It may be doubted what he means by a commiffion from God; for we know of none but what is outwardly by his word, or inwardly by his Spirit: and I am apt to think, that neither he nor his abettors allowing of either, as to the point in question, he doth foully prevaricate, in alledging that which he thinks cannot be of any effect. If any man should fay, that the word of God to Mofes, Joshua, Ehud, Gideon, Samuel, Jeroboam, and Jehu, or any others, are, in the like cafes, rules to be observed by all; because that which was from God was good; that which was good, is good; and he that does good, is justified by it; he would probably tell us, that what was good in them, is not good in others: and that the word of God doth justify those only to whom it is fpoken: that is to fay, no man can execute the juft judgments of God to the benefit of mankind, according to the example of thofe fervants of God, without damnable fin, unless he have a precife word particularly directed to him for it, as Mofes had. But if any man fhould pretend, that fuch a word was come to him, he would be accounted an enthusiast, and obtain no credit. So that, which way foever the claufe be taken, it appears to be full of fraud, confeffing only in the theory, that which he thinks can never be brought into practice; that his beloved villainies may be thereby fecured, and that the glorious examples of the most heroic actions, performed by the beft and wifest men that ever were in the world for the benefit of mankind, may never be imitated.

The next clanff ews, that I did our author no wrong in faying, that -- gw tto ufurpation; for he

.

plainly

plainly fays, "That whether the prince be the fupreme "father of his people, or the true heir of such a father; ( or whether he come to the crown by ufurpation, or "election of the nobles or people, or by any other way

whatfoever, &c. it is the only right and authority of "the natural father." In the 3d Chap. Sect. 8. "It "kills not which way the king comes by his power, "whether by election, donation, fucceffion, or by any other means." And in another place, "That we are "to regard the power, not the means by which it is gain"ed.” To which I need say no more, than that I cannot fufficiently admire the ingeniously invented title of father by ufurpation; and confefs, that fince there is fuch a thing in the world, to which not only private men, but whole nations owe obedience, whatfoever has been faid antiently (as was thought, to exprefs the higheft excefs of fury and injuftice), as, "jus datum fceleri; jus omne "in ferro eft fitum ; jus licet in jugulos noftros fibi fecerit "enfe; Sylla potens, Mariufque ferox, & Cinna cruen"tus, Cæfareæque domus ferics," were fold trutl s good law and divinity; which did only fignify the actual exercife of the power, but induced a confcientious obligation of obeying it. The powers fo gained did carry in themselves the most facred and inviolable rights; and the actors of the most deteftable villainies thereby became the minifters of God, and the fathers of their fubdued people. Or if this be not true, it cannot be denied, that Filmer and his followers, in the most impudent and outrageous blafphemy, have furpaffed all that have gone before them.

To confirm his affcrtions, he gives us a wonderful cxplanation of the fifth commandment; which, he fays, injoins obedience to princes, under the terms of " honour "thy father and thy mother;" drawing this inference, "that as all power is in the father, the prince who hath "it, cannot be restrained by any law; which being grounded upon the perfect likenefs between kings and "fathers, no man can deny it to be true." But if Claudius was the father of the Roman people, I suppose the chaste Meffalina was the mother, and to be honoured by virtue of the fame commandment: but then I fear that such as met her in the moft obfcene places, were not only guilty of adultery, but of inceft. The fame honour must needs belong to Nero, and his virtuous Poppa, unless it were transferred to his new-made woman Sporus; or perhaps he himself was the mother, and the glorious title of "pa"ter patria" belonged to the rafcal, who married him as a woman. The like may be faid of Agathocles, Dionyfius, Phalaris, Bufiris, Machanidas, Peter the cruel of Caftile, Chriftiern of Denmark, the laft princes of the houfe of Valois in France, and Philip the fecond of Spain. Thofe actions of theirs, which men have ever esteemed moft deteftable, and the whole courfe of their abominable government, did not proceed from pride, avarice, cruelty, madnefs, and luft, but from the tender care of the most pious fathers, Tacitus fadly defcribes the state of his country: "Urbs incendiis vaftata, confumtis an"tiquiffimis delubris, ipfo capitolio civium manibus in"cenfo; pollutæ ceremoniæ: magna adulteria; plenum ❝exiliis mare; infecti cædibus fcopuli; atrocius in urbe

"fævitum;

But

fævitum; nobilitas, opes, omiffi vel gefti honores pro crimine, et ob virtutes certiffimum exitium "." he was to blame: all this proceeded from the ardency of paternal affection. When Nero, by the death of Helvidius Prifcus and Thrafeas, endeavoured to cut up virtue by the roots, ipfam excindere virtutem t," he did it, because he knew it was good for the world that there fhould be no virtuous man in it. When he fired the city, and when Caligula wifhed the people had but one neck, that he might ftrike it off at one blow, they did it through a prudent care of their childrens good, knowing that it would be for their advantage to be deftroyed; and that the empty defolated world would be no more troubled with poplar feditions. By the fame rule Pharaoh, Eglon, Nebuchodonofor, Antiochus, Herod, and the like, were fathers of the Hebrews. And without looking far backward, or depending upon the faith of history, we may Enumerate many princes, who in a paternal care of their people, have not yielded to Nero or Caligula. If our author fay truc, all thofe actions of theirs, which we have attributed to the utmoft excefs of pride, cruelty, avarice, and perfidioufnefs, proceeded from their prine-ly wifdom, and fatherly kindness to the nations under them: and we are beholden to him for the difcovery of fo great a mystery, which hath been hid from mankind from the beginning of the world to this day if not, we may ftill look upon them as children of the devil; and continue to believe, that princes as well as other magiftrates were fet up by the people for the *Ft. 1. c. 2. + Tait. Anr. 1. xvi. 21.

public good; that the praifes given to fuch as are wife, just, and good, are purely perfonal, and can belong only to thofe, who by a due exercise of their power to deserve it, and to no others.

CHA P. II.

SECT. I.

That it is natural for nations to govern, or to choose governors and that virtue only gives a natural preference of one man above another, or reafon why one fhould be chofen rather than anather.

IN this chapter our author fights valiantly against Bel

larmine and Suarez, feeming to think himfelf victorious, if he can fhew that either of them hath contradicted the other, or himself; but being no way concerned in them, I fhall leave their followers to defend their quarrel: my work is to feck after truth; and though they may have faid fome things, in matters not concerning their beloved caufe of popery, that are agreeable to reafon, law, or fcripture, I have little hope of finding it among thofe who apply themfelves chiefly to fchool-fophiftry, as the beft means to fupport idolatry. That which I maintain, is the caufe of mankind; which ought not to fuffer, though champions of corrupt principles have weakly defended, or malicioufly betrayed it: and therefore not at all relying on their authority, I intend to reject what