power to judge in her these things are nor incompatible When she accuseth you cannot implead her for her bill is good in law When shee witnesseth you cannot disprove her for she was present at the fact when she judgeth you cannot appeal from her for there is no higher power on earth Therefore let us take the Conscience of man eyther in his estate corrupted or regenerated we see all humain Power is below and consequently can have no power to constrain her As the sight cannot be forced to discern that cloth black which is white nor the tast to judge honey bitter which is sweet no more can the Conscience be any way compelled to allow that which she condemneth or condemn that which she alloweth There bee two engines commonly made use of to bâ—tter the Consciences of men Sophistication and Persecution first to ensnare men with deceitfull shewes and arguments then if that will not serve to fright and terrifie men with violence and torments these two are exquisitely planted and practised in the kingdome of Antichrist by that old Engineere of all mischiefe the Divell Where the Iesuits and other Emissaries docompasse Sea and Land and are sent abroad like Frogs and Locusts to seduce and captivate poore Proselites making them seaven times more the children of the Devill And the Inquisition that Court of darkenesse and antichamber of Hell is set up as a chief piller of Popedome to torture mens bodies and rack their Consciences and drive men to death and desperation Yet all this can goe no farther then to force and afflict and kill the body but the Conscience still triumpheth shee is free though the hands bee bound and the feet be fettered this was well known by that constant Martir who stood out the brunt of both Disputare non possum mori possum Dispute I cannot but I can Dye and so refute both your Arguments and your torments Death is the uttermost that the power and malice of Man can doe and no man but hee may if he will as well dye with a free Conscience as live in it But some man may say have not many for feare of death or disgrace renownced the Truth against their Conscience Many have indeed but in doing thereof they have rather defiled their Conscience then forced it for still it is their own voluntary act judging by a false erronious light that it is better for them to forsake Christ then to lose their estates honours or their lives and that it is their own act appeareth by the punishment which the justice of God will lay upon them for their own sin and not for the sin of others who went about to constrain them 2. Neverthelesse the Conscience sitteth like a Queene iâ— the soule of man commanding over all and uncontrouled by any humane power Yet shee vaileth and submitteth to the higher Powers of God and his word by which she standeth bound to give full obedience under the fearfull penalties of Rebellion and sin The reason is because the word of God is infallible but the word of man very deceitfull any thing propounded without the word of God unlesse it bee demonstrative in it selfe is subject to Errour though it bee never so well meant But when the Conscience findeth in the word a bottome to fix and to stand upon shee judgeth it needlesse any longer to halt or hold off to doubt or dispute but shutteth her eyes and believeth The Conscience of her selfe hath in every man a naturall light though it bee but dim and clouded this was never quite extinguished by the fall By which divers Peoples and Nations who never heard of Jesus Christ nor had any glimpse of the light of his word have bin ble to discerne not onely the truth of naturall things but also groped after supernaturall acknowledging a GOD by his workes thoâ—gh not knowing how to worship him by his Word and by the improvement of this light they have attained to many excellent morall Precepts for the planting of vertue in the hearts of men and to admirable Lawes and Constitutions for the government of them in Societies and Statutes Whereof many of them in both kinds have been ratifyed and approved by the light of the Word revealed Which plainely declareth unto us that the naturall light of Conscience is a beame and remainder of that divine light which was at first infused into our Natures afterwards obscured by disobedience and againe restored by Regeneration in the soules of all true believers All light wee know transmitteth and disputeth it selfe Ad modum recipientis to the capacity of the receiver It leaveth stone Wals in darknesse but shadeth it self thorow glasse-windowes Now transparent bodies are like illuminated soules where Iesus Christ the light of the World entereth there is light indeed there the Consciences of men are so already enlightened that they can judge of all things and are judged of nothing forasmuch as they swerve not from the touchstone of judgement the word of GOD Now if any shall say that the word of GOD is called a Law of liberty rather freeing then binding us up I answer that it is truly so called because it freeth us from the bondage of Sinne the servitude of Lust and captivity of Satan But by the same reason that it releaseth us from sinne it bindeth us to