Selected quad for the lemma: authority_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
authority_n	act_n	king_n	power_n	5,492	5	5.0298	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A19328	The ungirding of the Scottish armour: or, An ansvver to the informations for defensive armes against the Kings Majestie which were drawn up at Edenburgh, by the common help and industrie of the three tables of the rigid covenanters of the nobility, barons, ministry, and burgesses, and ordained to be read out of pulpit by each minister, and pressed upon the people, to draw them to take up armes, to resist the Lords anointed, throughout the vvhole kingdome of Scotland. By Iohn Corbet, minister of Bonyl, one of the collegiate churches of the provostrie of Dunbartan.	Nicanor, Lysimachus, 1603-1641.	1639 (1639)	STC 5753; ESTC S119005	43,296	68

a Reall and Royall answer from the most gratious and most learned King Iames of Blessed memory in his Booke intituled Ius Liber a Monarchiae pa. 193. Nego ego tempore Coronationis inter regem subditos pactum ini●i c. I deny sayes he that in the time of the Coronation there is any such covenant betweene the King and his Subjects But this is manifest that at that time or at the beginning of his raigne sponte suá of his owne accord the King promiseth to discharge honestly and faithfully that charge which God hath committed and entrusted him with 2 Though it were granted that there were such a mutuall contract yet his Majesty demonstrates most clearely that it cannot helpe this cause If the King sayes hee shall not keepe his part of the Covenant who shall be judge between these parties there is none who hath but attained to a smal taste of the civill Law who knoweth not that the contract cannot be esteemed violated by the one partie nor the other absolved of his part of the contract before that it be made manifest by the cognition and Tryall of the ordinarie judge which of the parties hath departed from the Contract For this is the caution of every civill and municipiall Law otherwise what could hinder but that every man in his owne cause may be both Judge and partie then the which there can bee nothing thought more absurd Now in that contract between the King and his Subjects without all controuersie onely God is Iudge to whom alone the King is bound to give acount of his administration because in that oath at the Kings inauguration both the judgement and vengeance of his perfidious dealing is given onely to God Therefore since God alone is the judge between the parties and since the try all and vengeance onely doth belong to him it must necessarily follow that God must first pronouce the sentence against the King before the people can be thought free of their part of the Covenant of obedience and subjection And so there is no man so blind but he may see how unjustly you make your selfe judge in your owne cause and usurpe the place of God 3. From this your mutuall contract you must shew that his Majesty not only obligeth himselfe to performe his Kingly office but also giveth power to the people when they judge that he failes in his part to resist him by force of armes or else you are idle to alleadge such contract And if you will produce this I have no more to say but that the King hath denuded himselfe of Royall authority and devolved it into the peoples hands he onely in name and the people in effect being King and supreme judge in their owne cause and so the King must stand Vt magna nominis umbra But you would doe well to produce such a contract out of the Vtopia of your owne braine Covenanter From Acts of Parliament ratifying the three Estates Authority 10. Argument and from our owne ecclesiasticall and civill Historie Anticovenanter 1 There can be no Acts of Parliament but those the King sets downe with advice of his Estates 2 And can you shew any Act of Parliament for the lawfulnes of resisting Princes or can you shew that there is any Act of Parliament giving authority to the Estates to resist His Majesty to execute Iustice 4 Doe you attribute any authoritie to these which ye cal the three Estates without the King You must know that the King is the onely Law-giver the Parliament is but his extraordinarie Councell and the Estates thereof are his extraordinarie Counsellours by whose advice hee enacts Lawes Consider also there was no Law in the Kingdome of Scotland before the Kings of it for before Fergusius his dayes we were but like Salusticus Aborigenes Genus hominum agreste liberum atque solutum sine legibus sine imperio But when the first King did conquer this Land he and his Successours gave Lawes divided the whole Land which was their owne and distinguished the orders of men and did establish a politicall government This is clear by our Chronicles and Ex archivis regijs in quibus