that I think Men could run into false and foollsh Ways of Worship without the Instigation or Assistance of humane Authority but the Powers of the World as far as we have any History having been always forward enough True Religion as little serving Princes as private Mens Lusts to take up Wrong Religions and as forward to imploy their Authority to 〈◊〉 the Religlon good or bad which they had once taken up I can see no reason why the not using of Force by the Princes of the World should be assigned as the sole or so much as the most probable Cause of propagating the False Religions of the World or extirpating the True or how you can so positively say Idolatry prevail'd without any assistauce from the Powers in being Since therefore History leads us to the Magistrates as the Authors and Promoters of Idolatry in the World to which we may suppose their not supressing of Vice joined as another Cause of the spreading of False Religions you were best consider whether you can still suppose there can no other Cause be assigned of the prevailing of the worship of False Gods but the Magistrate's not interposing his Authority in matters of Religion For that that cannot with any probability at all be assigned as any Cause I shall give you this further Reason You impute the prevailing of False Religions to the Corruption and Pravity of Humane Nature left to it self unbridled by Authority Now if Force your way applied does not at all bridle the Corruption and Pravity of Humane Nature the Magistrate's not so interposing his Authority cannot be assigned as any Cause at all of that Apostacy So that let that Apostacy have what rise and spreas as far as you please it will not make one jot for Force your way applied or shew that that can receive any assistance your way from Authority For your use of Authority and Force being only to bring Mento an outward Conformity to the National Religion it leaves the Corruption and Prauity of Humane Nature as unbridled as before as I have shewn elsewhere You tell us That it is not true that the true Religion will preuail by its own Light and Strength without Miracles or the assistance of the Powers in being because of the Corruption of Humane Nature And for this you give us an instance in the Apostacy presently after the Flood And you tell us That without the 〈◊〉 of Force it would presently be extirpated out of the World 〈◊〉 the Corruption of Humane Nature be so universal and so strong that without the help of Force the true Religion is too weak to stand it and cannot at all prevail without Miracles or Force How come Men ever to be converted in Countries where the National Religion is False If you say by Extraordinary Providence what that amounts to has been shewn If you say this Corruption is so potent in all Men as to oppese and prevail against the Gospel not assisted by Force or Miracles that is not true If in most Men so it is still even where Force is used For I desire you to name me a Country where the greatest part are really and truly Christians such as you confidently believe Christ at the last Day will own to be so In England having as you do excluded all the Dissenters or else why would you have them punish'd to bring them to imbrace the true Religion you must I fear allow your self a great Latitude in thinkiing if you think that the Corruption of Humane Nature does not so far prevail even amongst Conformists as to make the Ignorance and Lives of great numbers amongst them such as sutes not at all with the Spirit of â—…ue Christianity How great their Ignorance may be in the more spiritual and elevated parts of the Christian Religion may be guessed by what the Reverend Bishop before cited says of it in reference to a Rite of the Church the most easy and obvious to be instructed in and understood His Words are In the common management of that Holy Right Consirmation it is but too uisible that of those Multitudes that croud to it the far greater part coâ—… meerly as if they were to receive the 〈◊〉 Blossing without any sense of the Vow made by them and of their renewing their Baptismal Engagements in it And if Origen were now alive might he not sind many in our Church to whom these Words of his might be apply'd Whose Faith signifiâ—…only 〈◊〉 much and goes no farther than this VIZ. that they come duly to the Church and how their Heads to the Priests c. For it seems it was then the Fashion to bow to the Priest as it is now to the Altar If therefore you say Force is necessary because without it no Men will so consider as to imbrace the true Religion for the Salvation of their Souls that I think is manifestly false If you say it is necessary to use such means as will make the greatest part so imbrace it you must use some other means than Force your way applied for that does not so far work on the Majority If you say it is necessary because possibly it may work on some which bare Preaching and Perswasion will not I answer If possibly your moderate Punishments may work on some and therefore they are necessary 't is as possible that greater Punishments may work on others and therefore they are necessary and so on to the utmost Severities That the Corruption of Humane Nature is every where spread and that it works powerfully in the Children of Disobedience who received not the Love of the Truth but had Pleasure in Unrighteousness and therefore God gives them up to believe a Lie no Body I think will deny But that this Corruption of Humane Nature works equally in all Men or in all Ages and so that God will or ever did give up all Men not restrained by Force your way modified and applied to believe a Lie as all False Religions are that I yet see no reason to grant Nor will this Instance of Noah's Religion you so much rely on ever perswade till you have proved that from those eight Men which brought the true Religion with them into the new World there were not eight thousand or eighty thousand which retain'd it in the World in the worst Times of the Apostacy And Secondly till you have proved that the False Religions of the World prevail'd without any aid from Force or the assistance of the Powers in being And Thirdly That the decay of the true Religion was for want of Force your moderate Force neither of which you have at all proved as I think it manifest One Consideration more touching Noah and his Religion give me leave to suggest and that is If Force were so necessary for the support of the true Religion as you make it 't is strange God who gave him Precepts about other things should never reveal this to him nor any Body else
