16 AUTHENTIC HISTORY OF LANCASTER COUNTY. 



No. 3. 



The frame of the government of the inovince of Peusilvania, in America: 

 together loith certain laws agreed upon in England, hy the Goverrior and 

 divers freemen of the aforesaid inovince. To he further explained and 

 confirmed there, hy the first 2^1'ovincial Council, that shall he held, if they 

 see meet. 



THE PREFACE. 



When the great and wise God had made the world, of all his creatures, 

 it pleased him to chuse man his Deputy to rule it : and to fit him for so 

 great a charge and trust, he did not only qualify him with skill and 

 power, but with integrity to use them justly. This native goodness was 

 equally his honour and his happiness ; and whilst he stood here, all went 

 well ; there was no need of coercive or compulsive means ; the precept 

 of divine love and truth, in his bosom, was the guide and keeper of his 

 innocency. But lust prevailing against duty, made a lamentable breach 

 upon it ; and the law, that before had no power over him, took place 

 upon him, and his disobedient posterity, that such as would not live 

 conformable to the holy law Avithin, should fiill under the reproof and 

 correction of the just law without, in a judicial administration. 



This the Apostle teaches in divers of his epistles: "The law (says he) 

 was added because of transgression :" In another place, " Knowing that 

 the law was not made for the riofhteous man; but for the disobedient and 

 ungodly, for sinners, for unholy and prophane, for murderers, for whore- 

 mongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, and for man- 

 stealers, for lyers, for perjured persons," &c., but this is not all, he opens 

 and carries the matter of government a little further: "Let every soul 

 be subject to the higher powers; for there is no power but of God. The 

 powers that be are ordained of God: whosoever therefore resisteth the 

 power, resisteth the ordinance of God. For rulers are not a terror to 

 good works, but to evil: wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do 

 that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same." " He is the 

 minister of God to thee for good." " Wherefore ye must needs be sub- 

 ject, not only for wrath, but for conscience sake." 



This settles the divine right of government beyond exception, and that 

 for two ends: first, to terrify evil doers: secondly, to cherish those that 

 do well; which gives government a life beyond corruption, and makes 

 it as durable in the world, as good men should be. So that government 

 seems to me a part of religion itself, a thing sacred in its institution and 



