Lex, Rex

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Lex, Rex is a book by Samuel Rutherford published in 1644 on limited government and constitutionalism. The Latin title can be translated Law [is] King or Law [and the] King and, like the book's contents, opposes to the doctrine of "Rex Lex" where the king himself is the law. Rutherford's refutation of "Rex Lex" was based on Deuteronomy 17, and it supported the rule by law rather than rule by men based on such concepts as the separation of powers and the covenant, a precursor to the social contract. It laid the foundation for later political philosophers such as Thomas Hobbes and John Locke and thus for modern political systems such as that of the United States. After the English Restoration, the authorities burned Lex, Rex and cited the author for high treason, which his death prevented from taking effect.