A treatise of civil policy

Also suppose King David defend his Kingdom and people against Jesse his natural father, who we suppose cometh in against his son and Prince, King David, with a huge army of the Philistims, to destroy him and his Kingdom, if he shall kill his own native father, in that war at some Edge-hill, how shall he preserve at Jerusalem that honour, & love that he oweth to his father, by virtue of the fifth Commandment, Honour thy father and thy mother, &c. Let them answer this, except King David consider Jesse in one relation, in abstracto, as his father, whom he is to obey, and as he is a wicked man, and a perfidious subject, in another relation, and except King David say, he is to subject himself to his father as a father, according to the fifth Commandment, and that in the act of his fathers¹ violent invasion, he is not to subject himself to him, as he is a violent invader, and as a man. Let the Royalist see how he can answer the Argument, and how Levy is not to know his father and mother as they are sinful men, Deut. 33. 9. and yet to know and honour them as Parents; and how an Israelite is not to pity the wife that lieth in his bosom, when she enticeth him to go a whoring after strange Gods, but is to kill her, Deut. 13. 6, 7, 8. and yet the husband ⟨p. 273⟩is to love the wife as Christ loved his Church, Eph. 5. 25. If the husband take away his wives life in some mountain in the holy Land, as Gods Law commandeth, let the Royalists answer us, where is then the meritall love he owes to her, and that respect due to her as she is a wife and a helper. But let not the Royalist infer, that I am from these examples pleading for the killing of Kings, for lawful resistance is one thing, and killing of Kings is another; the one defensive and lawful, the other offensive and unlawful, so long as he remaineth a King, and the Lords Anointed:

Also suppone King David defend his Kingdome and people against Iesse his naturall father, who we suppose cometh in against his sonne and Prince, King David, with a huge army of the Philistimes, to destroy him and his Kingdome, if he shall kill his owne native father, in that warr at some Edge-hill, how shall he preserve at Ierusalem that honour, & love that he oweth to his father, by vertue of the fifth Commandement, Honour thy father and thy mother, &c. Let them answer this, except King David consider Iesse in one relation, in abstracto, as his father, whom he is to obey, and as he is a wicked man, and a perfidious subject, in another relation, and except King David say, he is to subject himselfe to his father as a father, according to the fifth Commandement, and that in the act of his fathers