A92147:191
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.
Ans. 1. Apostles both according to their Office, and the designation of their person to the Office were immediately and only from God, without any act of the people, and therefore are badly coupled with the royal power of David and King Saul, who were not formally made Kings, but by the people at Mizpeh and Hebron, 2. The second way God giveth Royal Power by moving the peoples hearts to confer royal power, and this is virtually in the people, formally from God. Water hath no influence to produce grace, Gods institution and promise doth it; except you dream with your ⟨p. 19⟩Jesuits, of opus operatum, that water sprinkled, by the doing of the deed conferreth grace, nisi ponatur obex, what can the child do, or one child more then another baptized child, to hinder the flux of remission of sins, if you mean not that Baptism worketh as Physic on a sick man, except strength of humours hinder? and therefore this comparison is not alike. The people cannot produce so noble an effect as royalty, a beam of God. True, formally they cannot, but virtually it is in a society of reasonable men, in whom are left beams of authoritative Majesty, which by a divine institution they can give, Deut. 17. 14. to this man, to David, not to Eliab; and I could well say the Favourite made the Lord, and placed honour in the man whom he made Lord, by a borrowed power from his Prince; and yet the honour of a Lord is principally from the King. 3. It is true, the election of the people containeth not formally Royal dignity, but the Word saith, they made Saul, they made David King: so virtually election must contain it. Samuel's oil maketh not David King, he is a subject after he is anointed; the peoples election at Hebron maketh him King; 2. differenceth him from his brethren; 3. putteth him in Royal state; yet God is the principal agent. What immediate action God hath here, is said and dreamed of, no man can divine, except Prophet P. Prelate. The [Greek or Hebrew] Royal authority is given organically by that act by which he is made King: another act is a night-dream, but by the act of election David is made of no King, a King. The collation of [Greek or Hebrew] Royal gifts, is immediately from God: but that formally maketh not a King, if Solomon saw right, servants riding on horses, Princes going on foot. 4.
Ans. 1. Apostles both according to their Office, and the designation of their person to the Office were immediatly and onely from God, without any act of the people, and therefore are badly coupled with the royall power of David and King Saul, who were not formally made Kings, but by the people at Mizpeh and Hebron, 2. The second way God giveth Royall Power by moving the peoples hearts to confer royall power, and this is virtually in the people, formally from God. Water hath no influence to produce grace, Gods institution and promise doth it; except you dream with your