obedience and to the service of GOD which is perfect freedome There is a friendly way in the conversation of men to bind those who keepe a loose governance of themselves from hurtfull things some from Wine some from fruit some from unwholsome foode to which they have an irregular appetite Such is the singular love of GOD towards us to tye up by the Law of his Word our unruly and inordinate Appetites from the pursuit of sinfull and unlawfull things which would prove our poyson and perdition in which regard we have great cause to rejoyce in these bonds which are not irons of imprisonment but bonds of perfection retaining and with holding us from relapsing into sin and leading of us into the glorious liberty of the Sonnes of God in these bones there is no constraint for God himselfe who made us by his word and can dissolve us at his pleasure will not use his power to constraine us he delighteth not in a forced worship but onely obligeth us to a willing obedience by setting of us free 3. The conscience therefore unconstrained in it self yet tyed up by the word standeth bound to obey these lawes and decrees of the Magistrate which are made by the light and the rule thereof for the voice of the Magistrate speaking according to Gods word is like the voice of God among men where God hath spoken clearly and expresly to the spirit and conscience of man there need no other lawes but his owne and so he hath done in all matters that concerne the substance of his owne worship or our salvation but in such things which he hath not punctually determined onely left them
wrapped up in generall precepts it behoveth us to learne from his deputies upon earth asking councell of the Lord what his mind and pleasure is and such for the most part are the outward rites formes and circumstances of his Evangelicall worship these things fall within the compasse of order and decency which are rather civill notions then devine yet as Armies in the field easily fall into a rout not well arrayed so assemblies in the Church and Churches in the Common-wealth prove but rude and tumultuous meetings if they be not decently ordered a lute or violl is seen plaid upon but there is much adoe to tune many instruments into one consort private Christians may dispose of themselves in their owne houses but when they meet in a publike body they must be tuned by the publike Magistrate the world would never have stood without societies nor can societies hold without government neither can there be any government where some rule not and some obey all the question is to set due limits and bounds to the civill government wherein I conceive that there is the selfe the same measure betwixt the Magistrate and the conscience for as the word of God bindeth the conscience to obey so it prescribeth the Magistrate to governe otherwise if as the high Priest forbad the Apostles to teach in the name of Jesus so the Magistrate shall impose any thing upon the people contrary to divine law or the word revealed the case is plain that we ought to obey God rather then men These rubbs thus remooved in our way I shall proceed to the solving of such objections as are commonly made by those brethren that challenge a liberty and exemption from this lawfull obedience 1. First they build upon our owne ground alledging that since the nature of conscience is so free and voluntary in it self it must needs be a manifest violation of her freedome to constraine her by laws or penalties or impositions of men To which I answer that we must remember to put a difference betwixt the constraint and the restraint of mens consciences no law nor power of man can constraine the conscience in her voluntary act to goe against her owne light or approve that which she condemneth or say to her self conscience I lye no she may and ought rather to suffer then undergoe such a constraint but the lawes of man may so farre restrain their liberty that she produce not the act of her private sence and freedome into hurtfull effects such as may endanger and disturbe our christian and publike peace it hath bin alwaies observed that it is as naturall and appetitions for error to beget error opinion to spread opinion as for one kind to generate and multiply the same insomuch when an erronious conscience will not be limited nor contained within it self it may and ought to be restrained and inhibited from infecting others and dispersing the contagion 2. Secondly it may be againe objected that although it be granted nothing can bind the conscience but the pure word of God yet forasmuch as no word of Scrirture is produced expresly confirming this from of polity and Presbyterian government which we are commanded to obey it will plainly follow that the consciences of men are therein left unto their liberty To give a full answer hereunto it would be necessary to take the frame of this government in pieces as the Levites did the Tabernacle when they removed their Tents and then bring it piece by piece to the light of Gods word to see what is thereby confirmed and what unfirmed But because this is already done by divers worthy brethren of the holy calling