WHereas it hath beene and is a great question a­bout a Prerogative Royall, and the liberties thereof by Papists, Atheists, Newters, or men of no religion, that seeke after preferment and authority by cogging flattering and ly­ing and not by christian upright dealing, and thereby do abuse the King our Soveraigne, pulling and stretch­ing out his prerogative untill it bee rejected of all true sub­jects, and doe not onely abuse the King under pretence of his Prerogative Royall, but doe thereby falsifie the truth of it, for they do describe the Kings Prerogative in this manner saying:

That his Majesty may by his Prerogative, command the goods, the Chattells, and the lives of any his subjects inhabi­ting within his kingdome and dominions, and that is false which you shall see anon.

Now seeing that Antichrist his brood can make bold to describe a Prerogative Royall in a false maner to set the king and his subjects at variance, I do thinke it not onely neces­sarie but also of necessity for a christian subject to describe the truth of a Prerogative Royall, thereby to set peace betweene the king and his subjects, so farre forth as it shall please God to give his blessing thereunto.

And now to the matter what the Kings Prerogative is, as namely that the King is subject to none but to God.

So that he may have command of the subjects whatsoever things necessary and necessitie doth require, so farre forth as the truth of his Prerogative doth extend.

Object. Then the King may command or require whatsoe­ver the malignant party aforesaid hath spoken of before.

Answ. No, for as the King is subject to none but to God, so he is subject onely to God alone, and for to give an account unto God for all his workes whether good or evill, so that the [Page] office of a King as it is the greatest dignitie and honour in all the world, so it is a heavie burden being well considered and flatterers, inchanters or spirituall witches, will make it more heavie, if God in his mercie do not defend him from those wicked fiends.

But the truth is a Prerogative Royall doth stand upon three points, or architects: that is to say foundation, supportation, and obligation, even so doth the Prerogative Royall stand up­on the foundation of truth, supportation of judgement, obli­gation or bond of righteousnesse: now if any of these three points be wanting, in architect the building cannot stand.

Even so likewise in a Prerogative Royall it stands as afore­said, upon these three points, but after a mysticall manner, as first, the foundation of truth, secondly the suportation of judge­ment, and thirdly the bond of righteousnesse.

And these three points hath God commanded the Kings Pre­rogative to stand upon, as first in the booke of Deuteronomie, the 17. chap. the 18.19. and 20. verses: Giving us to under­stand that Kings must be godly, and religious, whose affecti­ons must bee still to obey the truth, the will, and the word of God, wherby he may be a discerner of truth from falshood; and and not to be carried away with every winde of false doctrine, as many Kings are.

The second point that the Prerogative is upholden by, is judgement, for if a man have never so good foundation in the truth, yet if he have no judgement to support the truth aright, whereby doth proceed matter of true faith, as good not know the truth, for without truth it is impossible to please God: even so the Kings prerogative must have judgement to uphold the truth, for he that hath not true judgement is sub­ject to many errors and falls into heresies and is alwaies apt and ready to be deluded, and miserably deteined.

The third point upon which a good building doth consist, is Peace, Obligation, and a sound Band; for in Architect the foundation, the supportation, being never so firme to shew, yet if it have not good Band to hold it outward to­gether, it will soone fall, and be ruinated.

Even so stands the case of a Prerogative Royall if it [Page] have not truth, and having truth, hath not judgement, and having judgement, have not the bond of Righteousnesse, it can be no Prerogative Royall, for God hath commanded in the 22. of Jeremy, the 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. verses.

So here, we vulgar sort of people may see upon what ground the Kings Prerogative doth stand, as namely, upon Truth, Judgement, and Righteousnesse, so as Truth and Judge­ment doe teach matter of Faith, so Judgements and Righteousnesse doe teach manners of life and conversation.

So that here we may learne and observe, that as it is the duty of all Kings from God to raigne, to rule, to governe and command (in their severall Kingdomes, and Dominions) all the subjects according to the Prerogative afore mentioned.

