THe Infinite Eternal Being, the onely True and Living GOD (who formed thee in thy Mothers womb, and breathed into thee the breath of life) Lo he is near thee, his piercing Witneſs is within thee, his All-ſeeing Eye beholds thee, he ſearches thy heart, and tries thy reins, the depths of thy Counſels are diſcovered to him; O King! Fear and dread before him. The Lord God Omnipotent, who ruleth in the Kingdoms of men, and diſpoſeth of them as he pleaſeth, hath exerciſed thee with various viciſſitudes, and ſuffered thee to be a man of ſorrows; he hath led thee through many ſtraits, that in thy proſperity thou ſhouldſt remember him, and bow unto him: he hath caſt thee down, and he hath raiſed thee up, and now wonderfully ſet thee upon thy Fathers Throne, even to the amazement of the people; give him the glory of all. Now thou art chief Ruler of a numerous Nation, a wiſe and knowing people are thy Subjects, O that Solomon's requeſt unto his God were thine, that thou mightſt rightly go in and out before this people. Then ſhould divine Wiſdom be thy Diadem, and thou ſhouldſt be a bleſſing to the people.
And now that the Lord hath dealt thus bountifully with thee, Come let us Reaſon together, and expoſtulate a little what may be for thy good, and what the God of thy life requireth of thee: For know this, O King, that in thy Life and Government conſiſts thy preſent, future and eternal happineſs. I have ſeen, I have ſeen the place thou ſtands on to be ſlippery ground, and the need thou haſt of Divine ſupportment; for what thy own infirmities, and the iniquities of the people thou leaneſt to (whoſe delight is not in the Law of the living God) thy condition certainly is very ſad, and to be lamented by all that love thee. Was it the mind of the Lord in this laſt overturning and change of Government onely to advance an Outward Monarchy, or an earthly Kingdom? to re-edifie the Towers of Babel? to beautifie an adulterated Harlot, and renounce his Spouſe? to crown Babylon and her Merchants, and leave Sion and her children in the duſt? Or hath the Lord any pleaſure in the fleſh-pots of Egypt? or can he have fellowſhip with the unfruitful works of darkneſs? or will he lend his ear to the yelling noiſe of the wicked? Art thou altogether ignorant of the wonderful things which the Lord will do? Can he forſake his Sion? can he delight himſelf in Babylon? or thinkeſt thou he hath forgotten to be gracious to his people? He cannot forget his Own, his Seed is ſure to be remembred by him, and the Kings of the earth muſt bow before him.
There is a people that are near unto thee, and enjoy a liberal ſhare of thy natural affections; but, O King! their hearts are not right before the Lord, nor are ſome of them faithful in their love to thee. By their fruits thou ſhalt know them, if they creep into places of honour, profit, and preferment to themſelves, if they hunt after the Earth, and mind earthly things, they are of Eſau's generation. Beware of them, for they will ſooner enrich themſelves in thy Ruine, then either ſerve thee or their generation faithfully. There are others alſo, who with their tongues extol thee, but the guile of their hearts, and the burning heat in their breaſts diſhonour thee; Rancour and malice remain unmortified, and they take conuſel together for the blood of the innocent. Theſe men know not how to forgive an enemy: O King! be wiſe, and let not ſuch have too much influence upon thee. Another ſort there is that are of Haman's nature; couldſt thou give every individual of them to the half of thy Kingdom, yet while Mordecai ſits in the gate, and bows not to that exalted ſpirit, all would not avail them; Ammon and Amaleck will joyn hand in hand to incenſe the King againſt the innocent; and if poſſible, through their miſ-reports and importunity obtain a Decree from Caeſar for the Baniſhment or Deſtruction of that People. Theſe men with their Dulce Venenum will indanger thee; and if thou giveſt thy power unto them, will unavoidably be thy Ruine; Therefore hear O King! and deſpiſe not good counſel.
Give not the choiſeſt Jewel in thy Crown to ſuch unworthy Counſellors, but ſtay thy mind upon the Royal Law written in thy Heart* Obſequium amicos, Veritas odium parit. with the finger of the living God; let thy delight be to read and meditate on that golden Book day and night. Make that invaluable Jewel of my God placed in thy ſoul, the Line or Rule of thy life, and that will make thy Life happy, and thy Reign glorious. Tis the ſpring of Divine Wiſdom; Drink thy fill, O King, at that celeſtial Fountain; drink, I ſay, abundantly thereat, thou canſt never draw it dry. O that thy heart were refreſhed with the ſtreams of eternal life that flows from it.
And now the remaining part of my meſſage to thee, is that which the righteous God expecteth from thee.
Dwell, O King, in that noble Principle which leads to Mercy and Moderation. Lean no longer upon the Reeds of Aegypt, nor ttuſt no more to the inchantments of her Magicians; but let them know thou dwel'ſt in that wiſdom which is above them, and haſt now learn'd to forgive an Enemy: O King I counſel thee, be drawn no further into Blood; but make them Quondams I require thee, that ſhall wilfully perſiſt to miniſter any Woolviſh Counſel to thee; Drink no more of their bitter Waters. Be cloathed with the Royal Robe of Clemency, and count it thy honor to be affectionately kind to the Kingdom, to paſs by injuries, and forgive wrongs; For to ſhew mercy is better than to be dyed in blood, and would ſooner inthrone thee in the affections of the people, than outward force or violence; and count them not thy friends that counſels thee to the contrary.