I shall forbeare to insert their volumes into these few sheets and shall onely say that this kind of government is either expresly or by good consequence included and allowed by the Scripture as not repugnant to it in any thing Of the Presbytery it selfe where the government is inherent I heare no question made but that it is expresly mentioned in the Scripture the main doubt and difference is whither it be Independent in particular Congregations subordinate to Synods and Assemblies as the urgencies and occasions of the Church may require Those Brethren that maintain Independency of single Congregations stand upon a ground feeble and unfirm saying that in the Apostles time there were no other Churches but onely congregationall in which alone all government was confined This assertion will hold no further true then in such Churches as were gathered whiles Christ was upon earth then indeed we may conceive that the first Evangelicall Church consisted in the congregation of the Apostles and afterwards of the Disciples but when Christ ascended into heaven and the holy Ghost descended upon earth we shall find that when the multitude of believers increased so much in severall Cities as one Congregation could not contain them their manner was to distribute themselves into severall meetings accordinp to the commodity of their habitations in the said Cities or else as it might most stand with their safety Now th' Apostles themselves and their coadjutors th' Evangelists and other Founders of Churches under them did usually constitute and ordain Elders in every City but not in every Congregation who had power in common and colleâ—gially to teach and govern the whole flock though severally congregated in the same City Thus we read of the Elders of Hierusalem of Antiochia of Ephesus of Corinth of Philippi and many mo where the numbers of the faithfull were inlarged Whereby it appeareth that in the Apostles times and the times succeeding those primitive Churches were City Churches consisting of divers Congregations and not congregationall as is pretended Independent within themselves True it is the City church was commonly independent within it selfe but thereof the reason was because the Cities in their civill policy were free and unsubjected otherwise the government of the City Church reached as farre as the jurisdiction of the City If all this be true as it is made most evident by the unpartiall searchers of Antiquity we may herein observe a pattern though not a precept for the subordination of Churches for if in the Apostles time a City church consisted of many congregations by the same proportion according to the increase of Beleevers a Provinciall Church may consist of many Cities and a Nationall Church of many Provinces and the Catholick Church of many Nations the lowest step was laid by the Apostles the highest step is a point of our belief and from the lowest to the highest there is no passage but by gradations which is the scale of that government now held forth by Parliament But to this may be replyed All this that you say is but conjecturall and that hath no power to bind the conscience which must have a word infallible to rest upon To this I answer That for the substance of this government wee have the infallible word of God whereof neither part doubteth for the frame and
Hereunto I answer that the Magistrate pretendeth not to take power upon himself as a man equall to his brethren but the power he hath is derived from the supream power which he holdeth by Commission from God His Office is the Ordinance of God and his power is ordained of God and so long as he ruleth for good aiming at the publick order and edification of the Church we read that of necessity he must be obeyed a double necessity both for fear of bodily punishment God having put into the Magistrates hand a sword of justice which he hath not done into the Ministers as also for conscience sake and fear of divine punishment for men that make no conscience of breaking the precepts of God shall certainly not go unpunished conscience therefore yielding sometimes in lawfull as well as in absolute necessary things this obedience to the Magistrate is not bound by the will of the Magistrate but by the word of God himself which expresly commandeth us to obey the Magistrate for conscience sake but we no where find that for conscience sake in such things we should disobey him If any reply that if all this collected and spoken to maintain the power of the magistrate is no more then was before alledged in the times of Episcopall Prelacy who by giving credit to the Magistrate and the Magistrate to their cause imposed and injoyned what they pleased in Gods worship and government of the Church I confesse indeed that they argued very strongly for upholding the authority of the Magistrate so farre that by exalting his will they diminished his power but leaving them in their excesse I answer that if their government had been as good as their argument or had they stuck as close to the word of God in framing their Cannons and injunctions as they did in asserting the lawfull power of the