A92147:461
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.
Ans. This is a begging of the question: for it is denied that the people can absolutely make away their whole power to the King: It dependeth on the people that they be not destroyed. They give to the King a politic power for their own safety, and they keep a natural power to themselves, which they must conserve, and cannot give away; and they do not break their covenant, when they put in act that natural power to conserve themselves; for though the people should give away that power, and swear, though the King should kill them all, they should not resist, nor defend their own lives; yet that being an oath against the sixth Command, which enjoineth natural self-preservation, it should not oblige the conscience; for it should be intrinsically sinful; and it's all one to swear to non-self-preservation, as to swear to self-murder.
Ans. This is a begging of the question: for it is denyed that the people can absolutely make away their whole power to the King: It dependeth on the people that they be not destroyed. They give to the King a politique power for their own safetie, and they keepe a naturall power to themselves, which they must conserve, and cannot give away; and they doe not breake their covenant, when they put in act that naturall power to conserve themselves; for though the people should give away that power, and sweare, though the King should kill them all, they should not resist, nor defend their own lives; yet that being an oath against the sixth Command, which enjoyneth naturall selfe-preservation, it should not oblige the conscience; for it should be intrinsecally sinfull; and it's all one to sweare to non-self-preservation, as to sweare to selfe-murther.
5. If the people (saith the Prelate, begging the answer from Barclay) the constituent be more excellent then the effect, and so the people above the King, because they constitute him King. Then the Counties and Corporations may make void all the Commissions given to the Knights and Burgesses of the House of Commons, and send others in their place, and repeal their Orders, therefore Buchanan saith, that Orders and Laws in Parliament were but [Greek or Hebrew] preparatory consultationis, and had not the force of a Law, till the people give their consent, and have their influence authoritative, upon the