: John Locke
: The John Locke Collection
: Charles River Editors
: 9781531257590
: 1
: CHF 1.10
:
: Philosophie, Religion
: English
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John Locke was a leading English philosopher during the Age of Enlightenment.Locke's contributions to liberal theory are reflected in the United States Declaration of Independence.This collection includes the following:



The First Treatise of Government

The Second Treatise of Government

An Essay Concerning Human Understanding

A Letter Concerning Toleration

The Reasonableness of Christianity

Some Thoughts Concerning Education

The Fundamental Constitutions of Carolina

Some Considerations of the Consequences of the Lowering of Interest

Further Considerations Concerning Raising the Value of Money

Short Observations on a Printed Paper

CHAPTER III. OF ADAM’ S TITLE TO SOVEREIGNTY BY CREATION


§. 15. SIR ROBERT, in his preface to his Observations on Aristotle’s Politics, tells us, “A natural freedom of mankind cannot be supposed without the denial of the creation of Adam:” but how Adam’s being created, which was nothing but his receiving a being immediately from omnipotence and the hand of God, gave Adam a sovereignty over any thing, I cannot see, nor consequently understand, how a supposition of natural freedom is a denial of Adam’s creation, and would be glad any body else (since our author did not vouchsafe us the favour) would make it out for him: for I find no difficulty to suppose the freedom of mankind, though I have always believed the creation of Adam. He was created, or began to exist, by God’s immediate power, without the intervention of parents or the pre-existence of any of the same species to beget him, when it pleased God he should; and so did the lion, the king of beasts, before him, by the same creating power of God: and if bare existence by that power, and in that way, will give dominion, without any more ado, our author, by this argument, will make the lion have as good a title to it, as he, and certainly the ancienter. No! for Adam had his title by the appointment of God, says our author in another place. Then bare creation gave him not dominion, and one might have supposed mankind free without the denying the creation of Adam, since it was God’s appointment made him monarch.

§. 16. But let us see, how he puts his creation and this appointment together. “By the appointment of God,” says Sir Robert, “as soon as Adam was created, he was monarch of the world, though he had no subjects; for though there could not be actual government till there were subjects, yet by the right of nature it was due to Adam to be governor of his posterity: though not in act, yet at least in habit, Adam was a king from his creation.” I wish he had told us here, what he meant by God’s appointment: for whatsoever Providence orders, or the law of nature directs, or positive revelation declares, may be said to be by God’s appointment: but I suppose it cannot be meant here in the first sense, i. e. by Providence; because that would be to say no more, but that as soon as Adam was created he was de facto monarch, because by right of nature it was due to Adam, to be governor o