Magistrate no man could have justly been grieved in conscience but their government being bad in it self could not be bettered by the goodnesse of the argument But it may be rejoyned again that for all this the Scripture doth no where appoint or confirm this Presbyteriall government as it is held forth and established by the State and therefore just it is that men should be left in liberty of their consciences whether they would conform thereunto or no This hath in part been answered before That it is not the mind of the Magistrate to compell any man to conform thereunto against his conscience neither could he do it although he so intended and therefore in effect that is but a vain feigned and frivolous plea to pretend that liberty against the Magistrate which no Magistrate can constrain onely as the Apostle saith of faith about indifferent things hast thou faith have it to thy self before God So we may say in this case hast thou liberty have it to thy self betwixt God and thee till he shall give thee a further light and a liberty to obey as well as to disobey but if thou contentest not thy selfe with this sober and moderate liberty but whilst also leap over the hedge and withdraw others from their Christian obedience then thou runnest upon the sword of the Magistrate which God hath put into his hands for the common good by which he is bound to restrain thy inordinate and offensive liberty that it disturbe not the publike peace committed to his charge To this may be added that although this Presbyteriall government in every part and parcell thereof as it is now established be not expresly commanded in Scripture as likewise no other kind of government whatsoever yet much may be brought for the approbation of it and to shew that it is repugnant to Scripture First government by a Presbytery is expresly set down in Scripture Secondly for execution thereof some generall rules are also clearly expressed That all things should be done decently and in order without contention and for edification Thirdly to whom can we imagine the ordering and decencies and edification should belong but onely to the Magistrate assisted by the advice of Gods holy word and Ministers wherein wee find another expresse command that the Magistrate so judging for the good of all ought to be obeyed for conscience sake Bring we this cause to a paire of scales and there we shall see it decided put into one scale the judgement of the Magistrate into the other the judgement of private men put into either the profession of them both to make the word of God the rule of their judgement put in again that upon search therein they meet with two severall governments neither of them directly commanded nor directly forbidden nor yet unconsonant to the Word Hitherto the beam goes even betwixt them Search again what is to be put in more and we shall find an expresse word of God commanding every private soule to obey the higher powers judging and governing for good and that for conscience sake put this into the Magistrates scale and it must needs preponderate till we can find any other word that biddeth the higher power be subject to the lower And indeed were there no word of Scripture to confirme this truth the very light of reason might convince us for if we allow that reason should rule our affections we must also allow the Magistrate to rule the people and when any difference ariseth between them in such things wherein they pretend to judge by one and the selfe-same rule reason requireth that the determination of the Magistrate should stand and that the people should no longer be wise in their own conceit but be wise with sobriety suffering their judgements to be over-ruled by their Rulers whose office is to watch over them for good in the order of such things Whiles things are debating every one may have liberty to speake their conscience but when things are determined the liberty of conscience must yeild to the duty of obedience otherwise that sweet harmony would be broken which God hath set in the world between parties commanding and parties obeying wherein alone consisteth the outward happinesse of all societies In the mean time I am glad to observe that they disclaim not civill obedience to the civill power of the Magistrate hoping that in time they will for the same reason cease to contend against this government for that it is now indeed or intended to be made a civill sanction and a statute law And then denying subjection thereunto Liberty of conscience may aswell transport them to claim exemption from many other civill lawes If one of them were accused of murder and knew in his own conscience that he was innocent and had besideâ— twenty witnesses to clear him yet if one single witnesse shall make oath against him in behalfe of the King he shall be condemned by the law May he not stand upon termes of his liberty and his innocence and justly plead that it is against his conscience to obey this law and suffer sentence being innocent Suppose another had
