A92147:238
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.
Yea, I take the Prelates weapon from him. God doth not take the authority of the King from him immediately, but mediately by the people their hating and despising him, when they •ee his wickedness, as the people see Nero a Monster, a prodigious blood-sucker; upon this, all the people contemn him, and despise him, and so the majesty is taken from Nero, and all his Mandates and Laws, when they see him trample upon all Laws divine and humane; and that mediately by the peoples heart, despising of his majesty, and so they repeat and take again that awe-some authority, that they once gave him: And this proveth, that God gave him the authority mediately, by the consent of man. 8. Nor speaketh he of Kings only, but Vers. 21. He poureth contempt [Greek or Hebrew] super munificos. Pineda. Aria. Mont. super Principes. Upon Nobles and great men. And this place may prove, That no Judges of the earth are made by men. 9. The Heathen say, That there is some divinity in Princes, as in Alexander the great, toward his enemies, and Scipio: But this will prove, That Princes and Kings have a Superiority over those who are not their native Subjects; for something of God is in them, in relation to all men, that are not their Subjects. If this be a ground, strong and good, because God only, and independently from men, taketh away this majesty; as God only, and independently giveth it, then ⟨p. 46⟩a King is sacred to all men, subjects, or not subjects; then it is unlawful to make war against any foreign King and Prince, for in invading him, or resisting him, you resist that divine majesty of God, that is in him; then you may not lawfully flee from a tyrant, no more then you may lawfully fly from God. 10. Scipio was not a King. Ergo, This divine majesty is in all Judges of the earth, in a more or less measure. Ergo, God only and immediately, may take this spark of divine majesty from inferior Judges: It followeth not. And Kings certainly cannot infuse any sparkle of a divine majesty, on any inferior Judges; for God only, immediately infuseth it in men. Ergo, It is unlawful for Kings to take this divinity from Judges, for they resist God, who resist Parliaments, no less then those who resist Kings. Scipio hath divinity in him, as well as Cesar, and that immediately from God, and not from any King. 10.
Yea, I take the Prelates weapon from him. God doth not take the authority of the King from him immediately, but mediately by the people their hating and dispising him, when they ee his wickednesse, as the people see Nero a Monster, a prodigeous blood-sucker; upon this, all the people contemn him, and dispise him, and so the majesty is taken from Nero, and all his Mandates and Laws, when they see him trample upon all Laws divine and humane; and that mediately by the peoples heart, dispising of his majestie, and so they repeat and take again that aw-some authoritie, that they once gave him: And this proveth, that God gave him the authoritie mediately, by the consent of man. 8. Nor speaketh he of Kings onely, but Vers. 21. He powreth contempt super munificos. Pineda. Aria. Mont. super Principes. Upon Nobles and great men. And this place may prove, That no Iudges of the earth are made by men. 9. The Heathen say, That there is some divinity in Princes, as in Alexander the great, toward his enemies, and Scipio: But this will prove, That Princes and Kings have a Superiority over those who are not their native Subjects; for something of God is in them, in relation to all men, that are not their Subjects. If this be a ground, strong and good, because God onely, and independently from men, taketh away this majestie; as God onely, and independently giveth it, then