350

HISTORY OF ENGLAND.

chap, hostile operations against the Dutch fleet, and to displace all-■ fgg'^ the Popish officers who held commands under him. *

The part taken in the proceedings by Sancroft, and bysome other persons who had, up to that day, been strictlyfaithful to the principle of passive obedience, deserves espe-cial notice. To usurp the command of the military and navalforces of the state, to remove the officers whom the King hadset over his castles and his ships, and to prohibit his Admiralfrom giving battle to his enemies, was surely nothing lessthan rebellion. Yet several honest and able Tories of theschool of Filmer persuaded themselves that they could do allthese things without incurring the guilt of resisting theirSovereign. The distinction which they took was, at least,ingenious. Government, they said, is the ordinance of God.Hereditary monarchical government is eminently the ordi-nance of God. While the King commands what is lawful wemust obey him actively. When he commands what is un-lawful we must obey him passively. In no extremity are wejustified in withstanding him by force. But, if he choosesto resign his office, his rights over us are at an end. Whilehe governs us, though he may govern us ill, we are bound tosubmit: but, if he refuses to govern us at all, we are notbound to remain for ever without a government. Anarchyis not the ordinance of God; nor will he impute it to us as asin that, when a prince, whom, in spite of extreme provo-cations, we have never ceased to honour and obey, hasdeparted we know not whither, leaving no vicegerent, wetake the only course which can prevent the entire dissolutionof society. Had our Sovereign remained among us, we wereready, little as he.deserved our love, to die at his feet. Hadhe, when he quitted us, appointed a regency to govern uswith vicarious authority during his absence, to that regencyalone should we have looked for direction. But he hasdisappeared, having made no provision for the preservationof order or the administration of justice. With him, andwith his Great Seal, has vanished the whole machinery by

* Clarke’s Life of James, ii. 259.; Mulgrave’s Account of the Revolu-tion; Legge Papers in the mackintosh Collection.