lived many yeares separated from his wife in which time she had divers children by another man by the law he shall be injoyned to father them all may he not plead that it is against his conscience to take upon him the fathering of another mans children Many such examples might be brought wherein the consciences of men seem to have more just pretences to withdraw their obedience from such civill lawes then from this law of government so fully debated and â—o duly established Besides inasmuch as our brethren require a toleration of their own government they do tacitly acknowledge a power in the Magistrate to gratifie them or deny them and consequently they may also acknowledge that this power is either lawfull or unlawfull if it be lawfull they are with us bound to obey it if unlawfull they are bound to disprove it which when they go â—bout godly pens will not be wanting to endeavour to give them satisfaction 4. Moreover it is said by some that whatsoever is imposed by man in the worship of God not directly specified in his Word falleth under the condemnation of will-worship humane traditions or inventions of men This is too large an assertion to be ever well proved for it is true neither way Neither whatsoever is omitted in Scripture to be rejected as wil-worship nor whatsoever is recorded in Scripture to be retained of perpetuall necessity We read that the first administration of Baptism used to be performed in open rivers which with us would be thought rude and dangerous The Saints had a custome in the close of their holy meetings to salute one another with a holy kisse which in our Congregations might be thought carnall and lascivious they also were wont after the celebration of the blessed Eucharist to bring their provisions together and make love-feast which among us would be esteemed loose and luxurious When a Brother or Sister was sick the Elders of the Church were sent for to pray over them and anoint them with oile which in our visitations might be held superstitious or perhaps fitter for a Physitian then a Minister All these customes and many others passed with edification in the innocency and infancy of these first times which not consorting with ours are universally disused On the other side the times and places of diuine worship the seats and gestures of the worshippers the manner of publike Praying and Preaching of singing of Psalms of collecting Almes of assembling and dismissing the people the forme of administration and receiving the holy Sacraments and many other things concerning the outward publick communion of Saints are for the most part undeclared in Scripture yet in full use and practise among us without offence that therefore must be understood for a wil-worship and humane invention which is set up for some humane and carnall end repugnant to Gods word and to his glory 5. There be yet remaining two more objections arising from two contrary grounds one from pretence of weaknesse th' other from presumption of strength Those that lay forth the tendernesse of conscience forget not to produce those heavenly exhortations whereof the Scripture is full that we should not bruise the broken reede nor offend the least of the little ones nor cast stumbling blocks before our brethren nor use our liberty to the destroying of the weake but rather spread the covering of love over our brethrens infirmities to raise up one another in the spirit of meeknesse to beare with the weake and please one another for good edification yea rather to abstain from matters which we think lawfull then to compell others to things they judge unlawfull This they say was the doctrine and the pattern which Christ and his Apostles taught and practised among the faithfull which because I intend not to deny I shall onely examine how fitly they are applyed to the controversie in hand and whether they be of force to absolve weake brethren from their due obedience to Gods Magistrate We are therefore to understand that all those excellent rules set down by the Apostles for tendering of weak consciences receive a double limitation First they were limited to the state of those times with respect to the condition of private Christians and their carriage one towards another For in the Apostles age nor long after there was in the world neither Christian Kingdome Common-wealth nor Magistrate whereby these Rulers were neither given to them who were not then in being nor for ought we find intended so for them when God should raise them up in his Church The contrary rather appeareth for Christ himselfe comming to set up a spirituall Kingdome in his Church intended onely to pull down the kingdom of Satan but not the Kingdomes of the world those he left standing not refusing to pay for himself and his Apostle tribute to Caesar nor yet to answer before the Courts and Tribunalls of the Jewes After Christs example th' Apostles were very carefull to instruct the faithfull that they should walke with circumspexion without blame or reproach lest if they should transgresse the law or commit scandalls or fall into divisions among themselves they should make the name of God and that holy profession which they had undertaken to be blasphemed among the heathen ordaining them moreover to make prayers