nstitution, and those governors, that are
not advanced to the place of supreme rule, in a Christian land, by the
people, regulating themselves by the divine law, cannot be said to be
the powers ordained of God. It is not merely the conveying the imperial
dignity by men unto any particular person, that constitutes the power to
be of God; but because, and in so far as this is done by virtue of a
warrant from God and in agreeableness to his law that the action has the
authority of God upon it.

Hence, if in this matter there is a substantial difference from, or
contrariety to the divine rule, then there is nothing but a
contradiction to God's ordinance: this must needs be granted, unless it
is maintained that God has wholly left the determination of this
ordinance to men, absolutely and unlimitedly, giving them an unbounded
liberty to act therein, according to their own pleasure, which is most
absurd. From the whole, it follows, that more is requisite than the
inclinations of any people, to constitute a lawful magistrate, such as
can be acknowledged God's ordinance. That power which in its institution
and constitution is of God, by his law, can alone challenge subjection,
not only for wrath, but for conscience sake.

2. The Presbytery testify against this scheme of principles, as being
anti-scriptural, and what, in its tendency, is destructive to the
authority of the sacred oracles. _Seceders_ maintain, that the people,
without regard to scriptural qualifications, have an essential right to
choose whom they please to the exercise of civil government, and that
whomsoever they choose are lawful magistrates; and thus make the great
ordinance of magistracy dependent on the uncertain and corrupt will of
man. But that this annarchical system is not of divine authority, but
owes its origin to their own invention, appears from the following texts
of holy writ, besides others, _Exod._ xviii. 21: "Moreover, thou shalt
provide out of all the people, able men, such as fear God, men of truth,
hating covetousness; and place such over them to be rulers." This
counsel of Jethro, was God's counsel and command to Moses, in the choice
of magistrates, supreme and subordinate; and discovers, that people are
not left to their own will in this matter. It is God's direction, that
the person advanced to rule, must be _a man in whom is the spirit;
Numb._ xxvii, 18; which _Deut._ xxxiv, 9, interprets to be _the spirit
of wisdom_, (i.e.) the spirit