A92147:923
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.
It ⟨p. 341⟩is clear, the scope of the Spirit of God is to show how God helped his innocent servant David against his persecuting Prince and Master King Saul, in moving so many mighty men of war to come in such multitudes, all in Arms, to help him in war. Now to what end would the Lord commend them, as fit for War, men of might, fit to handle shield & buckler, whose faces are as the faces of Lyons, as swift as the Roes on the Mountains, ver. 8. and commend them as helpers of David, if it were unlawful for David, and all those mighty men, to carry Arms to pursue Saul and his followers, and to do nothing with their armour but flee? Judge if the Spirit of God in reason could say, All these men came armed with bows, ver. 2. and could handle both the right hand and the left in slinging stones, and shooting of arrows, and that ver. 22. all these came to David, being mighty men of valour, and they came as Captains over hundreds and thousands, & they put to flight all them of the valleys, both toward the East, and toward the West, ver. 14, 15. and that David received them, and made them Captains of the band, if they did not come in a posture of war, and for hostile invasion, if need were? For if they came only to suffer and to slay, not to pursue, Bows, Captains, and Captains of Bands made by David and Davids helpers in the war, came not to help David by flying, that was a hurt to David, not a help. It is true, M. Symmons saith, 1 Sam. 22. 2. Those that came out to David, strengthened him, but 1he strengthened not them; and David might easily have revenged himself on the Ziphites, who did good will to betray him to the hands of Saul, if his conscience had served him.
It ⟨p. 341⟩is cleare, the scope of the Spirit of God is to shew how God helped his innocent servant David against his persecuting Prince and Master King Saul, in moving so many mighty men of warre to come in such multitudes, all in Armes, to help him in warre. Now to what end would the Lord commend them, as fit for Warre, men of might, fit to handle shield & buckler, whose faces are as the faces of Lyons, as swift as the Roes on the Mountaines, ver. 8. and commend them as helpers of David, if it were unlawfull for David, and all those mighty men, to carry Armes to pursue Saul and his followers, and to doe nothing with their armour but flee? Judge if the Spirit of God in reason could say, All these men came armed with bowes, ver. 2. and could handle both the right hand and the left in slinging stones, and shooting of arrowes, and that ver. 22. all these came to David, being mighty men of valour, and they came as Captains over hundreds and thousands, & they put to flight all them of the valleyes, both toward the East, and toward the West, ver. 14, 15. and that David received them, and made them Captains of the band, if they did not come in a posture of warre, and for hostile invasion, if need were? For if they came only to suffer and to slee, not to pursue, Bowes, Captaines, and Captaines of Bands made by David and Davids helpers in the warre, came not to help David by flying, that was a hurt to David, not a help. It is true, M. Symmons saih,