and supplications for all in authority and to give them obedience for conscience sake indeed the Gospell is called a law of liberty because through Christ it freeth us from the bondage of sinne the slavery of Satan and the feare of death not because it dischargeth us of our Christian duty and obedience to the Magistrate in which case it giveth no liberty nor exemption From whence we may conclude that if Christ and his Apostles subjected the beleevers of those times both by their precept and practise to unbeâ—ieving powers It was never their meaning to exempt the faithfull of our times from their due obedience to Chrsitian and believing Magistrates Secondly these Evangelicall rules for the ease of tender consciences respected especially indifferent things The Christians of those dayes consisted of two sorts the converted Jewes and converted Gentiles The Jewes trained up in the Ceremoniall Law which they knew was appointed by God made a conscience of meats and dayes and other rites and rudiments of the time as yet not convinced that they were abolished by the comming of Christ These were then the weake Christians On the other side the Gentiles were fully instructed in their liberty that they might use them or not use them as they pleased They were then the strong Christians The Apostle therefore to lay the foundation of charity aright and preserve these dissenting brethren in the unity of the Spirit and bond of Peace giveth these rules about indifferent things That the strong should not despise the weake nor the weake censure the strong because whether they eat or eat not they do it to the Lord and are of him accepted and being both accepted of the Lord they
ought not to be condemned by one another In this case therefore things by nature indifferent should make no difference betwixt brethren but so to be used or not used that now and then for charity sake the expediency of them should suspend their lawfulnesse This is the Apostles doctrine instructing private Christians about indifferent things Which though they reach not the Magistrate in his office yet they do in his profession having given up his name to Christ and living in a Christian society And hath our religious Magistrate transgressed these rules Let us see what he hath done for the reliefe of tender consciences many grievances were complained of in the Episcopall times which the Parliament hath removed They have taken away consecration of dayes and places the superstition of meats and drinks Images and Altars Crosses and Surplices the usurpation of spirituall Courts and temporall Bishops which were all abused with a danger to introduce Popery and Idolatry will not these things satisfie weake and tender consciences unlesse they take away Government also which is commanded and sanctified by the Word therefore we must know that government of the Church in publike Assemblies is no indifferent thing nor to be reckoned in their number God is not the Author of anarchy and confusion but of order comlinesse and peace and when the manner of government and Gods worship in the circumstances thereof are rightly ordered according to the light of nature and Christian prudence deducted from the generall rules set down in the Word and setled by just and lawfull authority It is no longer left to the liberty of any man subject to the same authority to conform or not conforme thereunto as though it were a thing indifferent much lesse to pretend that because their consciences cannot approve thereof it should be permitted to them to set up another government which seemeth to be a most unreasonable demand that whiles they deny obedience to the Magistrates lawes they should neverthelesse seek for liberty and power from them to overthrow their own orders and make them crosse shinns with their own authority The power of the Magistrate and liberty purchased by Christ do not destroy but support one another for they are both truths avowed in the Word and no truth can overthrow another And if any man say that a weak conscience though it be in an error yet till it be convinced should sin in obeying the truth it may be replyed à fortiorâ— that the Magistrate determining the truth cannot tolerate any error without sinning against his conscience and partaking of those errors he condemneth 6. But the other objection proceeding from a conceit of strength marcheth with more assurance for some imagine that forasmuch as they are justified by grace and freed from sin and heirs of the promise they are consequently in a state of peâ—ection able to fulfill the law of God and delivered from all lawes of men For lex non ponitur justo They have no need of repentance being secur'd from falling Nor much of faith being already in fruition they are a law unto themselves under no Magistrate above all penalty as if they were out of the flesh having shaken off frailty and mortality and climed up to the new Jerusalem where there is neither sin nor sorrow This being a sweet fancy to them that are possessed with all will hardâ—y suffer it selfe to be removed by force of argumentation Otherwise we might say That never any man was