antiquum primaevum jus asservatur satis constat Regem esse Dominum omnium bonorum directum omnes subditos esse ejus vassallos qui latifundia sua ipsi dōino referant accepta sui nempé obsequij servitij praemia 4 If you attribute such incompatible power to these Estates Why did not you by vertue thereof conclude this warre You ought first to hold a Parliament and then conclude warre But pardon me you have done so Your three Tables is for Your three Estates which hath ordained this warre 5. Which are these three Estates now Episcopacie is thrust from you and over-ruling Elders are in their place who are busie Bishops in another mans Diocesse and have been too busie in my parish And shall they supply their place in Parilament As for your Ecclesiasticall and civill Historie if that be Knox Buchanans regni jus expresly condemned by Act of Parliament you may be ashamed to name them and ought to have covered their nakednesse if you had respected them You have published in print to the great disgrace of Knooe that he called kneeling at the Communion An Invention of the Divell and will you here make him a Doctor of Treason Covenanter From our Covenant lately sworne and subscribed 1. Argument binding us to defend the Kings Majesties person in defence of the true Religion and to defend the true Religion against all persons whatsoever Anticovenanter This is indeed Ilias malorum your Covenant binds you to it and to much more even to whatsoever shall seem good to the most part of you by cōmon consent were it never so hainous For that clause of your Covenant wherein you are obliged to whatsoever shall seeme meete by common consent is a great Ocean a blanke to be filled up with what you please it seemeth good to you already for the keeping of the first Table to break the second in working the works of unrighteousnesse As to with-hold from Ministers their Stipend as conducible for your ends to threaten them with big words to lay violent hands on them in the discharge of their calling in pulpit 〈◊〉 which I have suffered and which is more to contemne and disobey Supreme Authoritie yea to take up armes against it and if you by common consent shall thinke meete to remove that blocke of authoritie out of your way you are obliged to it by your Covenant for certainely this is very conducible to your ends For if your Calder wood be true Kings are enemies to Religion in his Altare Damascenum he affirmeth that Natura insitum est omnibus regibus odium in Christum And so King James of Blessed memorie is called by him Infestissimus ecclesiae hostis And your Master-man Cartwright layeth down a ground for this overthrow of Kings as you may reade in the

rebellion into an humble submission to God and your King To my Brethren of the Presbyterio of DVNBARTAN Reverend Brethren I Have received your Summons the Tenor whereof is thus I Iames Thome Officer in that part constitute summon you M. Iohn Corbet Minister of Bonyl to compeer before the Presbyterie of Dunbartan the 16 day of April instant to heare and see your selfe further censured for your former absence from the Presbyterie and further contumacie and contempt to the Presbyterie and other points both of unsoundnesse of opinions and disobedience to the ordinance of the generall assemblie as is evident by your manifest adhering to and avowing of your declinator of the same in your last presumptuous and sedicious letter sent to the moderator and remanent Brethren of the said Presbyterie written and subscribed with your hand of the date the 1. of April with cortification if you continue in your contumacie and compeer not you shall be simpliciter deposed from the function of the Ministerie at a person altogether unworthy of the sanit But I pray you Brethren have me excused that I cannot compeer since I have received your summons out of due time and there is no passage between Scotland and Ireland because of the great stormes from your coasts which are so great Psal 55.6 8. that I wished the wings of a dove to stie away and be at rest and by Gods good helpe I have hastned my escape from the windie storme and tempest Psal 57.1 and come to Ireland where in the shadow of the Lords wings I shall make my refuge untill these calamittes be over-past Esa 33.17 20. and may see the King in his beautie and Ierusalem a quiet habitation For this is the day of the Lords vengeance Esay 34.8 and the yeare of recompences for the controversies of Zion In the meane time if this my Treatise can finde passage by any meanes and come to your hands it wil either justifie me or augment my fault the one if you be not prejudicated but the other if you be yet in your passions My Epistle which I desired you to put on record ad futuram rei memoriam as being able to make good what I have sayd doth contain these opinions following which you most unsoundly call unsound and my letter presumtuous and seditious My 1. unsound opinion is that I cal taking up of arms against the Lords Anointed a doctrin of unrighteousness My 2. unsound opinion is threefold that J said I take God to witnesse that I cannot subscribe your covenant except I would 1. sin against God 2. contemne Authority 3. and abjure my Christian Liberty For the 1. I cannot but sin against God if I keepe not the oath of God and obey the commandement of my King Eccles. 