A treatise of civil policy

and it is unconceivable, to say that people¹ can put restraint upon a power immediately coming from God, if Christ immediately infuse an Apostolic spirit in Paul, mortal men cannot take from him any degrees of that infused spirit; if Christ infuse a spirit of nine degrees, the Church cannot limit it to six degrees only; but Royalists consent that the people may choose a King, upon such conditions to reign, as he hath Royal power of ten degrees, whereas his Ancestor had by birth a power of fourteen degrees. 3. It is not intelligible that the Holy Ghost should give Commandment² to the people to make such a man King, Deut. 17. 15, 16. and forbid them to make such a man King, if the people had no active influence in making a King at all, but God solely and immediately from Heaven did infuse Royalty in the King without any action of the people, save a naked consent only, and that after God had made the King, they should approve only with an after-act of naked approbation. 4. If the people by other Governors, as by heads of families,³ and other choice men, govern themselves, and produce these same formal effects of Peace, Justice, Religion, on themselves, which the King doth produce, then is there a power of the same kind, and as excellent as the Royal power in the people, and no reason, but this power should be holden to come immediately from God, as the Royal Power, for it is every way of the same nature and kind, and as I shall prove, Kings and Judges differ not in nature and species, but it is experienced that people do, by Aristocratical guides, govern themselves, &c. so then, if God immediately infuse Royalty, when the people chooseth a King, without any action of the people, then must God immediately infuse a beam of governing on a Provost and a Bailiff, when the people choose such, and that ⟨p. 146⟩without any action of the people, because all Powers are, in abstracto, from God, Rom. 13. 2. and God as immediately maketh inferior Judges, as superior,