without sin but Christ alone who was like to man in all things sin excepted That the blessed Apostle felt a law in his members which made him doe that he would not and will that he did not He biddeth us work out our salvation with fear and trembling not with surquedry and presumption when we have done our best and seem to be most perfect we are but unprofitable servants Many such divine testimonies might be brought to convince this opinion but it refuteth it selfe being contrary to the rule of faith and condition of humanity We must not think that the grace of God worketh against his will his will is that we should be militant in this life wherefore we must not expect to be triumphant till the warre be done his will is that we should grow to our full stature by degrees and scale the ladder of heaven not be taken up in a whirlwind His will is that we should be tempted and buffeted and fall and rise that seeing our frailty and our misery we should seek for the renewing of his grace and every day beg our daily pardon more duly then our daily bread Forasmuch as by strength of nature we may abstain awhile from food but by corruption of nature we cannot abstain awhit from sin This error puffing up the hearts of unstable men hath heretofore brought forth furious and pernicious effects The story of John a Leyden and Knipperdolling and of their phrensies at Munster is not yet forgotten I pray God our times be not pregnant of some such monster What is the meaning that so many in our dayes separate from their brethren as if all others were prophane Why do they gather in heaps together like biles and ulcers drawing the corruption with them and yet say the body is unclean In such manner began they of Munster they took upon them a garb of simplicity they seemed grave and dejected fervent in long prayers full of revelations lamenting the fashions and prophanesse of the times contemning honours despising money and neglecting Matrimonie wishing and weeping for reformation by such hypocrisies they captivated weak and wandring soules who tooke them onely to be the little flock of heaven that lived among wolves and was persecuted on earth Till having made up their musters and assembled their troops they set up a standard calling the multitude into their snare under the promise and proclamation of liberty Now the blessed time was come that the meek should inherite the earth that the Kings and Potentates and Adonibezecks of this world who had done dispite and violence to the Saints should be broken with a rod of iron and dashed in pieces like a Potters vessell Thence they fell into revelations and found it written in the beams of the Sun that John a Leyden was appointed by Christ to be King over all the world and rule the Nations in righteousnesse and in power After this the King was inspired to set up sundry Queens and to take to himselfe many wives at once to increase and multiply the holy seed upon earth But this imaginary kingdome was of short durance for the neighbour Princes finding their designe joyned against them as against the enemies of mankind and after they had indured a long siege their King by revelation assured them that before Easter they should have deliverance But when none appeared he told them that he had been in a trance six dayes in which time he had ridden on a blind Asse and that God the Father had laid upon
his back the sinnes of them all whereby they were set free and delivered from them And this was the deliverance he promised wherewithall they ought to rest contented Thereupon the Town was taken the deluded people disabused the King impostor executed to death and hung up in chaines upon the highest steeple thus ended this tragedy and ever tragicall is the end of such follies The Apostle noteth that factions and divisions are signes of carnality first men separate from others as unclean then they speak evill of government the next step is to blind the people with revelations from thence they fall into snares of the flesh at last they stir up sedition and last of all their end is destruction Hitherto I have laboured to shew that the Magistrate by his office being an ordinance of God is bound to provide for the Publick peace and safety in Church and Common-wealth which is done first by enacting just lawes and wholsome orders consonant to wisdome and the word of God and secondly by using his power to preserve them in vigor and execution as also to shew that the people are bound in conscience to give willing obedience to such Lawes and orders of the Magistrate whose duty it is to restrain the disobedient and reduce them to their duty Neverthelesse forasmuch as the power wherewithall God hath invested the Magistrate is alwaies to be used for publike good and requisite it is that a due distinction be made in the punishment of offenders between such as erre out of mistake or ignorance and those that resist out of wilfulnesse and contempt I shall in all humblenesse propound some few expedients how farre the Magistrate may please to slacken his power and so temper the lawes and penalties thereof as they may serve both waies as lenitives