to the true Religion it can be only to that Religion which he believes to be true So that if Force be at all to be used by the Magistrate in Matters of Religion it can only be for the promoting that Religion which he only believes to be true or none at all I grant that a strong Assurance of any Truth settled upon prevalent and well-grounded Arguments of Probability is often called Knowledg in popular ways of Talking but being here to distinguish between Knowledg and Belief to what Degrees of Considence soever raised their Boundaries must be kept and their Names not confounded I know not what greater Pledg a Man can give of a full Perswasion of the Truth of any thing than his venturing his Soul upon it as he does who sincerely imbraces any Religion and receives it for true But to what Degree soever of Assurance his Faith may rise it still comes short of Knowledg Nor can any one now I think arrive to greater Evidence of the Truth of the Christian Religion than the first Converts in the time of our Saviour and the Apostles had of whom yet nothing more was required but to believe But supposing all the Truths of the Christian Religion necessary to Salvation could be so known to the Magistrate that in his Use of Force for the bringing Men to imbrace these he could be guided by infallible Certainty yet I fear this would not serve your turn nor authorize the Magistrate to use Force to bring Men in England or any where else into the Communion of the National Church in which Ceremonies of humane Institution were imposed which could not be known nor being confessed things in their own Nature indifferent so much as thought necessary to Salvation But of this I shall have occasion to speak in another Place all the Use I make of it here is to shew that the Cross in Baptism kneeling at the Sacrament and such like things being impossible to be known necessary to Salvation a certain knowledg of the Truth of the Articles of Faith of any Church could not authorize the Magistrate to compel Men to imbraâ—… the Communion of that Church wherein any thing were made necessary to Communion which he did not know was necessary to Salvation By what has been already said I suppose it is evident that if the Magistrate be to use Force only for promoting the true Religion he can have no other Guide but his own Perswasion of what is the true Religion and must be led by that in his Use of Force or else not use it at all in matters of Religion If you take the latter of these Consequences you and I are agreed if the former you must allow all Magistrates of whatsoever Religion the Use of Force to bring Men to theirs and so be involved in all those ill Consequences which you cannot it seems admit and hoped to decline by your useless Distinction of Force to be usâ—…d not for any but for the true Religion 'T is the Dâ—…y you say of the Magistrate to use Force for proâ—…ing the true Religion And in several Places you tell us he is oâ—…liged to it Perswade Magistrates in general of this and then â—…ll me how any Magistrate shall be restrained from the Use of Force for the promoting what he thinks to be the true For he being perswaded that it is his Duty to use Force to promote the true Religion and being also perswaded his is the true Religion What shall stop his Hand Must he forbear the Use of Force till he be got beyond believing into a certain Knowledg that all he requires Men to imbrace is necessary to Salvation If that be it you will stand to you have my Consent and I think there will be no need of any other Toleration But if the believing his Religion to be the true be sufficient for the Magistrate to use Force for the promoting of it will it be so only to the Magistrates of the Religion that you proâ—…ss And must all other Magistrates sit still and not do their Duty till they have your Permission If it be your Magistrate's Duty to use Force for the promoting the Religion he believes to be the true it will be every Magistrate's Duty to use Force for the promoting what he believes to be the true and he sins if he does not receive and promote it as if it were true If you will not take this upon my Word yet I desire you to do it upon the strong Reason of a very judicious and reverend Prelate of the present Church of England In a discourse concerning Conscience printed in 4to 87. p. 18. You will find these following Words and much more to this Purpose Where a Man is mistaken in his Judgment even in that Case it is always a Sin to act against it Though we should take that for a Duty which is really a Sin yet so long as we are thus perswaded it will be highly criminal in us to act in contradiction to this Perswasion and the Reason of this is evident because by so doing we wilfully act against the best Light which at present we have for the Direction of our Actions So that when all is done the immediate Guide of our Actions