The History of the Reformation of the Church of Scotland

But to show thee that Princes may use the people committed to their Charge like beasts, and yet nevertheless are not absolute, cast thy eyes in the neighbour Countries only upon the Duke of Savoy, and the Duke of Florence; who, although they be Sovereigns in a kind over the people, and deal most hardly with them, taking their Lives and Fortunes away at their pleasure, yet they are not acknowledged to be absolute Princes; for they are vassals of the Empire, and their chief titles are to be Officers thereof: So the Duke of Savoy is qualified Vicar of the Empire, &c.

But to shew thee that Princes may use the people committed to their Charge like beasts, and yet neverthelesse are not absolute, cast thy eyes in the neighbour Countreys onely upon the Duke of Savoy, and the Duke of Florence; who, although they be Sovereigns in a kinde over the people, and deal most hardly with them, taking their Lives and Fortunes away at their pleasure, yet they are not acknowledged to be absolute Princes; for they are vassalls of the Empire, and their chief titles are to be Officers thereof: So the Duke of Savoy is qualified Vicar of the Empire, &c.

If you consider the Prince, and people committed to his Charge, as having relation one to another, I say, they are both bound one to another by Duty; the Prince first bound ⟨image 35⟩to rule and govern according to the Law of God, of Nature, of Nations, and Municipal Laws of the Country and the People is bound to obey him accordingly: but if the Prince command any thing against these, his commands are not to be obeyed, God being only he, to whose commands Obedience is simply due, and to be given; but to men, only obedience with limitation, and in external things, according to the Laws so oft above named, at the least not against them, or opposite to them. The Chimaera, or rather Solecism in reason of passive Obedience, is not to be thought on among rational men, it being the invention of Court-parasites, a mere nothing, or non ens, for Obedience consisteth in action, as all other virtues do, and not is suffering. Farther, whosoever, for not obeying a wicked command of a Superior, suffereth, if he can stop it, or shun it, is an enemy to his own being, wherein he offends against nature; for you see every natural thing striveth to conserve it self against what annoyeth it; then he sins against the Order of God, who in vain hath ordained us so many lawful Means for the preservation of our Being, if we suffer it to be destroyed, having power to help it. But then it will be demanded; What, is there no absoluteness in humane Authority? I answer, simple absoluteness there is none under God; For all humane Authority is limited by the Laws aforesaid, and extends to farther then external things; yet comparatively humane Authority is said to be absolute,