And as for Religion, This the righteous God requireth of thee: Live in that which is pure and undefiled, and keep within thy Sphere: Force not any to an outward Form; for Conſcience is Chriſts Throne, and if thou ſeek'ſt to Lord it there, or ſuffer others ſo to do, thou art an Uſurper, and Sions King will plead his Controverſie with thee, and make War againſt thee, and be to hard ſor thee. Therefore O King, let the Seed of God go free, and be no longer oppreſſed by the Egyptian Taskmaſters: Take not that Authority upon thee, which Chriſt the Son of God never gave unto thee, nor no power; But let every man worſhip his God as he is perſwaded in his conſcience; for what is not of faith is ſin, and faith is the gift of God. Wouldſt thou, O King, be forced to any form againſt thy Conſcience? Surely not. Then do not thou offer to uſe force againſt the People, but let equal liberty herein be given to all people, I require it of thee in the Name of the Living God, as their proper right and priviledge, and as thou expects his bleſſing in this world, and in the world to come. And roll away the ſtone of reproach from this Engliſh Nation, which long hath been a profeſſing People; I ſay remove and take away all force and compulſion about Religion, and down with Tythes and all forced maintenance of any Miniſtry. Ah how many of the dear children of God are now in Bonds, and have been long in ſeveral Goals of this Nation, and ſome have there ended their daies for conſcience ſake, becauſe they cannot ſatisfie a greedy, devouring Antichriſtian Miniſtry. Shall not, and hath not the righteous God viſited for theſe things. O let the innocent ſufferings of the righteous Seed come before thee, let the cry of the oppreſſed pierce through thee, and enter into thy bowels, that thy heart may be filled with compaſſion towards them, and the Priſon-doors by thee may be opened for them, and for all that ſuffer for Righteouſneſs ſake: This is a work would make thee glorious, and happy were Englands King, would he thus favour Gods people. But if thou ſtill wilt ſtop thy ears to good counſel, and give away thy power to the Prelates who will perſecute; and if thou wilt ſtrengthen the hands of the Uncircumciſed Philiſtines; if thou wilt make covenant with Death, and let thy little fingers prove heavier than the Ioins of thy Predeceſſors, and ſeek to baniſh Truth out of thy Coaſts, and utterly ſubvert the Royal Seed;
Then know this, O King; The righteous God who ſet thee upon the Throne, will pluck thee down; He will overthrow on the right hand, and on the left, until Sions enemies be confounded. He wil take the Kingdom from thee; He will overturn thy Mountain, and lay thine honor in the Duſt, and work deliverance for his people in a way which yet thou ſeeſt not, and then ſhalt thou know the words of truth are ſpoken by me,
NEver had King of England more precious Warnings from the life of God, than God hath given unto Thee: Oh King! what ſhall I ſay unto Thee? Wilt thou ſtill caſt all his councels behind Thee? O that Thou wouldſt anſwer his Love unto Thee, by thy Life and Government, in Mercy, Truth, and Righteouſneſs; Let not Truth be deſpiſed by Thee, becauſe by the world 'tis miſ-reported to Thee; The world loves its own. 'Tis onely TRUTH that is truly honourable; and Virtue is theVirtus eſt vera Nobilitas. true Nobility. Truth is invincible; the more men ſeek to ſuppreſs it, the more it grows; the Gates of Hell cannot prevail againſt it; nor can all the ſtrength of Egypt daunt or overcome it. Truth is ſtronger than All; and that is a Meaſure of it which in thy Conſcience bears its Teſtimony againſt all Iniquity. All that ſtrive againſt it (the Truth) ſhall be broken by it. Therefore O King, keep friendſhip with it, and conſent Thou not to any unrighteous Decree againſt it; Nor ſay not within thy ſelf, This Cover ſhall excuſe Me, My Peers, My Prelates, or my Parliament ſo counſel'd and perſwaded Me; for the guilt will ſtick upon Thee; but in time be awaken'd, and let the Ruines of others who are gone before Thee, who once in ſtrength were equal with Thee, be a Warning to thee; for of a truth Our God is no reſpecter of perſons; If thou doeſt well, ſhalt Thou not be accepted? But if thou wilt not own Gods light in thy Conſcience, and by it be guided, nor remove Oppreſſion and oppreſſing Laws, nor ſet up Judges as at the beginning, men fearing God, and hating Covetouſneſs, but wilt make war againſt the Lamb, and ſuffer thy ſelf to be enſnared and ſeduced by the deceitful Generation; then know aſſuredly, 'Tis in vain for Thee to ſtrive againſt Thy Maker, God will be juſtified when he pleads his Controverſie with Thee in the day of thy Calamity, which will aſſuredly come upon Thee, if in the Light Thou believeſt not. Wherefore O King be wiſe, and remember Thou art once more warned.
LONDON, Printed for Robert Wilſon, at the Black-ſpread-Eagle and Wind-mill, in Martins Le Grand, 1660.
(EEBO-TCP ; phase 2, no. A89636)
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