can be nothing but our Conscience our Judgment and Perswasion If a Man for Instance should of a Jew become a Christian whilst yet in his Heart he believed that the Messiah is not yet come and that our Lord Jesus was an Impostor Or if a Papist should renounce the Communion of the Roman Church and join with ours whilst yet he is perswaded that the Roman Church is the only Catholick Church and that our Reformed Churches are Heretical or Schismatical though now there is none of us that will dâ—…ny that the Men in both these Cases have made a good Change as having changed a false Religion for â—…ruo one yet for all that I dare say we should all agree they were both of them great Villains for making that Change becauso they made it not upon honest Principles and in pursuance of their Judgment but in direct contradiction to both So that it being the Magistrate's Duty to use Force to bring Men to the â—…rue Religion and he being perswaded his is the true I suppose you will no longer question but that he is as much obliged to use Force to bring Men to it as if it were the true And then Sir I hope you have too much Respect for Magistrates not to allow them to believe the Religions to be true which they profess These things put together I desire you to consider whether if Magistrates are obliged to use Force to bring Men to the true Religion every Magistrate is not oblig'd to use Force to bring Men to that Religion he believes to be true This being so I hope I have not argued so wholly besides the purpose as you all through your Letter accuse me for charging on your Doctrine all the ill
judges to be true judges of Truth for others But you prove that a Man may be Judg of Truth without having Authority to judg of it for other Men or to prescribe to them what they shall believe which you might have spared till you meet with some body that denies it But yet your proof of it is worth remembring Rectum say you est Index sui obliqui And certainly whoever does but know the Truth may easily judg whether other Men be alienated from it or no. But tho Rectum be Index sui obliqui yet a Man may be ignorant of that which is the right and may take Error for Truth The Truth of Religion when known shews what contradicts it is false but yet that Truth may be unknown to the Magistrate as well as to any other Man But you conclude I know not upon what ground as if the Magistrate could not miss it or were surer to find it than other Men. I suppose you are thus favourable only to the Magistrate of your own Profession as no doubt in Civility a Papist or a Presbyterian would be to those of his And then infer And therefore if the Magistrate knows the Truth though he has no Authority to judg of Truth for other Men yet he may be Judg whether other Men be alienated from the Truth or no. Without doubt who denies it him 'T is a Privilege that he and all Men have that when they know the Truth or believe the Truth or have embraced an Error for Truth they may judg whether other Men are alienated from it or no if those other Men own their Opinions in that matter You go on with your Inference And so may have Authority to lay some Penalties upon those whom he sees to be so Now Sir you go a little too fast This he cannot do without making himself Judg of Truth for them The Magistrate or any one may judg as much as he pleases of Mens Opinions and Errors he in that judges only for himself but as soon as he uses Force to bring them from their own to his Opinion he makes himself Judg of Truth for them let it be to bring them to judg more sincerely for themselves as you here call it or under what pretence or colour soever for that what you say is but a Pretence the very Expression discovers For does any one ever judg insincerely for himself that he needs Penalties to make him judg more sincerely for himself A Man may judg wrong for himself and may be known or thought to do so But who can either know or suppose another is not sincere in the Judgment he makes for himself or which is the same thing that any one knowingly puts a mixture of Falshood into the Judgment he makes For as speaking insincerely is to speak otherwise than one thinks let what he says be true or false so judging insincerely must be to judg otherwise than one thinks which I imagine is not very feasible But how improper soever it be to talk of judging insincerely for one's self it was better for you in that Place to say Penalties were to bring Men to judg more sincerely rather than to say more rightly or more truly for had you said the Magistrate might use Penalties to bring Men to judg more truly that very Word had plainly discovered that he made himself a Judg of Truth for them You therefore wisely chose to say what might best cover this Contradiction to your self whether it were Sense or no which perhaps whilst it sounded well every one would not stand to examine One thing give me leave here to observe to you which is That when you speak of the Entertainment Subjects are to give to Truth i. e. the true Religion you call it believing but this in the Magistrate you call knowing Now let me ask you Whether any Magistrate who laid Penalties on any who dissented from what he judged the true Religion or as you call it here were alienated from the Truth was or could be determined in his judging of that Truth by any Assurance greater than believing When you have resolved that you will then see to what purpose is all you have said here concerning the Magistrate's knowing the Truth which at last amounting to no more than the Assurance wherewith a Man certainly believes and receives a thing for true will put every Magistrate under the same if there be any Obligation to use Force whilst he believes his own