Answ. A legal restraint on the people, is a forcible restraint: For if Law be not backed with force, it is only a Law of rewarding welldoing, which is no restraint, but an encouragement to do evil. If then there be a legal restraint upon the King, without any force, it is no restraint, but only such a request as this, Be a just Prince, and we will give your Majesty two Subsidies in one year. 2. I utterly deny, that God ever ordained such an irrational creature, as an absolute Monarch. If a people unjustly, and against natures dictates make away, irrevocably, their own liberty, and the liberty of their posterity, which is not their's to dispose off, and set over themselves, as base slaves, a sinning creature with absolute power, he is their King, but not as he is absolute, and that he may not be forcibly resisted; notwithstanding, the subjects did swear to his absolute1 power (which oath in the point of absoluteness, is unlawful, and so not obligatory) I utterly deny. 3. An absolute Monarch (saith he) is limited, but by Law of nature: That is, Master Doctor, he is not limited as a Monarch, not as an absolute Monarch, but as a son of Adam, he is under the limits of the Law of nature, which he should have been under, though he had never been a King, all his days, but a slave. But what then? Therefore he cannot be resisted. Yes, Doctor, by your own grant he can be resisted: If he invade an innocent subject (say you) 1. Suddenly. 2. Without colour of Law. 3. Inevitably: And that because he transgresseth the Law of nature. 4. You say, a limited Monarch can less be resisted for transgressing the bounds set by civill agreement. But, 1. What if the thus limited Monarch transgress the Law of nature, and subvert Fundamental Laws, he is then, you seem to say, to be resisted; it is not for simple transgression of a civill agreement, that he is to be resisted. 2. The limited Monarch is as essentially the Lords anointed, and the power ordained of God, as the absolute Monarch. Now resistance by all your grounds, is unlawful, because ⟨p. 217⟩of Gods power and place conferred upon him, not because of mens positive covenant made with him.
Answ. A legall restraint on the people, is a forceable restraint: For if Law be not backed with force, it is onely a Law of rewarding weldoing, which is no restraint, but an incouragement to do evil. If then there be a legall restraint upon the King, without any force, it is no restraint, but onely such a request as this, Be a just Prince, and we will give your Majestie two Subsidies in one yeer. 2. I utterly deny, that God ever ordained such an irrationall creature, as an absolute Monarch. If a people unjustly, and against natures dictates make away, irrevocably, their own libertie, and the libertie of their posteritie, which is not their's to dispose off, and set over themselves, as base slaves, a sinning creature with absolute power, he is their King, but not as he is absolute, and that he may not be forceably resisted; notwithstanding, the subjects did swear to his absolute1 power (which oath in the point of absolutenesse, is unlawfull, and so not obligatory) I utterly deny. 3. An absolute Monarch (saith he) is limited, but by Law of nature: That is, Master Doctor, he is not limited as a Monarch, not as an absolute Monarch, but as a son of Adam, he is under the limites of the Law of nature, which he should have been under, though he had never been a King, all his dayes, but a slave. But what then? Therefore he cannot be resisted. Yes, Doctor, by your own grant he can be resisted: If he invade an innocent subject (say you) 1. Suddenly. 2. Without colour of Law. 3. Inevitably: And that because he transgresseth the Law of nature. 4. You say, a limited Monarch can lesse be resisted for transgressing the bounds set by civill agreement. But, 1. What if the thus limited Monarch transgresse the Law of nature, and subvert Fundamentall Lawes, he is then, you seem to say, to be resisted; it is not for simple transgression of a civill agreement, that he is to be resisted. 2. The limited Monarch is as essentially the Lords anointed, and the power ordained of God, as the absolute Monarch. Now resistance by all your grounds, is unlawfull, because ⟨p. 217⟩of Gods power and place conferred upon him, not because of mens positive covenant made with him.
- 1To swear to an absolute Prince, as absolute, is an oath Eatenus, in so far, not obligatory.
