Conscience comply with, and therefore speaks, you see, with some Abhorrence of it, (tho' not altogether so bluntly as Ahab repeated it to his Wife) The Lord forbid it me, that I shou'd give the Inheritance of my Fathers unto thee. From this I say, and the

other Consideration before-mention'd, we may reasonably infer that Naboth was a Man of Uprightness and Integrity; tho' the Scripture has distinguish'd him by no other Title, but that of Naboth the Jesraelite.

But we have better Arguments than bare Conjectures and remote Conclusions to induce us to believe that our Martyr'd Sovereign was highly deserving of this Character, of which we have all the Proof and Demonstration that 'tis possible for one Man to have of the Integrity of another.

'Tis true, God alone is an infallible Judge and Discerner of the Heart; he only beholds with an unerring Eye the Uprightness or Obliquity of Human Thoughts and Intentions; and therefore none but he can absolutely and decisively pronounce of any Person, that he is either Holy and Sincere, or Wicked and Prophane.

But we Men must form our Judgment from the outward Actions, and wheresoever we find a regular Conduct, where all the Duties to God and Man, as far as we can observe, are exactly and punctually discharg'd, where there are no visible Infractions of Divine or Human Laws, or none but such as may be imputed to Human Frailty; we are to look upon a Person so qualified as a Man of Probity and Vertue.

This is no more than is due in common Justice. But Christian Charity will oblige us yet

farther, even where there are some suspicious Appearances, if the Character of the Person be in other Respects unblemish'd; to err (if we must err) on the better Side, and make a favourable Construction.

This is Spoken at large, and not that there is any Occasion for this last Supposal, with Regard to the Subject I am upon: There being nothing in the Behaviour of that excellent Prince, that has so much as an indirect Aspect, nothing I mean that can affect his general Character.

When I affirm this I consider him chiefly as a private Christian, for in his Royal Capacity indeed, as we find him represented, by the designing Artifice of his malicious and restless Enemies, there are faulty Appearances enough. And yet the very Persons, who thus industriously blackned and defam'd him, and loaded him with so many unjust Reproaches on the Account of his Regal Administration; (which can never be so Excellent, as to give no Handle to the Factious, the Guilty, and the Disappointed, to censure and malign it, and will be always liable to Misconstruction, the Reasons of State being so Mysterious) yet cou'd never charge on him any gross Misbehaviour in Point of Moral Duty, any one habitual Vice, or indulg'd Passion, tho' they wanted not Means of prying into his most secret Commerce and private Correspondence, and nothing, we know, is so quick-sighted as Malice.

His Devotion to God was regular and constant both in publick and in private, and that, not cold and formal, but with an ardent Zeal and enflam'd Affection. In the midst of the perplexing Cares that encompass a Throne, and with which his Throne was peculiarly beset; he always found Leisure for the Exercises of Religion: He was never so dazl'd with the Splendor of an Earthly Crown, as not to prefer before it a Heavenly and Immortal One: Nor was he ever unmindful of this important Truth, that as his Subjects were accountable to him; (tho' in the End they quite inverted that Order) so was he himself to render an Account of his Actions at a greater Tribunal before the King of Kings.

In the midst of the highest Plenty, and all the Means of gratifying a sensual Appetite that Royal Affluence cou'd Administer, he was remarkably Temperate, Chast and Sober. His Conjugal Affection has been even imputed as a Crime. He was an inviolable Observer of his Matrimonial Vow, a Vertue not too common in the World, a very rare one indeed in Princes. Nor was he less eminent for Clemency and Justice, and a tender Regard for the Welfare of his Subjects.

And if we consider him in the last Scene of his Life, in his Behaviour both before, and at the Scaffold; we may observe an admirable Composition of Christian Meekness, and Royal Grandeur, how under the extremest Pressures he wou'd never be prevail'd with, to do any thing

unbecoming either the Christian or the King.

As he had Liv'd, he Died a true Professor of the purest reform'd Faith: And his Character has this Advantage, even from the reproachful manner of his Death; that his last Declaration so publickly made in the Face of the World, was not capable of being denied, or misrepresented. Whereas had they dispatch'd him by Poyson or Assassination, or any other way of Murder, that had carried less of Pomp and Ostentation; the Accusation had been obvious, that he Died a Papist, which his Enemies would not have fail'd to have reported, and his Friends could not so convincingly have disprov'd.

His admirable and instructing Legacy to his Children, his Praying for his Murderers, his patient Resignation to the Will of God, and indeed all the several Parts of his Deportment at that dismal Juncture; do conspire to raise in us the highest Esteem and Veneration for his Memory. And sure we may allow to one who was endu'd with so large a Share of Vertues, with so inconsiderable a Mixture of Defects, the Character and Denomination of a good Man. I mean, in a qualified Sense, for, in an absolute Sense, we know who has told us, there is none good but God. And this is one Point in which Naboth and he agree.

The next is, that they both were Murder'd with a pretended Show of Justice, and with Religious Solemnities.

In order to Naboth's Murder there was a Fast Proclaim'd, a solemn Assembly call'd, a formal Accusation forg'd, and suborn'd Witnesses produc'd. The principally intended Wickedness was thus usher'd in with a preparatory Combination of other Crimes; thus closely was the Train of Mischeif laid, by the Contrivance of wicked Jezebel; that Hypocrisy, Perjury and false Judgment should be the Prelude and Introduction to Murder.

And was not this exactly the Case of our Royal Sufferer? Was there not a Day of Humiliation appointed? Was not the nefarious Business in Agitation dignified with the specious Title of the Lord's Work? Did not the cheif Authors of that Cruelty pretend to be seeking the Lord, whilst their Instruments were embruing their Hands in the Blood of the Lord's Anointed.

How horribly did they profane the Name of God, whilst they invok'd him, as Accessary to their Bloody Machinations, and besought him to strengthen their Hands in that diabolical Work! How wretchedly did they pervert his Word, which teaches all Obedience and Reverence to Princes; whilst even from those sacred Writings they would pretend to justify not only the highest Insolence and Contempt, but even the actual Murder of his Lawful Vice-gerent! To how base Purposes were the Ordinances of Religion prostituted, whilst they fasted for the Success of that impious Act, which it requires

a perpetual Fast to deprecate the Guilt of: And made long Prayers only for a Pretense, when they were making a Royal Widow, and devouring Houses and Lands, stately