Religion Besides if a Magistrate knows his Râ—…ligion to be true he is to use means not to make his People believe but know it also Knowledg of them if that be the way of entertaining the Truths of Religion being as necessary to the Subjects as the Magistrate I never heard yet of a Master of Mathematicks who had the care of informing others in those Truths who ever went about to make any one believe one of Euclid's Propositions The Pleasantness of your Answer notwithstanding what you say doth remain still the same for you making as is to be seen the Power of the Magistrate ORDAINED for the bringing Men to take such care as they ought of their Salvation the reason why it is every Man's Interest to vest this Power in the Magistrate must suppose this Power so ordained before the People vested it or else it could not be an Argument for their vesting it in the Magistrate For if you had not here built upon your fundamental Supposition that this Power of the Maâ—…istrate is ordained by God to that end the proper and intelligible way of expressing your meaning had not been to say as you do As the Power of the Magistrate is ordained for bringing c. so if we suppose this POWER vested in the Magistrate by the People in which way of speaking this Power of the Magistrate is evidently supposed already ordained But a clear way of making your meaning understood had been to say That for the People to ordain such a Power of the Magistrate or to vest such a Power in the Magistrate which is the same thing was their true Interest but whether it were your Meaning or your Expression that was guilty of the Absurdity I shall leave it with the Reader As to the other pleasant thing of your Answer it will still appear by barely reciting it the pleasant thing I charge on you is that you say That the Power of the Magistrate is to bring Men to such a care of their Salvation that they may not blindly leave it to the choice of any Person or their own Lusts or Passions to prescribe to them what Faith or Worship they shall imbrace and yet that 't is their best course to vest a Power in the Magistrate liable to the same Lusts and Passions as themselves to chuse for them To this you answer by asking where it is that you say that it is the Peoples best course to vest a Power in the Magistrate to
Force And your Method of using this Force is to punish all the Dissenters from the National Religion and none of those who outwardly conform to it Make this practicable now in any Country in the World without allowing the Magistrate to be Judg what is the Truth that must save them and without supposing also that whoever do imbrace the outward Profession of the National Religion do in their Hearts imbrace i. e. believe and obey the Truth that must save them and then I think nothing in Government can be too hard for your undertaking You conclude this Paragraph in telling me You do not know of any thing I say against any part of this which is not already answered Pray tell me where 't is you have answered those Objections I made to those several Ends which you assigned in your Argument considered and for which you would have Force used and which I have here reprinted again because I do not find you so much as take notice of them and therefore the Reader must judg whether they needed any Answer or no. But to shew that you have not here where you promise and pretend to do it clearly and directly told us for what Force and Penalties are to be used I shall in the next Chapter examine what you mean by bringing Men to imbrace the True Religion CHAP. VII Of your bringing Men to the True Religion TRue Religion is on all hands acknowledged to be so much the Concern and Interest of all Mankind that nothing can be named which so much effectually bespeakâ—… the Approbation and Favour of the Publick The very intitling one's self to that sets a Man on the right side Who dares question such a Cause or oppose what is offered for the promoting the True Religion This Advantage you have secured to your self from unattentive Readers as much as by the often-repeated mention of the True Religion is possible there being scarce a Page wherein the True Religion does not appear as if you had nothing else in your Thoughts but the bringing Men to it for the Salvation of their Souls Whether it be so in earnest we will now see You tell us Whatever Hardships some false Religions may impose it will however always be easier to carnal and worldly minded Men to give even the first-born for their Transgressions than to mortify the Lusts from which they spring which no Religion but the True requires of them Upon this you ground the Neâ—…essity of Force to bring Men to the True Religion and charge it on the Magistrate as his Duty to use it to that End What now in appearance can express greater Care to bring Men to the True Religion But let us see what you say in p. 64. and we shall sind that in your Scheme nothing less is meant there you tell us The Magistrate inflicts the Penalties only upon them that break the Lawâ—… And that Law requiring nothing but Conformity to the National Religion noâ—… but Nonconformists are punished So that unless an outward Profession of the National Religion be by the Mortification of Mens Lusts harder than their giving their First-born for their Transgression all the Penalties you contend sor concern not â—…nor can be intended to bring Men effectually to the True Religion since they leave them before they come to the Difficulty which is to mortify their Lusts as the True Religion requires So that your bringing Men to the True Religion being to bring them to Conformity to the National for then you have done with Force how far that outward Consormity is from being