"the people refuſed to obey the voice of Samuel, and they ſaid nay but we will have a King over us, that we may be like all the nations, and that our King may judge us, and go out before us and fight our battles." Samuel continued to reaſon with them, but to no purpoſe; he ſet before them their ingratitude, but all would not avail, and ſeeing them fully bent on their folly, he cried out, "I will call unto the Lord, and he ſhall ſend thunder and rain (which then was a puniſhment, being in the time of wheat harveſt) that ye may perceive and ſee that your wickedneſs is great which you have done in the ſight of the Lord, in asking you a King. So Samuel called unto the Lord, and the Lord ſent thunder and rain that day, and all the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel. And all the people ſaid unto Samuel, pray for thy ſervants unto the Lord thy God, that we die not; for we have added unto our sins this evil, to ask a King." Theſe portions of ſcripture are direct and poſitive. They admit of no equivocal conſtruction. That the Almighty hath here entered his proteſt againſt Monarchical government is true, or the ſcripture is falſe. And a man hath good reaſon to believe, that there is as much King-craft as Prieſt-craft in with-holding the ſcripture from the public in Popiſh countries; for Monarchy in every inſtance is the Popery of Government.
To the evil of Monarchy we have added that of Hereditary Succeſſion; and as the firſt is a degradation and leſſening of ourſelves, ſo the ſecond, claimed as a matter of right, is an inſult and impoſition on poſterity. For all men being originally equals, no one by birth could have a right to ſet up his own family in perpetual preference to all others for ever; and though himſelf might deſerve ſome decent degree of honors of his cotemporaries, yet his deſcendents might be far too unworthy to inherit them. One of the ſtrongeſt natural proofs of the folly of hereditary right in Kings is, that nature diſapproves it, otherwiſe ſhe would not ſo frequently turn it into ridicule, by giving mankind an Aſs for a Lion.
Secondly, as no man at firſt could poſſeſs any other public honors than were beſtowed upon him, ſo the givers of thoſe honors could have no power to give away the right of poſterity; and though they might ſay "we chooſe you for our head," they could not, without manifeſt injuſtice to their children, ſay that "your children and your children's children ſhall reign over ours for ever;" becauſe ſuch an unwiſe, unjuſt, unnatural compact might (perhaps) in the next ſucceſſion, put them under the government of a rogue or a fool. Moſt wiſe men, in their private ſentiments, have ever treated hereditary right with contempt; yet it was one of thoſe evils, which when once eſtabliſhed is not eaſily removed; many ſubmit from fear, others from ſuperſtition, and the more powerful part ſhares with the King the plunder of the reſt.
This is ſuppoſing the preſent race of Kings in the world to have had an honorable origin; whereas it is more than probable, that could we take off the
