Limited Government and Rule of Law

Government power must be constrained by established, known laws, and the legislative and executive powers are limited to serving the public good, with no authority to act arbitrarily or despotically.

Locke warns that Filmer's doctrine of absolute, arbitrary power flatters ambition and tempts rulers to exceed their limits, implying the need for limited government and the rule of law.

By denying that Genesis 3:16 grants political power, Locke implicitly supports the idea that governmental authority is limited and not derived from patriarchal or divine right.

By showing that two independent powers cannot coexist without strife, Locke implicitly argues for a unified, limited government structure rather than absolute, inherited rule.

By showing that Filmer's theory would legitimize any usurper who seizes supreme power, Locke implicitly argues for a government bound by law and consent, not mere force.