GREAT Britan's Vote: OR, God save King Charles.  
A TREATISE Seasonably published this 27 th'. day of March, the happy Inauguration of His Sacred (though now despised and imprisoned) MAJESTY.  
WHEREIN Is proved by many plain Texts of Scripture, That the Resisting, Imprisoning, or Deposing our King, under what specious pretences soever couched, is not only unlawful but damnable.  
LONDON, Printed for G. M. and W. H. MDCXLVIII.   

Great BRITAN'S Vote; OR, God save King CHARLES.  

CHAP. I.  
THE outward expressions of a man declare the inward affections of his soul, at the first appearance of a thing whether good or bad; if good, our hearts are affected with joy, which our tongues will soon declare: if bad, they are possessed with grief, which our dejected countenance will soon discover.  
The days of the Inauguration [or crowning] of Kings hath (in the purest times, and by the godliest Christians) been (as a superlative good to a nation) celebrated with great solemnity, their persons being accounted sacred, and their Government the joy of each good man's heart, however in these last and worst times the scorn and contempt of Rebels, Sectaries and Levellers: whose hatred to our Gracious Sovereign, the more it manifests itself in them, should the more inflame our souls with love to him, and break forth into as loud acclamations of all Loyal hearted Subjects acknowledging him their Sovereign with joy in his Crown, as the Rebels and Schismatics Declarations against him to depose him from his Throne: and when can we better do this than on the day of his Coronation: a neglect might justly deserve a sharp reprehension. That our King is worthy of our love, and his Coronation of our solemn observation, and joyful acknowledgements, I am confident all (but Traitors and Levellers) will confess: and shall we pass over so much good with neglect? silence in this matter is sin, and worthy of reproof; and here it is, which I beseech God may pierce deep into the souls of all that read or hear it, as it is in these two Texts of Scripture delivered, This is the day of our King, Hosea 7.5. We do not well then, this day is a day of good tidings, and we hold our peace, 2 Kings 7.9.   

CHAP. II.  
IOash the son of Ahaziah, being hid by jehosheba the Daughter of King joram, six 
a 2 Kings 11.3.  years in the house of the Lord: because bloody Athaliah, the mother of Ahaziah, whom 
b 2 Chron. 22.9, 10, 11.  jehu killed, had destroyed all the King's seed of the house of juda, excepting only joash, whom Ioh●sheba the wife of Jehoiadah the Priest had preserved. In the 
c 2 King. 11.4  seventh year jehoiadah the Priest seeing Athaliah to usurp the Crown, calls forth the Captains, and gathers the Levites out of all the Cities of judah, and the chief Fathers of Israel to 
d 2 Chr. 23.2.  jerusalem: and, having first bound them with an 
e 2 Kings 11.4.  oath of Allegiance, presents unto them the sacred spectacle of their Regal Sovereign; 
f 2 Chr. 23.3.  Behold, the King's Son must reign. He sets a 
g 1 Kin. 11.6.11  watch, and 
h 2 Chr. 23.11.  guard to secure and safeguard him. Loc how dangerous is the chair of State: all like officious Subjects stand to withstand the treachery of Traitors. Then in a regal solemnity, they bring forth the King's Son (the joy and jubilee of their hearts) the wished and welcome Progeny of Jehoshaphat, descended of an ancient line of Princedom: they put the Crown upon his head, they give him the testimony, they 
i 2 Kin. 11.12.  make him King, jehoiadah and his sons anoint him, they all clapped their hands for joy, and with their hands their hearts, and with their hearts their tongues, till their many, yet united voices even reverberate the air with this heaven-piercing Echo, this Eucharistique gratulation; God save the King.  
So when the days of that admired Queen, Queen 
* B●z● Epigr. in class. hisp. Anno 1588.  Elizabeth (of most famous and blessed memory) were on earth concluded, than the Foxes of Babylon, who had lain in holes forty four years, began to threaten, as Esau did his Brother, 
a Gen. 27.41.  The days of mourning for my Father will come shortly, then will I slay my Brother jacob: the day of her death, the dawning of their desire: for than they thought, like Bustards in a Fallow field, to raise up themselves by the violence of the multitude; the Papists hoped then to have raised their Religion by a whirlwind of Rebellion, but our blessed Peacemaker frustrated their bloody hopes: and as Paterculus saith of the Roman Empire after Augustus' death, that there was great expectation of much troubles, but there was so great a Majesty in one man, that there was no use of Arms for good men, or against bad men. So the great Majesty of our succeeding Sovereign King james, as learned, virtuous, and religious a Prince as any under the roof of heaven, calmed all the storms, and imaginory tempests which were feared and expected; so that the world did see, our Sun did set, and yet no night did follow: the enemies of England saw it then to their grief, who hoped that when the Sun went down, some erratical star should shine; but still the Planet kept its course, Phoenixlike a new, and yet the same renewed; for the Augustus of this latter world, james came to the Crown: a King not only virorum, but sacrorum, a defender of men, and Defender of the Faith. Which indeed he did perform with such wisdom and discretion that he not only totally silenced the open threats & conspiracies of his foreign adversaries and discontented Subjects of the Romish party, but also slumbered the storms threatened from the then beginning swell against Monarchy, of those little Foxes of Sectaries and Schismatics, whom he kept under all his days, died, (was not murdered; though of late falsely and maliciously insinuated) and left a religious and (both in Church and State) well-governed Kingdom to his Son, our present religious and Gracious King Charles: A Prince in whom all graces both Divine and Moral were and are as apparent as the Sun in the Firmament: among all which glorious Stars none was more perspicuous than that of his Clemency even to the bitterest of his Adversaries, at the lustre of which (oh nefandum dici) the Sectaries and Schismatics lighted there before extinct Tapers of Rebellion, Licentiousness, and Liberty, which is now heightened to that flame which you behold it at: at the light whereof the world may behold a most Religious Conscientious King imprisoned, the heir apparent of the Crown banished with his Royal Mother (that fruitful Vine of so many fair, now clouded & separated clusters) & a free born nation slaved unto slaves, ambitious Traitors, and bloody Rebels, under the notion of that deluding good of our Nation, a Parliament, who sit and vote and declare they will fight against him, whom at their first calling together they swore to fight for, as having derived their being from him, though now like cursed Vipers they endeavour to gnaw out the way to their resolved upon Democracy through the Bowels of their Father Monarchy. But what ever we hear or see such Traitor's Vote or Act, let the remembrance of the Blessings both spiritual and temporal which under eighteen years of his Majesty's good and happy Reign we did enjoy; (and might still have enjoyed, if we would have been content, and could have known when we were well) and undoubted hopes of what blessings his future Government may bring upon this Land, yea all his three Kingdoms; Let (I say) the remembrance of the one, and hopes of the other, move all Loyal Subjects to lift up their hearts and hands to the King of Kings to multiply his days as the days of Heaven, to deliver him out of his present thralcome and restraint, to restore him to his rightful Crown and Dignity, and us his Subjects thereby to the right profession of true Religion, and an once more enjoyment of Peace and Plenty: yea I am confident 〈◊〉 do move all true hearted Nobility, Gentry and Commonalty to pray for him, as the Christians prayed in old time for their Kings though Heathens, God of his infinite mercy grant him 
a Tertul. in Apolog. c. 30.  a long life, a quiet Kingdom, a safe Court, strong and victorious Armies, a faithful Counsel: yea with David, 
b Psal. 132.18.  that God would  all his enemies with shame: but set him at Liberty, restore him his Sceptre, and on him and his to cause his Crown hereafter to flourish; That so as on the day of his reinauguration into all the hearts of his Subjects, and re-establishment in his Throne, the united voices of his Majesty's populous Kingdoms may annually send up to heaven their cordial and continual acclamations, God save the King; that the echo thereof may resound in heaven as fervently, as the noise of the Romans did in applause of Flaminius, generally calling him Saviour, Saviour; the noise whereof was so violent and vehement, that (as 
c Plut. in vita Flaminii.  Plutarch writes) it made the Fowls of the air fall down dead: or that as the 
d 1 King. 1.  people of Israel did to Solomon, when he was created King in Gihen, and anointed there by Zadock with an horn of Oil taken out of the Sanctuary, the 
e 1 King. 1.40.  people piped with pipes, and rejoiced with great joy, so that the earth rang with the sound of it, 
f 39  blowing their Trumpets and saying, God save King Solomon! So may all the people within his Highness' Dominions lift up their hearts and hands, blow their Trumpets, ring their Bells, frequent their Churches, and pray,  

God save the King Corporally, in Body,  
God save the King Spiritually, in Spirit,  
God save the King Politically, in Government;   
And excite one another to say, This is the day of our King we do not well then, this day is a day of good tidings, we do not well to hold our peace: And indeed we can never have greater cause to speak of and pray for our King then now, in these Rebellious times upon which we are unhappily fallen; For these are the times wherein by those that call themselves a Parliament, Rebellion is countenanced, yea counted Devotion and holy Reformation, and the most desperate Traitors entitled Saints and Martyrs.  
Wherein, not only in the Pope's Conclave, but also, in the Sectaries Conventicles shall I say? nay in the grand Counsel of the best reformed Protestant Kingdom, nothing is more rife than the slandering, rebelling against, and Imprisoning shall I say? Yea the Theoric and practice of deposing, nay (it is to be feared (which God prevent) it will proceed to) murdering Princes.  
Wherein as Mariana that insolent jesuite prescribes to Traitor's rules and cautions for poisoning Kings, and highly commends King-killers. So Marten, that impudent Rebel publisheth (with the approbation of a Parliament too) to the encouragement of Sectaries and Traitors, grounds and reasons to proceed in Kings resisting and deposing, and highly applauds that cursed crew of King catchers, yclept Saints of the Army.  
Wherein those Traitorous assertions of Suarez, and other jesuites, are the constant Positions of those who would be thought to abhor and beat down Popery: Subditos posse de privare Reges (a Papa excommunicatos) vitâ & Regno: (That is to say, the Sectaries of England) Subjects may deprive Kings (if Voted against by the Parliament) not only of their Liberty, Crowns, and Kingdoms, as appears by the present sad condition of King Charles, but also of life itself, with their Tradatur Satanae, and we know not (though we fear) what event that may in time produce.  
Wherein that horrid saying of that foul mouthed Guignard (concerning the murder of one of the Henry's of France, committed by two Jacobine Friars, Heroicum factum, & donum spiritus sancti) is become the oft incultated Doctrine out of Protestant Pulpits, and re-resolved Votes of the grand Committee Chair, to resist, fight against imprison, Depose, yea kill and slay the King and all his adherents, is a most Heroical act, and the gift of the Holy Ghost.  
Lastly, these are the times, wherein that known bloody practice of the Spanish Inquisition is, paralleled shall I say? nay out-practized by the action of the English Parliament. As in the Spanish Inquisition their arguing is this: whosoever is an Heretic ought to ●ee burnt; but whosoever will not submit to our Canons and decretals is an Heretic: therefore whosoever will not submit to our Canons and decretals ought to be burnt. He that is under the Inquisition denyeth, that every one that will not submit to their Canons and decretals are Herereticks, and consequently not to be burnt, and offer to dispute it. They of the Inquisition prove it thus, They command him to withdraw, decree his death, drag him to the stake, bind him to it, put Faggots about him, set them on fire and burn him: a most invincible argument. So the Vote of this Parliament is, whosoever will not do the Law of God, and the Law of the King, aught to have judgement specially executed upon him either by death or by banishment, or by confiscation of goods, or by imprisonment. But whosoever will not obey the Orders or Ordinances of one or both Houses of Parliament, doth not do the Law of God, and the Law of the King: Therefore whosoever doth not obey the Orders or Ordinances (be they never so opposite to reason and justice) of one or both Houses, aught to have judgement speedily executed upon him either by death, or banishment, or confiscation of goods, or imprisonment. Those men that are brought before them as guilty in this point, Deny, that whosoever will not obey the Orders or Ordinances of one or both Houses of Parliament therefore do not do the Law of God and of the King, and consequently ought not to have judgement executed upon them without a legal Trial: Hereupon they command them to retire, resolve upon the Question that judgement be executed upon them; and then either behead or hang them, or banish them, or plunder them, or at least imprison them (oh unparallelled disputants!) This is most certainly true, witness the case of Corew, Lilborne, J●nkins, Mainard, yea (which ought to make a deep Impression in all good men's hearts) of the King's Majesty himself, whom they unjustly keep a Prisoner, because he will not (contrary to his Conscience and Honour) say as they say, and enact that for Law which contrary to Law they Vote, and accuse him of his Father's Murder, and other crimes of a high nature, and yet not admit him to answer for himself, or permit others to write in his Vindication: So that these things considered (hear oh heavens! and judge oh earth!) have not all the people of great Britan just cause to join (as their loyal obedience binds them to their necessary service) both in hearts and voices to Almighty God, (the protector of Kings) to 
a Psal. 2●. 8 9  find out all his enemies and make them like a fiery Oven in the time of his anger, to confound all their Conspiracies, making them like the grass 
b Psal. 119.6  on the house tops, which withereth before it come forth? And when more seasonable than upon this day; for this is the day of our King, etc.   

