The Sacramentary of St.Gregory thus:

Let us pray for our most Christian King N. that God and our Lord may make all barbarous Nations fubject to him, for our perpetual Peace.

The modern Komin Litanies thus:/

That thou wouldst vouchsafe to grant to our King and our Princes,Peace and true Concord and Victory. Anfw.We beseech thee,&c.

But most fully the Liturgy of S.Bafil, where they pray thus:

Remember O Lord our most religious, and faithful Emperors, whom thou hast thought fit to fet over the Earth, adorn them with the Armour of Truth, and of thy favour, cover their heads in the day of Battel, ftrengthen their arm, and exalt their Right hand,confirm their Kingdom, and fubdue unto them the barbarous Nations, that delight in War, grant them a well-grounded and unshaken Peace; put into their hearts good things for thy Church and People, that in their Tranquillity, we may live quiet and peaceable lives in all Godliness and Honesty.

Out of all these illuftrious Patterns hath our Church composed these three Petitions for the King, which are now to be confidered: The firft, even this forecited,is a Requeft, That our moft G2actous king may be preferved in the right Faith and the true Religion,and that he may adorn it with a Holy Life and Converfation, which doth well, follow the former for the Churches being ruled and governed in the right way,because the feveral parts of the Church either are, or ought to be, ruled and governed by Kings and Princes, that are fupreme under Chrift in their feveral Dominions, fo that if they believe aright, and live Helily, the Church is Jikely to be guided in the right way, It is therefore not only for the welfare of the Church in general, but for the advantage of the Kings own particular, that we

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make this Prayer for him: In the first beginning of Chriftianity the Governours of the world, were Heathens and Perfecutors, and then they prayed for their Con- . verfion; but now (bleffed be God) our King is Chriftian, and a Defender of the true Faith: His happy Ancestors, of blessed Memory, have fet up the Right worship of God, reformed by Scripture, and the beft Antiquity; in this his Majefty hath been educated, this he hath re-established, and constantly maintained, so that we can only pray, that the Good Lord will prefer ve him in the true Faith, and keep him firm in that excellent and primitive way of worship, which he doth profefs and obferve; we are to pray that no cunning may entice him, nor no Oppofition enforce him to defert the fincere,rational,and true Religion,which he hath fo gratiously afferted and fecured, by Promifes and good Laws, by his Example and all other good Means,and cvery good Subject and every true Proteftant will fay, We befeech,&c. But we do further pray, that our King may adorn the best of Religions with Righteousnels and HoItnefs of life, which is the most acceptable way of worshipping Almighty God,Ecclus xxxv.1,2,3. yea he cannot be truly worthipped (no not by thofe of the beft Principles) if they live unrighteoufly. It is the eternal intereft of Princes to live holily, for their earthlyCrowns will fade, and then will Holiness procure them a never fading Crown, and a Kingdom that (hall endure for ever; to which they cannot attain without it, for without Holinef's no man fhall fee the Lord. There is no more Exception or Difpenfation for Princes at Gods Tribunal, than for meaner Men: Eut befides, we may juftly beg this as well for our own fakes as for the Kings, because there is not any more effectual means to make Piety univerfal, than the good Example of those in eminent Authority; The cleareft Rules, and moft vigorous Exhortations

(g) Vita Principis perpetua cenfura eft, ad hanc dirigimur,nec tam Imperio mobis ́opus est quam Exempl. Plin. Paneg. ad Trajanum.

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Exhortations prevail not fo much, as a great and good Example (g): And O how happy is it, when it is the very fashion to be vertuous, and accounted rude and infamous to be vitious! under a religious and holy Prince moft men will be holy, and all will defire to feem fo, and however avoid all publick Enormities; fo that if we love Religion,or our Country, if we love the Perfon of our Soveraign, or wish his eternal happiness, if we defire the glory of God, and the Salvation of many Souls, let us unto this excellent Request say moft devoutly, we beseech thee, &c.

av sinese ¿THDAY, Opay roy Cacinia mediulio, Xenoph. in laud. Agefilai.

