The reasons of the Christian religion the first part, of godliness, proving by natural…

For all Powers under the absolute Sovereign of the world, are derivative and dependent, and are no more than he hath given: they are from him, under him, and for him; and can no more have any authority against him, than a Worm against a King, or than they could have Being and Authority without him. He that contradicteth this Proposition, must take down God, and Deify Man, and so defy and conquer ⟨p. 67⟩Heaven, or else he will never make it good.¹ As for the difficulties that seem to rise by allowing Subjects to prefer God's Authority before their Parents or Princes; it belongeth no more to the clearing of the present subject that I resolve them, than that I resolve such as arise from our allowing Subjects to disobey a Justice or Constable when he is against the King.

For all Powers under the absolute Sovereign of the world, are derivative and dependent, and are no more than he hath given: they are from him, under him, and for him; and can no more have any authority against him, than a Worm against a King, or than they could have Being and Authority without him. He that contradicteth this Proposition, must take down God, and Deifie Man, and so defie and conquer ⟨p. 67⟩Heaven, or else he will never make it good.¹ As for the difficulties that seem to rise by allowing Subjects to prefer God's Authority before their Parents or Princes; it belongeth no more to the clearing of the present subject that I resolve them, than that I resolve such as arise from our allowing Subjects to disobey a Justice or Constable when he is against the King.

1. 1Plutarch de Tranquil. Anim. saith, that it is one of Aristotle's sayings, That he that believed as he ought of the gods, should think as well of himself as Alexander, who commanded so many m. n. p. 155.