A92147:1091
A treatise of civil policy
A treatise of civil policy: being a resolution of forty three questions concerning prerogative, right and privilege, in reference to the supreme prince and the people. / By Samuel Rutherford professor of divinity of St Andrews in Scotland.A treatise of civil policy: being a resolution of forty three questions concerning prerogative, right and priviledge, in reference to the supream prince and the people. / By Samuel Rutherford professor of divintiy of St Andrews in Scotland.
London, : Printed and are to be sold by Simon Miller at the Star in St Pauls Church-yard near the West end., 1657 i.e. 1656
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. Arnisaeus bewrayeth his ignorance in the Scriptures, for the word [Greek or Hebrew] signifieth a custom, and a wicked custom, as by1 many Scriptures I have proved already, his reason are poor. It is the manner of inferior judges, as we see in the sons of Eli, and Samuel, to pervert judgment, as well as King Saul did, but the King may more oppress, and his Tyranny hath more colour, and is more catholic then the oppression of inferior judges, it is not Samuel's purpose thus to distinguish the judges of Israel and the kings, in that the judges had no power granted them of God to oppress, because the people might judge their judges and resist them, and there was power given of God to the king, so far to play the Tyrant, that no man could resist him, or say, what dost thou? the text will not bear any such difference, for it was as unlawful to resist Moses, Joshua, ⟨p. 393⟩Samuel, as Royalists prove from the judgement of God that came upon Core, Dathan and Abiram, as to resist King Saul and King David, Royalists doubt not to make Moses a King. It was also no less sin to resist Samuel's sons, or to do violence to their persons, as judging for the Lord, and sent by the supreme judge their father Samuel, then it was sin to resist many inferior Judges that were Lyons, and even Wolves under the Kings of Israel and Judah, so they judged for the Lord, and as sent by the Supreme Magistrate; But the difference was in this, that judges were extraordinarily raised up of God out of any tribe, as he pleased, and were believers, Heb. 11. 32. Saved by faith, and so used not their power to oppress the people, though inferior judges, as the sons of Eli and of Samuel perverted judgment,2 and therefore in the time of the judges, God who gave them saviours and judges, was their King, but Kings were tied to a certain tribe, especially the line of David to the Kingdom of Judah.
Answ. Arnisaeus bewrayeth his ignorance in the Scriptures, for the word 〈non-Latin alphabet〉 signifieth a custome, and a wicked custome, as by1