First with regard to our Religious Rights, how many Laws are there whose end and design is the security of God's Honour amongst us? Prfaneness and Immorality and the several Species of them are discourag'd by Law, (and oh! that they were as much discourag'd by Example too) as becometh a Christian Magistracy and a Christian People. The publick exercise of God's Worship is taken care of in our Statute, as well as in the Divine Law, and that both as to the Place, the Manner, the Time and Persons concern'd in the publick Administration of it; and lasting Provision is made for the maintenance of those that wait at the Altar, that they may not depend for their allowance on the humours of the People, nor be left to their Charity altogether, who might be too apt to despise those whom they held in such vile Subjection: nay (out of Gratitude be it spoken) in Conformity to the Laws of God, the Tribe of Levi, the clergy of this Land are distinguished with favours: not only our manifold dues are ascertain'd, and convey'd to us by as firm Laws, as those which settle other men's Estates; but also the Highest Order amongst us is dignified with Temporal Honour, as a mark of respect due to their Character and Office, which in a Christian Nation justly renders them worthy of double Honour.

We may, nay we ought to remember that our Church is further encourag'd and establish'd by Law, and as it is a great blessing to have Kings its nursing Fathers and Queens its nursing Mothers, so it is enacted that no one shall sit on the Throne, nor any body be in any considerable Office of Trust or Profit under the Civil Government, but what owns himself a Member of the Ecclesiastical by the most solemn act of our most Holy Religion. Such a security of such a Protestant Succession both of Prince and Magistracy should be very valuable in our eyes, who have so lately seen and felt the dangers and miserys we were in from a Popish Administrationl.

And if our Lawgivers have thought fit to grant to tender Consciences the liberty of serving God in their own way; yet, on the one hand, let all those who have receiv'd this favour, remember always from whose hands they receiv'd it, namely from theirs who were Members of the establish'd Church, and let them at all times shew themselves therewith content, and never make the least Incroachments upon Their Rights, who have been thus indulgent unto them: And on the other, let not this amke any of us who are of the establish'd Church, forget that the National encouragement is still appropriated to us, nor overlook the many and valuable Privileges we enjoy under the Protection of the State, which are best preserv'd by a due sense of and thankfulness for the fame, and such a faithfull discharge of our repective dutys, as will abundantly shew that the Church is as serviceable to the State, as the State to the Church; that so their mutual Interests by mutual good Offices may be continued down from Generation to Generation.

Secondly our Civil Rights are guarded on every side by Laws, which are most likely to be for the good of the Subject, because they are first form'd by the Representatives of the People, who will be less dispos'd to lay any unnecessary Burthen upon them which they may not be able to bear, since they themselves also must partake of the same.

But, as they that sit at the Helm, would be if most expos'd in most danger, as being most envied and most fear'd, and the Life of a Soveraign is and must be by reason of his, or her Authority, of amazing consequence, Good Princes being, as the People said of David, worth ten thousand of us; so there is strong [2 Sam.18.3.] provision made in the first place for the security of their Persons, and the maintenance of their Honour, and the Law is as a Wall unto them on their right hand and on their Left. Nay forasmuch as in this sense if the Head suffers all the Members suffer with it, therefore the Dignity and safety of the Throne have stronger Guards by Law, than the Lyons on each side of Solomon's could represent in figure, or those Men of War can exhibit to the Life which ordinarily stand round about it.

Nor is the Liberty and Property of the People less carefully provided for by the same means, a Liberty not of acting absolutely as they please, for that is a Liberty that is not indulg'd their Prince, a Liberty, which a good Prince would not desire, and a bad Prince should not be trusted with, but a Liberty of acting securely, and without disturbance within the compass of the Law: for true Liberty is not properly a power of doing what we will, but of doing with ease, safety and pleasure what we should will, what becomes us as rational and sociable Creatures to do.

A People cannot well be in a worse state than that of Israel when they were under no Government, and [Judg.16.10.] every man did that which was Right in his own eyes, [Deut.12.8.] A Liberty which God Almighty expressly forbad his own People: for in truth such a Freedom is not properly Liberty, but Licentiousness; a Freedom which they think least of who contend most for just Liberty, and who know the worth of the Law too well, to desire that the Subject should be lawless, or any Person whatsoever (unless by way of Punishment) without Law.

Again the Property of the Subject is fixt and guarded by many determinate Laws, that shew the tenderness of our Governours for every private Person's good. No man is subject to the Arbitrary Will of another, nor does he hold as a Tenant at well what is his by verbal Bargain or by manual conveyance, or by inheritance, but the meanest Person amongst us has his remedy against the incroachments of the Greatest: the men of Wealth and Power have no Protection by Law against the just complaints of the Poor, but the Law is open; they may implead one another: and the Law considers not who is High, or who is Low, but who has Right: so that upon the whole [Deut.4.8] what nation is there so great that hath Statutes and judgments so righteous, as all this Law which I set before you this day.

But, be the Law ever so good, it is but a dead Letter without a due execution: I shall proceed therefore in the next place to consider the condition in the Text....