424. The LIFE ofthe LIB. I, p. They finda Statuteof King Edward the Third, That if any Man bring from the Kinga Command under the LittleSeal, or the Great Seal, to require any Judge to go againff Juffice, or to contradict it, the Judge !hall go on, as if it fignified nothing : And the Sheriff's forcible Affrftance, may be part ofhis Judgment,or the legal Confequent. 6. Elfe no Subjedt feemeth to have any Security for his Elateor Life, nor the Subjeít any Liberties: For if their Estates or Purfes be taken a- And we fear left by this we way,or their Lives affaulted by pretendedCommitlions, or Taxes pet it in the power or the Lord impofed contrary to Law, what remedy have they ? To fay they Keeper or Chancellor to Depofe mayqueftion thelnnruments at Law, is vain and worfe, as longas the King at hiss sae, by feat- thatLaw,whatever it decreeth,muft fubmit to a Commiffron,and ing CommtRrons to any to feao on all his Forts,Garrifons,Navies, muff never reftft it,nor ufe any forte ofArms,thoughagainna fin- Treafures, Guards, egc. gle Man for its own Execution.Whowill begina Suit at Law, a- gainft theKing'sWill at all,ifhe firlt know that his Will mutt not be refitled,and that the End will but be his greater ruin ? 7. They Paid, King famesafferting in his Writings (for Monarchy) that a King may not make War againíthis whole Kingdom : Incafe then that he flsould do it, they are uncertain that the whole Kingdom might not at all refill hiscommiffioned Officers. 8. They find the late King Charter the Firft, in his Anfwer to theNineteenPro- pofitionsof the Parliament, afferting aProteeting Power in the Lords, and felting up the Laws abovehis own Will. 9. They know that the Laws are made by King and Parliament, and Commif- fions here fuppofed to be by the King alone : And the whole Authority of all partsfeemeth more thanof one alone. so. They find that it hath been familiar with Lawyers to prefer the Law before the King's Commitfrons ; and Parliaments have been of that mind : And they are tooweak to Condemn them all in their ownFaculcies. u. They find that the greaten Defenders of Monarchy of all Forreign Law- yers, even Barclay and Grotius, have infianced in manyCafes in which it is,as they fay, lawful by Arms to relift a King ! And we pretend not to more skill in Laws than they. sa. They find that even the greaten Epifcopal Divines, approved by our Prin- ces, andmolt Learned Defendersof Monarchy and Obedience, do yet fet up the Lawsabove the King,and write morein thisCafe thanwe can confent to. Mr. The. Hooker (whom KingCharles theFirn commended to his Children to be read) fpeak- eth fo very high, not only in his whole Eighth Book ( dedicated by Bilhop Gaa- den to theKing) but allo its his Firft Book ( which was extant when King Charles theFirft commended his Works) that for my part I do not believe him, (that the Body as fuch bath the LeginativePower, and that the King is Aspire major and univerfss minor, with much of the like : And therefore I have wrote a full Confu- tation of him in the Fourth Tome ofmy Cbriflian Direftory. And yet he is oneof the molt magnified Authours with the Bishops. And fo is Bilhop Bilfon, who in his Treatife for Cbriflian Subjetíion, dedicated to Queen Elizabeth, hath that terri- ble paffage for refilling Kingsbefore-recited §ap ;. 13. And they find that not only Politicians fpeak more in this Cafe than we al- low, and the Roman, Greek, and other Hiftorians ; but the Hi torians and Chroni- clers of this Land. For infiance,Hollingjhead Lib. 1. inhis Chapter ofParliaments, faith, [ThinHoufe bath the mall high and abfolute Power of the Realm : For thereby Kings and mighty Princes have from time to time been depofed from their Thrones; Laws either enaftedor abrogated, Offendersofall forts punijhed , and corrupted Religion either difan- nulled or reformed; which commonly is divided into twoHaufes or Pant, &c. ] Here is more then l affent to, orthink to be juftifiable. Now when all thefe fay fo much snore for Refiftance than we judge found, it feemeth hard to us to go fit far contra- ry to them all (inMatters of other MensProfeffron) as to Subfcribe , That on no pretence wbatfoever no one Cummiffionated by the King, may be refitted by taking up Arms. rq. And we readhow Dr. Mainwairing, and other Divines, have been condem- ned by Parliament for Matters ofthis Nature. And whatever any Latitudinarian may lay, we are lure that [on no pretencewbatfoever] are words thatexclude all thefe fore-mentioned Pretences from being lawful. And if is yet be Paid , That it is dif- loyal to fuppofe that any fuch illegal Commifìon will be granted , we do not fup- pofe that it will be Co, but if it be not poffible to be fo, in this Age or another, then we are contented to Subfcribe this CIatfte: Fog Parliaments will not differabout Im. paint ies. 39f,
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