Selected quad for the lemma: act_n
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A25438
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Animadversions on a discourse entituled, God's ways of disposing of kingdoms
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1691
(1691)
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Wing A3189; ESTC R11078
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29,781
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39
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a Prince is overcome in a just War till the Subjects consent the State of War continues and there is no Obligation nor Faith and so no Dominion 3. In all cases where God puts down one and sets up another this is by Conquest this Conquest must be by a Foreign Sovereign Prince and the Conqueror has the Right of War over the Subjects of the dispossessed Prince From which Rule thus laid down absolutely there must be these several Exceptions 1. Himself excepts and not excepts the Case of a Deliverance 2. Reason will oblige him to except the case of a limited Monarchy 3. The case of a Prince's assisting the People to dispossess an Usurper 4. All Instances when the People have renounced their Allegiance to one King and set up another from among themselves as when Jeroboam Solomon's Servant having headed the People of Israel 1 Kings 11.26 when they urged for an Assurance of a Regular Government from his Master's Son Rehoboam the Servant was advanced to the Government of Ten of the Tribes 1 Kings 12.13 after all Israel had renounced the Family of David Edward the Second among us being governed by Gaveston and the Spencers murdered his Uncle Thomas Earl of Lancaster and numbers of Great Men the People rose against him Imprisoned him and a full Representative of the Nation Anno 1326. Vid. The Porm of it Knighton Col. 2549. in a Solemn manner renounced their Allegiance to him but comforted their Abdicated King with the Declaration which they made that they would suffer his Son Edw. 3. to succeed him Rich. 2. had been carried on in the like Extravagancies by the Loyal Men of his time the Duke of Ireland and other Minions these Men finding a Storm coming upon them by the just Judgment of the Nation perswaded the King to give himself up as a Vassal to France The Nation to secure their publick Regiment and Laws deposed him and set up H. 4. a Subject of this Kingdom till they made him King Upon these Instances and more which might be brought I would ask 1. If there was a Conquest in any one of them who was the Conqueror the Prince constituted by the People or the People who constituted him 2. Whether the Prince so constituted had a Right of War over the People 3. Whether it was a Duty in all these cases to expect a Deliverance from some Foreign Sovereign Prince when perhaps all Neighbour Princes might be Brib'd by Moneys extorted from the Subjects by Oppression and Tyranny when all might be of the same Religion or might have the same end in their Government and would assist each other to Enslave their People 5. Reason would except all cases when a Prince comes with Title or pretends it and where he declares the occasion of his Arms or condition of Success These being used for Inducements to have Right done or for the Subjects to joyn with or not oppose him are implicit Contracts and either of them is a full bar to farther Claim More Exceptions would lye but these are enough to set aside his General Rule 5. That the shew of reading and the Positions are wholly beside the Cushion not applicable to the Constitution of this Government nor to the present Debate It must be confessed that in this Book he is not come to his second Head wherein he undertakes to shew That the work of God in bringing his Majesty into this Kingdom was truly Gods making use of his Prerogative in putting down one and setting up another But since his Discourse is with the professed intention of so applying it surely it is allowable for me to try his Rule for him before hand if it were only to perswade him to find out other Topicks for the Justification of their Majesties Right and pâ—oving that her Majesty is of Gods setting up as well as his Majesty This I hold but am sure I cannot prove it from his Rule applied either to the Case of an Absolute Conqueror or to a Deliverer nor does he so much as pretend to say any thing to shew that God has made her Majesty our Sovereign Lady The supposed Conquest would barr her Hereditary or other Right and her Right whatever it is will not admit of a Conquest But the States of the Kingdom have declared That King William and Queen Mary are and of Right ought to be our Sovereign Lord and Lady Tho this Declaration was made in a Convention of the People by its Representatives not called by a King or Queen yet the Parliament following declared the Acts of that Convention which became a Parliament upon acting in Conjunction with their Majesties to be binding Laws And if there be any question of her Majesties Sovereignty because the Administration was placed in his Majesty the Act of this present Parliament impowering her Majesty to Administer the Government during his Majesties Absence has removed that Objection Neither before that was her Majesty a Subject Nor can a King make a Viceroy to act in his Absence but such an one as must be a Subject punishable for Treason against the King What shall be thought of them who Swear Allegiance to Two and yet believe it to be due to but One This alone were enough to shew that the Quotations and Positions in thaâ— Discourse are not to the purpose if it be to justifie the Settlement and Submission to it The best which can be said of it is That the Design is not for the Strength or Honour of the Government but of the Clergy And to shew that though many of them were degenerate Sons of the Church in contributing to the Revolution for all they are given up yet in submitting to it they have done nothing but what is agreeable to that Doctrine Preface which as the Preface has it has pass'd for the Doctrine of the Church of England ever since the Reformation But if it has pass'd for the Doctrine of our Church and is not it were a labour worthy of a Bishop to undeceive Men. If it is the Doctrine why should they not admit that it has been assented to only for the sake of Peace As they say of other Doctrines which the Church undeniably holds And why do they continue to maintain it when it so much disturbs the Peace of this Land divided only by the means of it Farther yet Our B must admit that being the Church is incorporated into the State the late Bishops are duely depriv'd by the Law though not Canonically Why therefore is not an Act of Parliament which places our present Settlement upon a down-right Contradiction to this Doctrine enough to set aside a Doctrine which has not so much as a Canon excepting always the Laudaean to colour it And which has no better Foundation than the Roman Traditions The Doctrine perhaps may be suitable to the Canons of 1640. or to the Oath generally taken by the Clergy not to bear Arms against the King or any one