CHAP. III.  
But besides these Reasons, I shall here produce other causes and motives to induce all good Subjects to this Christian service and loyal duty (to pray continually for the preservation of the King) which because many and manifold; I will but touch some of them, and omit the re●●: for we must be short.  

●●●im. 2.2.  The first is the Apostle Paul's Precept, ante omnia, before all, that Supplications, Prayers, & Intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for Kings, etc. and renders a powerful motive to persuade all, consi●ting of three benefits 
d P●s●. in ●●●um.  arising from it: 1. a quiet and peaceable life: 2. in all godliness and honesty: 3. this is good and acceptable in the sight of God; The King's preservation is our preservation, his welfare is the weal of our Commonwealth. Pliny saith, 
e Plin. 2 Pan●g ad Pra●● 〈◊〉.  A Country is unhappy under an unhappy King; so that if people desire to live a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty, let them like dutiful members pray for the prosperity of the supreme head, for if he fall upon the rocks, they are like to come to ruin. As a Ship whose Pilot perisheth, is driven upon the rocks, and so is cast away, even so, how can the ship of State sail with a prosperous wind, whose Regal Pilot suffers shipwreck? Regal adversity is the Harbinger of popular calamity; and a King's imprisonment of his people's perpetual slavery: Wherefore if Subjects desire to be happy themselves, let them continually pray for the happiness of their Sovereign, whose prosperity is the Axis or Cardo, the very foundation of their temporal felicity.  
2 Motive is the great difficulty in the right managing of the Regal Office, and therefore had need to be assisted with the frequent and fervent prayers of the people, imploring divine wisdom, to direct the heart of their Sovereign, for it is the Art of Arts, rightly to rule and govern Commonwealths; this manyheaded multitude so divided in faction and action, scarce two of one mind or mould; Peace pleaseth Cato, War Pompey: the Soldier cries Arma virumque Canon, War, war that makes us merry: the Merchant prays, give peace in our time, oh Lord: Brutus desires a Commonwealth, Caesar a Monarchy; Cicero's Counsel is, Let us be Time-servers; but Lentulus thinks that, the voice of a flatterer; in the ᶠ popular sort, as many heads as hearts; and let every one do what seems good in his own eyes, we will not have Charles King in our Israel.  
So that to reconcile, and to reclaim to unity and unanimity this Babel of men, and these men of Babel, it is requisite that the King be for the people to God-ward, 
Exod. 18.19.  bring their causes unto God, teach them Ordinances and Laws, show them the way wherein they must walk, 
V 20.  and the work that they must do: and then provide out of all the people able men, 
V. 2●.  such as fear God, men of truth, who may judge the people in every small matter, though every great matter be brought to him; 
V 22.  so that each star moving in its proper Orb, about the Sun, (who by this influence of his power unto others, is not thereby accounted fall'n from his Sphere himself, no more than to be conceited to be placed therein at first by their appointment, though such preposterous opinions have been vented of late, to the distraction of this poor Kingdom, and without a timely retraction, will produce its utter ruin and destruction; (which God of his mercy prevent) I say, that so each one in the Kingdom acting in his own place, the Commons under the judges or Peers, the Peers or judges under the King, and the King under God alone; then shall the King be able to judge and rule this people wish ease and comfortably, and all this people shall also go to their place in peace. ● 
●od. ●8. 23.  Now 'tis the God of Heaven only that can qualify Kings with wisdom and knowledge fit for an employment of such difficulty; and he alone it is that will and must appoint the person whom he will thus qualify: For the Israel of God must accept of, acknowledge, and obey him for their King whom the Lord their God shall choose, not then whom themselves shall elect: Deut. 17 15. Unto God than it is the duty of all good subjects to pray always with all manner of prayer and Supplication in the Spirit, that God would enlarge with heavenly wisdom the heart of our Sovereign, (and the King's 
a Prov. 21.2  heart is in the hand of the Lord) and furnish him with all blessed gifts, suitable to perform his Royal Task, making him as wise as 
b 2 Chr. 1.21.  Solomon, as religious as 
c Psal. 27.4.  Davia, as zealous as the good King 
d 2 Kin. 2●. 1●.  josias, and (in respect of his present condition) as patiented as job: defending him against all foreign Invasions, delivering him from all domestic Conspiracies, and giving him Liberty from his present Captivity, that so being by the power of our God restored to his Throne and Dignity, full of the knowledge and experience of the great goodness of God towards him, and endued with the wisdom which is about the Throne of the King of Kings, with an understanding heart may judge this great people, and awe and order this stiffnecked and Rebellious nation; then shall all this people also go to their own place in peace, and sit under their own Vines and Figtrees, (being for the future godly and governed quietly under him) saying this is the day of our King, this is a day of good tidings, we should not do well should we hold our peace, the very stones in the streets will reprove, us and the timber out of the wall upbraid our silence; by their acclamations exciting our dull affections to shout for joy and pray, God save King Charles.   

CHAP. IU.  
ANd truly there are five things (to name no more) which all good subjects own unto their Sovereign: ●●is Prayer. 2 Obedience. 3. Honour. 4. Service. 5. Tribute. And if any Subject deny any one of these, the King may take him by the throat and say 
a Matth. 18.28.  Solve quod debes, Pay that thou owest.  
1. First is Prayer; to pray for the King's preservation on earth, and salvation in Heaven. The heathen Chaldeans may learn Christians this lesson, who cried to their King 
b Dan. 3.9.  Nebuchadrezar, O King live for ever. As King 
c 1 Kin. 8.34.36  Solomon prayed for his people, so ought his people to pray for him, saying of their Lord the King, as King David speaks of the Lord of Israel, Blessed 
d Psal. 106.48.  be the Lord God of Jsrael for ever and ever; and let all the people say Amen: saying to the King as Amasa and his company said to David 
e 1 Chron. 12.18  Thine are we O David, and with thee O son of Ishai; peace peace, be unto thee, and peace be unto thy helpers, and the Lord thy God in his good time be thy helper. That tongue that will not pray for his Majesty's present liberty from prison, and honourable re-establishment in his lawful Throne and Kingdom, and for the future Peace, Prosperity, and preservation of so virtuous a Prince, and their anointed Sovereign, is such a tongue as the Apostle james 
f jam. 3.6.  speaks of, fire, and a world of wickedness, and is set on fire of hell: for, saith Austin, the just man never ceases to pray, unless he cease to be just: much less should he cease to pour forth fervent and faithful supplications for the King, that under him we may lead a peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. Such ungodly and undutiful subjects as will not unloose the strings of their tongues to pray for the safety and felicity of the King, we wish that they were like the men at the river Ganges, who (it wee credit the report of Strabe) have no tongues: 
g M●●●● 2●.  better is it to enter into the kingdom of Heaven losing a member, then having such an ungodly member to be cast into hell fi●●. But herein many times the tongue is more officious than the heart; with tongue they cry Hosanna 
h  , but in heart, like jews wish crucifige; with a verb●● service many abound crying and ●ringing vivat Rex; but withal, store it hoc Parliamentum, and that will never make a good prayer. A King had need call to his subjects, as God to his servants 
i 〈◊〉. 2●. ●●  give me thy heart; the world is full of fair tongues, but false hearts: none but the great searcher of the heart, hath a window in the heart to see who honour with lips, and their hearts fare from him. So that Kings had need examine their subjects as 
k 〈◊〉 2●. ●5.  Christ did Peter thrice, dost thou love me? The world hath bred so many protesters of the Romish, and so many professors of the Sectaries doctrine of devilish equivocation, and Parliamentized creatures profound in the art of dissimulation, that many men are like God● in Sands, in dubio pelagi ter●●ve, doubtful whether to belong to sea or land; tempo●●●ers or neuters, like the 
l R●●. 3.15.  Church of Laodicea, neither hot ●●r cold; either Prince, or Pope, Parliament or Levellers, please them. Monarchy, Aristocracy, Democracy, yea Anarchy, all alike to them: As for Religion; Protestanisme, ●op●ry, Put i●a●●sme, Anabaptism, Turkisme, Heathenism, Atheism, o● whatever the grand Council shall countenance, is equally received by them. These, like the Camel●on, assume any shape fashionable to the time: to whom yet I doubt not but God will one day say, Because ye are lukewarm professors, neither hot nor cold, I will spew ye out of my mo●th. Rev 3.16. Such as these study Machiavelli more than the Gospel, 
m M●●● 〈…〉 c. 3.  ●ashion themselves to the favourable fortune of the time, and think themselves happy (as 
n Ma●● 〈…〉.  he counts those Princes happy, whose counsels are successively correspondent to the condition of the times.) The prayers of such temporizers (whose tongues may flame, but their hearts are as cold as a stone) are abominable in the sight of God: Esto religiosu in Deum, qui●●ir il●um Imperatori●sse propitium, saith Tertullian. 
n T●●t A●oc c. 34.  The Lord is far off the wicked, but he neareth the prayers of the righteous, saith 
o 〈◊〉 v. 15. ●●.  Sal●m●n; God will not be●●e the prayers of these Church-nea●ers, yea Chu●●h-haters, n● more than the idolatrious I●wes 
p Ezech. 8.18.  Though they cry in any ears with a loud voice yet will not I hear them. And therefore that we may perform our first bounden duty unto the King, acceptable to the King of Kings, in making hearty and humble prayers for the freedom, restauration, protection and preservation of his Majesty, let all the people in his Realm, from ●igh to low, from great to small, do this comfortable and Christian service, fervently, feelingly, and faithfully unto the Lord night and day crying and craving, God save the King.  
The Lord hath commanded this duty to pray not onder good Kings, but even for bad Kings. When Paul gave that Apostolical counsel, 1 Timothy, 2.1, 2. to pray for for Kings, Caligula, Claudius, or Nero, most bloody Pagan Emperors then reigned. 
q Baruc. 1. ●●● jer. 29.7. So Abraham prayed for K. Ab●m●lech. Gen. 20.27. So ●●ob Hissed Kin● Pharaoh. Gen. 47.10.  Pray for the life of Nebuchadnezar King of Babylon, and for the life of Balthasar his son, that their days might be on earth as the days of heaven: So the Lord commanded the jews to pray for the peace of the City of Babylon, where Nebuchadnezar reigned. If then the Lord charge and command to pray for such Governors as were Pagans, Persecutors, Idolaters Infidels: how devoutely and deeply are all loyal subjects ●ound to pray and to praise God for the blessed government of Zealous and Christian Kings? Especially how more ought we to pray for so religious and gracious a King and to beseech God with prostrate souls, to visit and set him at liberty, now after the time he hath afflicted him, and permitted his restraint, and comfort him with joy and gladness for the years wherein he hath suffered adversity, and for the future to defend him and his from all the treacherous trains, and rebellious plots, whether of foreign foes, or home hatched parricides, whether corner creeping jesuits of the Romish party, or house-preaching judasses' of Schismatical faction: To deliver from and strengthen him against whom, let us, we do, implore the hand of heaven to Sentinel ov●● him; and to endue him from above, with the gifts of Knowledge, Prudence, justice, Temp●rance, Patience, Fortitude, Clemency: with fervent zeal of God's glory, love to the Gospel, and never-ceasing car● f r the general welfare of his public charge. Let as spend our spirits day and night in these Prayers, that a gracious blessing may be evermore upon our Sovereign and his Seed, to prolong his days with Health and Honour on earth, and with immortal Happiness in Heaven. Amen. Amen.   

