they are obliged to fubmit to tyrannical government, it must be their duty to oppofe it. There is no duty that a man owes to his neighbour, or himself, but does oblige him to oppose tyrannical government, in doing thereof he gives that honour. and performs the duty which he owes to his maker, which cannot more be shown than in imitating him, by promoting the good and happiness of his fellow creatures. The preaching or promoting of paffive obedience without reserve, is a much greater crime than the encouraging of rebellion; because a civil-war, tho' very sharp, cannot continue long, and a nation may flourish and be happy again. But if once arbitrary government be introduced upon the principles of paffive obedience, peoples miferies are endless; there is no profpect or hope of redress: Every age will add new oppreffions and new burthens to a people already exhaufted. If he, by God's command was to be curfed that removed his neighbours land-mark, what curfes may they deferve, that make it their bufinefs to preach or promote abfolute paffive obedience, which removes all the bounds, fences, and fecurities that all nations have, not only for their lands, but their Liberties and lives, and proftrates them at the feet of a single perfon. Our first reformers, and the generality of proteftant popish writers were utterly unacquainted with this doctrine, which can never relish well with free-born fubjects, nor has it any other use than to encourage kings to be tyrants, and to render them odious, and their people miferable. And what fad and fatal confequences always attend tyranny, and the dreadfnl effects of arbitrary power, all ages can atteft. Every man has a right to preferve himself, his Rights and privileges, against him who has no authority to invade them: And this was the cafe of Sampson, who made war upon the Philistines for burning his wife and her father; Sampfon, who was but a private person, knew he could have no other kind of juftice against them, than what the law of nature gives every man, (To be continued.) No. 35. THE PHILANTHROPIST. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 30, LONDON. Printed for and fold by DANIEL ISAAC EATON, Printer and Bookfeller to the Supreme Majefty of the People, at the Cock and SWINE, No. 74, Newgate ftreet. 1795. PRICE ONE PENNY. For the PHILANTHROPIST. ON PASSIVE OBEDIENCE. THE fame Reafon that obliges People to fubmit to Gover nors and Magiftrates, when they govern according to the Laws and Conftitution of the Country, and act for the good of Society, does as much oblige the People to oppofe them, if they defign their ruin or deftruction: It cannot be fuppofed that God, who has obliged mankind to preferve their lives, and confequently to use the means that are neceffary for that end, fhould require people to fuffer themselves to be deftroyed, or made flaves, to gratify the luft or barbarity of any single perfon, or a few who are by nature their equals, and only above them by being in an office which the people erected for their own convenience. That cause is juft which defends the laws; which protects the common good; which preferves the ftate: and that cause is unjuft which violates the laws; defends the breakers of the laws; laws; protects the fubverters of the conftitution. That is just which does destroy tyrannical government: That is unjust which would abolish just government. What can be more abfurd than to fay, that there is an absolute subjection due to a prince, to whom the laws of God, nature, and the country, have not given authority? As fuch men were as so many herds of cattle, or beafts of burden, made for the prince's use. By a clause in king Henry's Charter it is faid, if the king invades those rights (meaning the rights of the people) it is law`ful for the kingdom to rise against him, and to do him what injury they can, as though they owed him no allegiance. By an act of parliament of the 12th of Richard the second, it was enacted, that if the king, thro' a foolish obstinacy, and contempt of his people, or perverse froward will, or by any other irregular way, fhall alienate himself from his people, and will not be governed and regulated by the rights of the kingdom, and laudable ordinances made by the council of the lords, and great men of the realm, but fhall headily in his mad councils, exercise his own arbitrary will; from thenceforth it is lawfu for them, with the common affent and confent of the people of the realm, to abrogate or depose him from the Throne, and fet up in his stead, somebody of kin or near of kin to the king of the royal ftock: which gives a latitude for chufing any deferving person of the royal stock. The reign of a good king refembles that of heaven, over which there is but one God; for he is no lefs beloved of the virtuous, than feared of the bad: and if human frailty could admit a fucceffion of good kings, their government would be preferable to all others. The greatest and wifeft nations, and the best of men in al ages, have reckoned it not only lawful for the people under the moft abfolute governments, to do themfelves justice, in case of oppreffion, but have thought the doing of it a duty incumbent on them, and which they owed to themfelves and their pofterity and the chief inftrument of the great revolutions or changes changes that have happened in the world, from flavery to Liberty, have always been accounted as heroes, fent by God Almighty, from time to time, for the redemption of man from mifery in this world; they were accordingly honoured and respected whilft they lived, and their memories have been, and will be held in veneration by all posterity. If the subject may in no case refift, then there can be no law, but the will and pleasure of the prince: for whoever must be opposed in nothing, may do every thing: then all our laws fignify no more than fo many cyphers: and what are the law-makers, but fo many fools or mad-men, who give themselves trouble to no purpose ? for if the king is not obliged to govern by those laws that they make, to what purpose are the people to obey fuch laws? If the king fue me by pretence of law, and endeavour to take away my money, my house, or my land, I may defend them by the law: but if he comes armed to take away our liberty, life or religion which are ours by the laws of God and man, may we not secure them with a good confcience? I will end this narration with examples out of England (before and fince the conqueft) Archigallo, Emerian, Vortigern, Sigibert, king of the weft-Saxons: Beornred, and Alured king of Northumberland, were all deprived of their thrones for their evil government, and such who were thought more worthy preferred in their ftead. King Edwin being deprived for his unjust government, the crown was given to his brother Edgar who was one of the rareft princes that the world had in his time, both for peace and war, juftice, piety, and valour. He kept a navy (faith Stow) of three thousand and fix hundred fhips, diftributed in divers parts for the defence of the realm, and he built and restored forty seven monafteries at his own charge, &c. Your's &c. H.E. For the PHILANTHROPIST, LINES. SHALL tyrants plead their miffion from on high, And guard their mischiefs by their majesty; Why does not fovereign thunder blaft the crown, The |