A PLEA FOR PEACE: SHOWING THE DIGNITY OF Princes, against the many Rail of the Rabble, the Invectives of the Ignorant, and Murmurs of the Malicious. Written by a Wellwisher to the peace of this our Zion.  
September 22. London, Printed for Francis Coles. 1642.   

A Plea for Peace.  
THat the Government of the Civil Magistrate is the Ordinance and Institution of the Almighty, I hope, at this time needs no disputation, for that I believe it remains without and beyond all matter of controversy, the Lord himself not having only testified with acceptation and approbation thereof, but with much commendation hath set forth its honour and dignity to his people, as in Psal. 82. 1, 6. God standeth in the Congregation of the mighty, he judgeth among the Gods. I have said, ye are Gods, and all of ye are children of the most High. Prov. 8. 15. By me King's reign and Princes decree Justice. And in the 16. By me Princes rule. Rom. 13. 1, 2. Let every soul be subject to the higher Powers, for there is no power but of God the powers that be are ordained of God, whosoever resisteth the power resisteth the Ordinance of God, and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. And in the 5. vers. he concludeth, that we must needs be subject not only for wrath but for conscience sake. Esay 49. 23. King's shall be nursing fathers and Queens shall be nursing mothers. 1 Tim. 2. 1, 2. I exhort therefore that first of all supplications, prayers, and intercessions, and giving of thanks be made (for all men) for Kings and all that are in Authority, as if the Apostle had said especially for them, adding further reason, That we may lead a quiet life in all godliness and honesty, as if he there intended to teach Christians (whatsoever their condition were) not to think of other weapons to mend themselves than only their prayers; many other places of Scripture might be alleged to this purpose, but these I suppose are sufficient to let men know how detestable it is to the ears of God to heat a wicked Shimei cursing and railing against the Prince of his people, a sin too too common in these our days, not only among the basest of men, but even in the Priests and pastors of the people, who should teach them a lesson of meekness, modesty, and moderation, in stead of which they stir them up to madness, sedition, tumults, and faction, by rendering in what in them lie the person of sacred Majesty odious to all men, but whether in so doing they spit not in the face of the Almighty and strike at his honour in the person of his Ministry, he that hath an eye to see let him see. To stand here to make a large relation of the several sorts of Government, or what jurisdiction would best suit with this or that people were a business to as little purpose as profit, and therefore briefly the best way is to fall quickly on the matter intended, for if we compare without circumstance the several estates together it will not be difficult to discern which of them in profit over-balanceth the other, if they be impartially compared together; for as the way is easy to fall from kingdom into tyranny, so it is no way harder to fall from the rule of many to the faction of a few, and most facile of all from a plebeian Government to fall to sedition, but whatsoever the Lord hath established among us, it is not only unsound but unsafe to seek to alter it, for that in so doing we contemn the providence of God, whatsoever therefore it hath pleased that eternal Majesty to set over us, whether Kings over Kingdoms, Senators or Officers over free Cities, whosoever he maketh Rulers in power over us it is our praise to yield obedience to them, and first acknowledging their powers from God let us reverently esteem them as the deputies of God. Many indeed there are who hold the Civil Magistrate in a kind of venerable estimation, as things expedient for the common benefit, accounting them in themselves no more in a manner than as necessary evils, but if they cast their eye upon the rule of all good, they shall find themselves bound to a far greater respect. 1 Pet. 2. 17. Fear God, and honour the King; as if the fear of the one were inseparably joined with the honour of the other. Solomon Prov 24. 21. as with a self fame conclusion saith, My son fear thou the Lord and the King. And no whit inferior is that example of Paul before alleged, that we obey not only for wrath but conscience, as he had said, that in so doing we yield our obedience to God, we must be obedient to them in every respect, obeying their proclamations, paying their tributes, and what not which stands not opposite to the Almighty; for as Paul saith, Every soul must be subject to the higher powers, and who so resisteth it, resisteth the Ordinance of God: and since the Magistrate cannot be resisted but with the resistance of God himself, though he be altogether naked, the Almighty is ever strongly armed to take vengeance on those who in themselves do fight against