A discourse, shewing that it is lawfull, and our duty to swear obedience to King William, notwithstanding the oath of allegiance taken to the late King. By a divine in the north Divine in the north. 1689 Approx. 37 KB of XML-encoded text transcribed from 18 1-bit group-IV TIFF page images. Text Creation Partnership, Ann Arbor, MI ; Oxford (UK) : 2007-10 (EEBO-TCP Phase 1). A69859 Wing D1618AB ESTC R26717 99834856 99834856 39454 This keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership. This Phase I text is available for reuse, according to the terms of Creative Commons 0 1.0 Universal . The text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. Early English books online. (EEBO-TCP ; phase 1, no. A69859) Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 39454) Images scanned from microfilm: (Early English books, 1641-1700 ; 1329:15, 1985:10) A discourse, shewing that it is lawfull, and our duty to swear obedience to King William, notwithstanding the oath of allegiance taken to the late King. By a divine in the north Divine in the north. [4], 31, [1] p. printed for Joseph Hall, bookseller in New-castle upon Tyne, London : 1689. Identified as Wing D1618 variant (number cancelled in Wing (2nd ed.)) on UMI microfilm "Early English books, 1641-1700" reel 1329, and as Wing (2nd ed.) D1618AB on reel 1985. Reproductions of the originals in the Union Theological Seminary Library, New York, New York ("Early English books, 1641-1700" reel 1329), and the British Library (reel 1985). Created by converting TCP files to TEI P5 using tcp2tei.xsl, TEI @ Oxford. Re-processed by University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. 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Users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a TCP editor. The texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the TEI in Libraries guidelines. Copies of the texts have been issued variously as SGML (TCP schema; ASCII text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable XML (TCP schema; characters represented either as UTF-8 Unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless XML (TEI P5, characters represented either as UTF-8 Unicode or TEI g elements). Keying and markup guidelines are available at the Text Creation Partnership web site . eng William -- III, -- King of England, 1650-1702 -- Early works to 1800. Oaths -- England -- Early works to 1800. Great Britain -- History -- Revolution of 1688 -- Early works to 1800. Great Britain -- Politics and government -- 1689-1702 -- Early works to 1800. 2006-09 TCP Assigned for keying and markup 2006-09 Apex CoVantage Keyed and coded from ProQuest page images 2006-11 Celeste Ng Sampled and proofread 2006-11 Celeste Ng Text and markup reviewed and edited 2007-02 pfs Batch review (QC) and XML conversion A DISCOURSE , SHEWING That it is Lawfull , and our Duty To swear OBEDIENCE to KING William , Notwithstanding the Oath of ALLEGIANCE taken to the LATE KING . By a Divine in the North. LONDON , Printed for Joseph Hall , Bookseller in Newcastle upon Tyne . 1689. TO THE Renownedly Learned and Reverend GILBERT BVRNET , D D. Lord BISHOP of SARVM . Reverend Sir , MY Zeal for this present Government , ( the happiest Change that ever Nation was blest with , ) and my Trouble to see some remaining Scruples , which ( in despight of all God's manifestations to us ) seem yet to disturb our Israel , have so far transported me beyond the bounds of Modesty , and made me forget my own Weakness , as to thrust upon you this unworthy Pamphlet . My Forwardness for the Cause had wellnigh put me upon the printing of it without farther consultation ; but upon second thoughts I judg'd it safer in a matter , of this weight , to consult some of greater Learning : And whilst my thoughts were roving to find out some proper persons , ( of which , upon several accounts , there are but few in this quarter of our World , ) attracted with the fame of Your Worth , and Learning , and the sense of Your great Actings in our happy Change it self , they seemed to bend to You-wards . And though a person of less Business , and less Note , might very well have served to examine so pitifull a Piece , yet promising my self better usage from You , whose Candour must be answerable to Your Greatness , than perhaps I might meet with from some of lesser note , I resolved , however bold it might appear in me , to take this way . Accept therefore , Reverend Sir , this poor Piece , which however rude it be , if it be but sound I care not : And though it was very fond of the journey , to come and present it self to You , yet it will , upon the approach of so grave a Censure , ( methinks ) begin to tremble . And if I be prevented by any other who ( questionless ) may doe it better , I am very well pleased with the Service which may be done ●o my Sovereigns by it , and think my self sufficiently rewarded for my poor Endeavours , that I had the Honour of expressing to You my readiness in them . God preserve You , Reverend Sir , and enrich his Church more and more with such noble Patriots . A DISCOURSE , SHEWING That it is Lawfull , and our Duty To swear OBEDIENCE to KING William , Notwithstanding the Oath of ALLEGIANCE taken to the late King. AMong the many Scruples of Conscience , which have risen from this turn of Times , the greatest , in my opinion , and ( I hope ) the last is this : Whether or no it be lawfull for those , who have sworn Allegiance to the late King , to take this new Oath of Allegiance to King William . This is the great Scruple which , I find , cannot easily be shaken off by men even of greatest Learning , and greatest Integrity ; and if men could but once clear themselves of this , I hope , there will remain no farther cause of Scruple . And although I do not pretend to prescribe Rules to others , who are wiser and better than my self , yet what I here write for my own satisfaction , may perhaps be somewhat satisfactory too to such whose want of leasure , or other lets , may hinder them from making enquiry into the thing themselves . First then , There are two preliminary Questions necessary to be considered , in order to the resolving this present Scruple . The first is , Whether or no I can be any longer obliged to a man by Oath , or otherwise , when he himself is divested of that Power , in consideration of which I was by Oath , or otherwise , obliged to him ? And it is certain I cannot . The thing is so common , and clear , that it needs not much proving , there being daily instances of the thing : For though a man is obliged to a Lord of a Manour , a Magistrate , or Master , so long as they are such , yet when they once cease to be such , and are superseded by Oaths , my Obligation , how strong soever , doth then cease , and I may a-new be obliged to the Succeeder . The next Question is , Who is to be owned as supreme ? He who was once our lawfull King , or he who by Force , or otherwise , hath dethroned this King , and is himself seated upon the Throne ? And in my opionion , the last is supreme ; for the bearing of the Sword is so inseparable from the supreme Power , that the very Life of Supremacy consists in it ; and it is as improper to call him King who wants Power , as to call him a man , who wants Reason . A King is set over a People by God , as his Vice-gerent , and endued with Power sufficient to endourage and defend the righteous , and punish the wicked ; but when God takes from him all Power , so that he can neither doe the one , nor the other , How can he be called God's Vice-gerent , and Supreme ? Is not he rather to be called so , and to be look'd upon to be such , upon whom God hath transferr'd this Power ? And as he who is lawfully ejected can no longer lay any Claim to that Estate out of which he is ejected , but he is to be owned as Lord , who is lawfully possest of it ; so when God , who hath the sole Disposal of Crowns , and may give them to whom he pleases , doth dispossess a King of a Crown , and puts another in his place , we are then to acquiesce . It 's true , whilst the thing is in dispute , it is the part of every honest man , to stand up for his King as much as he can , but when once the business is ended , and actuall possession given , ( which could never be without God's Fiat , who himself is the Judg of Kings , and putteth down one , and setteth up another , ) there is then no farther Appeal to be made , or Writ of Errour brought , unless we think we are higher than God , and have a better Right to dispose of Crowns then he ; we are therefore to own him as supreme , whom God hath set up , and not obstinately to stand but for him who is actually dispossest . Again : Since the Tribute , and Revenues of a Crown are the Stipend of God , ( if I may call it so , ) appropriated by God to the supreme Powers , as his Ministers , it being necessary for the support of their Grandeur , and Carrying on of their Business , and therefore , St. Paul saith , They are God's Ministers attending continually upon this very thing : When then this Tribute is quite taken from one , and given to another , so that it is impossible for him from whom it is taken to appear any longer as the Minister of God , and carry on his Business , God then seems to me to have actually discharged such an one from his Service , and to have pitcht upon the other to be his Minister , to whom the Tribute is paid : And therefore it seems clear to me , that he is to be owned as Supreme , and God's Minister , who actually possesseth the Throne , and the Appurtenances thereof ; and not he who was once King but is now dispossest : As for that nice Distinction of a King de jure , and a King de facto , I look upon it to be a mere Chimaera , and no way practicable . A man cannot serve two Masters , as our Saviour saith : We must suppose this King de jure to be a King , and if he be a King , he must be acknowledged for such , and have all the Honour and Service paid him which is due to a King. Again : The King de facto must be acknowledged too to be a King , and being so , must be honoured and served as a King ; now what can a man doe in this case ? If he serve the one he must neglect the other , if he cleave to the one , he must forsake the other ; he cannot serve them both , they bothlaying Claim to the same Services . Since then it is impossible to serve them both , there can be no such thing in Nature as two Kings , a King de jure , and a King de facto ; for we know that Nature designs an End to all her Actions , but there can be no such Action where the End