heartily of the True Religion may be known by the distance there is between the easiest and the hardest thing in the World For there is nothing easier than to profess in Words nothing harder than to subdue the Heart and bring Thoughts and Deeds into Obedience of the Truth The latter is what is required to be of the True Religion the other all that is required by Penalties your way applied If you say Conformists to the National Religion are required by the Law Civil and Ecclesiastical to lead good Lives which is the difficult part of the True Religion I answer These are not the Laws we are here speaking of nor those which the Defenders of Toleration complain of but the Laws that put a distinction between outward Conformists and Nonconformists and those they say whatever may be talked of the True Religion can never be meant to bring Men really to the True Religion as long as the True Religion is and is confessed to be a thing of so much greater difficulty than outward Conformity Miracles say you supplied the want of Force in the beginning of Christianity and therefore so far as they supplied that Want they must be subservient to the same End The End then was to bring Men into the Christian Church into which they were admitted and received as Brethren when they acknowledged that Jesus was the Christ the Son of God Will that serve the turn No Force must be used to make Men imbrace Creeds and Ceremonies i. e. outwardly conform to the Doctrine and Worship of your Church Nothing more than that is required by your Penalties nothing less than that will excuse from Punishment that and nothing but that will serve the turn that therefore and only that is what you mean by the True Religion you would have Force used to bring Men to When I tell you You have a very ill Opinion of the Religion on of the Church of England and must own it can only be propagated and supported by Force if you do not think it would be a Gainer by a general Toleration all the World over You ask Why you may not have as good an Opinion of the Church of England's as you have of Noah's Religion notwithstanding you think it cannot now be propagated or supported without using some kinds or degrees of Force When you have proved that Noah's Religion that from eight Persons spread and continued in the World till the Apostles Times as I have proved in another place was propagated and supported all that while by your kinds or degrees of Force you may have some reason to think as well of the Religion of the Church of England as you have of Noah's Religion though you think it cannot be propagated and supported without some kinds or degrees of Force But till you can prove that you cannot upon that ground say you have reason to have so good an Opinion of it You tell me If I will take your Word for it you assure me you think there are many other Countries in the World besides England where my Toleration would be as little useful to Truth as in England If you will name those Countries which will be no great pains I will take your word for it that you believe Toleration there would be prejudicial to Truth but if you will not do that neither I nor any body else can believe you I
and with an honest Mind which you require in others to have spoke plainly what you aimed at rather than prepossess Mens Minds in favour of your Cause by the Impressions of a Name that in truth did not properly belong to it It was not therefore without ground that I said I suspected you built all on this lurking Supposition that the National Religion now in England back'd by the publick Authority of the Law is the only true Religion and therefore no other is to be tolerated which being a Supposition equally unavoidable and equally just in other Countries unless that we can imagine that every-where but in England Men believe what at the same time they think to be a Lie c. Here you erect your Plumes and to this your triumphant Logick gives you not Patience to answer without an Air of Victory in the entrance How Sir is this Supposition equally unavoidable and equally just in other Countries where false Religions are the National for that you must mean or nothing to the purpose Hold Sir you go too fast take your own System with you and you will perceive it will be enough to my purpose if I mean those Religions which you take to be false for if there be any other National Churches which agreeing with the Church of England in what is necessary to Salvation yet have established Ceremonies different from those of the Church of England should not any one who dissented here from the Church of England upon that account as preferring that to our Way of Worship be justly punished If so then Punishment in Matters of Religion being only to bring Men to the true Religion you must suppose him not to be yet of it and so the National Church he approves of not to be of the true Religion And yet is it not equally unavoidable and equally just that that Church should suppose its Religion the only true Religion as it is that yours should do so it agrecing with yours in things necessary to Salvation and having made some things in their own nature indifferent requisite to Conformity for Decency and Order as you have done So that my saying It is equally unavoidable and equally just in other Countries will hold good without meaning what you charge on me that that Supposition is equally unavoidable and equally just where the National Religion is absolutely false But in that large Sense too what I said will hold good and you would have spared your useless Subtilties against it if you had been as willing to take my Meaning and answered my Argument as you were to turn what I said to a Sense which the Words themselves shew I