My Lord said he, The plain words of the Apostle makes the difference, and the facts of many approved by God, prove my affirmative. First the Apostle affirms, That the powers are ordained of God, for the preservation of quiet and peaceable men, and for the punishment of malefactors; whereof it is plain, That the Ordinance of God and the power given unto man, is one thing, and the person clad with the Authority, is another; For Gods Ordinance is the conservation of mankind, The punishment of vice, and the maintenance of virtue, which in it self, is holy, just, constant, stable, and perpetual; but men clad with the Authority, are commonly profane and unjust; ye, they are mutable, transitory, and subject to corruption, as God threateneth by his Prophet David, 1saying, I have said ye are gods, and every one of you the sons of the most high; but ye shall dye as man, and the Princes shall fall like others. Here I am assured, That the persons, ye soul and body are threatened with death; I think that so ye will not affirm, is the Authority, the Ordinance, and the Power, wherewith God endued such persons; for (as I have said) it is holy, so is the permanent will of God. And now, my Lord, that the Prince may be resisted, and yet the Ordinance of God not violated: It is evident that the people resisted Saul, when he had sworn by the living God that Jonathan should die;2 The people (I say) swore in the contrary, and delivered Jonathan, so that a hair of his head fell not: Now Saul was the Anointed King, and they ⟨p. 385⟩were his subjects, and yet they resisted him, that they made him no better then men sworn. I doubt (said Lethington) That in so doing, the people did well. The Spirit of God (said the other) accuses them not of any crime, but rather praises them, and condemns the King, as well for his foolish vow and Law made without God, as for his cruel mind, that so severely would have punished an innocent man: But herein will I not stand; this that followeth shall confirm the former. This same Saul commanded Abimelech and the Priests of the Lord to be slain, because they had committed Treason (as he alleged) for intercommuning with David: 3His Guard, and principal servants, would not obey his unjust commandment; But Doeg the flatterer put the Kings cruelty in execution.
My Lord said he, The plaine words of the Apostle makes the difference, and the facts of many approved by God, prove my affirmative. First the Apostle affirmes, That the powers are ordained of God, for the preservation of quiet and peaceable men, and for the punishment of malefactors; whereof it is plaine, That the Ordinance of God and the power given unto man, is one thing, and the person clad with the Authoritie, is another; For Gods Ordinance is the conservation of mankinde, The punishment of vice, and the maintenance of vertue, which in it self, is holy, just, constant, stable, and perpetuall; but men clad with the Authoritie, are commonly prophane and unjust; yee, they are mutable, transitory, and subject to corruption, as God threateneth by his Prophet David, 1saying, I have said yee are gods, and every one of you the sonnes of the most high; but yee shall dye as man, and the Princes shall fall like others. Here I am assured, That the persons, yee soule and body are threatned with death; I think that so ye will not affirm, is the Authothority, the Ordinance, and the Power, wherewith God endeued such persons; for (as I have said) it is holy, so is the permanent will of God. And now, my Lord, that the Prince may be resisted, and yet the Ordinance of God not violated: It is evident that the people resisted Saul, when he had sworn by the living God that Ionathan should die;2 The people (I say) swore in the contrary, and delivered Ionathan, so that a hair of his head fell not: Now Saul was the Anoynted Ki•g, and they ⟨p. 385⟩were his subjects, and yet they resisted him, that they made him no better then men sworn. I doubt (said Lethington) That in so doing, the people did well. The Spirit of God (said the other) accuses them not of any crime, but rather praises them, and condemnes the King, as well for his foolish vow and Law made without God, as for his cruell minde, that so severely would have punished an innocent man: But herein will I not stand; this that followeth shall confirme the former. This same Saul commanded Abimelech and the Priests of the Lord to be slain, because they had committed Treason (as he alleadged) for intercommuning with David: 3His Guard, and principall servants, would not obey his unjust commandment; But Doeg the flatterer put the Kings cruelty in execution.
- 1Psal. 82.
- 2Note this.
- 31 Sam. 22.
