THE KING, And none under GOD, but the KING, Can Save this NATION. With a Welsh Prophecy (prophesied above a Thousand years ago) now Englished and Fulfilled to the Admiration of all that reads it. BY WILLIAM WILLIAMS, Gent. ECCLES. 8.4. Where the word of a KING is, there is Power, and who may say unto Him, What dost Thou? LONDON, Printed by Thomas Creak, 1660. The KING, and none under God, but the KING, Can save this NATION. BRethren it is not unknown unto you, how Abraham (the Father of all the faithful, Gen. 14.18, 19, 20. Heb. 7.4. honoured Melchisedec King of Salem, doing him homage and giving him tithes.) And how God in the conclusion of his promises to Abraham and Jacob, and having changed their names, Gen 17.6. Gen. 35.11. at last tells them that Kings should come out of their Loins, imitating that to be the chief and greatest of all his blessings to them. And if we consider the History of the Children of Israel, and look upon their different condition, when they had no King, and when they had a King, we shall find it so indeed: for Moses who under God, brought the Children of Israel out of Egypt, is called a King, Deut. 33.5. to show us that such a great work as that was, could not be done without a King; and under a single Person they Conquered the Land of Canaan; Read the book of joshua: but soon after joshua died, Israel will be a free State, (without King or Single Person) to do what is right in their own eyes, (they cast off God & his Law) they will have a pure liberty of Conscience to do what they list; and to serve what God they please, judg. 2.13, 14, 15. and some serves one false God, and some another: yea they were divided and devoted to serve seven Gods at once, judg. 10.6. yet the true God came not into their minds, until they are forced to cry unto him being sore oppressed (for want of a King of their own) by all the Kings round about them whose Gods they served; but the Lord hearing their cry, now and then giveth them a Deliverer to save them, judg. 2.17. yet after they obey him not, to serve the Lord. And when their Judge our Deliverer is dead, judg. 2.19. they return unto their folly free state again (not regarding God nor his Law) that they might do what is right in their own eyes: so that the true worship of God is not mentioned to have been in all the time of the book of judges: and all the reason given to show us, why? (the Children of Israel were so ungodly, unrighteous, and in such misery during that time) is because they had no King, judg. 17.6, 7. as you see, Micah sets up an Idol, judg. 18. the Danites rob him of it, the men of Gebeah like the Sodomites use the Levit and his Wife, judge 19 and this was their do when they had no King, judg. 2.14. the stronger destroys the weaker, and the Kings of the Nations round about them, judg. 6.2, 3, 4, 5, 6. destroy them, oppress them, judg. 5.6, 7, 8. drive them into holes, 1 Sam. 13.19, 20. takes all their Arms from them suffers them to have no Smiths among them, 1 Sam. 14.11, 22. so that when God is pleased to raise them a Deliverer or Judge to bring them into a little better condition, he having no other weapon, sometimes must overcome their enemies with an ox Goad, or the jaw bone of an Ass; and in such misery they continued (until the time of Samuel) four hundred and fifty years, judg. 3 31. judg. 15.16. Act. 14.20. and when they had a King, Saul by name, & though as bad as some count him, yet he delivered Israel from all their enemies: and did for the Children of Israel, (put all their actions together) more than all their Judges in 400. years had done, 1 Sam. 14.47, 48. We need not compare that time, to our present time, every one can apply it; and see that as the Israelites were delivered from Egypt, so we were delivered from Popery; and as they had a Law made for them to worship God, so we had a Law made for us to worship God; & as they cast off the true service of God, to serve Baal & Ashtaroth and all the Gods of the Nations, and were spoiled by them; so we cast off the true service of God, to serve Independents, Anabaptists, Levellers, Renters Quakers, with many more Sects, and were spoiled by them; we may see our own condition, by theirs, as a man seethe his face in a looking Glass: and we may conclude also with them, that all this is come upon us, because we have no King; and desire the Lord to give us a King. Doubtless the Gods of these Nations had as delightful, pleasing, deluding power to draw the corrupt nature of man to their service, as that power we see now hath to draw men to the Sectaries of our times: so that it was hard for Israel to live among them, and not to be deluded by them, and drawn away from the true God; therefore they were commanded to destroy their Altars, and utterly to consume both them and their worshippers, Deut. 7.1, 2, 5. Deut. 12.2, 3. judg. 2.2, 3. And now to the History again; Samuel had settled his Sons to be Judges in Israel, and they took bribes and perverted Judgement, 1 Sam. 8.5, 6, 7, 8. and because of that, all the Elders of Israel came to Samuel, and said unto him, behold, thou art old and thy Sons, walk not in thy ways: now make us a King to Judge us, like all the Nations, but the thing displeased Samuel: when they said give us a King