never intended My Argument in short was this That granting Force to be useful to propagate and support Religion yet it would be no Advantage to the true Religion that you a Member of the Church of England supposing yours to be the true Religion should thereby claim a Right to use Force since such a Supposition to those who were Members of other Churches and believed other Religions was equally unavoidable and equally just And the Reason I annexed shews both this to be my Meaning and my Assertion to be true My Words are Unless we can imaginâ—… that every-where but in England Men believe what at the samâ—… time they think to be a Lie Having therefore never said nor thought that it is equally unavoidable or equally just that Men in every Country should believe the National Religion of the Country but that it is equally unavoidable and equally just that Men believing the National Religion of their Country be it true or false should suppose it to be true and let me here add also should endeavour to propagate it you however go on thus to reply If so then I fear it will be equally true too and equally rational for otherwise I see not how it can be equally unavoidable or equally just for if it be not equally true it cannot be equally just and if it be not equally rational it cannot be equally unavoidable But if it be equally true and equally rational then either all Religions are true or none is true for if they be all equally true and one of them be not true then none of them can be true I challenge any one to put these four good Words unavoidable just rational and true more equally together or to make a better-wrought Deduction but after all my Argument will nevertheless be good that it is no Advantage to your Cause for you or any one of it to suppose yours to be the only true Religion since it is equally unavoidable and equally just for any one who believes any other Religion to suppose the same thing And this will always be so till you can shew that Men cannot receive false Religions upon Arguments that appear to them to be good or that having received Falshood under the appearance of Truth they can whilst it so appears do otherwise than value it and be acted by it as if it were true For the Equality that is here in question depends not upon the Truth of the Opinion imbraced but on this that the Light and Perswasion a Man has at present is the Guide which he ought to follow and which in his Judgment of Truth he cannot avoid to be governed by And therefore the terrible Consequences you dilate on in the following part of that Page I leave you for your private Use on some sitter Occasion You therefore who are so apt without cause to complain of want of Ingenuity in others will do well hereafter to consult your own and another time change your Stile and not under the undesined Name of the true Religion because that is of more Advantage to your Argument mean only the Religion established by Law in England shutting out all other Religions now professed in the World Though when you have defined what is the true Religion which you would have supported and propagated by Force and have told us 't is to be found in the Liturgy and thirty nine Articles of the Church of England and it be agreed to you that that is the only true Religion your Argument for Force as necessary to Mens Salvation from the want of Light and Strength enough in the true Religion to prevail against Mens Lusts and the Corruption of their Nature will not hold because your bringing Men by Force your way applied to the true Religion be it what you will is but bringing them to an outward Conformity to the National Church But the bringing them so far and no farther having no opposition to their Lusts no Inconsistency with their corrupt Nature is not on that account at all necessary nor does at all help where only on your grounds you say there is need of the Assistance of Force towards their Salvation CHAP. VIII Of Salvation to be procured by Force your way THere cannot be imagined a more laudable Design than the promoting the Salvation of Mens
Persons who only seek their sâ—…chlar Advantage how easy it is for them to pretend Conviction and to offer such Grounds if that were required as would become a Christian concerned for Religion that is what no Care of Man can certainly prevent This is an admirable Justification of your Hypothesis Men are to be punished To what end To make them severely and impartially consider Matters of Religion that they may be convinced and thereupon sincerely imbrace the Truth But what need of Force or Punishment for this Because their Lusts and Corruptions will otherwise keep them both from considering as they ought and imbracing the true Religion and therefore they must lie under Penalties till they have considered as they ought which is when they have upon Conviction imbraced But how shall the Magistrate know when they upon Conviction imbrace that he may then take off their Penalties That indeed cannot be known and ought not to be inquired after because irreligious Persons who only seek their secular Advantage or in other Words all those who desire at their ease to retain their beloved Lusts and Corruptions may easily pretend Conviction and offer such Grounds if it were required as would become a Christian concerned for Religion This is what no Care of Man can certainly prevent Which is Reason enough why no busy Forwardness in Man to disease his Brother should use Force upon Pretence of prevalling against Man's Corruptions that hinder their considering and imbracing the Truth upon Conviction when 't is confessed it cannot be known whether they have considered are convinced or have really imbraced the true Religion or no And thus you