Nor can I think that Gods Law, or his Deputy the Judges are1 to accept the persons of the great, because they are great, Deut. 1. 17. 2 Chro. 19. 6, 7. and we say, We cannot distinguish where the Law distinguisheth not, The Lord speaketh to under Judges, Levit. 19. 15. Thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honour the person of the mighty, or of the Prince, for we know what these names [Greek or Hebrew] and [Greek or Hebrew] meaneth. I grant, it is not Gods meaning that the King should draw the sword against himself, but yet it followeth not, that if we speak of the demerit of blood, that the Law of God accepteth any Judge, great or small, & if the Estate be above the King, as I conceive they are, though it be a humane politic constitution, that the King be free of all coaction of Law, because it conduceth for the peace of the Common-wealth, yet if we make a matter of conscience, for my part I see no exception that God maketh it, if men make, I crave2 leave to say, A facto ad jus non sequitur. And I easily yield that in every case the Estates may coerce the King, if we make it a case of conscience. And for the place Ps. 51. 4. Against thee only have I ⟨p. 242⟩sinned. [Greek or Hebrew] flatterers allege it to be a place that proveth that the King is above all earthly Tribunals, and all Laws, and that there was not on earth any who might punish King David; and so they cite Clemens Alexandria. Strom. l. 4. Arnobi. Psal. 50. Dydimus, Hieronim. But Calvin on the place giveth the meaning that most of the Fathers give. Domine, etiam si me totus mundus absolvat, mihi tamen plusquam satis est, quod te solum judicem sentio. It is true, Bede, Euthymius, Ambrosius, Apol. David, c. 4. &. c. 10. do all acknowledge from the place, De facto, there was none above David to judge him, and so doth Augustine, Basilius, Theodoret say, and Chrysostomus, and Cyrillus, and Hyeronim. Epist. 22. Ambrose Sermo. 16. in Psal. 118. Gregorius, and Augusti. Joan. 8. saith, he meaneth no man durst judge or punish him, but God only. Lorinus the Jesuit observeth eleven interpretations of the Fathers all to this sense, since Lyra, saith he, sinned only against God, because God only could pardon him; Hugo Cardinalis, because God only could wash him, which he asketh in the Text. And Lorin. Solo Deo conscio peccavi.
Nor can I thinke that Gods Law, or his Deputy the Iudges are1 to accept the persons of the great, because they are great, Deut. 1. 17. 2 Chro. 19. 6, 7. and we say, We cannot distinguish where the Law distinguisheth not, The Lord speaketh to under Iudges, Levit. 19. 15. Thou shalt not respect the person of the poore, nor honour the person of the mighty, or of the Prince, for we know what these names 〈non-Latin alphabet〉 and 〈non-Latin alphabet〉 meaneth. I grant, it is not Gods meaning that the King should draw the sword against himselfe, but yet it followeth not, that if we speake of the demerit of blood, that the Law of God accepteth any Iudge, great or small, & if the Estate be above the King, as I conceive they are, though it be a humane politicke constitution, that the King be free of al coaction of Law, because it conduceth for the peace of the Common-wealth, yet if we make a matter of conscience, for my part I see no exception that God makethit, if men make, I crave2 leave to say, A facto ad jus non sequitur. And I easily yeeld that in every case the Estates may coerce the King, if we make it a case of conscience. And for the place Ps. 51. 4. Against thee only have I ⟨p. 242⟩sinned. 〈non-Latin alphabet〉 flatterers alleadge it to be a place that proveth that the King is above all earthly Tribunals, and all Lawes, and that there was not on earth any who might punish King David; and so they cite Clemens Alexandria. Strom. l. 4. Arnobi. Psal. 50. Dydimus, Hieronim. But Calvine on the place giveth the meaning that most of the Fathers give. Domine, etiam si me totus mundus absolvat, mihi tamen plusquam satis est, quod te solum judicem sentio. It is true, Beda, Euthymius, Ambrosius, Apol. David, c. 4. &. c. 10. do all acknowledge from the place, De facto, there was none above David to judge him, and so doth Augustine, Basilius, Theodoret say, and Chrysostomus, and Cyrillus, and Hyeronim. Epist. 22. Ambrose Sermo. 16. in
- 1Arg. 6.
- 2The place Psa. 51. Against he only have I sinned, Discussed.The place Psa. 51. Against hee only have I sinned, Discussed.
