EIGHT PROPOSITIONS PRESENTED To the view of all His Majeſties loyall and faithfull Subjects within His Realms and Dominions.
I.IS it lawfull for Kings to doe, as Samuel from the Lord told the People Saul would do?ANSW. I.
No; for Samuel at the eſtabliſhing of Saul, 1 Sam. 10. 25. told Saul and all the people the duty of a King, and wrote it in a book, and laid it up before the Lord, as a witneſſe betwixt King and people, ſo that all that the Lord doth command, is lawful to be done, and it is a ſinne not to do it; and all that the Lord doth forbid, is unlawfull to be done, and is a ſin to doe it. The Lord doth not command Kings to take from one, and to give to another, and to do their own wills: therefore, it is not lawfull for Kings to exerciſe2 this Regal power: but the Lord ſaith that they will do ſo and ſo, which is not a ſufficient warrant for Kings to do ſo and ſo, becauſe the Lord in his Law of the duty of a King hath expreſly forbidden the ſame. Therefore, it is unlawfull for Kings to exerciſe this regall power.
II.If it be unlawfull for Kings to take from, and to give unto, and to doe what they pleaſe, why did, or doth the Lord command the people to yeeld obedience, and ſerve their Kings, according to ſuch demands, commands, will and pleaſure.ANSWER.
For two reaſons: firſt, in reſpect of the Lord himſelfe, becauſe he was King of Iſrael, and had that regall power and prerogative-Royal, to do his own will with man.
Secondly, in reſpect of man, becauſe Iſrael would have a man to be their King, and forſake the Lord their God peremptorily; notwithſtanding all before mentioned, Iſrael muſt know that a mor•all man, one of their brethren, to bee exalted to the dignity of the Lords throne of Majeſty, unto which belongs ſuch regall power, and Royal prerogative, that was not fit for any ſinful mortall man, becauſe the wayes power, and wiſdome of man, cannot (as the Lord) exerciſe ſuch a power, but either on the right hand or on the left, they will tranſgreſſe againſt God or man, in diſobeying the Commandement of the Lord, and this is the cauſe of the Lords anger, and therefore for a puniſhment, Iſrael muſt yeeld in obedience, and ſerve their Kings accordingly.
III.Touching the true and only right place, office, and power of a King, according to the Word of God.ANSWER.
Firſt, the true and only right place and office of a King, is from amongſt, above, and over all the people, alone to ſit in the Lords throne of Majeſty.
3Secondly, The true and only right Office of a King, is to bee the Miniſter of God for the wealth or good of the people over whom he is ſet, doing the will (according unto the Lawes, Statutes, and Ordinance) of him in whoſe throne he ſits.
Therefore, Kings are not to make any Statute, Law, or Ordinance, deſtructive or contradictory unto them that were made by God before he made any King.
So that even Kings are to be as ſubject to the Lord, as men to Kings, and ſo as one intruſted by God, as the Lords Vicegerent, or Lieutenant over the Lords people betwixt God and Man, to ſee and look unto it, that God may be honoured, glorified, ſerved by himſelfe, and all the people, to ſee and looke to, and preſerve the people from all enemies, perils & dangers, both from abroad and at home.
Thirdly, the true and only right power of a King, is as the Miniſter of God, to bear the ſword of Juſtice, to take vengeance on, or execute juſtice upon all evill doers, and to praiſe, honour, and encourage ſuch as do well.
IIII.Touching the difference between the Kings of Iſraels power, and the Kings of Englands power, and the Subjects of both.ANSWER.
The people of Iſrael were within the Covenant and promiſe of Jeſus Chriſt, unto whom the Lord gave his Lawes, Statutes, and Ordinances, both Morall and Ceremoniall: unto whom alſo was given Prieſts and Prophets to adminiſter unto them, and to teach and direct them, and Judges to guide and lead them, and the great God of Heaven and Earth to be their King, to ſave defend, and deliver them.
Therefore, the Kingdome and Crown of Iſrael, was the Gods of Iſrael, and ſo of a greater and higher power and majeſty, then any other kingdome of the earth.
V.Touching the power of the Kings of Iſrael under the Morall Law, and the power of the Kings of England under the Goſpel Law.
4Anſw. The Kingdom and Crown of Iſrael, was the Gods of Iſrael, who in judgment to the people for their ſins, gave the ſame to Saul, and confirmed it upon David and to his Seed. The Lord never gave any Kingdom, nor Crowne, neither did the Lord appoint or anoint any Kings, ſave only of Iſrael and Judah.
