A Short Catechism FOR All the KING'S Majesties Loyal SUBJECTS, FITTING To be used by all Families, within this Kingdom of ENGLAND.  
Together With divers Papers for the Preservation of his Majesty KING CHARLES the Second.  
LONDON, Printed for William Gilbertson. 1660.   

To the READER.  
CHristian Reader, I have here set down a short Treatise, or a Dialogue between the Father and the Son, of their Integrity, Fidelity, and Loyalty to their Sovereign; take it and peruse it, though 'tis short 'tis sweet, and being but little therefore the price is but little, and in reading it over your time will be but little. I question not but it will lead you into the right path of Allegience to your Prince, and you'll find a great deal of delight and comfort, for God doth know with what fear and trembling we have been in for the space of twenty years together, in horror, bloody wars, calamities and confusion; and now at last we are bound to give thanks to the Almighty for his unspeakable mercy in restoring us our Gracious KING again; then let us give Custom to whom Custom is due, Fear to whom Fear belongeth, Honour to whom Honour pertaineth, so shall we in the end be Subject, Not because of wrath only, but for conscience sake, Rom: 13.5   

The first Instruction for a Subject.  


Father.  
Son.    Father. 
TThou hast been hitherto instructed my Son, according to holy writ in Scripture in thy Catechism concerning thy first instruction in the true Christian Faith, wherein thou hast learned thy duty towards God, and thy duty towards thy Neighbour: Tell we now what precepts hast thou learned there, of Faith and due Allegiance that is due to thy Prince?  Son. 
To submit myself whether to the King, as the chief and supreme, or unto Rulers as to them that are sent of him, 1 Pet. 2. and so to be subject as the Apostle teacheth, not because of wrath only but also for conscience sake, Rom. 13.5.  F. 
How is that subjection declared and testified?  S. 
Thus it is declared and testified. First in the Heart. Secondly in the Tongue. Thirdly in Action and Doing it consisteth; but briefly Faith and true Allegiance resteth in thought, word and deed; in either which the subject is discerned, and so adjudged to be true or false.  

What Allegiance is.  F. 
What callest thou faith and true allegiance?  S. 
Honour, fear, obedience, tribute & defence.  F. 
This thou sayest is declared first, and secondly is testified in the heart.  S. 
So it is.  F. 
Shall not thought be free?  

The first Precept of Allegiance.  S. 
No, the first precept of allegiance is lodged in the breast as it is written, Curse not the King no not in the * thought, Eccles. 9  
* Of Thought.  F. 
Indeed it is even so; for mischief is conceived first, and then iniquity is brought forth, according to the prophet, Their webs shall be no garment, neither shall they cover themselves with their labour. Again, desolation and destruction is in their ways, Isa. 59 How prayest thou therefore my son to be confirmed according to that precept in thy thought.  Son. 
Thus.  
A Prayer for thought.  

O Thou everlasting and eternal God, who holdest all men's hearts in thy hands, and art the governor of all my whole life, set my heart, I beseech thee on the Governors of Israel in fear, love and obedience, and suffer me not to perish in the council of my own thoughts, but correct thou them O Lord, and put the doctrine of wisdom into my heart, lest my ignorance increase, and my sins abound, to my own destruction, but retain in me thy servant, obedience, that I might continually desire to serve thee, and reverently to think on thine Anointed; so shall I not perish through my own lips, nor be hurt by any wicked works.    

The second Precept of Allegiance.  
Of the Tongue.  F. 
What of the tongue?  S. 
Death and life are in the power of the tongue, Prou. 17. and herein consisteth the second Precept of Allegiance, to this effect; Beware of murmuring, refrain thy tongue; wilt thou (saith Job) say unto a King thou art wicked, or to Princes ye are ungodly, Job. 34.  F. 
Verily (saith the Wiseman) the judgement of reproach shall never let him escape; for the sound of his words shall come unto God, for the correction of his iniquities. And again there is no word so secret as shall go for nought: Michael the Archangel, when he strove against the Devil, durst not rebuke him with cursed speakings, Judas 8. let me therefore hear thy prayer in this behalf, and so go on to action.  S. 

A prayer for the Tongue.  
O Lord, open thou my lips, and my heart shall sing forth thy praises: Grant me, O Lord, the light of the King's countenance, for it is life; and his favour, for it is a cloud of the latter rain; but his wrath is Messengers of death. O Lord, I call upon thee, hear my voice when I cry unto thee, let my prayers be directed unto thee as incense, and the lifting up of my hand as an evening sacrifice; set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth, and keep the door of my lips; for the tongue is as a fire, or as a world of wickedness, set amongst our Members like a flaming camel in a wheat field, that even it defileth the whole body, it is as an unruly evil full of deadly poison; and as the Apostle saith, earthly sensual and devilish, James 3.  
Guide thou therefore, O heavenly Father, my tongue, that it might be a sweet instrument to bless the Lord's anointed▪ so that thy servant might be of the Number of them that maketh peace, Amen.   
Of action or doing.  F. 
What hast thou gathered touching action or doing?   

