When a court should issue an order contrary to the Constitution and the rights that inhere me, it is my solemn duty is to disobey that order. Why? Because I fear God more than the edicts of man. For me there is an absolute sense of right and wrong that guides my path.
The First Question - Whether subjects are obligated to obey rulers who issue commands contrary to the law of God. Vindiciae Contra Tyrannos
Mornay concludes his work with a strong plea for resistance to tyranny:
religion commands us to maintain the Law of God and to defend the church; justice commands us to use force against the tyrant who subverts the rights of a commonwealth; charity commands us to relieve the oppressed and to lend a helping hand. To deny these duties, then, is to will the extinction and removal of religion, justice, and charity from our midst.21
Vindiciae, therefore, does not argue for anarchy. It recommends resistance to tyranny based upon the authority of lower officers of the state. As such, it should be considered an argument for a conservative revolution.
President John Adams and his political theory have acquired new relevance as American evangelicals ponder afresh the relationship between Christian faith and the responsibilities of citizenship. For his own generation he brought to light the riches of reformational political theory. As Christians encounter increasing church / state conflict and the demands for loyalty from the modern secular state this reformational heritage needs another look. It is no longer tolerable for Christians today to cite Romans 13 as the sum total of biblical political theory--Romans 13 must be balanced by the teaching of Revelation 13. When the state usurps all authority--even that belonging to God--an altogether different response is needed. A Footnote to the Political Theory of John Adams Vindiciae contra ...