State tracts, being a farther collection of several choice treaties relating to the government from the year 1660 to 1689 : now published in a body, to shew the necessity, and clear the legality of the late revolution, and our present happy settlement, under the auspicious reign of their majesties, King William and Queen Mary.

Obj. 2. But he must defend himself in God's way, his defence must be without Sin. And that is either by Prayers to God, or Intreaties to the Prince, or by Suffering; for the Scripture says, all Power are of God, and they that resist the Power, resist the Ordinance of God, Rom. 13.2. And St. Peter gives Christians in Charge, that they submit to every Odinance of Man for the Lord's sake.

Answ. All Powers indeed are of God, that is every Government has God's Warrant to proceed according to the Frame of the government, to the End of the government, which is the publick Good. The Power is of God, but the Restraint of the Power is in the Frame of the government, and the Frame is an humane Ordinance or Structure, as the Apostle elegantly Expresses it, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 he therefore that resisteth the government, proceedeth according to the Frame of thegovernment, resisteth the Ordinance of God. But if the Governor proceed neither according to the Frame of the government, nor to the End, but against it, such Process cannot be the Ordinance of God, unless God have two contradictory Ordinances of Force, at one time in the same Government, and then the command may be true and false, and the Subjects duty good and evil, and men would be perpetually distracted with serving two Masters. This would make the Government God's and the Devil's, and as no less than to put a Blasphe∣mous Juggle upon the Ordinance of God: which is always simple, and at one with it self. These Scriptures therefore can tye us to obey the Governor contrary to the Go∣vernment, because they tye us to obey the government; and that this is all they tye us from resisting, is evident by the Reason St. Paul gives, which is, because the Resisters resist the Ordinance of God; and therefore it is warily exprest, if it were but as warily read, for it is not whosoever resisteth the person or the will of the Governor, but whosoever resisteth the Power (and that Power is neither more nor less than the Frame of the government expresses) resisteth the Ordinance of God, and to this Resistance the Pe∣nalty is annexed.

But it does not follow, because I may not resist the Ordinance of God, that I may not resist the powerless and inauthoritative, unjust Attempts of Superiours upon me,

for then a Souldier might not resist his Captain that would rob him, nor a Married Man-servant his Master that would force his Wise.

This I think evidences, That to resist a Superiour and his evil Instruments and Ac∣complices, while they Act contrary to the Frame of the Government, is not to resist the Power of God, or the Ordinance of God, but to keep off those who usurp upon the Power of God, and the Frame of the Government, and the just Rights of others. For I would fain know of the Doctors of Non resistance, whether the Act that contains the Test, have the stamp of God's Authority upon it or no; if it have not, the Power of the King and Parliament is no Power of God; if it have, then to resist, that is to resist the Ordinance of God: And those Commissions that are contrary to it, have no power from God: If the affirmative be true the negative is of no force. And there∣fore to resist such Commissions, is not to resist the Ordinance of God, unless God's Or∣dinances be contradictory, and that would render God guilty of double dealing, as well as the Jesuits. Which being utterly impossible, it must be concluded, That the resisting such Commissions, and the Instruments acting by them, is not to resist Lawful Authority, but to remove Unlawful; not to do evil, but to hinder it; not to sin, but to prevent Sinners for doing mischief; and it would be very hard measure for a Man to be damn'd for doing such a good Office. Bishop Bilson, therefore speaking of this Text, says, It is not resisting the King's Will against Law, but according to Law that is forbidden. And both Barclay, and Grotius affirm, That the People may in diverse Cases resist Kings that are tyed to govern by Law, which they could not do, did they think these Scriptures forbad all re∣sistance.

Much indeed is said from the Practice of the Jews, and the Primitive Christians, and the Subjection of Servants, but nothing to the purpose; for their Case is not ours, more than their frame of Government is ours; their Servants were Slaves, and their Kings and Emperours Wills were their Laws; their People had no Magna Charta's to show, nor Fundamental Compacts, and so could plead no injustice in any command, the frame of the Government Warranted all those commands that had the Royal pleasure: Their Political Power was more extensive than their Moral Power. The People were wholly at the Mercy of the Prince: All their Laws were Acts of Grace, not fundamen∣tal Reserves and inherent Rights, and therefore in Spirituals they had no Cause to resist, and in Temporals they might not, as was observed above. If they had been under limited Governments as we are, we might have heard of Blows as well as Words, St. Paul was never so virulent with his Tongue, as when he was smitten contrary to Law.