Every evil is a work of the flesh, but every evil comes not under the magiftrate's cognizance. Is not hypocrify a work of the flesh, which our adverfaries confefs the magiftrates ought not to punish? Yea, are not hatred and envy there mentioned as works of the flesh? And yet the magiftrate cannot punish them, as they are in themselves, until they exert themselves in other acts which come under his power. But fo long as herefy doth not exert itfelf in any act deftructive to human fociety, or fuch like things, but is kept within the fphere of those duties of doctrine or worship which ftand betwixt a man and God, they no ways come within the magiftrate's power.

§. IV. But Secondly; This forcing of mens confciences is contrary to found reafon, and the very law of nature. For man's understanding cannot be forced by all the bodily fufferings another man can inflict upon him, especially in matters fpiritual and fupernatural: 'Tis argument, and evident demonftration of reason, together with the power of God reaching the heart, that can change a man's mind from one opinion to another, and not knocks and blows, and fuch like things, which may well deftroy the body, but never can inform the foul, which is a free agent, and muft either accept or reject matters of opinion as they are borne in upon it by fomething proportioned to its own nature. To feek to force minds in any other manner, is to deal with men as if they were brutes, void of understanding; and at laft is but to lose one's labour, and as the proverb is, To feek to wash the black-moor white. By that courfe indeed men may be made kypocrites, but can never be made Chriftians; and furely the products of fuch compulfion (even where the end is obtained, to wit, an outward affent or conformity, whether in doctrine or worship) can be no ways acceptable to God, who defireth not any facrifice, except that which cometh throughly from the heart, and will have

no

no conftrained ones: fo that men, by conftraining force, are fo far from being members of the church, that they are made ten times more the fervants of Satan than before; in that to their error is added hypocrify, the worst of evils in matters of religion, and that which above all things the Lord's foul most abhors.

Object. But if it be faid, Their error notwithstanding is thereby fuppreffed, and the fcandal removed;

Anfw. I anfwer; Befides that this is a method no ways allowed by Chrift, as is above proved, furely the church can be no ways bettered by the acceffion of hypocrites, but greatly corrupted and endangered; for open berefies men may be aware of, and fhun fuch as profefs them, when they are feparated from the church by her cenfures: but fecret hypocrites may putrify the body, and leaven it, ere men be aware. And if the diffenters prove refolute, and fuffer boldly for the opinions they efteem right, experience fheweth that fuch fufferings often tend to the commendation of the fufferers, but never of the perfecutors. For fuch fuffering ordinarily breeds compaffion, and begets a curiofity in others to enquire the more diligently into the things for which they fee men fuffer fuch great loffes fo boldly; and is alfo able to beget an opinion, that it is for fome good they do fo fuffer: it being no ways probable that men will venture all merely to acquire fame, which may as well be urged to detract from the reputation of all the martyrs, unless fome better arguments be brought against it than a balter or a faggot. But fuppofing this principle, That the magiftrate hath power to force the confciences of his fubjects, and to punish them if they will not comply, very great inconveniences and abfurdities will follow, and even fuch as are inconfiftent with the nature of the Chriftian religion.

For First, It will naturally follow that the magistrate ought to do it, and finneth by omiffion of his

duty,

duty, if he do it not. Will it not then hence be inferred that Chrift was defective to his church, who having power to force men, and to call for legions of angels fo to do, did notwithstanding not exert that power, but left his church to the mercy of the wicked, without fo neceffary a bulwark?

