But of this more anon It is true which is his third Reason of our miseries Each party objects persecution to another as the cause of all their miseries But one party only truly For as there is but one true Religion so there can be no persecution properly but of that the rest is a just prosecution of errors and heresies that destroy not only the Faith but the Souls of many And his distinction I desire may be remembred Arbitrary Government was one of the alledged grounds of the late war c. p. 5. as of use hereafter But that this was the cause or principle ground of the late wars between King and Parliament is is utterly false The ground of their differences as they held them forth was the encroachment upon their civil Liberties and priviledges of Parliament but I leave this to them whom it concerns as for what is made the judgments of others concerning our miseries by Papists Presbyterians Royalists Independents it is not worth the while to debate It s like every party will remove the objection from it self and charge it upon others let them agree it 3. He is now drawing towards his main business what ever the sin be that hath drawn the foresaid Judgments upon these Nations it is certain with allmost all Prudent and Unbyassed men that this State especially as matters now stand in such a variety of Religions shall never be firmly setled under any form of Government unless it be built upon such a solid Foundation as may assert and secure the peoples liberties both Religious and Civil leave but out these words especially as matters now stand in such a variety of Religion which have a secret design as we shall hear presently the thing will be granted by all prudent men that no State can be firmly setled unless it be built upon such a solid foundation as may assert and secure the peoples liberties both civil and Religious But I pray what is that foundation In his Title page he speaks of two solid foundations for the settlement of England and makes them there and here to be the peoples civil and Religious Liberties when as these themselves do need a foundation to secure and settle them upon which he cunningly conceals and is unwilling to discover for thus he asserts again page 4. The two pillars whereupon this State must be setled are the Spiritual and civil liberties of the people that is in the Parliaments language as Men as Christians But upon what foundation shall these two pillars stand The peoples Liberties civil or Religious are but the walls or roof of this building and as he said before must be built upon some other solid foundation which what it is I desire to know He seems to resolveit into just Lawes to free the people from Slavery in their Persons and Oppression in their Goods And indeed that may go for one of the foundations to settle a State upon viz Righteousnes to assert and secure their Civil and Religious Liberties but there is another and a stronger foundation and that is the True Religion established and practised of which more hereafter For the first pillar or foundation that of civil liberties of the people he says he shall speak but a little and I less it is not our main business in hand Three things only he delivers concerning the civil Liberties 1 That they were much more violated since the Kings death then before in his time viz. 1. In their Representatives when the Major part of the Parliament members were violently thrust out of the House and divers of them Imprisoned and much more when they were dissolved without any Lawful Authority by force and power of the sword which the peoples servants turned against themselves 2. By the change of Government and Election of a new supreme Magistrate without the suffrages of the people c. 3. When freeborn persons were imprisoned by Arbitrary power and inhumanly used in Prison Trepanning men into Plots and then cruelly executed c. Lastly in their Goods by exorbitant and continual Taxes c. Then 2. like a good Physitian or Statesman he prescribes the Remedies to these our Maladies I shall but name them 1. That some course be taken to make the power of the sword subordinate to the civil power that the Souldiers be not suffered any more to domineere over their Masters as the Romane Praetorian bands did and the Turks Janisaries do 2. That no person be imprisoned nor his goods touched without breach of a known Law 3. That at length the people may be freed from their long and exorbitant Taxes by reducing the Army to as small and competent a number as can be c. 4. All possible means used to quicken Trade c. 3. He seems to prophesie once more to the little comfort of the people When all is done let them make the best Settlement they can the people are not like to be in so good a case as they were in the Kings time c. The Government setled cannot be maintained without a continued Army and Navy nor those without continual Taxes Excise and other insupportable burthens c. which with him I leave to the consideration of the Present powers He now comes to the other maine Basis or Pillar that must uphold the great Fabrick of this State to make it stand firme and sure the Spiritual or Religious Liberties of the people which consists in this that no person professing Faith in Christ be molested or oppressed in his conscience for his judgment in matters of Religion or in things relating to the worship of God 1. That true Religion maintained in its power and purity is a maine Bâ—sis or Power of a State I have often heard but the peoples Religious Liberties are but the product and fruit of that Religion or of civil Righteousnes in a well setled State 2. If by Religious Liberty he meane as he does Toleration of all Religions in all that pretend to conscience that every man may not only think and be on what Religion he please but practise accordingly it is to be feared it will in stead of a solid foundation prove a quicksand or quagmire and quickly sink or draw after it the peoples civil Liberties which is his other pillar For is there not a conscience to be made in civil Liberties And must not a man follow his conscience in civil things as well as in Religious Suppose a man be an Anabaptist that out of conscience denies all Magistracy or a Leveller or Familist that hold all things ought to be common goods and wives and all may he be suffered to follow his Conscience in these things Or may he be restrained or punished if he take another mans goods or abuse his wife c. If so is not this to exercise a coercive power over Conscience If not will it not destroy as some Principles of Religion so all Humane Society Let him but make the peoples civil Liberties
