vernment is just as far from being perfect, as the Men are that compose it.

How vain then is it to be difturbed at that whofe Cause is beyond ourselves.

Tacitus fays, we ought to fubmit to what is prefent, and should wish for good Princes, but whatfoever they are endure them; and Machiavel terms this a golden Sentence, adding, that whofoever does otherwise, ruins both himself and Country. Certain it is, the Condition of no Nation was ever bettered by a Civil War; for when the People and the Government draw the Sword against each other, all former Compacts and Agreements for fecuring of Liberty and Property are diffolved, and become void; for flying to Arms is a State of War, which is the mere State of Nature, of Men out of Community, where all have an equal Right to all Things; and I fhall enjoy my Life, my Subftance, or what is dear to me, no longer than he that has more Cunning, or is ftronger than I, will give me Leave: For natural Confcience is not a fufficient Curb to the violent Paffions of Men out of the Laws of Society. And the few that fhall furvive the Calamities and Devaftations that Ambition or Revenge fhall make in civil Diffention, muft ever after fubmit to the arbitrary Power of the conquering Party. Now under what civil Stipulations and Covenants can a People be with their Governors, that can put them in a worse Condition than this. And that any particular Government is now Jure Divino is hard to affirm, and of no great Ufe to Mankind. For let the Government of any Country where I am a Subject be by divine Institution, or by Compact, I am equally bound to obferve its Laws, and endeavour its Prosperity. For I take it to be true what Plato fays; Qui legibus pie & prudenter latis infervit, infervit Deo. [That the Duty I owe to God obliges me to conform to the Laws of my Country, which are for the orderly and well-being of every Individual.] For God is the God of Order and Har

mony,

mony, and not Confufion. Alfo the Schools affirm, that leges bumane obligant confcientiam; [that the Confciences of Men are bound by human Laws.]

I'll only mention more, the undeniable Authority of Scripture, which plainly commands us to Submit to every Ordinance of Man for the Lord's Sake,* [that is, Obey the Laws of Men where the Law of God is filent,] and were not Mankind thus obliged, all Governments of Church and State would foon fall into Confufion.

And if the Divines do rightly infer from the fixth Commandment, Thou shalt not Kill, that fcandalizing one's Neighbour with falfe and malicious Reports, whereby I vex his Spirit, and confequently impair his Health, is a Degree of Murder; I may affirm, that Factions, Rumours and Difcourfes, which alienate the Minds of People, and impeach and weaken the Government, is a Degree of Treafon, and confequently a Breach of the fifth Commandment.

I know 'tis faid, tho' a People, leaving the State of Nature, have entered into a Community, and made Laws, as they justly may to preferve that Community, which Laws are to be obeyed under the Penalty of difpleafing God himfelf; yet the Adminiftrators of thofe Laws, being vifibly and incurably defective in preferving the whole, may be removed; for, cujus eft dare, ejus eft difponere. Where the People have no fuch Righ, they have loft all Liberty.

Therefore wife Governors will not bear hard upon the People; for when public Abuses come to the Height, that the Generality are fenfible of them, and the true Majority have a Mind to discharge fuch from the Government, whether fingle Perfon or Council, I know not who fhall prevent it, or against what Law they offend; fince no Prince can fhew a patriarchal Right, and a Community is under Conditions.

I only mention these two laft Paragraphs as the utmoft the most zealous Advocates can urge for the

*

1 Pet. ii 13.

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Power

Power of the People, and it amounts to no more than this; where the Perfon or Perfons poffeffing the fupreme Power are incurably defective, and this plainly appears to the Majority of the People, they have a Right to change the fame, I think naturally they muft. But even the Majority itfelf, where there is no fuch plain dangerous Defect, cannot in Right remove the Perfons, and alter the fame; for then all Governments every Day would be at the Will and Pleafure of the People; and I am fure Arbitrarinefs in a Multitude, is far more dangerous than in a fingle Perfon: The Experience of all Ages has found this to be true.

