The second part of The nonconformists plea for peace being an account of their…

Then having extolled Democracy he proceedeth to show that, There is no injury but in a Civil life (the crossing of his will that hath most power) and that all things are lawful to them that are strongest, and they can do no wrong, and Justice is a constancy of mind to give every man that which by (this) civil Right belongs to him, (that is, which he cannot get from him without his own hurt) And that if two States Covenant, none but a sol that knoweth not the right of supreme Powers, will expect they should stand to it, longer than is for their own ends or good; and so in matters of piety and Religion. Also, that all are to be taken for enemies save subjects and confederates, though they never did us wrong: and we may compel them to subjection or confederation, if we are able, with much more to this purpose, taking off all obligations ⟨p. 5⟩of charity, justice and common honesty, except what mens private interest, or the will of him that is strongest doth infer. Otherwise making it as lawful, yea as much duty to murder any man, or as many as we can, as to save mens lives, to steal and rob as to forbear, to lye and be perjured as to speak truly, to be adulterous as to be chaste, to be a Traitor as a Loyal subject: openly dissolving and deriding all divine obligations, save mans, and releasing all mens consciences from them: As if he proclaimed to the world, that if once they can but think it to be for their own good, they may kill any man, they may murder Kings and turn their Guns, their swords, their poisons against them, notwithstanding any oaths to the contrary, without any scruple of Conscience or fear of punishment in the world to come. And if once all mens consciences were thus turned loose, no guards, no Army could secure the lives of Kings, as the cases of Henry the 3. and Henry the fourth of France have proved. Yea he thus telleth, Every General of Armies, or any other subject that can but kill the King, and take possession of his kingdom that he hath as much right as the King had as long as he is strongest, and that all the subjects have the same obligation to defend him that hath deposed the King, as they had before to defend the King. In a word, that no man is to be trusted by another any further than he thinketh it good for himself, nor oweth any duty to any, but himself, not excepting Parents to children or children to their Parents.

Then having extolled Democracy he proceedeth to shew that, There is no injury but in a Civil life (the crossing of his will that hath most power) and that all things are lawful to them that are strongest, and they can do no wrong, and Justice is a constancy of mind to give every man that which by (this) civil Right belongs to him, (that is, which he cannot get from him without his own hurt) And that if two States Covenant, none but a sool that knoweth not the right of supreme Powers, will expect they should stand to it, longer than is for their own ends or good; and so in matters of piety and Religion. Also, that all are to be taken for enemies save subjects and confederates, though they never did us wrong: and we may compel them to subjection or confederation, if we are able, with much more to this purpose, taking off all obligations