CHAP. I. The first Foundation of the Happiness of a State is the Establishment of the Reign of God.

THE Reign of God is the Principle of the Government of States; and indeed it is a thing so absolutely necessary, that without that Foundation it is impossible for any Prince to rule well, or for any State to be happy.

It would be easie to write whole Volumes upon so important a Subject, for which Scripture, the Fa∣thers and all sorts of Histories furnish us an infinite number of Examples, of pretences and exhortations which all tend to the same end: But all Men are so sensible by their own Reason, that their Original does not proceed from themselves, but that a God is their Creator, and consequently their Director, that they all feel that Nature has imprinted that Truth in their hearts with undefaceable Chara∣cters.

So many Princes have undone themselves, and their States, by laying the foundation of their Con∣duct upon a Judgment contrary to their own know∣ledg; and so many have been loaden with Blessings in submitting their Authority to that from whom it was deriv'd, for having only sought their Gran∣deur, in that of their Creator; and for having ta∣ken more Care of his Reign than of their own, that I will enlarge no further on a Truth too evi∣dent, to stand in need of any Proof.

Page  3I will only say this, that as it is impossible that the Reign of a Prince, who suffers disorder and vice to reign in his State, should be happy; so God will not easily permit his to be unhappy, who takes a particular care to establish his Empire within the Extent of his Dominion.

Nothing can be of greater use to such an Esta∣blishment than the Regularity of Princes Lives, which is a Law that speaks and persuades with more efficacy than all those they could enact to in∣duce People to follow the good they would pro∣cure.

If it be true, that whatever Crime a Soveraign may fall into, he sins more by the ill Example he gives than by the nature of his fault: It is no less certain that whatever Laws he may make, if he practises what he prescribes, his Example is no less useful towards the Observation of his Will than all the Penalties of his Ordinances, tho never so grave.

The purity of a chast Prince will banish more impurity out of his Kingdom than all the Ordinan∣ces he could publish to that end.

The Prudence and Discretion of those who a∣void Swearing will sooner put a stop to the Oaths and Blasphemies, which are too common in States, than all the Rigors they can exert against those who addict themselves to such Execrations.

Not but it is absolutely necessary at the same time to chastise Scandals, Swearing and Blasphemies with the utmost Severity; It is a thing in which Princes can never be too exact; for let the Life of a Prince or of a Magistrate be never so godly and regular, they will never be reputed to have per∣form'd their Duty, unless while they invite People Page  4 to it by their Example, they also force them to it by the Rigor of their Laws.

All the Soveraigns of the World are oblig'd by that Principle to promote the Conversion of those, who living under their Reign, stray out of the Road to Heaven. But as Man is reasonable by his Nature, Princes perform their Duty, in practising all reasonable means to attain so good an end; and Prudence does not allow them to attempt any so ha∣zardous, as to run the risque of pulling out the good Wheat in endeavouring to remove Dissention, which it would be difficult to purge a State of by any means but those of mildness, without exposing it to a tottering condition capable to ruin it, or at least to cause a notable prejudice to it.

As Princes are oblig'd to establish the true Wor∣ship of God, they must be very careful to banish the false Appearances of it, so prejudicial to States, that one may truly affirm, that Hypocrisy has often serv'd as a Veil to cover the deformity of the most pernicious attempts.

Many Persons, whose Weakness is equal to their Malice, sometimes use that kind of Varnish, which is the more common in Women in that their Sex is more inclin'd to Devotion, and that the little force it is attended with makes them the more capable of such disguises, which suppose less Solidity than Cun∣ning.