It is no wonder that the public Actions and Affairs of State fhould meet with many Cenfures and Enemies, fince few Men can gain their own inward Approbation of what they daily do themfelves; fo contradictory do Paffions make Men act to their own Reason and Confcience. It was a home Reproof our Saviour gave the Scribes and Pharifees, when they seemed forward to have the Woman ftoned that was taken in Adultery; Let bim that is without Sin caft the firft Stone. Self-Conviction forced the Pharifces to withdraw, and leave the Woman without Accufers. I therefore fay, whoever impartially confiders the Corruptions of his own Heart, the many Failings of his Understanding, and is not very tender in opening and manifefting the Crimes and Failings of others, wants the Modefty even of these Scribes and Pharifees, and may expect a sharper Reproof. 'Tis an admirable Direction, much known, but little confidered, that Thales left, as the Characteriftic of his Wifdom, Nofce te ipfum; Friend, know thyfelf. 'Tis a hard Point, and not every where found. We labour hard to publifh our Abilities, and conceal our Infirmities. And our Enquiry into ourfelves is fo flight and partial, that few Men are really what they appear to themfelves to be. The vain Opiniator, in Purfuit of fome extravagant Hopes, involves himself in innumerable Intricacies and hazardous Circumstances,

and

and driven by the Force of Paffion, from the Dictates of Reason and the common Paths of Senfe, falls into inevitable Calamities; and having thus expos'd himself, clamours against Providence for being unfortunate. These being not a small Number, are always ready to join with any Party in civil Diffentions, whereby they hope either to mend their Condition, or get a good Excufe for the bad one they are in,

The infatiable Minds of Men impatient under what's prefent, fond of any Alteration, headed by thofe that will be under no Dominion but that of Avarice, Ambition, or Revenge, are the original Cause of thofe Calamities a Civil War brings upon a Nation. And when we say we are fallen into bad Times, we mean no otherwise but that we are fallen amongst a wicked Generation of Men. For the Sun, the mediate vivifying Caufe of all Things here below, and conftant Meafurer of Time, keeps its fteady Courfe. The Condition of the Public grows worfe, as Men grow more wicked; for in all Ages, as the Morals of Men were depraved and Vice increased, the Commonwealth declined.

All Kingdoms being but the Connexion of Families, the Prince thereof is truly termed the Father of the Country, the grand Pater familias, the great Mafter of the Houfhold. Now if the Domesticks of a Family be over-run with the deadly Sin of Pride and Luxury, Sloth and Rapine, it is a fair Sign of its utter Ruin. Thus in the larger Rule of Government there is the like Dangers of Ruin, where the Minifters and public Officers, who are the Hands of a Nation, are basely corrupted, ferving the Public no farther than it ferves their own Intereft; and fo they do but gain themselves, care not who lofes, or what the Government fuffers. These feeming Friends are the worst of Enemies; they had better never have been born, they are as the corrupt Tree which cannot bring forth good Fruit, abfo lute Strangers (in Practice) to Prudence, Juftice, and

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the

the other Virtues rightly called Cardinal; for upon the Obfervance of them does the Safety and Profperity of Mankind depend. That ever fuch Men fhould be preferred is a Neglect in any Government; for there can be no Merit in any Man that wants Honefty. 'Tis faid for Excufe, that the Heart of Man cannot be known before Trial, but the Behaviour of a Man in an Employment may be well guefs'd at, by the Manner of his getting himfelf in; for if he owes his Advance to Money, or Favour purely, then was there no Regard to Ability and Merit; and what Corruption must be expected in an Office where fo worthlefs a Perfon is Poffeffor of it? Wife Men will affent that the Welfare of a Kingdom principally depends upon the Honesty and Ability of its Officers; where fuch are wanting, and the contrary employed, there will be Hardships and Complaints, and Abettors eafily found to raise from thence Commotions and civil Diffentions.

It will hardly be found, upon ftrict Examination, that any of the many Civil Wars that History speaks of, had their Rife purely from open Abufes in the Government: For when public Abufes become fo notorious that the People are univerfally grieved and affected therewith, how can fuch a Government gain a Party ftrong enough to make a Civil War, fince we cannot fuppofe any confiderable Number of Men can be fo fenfelefs as to fight for those that abuse them. And if the Generality perceive themfelves neceffarily obliged to alter the Adminiftrators of a Government, as it may be done by Right, fo it will be done without Bloodfhed. It follows then, that the Subtilty ufed towards fome weak Men, joined with others, over-ruled by the Wealth and Authority of fome great ambitious Perfons, is the main Foundation of all civil Bloodfhed. It may be affirmed, the Number of thofe that have been flaughtered by their Fellow-creatures, exceed the Number of all the Inhabitants that ever were at one Time living upon the Face of the Earth; yet very few

of