The third Precept.  S. 
I have gathered this wherein doth consist the third precept of Allegiance; namely, wilt thou be without fear of the power, then do well; for he is the Minister of God for thy wealth: but if thou dost evil, fear; for he beareth not the sword for nothing: he is the Minister of God to take vengeance on him that doth evil; & for this cause only ye pay also tribute, Rom. 13.  F. 
Let me hear thee pray accordingly?  S. 

A prayer for action or doing.  
O Heavenly Father that givest the knowledge and understanding to Princes, and make their Kingdom's peaceable for all men; grant me thy humble servant the inspiration of thy holy spirit, that all my actions may agree with thy most heavenly will: and remember O Lord in all my actions and do thy sceptre, and the sceptre that ruleth me, that as the King when he turned the Chronicles found the fidelity of Mordecay; so let never King nor Queen in this land find the Infidelity of thy servant: but strengthen me O Lord to disclose as Mordecay did to the King all those that would betray him, and that Bigthan may appear, and perish that may seek to lay hold on the King; or Haman that inventeth to destroy Queen Hester and her Nation. This kingdom O Lord thou hast preserved it hitherto, to our Gracious King Charles the second, preserve it still, both sceptre and he that swayeth it, so that he may Reign in peace, and thy servant live in thought, word and dead, in all subjection, Amen.   F. 
Whereas thou hast called to mind my son, the Faith and Fidelity of Mordecay being a loyal subject to his Prince, and Bigathn Teresh, and Haman traitors again their prince. Now show me these examples also what ensued the one and the other.  
Of Example.  S. 
When Hester found favour in the sight of the King Ahashuerus, more than all the Virgins that were, insomuch that he set the Crown of the kingdom upon her head, and made her Queen instead of Vasti. Hest. 1. in those day's Mordecay sat in the King's gate, when Bigthan and Teresh had conspired together to lay hold on the King, this was known to Mordecay, the conspiracy being wrought at the gate near him: and he told it unto Hester who certified the King thereof in Mordicays name: and when inquisition was made concerning this plot against the King, it was even as Mordicai had said, therefore they were both apprehended and hanged on a tree, and it was written in the book of Chronicles before the King, Hest. 1. Then the King magnified Mordecai, afterwards as it is written in the Chronicles of the Kings of Media and Persia. He became second unto king Ahashuerus great and mighty amongst the Jews, and accepted amongst the multitude of his brethren: so thus were traitors punished and true subjects received a good reward, Hest. 10. Even so were the sons of Barzilai the Gileadite for that fidelity performed to David when he lay at Mahunaim, Sam. 2.16. for they succoured David when he fled from Absalon.  F. 
What was there reward and honour for't?  S. 
When the days of king David drew nigh, that the should die, he charged Solomon his son saying, show kindness I pray thee to the sons of Barzilai the Gileadite, and let them be amongst them that sit at the Table; for so they came to me when I fled from Absalon, thy brother, 1 Kings 2. Thus true subjects never go without a reward, no not to the dying day of the prince. Absalon proving Traitor and Rebelled against the King his Father, was hanged between the heavens, and the earth in a thick Oak running away in the battle, Sam. 18. Touching Haman in the copy of the letters of Artexarxes, he is accused thus, a man of Macedonia, the son of Amadathus being indeed a stranger from the persians' blood and far from our goodness, was received of us and hath the friendships that we bore towards all nations: insomuch that he was called our Father and honoured of every man as the next person to the king, but he could not keep himself soberly in this great dignity but went about to deprive us of our kingdom and our life, with many foul deceits, also hath desired to destroy Mardocheus our preserver which hath done us good in all things, and innocent Hester the partaker of our kingdom with all her Nation, for his mind was, when he had taken them out of the way then to lay wait for us; and by this means to translate the kingdom of the persians unto them of the Macidonia, Est. 16. So this for Hamans' practice and treachery against his Sovereign was hanged on a Gallows that he prepared for Mordecai, Est. 7. and this ensued in Haman.  F. 
The like ensued Shimei the son of Gera, Adoniah and Joab, for Shimei was of the house of Saul, and he cursed king David when he came to Bahurim and threw stones against him, and his men of War, and cast dirt, 2 Sam. 16. and Adoniah exalted himself saying, I will be king: and she gate him Charets and Horsemen and fifty men to run before him, 1 Kings 1. and Joab he took part and counselled with Adoniah. As Achithophel did with Absalon whereby Shimei, Adoniah and Joab perished under king Solomon, by the hand off Benaiah the son of Jehoida, whom Solomon sent, and so he smote them that they died, 2 Kings 2. of these therefore as of the residue thou hast already mentioned my son; of what were their actions and what were their ends, whose examples verily may suffice, that how precious in the sight of the Lord, is the Lords anointed, in whose confusions, for their imahinations, cursed speakings and evil do against the Princes of the Nations so unnaturaly that no question can be made but the very finger of God had a stroke on them, so precious were the Lords anointed then, and so precious be they still. Now let me hear thy prayer to make thy benefit of these Examples and so I rest satisfied.  
Son, thus I pray in thy behalf.  