So it is the duty of every subject from God faithfully to o­bey his Soveraigne Lord the King, according to the same Prerogative, as in Truth, Judgement, and Righteousnesse, and this in the performance of this duty, will make a good accommodation and reconciliation between King and Peo­ple, Soveraigne and Subject.

As in Joshua the first Chapter 16. and 17. verses, And they answered Joshua, saying, All that thou hast commanded us will we doe, and whithersover thou sendest us will we goe, as we obeyed Moses in all things, so will we obey thee, onely the Lord thy God be with thee, as he was with Moses: Whosoever shall rebell against thy Commandements, and will not obey thy words, in all that thou com­mandest him, let him be put to death, only be strong and of a good courage.

Object. Then the King may command what he please.

Answer. As Moses and Joshua did receive Gods will by immediate meanes; so the King and his People must receive the will of God by immediate meanes, as namely, from the written word of God.

This being so, it is a maxime inviolable, the use that wee are to make is this, that it doe not onely reprove, but also condemne those that doe abuse and falsifie the Kings Pre­rogative, saying, and holding that the King may command by his Prerogative the lives, lands and goods and chattells of a­ny subject or subjects, when or wheresoever he pleaseth, [Page] and so consequently doe make of a good King a witty ty­rant, not onely in matters of faith, but also in manners of life, wherein doe consist the mark of true Christianity.

And those miserable wretches being crost in their wicked designes, have laboured by all meanes possible to make va­riance betweene the King and his Parliament, and so by this consequence they raise a breach between the King and this Kingdome, by their inchanting spirituall witchery, flattering and dissembling, and so seducing the King under pretence of honesty and plaine dealing, when there is no such matter, but only meere deceit, and all for their owne ends.

But be they what they will be, so long as they continue in those wicked courses and practises, that make themselves in­struments and slaves to their master the Divell, and he will one day pay them their wages to their utter shame and con­fusion of soule and body for evermore, except God in his mercy doe give them grace to repent.

The second Use is to advise them to pray unto God that he will be mercifull unto them, to open the eyes of their un­derstanding, and to give them a cleare sight and feeling of their sins, that they may not be blinded in them through de­light or custome, as reprobates are: But that they may bee weary of them, much grieved for them, if the Lord of his mercy touch their hearts with true repentance, that they bee inwardly sory for all sins, not to take any delight or pleasure in any [...]in, but that they turne to the Lord with all their heart, and seeke him while he may be found, and call upon him when he is neare, and whiles he offereth grace and mer­cie unto them before it be too late.

Furthermore, seeing the King is subject to none but to God; then here is a duty for all Christian Subjects to entreat the Lord by dayly prayer so to sanctifie and direct our Kings heart, that he may raigne, rule, and governe us according to his blessed and sacred will revealed in his word, that is to say, in Truth, Iudgement, and Righteousnesse, and that God would vouchsafe to enrich his royall heart with the manifold graces of his holy Spirit, that he may be an advancement to his glory and comfort to his Church, and a terror to his ene­mies, [Page] keeping from treason and treacheriet at home and a­broad, and especially from the conspiracie of Romanists, and from seducing deluding flatterers, giving him to see what be­longs to his peace, and give him a heart earnestly bent to set up the practice of the same; give him all grace necessary for his place, and necessary for his owne salvation, continue his government peaceably and prosperously amongst us, and as thou hast made him the breath of our nostrills, and a graci­ous instrument for the saving of many thousand soules: So O Lord, let his owne soule be saved in the day that thy Sonne Jesus Christ shall appeare, and grant deare Father that wee his subjects may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godli­nesse and honesty; and now O Lord, we beseech the streng­then his Majesty, and sanctifie his royall affection, that he may imitate thy good servant King David in the reformation of his house, from the nearest to the furthest, the highest to the lowest: fix his eyes O Lord, upon the faithfull of the land, that they may dwell with him, Psal. 101. and to have respect to those that walke in the perfect way to serve him, and give him O Lord, a setled resolution, that no deceitfull person dwell within his house, and he that flattereth and telleth lies may not remaine in his sight. Amen, so be it.