8.1 against whose Authoritie Commandement this covenant is subscribed 2 There must bee contempt of Authority and this is too milde a word let me call it by it's owne name Rebellion if I subscribe your covenant for these 5 Reasons 1 because all covenants are expresly discharged by Act of Parliament without his Majesties privie consent be obtained thereto 2 because this covenant is expresly forbid by his Majesties Proclamations 3 because this your covenant containeth many unlawfull things amongst which is that unlawfull Band against the Lords Anoynted 4 Though your covenant were good and lawfull yet except you prove that it 's absolutly necessary to be subscribed how dare any subscribe it being forbidden by authoritie without high contempt 5. Since I have subscribed the Kings Covenant I cannot subscribe yours without perjurie as is clear in this treatise And since you hindered your flocks to subscribe the Kings Covenant saying they would be perjured if they did it how can I subscribe both without perjurie The third point That by subscribing I must abjure my Christian libertie wherein I shall stand fast I pray you since your covenāt doth abjure things indifferent such as the Articles of Perth are c. as heads of Poperie Doe I not thus far abjure my Christian liberty if I subscrib My last unsound opinion is of your assemblie I was content shall still remain to passe from my protestation against your assemblie these 3 grounds being proved 1. That by acknowledging the authority of it I be not obliged to beleeve the lawfulnes of it's acts for it cals evill good and good evill 2. That it be proved by the laws of the kingdom that when the King dischargeth the assembly to sit it ought to refuse and sit still 3. That it be made good that when controversie is between the King and the assembly the assembly must be judge In my presumptuous and seditious letter I called these grounds absurd and altogether derogatory to Royall authority renting the Kings supremacy And I appeale the conscience of every one of you whether these my opinions be unsound and I for them judged unworthy of the Ministry which if you do your presbytery is the seat of violence Amos 6.3 to the which I will not come neare where when judgement should run downe as water and righteousnesse as a mighty streame Amos 5.24 you turn judgement into gall and the fruit of righteousnesse Amos 6.12 into Hemlock Howbeit all reformed Churches in Europe are condemning your course yet you say you are wise Ier. 8.8 and the Law of God is with you yet certainly except ye amend and change your opinions and waies Ier. 7.28 truth is perished and cut off from your mouths Ier. 23.14 5. This is the cause that from you the Prophets of Jerusalem wickednesse hath gone over all the land and the hand of evill doers is strengthened that none doth returne from his wickednesse Isa 33.15 but goe on with a revolting and rebellious heart it is good to walke righteously and speake uprightly which is a hard thing to doe with you when men must be over-rul'd with ignorant lay-Bishops to whose humor all must preach who remember not that one day in proper persons we must give account to God how we have taught our people to serve God and the King against whom too many of you incessantly stir up the people as against a Nero. I exhort you my brethren that when you are Evening and Morning in private with God in your prayers to remember and consider whether your course be good or evill which you continue in and if your conscience accuse you I pray God ye may be as earnest to ungird that armour as you have been in putting it on And may shake off Pusill animity having your faces strong against their faces Ezek 3.9 who are seditious and your foreheads strong against their foreheads not fearing them nor being dismaid at their looks though they be a rebellious house Thus at last becomming valiant for the truth Ier. 9.3 FINIS