S.V. Dat it may please thee,to rule his heart in the faith,fear, and love, and that he may evermoze have affiance in thee, and ever seek thy honour and glogy:] We beseech thee,&c.

(b) Themift.Orat. 9. ubi fentemia ifta citatur, & liber Solomonisindicatur per γράμματα τῶν Αστ συρίων

That illuftrious place of Solomon,Prou.2 1.1.That the Kings heart is in the hand of the Lord,is fo eminent, that it is cited by a Heathen Author (b), and became a Monitor to the Chriftians to apply themselves to God, not only to direct the Actions, but to rule the heart of their Kings alfo and verily be the profeffion never so fair, and the outward Acts never fo plaufible, the Religion is not fincere, nor will it be lafting, unless the heart be right; of which Jebu is a fad inftance, who after all his pretended zeal against Idolatry, when his fecular ends were ferved, he himself became an Idolater, whereof

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the Holy Text gives us this reason, because he took no beed to walk in the Law of the Lord God of Ifrael with all bis Heart, 2 Kings x.31. So that it is our Intereft to pray, That Religion may be rooted in the heart of the Kings Majefty, and then he will easily and readily encline to do all good,and to fly all evil; a Prince whole heart is full of heavenly Love is zealous for God's glory, fincere in his Devotion, constant in his Faith, a Father of his Country, a Lover of the Church,a Difpenfer of Juftice, a Friend to Good, and foe to Evil men, finally, He is all that is defirable: Nor must any think we seek our own happiness herein, more than our Soveraigns, for as St. Auguftine well difcourfes; We Christians do not esteem our Emperors therefore happy, becaufe they reign fucceffively and long and peaceably, becaufe they are feared and victorious, but we say they are happy, if they rule Righteously if they use their Power to propagate the Worship, and ferve the ends of Almighty God, if they themselves do fear and love and worhip him, and do principally feek that Kingdom, where they shall have no Competitors,&c.(i): For if Kings be fuch, and do these things, they shall be happy for evermore: But further let us observe the feveral particulars, which are here prayed for. The heart confidered naturally is the fountain of Life,and taken (as here) morally it is, the fpring whence all our Actions flow, and according to the Difpofitions thereof all our Deeds are either well or ill done, fo that here are reckoned up all thofe Difpofitions of the heart, that conduce to the well-doing of any Action: First, if the eart rightly believe God's Truth, prudently fear his Anger, and ever love his favour, all our Actions will be begun well. Secondly, if our hearts firmly truft in God, they will be well carried on. Thirdly,

(1) Aug. de Civ. Dei,lib.5.c.24.

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our Hearts ever leek his honour and glory, they will accomplished and aim at the right end, Faith will keep us from evil Principles, Fear from wicked Practices, and Lobe will make us ready to do good, affiance in God will carry us through all difficulties, and Zeal for his long will make all we do acceptable and rewarded; fo that if we apply it to the King, it is a Prayer, that his heart may be replenished with all those gracious Qualifications, that may fit him to begin, continue and end all his Actions in the fear, and to the good liking of Almighty God; that his heart may be replenished with true faith, whereby he will conftantly put his truft and affiance in God, and that he may be ever kept in the Fear and Love of him, whereby he will always be moved to seek Gods honour and glory. In fine, We pray that our gratious King may be endued with fo real a Piety, that he may begin all good upon noble Principles, go on in it with couragious refolutions, and finish it with fincere and excellent intentions, fo fhall he be beloved by God, and honoured by all good men, yea his Memory fhall be bleffed in after-Generations, wherefore We befeech thee, &c.

S.VI.That it may please thee to be his Defender and keeper, giving him the Widozy over

all his Enemies:] We beseech thee,&c.

It was the faying of our Royal Martyr K.CHARLES the First, concerning our prefent Soveraign, That he rather defired his Son (k)should be (k)'Emav Ca- Charles le bon, than Charles le grand, for vertue and goodness was better than Felicity or Greatness in

σιλικών §.27.

the Opinion of that bleffed Prince and accordingly the Church makes the first, and the most of her Peti