Lord; and that his Majeſty may ſtand conſtantly, all the days of his life, to the covenant of God, by oath, ſeal, and ſubſcription, known to the world; that ſo peace and the bleſſings of heaven may follow his government; that the Lord may be his rock and ſhicid: that the juſt may flouriſh in his time; that men fearing God, hating covetouſneſs, and of known integrity and godlineſs, may be judges and rulers under his Majeſty:-and they are not really loyal and faithful to the ſupreme magiſtrate, who wiſh not ſuch qualification in him. We are not, in this particular, contending that a prince, who is not a convert or a found believer, falls from his royal dominion; the ſcriptures of God warrant us to pray for and obey in the Lord, princes and ſupreme magiſtrates, that are otherwiſe wicked; and to render all due obedience to them, Rom. xii. 2, 5. 2 Tim. ii. 12. I Pet. ii. 18. Our ſouls ſhould. be afflicted before the Lord, for the burning of the cauſes of God's wrath. A ſad practice, too like the burning of the roll at Jehudi, Jer. xxxvi. 22. In theſe controverſies, we ſhould take ſpecial heed to this, that Chriſt is a free, independent Sovereign, King and Lawgiver. The Father hath appointed him his own King in mount Zion; and he cannot endure, that the powers of the world ſhould encroach upon his royal prerogatives, and preſcribe laws to him: This preſumption is not far from that of citizens that hated him, Luke xix. 14. 'He ſhall not rule over us;' and from the intolerable pride of thoſe who are for breaking aſunder the bands of the Lord, and his anointed, and for caſting away their cords from them, Pſal. ii. 3. Eſpecially ſeeing the man Chriſt would not take the office of a judge upon him, Luke xii. 14. and diſcharged his diſciples, to exerciſe a civil lordſhip over their brethren. True it is, the godly magiſtrate may command the miniſters of the goſpel to do their duty,
