A92147:851
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.
Let me answer Royalists. The P. Prelate saith it is Solomons 1word, By me Kings reign. Kings in concreto, with their Sovereignty, he saith not, By me Royalty or Sovereignty reigneth. And elsewhere he saith, that Barclay saith, Paul writing to the Romans, keepeth the Roman usual diction in this, who express by Powers in abstracto, the persons authorized by Power, and it is the Scripture's Dialect; By him were created thrones, Dominions, Principalities, that is Angels, to say Angels, in abstracto, were created, 2 Pet. 2. 10. They speak ill of dignities, 2Jud. 8. despise dominion. That is, they speak ill of Cajus, Caligula, Nero; our Levites rail against the Lords Anointed, the best of Kings in the world. Nero, Rom. 13. 4. in concreto beareth not the sword in vain. Arnisaeus saith it better then the Prelate, (he is a witless thief. Rom. 13. 4. the Royal Power in abstracto, doth not bear the sword, but the Person, not the Power but the Prince himself beareth the sword. And the Prelate poor man following Doctor Fern 3saith, Its absurd to pursue the Kings Person with a canon-bullet at Edge-hill, and preserve his authority at London, or elsewhere. So saith Fern 16. sect. 10. pag. 64. The concrete Powers here are purposed as objects of our obedience, which cannot be directed, but upon power in some person, for it is said [Greek or Hebrew], the powers that are, are of God, now Power cannot be [Greek or Hebrew] existent, but in some person; and Pag. 69. saith Fern, can Power in the abstract have praise? Or is tribute payed to the Power in the abstract. Yea the Power is the reason why we yield obedience to the person, &c. and the Prelate hath as much learning as to copy out of Fern, and Barclay, Arniseus, and others these words and the like, but hath not wit to add the sinews of these Authors reason, and with all this he can in his Preface call it his own, and provoke any to answer him if they dare, whereas while I answer this excommunicated Pamphleteer.