CHAP. V.  
THe second general duty of all subjects, is Obedience, and that before God 
a S●● 15.22.  is better than Sacrifice 
b C●●g●●. ●5. 〈◊〉 : The Enemy opposite to Obedience is Rebellion, compared by 
c 1 Sam. 15.23.  Samuel to the sin of Witchcraft, the very Chaos of Confusion, containing nothing else but mischief and murder, discord and desolation.  
As Rebellion is most odious and detestable, so is Obedience commendable and acceptable, and this is of three sorts:  
First, obey God by man. Secondly, Obey God and man. Thirdly, Obey God rather than man. We need not write how God is to be obeyed before all, and ●bove all; God's Precepts may not be countermanded by man's Ordinances, nor God's Ordinances prejudiced by man's Precepts: God is to be obe●e● in every thing simpliciter; man is to be ob y secundum qu●d, respectively, so fare as his commands be consonant to God's Laws. Saint Austin gives all a good rule for obedience: willingly and wittingly obey not good men in the performance of ill, nor disobey il●men commanding things good; but God himself commands obedience to his 
d  breathing Images, whom he himself styleth 
e  Gods; the mortal Pictures of the immortal God; the right fingers of that be ve●●ly ●and which ru●● 〈◊〉, ●●ctantius saith, King's 〈◊〉 men before G●●, a●● God's 〈◊〉 m●●.  
〈…〉 gl●r● of that God, who makes these G●●●, A●s●●● T●●t●●●●ian ●aith, The Emperor is greater in dign●●● th●●●●ll ●●rtall m●n, only inter●●● to t●e immortal God; a 〈◊〉 Cyrillus w●●●es to Theo●o●us the younger, N●n e●●e●●● st●te equal to your Excellence; or as ● 
〈…〉 2 〈…〉 A 〈…〉 Ba●●●●● o●●● T●●●. lib. ad Scapulum. ● Epist. ad ●h●● p●●●●na lib. a● vers. ●u●●an. 1 Paraenet. num. 21. ●●●b. 3. contra ●●rmen.  Agapitus to 〈…〉 Iusti●●●. None on the earth higher than he: 〈◊〉 ●ptatus, ●●ove the Emperor is none, bu● only G●● 〈◊〉 ●●●e Emperor: or as St chrysostom 
l H●m 3. ad po● An●●●.  speaking o● t●e Emperor Theo●●sius; He hath no eq●a●● upon earth, the supreme ●ead over al●m●● openeth. ●o, now you P●p●● a 〈◊〉 Cardinals of Rome, and Lords and Commons ascending at Westminster, what can you answer to t●e●e clouds of witnesses? But if these may be objected against: what say you to a rule of Scripture? is not the Word of God of more truth, and therefore to be obeyed rather than your decretals or Ordinances? What! is St Paul's Precept out of Date with you: Rom. 13.1. Let every Soul be subject unto the higher Powers? Which is not meant of you ye Usurpers of the Regal Throne; but of a King, of our King, in whom God hath ordained and placed power both in Church and Commonwealth: and in testimony that that is the meaning of the Holy Ghost: in the fourth verse those higher Powers are thrice mentioned in the singular number, as intimating that Precept commanded subjection unto one, the King: 
m P●●. 13 ●1. 1 Greg 〈…〉. 33 ●●.  and forbade all resisting that one: He is God's Minister: He bears not the sw●ra in vain: he is the Minister of God to thee for thy good: if thou resist not, but obey: But a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doth evil.  
Oh ye Lords & specially proud C mmons, surely ye have rejected this Scripture, or do● 〈◊〉 it as Apocryphal: other wis● ye would 〈…〉 thrust your Sickl● 〈…〉 ●mon 〈…〉 Religion and Law, usurp a pre-eminence above your King.  
Have you forgot Saint Peter's Rule? I will put you in mind of it: 1 Pet. 2.13. Submit yourselves to all manner of Ordinance of man for the Lord sake, unto the King, as unto the Superior, etc. Submit yourselves unto temporal Lords, for the eternal Lords sake, unto your King on earth, for the King of King's sake in heaven, as Augustine very excellently, Aug. in Psal. 124. Which that ye may see ye are all bound to do, look but upon that Scripture seriously without prejudice or partiality, and you shall plainly discover it propounding and holding forth these certain and undeniable arguments to enforce so much: First, 
Vide Pisc. anal. in locum.  for the Lords sake; that so we may honour God who hath commanded this obedience. Secondly, that we may avoid the punishments of disobedience to the Magistrate, sent for the punishment of ill-doers, v. 14. Thirdly, that we may get praise and protection against the wicked by our obedience, v. 14. to the praise of them 
a Rom 13.3.  that do well. To the same purpose also look with the same candid judgement upon that general and substantial foundation for obedience laid down by the great Apostle of the Gentiles, Rom. 13. and the first, and I am confident that you will with me conclude, that that excludes or exempts, as neither Pope nor Priest, so neither Lords nor Commons from obedience, but absolutely damns indefinitely all in general, and every one in particular that resist the King: Let every soul, etc. Saint chrysostom upon that place saith; though an Apostle, an Evangelist or a Prophet, yet let him be subject to the higher Powers, which Augustine, chrysostom, and the best Ancients confess and affirm to be the King, and so acknowledged by the jesuite 
b Disp. 10. in Rom 13. v. 1. Goran in locù.  Pererius; and the Apostle enforceth all to this obedience by three Reasons:  
First drawn from the efficient or procreant cause of government; For there is no power but of God, and the powers that be are ordained of God, verse 1.  
Secondly drawn from the pernicious effect of disobedience, Whosoever resisteth power, resisteth the ordinance of God, and they that resist shall receive to themselves condemnation, or judgement, v. 2.  
Third taken A beneficio, from the benefit or profitable effect of obedience, For he is the Minister of God for thy wealth, v. 4. Concluding that obedience is necessary, v 5. Not only for fear, but for Conscience sake. So again the Apostle 
d Tit. 3.1.  Paul lays down his Apostolical lesson to his s●nne Titus; Put them in remembrance, or admonish them, that they be subject to Princes or Principalities and powers, and that they be obedient, etc. Nay indeed it is 
e The Beasts obey the Lion, the birds the Eagle, the fishes the Whale. etc. Cyprian de vanit. Idol: The Cranes have their Captain.  Nature's theme to obey Princes, and of this theme Grace is the Hypothesis.  
Look upon the silly Bees, the best emblems of obedient Cr●atures, painful in their labour, dutiful in their life, their King being safe, they are all at unity; So long as their King is well, they follow their work; but being lost, they leave and loathe their Honeycombs, and when their King waxes old and cannot fly, they carry him on their wings, and if he die, they die with him, as some writ. 
f Hieron. ep●st. ad Rusticam.  Behold how nature hath stamped obedience by instinct to Bees, to be subject to a superior in their kind; 
g Pet. Chry. in Policrat. lib. 7.  how much more should Nature, Reason, and Grace, stamp obedience in the heart of Christians, knowing that without a Kingly Government, Kingdoms are thraldoms: 
h Aug de civet dei. lib. 4 c. 4.  Take away justice, and what are Kingdoms but Dens of Thiefs? Take away obedience to Government, and that were to make earth and hell all one, but only in name. There is not wanting divine Precepts, or divine Patterns, to allure loyal obedience: take two in stead of many; the first and best of all, our Saviour Christ, 
i Matth. 3.17.  in whom God is well pleased: and the second David, 
k 1 Sam. 13.14.  a man after Gods own heart: Our Lord and Saviour jesus Christ (yet God and man) in the days of his flesh disdained not to obey such as were in authority, 
l Matth. 22.21.  commanding to give unto Caesar that which is Caesar's, and paying 
m Matth. 17.27.  tribute to Caesar for himself and and Peter, by the hands of Peter; though Peter's supposed Successors, and they that pretend to Peter's inspiration, will pay none. And though our Saviour Christ received manifold injuries and indignities from unjust and faithless Governors, yet he never moved rebellion or resistance, but digested all with patience and obedience, knowing that the powers that be, are ordained of God: telling Pilate, that unjust judge, that his power was given him from above; for the rule is given of the Lord, and the power of the most high. And by me Kings reign saith he that had the wisdom of God given unto him. Prov. 8 15. And saith another 
Pisspot. anal. in M●● 22 2●▪  God is to be obeyed for himself, being chief Lord: the Magistrate is to be obeyed for God, as being God's Minister or deputy. So that the pattern of Christ's obedience to temporal powers, must be the platform of instruction in the duty of obedience.  
2. David's obedience to King Saul is very commendable and remarkable: Saul was a 
a A Tyrant by abuse of power not by usurpation.  Tyrant, and sought without cause or colour to kill David; yet David often hazarded his life and limbs against saul's enemies the Philistines, evermore testifying his prompt obedience and service to his Sovereign; and when this K. Saul (like that other 
b Acts 9.1.  Saul) breathing out threaten and slaughter against David, followed him to the wilderness of Engedi (where David used pia fallacia, hid himself in a 
c 1 Sam. 24.4.  Cave) and had opportunity to cut off saul's head, as well as the lap 
d 5  of his garment; or if he were timorous to dip his hand in blood, as once Gregory 
e Greg. lib 7. epist. 1.  willed Sabinian to tell the Emperor exciting him against the Lombard's, I fear God and am afraid to have any hand in blood: if David I say had such a qualm of fear come over his heart, lo, the 
f 1 Sam. 24 8.  hands of his servants ready to have done it, and scarce could be kept from it, only David doth terrify them from doing it: 
g 7  The Lord keep me from doing that thing unto my Master the Lords Anointed. Dum timuit ol●um servavit inimicum, as excellently 
h Lib 2. advers. parmenianum.  Optatus, in fearing the anointing, he preserved his enemy. In a word, David might have killed Saul sleeping, or if he would not himself do it, 
i 8  Abishai, offered his service, I pray thee let me smite him once with a spear to the earth, and I will smite him no more; but still see how obedience holds his hands and moves his tongue, Destroy 
* 9  him not, f●r who can lay his hand on the Lords anointed and be guiltless? And afterward Saul being slain, and a certain Amalekite hoping to have been a happy Post in telling 
k 2 Sam. 1.4.  David Saul is dead, and showing David that he hasted 
l 10  saul's death, (though 
m 1 Sam. 31.4.  Saul himself had acted the Prologue of his own death, this made the Epilogue of his life) and brought the Crown in his hand, (a tempting bait to get praise or pardon) yet all in vain: how wast thou not afraid to put forth thy hand to destroy the anointed of the Lord? s●i●h 
n 2 Sam. 1 14 15.  David; and commands his servant to give him legem talionis, to kill this King-killer, though by consent and entreaty.  

