World, is also lawful; and whatever is lawful, may be lawfully managed by my self, or any other good Christian. St. John the Baptist, the Forerunner of our Saviour, when the Publicans and Soldiers came to ask him what they should do, doth not bid them lay down their employments, as either unlawful, unfit, or unsafe, but gives them good and useful Rules, fitted to their several cases, but suffers them still to continue in their employments: And yet those two employments seem as much to expose Men to temptations, and to have as much to be said against them, as any. And we find the Apostles, and particularly St. Paul in his Epistles, to give advice to Persons of all kind of conditions, and to prescribe Rules concerning the carriage and behaviour of Husbands and Wives, Parents and Children, Masters and Servants, Magistrates and People in Church and State, and both Superior and Inferior; which is to me an undeniable argument, that in every one of these Relations, one may live as becomes a good Christian.

And particularly as to Government and Magistracy, I am so far from thinking it unlawful, that I esteem it necessary, and look on it as one of the most Sacred things in the World; for it is of God's appointment, and on the maintaining of which, the good of Mankind doth much depend.

And

And of all kinds of Government I like Monarchy, it being a resemblance of the highest, and the best fitted for preventing Factions and Divisions, and for the more regular administration of affairs, and seems naturally to derive itself from Paternal Authority or the power of Fathers over their Children; every Father of a Family, or Patriarch of old time, as Adam, Seth, Noah, Shem, Abram, Jacob, being a kind of king over their Children and Grand-Children; and so the Name of Father is thought at length to have been changed into that of King, for so we find Kings in Scripture frequently called Fathers; and they are always supposed to have that same care and tenderness over their People, as a Fa⠀ ther hath for his Children and Family; and accordingly, may justly challenge the same kind of hearty love and service, and obedience from them.

And especially in this Country, I hold myself bound, as far as I can, to support and maintain the Monarchy, in all the just and ancient Rights of it: For it is the form of Government that hath been always established and in use here, and is in the frame of our Laws and Constitu tions so constantly respected, that it is a dreadful danger, as well as sin, to endeavour any change or alteration of Government. And if there be any right on earth, surely Monarchy

hath

hath right with us, and hath at least as good a title to all its Powers, Rights and Privileges, as any of its Subjects can have to their Honours, Properties and Estates. And I think myself bound to do what I can, to maintain this Monarchy, in its true Line and Succession; the Monarchy, of England being always esteemed as truly an Hereditary and Successive a Monarchy as any in the world; the Crown descending from Fathers to Children, whether Males or Females, not liable to be disposed, alienated, or sold, nor depending on any election or choice of the People; and according to this method, our present King enjoys the Crown, who hathi, as I believe, the truest and most ancient right to his Crowns that any King in the known parts of the World hath: For though the Succession hath had sometimes interruptions, and the Crown hath been violently seized on, yet still the right to Succession was then generally owned, and the interruptions were afterwards censured as Usurpations; and whatever.irregularities there were sometimes for a while, yet at last the stream did return into its true channel, and the Monarchy became so settled by the good providence of God, that as far as History can inform us, our present King is Heir both of the Saxon, Norman and Scottish Lines. And our Kings being both by the Laws of God, and also

by

by the Laws of our Land, supposed to look on themselves towards their Subjects, not as Masters towards their Slaves, but as Parents towards their Children, and to deal with them accordingly. I take care therefore, also to pay him the same kind of true filial obedience, service and submission, as to a Parent, to Pray for him, and wish him well, to be tender of his Honour, and careful of his Good, neither to wrong him my self, nor suffer others to wrong him, as far as is in my power, to look on him as one set over us by God for good, and to respect him Conscientiously on this account: And this I look on as a better foundation for true Loyalty and Obedience, than fear. For that Prince that only designs to terrify his Subjects and keep them in awe, hath but a very uncertain hold of his People.

And as thus Government is necessary in the world, and Monarchy is lawfully established among us, so for a man to have a share of this Government, and to be subservient to the Monarchy, is not only lawful, but for him to discharge it well, it is exceeding commendable; he thereby will purchase a blessing to himself from God, and be a publick blessing to the World. And I am not ashamed of the meanness of my place and rank whatever it is; for in every Government or Body of men that live together

together, there must needs be a great variety of Employments, some higher, some lower, some more, some less honourable; yet the meanest, if honest, are both useful for the good of the whole, and may be lawfully managed by a Christian. And though I will not thrust my self into another man's office and business, that being the certain cause of disorder and confusion, nor am I very forward to solicit or sue for any publick employment, for I consider the weight and moment of it, for which I must give an account both to God and the Publick, and it is possible that by my having this place I may exclude another that will manage it better: yet when I am lawfully called or appointed to any place, I refuse it not, knowing that some body must have all these places, and though I am not so sure of my own abilities, yet I am as sure of my own integrity and desire to do good, as any can be; and I am sensible that integrity goes a great way towards the discharge of my trust: but I do not by reason of trouble or charge, avoid any office even in my own Parish; for by every one of these I serve God and my Neighbours, the Church and State, and a little pains or money laid out in so good a cause, is a great gain. If the place that I have, be honorable or beneficial, I look not so much at the profit or honour of it, as at the trust reposed in