Magistrate Qui servit Christo Leges ferendo pro Christo who serve Christ making Lawes for Christ as Augustin saies yet you make them to be lawes of coactive power by vertue wherof ye depose and excommunicate whom you please summon before your Committees whom and when you please and because they did not appeare before your Committee though forbidden by his Majesties Proclamation they have suspended them from their Ministeriall function Thus Attributing to their Assembly not only Directive but also Coactive power not only without but also against supreme Authority It remaines then that ye conclude with Emanuell Sa in his Aphorisme Clericirebellio in regem non est crimen laesae Majestatis The rebellion of Church-men against the King is no treason quia non sunt subditi regis because they are not subject to the King in Church matters And that ye rob him of his Supremacy in matters civill it will be cleare in the dispute following And therfore notwithstanding of all your specious words that ye intend no change of Governement scelera reclamant and your protestations are contrariae factis But if you will perswade the people on the contrary that his Majesty intends the ruine of Church and policy you must not thinke it enough to say it so boldly but to make it good or els how can ye escape the wrath of God Who dare thus affirme of your King in Word and Writ in Pulpit and els-where against whom you ought not to thinke evill in your bed-chamber And how can you escape the wrath of a King Prov. 16.14 20.2 which is as the Messenger of death and as the roaring of a Lion who so provoketh him to anger sinneth against his owne Soule But though it were so that his Majesty who is the most religious King in Christendome were an enemy to religion and were by armes seeking that which you affirme he doth can you shew any reason why ye ought not to be subject unto him Obedience is not to be given but subjection must never be denied I come then to your reasons Covenanter 1. Argument The first is taken from the unreasonablenesse and absurdity of such Court Parasites as for their own base ends maintain the absolute Soveraignty and unlimited authority of Princes to the great hurt both of Prince and people by loosing all the bonds of ciuill societies while the Prince against the strongest bands of oathes and lawes may do what he please to the ruine of Religion the Kirk and Kingdom the Lawes and liberties of some or of all the Subjects and the people shall do nothing but either fly which is impossible or suffer themselves to be massacred and out off Anticovenanter You begin with unreasonablenesse and absurdities and so may you end for all is absurd all is unreasonable which you say If any would have proponed this question before this uprore came amongst us in Ahasuerus words Who is he and where is he that durst presume in his heart to say so Ester 7.5 Surely we would never have dreamed that such a Cockatrice could be bred in the brest of a Protestant which doctrine is abominable even to many of the Jesuites I say of these arguments as Augustin did of the Donatists In lucem traxisse est vicisse To bring them to the light is to overcome them One Cherilus a Poet wrot a book of Poesie wherof all the verses were faulty except seven for the which he received seven peeces of Gold and for every evill verse which were many he received one stripe If your arguments were thus tryed and examined for every argument ye would receive a stripe and as the fault exceeds so should the punishment but I wish you may not receive according to your demerits If your reasons were set down in Syllogismes their weaknesse would appeare but we must answer as ye set them downe first I deny that the Kings power is absolute and unlimited in respect of God who hath set such Marches to him that he ought not to transgresse but in respect of men the Kings power must be absolute and unlimited so that their subjects may not resist them but be subject unto them according to the Scripture Rom. 13.1 Let every soule be subject unto the higher powers and he that resisteth resisteth the ordinance of God And that of Salomon Eccles 8. Where the word of a King is there is power and who may say unto him What doest thou To this purpose Ambrose in Enaraction in Psal 51. saies on these words Tibisoli peccavi Vtique rex erat null is ipse legibus tenebatur quia liberi sunt reges à vinculis delictorum neque enim ullis ad poenam vocantur legibus tuti impery potestate sed quamvis tutus devotione tamen fide erat Deo subditus legi ejus subjectum se esse cognoscens peccatum suum negare non poterat That is David said That he had sinned against God because he was a King and not bound to any law because Kings are free from the bonds of Crime c. So saies Arnobius Cassiodorus Beda Glossa ordinar Didimus Cyrillus Nicaetas in aurea catena besides all sound modern Protestant Divines So saies Chrysostome also in Psal 118. Octon 17. Rex etsi leges in potestate habet ut impunè delinquat Deo tamen subditus est Albeit the King have the Law so in his power that he may sin without controlement yet he is subject to God sufficit illi in poenam quod Deum expectet ultorem I hope they will not call these Authors Court Parasites Again if their power were not absolute there would be some other power above them which is absurd that the supreme power under God can have any supreme power above it but only God Super Imperatorem non est nisi solus Deus qui fecit Imperatorem saies Optatus lib. 3. contra Parmeman And therfore in Synodo Regiaticana under Lothorinus the Emperour cap. 16. It 's said Imperatores summi ac principes minimè nunc judicantur sed in futuro judicio à Deo I conclude this point than with that grave saying of Yvo Carnotensis Episcopus Epist. 