Sic pereant, & qui moliri talia pergunt.   

Good God, thou King of Kings, so let them perish,  
Who 'gainst thy Charles such bloody deeds do cherish.   
And now what do all these particulars summed up together infer, but this Ecce? 
o john 1.47.  Behold a true Israelite in whom is no guile; behold a good subject indeed, in whom is no treason: behold a man after Gods own heart, who from his soul hateth and abhorreth the very name and thought of Rebellion, his heart 
p 1 Sam. 24, 6.  smiting of him but for cutting of the lap of Saules garment: after whose heart then those men are, who now a days cut off from a David all Regal ornaments, divest him of all ensigns of Royal Majesty, and  him with nothing but the foul garments of reproach and slander; I leave to all the world to judge. How unlike are the ways of this son of God, to those who would be thought the sons of God in these days, Popish jesuits of the Sea of Rome, and (oh wonder!) those Lord and Commons who call themselves the Parliament of England? David labours to speak his mind to Saul, these labour to hinder David to speak his mind to them; David manifested himself upon all occasions obedient and loyal to his Sovereign, though wicked, that so, evinced thereby he might become good; these upon all opportunities declare their disobedience and disloyalty to their Sovereign though good, and to colour their Rebellions would fame make the people believe that he is wicked; and should be, if they could make him so either by flattery or force: David desired nothing more than to come to a 
q 1 S●●. 24 9 & 26.14  Personal Treaty, that so the truth might appear, and the innocent be acquitted: These abhor the thought of a Personal Treaty, and Vote it treason for any man to speak from or to him, lest their ambitious villainies should be detected, and our poor oppressed Kings wronged innocence manifested, and honour vindicated. Lastly David in all his consultations and actions, did endeavour to evidence himself faithful in his obedience, and a pattern of Loyalty to all generations, adventuring his body and blood for the service of Saul, in defence against his enemies, the Musterroll of whose battles for saul's welfare is recordded in holy Scripture▪ from the xvii. Chapter of the first of Samuel almost to the end of that Book, the glorious Trophy of the fidelity of an obedient Subject. But all the counsels and practices of the Lords and Commons now sitting at Westminster have wholly tended to advance disobedience, and manifest themselves the Precedents of disloyalty and rebellion to all other nations and future ages, engaging, not many of their own bodies, I confess, or much of their own blood; but many thousand of bodies, and an ocean of the blood of poor seduced and deluded Christians their fellow subjects, for the pulling down their religious King, a David, and utter ruin and destruction of all his faithful friends and loyal subjects, the Musterroll of whose battles for King Charles his subversion and deposing is hung out at most Pamphlet-sellers stalls, the glaring Trophy of the disloyalty, of such impudent unmatchable Rebels: So that I well say with Toxaris to Anacharses' 
s Lucianus in S●●tina.  viso Solone vidisti omnia, here I can show you the two wonders of the world at once. Look upon David and you shall see the wonder and pattern of Loyalty and Obedience; Look upon that thing at Westminster, which calls itself a Parliament, compassed round with their Army of Sts. as they term them, and there behold the wonder and precedent of Disloyalty and Rebellion. In their Declarations and Remonstrances read principles fit to direct Traitors: in his Precepts and Practice read Doctrines sufficient to instruct faithful subjects: and if that be not sufficient nothing will suffice.  
Object. But the enemies of Charles reply and say; We ought to be obedient and subject to good Kings, but if they be bad we may resist and deny our obedience to him, yea good men may send him to his grave: and indeed this Doctrine, to depose a King, dispose of his Kingdom, and deprive him of his life, if he be not (as the jesuites count) Catholic, (as this Parliament counts) Protestant, the treacherous jesuites at Rome, and our Rebellious new-lighted Saints at Westminster, do with an equal heightened fury of blind zeal, labour to maintain by their published seditious Papers; and where their Pens fail, their Pikes, prisons, yea poisons make good: as you may read Page the seventh both their ways of proving their Arguments are.  
Answ. Answer. It is an easy task to show that loyal obedience is to be performed to wicked Kings: as our former Instances of the best note, Christ's obedience, and David's obedience to Saul, make it manifest; it is due to them, omni jure naturali, civili, morali, municipali, divino; By the Law of nature, civil, moral, municipal, divine: we will only prove it due by the last, by divine Law; if that prove it, who dare deny it? The Apostle Rom. 13.1. makes the matter plain. Let every soul be subject to the higher Powers, for there is no power but of God, etc. From which place I argue thus; A●l Powers that are ordained of God, must be obeyed: The higher Powers (be they good or bad) are ordained of God.  
Ergo— to be obeyed.  
We may corroborate these two propositions by manifold places, as Proverbs 8.15: By me Kings Reign, etc. job 36.7. He placeth them as Kings in their Thrones for ever. Sometimes God suffers the hypocrite to reign, job 34.30. I gave thee a King in my anger, and took him away in my wrath, faith the Lord to Israel, Hosea 13.11. Thou couldst have no power except it were given thee from above, said Christ to ●il te, john 19 11. Give care all you that rule the people, all your power is given of the most High, Wisd 6.3 Touch not ●ine anointed, 1 Chr. 16.22. be they good, be they bade touch them not; 
a 〈◊〉 12.19  vengeance is the Lords, not man's. M●n must not meddle in God's matters; W●. 
b  can lay high ha●ds on the Lords Anointed, and be guiltless? Though they grow defective in their high office, yet still remain King's, because enthron'd by God: By whose command men are borne, by his command do Princes reign 
c Irae●● 〈…〉 , saith Iraeneus. Thence have Princes their power whence they have their breath 
d T●●●ul 〈…〉 , saith Tertullian: The King's Commission is sealed ●y the hand of God, and though it run, During the good will and pleasure of God, yet man, yea a 
* 2 〈…〉 4.  Parliament cannot, nay must not cancel it, for that were to war with God.  
The wise 
e B●ac●o●. sive 〈…〉 sine●te deo. Aug conte Faust Manich 〈◊〉 22. c. 7.  Heathen saith, the power of good Kings is by the special ordinance of God, of evil by his permission; the first are badges and pledges of his mercy; the second are the scourges of his fury. So 
f Esay 10.5  God called Ashur the rod of his wrath; and Attyla called himself the scourge of God: and Tamburlaine in his time termed, the revenge of God, and terror of the World. Saul was a Tyrant King, yet David 
g 1 Sam. 24 6  trembled to touch the skirts of his garment: What greater Tyrant than King Pharaoh? yet Moses neither had, nor gave any Commission to the Israelites to rebel; he makes no Law, or Book, either to dispose or depose him from his Kingdom. Nebuchaanezzar a wicked and Idolatrous King, yet God 
h Jerem. 25.9.  calls him his Servant; and though he commands the three children to be put into the fiery 
i D●●● 3.21 A●●ud es●●erva●●● 〈◊〉 me, aliud 〈…〉  Ove●, they offer no violence or resistance, but commend their souls to God, and commit their bodies to the King.  
Saint 
k 〈…〉  Peter who wrote his Epistle in the time of the reign of that wicked Emperor Clandius, as 
l 〈…〉  Baronius conjectured, exhorts all people to fear God, and 〈…〉 the King 1 Pet. 2 17. and that for 〈…〉 v. 13. yet this Claudius was a most wicked Emperor maintaining many Ethnic superstitions and the worship of Idols, he was (as Suetonius 
* Sueton. c. 34.  writes of him) by nature cruel, bloody, & libidinous, yet to this Emperor a tyrant and an infidel, S. Peter exhorts the faithful jews to obedience: S. Paul who lived under the same Emperor, (as 
a Rhemist. in tab. Paul.  some do think) writes to the Romans the Emperor's subjects, exhorts all to submit themselves, not in any colourable or dissembled obedience, but ver. 4. for conscience sake. Let us here a voice or two of the ancient Fathers that lived in old time: Tertullian (who as 
b In cattle scriptor. Eccles.  Jerome saith) flourished under the reign of Severus the Emperor, who was a great Tyrant, an Infidel, and an enemy to Christianity, who in the fift persecution after Nero, troubled the Christian world with most cruel persecution (as 
c Baron, An. Christ● 205.  some writ) yet teacheth that all subjects should both Bene velle, bene dicere, & bene facere, wish well, speak well, and do well for the Emperor, the which threefold Bene comprehends all loyal duties: The first Ad Co●. 2. Ad Linguam. 3 Ad opus; as the 
* jansen. c. 40. Concord.  Jesuit rightly 〈◊〉, in thought, word, and deed, to be obedient. So justin 
* Apolo 2 add Anton: Imperat.  Martyr, in the name of all Christians speaks to the Emperor Antoninus. an infidel and a persecutor 
d Bellar. in Chronol.  in these words. We worship only God, and in other matters are joyful to serve you. So Saint 
e Ambros Epist. lib. 5. Epist. 33.  Ambrose would not wish the people of Milan to disobey the Emperor Valentinian, yet a favourer and a follower of the Arrian Heresy: If the Emperor (saith he) abuse his imperial authority, to tyrannize thereby, here I am ready to suffer death; we as humble suppliants, fly to supplication: if my patrimony be your mark, enter upon it; if my body, I will meet my torments: shall I be dragged to prison or death? I will take delight in both: Oh Theological voice, Oh Episcopal obedience. These were the voices of the holy Fathers in the ancient times: I but will the Adversaries to the regal supremacy reply, the times must be considered, the people wanted power to resist. No, no, that was not the matter: when julian did domineer, who was an Apostate and an Idolater, as 
f August in Ps. 124.  Austin; yet his soldiers, who were for the most part Christians, did obey him without resistance in all military matters and public services, yet they then had power to have resisted him; for most of Julian: Army did consi t of Christians, as their voices to Io●inian his Successor declare; 
g R●ff. lib hist. c. 1.  Ruffinus records that with a general voice they all confessed themselv●s Christians: So C●ustantius and Valens wicked Emperors, and favourers of the Arrian Heresy, yet we do not read of any of the Orthodox Christians that disobeyed them by rebellion or resistance. Then Bellarmine's 
h Bellar. lib. 5 de Rom. Pon. c. 7.  doctrine was not in date. It is not lawful for Christians to tolerate an heretical King: Nor were those reasons, for the Commons deposing their King at their pleasure, so much as thought on then, though of late published by the scribbling creatures of this Parliament, and borrowed from that their fellow rebellion fomenting Cardinal, the people may at their pleasure depose their K. b●cau e Reges coronas & sceptra ab hominibus recipiunt, & ad corum placita tenent, Kings do receive their Crowns and Sceptres from men, 
Ego unxite in regem super Israel.  and hold them at their pleasures. Strange stuff: for Kings receive their Crowns from God, as Psal. ●0. 3. And are enthroned by God, By me King's reign, Pro, 8.15. They receive their throne from God, as Queen 
i 2 Sam. 12.7.  Sheba tells Solomon; Diadema regis in manu Dei, 
● 2 Chro 9.8  Esay 62 3. Sedebat Salomon in throno Dei. 1 Chron 29 23. Reges in s●lio c●llocat in perpetuum, job 36, 7. the anointing is Gods, With my holy oil have I anointed him, Psal. 89.20. The Crown, the Sceptre, the Throne, their anointing, all from God; styled by God, Vncti Dei, Gods anointed. Where is the Popes or people's claim? what interest have any (except God) in King's Crowns? who can remove whom God appoints? who can deprive whom God approves? yet these absurd errors, the corrupt leaven of Rome's Pharisees and Westminster's Parasites, are moulded out by the mouths of Cardinals and jesuites, and tasted by the Sectaries and Levellers of this Island by their pens republished, both being indeed agreed in this, to become Trumpeters to the world, and sound forth false alarms of disobedience to encourage people's rebellion. But leaving them, let us listen to Solomon (who was wis●r then them both) whose rule is, 
k Pro. 24.21.22  My son fear thou the Lord and the King, and meddle not with them that are seditious, f●r their destruction shall rise suddenly, and who knoweth the ruise ●f them both? Le● us learn this lesson from our 
l M●tth. 22.21.  Sav our, to give unto Caesar that which is Caesar's: to give loyal obedience, for it is Caesar's royal due. So our Saviour 
n Mat. 23 2, 3.  again commands the multitude that they should obey the Scri●es and Pharisees, who did sit in Moses c air, to observe and do what they did command. In all things (not repugnant to God's Laws) we must and aught to obey Kings; yet if they command contrary to God's commands, than we must follow the 
o Acts 4. 1●.  Apostles rule and practise, rather to obey God then man; and to remember St. 
p Aug. 11. quae. c. 3.  Austin● counsel, It God command one thing, and the Emperor another thing; what judgest thou to be done? God's power is greater, give leave O Emperor, thou dost threaten prison, but God hell. God that made these Gods ought to be obeyed before them, and duty binds, that God who is the King of Kings, the maker and master of all Kings (omnes Reges ejus pedibus subjecti, all King's subject, and subjects of that great King) should be obeyed by them all, an● before them all.  
Yet for all this we must not rebel against a King, 
Regis voluntas fiat aut a nobis, aut de nobis.  if he command contrary to God's Laws, but imitate the three children, 
Theoph. in Luc. cap 20.  obey in body, and resist in spirit. Theophylact saith, we must prostrate our selve● to the King, who hath power over our bodies, be he a King or a Tyrant, for this nothing hinders us spiritually to please the God of our souls: nay we cannot be truly said to obey and please God; if we resist and contemn the supreme Ruler, the King: the contempt that is offered to them being offered to God himself, as the Lord said to Samuel; They have not cast thee away, but they have rejected me that I should not reign over them. 1 Sam. 8.7. and the Apostle saith whosoever resisteth the power, resisteth the Ordinances of GOD, and shall receive to himself damnation.  
