligence and impartiality, to find them out and choose them, rather yoking ourfelves to a single perfon, the natural adversary and oppreffor preffor of liberty; though good, yet far easier corruptible by the excefs of his fingle power and exaltation, or at beft, not comparably fufficient to bear the weight of government, nor equally difpofed to make us happy in the enjoyment of our liberty under him? But admit, that monarchy of itself may be convenient to fome nations; yet to us who have thrown it out, received back again, it cannot but prove pernicious. For kings to come, never forgetting their former ejection, will be fure to fortify and arm themfelves fufficiently for the future against all fuch attempts hereafter from the people who shall be then fo narrowly watched and kept fo low, that though they would never fo fain, and at the fame rate of their blood and treasure, they never shall be able to regain what they now have purchased and may enjoy, or to free themselves from any yoke impofed upon them: nor will they dare to go about it; utterly disheartened for the future, if these their higheft attempts prove unsuccessful; which will be the triumphof all tyrants hereafter over any people that shall refift oppreffion; and their fong will then be, to others, how fped the rebellious English? to our pofterity, how fped the rebels your fathers? This is not my conjecture, but drawn from God's known denouncement against the gentilizing Ifraelites, who, though they were governed in a commonwealth of God's own ordaining, he only their king, they his peculiar people, yet affecting rather to refemble heathen, but pretending the mifgovernment of Samuel's fons, no more a reason to dislike their commonwealth, than the violence of Eli's fons was imputable to that priesthood or religion, clamoured for a king. They had their longing, but with this teiftmony of God's wrath; "Ye fhall cry out in that day, because of your king whom ye fhall have chofen, and the Lord will not hear you in that day." Us if he fhall hear now, how much lefs will he hear when we cry hereafter, who once delivered by him from a king, and not without wonderous acts of his Providence, infenfible and unworthy of thofe high mercies, are returning precipitantly, if he withhold us not, back to the captivity from whence he freed us? Yet neither fhall we obtain or buy at an eafy rate this Ee 3 new new gilded yoke, which thus tranfports us: a new royal revenue must be found, a new epifcopal; for those are individual both which being wholly diffipated, or bought by private perfons, or affigned for fervice done, and efpecially to the army, cannot be recovered without general detriment and confufion to men's eftates, or a heavy impofition on all men's purfes; benefit to none but to the worst and ignobleft fort of men, whose hope is to be either the minifters of court riot and excefs, or the gainers by it but not to speak more of Loffes and extraordinary levies on our eftates, what will then be the revenges and offences remembered and returned, not only by the chief perfon, but by all his adherents; accounts and reparations that will be required, fuits, indictments, inquiries, difcoveries, complaints, informations, who knows against whom or how many, though perhaps neuters, if not to utmost infliction, yet to imprisonment, fines, banishment, or moleftation? if not thefe, yet diffavour, difcountenance, difregard, and contempt on all but the known royalift, or whom he favours, will be plenteous. Nor let the new royalized prefbyterians perfuade themselves, that their old doings, though now recanted, will be forgotten; whatever conditions be contrived or trufied on. Will they not believe this; nor remember the pacification, how it was kept to the Scots; how other folemn promises many a time to us? Let them but now read the diabolical forerunning libels, the faces the gestures, that now appear foremost and briskest in all public places, as the harbingers of those, that are in expectation to reign over us ; let them but hear the in folencies, the menaces, the infultings of our newly animated common enemies crept lately out of their holes, their Hell I might fay, by the language of their infernal pamphlets, the fpew of every drunkard, every ribald; nameless, yet not for want of licence, but for very thame of their own vile perfons, not daring to name themselves, while they traduce others by name; and give us to foresee, that they intend to fecond their wicked words, if ever they have power, with more wicked deeds. Let our zealous backfliders forethink now with themselves, how their necks yoked with these tigers of Bacchus, thefe these new fanatics of not the preaching but. the fweat ing tub, infpired with nothing holier than the venereal pox, can draw one way under monarchy to the establishing of church difcipline with thefe new difgorged atheisms: yet fhall they not have the honour to yoke with these, but shall be yoked under them; these fhall plough on their backs. And do they among them, who are fo forward to bring in the fingle perfon, think to be by him trusted or long regarded? So trufted they fhall be, and fo regarded, as by kings are wont reconciled enemies; neglected, and foon after difcarded, if not profecuted for old traitors; the first inciters, beginners, and more than to the third part actors of all that followed. It will be found alfo, that there must be then as neceffarily as now (for the contrary part will be ftill feared) a ftanding army; which for certain fhall not be this, but of the fierceft cavaliers, of no lefs expenfe, and perhaps again under Rupert. But let this army be fure they fhall be foon difbanded, and likelieft without arrear or pay; and being disbanded, not be fure but they may as foon be queftioned for being in arms against their king: the fame let them fear who have contributed money; which will amount to no fmall number, that must then take their turn to be made delinquents and compounders. They who paft reafon and recovery are devoted to kingship perhaps will anfwer, that a greater part by far of the nation will have it fo, the reft therefore mult yield. Not fo much to convince thefe, which I little hope, as to confirm them who yield not, I reply; that this greatest part have both in reason, and the trial of just battle, loft the right of their election what the government shall be of them who have not loft that right, whether they for kingthip be the greater number, who can certainly determine? Suppofe they be, yet of freedom they partake all alike, one main end of government : which if the greater part value not, but will degenerately forego, is it juft or reasonable, that moft voices againft the main end of government fhould enflave the lefs number that would be free? more juft it is, doubtlefs, if it come to force, that a lefs number.compel a greater to retain, which can be no wrong to them, Ee 4 their their liberty, than that a greater number, for the pleasure of their baseness, compel a lefs most injuriously to be their fellow flaves. They who feek nothing but their own juft liberty have always right to win it, and to keep it, whenever they have power, be the voices never fo numerous that oppose it. And how much we above others are concerned to defend it from kingship, and from them who in pursuance thereof fo perniciously would betray us and themselves to moft certain misery and thraldom, will be needlefs to repeat. Having thus far fhown with what ease we may now obtain a free commonwealth, and by it with as much ease all the freedom, peace, juftice, plenty, that we can defire; on the other fide, the difficulties, troubles, uncertainties, nay rather impoffibilities, to enjoy these things conftantly under a monarch: I will now proceed to fhow more particularly wherein our freedom and flourishing condition will be more ample and fecure to us under a free commonwealth, than under kingfhip. The whole freedom of man confifts either in fpiritual or civil liberty. As for fpiritual, who can be at reft, who can enjoy any thing in this world with contentment, who hath not liberty to ferve God, and to fave his own foul, according to the beft light which God hath planted in him to that purpose, by the reading of his revealed will, and the guidance of his holy fpirit? That this is beft pleasing to God, and that the whole proteftant church allows no fupreme judge or rule in matters of religion, but the fcriptures; and thefe to be interpreted by the fcriptures themselves, which neceffarily infers liberty of confcience; I have heretofore proved at large in another treatise; and might yet further, by the public declarations, confeffions, and admonitions of whole churches and states, obvious in all hiftories fince the reformation. This liberty of confcience, which above all other things ought to be to all men dearest and most precious, no government more inclinable not to favour only, but to protect, than a free commonwealth; as being moft magnanimous, moft fearless and confident of its own 20 fair |