for the simple and corrasives for the stubborn who will not otherwise be reformed 1. I conceive that as it is unreasonable to demand so it would be dangerous to grant any toleration of Religion besides that which is established for such a liberty of conscience would breed a freedome of will and freedome of will would beget liberty of life which would breed a fearfull Independency when every one might do what they list In matters of faith necessary to salvation there is but one way and one truth all the rest is obsiquity and error Therefore when the truth hath been tried by the Word and ratified by the Magistrate he cannot suffer any falshood without being accessary thereunto Yet in matters of discipline and government there is a greater latitude for when it shall appeare that weak brethren agreeing in the same confession of faith but dissenting in outward forms out of tendernesse or ignorance to such a toleration or connivence or suspention of laws may be harmlesse and charitable till they be further satisfied and instructed 2. That whosoever living under the subjection of this state should be so far destitute of grace as to renounce Christ or speak blasphemously of him or any person of the Trinity contrary to the faith established in the Church he shall upon conviction be informed of the truth with a brotherly admonition not to divulge his error to the corruption or scandall of others or disturbance of the civill peace For the second offence he shall indure a years imprisonment be disabled in his testimony put out of protection of the Laws and wear some publike mark noting him for a Blasphemer For the third offence he shall suffer banishment or close and perpetuall imprisonment and if banished it shal be capitall for him to return without licence of the State For if he by our lawes deserveth death that seduceth any subject from the allegeance of his naturall Prince what deserveth he that seeketh to alienate the soule of any Christian from the dependance of God unto the divell 3. If any one out of an evill heart shall break forth into open reviling scorning disgracefull words against the present Church-government now established he shall not be connived at as a man of tender conscience for as he giveth himselfe power and liberty to dis-joyn from it so it is also in his power not to speak evill of it but doing it by choice and deliberation he cannot fall within the compasse of weaknesse For he that maketh no conscience of giving offence and scandall to the Christian Magistrate and all his godly brethren living in peaceable obedience cannot imagine that his private fancies though covered with weaknesse should be more tendered then the publike conscience of the Common-wealth Such a one therefore ought to be punished as a contemner of the civill power First by reproof and exhortation not to disquiet the peace of the Land Secondly by a pecuniary mulct for some publike use with disability of his credit Thirdly if he still persist with close imprisonment till he give publike satisfaction of his repentance 4. Forasmuch as no man ought to undertake the office and function of the holy Church Ministry without he be well assured of his inward calling thereunto neither can such men conceive themselves awhit the worse or that it might be any prejudice to their spirituall gifts to have an outward approbation by laying on the hands of the Presbytery and praying for divine blessing upon their persons and giving them an orderly mission into Gods harvest Therefore whosoever shall take unto himselfe the holy calling presuming to preach the Word or administer the Sacraments not being admitted nor ordained thereunto by lawfull authority he ought to be punished as the former were that contemned the civill power or rather more severely especially if they be found in their publike preaching to sow sedition among the people provided that such persons Masters of families or others meeting in their own houses or in their neighbours to repeat what they heard or learned out of Sermons preached by authority and upon that or the like occasion worship God by praying or singing of Psalmes conferring or arguing upon any part of the Word preached as also such who being required by any friend or neighbour when the advice of Ministers cannot be had to open or expound some text of Scripture or deliver his judgement upon any case of conscience for satisfaction of the parties be not comprehended under this Article or any penalty thereof because we are commanded to exercise the gifts and talents God hath given us in a sober and orderly way for the edification of one another 5. Whereas out of all doubt many things are contained in holy Scripture which are not yet fully manifested nor clearly understood and we know the Spirit of God bloweth where he listeth and is not confined to time place nor person but inspireth whom he pleaseth If therefore any man shall pretend to have a new opinion or new light revealed unto him of the sence of any part of Scripture fitting it were he should bring his knowledge to some godly Minister approved of or to the next Classiâ— where he liveth