THE PUBLIQVE CONFIDER  
Printed at OXFORD by Leonard L●●chfield, MDCXLIII.   

THE CONFIDER  
THe distempers, distractions jealousies, lawful and unlawful wars of these present times, unhappily fall'n, stirred up, and fomented by some, under specious, but unjust pretences, are the only motives to write on this present Subject. The word is Confido, and it signifies to trust, or to put his trust in.  
From these premises the inference that I deduc● is this; let every soul be subject to the higher power, for all power is of God: They are not my words, but the assertion of the great Doctor of the Gentiles, Saint Paul in his 13. Chap. Rom. 1. wherein there are two things considerable, a precept in the first words, and the reason enforcing it in the latter; for all power is of God. There's a threefold power, Monarchical, Aristocratical, and democratical All these are of God, and there's none that is, but is derived from him. The first is the power of the Prince, the second of the Peers, and the third of the people, or the house of Commons a All these must be obeyed, because all power is of God; yet under correction, give me leave to hold this position, that the first of these being Supremest, ought 〈◊〉 the prime place to be obeyed.  
Divisum Imperium cum jove Cesar habet; our ●esar is Superior to all, and Inferior to none ●ne to God himself, the Lord of Lords, and King of Kings. There is a kind of Divinity in the word Monarchy, Vno minor est jove, the King is a Sovereign Monarch, and being but one, he is next to God: per me Reges regnant, 'tis God's privilege, and let not us deny his Vicegerent his prerogative. The King's power is conferred upon him by the supreme power, the power of all powers; and therefore must every soul be subject to it (and then we confide,) I say every soul, 'tis of a vast extent and capacity, none is exempted, it being a term of universality.  
The Church of Rome doth except the Clergy, ●●●●●●ing that every soul of the Laity ought to be subject, and here we may not confide; but the Church of England is of a better opinion, holding according to the tenant of Saint Paul, that every soul ought to be subject, for he is no good subject who is not subject to the King; and here you aught ●●d will I hope confide.  
The duty that every subject owes to his Sovereign is threefold; honour, subjection, and obedience.  
First, honour him in your thoughts; ye must not conjecture ill of his Majesty; he that think ill of the King, said the wisest, King Solomon, of mortal 〈◊〉, of immortal memory (shall not go unpu●●●●ed.)  
Secondly, honour him with your tongue in giving him his just and due title and stile, defender of the true ancient Catholic and Apostolic 〈◊〉 in all causes, and over all persons, as well Ecelesiast call as civil, next under God's Sacred Majesty; supreme head and governor, ye must speak well of him, and for him; for who shall say unto the King, what dost thou, as you have it in the 8. of the Ecelesiast, and 4. ver.  
Thirdly, honour him with your hand, I mean with the homage of tribute, with your means and substance, if he be King (though he come to the Crown by inheritance, by election, by donation, or by the law of the sword) we must be subject, and obey him; whatsoever he commands, if it be not contrary to the sacred Word of God, we must yield obedience to, for the wrath of a King is as messengers of death, Prov. the 16. and 14. and in the 22. & ●. he that provoketh him unto anger sinneth against his own soul.  
O remember eternity, eternity, I say eternity, and then you will yield a double obedience, active, and passive, in doing and in suffering, though he should command what is against the law of the Land: we must by no means rebel, for rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, what we cannot perform with obedience, we must be content to suffer with patience; but thanks be to God, we have no such King, that requires of us any obedience against the will of God, his will and promise is to rule us according to the known and Fundamental Laws of the Land, he is our dearest parent, and we are bound by the Law of God to honour and obey him, though he be not 〈◊〉 luminum, the Father of lights, nor Pater Spi●●●●, the Father of Spirits (for these two are Gods ●●●●tles) yet he is Paterpatria, the Father of his ●●●●●rey, and the nursing Father and fosterer of this Church and State. But good God into what ●●●entable times are we now fulaie; out of Silla into ●●●●…bdes, from a high borne storm, not confide●ing of a calm, to an unmoved rock, or an uncontent sand; though we ought to obey him, depend 〈◊〉 him, believe him, honour him, and be subject to 〈◊〉, yet (such is our wretched diffidence and incredulity) we will by no means confide in him; we 〈◊〉 so full of fears and jealousies upon mere fan●●●● and apprehensions, general and uncertain ●ounds, that we cannot confide in him; rather than we will take his word, we levy forces pretended for 〈◊〉, and are so strong in our weaknesses, that we are ●●●y enemies to our own peace (is this to confide, 〈◊〉 the word take its birth where it will, here it is ●●●ative) this in the period will make us ludibrium ●●●●ium, the laughing stock of the Nations, a prey ●●●our adversaties, a ruin to ourselves, and an obloquy to those about us.  