How long then! how long (oh my dear, but stupefied Countrymen) will you permit yourselves to be deluded by a crew of ambitious, covetous, and yet blind guides? How long will you suffer yourselves to be guied out of your propriety and true liberty, and lead tamely into so dangerous a sin as King resisting? How long will you flatter yourselves with the hope of Liberty, under the Anarchy of a pack of such matchless Tyrants, who intent nothing more than your Vassalage and des rved slavery? Will ye not yet see your own misery? Will you be fooled out of your Religion, the pure Gospel of jesus Christ, by a company of wild headed Sectaries and factious Beggars, under that venerable name, and great good of our Nation, if not abused, (as it is now) a Parliament? Do you ever hope to enjoy the joy and desire of each good Christians heart, Truth and Peace, under those who are enemies to both? For if they were not enemies to the first, they would not countenance such lying, at best but equivocating, double-sence bearing Treatises and Pamphlets, to be published: and stifle all other the writings of such honest men as would answer such false Propositions, overthrew such principles, and make the truth in jesus Christ appear; to the satisfaction of the whole world, how your judgements are abused by these Impostors juggle. If they were not enemies to Peace also would they hold up the sword still merely to support thereby Rebellion-acquired Power over you their fellow subjects, and to hold the King in his present Captivity contrary to the Law of Nature, of Nations, of this Kingdom yea of God himself, who forbids resisting (as you have heard proved) much more restraining or imprisoning Kings.  
Object. Ah but you will say we have seen their late Declaration in which they satisfy us with the Reasons of their proceed w●th the King, and labour to possess us with a belief that they are able to prove against him many soul Crimes before his coming to the Crown, and many tyrannous practices and oppressive enormities during his reign?  
Answ. It is true indeed that they have been very careful that their Declarations should come to your hands, for so they know they shall blind you so that you shall not see their blasphemous Forgeries against a virtuous Prince, and one as free from those crimes with which they seem to charge him as the Sun●e is from darkness, or their own s ules from hellish darkness. Were their accusations not, false and malicious, they would never suppress, imprison and declare those faithful dispensers of the truth, Traitors, who desire to write in his vindication, and take such special care that as few of such Books as discover their falsities shall come to sight, but never to answer any of them, for indeed they are unanswerable; but by those their common Arguments the Axe, the Halter, the Goal, or banishment.  
If they would satisfy the world of the lawfulness of their proceed, let them, if they can, answer Dr. Ferne his Summary answer concerning Conscience satisfied of the unlawfulness and damnableness of their resisting, and since imprisoning, and deposing the King, and disposing his Kingdom without yea against him: judge jenkin's his Remonstrance, the Plea for the Lords; and Dr Huttons Divine Right of Government: and if you (my deluded Countrymen) desire rightly to satisfy your Consciences buy and read those Books, and I beseech you as you desire not to be more seduced and deceived, read none of their licenced Books, unless you are first satisfied that a free liberty is granted to any man that will, to answer them, for they are spells cast abroad to bewitch you into Rebellion, and venomous principles prescribed by the State Mountebanks Walker, Martin, and others; to poison your obedience and Loyalty,  
If they would be believed to have any real charge against his Majesty, Let them answer Master Simons his Vindication of the King, or permit his Majesty to answer for himself, (by the assistance of such Secretaries and others that shall be needful to help his memory, and to do him such other service as shall be requisite therein) and let the writings and answers of the one side be as freely published and perused, as the Declarations & Papers or Pamphlets of the other side: in a word, let the plain letter of the Law decide the Controversy, not the swo d and their wilful Votes; for what just sentence can be expected when they will be judges, and yet are parties in the same matter? If they shall deny this, I have just cause to conclude, that that Declaration of theirs, and all other B●oks licenced by them have more venom in them to poison the yet Loyal hearted, and dis-unite the hearts of the Kingdom from his Majesty, than virtue to salve up the breaches of this distracted Nation. And (my discreet Countrymen) will you betray so much levity and easiness of belief as to receive that for solid matter which dares not endure the examination and trial of a just reply? No: let it b●●sh all other impressions thereof from y●u, but of hatred u●to such unrighteous practices; and look upon it as the bone and poison of Asps spot abroad to envenome your souls, resolving never to believe more therein, than themselves dare speak or utters (〈◊〉 mean concerning the death of the King his Father) and yet speak much more tha● they are able to prove, Now if you desire to be armed with unmoveable resolutions, and sufficiently fortified against the dangerous poison and deadly venom of that their Declaration and all other their Pamphlets: take next your heart the Antidote prescribed against the infectious Air thereof, or a short Reply unto the Declaration of the 11th of Febr. 1647. But lest you should not know how to furnish yourselves with so Sovereign a Cordial (it being very hard to be got) and yet not wholly un●urn●sh'd thereof, I have made bold (for which I crave that worthy Authors, and the wellwishers pardon) to transcribe so much of that Epitome of true hearted Loyalty as shall serve to our present purpose, set forth in our Title Page.  
A Brief of the brief Reply to the Declaration of the House of Commons.  
We have read your Declaration, and have thought good to give you this short account of those impressions that it hath left with us. The death of the late King, is (we con●ess) a matter indeed of a very high nature; and though you are loath to express yourselves therein, yet it is not hard to discern what thoughts you would thereby commend unto us. But if you can clearly make good what you intent, ●hy did you not speak it plainly? If you cannot, why do ●ou go about by malicious art to insinuate that which you ●e not able to make good? Men that are under the power of others, use indeed sometimes to speak timorous verities: But where men armed with greatness and strength, speak fearfully, there the truth is in danger.  
Can you think to persuade us, that the honour of so great a King, or his just power and Rights, are to be laid underfoot upon surmises, and uncertain conjectures, whose grounds and foundations are rather in the apprehensions of men variable according to the variety of their affections, then in the reality of things or actions? When events are liable to divers causes, and those that have their residence within the breasts of men, to fix them upon one without any sound reason for the choice, but because it appears more t serviceable to our purposes, is a fallacy of too open a collusion; That we should trust our judgements with it in so great a matter, and therefore since you have proved nothing against his Majesty, in that particular, we cannot but infer, that all that you want of evidence against him lieth against yourselves, and doth convince you to have committed as high an offence against the duty of Subjects, as against the candour of Christians.  
But secondly, in case it could be proved, and so fully, so demonstratively proved, as is requisite to overcome that large portion of Charity which is due unto a King above all other sorts of men, and to him for aught we know above all other Kings (much the more for the sad condition wherein you keep him) proved so clearly as to be victorious over so many and so dissuasive improbabilities that present themselves in array against it: we should indeed even then admit it with great reluctancy as a truth, that it might be thought a kind of impiety to understand; we should then (when we must needs) look upon it as a sad and great affliction unto our Nation, and as a great cause of humiliation (not of triumph or insulting) unto us, That God should suffer our King to fall into such a depth of impiety, for the sins of the Magistrate as of the Minister, are usually the judgements of a people for their sins: But yet nevertheless, we should hold it our duty even in that case to cry out with the holy Prophet, Micha 7.9. We will bear the indignation of the Lord, because we ha' e sinned against him, etc. And to set ourselves to the duties of Fasting, and Prayers, and Fears, for the lamentation and expiation of so horrid an iniquity from his Majesty and the Kingdom.  
But we could not be persuaded that it were a Christian course for us to make his iniquity the countenance or excuse of ours: or admit it as a supersedeas or discharge of the bond of our allegiance, though it should render it indeed much uncomfortable unto us; for as a child owes his filial honour and obedience not to a good father, but to a father, be he good or bad; as servants own subjection with all fear, not to a good master but to a master be he good or froward. 1 Pet, 2.18. (if that be scriptu e with them) and wives subjection n●t to a believing husband, but to a husband he be a believer or an unbeliever. 1 Pet 3.1. compared with 1 Cor 7 13. So subjects own their allegiance not to a good King, but to a King.  
And though we deny not but Potentates may forfeit their Crowns by their impieties, yet the holy Word of God leads us to believe that none is thereby enabled to take that forfeiture but God; Saul forfeited his Crown by his Sacrilegious intrusion into the Office and Function of the Priesthood, 1 Sam. 13.8, etc. and doubled that forfeiture by his disobedience unto the command of God concerning Agag and the spoil, 1 Sam. 15.9, etc. And God both times proceeds to sentence against him: but yet none must take the forfeiture, nor put the sentence in execution, till God himself was pleased to do it: And therefore notwithstanding all that David durst not lift up his hand against him, 1 Sam. 24 & 26. David himself afterwards, though an holy man, yet was so far left unto himself for a time by God, that he fell into two horrid and unworthy sins: base in the eyes of men, as well as heinous in the sight of God: First committing adultery with Bathsheba, at such a time when her husband, whom he so vilely wronged therein, was employed in the hazarding of his life to do his service: and then to cover that, treacherously contriving and procuring his murder: and yet this was no good plea to justify Absalon, or the son of Bichr● in their rebellions, no nor yet Shimei in his foul-mouthed railing against him for it: But all of them in their times were overtaken with their rewards; and David yet ended his days in peace, being reconciled to God by his repentance. Nero was as it were a Devil incarnate, so bad that his wickedness added glory to the persecutions of those that suffered by him: And Tertullian useth it as an argument to prove Christianity to be good, because Nero opposed it; He made it his sport to see his own Imperial City set on fire before his face; and when he had done, caused it most falsely and wickedly to be laid upon the Christians. And embrued his hands in the blood of his own Mother; and yet it is observed this very Nero was then Emperor and Governor of the Romans at that very time when Saint Paul wrote unto them to be subject unto the higher powers, and tells them withal, that whoever resists shall receive to himself damnation. Let not any think that in this we plead for the wickedness of Kings, but for their impunity from men; for the preservation of Government, the good of the people.  
Nor would we wish any to imagine that we think these patterns of wickedness have any such parallels in his sacred Majesty's story, if it may be truly set down as some would persuade: but only to show the unforciblenesse of such kind of deductions as our days have produced: and if it may be, to prevent the like hereafter. And to satisfy all men, who will be satisfied, that for all your conclusions that you draw so hard for, that you have even broken your Gears: we are yet to seek for a sound reason why the King should be secluded from his Government, or from the address of a Parliament unto him, but only upon your bare averrements; Si satis est accusasse, quis tandem innocens? God himself should not be innocnt, if to be accused were to be convicted: we hold it therefore most unjust and unreasonable for us to admit any of those aspersions which you have laid upon his Majesty into our belief, or to make any results at all upon them in the least degree prejudicial to his Majesty in our opinions, until we shall see as well what his Majesty can answer as what you have objected against him: for since it is a justice not to be denied to the meanest of Subjects, nay, to the greatest slaves, that they have liberty to speak for themselves, before judgement be given upon their accusation: we must tell you that we hold it a thing against all equity and right, for you to take the freedom to say what you please against his Majesty, and in the mean time to keep him in that restraint, that he can neither know what you have objected, nor hath liberty to make his answer thereunto.  
All which and much more that might be said, proves substantially that the resisting, not a good King, but a King be he good or bad (though by the Ordinance of them who call themselves a Parliament) is a resisting the Ordinance of God, that the imprisoning of King, under what specious pretences soever couched, is unlawful, and the deposing him, and disposing his kingdom without him, damnable according to the law of God: what they are according to the law of this land. judge jenkin's clearly holds forth unto us in his last Remonstrance at the bar of the House of Commons.  
To conclude this point, this second duty of Obedience to Kings, is by all true subjects faithfully and loyally to be performed, being a duty necessary for two respects: 1. Necessitate praecepti: 2. Necessitate finis: First God by manifold precepts commanded Obedience to be given to Rulers and Kings. Secondly, by the benefit Government affords, without which all Commonwealths were mothers of common woes, and would become the very shambles and slaughter-houses of Christian blood, if that obedience were not given to Rulers that bear the sword. The kingdom of hell (which is the kingdom of confusion) cannot stand, 
* Mar. 3.22, 26.  being divided (wanting Belzebub their Prince) but should presently, as one day it shall most certainly come to desolation. Seeing therefore obedience to Kings is a duty so necessary for all subjects, and acceptable unto God, profitable unto ourselves, without which Kings or Kingdoms cannot stand, Church or Commonweal cannot long continue: Let us perform and practise this duty of obedience with a pure conscience, which for conscience sake must be performed, evermore honouring and obeying our, dread Sovereign, (the golden head of great Britain) beseeching God to restore him to his glory, and to pierce with sharp arrows, the hearts of his enemies, as the Psalmist of solomon's Psal. 45.5. evermore obeying and praying, God save King Charles.   