A prayer to make benefit of example.  
Whatsoever is written, O Lord, is written for our learning; grant me therefore thy humble servant grace, that by inspiration of thy holy Spirit, the examples I have learned, and all other examples may be profitable to me; so shall my heart be set on the Governors of Israel, thine Anointed CHARLES, O Lord, our supreme Head and Governor; let my tongue be a fountain of sweet water, and evermore remembering thy holy sceptre, and the sceptre that ruleth me. Let me sing, O Lord, as David prayed with heart and mouth for the prosperous estate of the Kingdom of Solomon, on this wise.  

Psalm 72.  


Lord, give thy Judgements to the King  
therein instruct, him well;  
and with his son that princely thing,  
Lord, let thy mercy dwell:  
That he might govern uprightly,  
and rule thy folk aright;  
and so defend with equity,  
the poor that have no might.   

And let the Mountains that are high,  
unto the folks give peace:  
and eke the little hills apply  
in justice to increase.  
That he might help the weak and poor  
with aid and make them strong:  
and eke destroy for evermore  
all those that do them wrong.   

And then from age to age shall they  
regard and fear thy might:  
so long as son doth rule by day,  
or else the moon by night.  
Lord, make the King unto the just  
like rain to fields new mown:  
and like to drops that lay the dust,  
and fresh the land new sown.   

The just shall flourish in his time,  
and all shall be at peace:  
until the Moon shall leave to prime,  
wast change and to increase.  
He shall be Lord of sea and land,  
from shore to shore throughout:  
and from the floods within the same,  
throughout the earth about.   

The people that in desert dwell,  
shall kneel to him full thick:  
and all his enemies that rebel,  
the earth and dust shall lick:  
The lords of all the Isles thereby  
great gifts to him shall bring:  
The kings of Seba and Arabia  
give many a costly thing.   
Here endeth the first part.   

The conclusion of the last Verses and the second part of this psalm.  
Praise ye the Lord of hosts and sing  
to Israel's God each one:  
which have restored our gracious King  
with his right hand alone.  
Then blessed be his holy name,  
all times eternally:  
that all the earth might praise the same,    
Amen, Amen say I.    
Here endeth the Dialogue.   


A prayer by order of the Church for the Kings most excellent Majesty.  
O Lord our heavenly Father, high and mighty King of kings and Lord of Lords, the only Ruler of princes, which dost from thy throne behold all the dwellers upon the earth, most hearty we beseech thee with thy favour to behold our most gracious sovereign Lord King Charles, and so replenish him with the grace of thy holy spirit, that he may always incline to thy will and walk in thy way: endue him plentifully with heavenly gifts; grant him in health and wealth long to live, strengthen him that he may vanquish and overcome all his enemies: and finally, after this life, he may attain everlasting joy and felicity, through Jesus Christ our Lord Amen.    


A prayer to the holy Trinity for the general estate of Christ's Church.  
O holy, blessed and glorious Trinity, three persons and one God, have mercy upon us; we beseech thee to hear us prosper & bless, preserve and keep the holy Catholic Church, dispersed over the face of the earth; and especially the Churches of England, Scotland and Ireland, the Kings most excellent Majesty, the Ministers of God's holy will and Sacraments, as well Archbishops as other pastors and Curates; the Kings most honourable Council, and the Nobility and Commons of this Realm, that they may live in true faith and zeal of their allegiance and humble obedience to the prince, and in christian love and charity one towards another, that from the highest to the lowest, both prince and people, may with one heart and mouth, in one truth, and in peace, unity and concord, confess, praise, and bless thee, God the Father unbegotten, God the Son only begotten, God the Holy Ghost the Comforter, an holy and inseparable Trinity, to thee the glory world without end. Amen.    
FINIS.