Page:Discourse Concerning Unlimited Submission.djvu/46

 welfare, (which is the only argument the apotle makes ue of) it follows, by a parity of reaon, that when he turns tyrant, and makes his ubjects his prey to devour and to detroy, intead of his charge to defend and cherih, we are bound to throw off our allegiance to him, and to reit; and that according to the tenor of the apotle's argument in this paage. Not to dicontinue our allegiance, in this cae, would be to join with the overeign in promoting the lavery and miery of that ociety, the welfare of which, we ourelves, as well as our overeign, are indipenably obliged to ecure and promote, as far as in us lies. It is true the apotle puts no cae of uch a tyrannical prince; but by his grounding his argument for ubmiion wholly upon the good of civil ociety; it is plain he implicitly authorizes, and even requires us to make reitance, whenever this hall be neceary to the public afety and happines. Let me make ue of this eay and familiar imilitude to illutrate the point in hand—Suppoe God requires a family of children, to obey their father and not to reit him; and enforces his command with this argument; that the uperintendence and care and authority of a jut and kind parent, will contribute to the happines of the whole family; o that they ought to obey him for their own akes more than for his: Suppoe this parent at length runs ditracted, and attempts, in his mad fit, to cut all his children's throats: Now, in this cae, is not the reaon before aigned, why thee children hould obey their parent while he continued of a ound mind, namely, their common good, a reaon equally concluive


 * This does not intend, their acting o in a few particular intances, which the bet of rulers may do through mitake, &c. but their acting o habitually; and in a manner which plainly hows, that they aim at making themelves great, by the ruin of their ubjects.