to Judge us; and Samuel prayed unto the Lord, and the Lord said unto Samuel, harken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee; for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me that I should not Reign over them: according to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of the Land of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other Gods, so they do also unto thee 1 Sam. 10 18, 19 thus the Lord answered samuel's prayer: and he took it in this sense, that the people in rejecting him, rejected the Lord; and Samuel all along holds it forth, so making the people to be great sinners in ●●●ing a King; but the Elders of Israel took it in this sense, that as the people did formerly reject the Lord to be their God, and served other Gods, so now they do reject Samuel, and would have a King; for so the word of the Lord holds it forth, saying, they have forsaken me & served other Gods▪ so doth they also unto thee, 1 Sam. 8.8. and the Elders would not at all cross the good old man in his saying (who was now displeased,) but lets him have it, yet notwithstanding samuel's words they will have a King, and will stand firm for him, for all samuel's persuasion to the contrary; for Samuel tells them what the Lords answer to his Prayer was, 1 Sam. 8.10. and they see the mind of the Lord, and that Samuel being a little carried aside by self interest did not construe it right. And it is the nature of good men to confine God to their own assemblies, yea Governors have high conceits of themselves, as if God were not where but with them, witness that proud Motto upon our States Coin; God with us, the Commonwealth of England: it is true, Samuel was a mighty Prophet, but not without sin; his fault was Ely's fault, he loved his sons too much, so that he would not hear of their evil do. The whole book of Judges is a story of Israel's misery, for want of a King, Judg. 21.25. and it ends with a lamentation, thus, In those days there was no King in Israel, every man did what was right in his own eyes. These things were written for our example and learning; and truly we may very well say Amen to it; for we know it to be true by woeful experience, we had a King, and then were the happiest people in the world, and now we have no King, we are in a woeful condition at home, and in scorn and derision throughout the world; and could not our great Scripturians see this before now? No sure, the King's Lands, and Bishops Lands, with Deans and Chapters Lands stood in their eyes and made them blind, so that they could not see the truth, but now let Christ open your eyes. I know you would not be counted the sons of Belial, (or sons of the Devil, that is the meaning of it,) therefore see of what sort the sons of Belial are, 1 They are wicked Sodomites, Judg. 19.22. 2. They know not the Lord, 1 Sam. 2.21. 3 They are against Kingship. 1 Sam. 10.26.27. 4 They are very unruly, 2 Sam. 23.6.7. 5 They have neither bounty nor charity or Justice, but they would have all to themselves though they spew it up again, 1 Sam. 1.14.15.16. 1 Sam. 30.22.23.24.25. 6 They have no concord with Christ, 2 Cor. 6.15. 7 Of such Belials (that pretend holy things, but intent earthly things,) doth the Apostle speak. Rom. 16.17.18. Phil. 3.18.19. I say by these marks you may know whether ye are the sons of Belial or no, and if ye be and continue to be the sons of Belial, how ye are to expect sudden destruction. Phil. 3.18.19. 1 Thes. 5.3. & to confirm it with something that speaks to us in particular, I will show you a Welsh Prophecy, spoken above a thousand years ago by Taliesin, & Printed above two years ago, ●hen none could tell what it meant; but now every one may see it fulfilled, ye have it page 82. (of Mr. Pughe's book, called British and outlandish Prophecies) Thus as followeth Bid. S. Wyddeles' yn weddillion. Bid. Frwythig y fall, bid ball are saefon. Bid. M. Are grwydir wedi brwydar union. Bid. H. Yn rhychor ynghor eugylion. Bid. L. Ddigwyn a ddwyn gelynion. Bid. Naw yn osbarth are art anghifion. Arthur is a bear of Steel. Bid. Yno cymro yn Cymrud y Cloffion. In English. 1 Let S. The Irish be a reserve. 2 Let the Belial English be unsatisfied. 3 Let M. Be wand'ring after an union of distraction. 4 Let H. Be chief in the choir of Angels. 5 Let L. not regarded bring in Enemies. 6 Let 9 Control the unrighteous bear. Let The Welshman then take the lame. 1 That is the Scots Irish highlanders. 2 That is those who are against Kingship. 3 That is General Monck. 4 That is Sir Arthur Hasilrig. 