How can one be expected or said to be the minister of God for good, or a terror to evil doers, and a praise to them that do well, if he is so disposed and inclined, as to love that which is evil, and hate that which is good, and so actually is a praise to evil doers, and a terror to such as do well?  To suppose any such thing, is to overthrow the universally established connection between cause and effect, the means and the end.  And so much (namely, that the powers there spoken of are moral powers), Seceders are forced to grant in their explication of Rom. xiii.  Say they, “The text speaks only of powers in a moral sense.”  And this concession at once destroys their scheme, and confirms what the Presbytery plead for, namely, that none are lawful powers but such as are so according to the preceptive will of God in his word; which certainly, in the judgment of all who would deal reverently with the oracles of God, is, in this case, a rule far preferable “to the remainders of natural light, in the moral dictates of right reason,” from which Seceders fetch the institution of this divine ordinance of magistracy, and on which they settle it, as on (what they call) “the natural and eternal law of God;” preferring that to the plain, perfect and complete, revelation of God’s will in his word.

The last text used by them, is, 1 Pet. ii, 13 to 17, the import of which, they say, is, that all who have a constitution by consent of the civil society, are to be subjected to for the Lord’s sake, as having an institution from him:  and that, however seldom they were inclined or employed in the discharge of the duties proper to their office.  It may suffice to observe, that while the apostle is here speaking, as in the above texts, of moral powers, as above described, it is evident, that by every ordinance of man, can only be meant the different kinds and forms of civil government, and governors set up by men, to each of which the apostle exhorts to a submission, providing, that in the setting up of these, they acted agreeably to the general laws and rules appointed by God in his word, both respecting the constitution of government, and the qualifications of governors.  Then, as they bear the stamp of divine authority, they were to be submitted to for the Lord’s sake.  But what manifest abuse of scripture is it, to allege with them that the inspired apostle exhorts to submit to every monster of iniquity, if only set up by the civil society, though perhaps guilty of a number of crimes that by the law of God, and laws of men founded thereon, are punishable by a severe death?  Sure, such can never have a title to that obedience which is due to the ordinance of God, who have not so much as a title to live upon the earth.  Moreover, let it be considered, that in the above cited texts, the spirit of God enjoins either that obedience and subjection that is due to lawful magistrates, or that subjection only which is