CHAP. VI  
THere are three other duties which are to be performed by subjects to the King; honour, faithful service, tribute; three as essential flowers of the crown as the former two, as I could easily prove, and shall if any be so bold as to deny it, but at this time I respite to speak so largely of them as I might, because I do not affect prolixity, nor would be tedious to my Reader; of each of them then a word or two only.  
The first is Honour; Saint 
a 1 Pet. 2.17.  Peter commands all Subjects; Fear, God, Honour the King. Saint 
b Rom. 13.7.  Paul exhorting all to submit themselves to the higher powers, concludeth, Give honour to whom ye own honour: so the Lord himself in the fifth Commandment chargeth all to honour Father and Mother; in which precept as most old and new writers well observe, Kings and Magistrates are understood, being political Fathers, Fathers of the Commonwealth, 
c Esay 49.23.  Nursing Fathers of God's Church and people. And this duty (to honour the King) obligeth all by a three fold bond.  
Ex Praecepto By Commandment, Ex Maledicto By Punishment, Ex Praxi. By Practice.  

Math. 21.21. d  First by Precept, God in his law hath commanded it. Secondly by Punishment, for God hath put a sword in their hands to cut off such as dishonour them. Thirdly by Practice, our Lord and Saviour with his Disciples did preach and practise obedience, honour, and reverence, evermore to be given to Kings and Potentates. And this word honour, signifieth all that duty whereby the renown, dignity, reverence, and high estimation of the King may be preserved and unblemished, and it reacheth unto our thoughts, words and works.  
1 To honour him in our hearts and thoughts: curse not the King, no not in thy thought, for the fowls of the heaven shall carry thy voice, and that which hath wings shall discover the matter, saith 
d Eccle. 10.20.  Solomon.  
2 Honour him in thy words, seek not by bad and wicked speeches to disesteem the dignity of their sacred persons, for they are Gods Deputies, and he that despiseth the Deputy, despiseth him that appointed the Deputy: wherefore God made an express Precept, 
e Exod. 22.28.  Thou shalt not speak evil of the Ruler of thy people. And St. 
f jude 8  jude hath marked those for filthy dreamers, who despise Government, and speak evil of them that are in authority.  
3 Honour the King in all thy actions, to be ready to defend the honour and renown of our gracious Sovereign, both by word and sword.  
And indeed all good people did ever honour their anointed Sovereigns: David, Solomon, 
N●xt God, we must honour those who are in the place of God.  with the rest of the Kings of Israel, how honourable and glorious ever accounted in the eyes of their Subjects. Jerome saith, where honour is absent, there contempt is present, and to contemn these regal children 
k Psalm 81.6.  of the most High, is to contemn the most High himself.  
Think then of this ye flattering Pseudoli of the Papal Mitre, and ye Parasitical Sycophants of the two Houses at Westminster; you that would have the Regal Sceptre stoop to the Pope's Mitre or Parliaments Mace; you that every way both by your pen and your prate labour to disparage the Sacred persons of Kings, diminish their Regal Rights, and encroach upon their Prerogatives, substituting all to a Papal Supremacy, or a Parliament Privilege, and make all good by arms, not arts, by blood, not the Bible; ye Machiavells of the Conclave and worse of the close Committee; learn of God himself; with what Honourable Titles and High Prerogatives in his Sacred word Kings stand possessed: there they are called 
l Ps. 82.6.  Gods, and Children of the most High, the 
m 1 Chr. 4.18.  Lords Anointed, the Angels 
n ● S●● 1.20.  of God, the 
o ● S●● 2●. 17.  Light of Israel 
p 〈◊〉. 3.1.  sitting in God's Throne, 
q R●m. 1●. ●, 4.  the Higher Powers, the Ministers of God, 
r ●●k● 2●. 25.  the Kings of N●tions that bear rule; every where with variety of such high and stately Titles, great Prerogatives, commanding every 
s Rom. 13.1.  Soul to be subject to them, that he who should go about to impair their honour, must first infringe the Book of God.  
Unworthy is that Creature to breathe the Air, which denies honour to the breathing Image of God, his anointed Sovereign; or with unreverent Action, or Elocution, enterprise to debase their Sovereignty: Such tongues are worthy with Dives to be tormented, or with Progne to be cut out, or w th' Nicaenors to be divided in crumbs for Birds that will not honour with tongues, and reverence with hearts their anointed and appointed Kings, the earthly Pictures of the King of Kings. And not to travel so far as foreign climates to teach them (to honour Kings) let our speech be bounded within the circumference of his Highness' Countries. People (above all other Nations) bound to honour and obey our gracious Sovereign. We are blest with a King of incomparable virtues, Rex natus & ad regna natus, descended of blood royal: 
t Eccles. 10.17.  A blessedness to a K ngdome, when a King is the Son of Nobles, and much more of noble virtues, A trusty defender of the true faith, by pen, pike, and prison, ready to defend Religion against both superstition, and this Age's profaneness.  
I am unable and unfit to draw the map of our King's perfections, De ipso ipsi loquuntur Antipodes; not any Zone habitable wherein his glory hath not habitation: and they say we must praise a King as we honour God, and herein such plenty of praise is offered, that— Inopem me copia fecit.  
Xenophon might see that in our virtuous King Charles which he wished in his King Cyrus: O fortunates Anglos bona si sua norint; Oh happy had we been, had we been but sensible of, and thankful for our happiness: and nothing can restore happiness to us, but his being restored to his former Honour and Glory, that he and his for the future may shine in their pristine lustre. And lot all faithful Subjects pray, long may CHARLES the glorious Candle of this our Israel last, who as upon this day was proclaimed with infinite joy, received with peaceable entry, enthroned with glorious investure. But converted or confounded be all those his Subjects, that refuse to pray for him, obey him, and honour him, as well in deeds as words, hearts as tongues, saying and praying, God save the King.   