money be free and common to all there will be no disturbance in the State so in matters of Religion let men have liberty to be of any Religion or none true or false let them blaspheme the Name of God and Jesus Christ worship them with what worship they please though forbidden and the Church and States need not trouble themselves or sear any troubles It is the Magistrate or the Church that by denying People this liberty and laying restraint upon their consciences that are guilty of all unsetling disturbances c. 2. The Toleration of the Hollander I never yet heard a truly religious man to commend or approve till now if now it is I fear more out of policy than piety But I believe if the Hollander had not a better Guard by Sea and Land to secure and defend his State than the cement or untempered Mortar of Toleration he had long ere this been reduced either to his old Master or to utter destruction However malè parta male dilabentur when the time comes We see the fruit of Toleration in England since it hath been granted the variety of Religions as it hath served in one sense to strengthen a prevailing party by the politick Maxim Divide Impera So it hath made no small disturbances in the Church and State and had they not an Army to quiet them had long ere this laid them in the dust and the Nation in ashes And what will be the issue God only knows 2. His next Reason or Argument is borrowed from one Mr. Collier an Anabaptist at least if not Jesuited and consists of many no less than sour Arguments which all have respect to the Magistrate As by Coercive power in matters of Religion becoming guilty of high Treason against Jesus Christ in usurping upon his prerogative But the man hath quite mistaken the question as no doubt this Author knows but would take no notice of it This he undertakes to prove That it is unlawful for the Magistrate to pretend any right of Coercive power over mens consciences and an heinous sin in him to exercise it The thing is true in it self but not to the question The Magistrate hath no more Coercive power over mens consciences than the Church hath over mens bodies Christ only is Lord over the conscience Magistrates cannot impose any Laws of their own over the consciences of men nor force any to believe or practise contrary to the Laws of Christ or contrary to their consciences or punish them for not so believing c. But the question is whether a Magistrate Christian at least professing the true Religion may not use his power to command professed Christians to the observance of the Laws of Christ and the outward prescribed worship of God and punish them for not conforming thereunto whether also he may not restrain men from publishing and practsing of Errors and Heresies and false worship contrary to the true Religion to the perverting and destroying of mens souls And if his Arguments prove not the Negative of these they prove nothing But let us hear them 1. The Magistrate hath received no such power from Christ in the New Testament in matters relating to Faith and Worship Ergo Christ hath reserved the power over conscience to himself as Lord of it The whole of this may be granted and is granted above in a right sence without any prejudice to the question between us Christ only is Lord over the Conscience to prescribe Laws of Faith and Worship 2. The second is the same with the first in fense The Magistrate cannot impose Rules of Faith and Worship upon people c. But may he not impose the Laws of God and Christ upon his people And ought he not therein to be obeyed And Punish those that refuse them or walk contrary to them And if he command contrary to those Rules of Christ though he must not be therein obeyed must he not Passively be submitted to And what if Christ have not in the New Testament committed such power to the Magistrate as will be proved he hath is it not sufficient that he hath committed it to him in the old Testament And that not only the Kings of Judah but Heathen Kings have executed such a Power See Dan. 3.29 and 6.26 So that it is a Moral duty of a Magistrate known by the light of Nature as Gods Vicegerent to publish the Laws of God to command obedience to them and to punish Trangressors and is not this a Coercive power committed to the Magistrate 3. He thus argues If the Magistrates have such a power then all or some If all then Heathen Magistrates have it but that 's absurde If Christian only they may be of divers Religions and command contrary to Christs Rules one one Religion another another c. This is the sum of his Dilemmatical discourse But the Answer is easie this power we speak of belongs to all Magistrates as Magistrates even Heathens as afore though all are not in a capacity or have ability to perform it As in the fifth Commandment all parents are bound to instruct and command their children to know and fear God and correct their disobedience but Heathen parents cannot rightly do it The power of the Magistrate who is pater patriae is the very same in a greater latitude and belongs to the same Commandment though all cannot perform it but that 's their fault Obj. They may be of different Religions or beliefs and think themselves in the right and so every one that hath power will persecute another Protestants Papists and contra At their perill be it if they believe falsly and persecute the true Religion But ought they to do so May they that are of a false Religion persecute those that profess the true Religion Did he not say above this was the most heinous sin And may not they that profess and have the true Religion prosecute those that are heretical to bring them to a true belief and practise This case is parallel A Magistrate may punish offenders against righteousness in civil affairs Ergo He or another may persecute others for righteousness but sayes he Allow this that divers Religions may persecute one another and what confusion will this bring into a State into the World Sol. 1. Is there no difference between prosecution of evil doers and persecution of the innocent every Thief and every Heretick if punished or restrained cry out of persecution But how unjustly 2. Hath not Christ foretold it and by his Providence so orders it that there shall be persecution of the good for his sake and for righteousness sake yea and command his people to suffer it not with opposition or a desire to ruine and subvert that State that offers it but without impatience with greatest joy and gladness How unlike to Jesus are our Jesuites 4. His fourth Argument is this Christ hath committed his authority in matters of Religion relating to worship to his Church and commands to tell
