A92147:227
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.
P. Prelate. 1. To whom can it be more proper to give the rule over men, then to him who is the only King truly and properly of the whole world? 2. God is the immediate Author of all rule and power that is amongst all his creatures, above or below. 3. Man before the fall received dominion, and empire over all the creatures below immediately, as Gen. 1. 28. Gen. 9. 2. ergo we cannot deny that the most noble government (to wit Monarchy) must be immediately from God, without any Contract or compact of men. Ans. The first reason concludeth not what is in question; for God only giveth rule and power to one man over another; ergo he giveth it immediately, it followeth not. 2. It shall as well prove that God doth immediately constitute all Judges, and therefore it shall be unlawful for a city to appoint a Major, or a shire a Justice of peace. 3. The second argument is inconsequent also, because God in creation is the immediate Author of1 all things, and therefore without consent of the creatures, or any act of the creature, created an Angel a nobler creature then man, and a man then a woman, and men above beasts; because those that are not, can exercise no act at all. But it followeth not; ergo all the works of providence, such as is the government of Kingdoms are done immediately by God, for in the works of providence, for the ⟨p. 39⟩most part in ordinary, God worketh by means; it is then as good a consequence as this. God immediately created man, ergo he keepeth his life immediately also without food and sleep. God immediately created the Sun, ergo God immediately without the mediation of the Sun giveth light to the world. The making of a King is an act of reason, and God hath given a man reason to rule himself; and therefore hath given to a society an instinct of reason, to appoint a governor over themselves, but no act of reason goeth before man be created; ergo it is not in his power whether he be created a creature of greater power then a beast or no. 4. God by creation gave power to a man over the creatures, and so immediately; but I hope a man cannot say, God by creation hath made a man King over men. 5. The Excellency of Monarchy (if it be excellenter then any other government, of which hereafter) is no ground why it should be immediately from God, as well as mans dominion over the creature;