Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- Texts used and a concordance for the ‘Politica’
- List of abbreviations
- PART I Historiographical And Biographical Preliminaries
- PART II An Exposition Of Lawson's Politica
- 3 God and human society
- 4 Community and political power
- 5 The Keys
- 6 The limits of subjection
- PART III An Examination Of The Politica
- PART IV The Fate Of The Politica From The Settlement To The Glorious Revolution
- PART V Conclusions
- Index
- Cambridge Studies in Early Modern British History
4 - Community and political power
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 04 November 2009
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- Texts used and a concordance for the ‘Politica’
- List of abbreviations
- PART I Historiographical And Biographical Preliminaries
- PART II An Exposition Of Lawson's Politica
- 3 God and human society
- 4 Community and political power
- 5 The Keys
- 6 The limits of subjection
- PART III An Examination Of The Politica
- PART IV The Fate Of The Politica From The Settlement To The Glorious Revolution
- PART V Conclusions
- Index
- Cambridge Studies in Early Modern British History
Summary
Lawson's discussion of the concept of community per se is couched in the terminology of secular society and politics; thus the received vocabulary of politics constitutes an area of metaphorical expansion for Lawson's ecclesiology. The community itself is provisionally styled a ‘common or public society of Men’ (Pol. 13). Above all, it is a society immediately capable of political form (ibid.). This identification is authenticated by reference to Aristotle, Cicero, Augustine and Forsterus (Johann Forster? 1495-1556) for Hebrew etymology. This social matter awaiting only the political form presupposes language, religion and a diversity of established custom and social sub-groupings. The ecclesiological analogue is identified in similar terms. It is an association of Christian believers ready to receive the form of organised office and discipline which defines a particular visible church (Pol. 35, 44). Moreover, it is no mere family or congregation (Pol. 32–5), but, like its secular analogue, ‘an association joined as one’, capable of unity of concerted action (Pol. 16). Thus, analogically, it is one made of many members, ‘as in an organical body’ (cf. Exam. 21); and (the analogy is tightened to a metaphor) it is ‘one person morally conceived’ (Pol. 16; Exam. 30). Ecclesiologically it is ‘morally one Person spiritual: and as such, may act and do many things … they receive a Power and Ability to act as one Person for the special good of themselves’ (Pol. 34).
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- George Lawson's 'Politica' and the English Revolution , pp. 49 - 61Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 1990