5 That is Lambert now under foot. 6 That is the Nine Colonels Controls Sir Arthur Hesilrig. The Welshman is the Prince of Wales, who without doubt will come in suddenly: make your peace with him quickly, lest Lambert and those gallant old Colonels and Commanders laid aside by you, beat up your quarters for him: I promise you they want neither wisdom nor valour, and they will not want weapons, and Ox Goad or the jaw bone of an Ass in their hands will do more execution, than all your weapons; they are experienced Soldiers, and much beloved among your Soldiers, and by many in City and Country; therefore beware lest by your delay in Proclaiming the King, you bring it to another War and lose all. The people were divided in samuel's time (as now we are) some for the King, and some against the King: those that were for a King were so earnest, because God had touched their hearts to be so minded, as once he touched Lydias heart: but they who were against the King are called the Children of Belial, who said of Saul, how shall this man save us, and they despised him, 1 Sam. 10.26, 27. Act. 16.14. yet we see how under God, Saul first saved them from Nahash the Ammonite, and after that from the Israelites, who would have put them to death, because they despised King Saul, had he not stood up for them, 1 Sam. 11.11, 12, 13. so that these despisers were more beholding to Saul then all the rest of the people beside; and who knoweth O ye despisers of King Charles Stuart, whether it may not be your case, and that King Charles shall save you in like manner. But you will say we will have no King to save us, but King Jesus? I answer, do you think that Jesus was not the Saviour in those days, but he saveth by means, now as he did then; Saul was the means who gave the Glory to the Lord, 1 Sam 11.13. and before those days Jesus was the King and the Saviour, yet Moses was the means; for he was King in jeshurum, Deut. 33.5. or in the room of Jesus, Moses was deputy or Steward, as King Charles Stuart; now as for Steward it is a Prophetic Gospel word which hath the promise, Luk. 12.42, 43. therefore have a care that you despise him not, for he is Christ Jesus high Steward or Viceroy at this time. I have heard 15 years ago, that they had a sport or a way of dispute in Bedlam, which they called the hunting of the spirit; and they hunted it always until they came unto the word King, and then they could go no further; and I find since that many in England hath been a long time hunting the spirit: and now it is come to the word King, they must hunt no further; for the spirit now resteth on King Charles, as it rested on King Jesus 1630 years ago, joh. 1.23. I know those Bedlam men were inspired with no worse spirit than them are who all a long since, and now pretended to have much of the spirit, yet they hunt the true spirit of God; and that those Bedlams were forerunners of such Sectaries as we had since: but let them rest with the word King, as those Bedlams did, and go no further last they perish. This came providentially to me, and I thought good to cite it as an Argument among the rest, to bring those people which indeed I love, to leave their folly; and though it be a mean argument, yet I know those people look upon mean things to be of God, and most powerful to work great things in men's hearts, and so be it unto them. God indeed doth not seem to approve of a people that run from one Government to another who are never satisfied; therefore Samuel doth strongly argue, that the people of Israel who always (since they were a people) had been Governed by Judges, did evil in ask a King to govern them; and his main argument to convince them, was the showing them their descent and government under which God did own them, 1 Sam. 12.7, 8, 9, 12, 13. alas, what is that to our case, they had been then but 4 or 5 hundred years under Judges, Act. 13.20. we have been above 3000 years under Kings, in which time we received such signal signs of God's favour that none had the like: I say what would Samuel say (if he were present now) to see such a people that refuse their King, and would change their so ancient a government; truly I do believe he would be so displeased with them for it, that he would immediately call to God for Thunder and Fire from Heaven to destroy them from off the Earth, 1 Sam. 7.8, 9, 10. 1 Sam. 12.18. I never saw young King Charles but once in all my life, & then he was a Child, upon this occasion I saw him, when I came out of prison in the Lent time, 1638. I went to hear a Sermon at Whitehal, the Text was, Luke 19.41, 42, 43, 44. If thou hadst known, (even thou,) at least in this thy day, the things which belong to thy peace, but now they are hid from thine eyes. etc. And after the Sermon (which was very pertinent, touching the things which came to pass in England since that time,) a man came with Prince Charles in his Arms, and held him out over the Rales of the Gallary, for all the people to see him, to show them that he was under God, the only means of peace to them, and so I believed then, and do believe yet, that England cannot be happy without him, and now also the people are sensible of it. Therefore ye great ones, do not think, that the people value Parliaments so much, as their joy manifested of late, upon the news of a free Parliament, but that their hope is, they will bring in the King, otherwise they care not for Parliaments; the late King Charles gave them too much of that already, they know Parliaments by woeful experience to be hurtful to them; so that they do not desire to have Parliaments Reign over them any longer But now beware ye people (that desire the King) what men ye Choose to Sat this next ensuing Parliament; for if ye Choose any of them that have bought or sold the King, Bishops, Deans, and Chapters Lands, they will do you no good; therefore choose none of them nor any of their Friends, which you think will carry on their private ends and self-interest. FINIS.