A88587:197
A modest and clear vindication of the serious representation, and late vindication of the…
A modest and clear vindication of the serious representation, and late vindication of the ministers of London, from the scandalous aspersions of John Price, in a pamphlet of his, entitled, Clerico-classicum or, The clergies alarm to a third war. Wherein his king-killing doctrine is confuted. The authors by him alleged, as defending it, cleared. The ministers of London vindicated. The follies, and falsities of John Price discovered. The protestation, vow, and the Covenant explained. / By a friend to a regulated monarchy, a free Parliament, an obedient army, and a godly ministry; but an enemy to tyranny, malignity, anarchy and heresy.A modest and clear vindication of the serious representation, and late vindication of the ministers of London, from the scandalous aspersions of John Price, in a pamphlet of his, entituled, Clerico-classicum or, The clergies alarum to a third war. Wherein his king-killing doctrine is confuted. The authors by him alledged, as defending it, cleared. The ministers of London vindicated. The follies, and falsities of Iohn Price discovered. The protestation, vow, and the Covenant explained. / By a friend to a regulated monarchy, a free Parliament, an obedient army, and a godly ministry; but an enemy to tyranny, malignity, anarchy and heresie.
London: printed for Stephen Bowtell, 1649
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.
Answ. Indeed in his Comment on the Romans he saith, that in case of necessity the inferior Magistrate may lawfully defend himself against the superior; but hath not a word in his Comment on the Judges (that I can find) that superior Magistrates may be put to death by the inferior. Surely Pareus would not say one thing in his Comment on Judges; 1and the quite contrary in his Comment on the Romans. He saith expressly, that Christians no less then others ought to be subject to the Powers, not only when believers but when Infidels, as all the powers then were, not only to the meek and just, but to the froward and unjust, &c. Tis true, Pareus pleads for defensive arms in case of necessity, (and so do I) but yet he never went in so high a strain to plead for the killing of Kings and Princes; yea when Pareus speaks of defensive arms he doth it with abundance of wisdom and caution:2 Subditi (saith he) non privati sed in magistratu inferiori constituti, adversus superiorem magistratum see & Rempublicam & ecclesiam seu veram Religionem etiam armis defendere possunt. His positis Conditionibus, cum superior ma•istratus degenerate in Tyrannum. 2. Aut ad manifestam idolotatriam atque blasphemias ipsas vel subditos alios suae fidei commissos vult cogere, &c. The sum of what he saith is this, that it is lawful (not for private men but) for the inferior magistrates to defend the Church and Common-wealth, against the superior Magistrate, yet he lays down 6 conditions or limitations; provided that the Superior Magistrate degenerates into a Tyrant, that He compels His Subjects to manifest idolatry and blasphemy; and that they keep themselves in the bounds of self-defences according to the Laws, &c. Now can it be imagined that Pareus should lay ⟨p. 52⟩down so many cautions to justify a defensive war in his Comment on the Romans, and yet affirm that the superior Magistrate may be put to death by the inferior? It makes me think that you never read Pareus his works; or if you did, that you intended to be lye him, as you have done many others. Besides, Pareus never made a Comment upon Judges all his life; after he was dead there was found some short notes written in his own Bible, only for his own private use, which his son Philip Pareus did lately put among his other works.