endred to them so fit to be destroyed, that
many are ambitious to merit the name of My Destroyers; Imagining they
then fear God most, when they least honor their King.

I thank God, I never found but My pity was above My anger; nor have
My passions ever so prevailed against me, as to exclude My most
compassionate prayers for them, whom devout errours more then their
own malice have betrayed to a most religious Rebellion.

I had the Charity to interpret, that most part of My Subjects fought
against My supposed Errours, not My person; and intended to mend Me,
not to end Me: And _I_ hope that God pardoning their Errours, hath
so farre accepted and answered their good intentions, as he hath yet
preserved Me, so he hath by these afflictions prepared me, both to do
him better service, and My people more good then hitherto I have done.

I do not more willingly forgive their seductions, which occasioned
their loyall injuries, then I am ambitious by all Princely merits to
redeem them from their unjust suspicions, and reward them for their
good intentions.

I am too conscious to My own affections toward the generality of my
people to suspect theirs to Me; nor shall the malice of My Enemies
ever be able to deprive Me of the comfort which that confidence
gives Me; I shall never gratifie the spightfulnesse of a few with
any sinister thoughts of all their Allegiance, whom pious frauds have
seduced.

The worst some mens ambition can do, shall never perswade Me, to make
so bad interpretations of most of My Subjects actions; who possibly
may be erroneous, but not Hereticall in point of Loyalty.

The sence of the injuries done to My Subjects is as sharp, as those
done to My Self; our welfares being inseparable; in this only they
suffer more then My self, that they are animated by some seducers to
injure at once both themselves and Me.

For this it is not enough to the malice of My Enemies, that I
be afflicted; but it must be done by such instruments, that My
afflictions grieve Me not more, then this doth, that I am afflicted
by those, whose prosperity I earnestly desire, and whose seduction I
heartily deplore.

If they had been my open and forraign Enemies, I could have born it;
but they must be My own Subjects, who are next to My Children dear to
me: And for the restoring of some tranquillity, I could willingly
be the _Jonah_, if I did not evidently fore-see, that by the divided
interests of their and Mine Enemies, as by contr