is impossible : The Query is then , Since there must be but one King , which of the two is he ? The King de jure , or the King de facto ? It is certain the last is he . My Argument is this : Affairs cannot be managed by Fancy , and Suppositions ; there must be acting in the case : Now a King de jure is only an empty Title , and cannot act , the whole Power of Acting being in the King de facto ; and therefore unless you think you can live upon mere Notions , you must of necessity have recourse to the King de facto , and own him as Supreme , since he is only in a capacity to act . And whereas it is said , That the Crown cannot be forfeited , and that therefore a King whilst he lives can never cease to be King ; Once King , and allways King. To this I answer : Grant that it cannot legally be forfeited , and that though the Law obliges the King , yet it cannot punish him ; and that the Law hath so fenced about the Persons of Kings , that it is impossible in the sense of the Law , for a King upon any Trespass whatever to forfeit his Crown ; and that there is no Subject can offer any Violence , or attempt any thing against the Prerogative or Person of the King , but at the same time he becomes a Trespasser of the Law , and by the Law is punishable ; grant all this I say , that the Laws of the Land do , as much as they can , secure the Right of Dominion in the Person of a King , and his Successors , so that as far as they can make him , he is King de jure ; yet jure they can never make him so absolute , but that God hath still a Right above him , and Power to depose him ; and whenever he doth it , the Right , and Power , which were by Law deriv'd , or secur'd to that King , must then cease , and be null : And therefore ( in my opinion ) let such a King , and his Abetters pretend to what they will , and lay Claim to the Crown as much as they please , by virtue of this and the other Constitution of Government , yet such Claim is quite out of doors , when there is another King de facto ; and the King de facto is King de jure , and claims under a far greater Right ; for it is Jure divino that Kings reign , but it is only Jure humano that they are hereditary , or elective , that there is this or the other sort of Government . It is certain therefore , that though it be granted , that the Crown cannot legally be forfeited , yet it may be otherwise lost , and seized on ; God may make a Forfeiture of it , and dispose of it to whom he pleases ; otherwise there can be no Conquerour in the World can have any Right to the Crown , which he conquers . But you will say , A Conqueror is one thing , and an Usurper is another ; you will own a Conquerour to be supreme , even when the conquered King is living ; but you will not own an Usurper to be so : And thus ( I know ) many will talk , but ( if I may be so bold as to say so ) it 's just at random , never knowing , nor weighing what Reason there may be for the one more than the other : But I am resolved , with the little Wit I have , to pause upon things better , before I swallow them down so inconsiderately . Let us then compare the Conquerour and Usurper together , and see wherein the Excellency of the one lies above the other . And first then , Grant that some Conquerours have at first been on the defensive side , and have had just Cause of War , yet they were not so just to give over , when they have got sufficient Reparations ; but being heartened with Success , would admit of no Terms , but went still on , till they had ruin'd their nighbouring Prince : This ( I am sure ) was neither just , nor lawfull ; and yet , being Conquerours , their Supremacy is owned : But where there is one who at first hath had just Cause of War , there are many of them for this one who had not , but invaded their Nighbours purely out of Ambition , and a desire to enlarge their Dominions : This surely was unjust , and yet their Supremacy is owned . I ask then , What is the cause why we may lawfully own their Supremacy ? Is it the unlawfullness of their War ? No sure ; that cannot be it . What can it be then ? Truly nothing else , but because they prov'd victorious , and possest themselves of the Throne . Now then , if a Conquerour is to be owned as Supreme because he is possest of the Throne , though his War was illegal ; I ask , Why an Usurper is not to be owned as Supreme , when possest of the Throne , though he too came illegally to it ? It 's true , you may say , you look not upon an illegal War to be so heinous as Rebellion ; I grant it ; but yet I look upon them both to be unlawfull Means of coming to a Crown . The truth of it is , though the Lord cannot be the Authour of the Evil of Sin , yet he is the Authour of the Evil of Punishment . Can there be evil in the City , ( saith Amos , ) and the Lord hath not done it ? And God , in whose Power alone it is to punish Kings , may punish them as well by the Hand of a Rebel , as an Invader . We have so many instances of this , and those so clearly owned by God too , that it is not to be questioned ; and he hath too as clearly owned these very men to be set up by him , and to be his Kings , who ( though they had no good design of their own in it ) were yet designed by him , for the Punishment of those other Kings whom they dispossest . And when they are thus set up , surely they are Supreme , and are to be owned as such , unless we will prove 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , and fight against God. And therefore , if we first have recourse to examples taken out of the Scriptures of the Old Testament , we shall find , that though Rebells ( for such they were , when they did it without a special Commission from God ) did rise up , and kill their Kings , and possess their Thrones , that the People were yet subject unto them ; and they are listed among the other King 's , and their Reigns set down as Kings in the sacred Cronicle , but ( it 's true ) with the infamous addition too of the Treason which they wrought . And when it pleased God that they should be serv'd in the same kind , yet ( of so sanctifying a nature is the Enjoyment of the Crown ) even the persons of those Usurpers were by it accounted so sacred , that even they who rebelled against them , following their example , are by the Holy Ghost branded for Traitors , and punish'd accordingly . I shall for brevity sake referr you to the Scripture it self , where you shall find Examples of this in many , if not in most of the Kings of Israel . But to deal fairly , as one who is not wedded to his opinion , but desires to inform and be informed , there is one instance amongst the Kings of Israel which seems to make against me ; and it is that of Zimri , who killed Elah , and was himself within seven days killed by Omri , whom all the People of Israel assisted . But we must consider , that he was not seated upon the Throne of the Kingdom , but reigned only in one City , namely , Tirzah , all the rest of the Kingdom disowning him . But there is another Example amongst the Kings of Judah , which seems to make much more against me , and to be the very Case in hand . Athaliah , the Queen-Mother , her Son Ahaziah , King of Judah , being dead , arose , and destroyed all the Seed Royal , and possest her self of the Throne , and reigned seven Years , ( a considerable time to have ended all Disputes , if the Case had not been extraordinary ; ) Jehoshebah , his Aunt , having saved Joash ; the only Son of Ahaziah that was left unkill'd , hid him all that time ; and then Jehojadah the Priest acquainting the chief Officers with it , brought him forth , where , with an unanimous consent , he was forthwith proclaim'd ; with the shouts of which proclamation , Atbaliah being allarm'd , and incensed , runs into the Temple , and seeing the young King upon the Throne , doth there in her own right , her self being Herald , forthwith proclaim them Traitors , crying , Treason , Treason ; but they were so far , from taking notice of any thing of a Claim which she made to the Crown , or of her Accusation of Treason which she laid against them , that , as Jehojadah had before ordered it , she was forthwith taken out , and executed . And certainly either this instance or none will be able to make out , That Usurpers , when seated upon the Throne , are yet to be deposed , and the King de jure only to be owned . And I have the rather quoted this instance , because I expect it may be instanced against me ; and therefore resolved throughly to discuss it , as well for my own , as for the Satisfaction of others . But though it seems to make so much against me , and though I have set it out as much as I could , to the advantage of the contrary Opinion , yet I shall now shew wherein it falls short , or rather indeed makes for my side . And first , If we consider who the person was , who was the main instrument of this Change , we shall find it to be Jehojadah the Priest , and we must needs think , that he being satisfied that the Child was preserved alive , would in this grand Concern consult the Oracle of God , to which he might have recourse , and the consulting of which was his Office. Again , We have the grounds upon which he and the People proceeded to this Change clearly set down , 2. Chro. 23. 3. it was an Oracle delivered by God to David , that there should allways be a Male of his Seed , to sit upon his Throne ; they therefore taking this Promise of God to David as an infallable Truth , and finding acccordingly , that beyond all expectations there was a Male Child preserv'd of that Line , they therefore waving all other obligations , did stick to this Divine Oracle : So that the Case is vastly different from any thing that could have happened since , they then having God's special directions in the thing ; and this Child ( as were all the Kings of Judah ) being a King de jure indeed , but of such a jure , that never King in the World , since our Shiloh came , can lay claim to the like ; for if it had been only such a Jus , as our Kings have to the Crown , they might as well at first have stood up against the Usurpress in behalf of Jehosheba , to whom ( according to the tenure of bare Succession ) the Right of the Crown did devolve , after the slaughter of her Nephews . But this they did not . And here lest I overslipt it , I must ( however out of order ) take notice of a very remarkable Point , which is this : That the People offer'd not to stirr ( which I shall presently prove ) in defence of the Succession against Athaliah , who was possest of the Throne ; nay , though Jehosheba , who by Succession was the right Heiress to the Crown , was alive : And this may serve to satisfy those men , who are so stiff , that they will not own the King de facto , whilst the King de jure ( as they term him ) is alive . And now I am to make out , that this instance makes more for my opinion , than the contrary . It is recorded , that Athaliah reigned all those seven years , till it came to light that the Child was preserved ; and if she reigned , it must be granted , that she had the same Power as well over Priest , as People , which the Kings of Judah had ; and we never read that Jehojadah , or any other , were before disobedient to Her , till it was known that there was a Male-Heir , who by the particular direction of God was to reign . And it must be presumed , that they would still have own'd her as Supreme , if this had not come to light , though she came to the Crown by most Illegal and Bloudy means ; for it cannot be supposed that Jehojadah knew any thing of the first hiding of the Child ; and therefore might from the very first be disobedient to her ; for it would have been unsafe to have conceal'd it so long : And it cannot be said that he expected a more fit time to publish it , when the Child should be of discretion to govern ; for even when he was crown'd , he was but seven years old , which ( I am sure ) are not years of discretion : It follows therefore , that Jehojadah knew nothing of it ; and therefore must be presum'd till then , to have liv'd in subjection to Athaliah , as supreme . And now I leave it to the World to judg , whether this instance ( however it might seem at first to make against me ) doth not make more for me , than for those who are of a contrary Opinion . The next thing then that we must have recourse to , is the Practice of the Primitive Christians ; and I dare challenge any man to tell me , which of them in all those many Revolutions of Affairs , when the succeeding Emperours were allways by indirect means supplanting their Predecessors ; Which of them ( I say ) did ever deny Subjection to the Emperour in being , however unlawfully he came to the Throne ? Nay , I shall give you an instance to the quite contrary . Philippus Bardas was Emperour , and ( if we believe Eusebius ) was Baptiz'd , and a Christian , and therefore must certainly be mightily endear'd to the Christians , who never before had any Emperour of their Persuasion , but Emperours who most of them did persecute them in most cruel manner . Now certainly , the loss of this Emperour would trouble and offend them , and render them ( if ever ) disaffected to the Government of the succeeding Emperour Decius , who depos'd him , and murthered him ; yet for all this , so far were they from disowning the present Emperour , who yet came so unworthily to the Throne , that they thought it their duty to pray for him , and not only for him , but afterwards for Gallus , who succeeded him , and was in every respect as bad as he . He chased away ( saith Dionysius , Bishop of Alexandria , in his Letter to Hermammon ) the Holy men which pray'd for Peace , and his prosperous state , and so together with them he banished the Prayers continually poured unto God for him . Eus . l. 7. c. 1. And surely we cannot think that those undaunted Champions of Christianity could , to save themselves , be in the least guilty of any Flattery , or idle Complement ; no sure ; but this they did , being thereunto oblig'd by the Holy Scriptures , wherein we are commanded to pray for Kings , that we may lead a quiet , and godly life under them ; and surely we have still greater reason to pray thus for the worst of Kings , because they are in greatest danger of being disturbed , and disturbing other . And if indeed the Practice of those primitive Christians had been such as to disown their Authority , and seek to disturb them , and yet at the same time to pray for their peaceable Reign , their Prayers , and Practice being so diametrically opposite , they would certainly have been lookt upon , ( and that justly too ) as the worst of men , and no way to be trusted . And though the blasphemous Complement of Boniface to Phocus was more than Flattery , and an espousing of his barbarous way of accession to the Crown ; yet if he had only been subject to him , and pray'd for him , when seated upon the Imperial Throne , he had done no more than all good Christians then did , and might lawfully doe . Honest St. Martin did much better , who drinking to his Deacon , and not to the Emperour , let him see ( though indeed too haughtily , tartly , and publickly , not like a Courtier , nay , nor a prudent Bishop , whose likelier way to work upon the Emperour had been to have reprov'd him deliberately , calmly , and privately , this other being the ready way to have disoblig'd , and quite lost him ) let him see ( I say ) that his unjust way of coming to the Crown was displeasing to God , and did deserve his Fatherly Correption , and Penance . Now this was all that he did , and this is that which every Ghostly Father of a King ought , and may doe , to admonish him of his sins , and yet at the same time own his Supremacy . And I look upon him , who , in those great Debates here in England betwixt the Houses of Lancaster and York about the