against them for their own Equity, and the Execution of that Juftice which is committed to them. When a Prince fhall duly execute the righteous and known Laws of his Land, and fuffer for fo doing by his powerful and factious Subjects; when he fhall punish any of them for doing Evil, and thereby exaf perate them to take Revenge; when he fhall zealously maintain God's Worship and Service in the ftated and regular Way, and thereby incenfe the ignorant and wayward Multitude to rife against Government it felf as Superftition, and to pull down Kings as Idols; this is to be ftricken for Equity,for doing of that which is Juft and Right. And it is a most provoking Crime in the Sight of God; for it is no less than Rebellion against him. For as refifting and wronging an inferior Officer, commiffion'd by the King, is virtually and interpretatively the fame Dif obedience, as if it were done against the King in Perfon; fo likewife to refift and, injure Kings and Supreme Magiftrates in the Execution of their righteous Laws, is virtually the fame Affront, as if we rofe up against God,and ftruck immediately at him; for they receive their Commiffion from him, and are his Viceroys and Vicegerents on Earth.

Cc 2

Now

Now though this Senfe of the Words carries in it a great Truth, yet I do not think it the most proper Import of them in this Place; and that because this is the very fame with punishing the Just, from which striking of Princes for Equity, seems to be made diftinct.

Secondly, Therefore ftriking of Princes for Equity, may be understood of ftriking them for their Subjects Equity; that is, it is a great Iniquity to ftrike Princes upon any Pretences of Equity and Justice in fo doing. Never yet was there any Infurrection against the lawful Magiftrate, but what was prefaced with glorious Pretences the Honour of God, the Liberty of the Subject, a due Freedom for tender Confciences, the thorough Reformation of Abuses in Church and State, the Eftablishing of the Ordinances of Jefus Chrift in Power and Purity, which indeed are all of them as excellent Things as any Design of Man can reach, and we can never too much profecute them, while we do it in a lawful and allowed Manner. But what! must we therefore level Kings and Kingdoms to the Ground, and caft down, by Right or Wrong, whatsoever we fancy ftands in our Way to these bleffed Ends? No; God forbid. For tho' our End may be Equity and Truth, and

Justice,

Juftice, and Holiness, yet it is Iniquity to, Strike Princes for Equity. A good Purpose can never juftify a wicked Action; and God abhors that our Sins fhould be made the Means of his Glory: Yet certainly there is no one Topick that doth more prevail upon weak Minds, than this. Perfwade them once to believe, that they are like to be wronged in the dearest of all their Concerns, their Religion, or their Property; that Popery will overthrow the one, and Arbitrary Government the other; and there needs no other Ferment to make them work over into Sedition and Tumults, to fhake, and, if they can, overthrow the Establish'd Government, which indeed is the surest Defence against both.

Arbitrary Government is, in Truth, a hard Word, and a much harder Thing: And I am verily perfwaded, that many Men have learn'd to speak it by rote, who understand nothing at all what it fignifies; and it may mean Claffical, or Synodal, for ought they know, and I am fure with much better Corresponderice than as they usually apply it. In short, Arbitrary Government is a Government managed by the fole Will and Pleasure of the Ruler, without the Direction and Prefcript of Laws. But have they any Reafon to fear this? Was there ever any Cc 3 Prince,

Prince, that in all his publick Transactions, hath kept himself more precifely to the Rules of the establish'd and known Laws, than ours hath done? Hath he ever fought, by Force and Violence, to push on his Designs, or to redress those intolerable Affronts and Injuries that have been done him by fome of his petulent Subjects, by any other Means than Recourfe to the Laws? Yea, and in those juft and mild Proceedings, he hath met with fuch hard and perverfe Measures, that he had Reafon to complain, (as 'tis faid he once did) That none within his Dominions were denied Juftice, but himself. So that this Pretence of Arbitrary Power, and Arbitrary Government, is nothing but a Bugbear, invented to fright the People first from their Wits, and then from their Allegiance. And let me add, that of all Men in the World, thofe who by fuch wicked Arts, and bloody Enterprizes, fought the Subverfion of the Government, ought least of all to have objected this: For as their vile Attempts were utterly against Law; fo, had they fucceeded in them, no doubt their Sway, and Management of their ufurped Power, would have been moft arbitrary, and fquared by no other Law than their own Will and Pleasure.

And

And for the Coming in of Popery, I muft confefs, I dread it as much as they, and, I think, upon better Grounds: For I not only know the reftlefs Industry, the crafty Artifices, the formidable Power and Interest of that Antichriftian Party, who have with the greatest Application endeavoured, in one continued Series, to reduce that rotten Religion again into these Nations, ever fince it was first expell'd out of them; but that which gives me the most troublesome Apprehenfion is, the Helping-hand which thofe lend to bring it back again, who yet feem to cry out loudeft, That it is coming in. Are thefe Men fit to keep out Popery, who do what they can by their Factions, Schifms, Seditions and Confpiracies, to make Proteftantifm odious? And act fo as if it were their Defign to demonftrate to the World, that we must be either Papists, or Rebels? Nay, as if it were their Defign to baffle all Popish Plots, and deteftable Treasons, by ftriving to outdo them? What shall I fay? It is a Lamentation, and it thall be for a Lamentation, that thefe Men who pretend to be at the greatest Distance from Popery, and who are ready to call all others Papifts but themfelves; yet do their Work for them more. effectually than all the Emiffaries of Cc 4 Rome,