1But he doth not say expressly, whosoever resists the highest men shall receive damnation, but whosoever shall resist the power: Let every one be subject not to the wills of the highest men, but to the higher power: there is a great deal ⟨p. 3⟩of difference between these two: The higher power, that is, that authority that God & man hath put upon such a man, it is [Greek or Hebrew], not [Greek or Hebrew], that must be subjected to, & not resisted. We profess against resisting power, authority, though abused: If those who have power to make Laws, shall make sinful Laws, and so give authority to any to force obedience; we say here there must either be flying or passive obedience; but if one that is in authority command out of his own will, and not by Law, I resist no power, no authority at all, if I neither actively nor passively obey, no I do not so much as resist abused authority. This may seem strange at the first; but if you think of it, you will believe it. The D. thinks the answer to this place is only from the limitation of the person, or the cause of resisting, as if we held that no particular men upon any cause, but States may resist upon such and such causes; whereas we do not answer so, but we distinguish between the man that hath the power, and the power of that man, and say, although the power must not be resisted according to the letter, and the sense of the Text, yet the illegal will and ways of the man may be resisted, without the least offending against the Text. But we shall meet with this Scripture again and again, and shall follow it with answers accordingly.
1But he doth not say expresly, whosoever resists the highest men shall receive damnation, but whosoever shall resist the power: Let every one be subject not to the wills of the highest men, but to the higher power: there is a great deale ⟨p. 3⟩of difference betweene these two: The higher power, that is, that authority that God & man hath put upon such a man, it is 〈non-Latin alphabet〉, not 〈non-Latin alphabet〉, that must be subjected to, & not resisted. We professe against resisting power, authority, though abused: If those who have power to make Laws, shall make sinfull Laws, and so give authority to any to force obedience; we say here there must either be flying or passive obedience; but if one that is in authority command out of his own will, and not by Law, I resist no power, no authority at all, if I neither actively nor passively obey, no I do not so much as resist abused authority. This may seeme strange at the first; but if you thinke of it, you will beleeve it. The D. thinkes the answer to this place is onely from the limitation of the person, or the cause of resisting, as if we held that no particular men upon any cause, but States may resist upon such and such causes; whereas we doe not answer so, but we distinguish betweene the man that hath the power, and the power of that man, and say, although the power must not be resisted according to the letter, and the sense of the Text, yet the illegall will and wayes of the man may be resisted, without the least offending against the Text. But we shall meete with this Scripture again and again, and shall follow it with answers accordingly.
- 1Ans.