CHAP. VII.  
THe fourth duty of Subjects, to be duly rendered and tendered to their anointed Sovereigns, is Loyal and faithful service, thinking themselves (as Tiberius said of his people) Homines ad sorvitutem nati, Men borne to do them service; All true Subjects are bound by the Laws of God and men, to be faithful servants to their Sovereigns; and if they neglect or reject this duty, I may say to them as 
a 1 Sam. 26.15, 16.  Da●id did to Abner, Ye be worthy to die, because ye have not kept your Master the Lords Anointed, because you have not been faithful Servants to your Anointed Sovereigns.  
If any 
b Est. 2.21.22.  Bigchan or Teresh seek to lay hands on our gracious Sov●raigne, with faithful Mordecai and Ester, speedily prevent it by revealing it: if any King of 
c 2 Kin. 6.12.  Aram takes counsel with his Servants against the King of Israel, with faithful Elisha reveal it to your Caesar, even the words he speaks in his Privy Chamber; nay, not only reveal it, but revenge it; In reos Majestates & publicos Hostes omnis homo miles est (saith 
d Ter. Apo. c. 2.  Tertullian) against traitors and public enemies every man is a Soldier; yea, in this kind and sense, we may and must with 
e 1 Kin. 22.11.  Zedekiah make horns of iron, to push these treacherous Aramites until we have consumed them, give courageous resistance to treacherous violence, until they have received deserved doom by justice. And for the performance of this Loyal service to their appointed Sovereigns, no conditions of men under the Sun can plead immunity: neither Popes, Priests, nor people; yea, a Parliament much less a part of a part of a Parliament, cannot pretend to this Privilege, how ever that Claw-back Sycophant, the Author of the Vindicia contra●●ty cannot, by those his specious pretences, but most false and Rebellion-countenancing principles, would seem to insinuate such a privilege their propriety, like a right Machievell preparing the people by those gilded Pills to swallow those poisonous principles of treason and rebellion, according to w his Masters have, and (if God prevent them not) intent to act. No, no, say he and others what they will, none, upon what pretences soever, can plead an exemption from performance of this duty. Lords or Commons, Popes, or Cardinals, Priests or People; their freedom from faithful service to the King hath no warrant except from the Prince of the Air, to whom they may be justly said to dedicate their Sceptre and service, who deny their service to the King, and therefore to him I leave such to receive their deserved wages. But the servants of the King of Kings know they own their service and allegiance to his Vicegerents, Kings on earth, and that this loyal service of the members unto the royal and Princely Head, aught to be dutiful, faithful and perpetual; that is the happy service, which comes from an hearty obedience; for many things may seem so in appearance, which are not so in essence: 'tis the practice and very prayers of the wicked to cry thus: Hor. 1. Epist. 16.  
Da mihi fallere, da justum, sanctumque videri,  
Noctem peccatis, & fraudibus objice nubem.  
If they seem trusty in show, though treasonable in heart, they care not, like bad servants, not in singleness of heart, but with service to the eye, as men-pleasers, obey they their regal Masters. This Age is full of such treacherous hearts, as deceitful 
f 2 Sam. 3.27.  as joab to Amasa, who took him aside to speak with him peaceably, and smote him under the fift rib that he died; or like 
g Macchab: 16.  Dalilah to Samson, with fair words, and weeping to betray him to the Philistines: No treason but in trust: The feigned voice of Fowlers catch the Partridges and Plovers: The Mother of Error puts on her mask, to be taken for the daughter of Time, truth: The Wolf in sheep's clothing, scarce known from the shepherd's dog. 
h judges 16.18.  Ptolemy the son of Abusus, under a fair vizard of love and kindness feasting Simeon and his two sons, kills them in his banqueting house. 
a M●● h. 2 8.  Herod when he would play the Wolf, he counterfeited a a Fox: 
a Ma● h. 2 8.  Go and search diligently for the Babe, and when ye have found him, bring me word, that I may worship him; his meaning was to worry him: So 
b Ma●. 26. 4●.  judas comes with his Ave Rabbi, Hail Master, betraying him with a kiss: So many a perfidious Traitor will cry, Ave Caesar, God save the King; but it is with such an affection as Autoninus Caracalla said of his brother Geta, Sat divus, modo non vivus, Let him be a Saint or a King in heaven so he be not a King on earth.  
Many such judases and Caracallaes' there are in these days two Houses cannot scarce contain them; yet there they sit, and having first put out Sampsons' eyes, blinded the people's understanding with glorious terms, (as, We your Majesty's faithful Servants and Loyal Subjects: and, will make you the most glorious King in Christendom) make the misery of both King and people their sport and past time. He that four year ago should have said they had intended to set forth such a Declaration as their last is, had run the hazard of a Prison, if he had scaped the Halter, as a false accuser and foul abuser of the Simeon and Levi of these days, those two holy Brethren, the Loyal Lords and Commons dissembling at Westminster.  
Do you not remember what was urged unto his Majesty at the beginning of this Parliament, as an Argument to induce him to pass the Bill against the Bishops, that their saucy (as they termed it) inference, No Bishops no King? and pray (most Loyal Subjects as you are) what is it come to now? Oh my dear Countrymen! will you still be gulled by such gross and palpable Dissemblers, Parasites, and Equivocaters? Beware (I beseech you) in time of those who are full of such fraud, believe them as the People of Rome believed Carbon, make a Covenant never to believe them hereafter. They are like to Polypus have various shapes, changing themselves into Angels of Light: but malus ubi se bonum simulat, tunc est pessimus, a bad man when he counterfetteth to be good, is worst, August. in Psal. 63. Simulata sanctitas duplex est iniquitas, counterfeit holiness being a twofold wickedness: of which, whether they who call themselves a Parliament be not guilty, I leave it to all who have eyes in their heads to judge.  
But be they what they will: Let every good Christian and loyal Subject according to his place perform faithful, hearty, and trusty Service to our dread Sveraigne; and though the wicked labour to darken, with a Cloud of slander our fair and faithful Service, yet at last that Eclipse of envy will vanish of itself, and our own innocency and fidelity will animate us like that Roman Marius, who being accused by the Senate of Treason, in a passion tears his Garments, and in sight of them all shows them his wounds received in the service and defence of the Emperor and his Country, saying; Quid opus est verbis, ubi vulnera clamant, What need of words, our wounds declare, our blood was shed for his welfare? Faithful service is laudable before men, and acceptable before God; it may be by the wicked sometimes blamed, but it cannot be shamed: though it be not always rewarded on earth, it shall be sure to find rewards in Heaven; yea virtue is a reward to itself: bonorum laborum gloriosus fructus, the service of the 
* Ecclus. 35.7.  righteous is accepted, and the remembrance thereof shall never be forgotten.   

