A77374:115
The wounded conscience cured, the weak one strengthened, [sic] and the doubting satisfied By…The vvounded conscience cured, the weak one strengthned, [sic] and the doubting satisfied By…
The wounded conscience cured, the weak one strengthened, [sic] and the doubting satisfied By way of answer to Doctor Fearne. Where the main point is rightly stated, and objections throughly answered for the good of those who are willing not to be deceived. By William Bridge, preacher of Gods Word. It is ordered this 30. day of January, 1642. by the committee of the House of Commons in Parliament, concerning printing, that this answer to Dr. Fearne's book be printed. John White. The second edition, corrected and amended. Whereunto are added three sermons of the same author; 1. Of courage, preached to the volunteers. 2. Of stoppage in Gods mercies to England, with their [sic] remedies. 3. A preparation for suffering in these plundering times.The vvounded conscience cured, the weak one strengthned, [sic] and the doubting satisfied By way of answer to Doctor Fearne. Where the main point is rightly stated, and objections throughly answered for the good of those who are willing not to be deceived. By William Bridge, preacher of Gods Word. It is ordered this 30. day of January, 1642. by the committee of the House of Commons in Parliament, concerning printing, that this answer to Dr. Fearnes book be printed. John White. The second edition, correced and amended. Whereunto are added three sermons of the same author; 1. Of courage, preached to the voluntiers. 2. Of stoppage in Gods mercies to England, with their [sic] remedies. 3. A preparation for suffering in these plundering times.
London: printed for Benjamin Allen, 1643
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.
Then the Doctor saith, Those that plead for this power of resistance, lay the first ground work of their Fundamentals thus; The power is originally in and from the people; and if when by election they have entrusted a Prince with a power, he will not discharge his trust, then it falls to the people: or, as in this kingdom, to the two Houses of Parliament, the representative body of this Kingdom, to see to it: they may re-assume the power. This is the bottom of their fundamentals, as they are now discovered to the people.
Then the Doctor saith, Those that plead for this power of resistance, lay the first ground worke of their Fundamentals thus; The power is originally in and from the people; and if when by election they have intrusted a Prince with a power, he will not discharge his trust, then it falls to the people: or, as in this kingdome, to the two Houses of Parliament, the representative body of this Kingdome, to see to it: they may re-assume the power. This is the bottome of their fundamentals, as they are now discovered to the people.
Ans. We distinguish, as he doth, the power abstractively considered from the qualifications of that power, and the designation of a person to that power. The power abstractively considered, is from God, not from the people: but the qualifications of that power, according to the divers ways of executing in several forms of government, and the designation of the person that is to work under this power, is of man: And therefore the power it self we never offer to take out of Gods hand, but leave it where we found it. But if the person entrusted with that power, shall not discharge his trust, then indeed it falls to the people, or the representative body of them to see to it; which they do as an act of self-preservation, not as an act of jurisdiction over their Prince. It is one thing for them to see to it, so as to preserve themselves for the ⟨p. 21⟩present, and another thing so to re-assume the power, as to put the Prince from his office. As for example: Suppose there be a ship full of passengers at the sea in the time of a storm, which is in great danger to be cast away through the negligence and fault of the Steers-man; the passengers may for their own present safety (that they may not be all cast away) desire the Steers-man to stand by, and cause another to stand at the Sterne for the present, though they do not put the Steers-man out of his office. And this is our case: we do not say that the Prince not discharging his trust, the people and Parliament are so to re-assume the power, as if the Prince were to be put from his Office; which the (Doctor not distinguishing thus) would obtrude upon us, but only that the Prince being abused by those that are about him, whereby the charge is neglected, the people, or representative Body may so look to it for the present, setting some at the stern till the storm be over, lest the whole suffer ship wrack. And herein the Doctor does exceedingly wrong us, disputing against us, as if we went about to depose our King, which we contend not for, nor from these principles can be collected.