him. Nor is this subjection and obedience limited or restrained, so that it shall extend no further than to such Princes whose pious and godly endeavours are still executing their duties to the people, but even to the most lewd and malevolent Magistrate amongst men, and to that purpose mark the close of that most reverend, learned, and orthodox Divine Master john Cal. l. 4. c. 2. sect. 24. he calls a Prince the father of his Country, the Pastor of his People, the keeper of peace, the protector of righteousness, the revenger of innocency, and saith he, he is worthy to be accounted a mad man who alloweth not of such a Government. But where as this is in a manner the experience of all ages, that of Princes some being careless of all things, do without all care slothfully wallow in delights, other some addicted to their gain do set out to sale all Laws, privileges, judgements, and grants; other some spoil the poor Communality for money, to be wasted on their own prodigal and lavish expending; other some exercise mere robberies, in pilling of houses, defiling of virgins and matrons, murdering of innocents', many cannot be persuaded that such should be acknowledged for Princes whose authority they ought to obey so far as they may, for that in so great an unworthiness, so much contrary not only to the duty of a Magistrate, but even of a man, they behold no form of the image of God which should be in a Magistrate: and therefore conclude, that they ought not to acknowledge such a Governor. And to say truth, this feeling of affection hath ever been naturally implanted in the minds of all men, no less to hate and abhor Tyrants, than to love and honour lawful Kings. But if we look to the word of God (saith he) it will lead as further, teaching not only to subject ourselves to the government of such, who execute their office toward us well, and as they ought: but also unto theirs, who perform nothing less than the duty of Princes; for as those who rule for the good and benefit of a Commonwealth, are true patterns of his bounty; so they that rule unjustly, wickedly, and wilfully, are set up by him to punish the naughtiness of the people. And that both equally have that Majesty wherewith he furnisheth: lawful power, concluding thus (in these words) that in a most naughty man, and most unworthy of all honour, (if he have the Public Power in possession) remaineth that noble and divine power, which the Lord by his Word giveth to the Ministers or his righteousness and judgement, and therefore that of his Subjects he ought to be had in as great reverence and estimation (for matter of public obedience) as if he were the very best of Kings that could be given them. Nabuchadnezzar was little better than a robber and murderer, for he was a strong invader and destroyer of others (and most certainly) he was an Idolater; yet mark what the Prophet Daniel speaketh of him, Dan. 2. 37. Thou, O King, art a King of Kings, for the God of Heaven hath given thee a Kingdom, power, and strength, and glory, and wheresoever the children of men dwell. The beasts of the field, and the fowls of the Heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee Ruler over them all. Then again Dan. 5 18 19 O thou King, the most mighty God gave Nabuchadnezzar thy father a kingdom, and majesty, and glory, and honour, and for the Majesty that he gave him, all people, nations, and languages trembled, and feared before him: whom he would he slew, and whom he would he kept alive, and whom he would he set up, and whom he would he put down. Samuel likewise premonishing the children of Israel of what they should suffer under their Kingly government telleth them (yet in Gods own words) 1 Sam. 8. 10, 11, 12. And Samuel told all the words of the Lord unto the people that asked of him a King, and he said, This shall be the manner of the King that shall 〈◊〉 over you: he will take your sons, and appoint them for himself for his chariots, and to be his horsemen, and some shall run before his chariots; and he will appoint him Captains over thousands, and Captains over fifties, and will set them to eat his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots, and he will take your daughters to be Confectionaries, and to be Cooks, and to be Bakers, and he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your olive-yards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants. And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his Officers, and to his servants; and he will take your man-servants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your Asses, and put them to his work, etc. As if Samuel should have absolutely concluded, that whatsoever be the lewdness and licentiousness of the Prince, there is nothing but obedience left to the people, which they no sooner run out of, but they as it were run from God in his Ordinances, and not only absolutely oppose him, but contemptuously despite him and spit in his face.  
