University of Virginia Library

Great King of Kings, to whom are chiefly giv'n
All praises; who in Hell, in Earth, in Heav'n,
Hast Sov'rain pow'r: who Kingdoms dost bestow,
Change Governments; set up and overthrow
As thou shalt please and alwaies art both just
And mercifull in ev'ry thing thou dost:
Since thou, by Interchanges of thy Grace
And Judgments, hast a long time in this place
Vouchsaf'd Experiments which do declare
What Thou art, & what, in our selves we are.
(Informed us of what is now at hand
By signes upon the VVaters and the Land,
As also in the aire by peace and battle,
by judgements upon Men, and upon Cattle)
And pleased art (as we behold this day)
To bring our King into a likely way
Of settlement upon his Fathers Throne:
Perfect, I pray, the work thou hast begun.
Let thy vouchsafing him a Restoration,
Vnclog'd with an Explicite obligation,
No disadvantage to thy people bring,
But rather adde more honour to the King,
by manifesting that his actings be
Products of Vertue, from compulfion free:
And left they fall into that great Offence
Which may obdure into Impenitence,
(As Jeroboam and his people did
When their Idolatry thou didst forbid)
Permit thou not his Failings, or his Sin,
To frustrate what thy Mercy doth begin.

Let all these Nations on their part endeavour
To make this Reconcilement firm for ever,
By that Obedience joyn'd with true Affection,
VVhich may deserve his Fatherly Protection:
And let their Welfare be to him as dear,
As if they Children of his body were:
For, no Bond of Allegiance firm abides,
If equally not fastened on both sides;
Nor can their mutual Ties long lasting be,
Vnlesse their Duties they perform to thee,
Their Sov'raign Paramount who, search dost make
What course thy Vice-Roys, and their Subjects take:
And alwaies dost a wicked People bring
To be enslaved by a wicked King;
Not long preserving any Kingdom clear
From Rebels, where the Princes Tyrants are:
For, thou acceptest no Person, as to that
Which unto Common Justice doth relate;
Though slowly, many times, thy Judgements come,
That Mercy may have time to bring them home.

Since he who governs men ought to be just,
On his part let the King perform the Trust
On him imposed, and sincerely do
All things that really conduce thereto;
Shunning such Flatterers, and such Whisperings
As by degrees may tempt him to those things
VVhich will at last divide them from each other
VVhom now thy Providence hath brought together,
Lest they by Fraudulent Equivocations
Annihilate each others Expectations.

With Wisdom and with Grace, his Heart enlarge,
The Duties of his Calling to discharge,
VVithout pretending more than he intends;
Which practise alwaies in dishonour ends.
When once the promise of a King is broken,
Few afterward regard what shall be spoken
By him, what probable excuse soever
To vindicate himself he shall indeavour:
And though in his Designs a while he speeds
That's one in Words, another in his Deeds;
Yet, he who by that practice gaineth most,
Gets nothing at the last whereof to boast.
Let him take counsel from thy VVritten VVord,
How he should weild the Scepter and the Sword,
Lest they may prove worse Tools, than if he had
Been born to use the Mattock and the Spade.
Incline him also to enure his Ear,
The voice of Truth in her own terms to hear,
Lest of such things as to his Weal pertain,
He may sometimes in ignorance remain.
And since he is thy Steward both by Name
And Office, let him execute the same,
As one who knows, that he for all things done
Must give accompt, and no man knows how soon.
For tho, thou call'st Kings Gods, yet dye they must
Like other men, and mingle with their Dust
Him, keep thou mindful, that thou didst not make
These Nations for his ends, or for his sake,
But him to be their Servant; and to own
No Priviledges upon him bestown
But for their VVelfare; and that he should do
To all men as he would be done unto.
True-hearted men, to serve him, let him take,
Or them by his example such to make,
Instruct him, LORD, for, one of these will be
More useful, than of others, two or three.
What he is Himself, let it be known
By those, on whom his Favours are bestown,
Though undeserved, he vouchsafe to some
His Grace, that they more gracious may become;
As thou dost oftentimes, when we transgress
Through frailty, and not with maliciousness.