CHAP. VIII.  
THe fifth duty of Subjects to be duly and truly paid and performed to their sacred and dread Sovereigns, is Tribute, which is (as Ulpian saith) Nervus reip. The strong sinew of the Commonwealth, without which, King, nor Kingdom cannot stand: And therefore our Saviour first by 
a Christ paid Tribute to Tiberius Caesar. Matth. 17.27.  precedent paid Tribute; yea rather than it should be unpaid he wrought a miracle: and also by precept, resolving the Disciples of the Pharisees, demanding whether it was lawful to give Tribute unto Caesar, or no? told them peremptorily, 
b Mat. 22 21.  that they must give unto Caesar that which was Caesar's: Piscator saith, upon that place; Tribute, Honour, and Obedience is to be given to the Magistrate in all things, not repugnant to the word of GOD: for this cause (saith 
c Rom. 13 4 6.  Saint Paul) ye pay Tribute, because the King is the Minister of God: 
d Theoph. in Lucam. c. 20.  The money which thou hast thou hast from him, and therefore, not give, but pay; not a gift, but a debt, which all subjects own to him. Beucer saith, We do not give, but pay that which of duty we own: Tributes, Subsidies, Taxes, etc. are not gifts but debts, which of necessity they must, and aught to pay 
e Verbo redden de, significat dibitum quod inexcusabile subditis im●●situm est: Theo●●i. in 13 Rom. v. 7.  Hiperius saith, This do the Scriptures allow of, (writing there of the payment of Tributes) this do the Civil Laws, with the common consent of all Nations accept, and approve: The same 
f Hip. in Rom 13  Hiperius saith, the law and right of paying Tribute, among all Nations hath ever been accustomed. And therefore 
g In Rom. 13 6.  Calvin writes well, that Tributes and Taxes are the lawful revenues of Princes. 
h Calv. in instit. lib. 4 c. 20.  This duty of paying Tribute, Subsides, Taxes, etc. by the subjects to the Sovereign, is by the law of God, and laws of men, and common customs of most nations commanded and approved, and that for four principal causes.  
First to maintain that royal estate which God hath given to Kings: the glorious patterns of King's magnificence, may be fully seen in royal Solomon: Look but upon his Throne, 2 Chr. 9.17. and you may judge of all the rest of his royalty,  
2dly. to defend the Commonwealth, both from foreign invasions, and homebred rebellions; which requires a great Treasury. A great Bird had need of a great nest. That high Head which cares for all the politic body, and night and day studies to preserve their welfare, must participate of their wealth, without which the public peace and security cannot be effected: for it is, Status insolidus qui caret solidis.  
Thirdly, to contestate and acknowledge their homage and subjection to their Sovereign: for say the Canonists, 
i Extra de exact● & cens. c. 1. & quaest: 8. can. Tributum.  To pay Tribute is to be subject to the Emperor, and a sign of servitude, confessing all duty and loyalty to be due to their Sovereign, who hath power to command them, their 
* Nehem. 9.37.  goods, 
* Nehem. 9.37.  lands, and lives, for the service of the Kings and country's preservation. Look upon the Israelites (when King Saul was dead) coming to elect and anoint David in Hebron, to be King over Israel, 
* 1 C●ro. 11.1.  Behold we are thy bones and thy flesh, meaning (as take it) that their lives, and all, were at his service and commandment: for Tribute is not only of money, but sudor & sanguis populi, The sweat and blood of the people, if such need require to defend their King and Country, is a Tribute due from them, willing and ready to adventure their lives and l●mbs, to give repulse and resistance to foreign or domestical violence.  
Fourthly, to testify their grateful affections to their gracious Princes, in thankfulness for the great benefits by their prudent, provident, and politic Government, reaped and received. So David in lamenting saul's death, remembers the benefits his subjects received by him in his life time, 
k 2 Sam. 1.14.  Ye daughters of Israel weep for Saul, which clothed you in scarlet with pleasures, and hanged ornaments of gold upon your apparel. So 
l Lament. 4.20.  Jeremiah o● the good King josiah, lamenting his death, The breath of our nostrils, the Anointed of the Lord, was taken in their nets, of whom we said, under his shadow we shall be preserved among the Heathen. A good King, brings many blessings and benefits unto his people; and therefore when such as are in authority, be righteous, the people rejoice, saith 
m Prov. 29.2.  Solomon. 
n 4.  A King by judgement maintains the country. By a man of understanding and knowledge, a Realm endureth long, saith the same 
o Prov. 28.2.  Solomon; yea, (as wise Plato well said) Beatas fore resp. cum ant Philosophentur reges; aut regnent Philosophi: When as Kings were Philosophers, or Philosopher's Kings, than such Commonwealths should be happy. And indeed all earthly happiness which is derived to the members, proceeds from the Head, (next under God, the primary Author of all good things) by whose direction, discretion, circumspection, care, counsel, and continual vigilancy, they are preserved in peace, and prosper in plenty, and whether we did not enjoy all blessings which Subjects could hope for under His Majesty's reign, before this Parliament set themselves to pull him down, I leave all English men (that are not prepossessed with prejudice to Monarchy and partiality to a side) to judge: what a condition we have been since in, too sad experience can testify. Oh than my dear Countrymen, let no Theudas herein deceive you, or any judas of Galilee (who in the days of the Tribute, drew away much people, as 
a Acts 5.37.  Gamaliel speaks) delude you; for he perished, and all that obeyed him: and as our Saviour said of them, so I may say of this Nation in this matter, except ye repent of this sin you shall all likewise perish 
b Aug. in lib. i● Rom proposit. 7 2  Augustine saith, If any one think Imposts, Tribute and Honour ought not to be paid to the King, he falls into a great error: 
c B Aretii Com. in 13 Rom. v 7.  Aretius saith, We own them by right, if we do not pay them we offend against the rule of justice: Nay to pay them is necessary for all, (as the same Aretius there) unless they would be deprived of their Fortunes, Wealth, and Welfare: Therefore pay it truly, and do it hearty, as to the Lord, and not unto men; not grudgingly, as if compelled by necessity, but cheerfully and voluntarily in humble testimony of your hearty fidelity, love, and loyalty. But to them that challenge immunity from the performance of these public Debts of Tributary duties to their Liege Lords and Kings, I may say as Dioclesian to the Philosopher; Thy Profession differs from thy Petition, thy Profession teaches thee to give Caesar his due, and not to rob him of his right. Bishop Latimer calls such Thiefs that rob the King of his due debt, Subsidies, Tribute, or Taxes. Rather imitate that 
d Ambros. con. ra Aux●●: 〈◊〉 quaest. 1. Can: si tribistum.  Ambrose the famous Bishop of Milan, who teacheth thee a better Lesson; If the Emperor demand Tribute, we do not deny it, the fields of our Church shall pay Tribute; If the Emperor demand the fields, he hath power to challenge them, let him take them, I neither give them nor deny them in no case, arguing obedience in ordinary, or extraordinary exactions: agreeing fully with Luther, 
e Luth. in Matt: 22.21.  If thy substance, body, or life should be taken from thee by the Magistrate, thou mayst say thus, I do willingly yield them unto you, and acknowledge you for ruler over me, I will obey you, but whether you use your Power and Authority well or ill, see you to that: For Kings must one day give account of all their works, to the King of Kings; and if they have abused their Power by Tyranny, Cruelty, or any bad Government, an hard judgement 
f Wisd. 6.5.8.  shall such have that bear such Rule, for than abides the sorer Trial, as the Son of Wisdom speaks; The power is from God, the abuse of it from themselves, and they will find it, when God and it calls them to reckon. The Chain of gold is not made the worse because an Harlot wears it about her neck: it is 
g Luth. in Mat: 2●. 21.  Luther's comparison in this case; so still Kings must be obeyed for Conscience sake, if not commanding contrary to God's Commandments, Let us with these follow the steps of faithful Fabricius, of whose fidelity Pyrrhus boldly speaks, Difficilius Fabricius a legalitate, quàm sol a suo cursu verti possit; Let the Sun first turn from her Course, than we from the course of Loyal Obedience, and Allegiance: always remembering that Christian saying of that martyr 
h Ignarepi●●●: 2. d Magn●sianos. a  Ignatius, No man ever lived unpunished, which lifted up himself against his betters, superiors, his Princes; disobedience brings Infamy, disgrace, death, yea hatred after death, that the sorrowful Son may say of his treacherous Sire, 
i Gen. 3●. 30.  Ye have troubled me, and made me stink among the Inhabitants of the Land, as jacob said of Simeon and Levi: And whether we of this Kingdom have not too just cause to say of those two Brothers in iniquity, the factious Party of the Lords and Commons sitting in Parliament, you have made us (by your proceed) stink in the Nostrils of all neighbour Nations, and rendered us the scorn and contempt of the whole World, I leave it to the experience of Travellers.  
To conclude, l●t us always from the bottom of our hearts, 
1 Prayer.  pray so the King's safety Corporally; for his salvation Spiritually, and preservation Politically. Let us obey him because he is the Lords Anointed, 
2 Obedience.  appointed by God to be his Vicegerent, representing the person on earth, of the King of Kings in heaven: 
3 Honour.  Let us honour him not with lips only, but with hearts truly, because he is the Father of our Country, the constant Defender of the Faith, and so worthy of double Honour: 
4 Service.  Let us be ready to perform at his Command our best Service, being his native and natural Subjects, born and bound by Allegiance to all Christian duties of Subjection.  
Let us be willing to pay Tribute: 
5 Tribute  a public Purse must help the public Peace, Multorum manibus grande levatur onus.  
Yea let us pay him his duty: Tribute to him, for we own him Tribute; Custom to him, for we own him Custom; Fear, Honour, Obedience, Service, and all other loyal services and performances of Duties belonging to good Subjects in their several degrees and places, humbly to tender them, and render them unto our Gracious and high Sovereign Lord the King, whose Sword, Crown, Sceptre, Throne and Person justly requires all these duties: the Sword exacts obedience, Crown commands honour, Sceptre service, Throne tribute, and Person prayer; always pouring forth to God this Prayer and Petition, God save King CHARLES: Let us be in Pace Lepores, but in Praelio Leones, in Peace like Hares timorous to offend his Majesty in any way of disobedience: but like Lions, when opportunity shall be offered, fight for his freedom and re-establishment in his Throne and Power, against all the enemies thereof with unwearied courage, undaunted magnanimity, joining with our fight hands, our fervent prayers like faithful Israelites against all rebelling Amalekites, continually let us pray with David, Psalm 20.9. Domine salvum fac Regem, Lord save the King, send him an happy Deliverance out of all his troubles, visit him with much comfort now after the time that thou hast afflicted him, and the years wherein he hath suffered such great adversity, Lord keep him as the Apple of thine own eye, and hid him under the shadow of thy wings: oh turn not thy face away from thine Anointed, but let him be refreshed with the joy of thy Countenance: Make his days as the days of heaven before thee, and grant that his Highness and his Princely Posterity may in these Kingdom's reign so long as the world endureth, maugre all thine and his enemies: Enlarge and enrich his Royal heart with all Regal gifts and divine graces, suitable for his present sad condition, and yet high calling: save him from the Treachery and tyranny of foreign enemies, and deliver him from the Plots and Projects of his Domestical Adversaries, whom we beseech thee to  with shame, and break in pieces like a Potter's Vessel: Let thy hands, oh Lord, find out all that hate him, make them like a fiery Oven in the time of thine Anger, and destroy them in thy Wrath: scatter the devices of those crafty ones, and make all their Counsels like the Council of Achitophel, foolishness: confound those Shebaes that stir up Israel against our David, those Shimeiss that revile and rail upon our Charles, and those Adoniahs that go about to take the Kingdom from our King; yea let all like them, perish like them. Then will all Loyal Subjects rejoice when they see the vengeance, the stone which is cut without hands breaking all Rebels and Traitors to pieces, Dan. 2.34. and making all his foes his footstool: but upon him and his grant that his Crown may flourish, that his seed may possess the gates of their Enemies, and that there may not want one of his Posterity to sit upon his Throne and sway his Sceptre till Shilo come in judgement. And now let all good Christians and Loyal Subjects say Amen. Yea let high and low, rich and poor, young and old, professors of the Gospel, be devoted Suppliants to the King of Kings in our King's behalf, with tongues and hearts praying and saying, God save our King, God save King Charles.  
Vivat, valeat, Vincat.   
Gloria Tri-uni Deo in secula. Amen.   

Postscript.  
THis Treatise is dedicated to none (the discoverer of these truths being unwilling to engage any particular Patron) yet desires it may be accepted of all of what degree or rank soever both in Church and State, if sound members of our Supreme Head; to such I am confident this short tract will be welcome; therefore to such it presents itself, and in the discoverers absence begs their entertainment, though there be danger, to be found in its company: The cause of his discovery of these dangerous, though faithful truths, and that so plainly and home, is the desire he hath to undeceive his deceived country men, to discharge his duty, and to render those who are guilty (if they wilfully persist therein) inexcusable, that when they come before the throne of the King of Kings, they may have no plea of ignorance, of the greatness and damnableness of their sin, but that they may know there hath been a Prophet among them.  
The cause of his forbearing his name, is his charity to them who are reproved therein (that they may not be deeper engaged in blood and oppression, for he too well knows their common way of refuting such truths, imprisonment or death) and not either in ability to make good all herein contained, or timidity to stand to his principles: for should their unsatiable thirst after blood, by the diligence of their blood hounds or subtlety of their spies make them so unfortunately successful as to discover him, you shall find him so resolved as to seal this truth with his life (if their fury carry them to that height of tyranny) or by what other oppression and cruelty soever they shall use, to answer This unanswerable assertion, That the resisting, much more imprisoning and deposing King CHARLES, and disposing of his kingdom, without and against him is a sin not only unlawful but damnable, by the word of God.  
What kind of sin it is by the law of this land, judge jenkin's plainly tells them in his Remonstrance of the 21 of February, 1647. I am confident both that and this shall have one and the same refutation that common way of answering of such assertions set forth in the 7th. page of this short tract: And truly I shall have no other opinion of them till they answer that Remonstrance, and permit him again to make and publish his Reply: but this I believe they will, with more safety to their hopeful cause, and blessed Reformation, do, first hang him, and then answer him: for so they shall save him a labour of a Reply, and may come off with credit, having (as they may then vaunt) silenced that good old judge: And what Ingenuous Intelligent breast can entertain better thoughts of them, or hope for other proceed from them, if it seriously consider those daily Reproachful Reviling Aspersions by their saucy Pamphleteers cast upon His Sacred Majesty, to the alienating of the Affections of His People from him: which they permit, yea countenance, if not themselves Order to be published; so to slander the footsteps of the Lords Anointed, and render him odious in the eyes of his Subjects: and yet keep his Majesty in such a condition as not permitted to vindicate himself, and threaten, yea thunder out fire and faggot against all others that shall Write or speak in his Vindication? What truly ennobled soul and rightly enlightened Christian can m●ke any fairer Construction of such unjust practices? If they would have us harbour other Cogitations; let them cause 〈◊〉 Overton to be taken into Custody, and recei e consign ●●nishment; for, for him was Prin●ed tha● fo●ge●, mali●●●u●, venomous 
* P●●lis●●● Ma●c● the 〈◊〉. 164●.  Letter pretended to be s●●t from His Majesty to the Queen, but intercepted, together with those better poisonous aspersions fixed upon his Majesty by way of certain Proposals to the Kingdom: All published in a Pamphlet stuffed with as much falsehood, forgery, yea gall and poison of Asps, as could be spit from the envenomed mouth of the most reviling Shimei, or railing Rabshakeh of this Kingdom, to the Reproaching, Slandering, and Disgracing of a David and Hezekiah in one good King Charles: to whom the Lord of his mercy grant the shield of faith in him and his goodness, to repel the fiery Darts of such incarnate Devils, from whose tongues, set on fire of Hell; and Pens, dipped in the gall of bitterness, yea from the present sad Restraint in which he now is, The Lord of Heaven, and God of His Consolation and Confidence speedily deliver him. Amen, Amen, do all the Loyal hearted of Great Britain say; and theref re have desired that th●● their Vote be speedily Printed and Published, and Copies thereof dispersed into all parts of Great Britain, for the begetting a right understanding betwixt His Majesty and all His Subjects.  
FJNJS.