The Kings of England were not at their beginning appointed nor anointed, as were the Kings of Iſrael, but were by the Nation ordained as Kings over this Nation, according to the cuſtome of this Nation, which is, before they wil admit the Crown to him, they do intend, hee muſt by Covenant and Oath impoſed upon him, yeeld them their rights and priviledges, and that he wil rule them according to the Cuſtoms and Laws of the Land ▪ and then they grant unto him the Crown for his own life: ſo that power that hath power to impoſe an Oath before a Graunt, hath power to detain the thing to be granted, if the Oath be refuſed by him to whom the Grant is intended, and every Grauntee is ſubject to the Grauntor, according to the Covenant of the Graunt, there can be no fee ſimple eſtate in the Grauntee of the thing granted, but the fee-ſimple eſtate of the thing granted is in the Gr•unter, viz. 1. The Kingdom or Common-wealth of England, is the Graunter. 2. The King of England is the Grauntee. 3. The Crown of England is the thing granted, So that the fee-ſimple eſtate of the Crown of England is the Common wealths of England to diſpoſe of, according to the Cuſtome and Lawes of the Land, which is by Covenant and Grant to the Prince in being, & after whoſe deceaſe by cuſtome, but no•by right of inheritance to the next in or of bloud, and ſo from one Generation to another in like manner. So that this Regal power doth not at all belong to a King of England; therefore, if the Lord was wrath, and did exceedingly puniſh the Kings of Iſrael for exerciſing this regal power, before the light of the Goſpel. How much more then ſhal Kings under the light and knowledge of the Goſpel, incurre the wrath of God, if they be found guilty of oppreſſion & tyrannie againſt the believing members of the Lord Chriſt? themſelvs drofeſſing the ſame faith, and acknowledging the ſame knowledg:5 the Lord is no reſpecter of perſons, but the ſoule that ſinneth ſhall dye.
A King of England may not by this regall power demand and command of and from the people, as the Kings of Iſrael, neither by the Laws of God, not by the Laws of the Land, neither are the people of England bound to that ſlaviſh obedience, as the people of Iſrael were; but the people of England, both by the Laws of God, and by the laws of the land, are freed from ſuch a ſlaviſh obedience; and therefore both according to the lawes of God & the Land, may lawfully deny, aod refuſe to ſubmit becauſe it is an unlawfull impoſition, and where the demand and command unlawfull, the deniall or refuſall is lawfull.
6. Propſ. How ſhall we know when a King doth tranſgreſſe againſt his Oath, and breake his Covenant, and what is the remedy?
An. A King doth tranſgreſſe his Oath, and breake his Covenant when that his demands are beyond the Nationall Law, which by vertue of his Oath, as it is a breach thereof is oppreſſion, and when a King doth command of, and from the people ſuch things as are oppoſite unto, and againſt the fundamentall Laws of the Land; which by vertue of of his Oath, as it is a breach thereof, is tyrany: which lawfully begets in the Common wealth an abſolute deniall and refuſall to ſuch demands and commands, and ſo the peace of the land is endangered: the onely remedy to preſerve the ſame, is for the King to preſerve a Parliament, that is, to ſend out his Writs to the Commons to chooſe their Knights & Burgeſſes, who by vertue of the Kings Writs; and the Commons voices for them, are Parliament men, and as Arbitrators are to decide all differences in Church and State, and Commonwealth; whoſe concluſions and determinations, together with the Kings aſſent, conſent, and ſigning, are binding Laws both to King and people.
7. Propoſ. How farre may or ought a King lawfully to deny to aſſent or conſent, and ſigne their d•terminations and concluſions?
Anſ. A King as he ſits in the Lords throne may, and as he is intruſted by God over the people, ought to deny to•ſſent, conſent5 and ſigne their determinations, if the ſame ſhall either be diſhonourable to the glory, worſhip, and ſervice of the Lord, or injurious to the good of the Common-wealth, and no further; for it is his office to be as (or more) forward and carefull for both, as any other man, both by the lawes of God and the land, as he is the great Miniſter•of the greateſt truſt for both, by taking the ſame charge upon him.
8: Propoſition, But if ▪•King ſhall deny to conſent, aſſent, and ſigne the Parliaments determinations, although honourable to the Lord, and good and beneficiall to the Common-wealth; then what is the Kings•ffence, benifit, or danger; and their power, as they are Parliament-men, and ſo the body repreſentative of the Lord.
Anſw. If a King ſhall deny to aſſent unto that which is lawfull befor God and man, and contend againſt it; and inſtead of ſigning their determinations, to ſeperate himſelfe from them, and make warre againſt and upon them; he doth thereby break the peace, which as he ſits in the Lords throne of Majeſty, he ought to keepe, maintaine, and preſerve; and alſo thereby he breakes and wilfully violates his Oath, and Nationall Covenant, by which he enioyes the Crowne, and ſo is an offender both againſt God and man, by both, for both, he is intruſted betwixt both. Gen. 7. 11. Iannes and Iombres, who had the Devils helpe, and by him did that they did in their withſtanding of Moſes? and ſo ſuch are all they that do adviſe the King againſt the good advice of his grave and wiſe Elders the Parliament.