Crown , did live peaceably under that King that was possest of the Throne , to have been far the better Subject , and better Christian , than he whose turbulent Spirit was still for Change , and was the occasion of so much War , and Bloudshed . And thus I have made it out , that not only a Conquerour , but an Usurper is to be owned as Supreme , and to be set up by God , when possest of the Throne . But then the Query is , how far he must be possest of the Throne , that we may acknowledge him set up by God , and desist from any farther opposition . It 's true , we have no such Revelations now as were in the times of the old Testament , and therefore may still be at a stand , when such Kings are fully set up by God ; yet , if I may spend my weak judgment upon it , I look upon a King to be thus set up , when the former King , and his Heirs , being either banish'd , kill'd , or imprison'd , the other is seated upon the Throne ; and so far , either for fear or favour , own'd by the Nation , that there is wholly a Cessation of Arms , or a very inconsiderable Opposition made . And if God hath the same Power still ( which to question were Blasphemy ) to pull down and set up Kings when he pleases ; and yet since we cannot expect any Revelation from him , when he does it ; either this Rule which I have here mentioned is the only way to know it , or else I would gladly know what other Rule we have to know it by . But here it will be objected , That if Possession gives Right , the Law must be quite laid aside ; and he that hath the strongest Arm will have the greatest Right ; and so this Doctrine will be an Inlet to all Oppression and Violence . To this I answer , That grant a King cannot be punish'd , and dispossest by due course of Law , and that therefore God ( if I may say so ) is forc'd for the punishing and dispossessing of Kings to use extraordinary means , which may tantamount to a Law ; yet sure the Law is sufficient to take cognisance of Subjects , to punish them , and redress their Grievances one to another ; and therefore they need not , and ought not to take these extraordinary means , which God sees often fit only and necessary for the punishing and dispossessing of Kings . But of so intricate a nature is the Matter in hand , that I have scarce unravelled one doubt , when presently there arises another . At this rate ( say you ) even a good King ( instance King Charles the Martyr ) may be destroyed by an Usurper , and yet the Usurper is not to be questioned , but own'd as Supreme : Certainly God never intended to destroy a good King so ; and therefore if an Usurper destroy such a King , he cannot be of God's setting up , and therefore is not to be owned as Supreme . To this I answer , That I cannot without sorrow reflect upon the horrid Murther of that gracious Monarch , a Prince of unspotted Integrity , who was certainly the best of Kings , who for his Piety of Life might rid with the strictest Votaries , and for the manner of his Death , with the most famed Martyrs ; and so far was he from bringing a Curse either upon the Nation , or himself , by any Sin of his own , that if ever the Goodness of a King could attone for the Sins of his People , his certainly could have done it . But it is not allways the sin of a King , which is the cause of such Overturnings , but very often indeed the sins of the People ; though ( God knows ) we are too apt to lay the blame off our selves , and slander the Lord 's anointed . And this happens according to Samuel's Menace to the People ; that if they should doe wickedly , they should be destroy'd both they , and their King. God is many times pleased for the Punishment of a sinfull People to remove good Kings from them , and to set Tyrants in their Place ; and then even those Tyrants are of God's setting up , and are therefore to be owned as Supreme , and obey'd , as long as God pleases to continue them over us . But here I am afresh assaulted with another Objection , so hard it is to struggle through this difficult Case : What! ( say you ) God is pleased to work by Means , ( Miracles are now ceased ; ) and therefore , if we ourselves put not to our Hands , to pull down such Usurpers , but fondly own them still to be Supreme , and therefore not to be resisted , we may long look before we be delivered , and perhaps may offend God by slipping those Opportunities , which may seem for that purpose to be put into our Hands . But to this I answer , That God , who hath the Power of Life and Death , is not so unprepar'd of Instruments of Death , as for want of others , to make allways use of one . He hath a store house ( as I may say ) of Accidents , and Diseases , out of which he may chuse any one sufficient to put a Period to the days of the greatest Monarch ; he can kill a King as soon by a Fever , as suffer a Rebel to kill him : And therefore though David knew that Saul was to be unking'd ; nay , and that he too was to succeed , yet so far was he from being of Abishai's Opinion , that then was the opportunity to kill him , and that then God had delivered him into his hands , when they found him asleep , with the Spear at his Head , so far ( I say ) was he from being of his Opinion , and taking this opportunity , that he would neither doe it himself , nor suffer