Secondly, Seeing every magiftrate is to exercise his power according to the best understanding he hath, being obliged fo to do, for the promoting of what he in confcience is perfuaded to be truth, will not this juftify all the beatben Emperors in their perfecutions against Christians? Will not this juftify the Spanish inquifition, which yet is odious not only to Proteftants, but to many moderate Papifts? How can Proteftants in reafon condemn the Papifts for perfecuting them, feeing they do but exercise a lawful power according to their confcience and beft understanding, and do no more to them than the sufferers profefs they would do to them, if they were in the like capacity? Which takes away all ground of commiferation from the fufferers: whereas that was the ground which of old gained reputation to the Chriftians, that they being innocent, fuffered, who neither had, nor by principle could, hurt any. But there is little reafon to pity one that is but dealt by according as he would deal with others. For to fay, They have no reason to perfecute us, because they are in the wrong, and we in the right, is but miferably to beg the queftion. Doth not this doctrine ftrengthen the hands of perfecutors every where, and that rationally, from a principle of felf-prefervation: For who can blame me for deftroying him that I know waits but for an occafion to destroy me, if he could? Yea, this makes all fuffering for religion, which of old was the glory of Chriftians, to be but of pure neceffity; whereby they are not led as lambs to the flaughter, as was the captain of

Kk

their

their falvation; but rather as wolves catched in the fnare, who only bite not again because they are not able; but could they get force, would be as ready to lead thofe the fame way that led them. Where is the faith and patience of the faints? For indeed it is but a small glory to make a virtue of neceffity, and fuffer because I cannot help it. Every thief and murderer would be a martyr at that rate: experience hath abundantly proved this in these last centuries; for however each party talk of paffively obeying the magistrate in fuch cafes, and that the power refides in him, yet it is apparent, that from this principle it naturally follows, that any party, fuppofing themselves right, fhould, fo foon as they are able, endeavour at any rate to get uppermoft, that they might bring under thofe of another opinion, and force the magiftrate to uphold their way, to the ruin of all others. What engine the pope of Rome used to make of his pretended power in this thing, upon any pretence of diflike to any prince or ftate, even for very fmall herefies in their own account, to depofe princes, and fet up their fubjects against them, and give their dominions to other princes to ferve his intereft, they cannot be ignorant who have read the life of Hildebrand; and how Proteftants have vindicated the liberty of their confciences after this fame manner is apparent. They fuffered much in France, to the great increase and advantage of their party; but as foon as they found themselves confiderable, and had gotten fome princes upon their fide, they began to let the king know, that they must either have the liberty of their confciences, or elle they would purchase it; not by fuffering, but by fighting. And the experience of other Proteftant ftates fhews, that if Henry the 4th, to please the Papifts, had not quitted his religion, to get the crown the more peaceably, and fo the Proteftants had prevailed with the fword, they

would

would as well have taught the Papifts with the faggot, and led them to the ftake: fo that this principle of perfecution on all hands is the ground of all thofe miferies and contentions. For fo long as any party is perfuaded that it is both lawful for them, and their duty, if in power, to deftroy thofe that differ from them, it naturally follows they ought to use all means poffible to get that power, whereby they may fecure themfelves in the ruin of their adverfaries. And that Papifts judge it not unlawful to compel the magistrate, if they be ftrong enough to do it, to effect this, experience fhews it to be a known popish principle, That the Pope may depofe an heretick prince, and abfolve the people from the oath of fidelity: And the Pope, as is above-faid, hath done fo to. divers princes; and this doctrine is defended by Bellarmine against Barclay. The French refused Henry the Fourth till he quitted his religion. And as for Proteftants, many of them fcruple not to affirm, That wicked kings and magiftrates may be depofed, and killed: yea, our Scotch Prefbyterians are as pofitive in it as any Jefuits, who would not admit king Charles the Second, tho' otherwise a Proteftant prince, unless he would fwear to renounce epifcopacy; a matter of no great difference, though contrary to his confcience. Now how little proportion these things bear with the primitive Chriftians, and the religion propagated by Chrift and his apoftles, needs no great demonftration; and it is obfervable, that notwithstanding many other fuperftitions crept into the church very early, yet this of perfecution was fo inconfiftent with the nature of the gofpel, and liberty of confcience, as we have afferted it, fuch an innate and natural part of the Chriftian religion, that almost all the Chriftian writers, for the first three hundred years, earnestly contended for it, condemning the contrary opinion.