171. Si reges aliquando potestate sibi concessa abutantur non sunt à nobis graviter exasperandi sed ubi sacerdotum admonitionibus non acquieverunt divino sunt judicio reservandi ubi tanto districtiùs sunt puniendi quanto minùs fuerint divinis admonitionibus obnoxy What then is the Vnreasonablenesse of this absolute authority in respect of men Great hurt say you both to Prince and people Ans 1. It 's no question but great hurt may fall out both to Prince and people while the Prince presuming upon his authority abuseth the same and makes himself liable to the wrath of God But much more hurt would follow upon the other hand if the Princes power were subject to the inferior subjects that would breed great confusion and turn all upside

a Captain and his Souldiers but you know that 1. Theologia symbolica non est argumentativa 2. The comparison is not alike but halteth down-right for the authority of the Captain is limited and bounded by his Prince or Generall that he must not transgresse in the least point of his Commission otherwise the souldiers are no more bound to follow him then they know his Commission from their common Prince As for example the King of France sends his armies to fight against the Spaniards Now if the Captain of this army make defection from the King and go to the Spanish army then they become as Spaniards enemies to their own King now here sense it selfe leads the army to fight against their Captain who are turned enemies for they certainly know that it was the Kings will to fight against the Spaniards and all that would take their part in that battell and therfore they haue their Kings warrant to fight against their captaines who now ipso facto ceaseth to be their captaine and become enemies But if the King did give these his Captains absolute and unlimited power over the armies commanding the souldiers not to resist them by armes whither they did right or wrong whither they should turn to the enemy or not in this case indeed as the souldiers ought not to turne away after them to the enemy against their Soveraigne so they ought not to fight against them but fly home to their Prince whose will they know Thus stands the case between God and the King his Deputy God hath given him such authority that all under him must be subject unto him without resistance and though he should doe many things contrary to Gods Word yet ipso facto he ceaseth not to be King and we must not obey him in evill but yet be subject unto him for Conscience sake The Covenanters seeing the weaknesse of this their argument and the strength of reason against it from the Apostles Direction Rom. 13.1 they strive but unhappily to answer that objection thus Covenanter It 's objected Rom. 13.1 Let every soule be subject unto the higher powers Answer Tyranny and unjust violence is not the ordinance of God and he that resisteth it resists not the ordinance of God they are rulers contrary to good workes not to evill they are not the Ministers of God for good neither in this can we be subject unto them for conscience sake The whole course of the Apostles argument runneth against the resistance of lawfull power commanding things good and lawfull We must either acknowledge Tyranny to be the ordinance of God and for our good or els exclude it from the Apostles argument admitting the resistance therof to be lawfull at least by the shield for defence if not by the sword for invasion Anticovenanter In this you declare either much weaknesse or else much malice and I may say both No man will affirme that Tyrannie and violence are Gods ordinance but those to whom God hath given lawfull authority may abuse it tyrannically and they remaine the Ministers of God for thy good in tuum bonum saies Augustin licet sibi in malum for all things work together for the best to them that love God For the Lord will raise up Kings sometimes as Isaiah saies to be The rod of his anger and staffe of his indignation Isai 10 5. to afflict an hypocriticall people to take the spoyle and the prey and to tread them downe like the mire in the streets Howbeit he meaneth not so neither doth his heart thinke so saith the Lord but it is in his heart to destroy nations not a few And when tyrants thinke thus to doe evill to us yet it turneth to our good to humble