How were Both couped up one while in fuch a Cave, another in fuch a Wood; forced haftily to flee to Moab, and to Gath, and (thanks to that Providence that takes care of Kings) found more Kindnefs and Shelter among uncircumcifed Philistines, than their own Subjects, in their Rightful Dominions? How did both receive in themfelves, each Moment, the Sentence of Death, by new Dangers, and frightful Alarms? And how were both fometimes in the greatest Perplexity and Doubt, which they ought moft to be jealous of, the Violence of implacable Enemies, or the Treachery of pretended Friends.

But why do I thus lay open the Diftreffes of Sacred Majefty, to our own great Difhonour? Let dark Shades for ever be drawn over the Vifage of thofe Times; let them never fee the Light: Let us no longer fee fuch Misfortunes difplay'd, as upbraid our Guilts no less than move our Pity; but let us turn our Eyes on David, Crowned in Hebron, from his Exile in Gath. He asked Life of God, and He, with Life, beftowed the Poffeffion of a Crown in Peace: He fubdued the People under him, and the Nations under his Eect, and there remained no Strife at

all,

L

all, but a Dutiful and Loyal Emulation, who fhould be the Firft in bringing back the King. And now the Daughter of Sion might well rejoyce greatly, when her King came in fuch a meek and peaceful way; not in confused Noifes of War, not in Garments rolled in Blood: He came as the Rain into a Fleece of Wool, and the Gentleness of his Entrance was, at once, an Earneft, and a Shadow of the future Grace and Goodness of his Government. And thus it appears, that the State of our Kingdom, and the Condition of our Prince, From feeble, became as David. Which was the fecond Thing.

Thirdly, The next is, That hereby the Government was established, not only in a Single Perfon, but in his Lineage and Houfe; The Houfe of David Thall be as God.

What Afpect this may have upon the Spiritual Kingdom of the Meffiah, and what the Mystical Intendiment and Sense in that regard may be, I will not now enquire; but with an Eye to the Temporal Government of the Houfe of David, I must confider wherein they fo refemble God, as that it may be accommodated to Soveraign and Hereditary Princes at large.

Now.

Now here I must first premise, that Scriptures themselves do afcribe to them fome Shadows of Divine Excellencies and Perfections, and fo alfo do the Sages of our Municipal Laws; left any should pertly here object, that this Divinity is broached only by Court-Chaplains, or Penfioners to Preroga

tive.

The Infpired Writings fay, that it is God whom Soveraign Powers do reprefent, that it is by the Beams of his Majefty they shine, that He has faid They are Gods, that he puts the Sword of Justice in their Hands, that 'tis his Throne they fill, and that Obedience to them is enforc'd upon their Subjects by virtue of a Divine Authority and Command.

And the Skilful in our Laws fay, That the Common Law, by way of Similitude, attributes to the King a Shadow of Divine Excellencies, because he reprefents the Perfon of God, and bears his Image. As (for instance) Soveraignty, all Lands being held of him; Power, he commanding his Subjects to go out of the Realm to War, or making Foreign Coin Current by his Proclamation; Majefty, he neither taking, nor parting with any Thing, without Matter of Record, except

Chattels,

Chattels, or fuch like, below the Regard of Law; Infinitenefs, after a certain manner, being prefent in all his Courts, and, as it were, in all places of his Dominions; Perpetuity, having perpetual Succeffion, and being not fubject to dye; Perfection, for no Laches, Folly, Infancy, or Corruption of Blood can be judged in him, Truth, he cannot be estopped; Justice, He cannot be a Diffeizor, or do any Wrong.

These things I find vouch'd from fuch Authorities, as that they seem to me, to be Effential to our Conftitution, and to be as good a Comment, as one would wish, on that Branch of the Text, now under Confideration, that The House of David fhould be as God; intimating many high and excellent Prerogatives, they were invested in, and encircled withal.

But I must confine my Difcourfe to narrower Bounds, and therefore shall insist only on these two things.

1. That in the Monarchy, refembling God, the Perfons in Power were truly Supream,

úvol, unaccountable to any, as God can be compelled by none, nor be made accountable to them.

2. That they refembled him in a kind of Immortality; The King never died, the Monarchy was Succeffive and Hereditary.

1. They resemble God in being, vu múduros, truly Supream and Unaccountable. Some learned Men will have this to have been the main difference betwixt the Judges that governed Ifrael, and the Kings of the Houfe of David, That the former were to render an Account to the State, of the Administration of their Government, which the latter were not to do, but to God only. The very nature of the thing (indeed) proves it self fufficiently: For, wherever Soveraign Power is once lodged (becaufe for the Spartan Shadows of a King, and the Dukes of Venice, I am not concerned to account here) there is evidently vefted a Freedom from all forcible Controll or Coertion: And if David and his Race were Kings over all Ifrael, they had the eminent controlling Authority over the fcattered, or united Power of the Body-Politick; and fo no Sanhedrim, no Affembly, no Confent of the People, no Officers of State, can be above them, in the way of proper Rule or Jurifdiction; and violently to touch them in the very Skirts of their Mantle, is hugely culpable and criminal..

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