Animadversions ON A DISCOURSE ENTITULED GOD's WAYS OF DISPOSING OF KINGDOMS LONDON Printed for W. Rayner 1691. Animadversions ON A Discourse of God's Ways of Disposing of Kingdoms NEXT to the Treachery of Men Vid. Pref. Seem to be too jealous of themselves for fear some worldly Considerations c. who have not had that jealousie of themselves which the Right Reverend and Learned Author of the late Discourse makes a Vertue in his Brethren who have renounced the Benefit of that Protection which this Government has extended towards them nothing has more promoted the Interest of him who as some Great Men insinuate still remains our Rightful King than an obstinate Justification of all the Follies and Flatteries of some Clergy-men at a time when in their Tantivy speed to Preferments they not only trampled upon the poor Persecuted Dissenters but upon those Laws which forbad their making Riots of Religious Meetings and Statutes of Royal Edicts or Proclamations Rather than it should be thought that they who call themselves the Church of England were to blame in these Matters and held Erroneous Opinions of Civil Power this Government which is a reverse to their Doctrines shall be maintained to be an Usurpation either upon King James or upon the People of England who invited their Deliverer and made the most suitable Acknowledgment of such a Deliverance It is a Melancholly Consideration to think how many are imposed upon by Doctrines made for no Lay-end whatever and which will serve no Government but what is against or above Law if there come in such consent of Men Vid. Hooker Eccl. Pol. as the Learned and Judicious Mr. Hooker thought absolutely necessary for the making of Laws this consent either must lose the nature of consent or want Authority for fear some Clergy-men should be condemn'd for having ascribed to Princes those Powers which were never given or allowed by the consent of the Nation and if one who exercised such an Illegal Power be Dispossessed against his will Allegiance must be transferred to another still without Humane Consent for otherwise Passive Obedience to no Law could not revive again and be transplanted Nor could those Divines whose Doctrines encouraged the late King to attempt what occasioned his Abdication have expected to make Atonement by the Difficulties which they and their Partizans might bring upon the Successor and yet hope to impose upon him as if they were the only Loyal Men. If they were as Passive themselves when their Loyalty comes to be tried as they would have others be it were something but they who take to themselves all the Priviledges belonging to Gods Lot or Peculiar Inheritance are like the Men of Kent Vid. Camd. Brit. Parker's Antiq. Brit. Dicit Canrii Comitatus quod in ipso Comitatu de jure debet de ejusmodi gravamine esse liber quia dicit quod Comitatus ille ut residuum Angliae nunquam fuit Conquestus who having opposed William I. after the rest of the Nation had submitted to him would have it that all but themselves were a conquered People No respect to any Man's Person or Character ought to come in Competition with the Duty which we owe our Country on the contrary while the Errors of Men Great for Name of Learning or Pomp of Office derive Authority from their Persons those Errors or Artifices which tend to the Prejudice of the most valuable Interest of Men as united in Societies ought to be treated with the greater Freedom and with that Contempt or Laughter which is due to the Folly or the Disguise That the World may judge of the Merits of those Notions which are vented under the Venerable Authority of the L A and as it should be thought with such a charitable Design as becomes that Office I shall 1. As far as they are consistent and hang together give a true Representation of them with their plain and direct Consequences 2. Shall shew their Inconsistencies 3. Their Doubtfulness and Ambiguity as if intended to serve either Prince or People and to impose upon both 4. The Weakness of the Reasoning want of Authority and gross Mistakes in relation to those Rights of Princes which he would infer from Passages or Omissions in Sacred or other Writings 5. That the shew of Reading and the Positions are wholly beside the Cushion not applicable to the Constitution of this Government nor to the present Debate 1. The manifest Scope of the Book A Representation of the Doctrine is to prove or rather to maintain by the Authority of the Person without Proof that all Kingdoms are disposed by Gods immediate Act P. 30. without the allowable Interposition of any but Soveraign Princes P. 32. and that the Acts of all others have an original Nullity Upon which I may make this general Reflection to justifie my Anti-Title If Acts proceeding from the Free Wills of Soveraign Princes are no Objections against Gods Disposal of Kingdoms so far by his immediate Act as that himself confers the Power by his sole Authority neither would what proceeds warrantably from the Free Will of the People be less Gods Act or have his Authority less immediately from his Gift But how much soever God Almighty influences Mankind in the Choise of their Actions we must suppose that they act with Freedom even in the Changes of Kingdoms and States or otherwise we must impute to the Almighty those Crimes by which Changes are sometimes brought about which to surmise were Blasphemy And if Changes are made according to natural Equity and more especially the known Rights of any Kingdom agreeable to that Equity and allowed of and exercised as there has been occasion in all times from the first Erection of the Kingdom we may well say that those Acts of such a free People which God permits and blesses with Success are by and with his Authority What are the Rights and lawful Powers entrusted by God Almighty with the People of this Land Vid. Bp. Bilsons Christian Subjection for the Preservation of their ancient Regiment and Laws it is not needful here to prove but it is necessary to shew in their proper Colours those Arts or in Truth Weaknesses of Clergy-men whereby they would bring in God Almighty to Authorize the Contrariety of their avowed Principles to the Right of this Government and of their Actions to any Principles but such as may free them from Slavery to their Promises or Oaths and at the same time might enslave all others as if their Freedom were purchased at this Price and were the Reward of such Merits I cannot but use this Book of one of so setled a Reputation for learning as a Demonstration that it is necessary for their own Sakes as well as for the Good of Mankind that Clergy-men should not in these Matters be wise beyond what is written in our Law If I am thought to expose the Nakedness of a Spiritual Father I doubt not but it will be