The Appendix to this small Treatise.
WHen I had quite made an end of this small piece, I accidentally met with the posthumous Work of Edmond Richer, Doctor of the faculty of Paris, no obscure person, touching Ecclesiastical Power in Temporal Matters, it was published at Cologne Anno 1691. wherein he makes as if he would lay some foundation for the absolute Power of the King, but defends it with such sorry piti∣ful Arguments, that altho he had a mind to sacrifice Truth to Regal Power, yet Page 34 in spight of his Teeth, Truth (for it's stronger than any King) will bravely hold up its Head against Error: nor would I have you take my word for it; let him have a• hearing, bringing in his Evidence for Truth.
As to the Second Doubt, saith he, I grant that every Commonwealth standeth up∣on its own Legs, and is sufficient for its self, by Divine and Natural Right should it be either a Republick or a Monarchy, so it be done by a free Consent of the Estates, and the Publick Peace kept, for by what Right it doth by the undnimous consent of all, chuse freely a Prince, by the same Right also may it abrogate and disown that Prince, pro∣vided that in so abrogating, the Publick Tranquility and Peace be not disturbed; for if the Publick Peace suffer thereby, it is far the wiser course to rest satisfied, and endure the Grievances and Tyranny of one single person than of many, conformable to that Precept of our Blessed Lord, not to plu•k up the Tares with harm to the Wheat.
In this Thesis, Richerius does not only settle and maintain the Right inherent to the People to depose ill Princes, but does also mightily approve of the late change that happened in the British affairs as lawful: For Charles the Second dying with∣out lawful Issue, it was in the Parliaments Power, either to elect or refuse James the Second, by reason of his great averseness to the True Religion, it was therefore in the Parliaments Power to eject him; but they ejected him as one who did not administer aright; neither was the Peace and Tranquility disturbed in so abrogating him, neither were there more Tyrants placed in his stead, but the true rightful Heirs to the Crown William and Mary; and by rooting up the greatest part of the Tares, no damage to the Wheat ensued; yea it becau•e more pure and clean, therefore Richerius could have desired nothing more in this Revolution.
Furthermore, the said Richerius tells us, that as well Reason as the Practice of the Primitive Church do confirm, that it is altogether unlawful to shock the Peace and Quiet of the Publick, only upon the acco•nt of a Princes oppressing or for∣saking the Religion professed and established by his Predecessors, unless at the same time he injure the Peace, with the State of the Kingdom.
We have before lookt into the reason it self, and constant practice of the Primi∣tive Church; but for all that, Richerius must needs confess that it is Lawful to restrain one that does injury to publick Tranquility. But this great Parisian Doctor useth a strange kind of distinction, Except it so fall out, saith he, that he violate or corrupt the Peace, together with the state of the Kingdom: He seems to make small account of Religion, who supposeth that the Religion of a Kingdom may be supprest, and that yet the Peace of the Kingdom may not b• disturbed and destroyed; the good man knows that Religion is one of the tenderest things in the World; and thus you see how Truth uses to compel the Maintainers and Abettors of Falshood to acknowledge her; and even, whether they will or no, to extort an evidence for her against themselves.
Give me leave now to finish this Appendix with Richerius's own Words, We must conclude then, says he, that it is one of the greatest Miracles that can possibly hap∣pen t• Mankind in any Civil Society, to be blest with a good Prince, which God out •• his mercy bestows on them, as he gives ill Princes in his wrath.
