abstract: The king's person in concreto, and his office in abstracto, or which is all one, the king using his power lawfully to be distinguished (Rom. xiii).—To command unjustly maketh not a higher power.—The person may be resisted and yet the office cannot be resisted, proved by fourteen arguments.—Contrary objections of royalists and of the P. Prelate answered.—What we mean by the person and office in abstracto in this dispute; we do not exclude the person in concreto altogether, but only the person as abusing his power; we may kill a person as a man, and love him as a son, father, wife, according to Scripture.—We obey the king for the law, and not the law for the king.—The losing of habitual and actual royalty different.— John xix.10, Pilate's power of crucifying Christ no law-power given to him of God, is proved against royalists, by six arguments.

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by Rev. Samuel Rutherford

Whether, in the case of defensive war, the distinction of the person of the king, as a man, who can commit acts of hostile tyranny against his subjects, and of the office and royal power that he hath from God and the people, as a king, can have place.

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