A57975:293
Lex, Rex
Lex, rex The law and the prince : a dispute for the just prerogative of king and people : containing the reasons and causes of the most necessary defensive wars of the kingdom of Scotland and of their expedition for the aid and help of their dear brethren of England : in which their innocency is asserted and a full answer is given to a seditious pamphlet entitled Sacro-sancta regum majestas, or, The sacred and royal prerogative of Christian kings, under the name of J. A. but penned by Jo. Maxwell the excommunicate P. Prelate. : with a scriptural confutation of the ruinous grounds of W. Barclay, H. Grotius, H. Arnisœus, Ant. de Domi P. Bishop of Spalata, and of other late anti-magistratical royalists, as the author of Ossorianum, D. Fern, E. Symmons, the doctors of Aberdeen, &c. : in XLIV questions.Lex, rex The law and the prince : a dispute for the just prerogative of king and people : containing the reasons and causes of the most necessary defensive wars of the kingdom of Scotland and of their expedition for the ayd and help of their dear brethren of England : in which their innocency is asserted and a full answer is given to a seditious pamphlet intituled Sacro-sancta regum majestas, or, The sacred and royall prerogative of Christian kings, under the name of J. A. but penned by Jo. Maxwell the excommunicate P. Prelat. : with a scripturall confutation of the ruinous grounds of W. Barclay, H. Grotius, H. Arnisœus, Ant. de Domi P. Bishop of Spalata, and of other late anti-magistratical royalists, as the author of Ossorianum, D. Fern, E. Symmons, the doctors of Aberdeen, &c. : in XLIV questions.
London: printed for John Field, 1644London: printed for Iohn Field, 1644
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
There be none under a Law of God who may resist a lawful call to a lawful Office,1 but men may resist any impulsion of God stirring them up to murder the maniest and strongest, and chief men of a Kingdom, that they may reign over the fewest, the weakest, and the young and lowest of the people against their will, therefore this call by the sword is not lawful. If it be said, that the Divine impulsion stirring up a man to make a bloody conquest, that the ire and just indignation of God in Justice may be declared on a wicked Nation, is an extraordinary impulsion of God, who is above a Law, and therefore no man may resist it. Ans. then all bloody Conquerors must have some extraordinary revelation from Heaven to warrant their yielding of obedience to ⟨p. 85⟩such an extraordinary impulsion. And if it be so, They must show a lawful and immediate extraordinary impulsion now; but it is certain, the sins of the people conquered, and their most equal and just demerit, before God, cannot be a just plea to legitimate the Conquest: for though the people of God deserved vastation and captivity by the Heathen, in regard of their sins, before the throne of Divine Justice, yet the Heathen grievously sinned in conquering them, Zach. 1.15. And I am very sore displeased with the Heathen that are at ease: for I was but a little displeased, and they helped forward the affliction. So though Judah deserved to be made captives, and a conquered people, because of their idolatry, and other sins, as Jeremiah had prophesied; yet God was highly displeased at Babylon for their unjust and bloody Conquest, Jer. 50.17, 18▪33, 34. c. 51.35. The violence done to me and to my flesh, be upon Babylon, shall the inhabitants of Zion say; and my blood upon the inhabitants of Chaldea, shall Jerusalem say. And that any other extraordinary impulsion to be as lawful a call to the Throne as the peoples free election, we know not from Gods word, and we have but the naked word of our Adversaries, that William the Conqueror, without the peoples consent, made himself by blood, the lawful King of England, and also of all their posterity; And that King Fergus conquered Scotland. 5. A King is a special gift of God, given to feed and defend the people of God,