3. If the King from any supposed prerogative Royal, may do acts of mere grace, without any warrant of Law, because he is above Law, by office: then also may he do acts of mere rigorous Justice, and kill and destroy the innocent, out of the same supposed ⟨p. 196⟩Prerogative; For Gods word equally tieth him to the place of a1 mere minister in doing good, as in executing wrath on evil doers, Rom. 13. 3, 4. And reason would say, he must be as absolute in the one, as in the other, seeing God tieth him to the one, as to the other, by his office and place▪ yea by this, acts of Justice to ill-doers, and acts of reward to well-doers, shall be arbitrary morally, and by virtue of office to the King, and the word Prerogative Royal saith this; for the word Prerogative is a supreme power absolute▪ that is loosed from all Law, and so from all reason of Law, and depending on the Kings mere and naked pleasure and will; and the word Royal or Kingly, is an Epithet of office, and of a Judge, a created and limited Judge, and so it must tie this supposed Prerogative to Law, Reason, and to that which is debitum legal officii, and a legal duty of an office; and by this our masters the Royalists make God to frame a rational creature, which they call a King, to frame acts of Royalty, good and lawful, upon his own mere pleasure, and the super-dominion of his will, above a Law and Reason. And from this it is that deluded Counsellors, made King James (a man not of shallow understanding) and King Charles, to give pardons to such bloody murderers, as James a Grant, and to go so far on, by this supposed Prerogative Royal, that King Charles in Parliament at Edinburgh, 1633. did command an high point of Religion, That Ministers should use in officiating in Gods service, such Habits and Garments as he pleaseth; that is, all the Attire and Habits of the idolatrous Mass-Priests, that the Romish Priests of Baal useth in the oadest point of idolatry (the adoring of Bread) that the earth has; and by this Prerogative, the King commanded the Service Book in Scotland, An. 1637. without or above Law and Reason. And I desire any man to satisfy me in this, If the2 Kings Prerogative Royal, may over-leap Law and Reason in two degrees, and if he may as King, by a Prerogative Royal, command the body of Popery in a Popish Book;
3. If the King from any supposed prerogative Royall, may doe acts of meere grace, without any warrant of Law, because he is above Law, by office: then also may he doe acts of meere rigorous Iustice, and kill and destroy the innocent, out of the same supposed ⟨p. 196⟩Prerogative; For Gods word equally tyeth him to the place of a1 meere minister in doing good, as in executing wrath on evill doers, Rom. 13. 3, 4. And reason would say, he must be as absolute in the one, as in the other, seeing God tieth him to the one, as to the other, by his office and place▪ yea by this, acts of Iustice to ill-doers, and acts of reward to well-doers, shall be arbitrary morally, and by vertue of office to the King, and the word Prerogative Royall saith this; for the word Prerogative is a supreme power absolute▪ that is loosed from all Law, and so from all reason of Law, and depending on the Kings meer and naked pleasure and will; and the word Royall or Kingly, is an Epithete of office, and of a Iudge, a created and limited Iudge, and so it must tye this supposed Prerogative to Law, Reason, and to that which is debitum legale officii, and a legall duty of an office; and by this our masters the Royalists make God to frame a rationall creature, which they call a King, to frame acts of Royalty, good and lawfull, upon his own meer pleasure, and the super-dominion of his will, above a Law and Reason. And from this it is that deluded Counsellours, made King James (a man not of shallow understanding) and King Charls, to give pardons to such bloody murtherers, as James a Grant, and to go so far on, by this supposed Prerogative Royall, that King Charls in Parliament at Edinburgh, 1633. did command an high point of Religion, That Ministers should use in officiating in Gods service, such Habits and Garments as he pleaseth; that is, all the Attire and Habits of the idolatrous Masse-Priests, that the Romish Priests of Baal useth in the oadest point of idolatry (the adoring of Bread) that the earth has; and by this Prerogative, the King commanded the Service Book in Scotland, An. 1637. without or above Law and Reason. And I desire any man to satisfie me in this, If the2 Kings Prerogative Royall, may over-leap Law and Reason in two degrees, and if he may as King, by a Prerogative Royall, command the body of Popery in a Popish Book;
- 1The King may as well do acts of mere cruelty, from his supposed Prerogative, as acts of mere grace to one man, out of the same fountain.The King may as well do acts of meer cruelty, from his supposed Prerogative, as acts of meer grace to one man, out of the same fountain.
- 2If Prerogative may over leap Law in one, why not in twenty▪
