A92147:802
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.
For this Public, the Law hath one fundamental rule, Salus populi, like the King of Planets the Sun, which lendeth Star-light to all Laws, and by which they are exponed; whatever interpretation swerveth either from fundamental Laws of policy, or from the Law of Nature, and the Law of Nations, and especially from the1 safety of the public, is to be rejected as a perverting of the Law: and therefore, Conscientia humani generis, the natural conscience of all men, to which the oppressed people may appeal unto, when the King expoundeth a Law unjustly, at his own pleasure, is the last rule on earth, for exponing of Laws. Nor ought Laws to be made so obscure, as an ordinary wit cannot see their connection with fundamental truths of policy, and the safety of the people, and therefore I see no inconvenience, to say that, The Law it self is Norma & regula judicandi, the Rule and directory to square the Judge, and that the Judge is the public practical interpreter of the Law.
For this Publicke, the Law hath one fundamentall rule, Salus populi, like the King of Planets the Sunne, which lendeth Star-light to all Lawes, and by which they are exponed; whatever interpretation swarveth either from fundamentall Lawes of policy, or from the Law of Nature, and the Law of Nations, and especially from the1 safety of the publick, is to be rejected as a perverting of the Law: and therefore, Conscientia humani generis, the naturall conscience of all men, to which the oppressed people may appeale unto, when the King exponeth a Law unjustly, at his owne pleasure, is the last rule on earth, for exponing of Lawes. Nor ought Lawes to be made so obscure, as an ordinary wit cannot see their connexion with fundamentall truths of policy, and the safety of the people, and therefore I see no inconvenience, to say that, The Law it selfe is Norma & regula judicandi, the Rule and directory to square the Iudge, and that the Iudge is the publicke practicall interpreter of the Law.
- 1A Rule to expone Laws.A Rule to expone Lawes.