A92147:201
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.
Therefore the people must make such a man King, following the rule of Gods Word, Deut. 17. 14. and other rules showing what sort of men Judges must be, as Deut 1. 16, 17, 18. 2 Chro. 19. 6, 7. 3. It is true, Kings in a special manner reign by Christ. Ergo, Not by the peoples free election. The P. Prelate argueth like himself: By this Text, a Major of a City, by the Lord, decreeth justice: Ergo, He is not made a Major of the City, by the people of the City. It followeth not, 4. None of us teach that Kings reign by Gods anger. We judge a King a great mercy of God to Church, or State: But the Text saith not, By the Lord, Kings and Judges do not only reign and decree justice, but also murder Protestants, by raising against them an Army ⟨p. 24⟩of Papists. And the word, 5. [Greek or Hebrew], Powers, doth in no Greek Author signify, irrevocable powers; for Uzziah was a lawful King, and yet 2 Chron. 26. lawfully put from the throne, and cut off from the house of the Lord: And Interpreters on this place, deny that the place is to be understood of Tyrants: so the Chaldee Paraphrase turns it well, Potentes virga justitiae: so Lavater, and Di• datus, 1and Thomas saith, this place doth prove, That all Kings, and Judges, Laws, derivari a lege aeterna, are derived from the eternal Law. The Prelate eating his tongue for anger, striveth to prove, That all power, and so Royal power, is of God: but what can he make of it? we believe it, though he say Sectaries prove, by [Greek or Hebrew], That a man is justified by faith only: so there is no power2 but of God only: but feel the smell of a Jesuit; it is the Sectaries doctrine. That we are justified by faith only; but the Prelates, and the Jesuits go another way, not by faith only, but by works also. And all power is from God only, as the first Author, and from no man. What then? Therefore men and people interpose no humane act in making this man a King, and not this man: It followeth, And let us with the Prelate, join Paul and Solomon together, and say, That Sovereignty is from God, of God, by God, as Gods appointment irrevocable. Then shall it never follow: it is unseparable from the person, except you make the King a man immortal: as God only can remove the Crown; it is true, but God only can put an unworthy, and an excommunicated Prelate from Office and Benefice, but how?