their judge and ruler, he tells them, He fought for you, and adventured his life far, and delivered you out of the hands of Midian, Judg. ix. 17. Nothing mentioned of him, but what he did as a general: and indeed that is all is found in his hiftory, or in any of the reft of the judges. And Abimelech particularly is called king, though at most he was but their general. And when, being weary of the ill conduct of Samuel's fons, the children of Ifrael defired a king, like all the nations to judge them, and to go out before them, and to fight their battles, 1 Sam. viii. 20. God granting their defire, fays to Samuel, I will fend thee a man, and thou shalt anoint him to be captain over my people Ifrael, that he may fave my people out of the hands of the Philistines, ix. 16. As if the only bufinefs of a king had been to lead out their armies, and fight in their defence; and accordingly at his inauguration pouring a vial of oil upon him, declares to Saul, that the Lord had anointed him to be captain over bis inheritance, x. I. And therefore those, who after Saul's being folemnly chosen and faluted king by the tribes at Mifpah, were unwilling to have him their king, made no other objection but this, How shall this man fave us? v. 27. as if they should have faid, this man is unfit to be our king, not having fkill and conduct enough in war, to be able to defend us. And when God refolved to transfer transfer the government to David, it is in these words, But now thy kingdom fhall not continue: the Lord hath fought him a man after his own heart, and the Lord hath commanded him to be captain over his people, xiii. 14. As if the whole kingly authority were nothing else but to be their general: and therefore the tribes who had ftuck to Saul's family, and oppofed David's reign, when they came to Hebron with terms of fubmiffion to him, they tell him, amongst other arguments they had to submit to him as to their king, that he was in effect their king in Saul's time, and therefore they had no reafon but to receive him as their king now. Also (say they) in time paft, when Saul was king over us, thou waft he that leddeft out and broughteft in Ifrael, and the Lord faid unto thee, Thou shalt feed my people Ifrael, and thou shalt be a captain over Ifrael. §. 110. Thus, whether a family by degrees grew up into a common-wealth, and the fatherly authority being continued on to the elder fon, every one in his turn growing up under it, tacitly fubmitted to it, and the eafinefs and equality of it not offending any one, every one acquiefced, till time feemed to have confirmed it, and fettled a right of fucceffion by prescription: or whether feveral families, or the defcendants of feveral families, whom chance, neighbourhood, or business brought together, uniting into fociety, the need of a U 3 general, general, whose conduct might defend them against their enemies in war, and the great confidence the innocence and fincerity of that poor but virtuous age, (fuch as are almost all thofe which begin governments, that ever come to last in the world) gave men one of another, made the first beginners of commonwealths generally put the rule into one man's hand, without any other express limitation or restraint, but what the nature of the thing, and the end of government required: which ever of those it was that at first put the rule into the hands of a fingle perfon, certain it is no body was intrufted with it but for the public good and fafety, and to thofe ends, in the infancies of common-wealths, thofe who had it commonly used it. And unless they had done fo, young focieties could not have fubfifted; without fuch nurfing fathers tender and careful of the public weal, all governments would have funk under the weakness and infirmities of their infancy, and the prince and the people had foon perished together. §. 111. But though the golden age (before vain ambition, and amor fceleratus habendi, evil concupifcence, had corrupted men's minds into a mistake of true power and honour) had more virtue, and confequently better governors, as well as lefs vicious fubjects; and there was then no ftretching prerogative on the one fide, to opprefs the people; nor confequently on the other, any dispute about privilege, privilege, to leffen or reftrain the power of the magiftrate, and so no contest betwixt rulers and people about governors or government : yet, when ambition and luxury in future ages * would retain and increase the power, without doing the business for which it was given; and aided by flattery, taught princes to have diftinct and feparate interefts from their people, men found it neceffary to examine more carefully the original and rights of government; and to find out ways to refrain the exorbitances, and prevent the abuses of that power, which they having intrufted in another's hands only for their own good, they found was made use of to hurt them. §. 112. Thus we may fee how probable it is, that people that were naturally free, and by their own confent either fubmitted to the government of their father, or united together out of different families to make a government, should generally put the rule into one man's bands, and chufe to be under the conU 4 duct * At first, when fome certain kind of regiment was once approved, it may be nothing was, then farther thought upon for the manner of governing, but all permitted unto their wisdom and difcretion which were to rule, till by experience they found this for all parts very inconvenient, fo as the thing which they had devised for a remedy, did indeed but increase the fore which it fhould have cured. They faw, that to live by one man's will, became the cause of all men's mifery. This conftrained them to come unto laws wherein all men might fee their duty before hand, and know the penalties of tranfgreffing them. Hooker's Eccl. Pol. 1. i, fect. 10. duct of a fingle perfon, without fo much as by exprefs conditions limiting or regulating his power, which they thought safe enough in his honefty and prudence; though they never dreamed of monarchy being Jure Divino, which we never heard of among mankind, till it was revealed to us by the divinity of this last age; nor ever allowed paternal power to have a right to dominion, or to be the foundation of all government. And thus much may fuffice to fhew, that as far as we have any light from hiftory, we have reason to conclude, that all peaceful beginnings of government have been laid in the confent of the people. I fay peaceful, because I fhall have occafion in another place to speak of conqueft, which fome esteem a way of beginning of governments. 1 The other objection I find urged against the beginning of polities, in the way I have mentioned, is this, viz. §. 113. That all men being born under government, fome or other, it is impoffible any of them should ever be free, and at liberty to unite together, and begin a new one, or ever be able to erect a lawful government. If this argument be good; I ask, how came fo many lawful monarchies into the world? for if any body, upon this fuppofition, can fhew me any one man in any age of the world free to begin a lawful monarchy, I will be bound to fhew him ten other free men |