His Majesty hath vowed and protested to God ●●d the world, that he intent, to maintain the true ●●●●…ant Religion, the ancient Laws of the Land, 〈◊〉 liberty and property of the Subject, with the 〈◊〉 privileges of the Parliament, and shall we not confided in him? so gracious wa● 〈…〉 the ●●gi●●ing of this Parliament, 〈…〉 to put himself freely and clearly upon the love and affection of his English subjects, you not withstanding invite him by your levies to do otherwise 〈◊〉 I trust in God there (will be no need) you have been told so, and if your consciences be not secured there is tel-troth too he at first confided in us, and shall not we confide in him; the words of a king are like himself sincere, and shall we not take his word? he hath said (and I dare say) from his heart, so God deal with him and his, as he intends to do with his people: will not all these expressions move us to confide in him? If an ordinary mechanic should profess so much unto us we might not stick to take his word, much less may we make it a scruple to take the word of a King. Certainly that his absenting himself so long from his great Council (the Parliament) hath produced such a civil, or rather uncivil war at this time in the Kingdom, hath been more suitable to other men's evil desires then to the Kings own words. 'Tis a maxim in the Law, that the King can do no wrong; but if any ill be committed in matter of the State, the Council, if in matter of justice, the judges must answer for it, so much of knowledge I have of that unknowing and unknown vindicator of the Parliament) his Majesty hath declared himself; that be will make the law of the land the rule of his power; he abhors that saying, voluntas Regi●, lex populi, the will of the Prince the law of his people; and for all this will we not confide in him, we will confide in our servant that must obey us, and yet we will not confide in our S●●eraigne that can command us: but it may be ●●●e will say how can he command us, when as we ●●●●e his service. I answer that iwobedientia sub di●●●●● 〈◊〉 tollit jus dominationis; The disobedience 〈◊〉 subjects takes, not away the right of the Sove●●●●●e; and therefore if there were no other reason 〈◊〉 the relation of King and subject, it were suffici●●●●o persuade us, but there are many more; for 〈◊〉 King is pious, gracious, prudent, just, valiant, ●●●erate, element, merciful, he never delighted 〈…〉, nor was he ever ready to shed blood, but oddities willing to show his innate mercy and say it, he desires peace and to that end hath sent many gr●●●ieus messnages to his two honourable houses of Parliament, that he might prevent the effusion of in●●cent blood, had he loved the contrary, where 〈◊〉 the Parliament's being, or all the gracious a●● he passed there, & yet we are not content, what v●●●d we, his Crown, our ruin let us be modest 〈◊〉 take heed, for that will cursh us to the centre of 〈◊〉 ●arth, which some hold to be the place of Lucifer for his pride) as being farthest from heaven.  
〈◊〉 was his father's motto, beati pacifici, blessed are th● peace makers; and in my heart I am persuaded th● our Sovereign his Son doth not in this legene●● from his Royal Progenetor.  
For our parts, let it be our care and duty to pray 〈◊〉 God that we may seek pe●ce and ensue it, Psal. 34.13. and that our Royal King and his Parliament may confide in each other, that there may ●●●o more bloodshed in this his Kingdom, but that a happy and blessed union may be drawn between them: and let us be confident (for o●●● couragement) that if we pray in faith, G●● grant our requests. Let us therefore (in the 〈◊〉 and fear of God) pray for peace to the God of peace; (not with much babbling as though our ●●●ers cost us nought, not yet with powdering 〈◊〉 guns, and then gorging ourselves like Cannibals) that he would be pleased to settle peace in this ●●●ding and distressed Kingdom, that so we may 〈◊〉 the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, that the two great armies now in the field may be speedily disbanded, and that upon this wished for pacification, his Majesty may return again to his high and honourable Court of Parliament, with the Olive branch of peace in his mouth, to the glory of God, the comfort of his people, and terror of all his enemies.  
Me thinks I hear you inquire for the Author and his name, I'll tell you, 'tis one that prefers 〈◊〉 good of his King and Country before his own safety, his abode the King's Army, his name I. S.  
Generesos.