him to doe it ; but piously , and prudently , told Abishai ; that God had means of his own to doe it by , and needed not to be beholden to them to doe it by such illegal Means ; and therefore they were to expect his leasure . As the Lord liveth ( saith he ) the Lord shall smite him , or his day shall come to dye , or he shall descend into the Battel , and perish . The Lord forbid that I should stretch forth my hand against the Lord 's Anointed ; and therefore let no Rebel think , that because God hath a mind to put down a King , that yet he shall be the less guilty , who stretcheth forth his Hand to doe it . And now I have with what scrutiny I can discust these two Preliminary Queries : In the answering the first of which there was little difficulty , it being a generally receiv'd Maxim , and Warrantable by the daily Practice of all sorts of People : The main Difficulty lies in the Second , which I think I have removed , to my own , if not to the satisfaction of others ; and have made it out , both by Reasons , and Examples , ( and at the sametime remov'd all the Objections , that might make against it , ) that he is not King and Supreme , who was once King , but is depos'd ; but he is Supreme , who is actually in Power , and possest of the Throne . And now let us take an estimate of our present Affairs , by what hath been here said . It is certain , never Prince had juster Grounds of War , than this Prince had . First , In respect of the true Religion which was groaning under the growing Tyranny of the Church of Rome : We had a King so bigotted to Popery , that for it's Propagation , he question'd not to break all that was most binding all Promises of his own , and the Laws of the Land , which he swore to maintain ; so that he may very well be rank'd amongst those Kings , whose saying is , Let us break their bands asunder , and cast away their Cords from us . But let me not Reflect too much upon a Person , who is yet upon several accounts to be respected by us , let us rather admire the Goodness of God , who hath sent this Prince , as another Constantine , to deliver us from these impending ruines ; for we may well say , If the Lord had not sent us this Deliverer , they had swallowed us up alive , when they were so wrathfully displeased at us . Secondly , He had just Cause of War to defend his own Right , which the adverse Party laboured to debar him of : There was little good intended him , when Strangers , Papists , and Jesuits , his profest Enemies were set to manage Affairs , and were acquainted with all the Intrigues of Court ; and yet neither he , nor any for him were in the least concerned , or taken any notice of . And when their young Prince was to be born , they did so industriously conceal all things from him , that they might as well have sent him word , that they intended to cheat him . He had just Cause therefore to vindicate himself , and his Right , from the abuses of such insolent Court-Parasites , and Impostors . And though it is true , he could claim no right by way of Succession , as long as his Father liv'd , yet , as a Foreign Prince , he might seek satisfaction for the Affront , which was put upon him , by such underhand , and illegal Dealings . Thirdly , As the Cause of his War was just , so the Success was thereunto answerable : Never Prince was in an Undertaking more apparently favour'd by Heaven . But it were needless for me to enlarge upon all the happy Occurences of this Expedition , since the Learned Dr. Burnet , who was an Eye-Witness of them all , hath allready done it in his Sermon , which is allmost in every man's hand , and therefore I refer you to it . This I will only say , That never King came to a Crown with less Bloud-shed , with greater Applause , and Satisfaction of the People : And therefore since ( as I have made it appear ) even those who come illegally to a Crown , are yet , when fully possest of it , to be own'd as Supreme ; certainly King William , whose Cause of War was so just , and so miraculously victorious , and whose Proclamation over the whole Kingdom was so joyous to all , that in all Places where it was read , it may very well be said , The shout of a King was among them ; certainly ( I say ) he is Supreme , he is of God's setting up . And then it must needs follow , that if he be Supreme , the late King is not ; for there cannot be two Supremes : And then it will follow again , that the Oath of Allegiance , and Supremacy , which we took to the other King , is now quite out of doors , all Supremacy , which was the ground of these Oaths , being now quite lost in the late King. And then lastly , it will follow , That since King William is Supreme , we are in duty bound to pay him all that Honour , and Service , which is due to a Supreme ; and then since swearing of Allegiance hath allways been own'd as due to the Supreme Power from the Subject , it is our Duty , when put upon it , to swear Allegiance to him too : And therefore ( if I may be so bold to say so ) I look upon it as an Errour in any ( to say no worse of it ) who refuse to doe it : As for my own part , as I have allways been Obedient to my Supreme , so I shall allways be Obedient to to King William , and Queen Mary , whose Supremacy over us I pray God long to continue . FINIS .