Lex Rex

What gives a ruler authority, and what happens when that authority is turned against the people it should protect?First published in 1644 amid the conflicts over monarchy, religion and government in Britain, Samuel Rutherford’s Lex Rex: The Law and the Prince develops a sustained defence of government under law. Across forty-four questions, this Scottish Presbyterian theologian challenges the claim that kings possess an absolute power beyond the restraint of law.His case draws on Scripture, classical writers, legal authorities and the competing arguments of his contemporaries. He considers the origins of government, the people’s role in establishing rulers, the obligations of coronation oaths and covenants, and the responsibilities of judges and the representative estates of the realm. Political power, he argues, is entrusted for the community’s good and remains subject to divine and natural law.Rutherford also confronts the difficult question of resistance. He distinguishes a ruler’s lawful office from its tyrannical exercise, and defensive action to preserve life and lawful order from private revenge. His reasoning belongs to the religious and political struggles of his own century, offering readers a detailed encounter with an influential Christian argument about authority, obligation and the limits of royal power.This 2026 modern English edition retains the work’s arguments, citations and historical character while recasting its language into clearer sentences and paragraphs. English translations accompany retained foreign-language phrases. The edition includes the historical biography and preface.