Make him consider well, things lately past,
With what at present thou vouchsafed hast,
And what may yet ensue: Make him to mind
(If thereof, him forgetful thou shalt find)
Through what wants, to abundance thou hast brought him;
What Lessons, by Affliction thou hast taught him;
What Snares and Dangers, thou hast freed him from,
To what security he now is come,
Without premis'd Conditions, or engaging
Himself with others; or, by what the waging
Of War might have requir'd, or by complying
With those, who for self-ends, at watch were lying:
What Hopes, and Fears, and Doubts, he had that night
In which he made escape from Woster-Fight;
As also, when he Sanctuary took
Within the Body of a Hollow Oak;
What secret Vows and Promises were made
By him to thee, when he Direction had
Unto that LANE whereby he found a pass
Out of those hazards wherein then he was:
Make him therewith consider, to what end
That great Deliverance thou didst intend,
And what thou mayst expect this day from him
For all by thee vouchsafed since that time.
Moreover, make him take especial heed,
Why thou with him and others didst proceed
As we have lately seen: wherefore, all those
And their Adheres, who, most did him oppose,
Thou giv'st into his hands: why, from the Throne
Thou stung'st him; why, again setst him thereon;
Lest else, False Prophets, or Court-Parasites,
Detractors, bold Imposters, Hypocrites,
Or such like, may divert him by Delusions
To that which is pursude with sad conclusions,
And not so much to his Well-being tends,
As to accomplish their own wicked ends:
Or, lest an Over-weening may perswade him,
That his own Wisdom prevalent hath made him;
And that thou hast vouchsaf'd a good success
To his Desires, for his own Righteousness.

Let him some way, provide a Reparation
Of Publick Faith, by whose late violation
These Nations are defam'd; and (which is worse)
Made liable unto a dreadful Curse
Which may extend to him. Unsafe is he
With People that anathemized be.
His Person, though their suff'rings reach not to,
To those, who now to him relate, they do;
And, those Oppressions which are lately cast
On thousands, will extend to him at last,
If he endeavour not what in him lies
To cure their Grievances, and stint their Cries:
For well enough it doth appear to thee,
That, neither all Men, nor their Causes be
Such as to him they represented are;
Or, as unto the World they yet appear.
As mercy, therefore thou hast shown to him
So let him also mercy shew to them
Who now are in his pow'r: for, although thee
They have offended, they, thy people be;
And I desire it should by him be heeded,
That whosoe'er against such have proceeded
Beyond thy Limits (to pursue their own
Revenge or Ends) do so incur thy frown,
That on themselves it brings at latter end
Those mischiefs which to others they intend.
Let him take also conscientious heed,
He makes that pardon which is promised,
(So far as thou allow'st) so full and free,
As he expects, thine unto him should be;
Else, Recknings, 'twixt you two will not be even,
For, as he pardons, he shall be forgiven.

Discerning give him, betwixt Rights and Wrongs,
To whom a Frown, to whom a Smile belongs;
Betwixt usurpt Prerogatives, and those
Through whose Defects, Pow'r-needful he may lose;
'Twixt Formal and Essential Pieties,
True Doctrines, and deluding Sophistries;
Betwixt Nathaniel, and an Ananias,
Men byassed, and men without a Byas;
Betwixt thy Prophets, and the Priests of Baal,
By whatsoever Names themselves they call:
Lest peradventure, some of those he takes
Into his bosome, may at last prove Snakes.