the Church c. Ergo Not to the Magistrate But 1. Why did he leave out in matters of Faith that might have given us cause to suspect the Jesuite who allowes to his Pope power in matters of Faith in his Trent Creed but in worship the Church he would have us believe have some latitude of power which she hath not except in meer circumstances not to appoint the worship it self 2. For I ask Hath Christ committed his Authority to the Church to coin new Articles of Faith and new forms of Worship If not the Church and Magistrate are herein equal in their power between whom this Argument would insinuate a difference The Church hath no Authority Coercive upon mens consciences in matters relating to Faith and Worship more then the Magestrate hath but both are in their own way to publish and look to the execution of Christs rules in both The only difference is that the power of the Church is Spiritual that of the Magistrate Corporal And they may not meddle with each other Powers the Magistrate may no more exercise the spiritual power of the Church than the Church may exercise power over mens bodies or estates 3. This Disputer if he understand what he sayes would insinuate that Christ hath committed Authority over mens consciences to the Church which the Apostle earnestly disclaims 2 Cor. 1.24 And yet the Church hath some kind of Coercive power over her Members as appears in her censure of Excommunication which our Author sayes is a worse punishment than all the Magistrate can inflict upon the body as giving men over to the World and to Satan Now look back a little and sum up all It is a general rule laid down by all sides Conscience may not must not be forced in matters of Religion by any Coercive power Then neither by the Church nor Magistrate neither spiritually nor corporally The Church may no more force conscience than the Magistrate yet the Church exercising and executing Examination upon an Heretick or scandalous person exercises a Coersive power and as they will say over their consciences for they verily believe themselves in the right Religion Therefore either the exercise of Coercive power by the Church is also unlawful and so he hath destroyed the power of the Church in matters of Religion as well as of the Magistrate or else it is no force over mens consciences but over the errors of their consciences And laftly If it be lawful for the Church to restrain and chaftise an Heretick by her spiritual censures without any force to her conscience Why may it not be lawful for the Magistrate to restrain such a soul destroying Heretick by bodily punishments and yet without force upon his conscience Why may not the Magistrate deliver such a man to the Jaylor as the Church delivers him to the Devil Especially the end of both being as much as in them lies to save his soul Whence I conclude against him this Power of the Magistrate is no Vsurpation of the Dominion of Christ or the Power of the Church much lefs Treason against Christ Thus weakly hath M. Collier argued hitherto we shall hear of him again are long 3. His third Reason is borrowed from as wise an Author The Vindicatour of Sir Henry Vane Nothing can be more against the spiritual good of People than to make them hypocrites in Religion professing to believe what they do not Learned Soul Hath not the State and Church of England commanded all their People to frequent our Congregations under a penalty every Lords Day Hath not this man accordingly frequented them And hath he been all this while an hypocrite professing to believe what he doth not But if force in Religion make men hypocrites why did God commend Abraham to circumcise all the males of his family Why did the Godly Magistrates command all their Subjects under the Old Testament to serve the Lord according to the worship prescribed Did God or men intend to make them hypocrites Which they must have done if Coercive power did make them so Alas most men are hypocrites already though they be not forced to worship God therefore Coercive power does not make but find and discovers hypocrites Must not God be obeyed though men be hypocrites But real Christians who only can truly be forced against conscience do not turn hypocrites but refuse obedience and chuse to suffer which discovers their faith and patience and bring much glory to God There must be persecution as well as Heresies that they which are approved may be known It is therefore by accident that such force makes men appear hypocrites by commanding them to obey the Laws of God the Law of God irritates corruption but causes it not Rom. 7.13 23. If then God or men from God command men to worship God according to his will they find many hypocrites but do not make them such They sin if they serve him not and if hypocritically they sin also and its hard to say which is worst But this is some of the new light of this age that Children must not be taught their Commandments Creed or Lords Prayer or to read the Scriptures because they are yet hypocrites or none must receive the Lords Supper that knows not himself regenerate lest it make him an hypocrite Enough of this 4. His fourth Reason is taken out of the Levellers Catechism A Levelling Principle indeed to deny the Magistrates power in matters of Religion first and then in civil affairs If all were levelled and but content to be so what need what use of a Magistrate But hear their worthy Reason It 's against the nature of faith and worship to be forced Christ hath ordained the preaching of the Gospel to be the outward means of converting souls and spiritual Ordinances for punishment of erroneous and heretical persons c. This hath been spoken to in answering Mr. Colliers first and second reasons and in the last before But I add further it contradicts it self twice 1. In saying that the preaching of the word is the outward means of Conversion and yet denies any force to bring professed Christians to the attending on that means 2. That they allow spiritual punishment which is a greater force for reducing erroneous and heretical persons and yet denies not only the Magistrate to use any the least force to the bodies or estates of men but any force at all over mens consciences If no force may be used then not the spiritual as was said afore Lastly he takes for granted what we utterly deny that we allow the Church a power to punish mis-believers or mis-livers in bodies or purses Some have done so but I hope they have had time to repent it for so dishonouring the Church 5. The next is from a better Author but to as little purpose From the parable of the Tares among the Wheat both must be let alone till the Harvest the Wheat are the elect the Tares are Hereticks c. It might be