So that if all faithfull subjects that are Housholders, will take this for a president, to receive and entertaine good and faithfull servants, and to turne out all wicked and profane wretches, that have no feare of God before their eyes, so that when these people shall see themselves cast out of the favour of God, good men, and their services, and pious fami­lies, by reason of their wicked behaviour; by this means they may be brought to see their owne misery and grosse sins they have committed; and considering what vile wretched per­sons they have been, like to the prodigall sonne spoken of in the Gospel, Luke 15. thereby grace may worke upon them, as to turne their wayes from evill to goodnesse, and change their mindes from vice to vertue, and to pray to God to give them true and hearty repentance; that whereas they were before prophaners of the Lords day, they may be sanctifiers of the Lords day; of blasphemers and foule mouth'd swea­rers, [Page] to become reverend speakers, of proud, to bee hum­ble, of damnable idolaters to bee true worshippers of God according to his Word; of railers and spitefull haters of the true preachers and professors of Gods Word, to be true hearted lovers of the Preachers and professors of Gods Word; of ignorants of God, to learne to be well acquain­ted with God and his word; of hurtfull, harmlesse; of filthy whore-mongers and wantons, to become chaste livers; of beastly drunkards, to become sober people; of cheaters and theeves, to hate and detest all sinne as the very hang-man or cut-throat of our soules.

These are some of the fruits of true repentance, so that they may be regenerated faithfull and religious people to the glo­ry of God, and salvation of our own soules in Jesus Christ our onely Saviour and Redeemer.

But now to answer to an objection that may bee made by Papists, Atheists, Newters, and Protestants at large.

Object. This which you have before spoken, is too much precisenesse, we are not to live so precisely, and none are so precise but Puritans.

Answ. First, precisenesse in matters of Religion is not on­ly necessary, but also of necessity, because St. Paul doth con­firme it.

In the time, or after the way which you call heresie, so worship I the God of my Fathers, beleeving all things which are written in the Law and the Prophets, Acts 24.14.

Secondly, precisenesse in Religion is of necessity, else we should be ignorant of the knowledge of God, and then mark what judgements of God will follow. Saint Paul saith in the Romans, chap. 1. vers. 28. For as they regard not to know God, even so God delivereth them up unto a reprobate mind, to doe the things that are not convenient.

Againe in 2 Thess. 1.8.9. And unto you that are troubled, resteth us, when the Lord Jesus shall shew himselfe with his mighty Angels in flaming fire, rendring vengeance to them that know not God, and obey not the Gospell of our Lord Jesus Christ, which shall be punished with everlasting perdition from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power.

[Page] Thirdly, I would willingly know what opinion Puritans (as you tear me them) doe hold contrary to that as every one hath promised to God in his baptisme, and is bound upon pain of damnation to performe it.

If you can prove any thing contrary to that covenant made unto God, then make it appeare, and spare not. But if you cannot prove any thing contrary to that we have promised and vowed in our Baptisme (as indeed you cannot) then take heed how you doe hate and deride the Preachers and Profes­sors of the Gospel, giving them nick-names and scoffing termes: for Christ his words wil prove true, that hath threat­ned against those railing, despitefull, and envious wretches, that it shall be easier for the people of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgement, then for such, Matth. 10.15. Then being so, it were good for those people that are given over to such a habit of deriding and despising Gods ordinances, that they take into consideration the great danger they doe pull upon their owne soules and bodies, which are judge­ments in this life, and eternall torment in the world to come. First judgements in this life, as ignorants of God, thereby comes blindnesse of minde, Esa. 6.9.10. and 59.8.9 10. Hardnesse of heart, infidelity and unbeliefe, Matth. 3.5. Exo. 9 34.35.

Secondly, eternall torments, as to be separated from a good and mercifull gracious God, and to burne in the lake of fire and brimstone for evermore, which is the second death, Rev. 21.8. Consider what is said, and the Lord be with your un­derstanding in all things, 1 Tim. 2.7.