r: That
shy Priests may be cloathed with righteousnesse, and the poor may be
satisfed with bread._

_Let not holy things be given to Swine; nor the Churches bread to
Dogs; rather let them go about the City, grin like a Dog, and grudge
that they are not satisfied._

_Let those sacred morsels, which some men have already by violence
devoured, never digest with them, nor theirs; Let them be as_ Naboth's
_Vineyard to_ Ahab, _gall in their mouths, rottennesse to their names,
a moth to their families, and a sting to their Consciences._

_Break in sunder O Lord, all violent and sacrilegious Confederations
to do wickedly and injuriously._

_Divide their hearts and tongues who have bandyed together against the
Church and State, that the folly of such may be manifest to all men,
and proceed no further._

_But so savour My righteous dealing, O Lord, that in the mercies of
thee, the most High, I may never miscarry._

* * * * *

15. _Vpon the many Jealousies raised, and Scandals cast upon the_
KING, _to stirre up the People against him._

If _I_ had not My own Innocency, and Gods protection, it were hard
for Me to stand out against those stratagems and conflicts of malice,
which by falsities seek to oppresse the Truth; and by Jealousies to
supply the defect of reall causes, which might seem to justifie so
unjust ingagements against Me.

And indeed, the worst effects of open hostility come short of these
designes: For, _I_ can more willingly lose My Crownes, then My credit;
nor are My Kingdomes so dear to Me, as My Reputation and Honor.

Those must have a period with my life; but these may survive to a
glorious kind of Immortality, when I am dead and gone: A good name
being the imbalming of Princes, and a sweet consecrating of them to an
Eternity of love and gratitude among Posterity.

Those foul and false aspersions were secret engines at first employed
against My peoples love to Me: that undermining their opinion and
value of Me, My enemies, and theirs too might at one blow up their
affections, and batter down their loyalty.

Wherein yet, I thank God, the detriment of My Honor is not so
afflictive to Me, as the sin and danger of My peoples souls, whose
eyes once blinded with such mists of suspicions, they are soon misled
into the most desperate precipices of actions: wherein they do not
only, not consider their sin and danger, but glory in their zealous
adventures; while I am r