us under Gods hand and cause us repent This is all the fruit to take away our iniquity saith the Lord Isai 27 9. and thus Tyranni sunt ministri Dei tibi in bonum licet sibi in malum and to resist them is to fight with God and pull the rod out of his hand Your inference then is most childish that either we must admit tyrannie to be Gods ordinance or else we may resist it For you see that he who hath a lawfull power from God may abuse it tyrannically and we must not resist Gods ordinance lawfull authority because such and such men exercise it tyrannically Our superiors power is not Gods ordinance because he is a good man that hath it as David was neither is the authority not Gods ordinance because he is an evill man that hath it as Saul was but the authority is Gods ordinance because he who hath it is the lawfull superior He that was Emperour when Paul writ this Epistle was Nero a tyrant Nero sayes learned Moulin was a monster in nature the shame of humane kinde and the first Emperour that began to persecute the Church neverthelesse the Apostle Rom. 13. speaking of that power which then was in being saith that it was ordained by God and that whosever resisted the same resisted the ordinance of God c. So sayes Aug. De civit Dei lib. 5. cap. 21. Where he declares that the authority of wicked Emperours was from Gods ordinance as well as of good Emperours Qui Mario Caio Caesari qui Augusto ipse Neroni qui Vespasianis vel patri vel filio suavissimis imperatoribus ipse Domitiano crudelissimo ne per singulos ire necesse sit qui Constantino Christiano ipse apostatae Iuliano Did not Paul acknowledge the authority of Nero when he did appeale to him and that lawfully I stand at Caesars judgement seat where I ought to be judged Act. 25.10 And Christ himselfe acknowledged the Authority of Pilate over him to be from above Neither was it lawfull for Christs Disciples to resist and by armes to defend their Master against such matchlesse cruelty and tyrannie And here by the way I gather one argument against your course which I pray you answer It was not lawfull for Christs Disciples to defend Christ by armes against the tyranny of those who invaded him and crucified him Therfore it s not lawfull for us to take desensive armes against tyrants Ye will answer Christ suffered them not to resist because it was his will to suffer This is true indeed he was most willing to suffer but yet the reason wherefore he hinders Peter to defend him is because it was not lawfull for him to defend by armes therefore he sayes Put up thy sword into his place for he that takes the sword shall perish with the sword He that drawes the sword must doe it by the authority of him that hath power Consider also the 13. Chap. of the Revelation in the 7 ver It 's said that the beast with the seven heads and ten hornes had power given him over all kinreds tongues and nations to make war with the Saints What shall the Saints doe then under their persecuters May they not take up armes Nor for in

bestow it upon any man to be their King for none can give that to another which they have not themselves 5. Ye say the people may be without the Magistrate Answer So have you made us this yeare and more in stead of a King we have had the Ephori of Sparta and the Roman Tribunes over-ruling us strange Lords rule over us to the great contempt of our own King Dominis parere superbis cogimur 2. The world was not without a King till Cain's time for Adam was King his Empire was paternall and therfore Monarchicall for albeit at first he did not actually exercise politicall Government before the people did multiply yet ex vijuris naturae by the force of the law of nature it was due to the first progenitor Adam to be governour of his posterity and thus habitually he was King from his first creation and therfore that assertion of the Monarchomachists is not alwaies true the King is not without a people as the people are without a King I see you think you may be well without our King what remaineth then but with the Bishops let Kings go too and lay a ground for Anabaptisme 6. You say the body of the Magistrate is mortall I pray you what kind of people are you Qui genus unde demo Are you only the off-spring of God I reade in Scripture that God saies to Kings Psal 82.6 7. I have said ye are gods but to which of you is this name given and if you will assume that to you take the rest of the Text with you but ye shall die like men It 's an old saying Rex nunquam maritur The King never dieth But one generation goeth and another commeth Let it content you that tho King and you are of one mettall Now in the end having thus many waies preferred your selves to the King you make this monstrous conclusion It 's adirect over-turning of all foundation of Policie to preferre subjection to the Prince to the