A77374:40
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 tells us, that he is against the Arbitrary way of government. For (saith he) we may and ought to deny obedience to such commands of the Prince as are unlawful by the Law of God, yea by the established Laws of the Kingdom.
Then the Doctor tells us, that he is against the Arbitrary way of government. For (saith he) we may and ought to deny obedience to such commands of the Prince as are unlawfull by the Law of God, yea by the established Lawes of the Kingdome.
Ans. This reason doth no way destroy Arbitrary government but rather erect it. For government is not said to be Arbitrary, because the subjects may deny in word, and so left to suffer: For then the Turkish government is not arbitrary. For when the great Turk commands his subjects to do any thing, if they will deny and suffer for their denial they ⟨p. 9⟩may, and do sometimes deny their obedience. If there be laws whereby a King is to rule which he shall command his subjects to break, and his subjects are neither bound to obey him nor suffer by him, then his government is not arbitrary; but if there be laws made, and he may enforce his subjects either to keep them or break them, and punish them at his pleasure that shall refuse, and the whole kingdom bound in conscience to suffer whatsoever he shall inflict for not breaking those Laws, then is his government arbitrary: for arbitrary government is that whereby a Prince doth rule ex arbitrio; which he doth, when either there is no law to rule by but his own will, or when he hath a power to break those laws at his will, and to punish the subject at his pleasure for not breaking them; and in truth this latter is rather an arbitrary government then the former, as it shows more liberty in the will, that it hath a power to act when reason persuades to the contrary, then if there were no reason dissuading, and else there should be no arbitrary government in the world. For no State but hath some laws whereby they rule and are ruled even the very Indians; only here lies the arbitrariness of a government, that notwithstanding the law, the Ruler may pro arbitrio force his subjects according to his own pleasure. Then the Doctor saith,