David when he had his great persecutor Saul at his mercy, and though himself by the ordinance of God was anointed King in his room, yet would not so much as lift up his hand to hurt him, for when Abishai with his own spear would have smote him, and nailed his body to that ground whereon he lay, 1 Sam. 26. 9, 23, 24, 25. David cries out, Who can stretch forth his hand against the Lords Anointed and be guiltless? No, saith that good man, the Lord shall smite him, ere his day shall come to die, ere he shall descend into the battle, and perish: the Lord forbidden that I should stretch forth my hand against the Lords Anointed: and well might Saul freely confess and proclaim him more righteous than himself, who when he took the spear and pot from his head, might as easily have taken his head from his shoulders; but he was well content with this conscientious conclusion, As thy life was set by this day in mine eyes, so let my life be much set by in the eyes of the Lord, and let him deliver me out of all tribulation, as if that Worthy of Worthies should have made this inference, though thou wickedly and maliciously seekest my life, yet art thou the Anointed of the Lord, so that should I have laid hand on thee, I should have made myself abominable to him, and in stead of delivering me from, he would have cast me into, for my crying offence even the greatest tribulation. Curse not, neither speak evil of the Princes of thy people, no not in thought, saith Solomon, 1 Sam. 24. 4, 5, 6. And the same David in another place, when he might have cut the throat of his enemy Saul was conscious of sin in the cutting his garment, for saith the Text, his heart smote him because he had cut off only saul's skirt: good men are conscientious of the credit of a King while the wicked curse and blaspheme his name, if cutting only the skirt of a King made such smitings in the heart of a King, what may it do in Subjects, who would clip the wing of their Prince's power, and enslave him to infranchise themselves. This amongst us is daily done in the common discourse of every scoundrel, but let such remember that cursing Shimei, escaped not without reward for his curse, even then when he thought himself safe and secure.  
What the power of Parliaments are, I question not; yet it is out of all question, that they are by duty bound carefully and conscientiously to discharge that trust which the people have committed unto them, and to defend their just liberties and privileges, so far as they bold correspondency with the known Laws of the Land, yet with obedience unto that Majesty from whence as from their fountain and original (next under God) those freedoms first came, rather willingly to lose some thing of what is ours, that any way to encroach on the least of his, with consideration, that as Princes have their Jurisdictions from Heaven, so Parliaments hold their power from Princes.  
It is a most horrible and hateful hearing for men continually to cry out on Authority, one part of the King, the other of the Parliament, and that without either mean or moderation, and for the most part (setting their malevolent dispositions aside) without the least show of reason for their rail (nay should they go to it to morrow as many call it and desire) not one of a thousand I believe (except by tradition) were able to give an account for what, though for whom they fight, and which is most to be lamented, Ministers in the Pulpit are not ashamed to preach & pray against all means of moderation, or reconciliation, lest as they say all should again be spoilt which hath been so happily begun.  
These men little consider the great division of the Kingdom, where the father is of one side, the son on the other, one brother on the one side, another on that; the Nephew for his Prince, the Uncle for the Parliament; here one Kinsman, there another; the Father ready to sheathe his sword in the body of his son, the son ready to rip out the bowels of his father; a brother bathing in the blood of a brother and kinsman cutting the throat of another; friend butchering friend, and neighbour killing neighbour, and all things brought to such a barbarous cruelty, as if there were no Religion left amongst men beside murder, no rule but rapine, no regulation but ruin and destruction; children snatched from the parent's wing, babes from the mother's tender breast, and barborously butchered before their eyes, wives rend from the bosom of their mourning husbands and ravished, they being forced to be spectators. Virgins whose tender years scarce ever did admit so much as thought of man, deflowered before their parents mournful eyes: Nay Churches will scarce escape from being o'erspread with gore, the Table where we have often freely fed on by faith the Body and Blood of a Redeemer, now stained even with the blood of those our painful Pastors, who all their times have laboured to instruct those to eternal life, who now with earnestness do seek their death Sure if we could but attain to a true apprehension of these ensuing miseries, the inseparable companions of homebred broils, it could not choose but mollify the flintiest heart, and make the marble melt with tears of mourning, and force these praters which now preach nothing else but war, to tune their tongues with pious prayers for peace, which God of his infinite mercy once more settle amongst us to the glory of his sacred name, and the good of his poor distressed people, and let all good subjects say Amen.  
I will conclude all with two verses of the Prophetical Psalmist; He that delighteth in blood shall not live out half his days, and the Lord shall scatter the people that delight in war.  
FINIS.