preservation of the common-wealth Answ Here you separate that which God hath joyned together and make these two opposite which ever must go hand in hand together for Subjection to the Prince is the only way to preserve the Common-wealth where Subjection is not Gods ordinance is contemned the foundation of policie over-turned and the Common-wealth exposed to ruine as is cleare in the answer to your first Argument Covenanter From the Covenant betwixt God and the people 4. Argument for the people and the Magistrate are joyntly bound in Covenant with God for observing and preserving the Commandements of the first and second tables as may be seene in the bookes of Samuel Kings and Chronicles As the fault of the people will not excuse the Magistrates negligence so the fault of the King will not excuse the people if they resist not his violence pressing them against the Covenant of God this argument is strongly pressed by sound and religious politicians Anticovenanter You should declare how King and people are both jointly bound Will you have King and Subject of equall power about the observation and preservation of the Tables You are bound to keep the Commandements of God as well as your King but the King is bound to do more to wit to be carefull that all his Subjects keep them and to punish transgressours I have read the whole Scripture of God but I could never find this power given to Subjects It 's enough for them to keep the Tables themselves but they have no authority to command others much lesse doth it belong to them to resist the Magistrate If the King presse the people to the breach of the Law they must not obey since God his Superiour commands the contrary but yet they must not resist since God both their Superiours forbids You poorely beg here the question affirming that the people will sin if they resist not but you will never prove it You say it is strongly pressed by sound politicians but you presse it most weakly and unfoundly not nominating one sound Politician for you For no Wiseman will confound the Princes authority with the people and turne a Monarchie into a Democracie Covenanter From the subordination of Powers appointed by God 5. Argument The same law and order that appoints to obey the supreme Magistrate rather than his Deputie appoints us also to obey God rather than man and the same law and order that leadeth us to defend the supreme Magistrate against the invasion of his Deputie commandeth us also to defend Gods right and to preserve the peoples peace against the unjust invasion of the supreme Magistrate who can be thought no lesse subordinate to God then his Vicegerent is to him Anticovenanter This Argument is builded upon sand you dreame that whatsoever meanes may be used for preservation of the Prince against his Deputies the same may be used for the preservation of Gods right and the peoples peace But you erre not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God Both by Gods Law and mans law Subjects are bound to defend their Prince But Gods Law commands not to defend his right by armes the weapons of our warfare are spirituall and not carnall Patience Faith with other graces are our Armour we must be subject for conscience sake and not take Gods place to represse our Superiours If any inferiour judge wrong me I must not resist him but appeale to his Superiour and from him again to his Superiour even to the King the Supreme and if he will be unjust and wrong me I must not resist but commit my cause to God to whom vengeance belongeth It is a point of Atheisme and distrusting of Gods providence to think that God will not help against Tyrants and therfore men will be their owne judges and revenge themselves But the Lord hath said Psal 12.5 For the oppression of the poore and the sighing of the needy now I will arise and set him in safety c. Then take Salomons counsell Prov. 20.22 Say not thou I will recompense evill but wait on the Lord and he will save thee Suffer me then to attest you my deare Countrey-men What thinke you to doe O yee Covenanters for God and the King You undertake armes not for God who desires nothing but peace You publish Rebellion He commands Obedience You trouble the rest and quiet of a King he willeth us to endure hardnesse though at the hand of a Pagan You doe it for God whose name yee call upon and deny his Power You doe it for God who detesteth your actions and knowes your thoughts And you doe it for that God who will confound all those who breed confusion among his people You undertake warre for Religion against the Defender of Religion You raise armies for Religion and nothing hindereth it so much as warres You fight for holinesse and your weapons destroy the Church authorize blasphemie plant Atheisme impiety and despising of Devotion in all places You march under