A92147:410
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.
Asser. 2. The Kings power is not properly and univocally a Marital1 and husbandly power, but only Analogically, 1. The Wife by nature is the weaker Vessel, and inferior to the man, but the Kingdom, as shall be demonstrated is superior to the King. 2. The Wife is given as an help to the man, but by the contrary the man here is given as an help and father to the Common-wealth, which is presumed to be the wife. 3. Marital and husbandly power is natural, though it be not natural, but from free election that Peter is Anae's Husband, and should have been, though man had never sinned: but Royal Power is a politic constitution, and the world might have subsisted, though Aristocracy or Democracy had been the only and perpetual governments. So let the Prelate glory in his borrowed Logic, he had it from Barclay. It is not in the power of the Wife to repudiat her Husband, though never so wicked, she is tied to him for ever, and may not give to him a bill of Divorcement, as by Law the Husband might give to her; if therefore the people swear loyalty to him, they must keep, though to their hurt. Ps. 15. Aas. There's ⟨p. 126⟩nothing here said, except Barclay and the Plagiarist prove, that the Kings Power is properly a Husbands power, which they cannot prove, but from a Simile that crooketh; but a King elected upon conditions, that if he sell his people, he shall lose his Crown, is as essentially a King, as Adam was Evahs Husband, and yet by grant of parties, the people may divorce from such a King, and dethrone him, if he sell his people; but a Wife may never divorce from her Husband, as the Argument saith. And this poor Argument the Prelate stole from Dr. Ferne, part 2. Sec. 3. pag. 10, 11. 2. The keeping of Covenant though to our hu•t, is a penal hurt, and loss of goods, not a moral hurt, and loss of Religion.
Asser. 2. The Kings power is not properly and univocally a Maritall1 and husbandly power, but only Analogically, 1. The Wife by nature is the weaker Vessell, and inferiour to the man, but the Kingdom, as shall be demonstrated is superiour to the King. 2. The Wife is given as an helpe to the man, but by the contrary the man here is given as an helpe and father to the Common-wealth, which is presumed to be the wife. 3. Maritall and husbandly power is naturall, though it be not naturall, but from free election that Peter is Anae's Husband, and should have been, though man had never sinned: but Royall Power is a politick constitution, and the world might have subsisted, though Aristocracy or Democracy had been the only and perpetuall governments. So let the Prelate glory in his borrowed Logick, he had it from Barclay. It is not in the power of the Wife to repudiat her Husband, though never so wicked, she is tyed to him for ever, and may not give to him a bill of Divorcement, as by Law the Husband might give to her; if therefore the people sweare loyalty to him, they must keep, though to their hurt.