Give him an understanding heart, to judge
Betwixt true and pretended Sacriledge;
Lest such as heretofore befooled Kings,
By placing Holiness in Common things,
Turn thy true Worship into Superstitions,
To multiply their temporal Fruitions;
Abuse his Piety as much (or more)
As they abused Princes heretofore;
Besainting them for their misplaced Zeal,
When 'tis but such as was in Jezabel,
Who fed four hundred Prophets ev'ry day
From her own Table; such, perhaps as they
Who in these daies do arrogate to be
Thy Prophets, or Apostles sent from thee:
For, what are they ought better, who now dare
To count those Holy Things which offer'd were
To Devils; and, would that, as sacred hold
For which the souls of men were bought and sold?

Such Merchants may among us now be found,
And therefore (lest ere long they more abound)
Enable and incline the King to try
All spirits; that, with none he may comply,
Who may by his indulgence undermine
His Throne, and set the MAN of SIN on thine.
Thy Pastors teach him to distinguish from
Those Theeves, who in at window use to come:
And make him cherish those that are sincere
In thy Profession, by what name soe'er
They shall be call'd; since, things may be the same
Essentially, which differ in the Name.

LORD! 'tis thy Cause, for which I have begun
This Pleading, I will therefore plead it on.
Let him of Demas and Diotrephes
Take special heed: for, perilous are these;
And so are also they who do suppose
Religion doth consist in mimick shows,
Or, in those Gaudy Furnitures, with which
The Scarlet-Strumpet, Nations did bewitch:
Or in observing things indifferent,
As if Essentially pertinent;
Or in opposing or neglecting them
Contentiously; or, with the mind of them
Who said, What needs this waste? for, nor their use
Nor their dis-use, but onely their abuse,
Gives just offence: yea, 'tis not our abating,
Or adding; but, 'tis our necessitating
Indifferent Things, which renders them to be
Offensive to thy Saints, or unto thee.
Let him take heed of those, who with pretence
To Piety, affect Pre-eminence:
For, those began the Quarrel whence did spring
The Breach betwixt this People and the King.
And these, Oh God! if thou prevent it not
Will re-beget what they at first begot.
The King was young when he departed hence,
And could not know them then; they, ever since
Were in a posture, which supprest their pride,
And made them lay their haughtiness aside:
But when their late pluckt wings are over-grown
With Feathers, they will perfectly be known.
Vouchsafe him such a sanctifide discerning,
That neither their Formalities nor Learning,
Their Fawnings, their Dissembled Sanctity,
Or their pretendings to Antiquity,
Deceive him; for by such like specious sleights
The Great Deceiver brought in his Deceits.
Wee old Impostures have, as well as new,
And Truth is made a baud to things untrue
When men rely on men; and, by Records
Of their own forging, dare arraign thy words
Before their Bar; whereas they should be try'd
(When they are question'd) by none else beside
Thy Spirit and their Peers: Which Priviledge
(If they might have before an upright Judge)
Would end a thousand Quarrels, which will never
Till then have end; but multiply for ever.

I know no prudent Christian, who dislikes
The Name or Officer, term'd by the Greeks
Episcopas (and we in English call
An Overseer) if Episcopal
He truly be, and seeks not to obtrude
On other men a carnal servitude.
All Presbyters (as by thy Word appears)
Are Bishops, and all Bishops Presbyters;
And thou conferr'dst precedency on none,
Except it be for Orders sake alone,
To prosecute such things as have relations
To thy Affairs, in several Congregations;
As when that we, confusions to prevent,
A Prolocutor, or a President
In Synods, and in Counsels constitute,
To whom a double honour we impute.
For such like ends (if used soberly)
To some, belongeth a Precedency;
Yea, thy Church, being of a large extent,
Must have both Overseers eminent,
And super-eminent, that so she may
With speed and ease, in a well order'd way,
(As need requires) those things communicate,
Which either Universally relate,
Or to Particulars. And, to pursue
This Order, there is doubtless also due
To such, proportionably, both respect
And maintenance, to give it an effect,
With which all persons duly qualifide
For that high Calling, will content abide;
Although it otherwhile amounts to less
Than when Corruption sprung from an Excess;
And thy Apostle hath declar'd from thee,
That thus a Bishop qualifi'd should be.