The Government that is negligently defended, will quickly be vigorously affaulted; and with too great Próbability of Succefs, when even its Friends fhew no other Mark of Friendship to it, than the forbearing to join with its Enemies.

THE Obftructions and Difficulties with which the Management of the publick Affairs is neceffarily attended, are fo many and fo great, that the Soveraign has need of all the Affiftance his Subjects can lend him for the removing them. : Should they induftriously lay unneceffary ones in his Way, his Defigns for their Safety and Benefit, muft in all likelyhood miscarry.

THEY Who can be helpful no other Way, have furely great Reason to follicit Heaven, to guard, and guide, and assist those who are continually watching for their Welfare. And fince without the Divine Aid all human Counfels and Labours are vain; they who can be most ferviceable to their Soveraign by their Wisdom, or Valour, or Treasure, must by no means think themfelves excufed Ff3 from

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from affifting him by their earnest and conftant Prayers. And if those, who barely omit this Duty, are not to be accounted good Subjects; they are ́certainly very bad ones, who dare to impre cate the Judgments of Heaven upon their Governours.

IRREVERENT Carriage to the Perfon of the Prince, and the fpeaking contemptuously and dishonourably of him, have a direct Tendency to leffen his People's Veneration for him, which is a main Prop of his Government. The speaking Evil of Princes, is commonly a Prelude to fome Attempt against them; it being found by Experience, that the Way to weaken and undermine their Authority, is to blast their Reputation. Many perhaps, who are inftrumental in fpreading fcandalous Reports of their Governours, have no fuch wicked Intention; but if they have not, they are certainly very ferviceable to thofe that have; nor are they to be excus'd who lif ten and give Credit to them. Such, tho' at prefent they are not active in carrying on any traiterous Defigns, yet give

Grounds

Grounds to hope that they may be wrought upon, and in Time made fit for Purposes, to which, as yet, they are Strangers. When once Men have caft off all inward Awe of their Prince, and have given Entertainment to an ill Opinion of him, they are then very much expofed to the Attacks of discontented and factious Perfons.

BEFORE Subjects credit evil Reports of their Prince, they ought to confider that it is the Employment of many, to render him either contemptible or odious to his People That to this End many falfe Things are laid to his Charge, his real Defects and Mifcarriages are very much magnified; the ill Success of his Undertakings is charged upon his Mifmanagement, tho' perhaps no Diligence nor Vigilance, nor Providence (fo far as it is in Man's Power to provide against Contingencies) was wanting on his Part; and his very best Designs, laid and conducted with the greatest Wisdom, and perfected with all defireable Success, are reprefented as prejudicial and pernicious Ff4

to

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to the Common-weal. And they who SERM. can fuffer their Affections to be by thofe Means alienated from their prefent Soveraign, will not be long pleafed with any: Nor can any Government be quier, or fecure, where these Artifices are practised with Succefs.

THE Authority of the fupreme Magiftrate must of Neceffity be exercised by many fubordinate Officers: And to difho nour or difobey thefe, is, in Effect, to difhonour and disobey him, by whose Commiffion they act. the Intereft of the

And tho' it be for Publick, that they

fhould account for wilful Abuses of the Power committed to them; yet all unreafonable Clamours against them, are of dangerous Confequence to the Government, and do indeed threaten the Soveraign himself, who may be mortally wounded thro' the Sides of his Minifters.

IT has been before observed, that the Laws of God, and of the Land, are the Meafures of Submiffion and Obedience to the King. Wherefore no one ought, from what has been now faid, to infer,

that

that in limited Monarchies, where Part of the legislative Authority is lodged in the Body of the People, the Subjects are obliged to obey any Edicts of the Prince not agreeable to the Laws enacted by the whole Legiflature. In this Cafe, fince the Power of the People is fo far coordinate with that of the Prince, that without them no new Laws can be enacted, nor former Laws abrogated; they may justly require to be governed by the Laws made with their own Confent, and by no other. And should this Right of the People be fet afide, and no Redrefs obtained upon their humble Petitions and Representations; the Prince muft take to himself the Blame, if they have Recourfe to other Means abfolutely neceffary for the Prefervation of their Conftitution. On the other Hand, it is incumbent on the People to fee, that their Grievances are real, and not pretended; that their Complaints are founded not upon meer Surmifes and Jealoufies, but upon notorious Facts; and that while they are afferting their own Right, they do not invade that of their

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