A92147:448
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.
Christ is not only a mean to save his Church, but as God, (in which consideration he was the immortal1 Lord of life) he was more then a mean, even the author, efficient and Creator of heaven and earth: and so there is no ground to say that he is inferior to the Church; but the absolute head, King, the chief of ten thousand, more in excellency and worth then ten thousand millions of possible worlds of men and Angels. But such a consideration cannot befall any mortal King; because, consider the King materially as a mortal man, he must be inferior to the whole Church, for he is but one, and so of less worth then the whole Church, as the thumb, though the strongest of the fingers, yet it is inferior to the hand, and far more to the whole body, as any part is inferior to the whole. 2. Consider the King reduplicative, and formally as King, and by the official relation he hath, he is no more then but a Royal servant, an official meane, tending, ex officio, to this end, to preserve the people, to rule and govern them; and a gift of God, given, by virtue of his office, to rule the people of God: and so any way inferior to the people.
Christ is not only a meane to save his Church, but as God, (in which consideration he was the immortall1 Lord of life) he was more then a meane, even the author, efficient and Creator of heaven and earth: and so there is no ground to say that he is inferiour to the Church; but the absolute head, King, the chiefe of ten thousand, more in excellencie and worth then ten thousand millions of possible worlds of men and Angels. But such a consideration cannot befall any mortall King; because, consider the King materially as a mortall man, he must be inferior to the whole Church, for he is but one, and so of lesse worth then the whole Church, as the thumbe, though the strongest of the fingers, yet it is inferior to the hand, and far more to the whole body, as any part is inferior to the whole. 2. Consider the King reduplicative, and formally as King, and by the officiall relation he hath, he is no more then but a Royall servant, an officiall meane, tending, ex officio, to this end, to preserve the people, to rule and governe them; and a gift of God, given, by vertue of his office, to rule the people of God: and so any way inferiour to the people.
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