fome rules, which the moft ignorant perfon may follow for the conduct of his life with fafety in perilous times against false accufers.

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If, Let me advise you to have nothing at all to do with that which is commonly· called politics, or the government of the world; in the nature of which it is certain you are utterly ignorant, and when your opinion is wrong, although it proceeds from ignorance, it shall be an accufation against you. Befides, opinions in government are right or wrong just according to the humour and difpofition of the times; and, unless you have judgment to distinguish, you may be punished at one time for what you would be rewarded in another.

2dly, Be ready at all times in your words and actions to fhew your loyalty to the king that reigns over you. This is the plain manifeft doctrine of holy scripture. Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's fake, whether it be to the king as fupreme, &c [f]. And another apoftle telleth us, The powers that be [f] Pet. ii. 13.

are

are ordained of God. Kings are the ordinances of man by the permission of God, and they are ordained of God by his inftrument man. The powers that be, the prefent powers, which are ordained by God, and yet in some sense are the ordinances of man, are what you must obey, without prefuming to examine into rights and titles; neither can it be reasonably expected, that the powers in being, or in poffeffion, fhould fuffer their title to be publicly disputed by fubjects without fevere punishment. And to fay the truth, there is no duty in religion more easy to the generality of mankind, than obedience to government: I fay, to the generality of mankind; because while their law, and property, and religion are preferved, it is of no great confequence to them by whom they are governed, and therefore they are under no temptations to defire a change.

3dly, In order to prevent any danger from the malice of falfe witneffes, be fure to avoid intemperance. If it be often so hard for men to govern their tongues when they are in their right fenfes, how

can

can they hope to do it when they are heated with drink? In thofe cafes moft men regard not what they fay, and too many not what they swear; neither will a man's memory difordered with drunkennefs ferve to defend himself, or fatisfy him whether he were guilty or no.

4thly, Avoid, as much as poffible, the converfation of those people, who are given to talk of public perfons and affairs, especially of those whofe opinions in such matters are different from yours. I never once knew any difputes of this kind managed with tolerable temper; but on both fides they only agree as much as poffible to provoke the paffions of each other, indeed with this difadvantage, that he who argueth on the fide of power may speak fecurely the utmoft his malice can invent; while the other lieth every moment at the mercy of an informer; and the law in these cafes will give no allowance at all for paffion, inadvertency, or the highest provocation.

I come now in the laft place to fhew you how far it is your duty as good fubjects and good neighbours to bear faithful

witness,

witness, when you are lawfully called to it by thofe in authority, or by the fincere advice of your own confciences.

In what I have hitherto faid, you eafily find, that I do not talk of bearing witness in general, which is and may be lawful upon a thousand accounts in relation to property and other matters, and wherein there are many fcandalous corruptions, almost peculiar to this country, which would require to be handled by themfelves. But I have confined my difcourfe only to that branch of bearing falfe witnefs, whereby the public is injured in the fafety or honour of the prince, or those. in authority under him.

In order therefore to be a faithful witness, it is first neceffary that a man doth not undertake it from the leaft profpect of any private advantage to himfelf. The fmalleft mixture of that leaven will four the whole lump. Intereft will infallibly bias his judgment, although he be ever fo firmly refolved to fay nothing but truth. He cannot ferve God and Mammon; but as intereft is his chief end, he will use the moft effectual means to advance it. He

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will

will aggravate circumstances to make his testimony valuable; he will be forry if the perfon he accufeth fhould be able to clear himself; in fhort, he is labouring a point which he thinks neceffary to his own good; and it would be a difappointment to him, that his neighbour fhould prove innocent.

5thly, Every good subject is obliged to bear witness againft his neighbour, for any action or words, the telling of which would be of advantage to the public, and the concealment dangerous, or of ill example. Of this nature are all plots and confpiracies against the peace of a nation, all difgraceful words against a prince, fuch as clearly discover a difloyal and rebellious heart but where our prince and country can poffibly receive no damage or difgrace; where no fcandal or ill example is given; and our neighbour, it may be, provoked by us, happeneth privately to drop a rafh or indifcreet word, which in ftrictnefs of law might bring him under trouble, perhaps to his utter undoing; there we are obliged, we ought, to proVOL. XIII. ceed

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