“When rulers abandon justice, obedience is no virtue.” Pastor Matthew Trewhella resurrects a doctrine nearly forgotten for four centuries: the duty of lower authorities to defy higher ones when they issue unjust commands. Drawing on Scripture, history, and the Magdeburg Confession, The Doctrine of the Lesser Magistrates equips Americans to lawfully resist tyranny and restore justice without anarchy. It is both a repudiation of unlimited obedience and a blueprint for principled freedom.