have shewn us your admirable Remedy which is not it seems for the irreligious for 't is easy you say for them to pretend Conviction and so avoid Punishment but for those who would be religious without it But here in this Case as to the Intention of the Magistrate how can it be said that the Force he uses is designed by subduing Mens Corruptions to make way for considering and imbracing the Trâ—…th when it is so applied that it is confessed here that a Man may get rid of the Penalties without parting with the Corruptions they are pretended to be used against But you have a ready Answer This is what no Care of Man can certainly prevent which is but in other Words to proclaim the Ridiculousness of your Use of Force and to avow that your Method can do nothing If by not certainly you mean it may any way or to any degree prevent why is it not so done If not why is a Word that signifies nothing put in unless it be for a Shelter on Occasion A Benefit you know how to draw from this way of writing But this here taken how you please will only serve to lay Blame on the Magistrate or your Hypothesis chuse you whether I for my part have a better Opinion of the Ability and Management of the Magistrate What he aimed at in his Laws that I believe he mentions in them and as wise Men do in Buâ—…nes fpoke out plainly what he had a Mind should be done But câ—…inly there cannot a more ridiculous Character be put on Law-makers than to tell the World they intended to make Men consider examine c. but yet neither required nor named any thing in their Laws but Conformity Though yet when Men are certainly to be punished for not really imbracing the true Religion there ought to be certain Matters of Fact whereby those that do and those that do not so imbrace the Truth should be distinguished and for that you have 't is true a clear and established Criterion i. e. Conformity and Nonconformity which do very certainly distinguish the Innocent from the Guilty those that really and sincerely do imbrace the Truth that must save them from those that do not But Sir to resolve the Question whether the Conviction of Mens Understandings and the Salvation of their Souls be the Business and Aim of those who use Force to bring Men into the Profession of the National Religion I ask whether if that were so there could be so many as there are not only in most Country-Parishes but I think I may say may be found in all Parts of England grosly ignorant in the Doctrines and Principles of the Christian Religion if a strict Inquiry were made into it If Force be necessary to be used to bring Men to Salvation certainly some part of it would 〈◊〉 out some of the ignorant and unconsidering that are in the National Church as well as it does so diligently all the Nonconformists out of it whether they have considered or are knowing or no. But to this you give a very ready Answer Would you have the Magistrate punish all indifferently those who obey the Law as well as them that do not What is the Obedience the Law requires That you tell us in these Words If the Magistrate provides 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Instruction of all his Subjects in the true Religion and then requires them all under convenient Penalties to 〈◊〉 to the Teachers and Ministers of it and to profess and exercise it with one Accord under their Direction in publick Assemblies Which in other Words is but Conformity which here you express a little plainer in these Words But as those Magistrates who having provided sufficiently for the Instruction of all under their Care in the true Religion do make Laws and use moderate Penalties to bring Men to the Communion of the Church of God and to conform to the Rules and Orders of it You add Is there any Pretence to say that in so doing he the Magistrate applies Force only to a part of his 〈◊〉 when the Law is general and excepts none There is no Pretence I confess to say that in so doing he applies Force only to a part of his Subjects to make them Conformists from that it is plain the Law excepts none But if Conformists may be ignorant grosly ignorant of the Principles and Doctrines of Christianity if there be no 〈◊〉 used to make them consider as they ought so as to understand be convinced of believe and obey the Truths of the Gospel are not they exempt from that Force which you say is to make Men consider and examine Matters of Religion as they ought to do Force is applied to all indeed to make them Conformists But if being Conformists once and frequenting the Places of publick Worship and there shewing an outward Compliance with the Ceremonies prescribed for that is all the Law requires of all call it how you please they are exempt from all Force and Penalties though they are never so ignorant never so far from understanding believing receiving the Truths of the 〈◊〉 I think it is evident that then Force is not applied to all to 〈◊〉 the Conviction of the Vnderstanding To bring Men to consider those Reasons and Arguments which are proper to convince the Mind and
them with sufficient Evidence But then to let you see how little ground you have to say that I prevaricate in this matter I shall only desire you to consider what it is that the Author and my self were enquiring after For it is not What Course is to be taken to confirm and establish those in the Truth who have already embraced it nor How they may be enabled to propagate it to others for both which Purposes I have already acknowledged it very useful and a thing much to be desired that all such Persons should as far as they are able search into the Grounds upon which their Religion stands and challenges their Belief but the Subject of our Enquiry is only What Method is to be used 〈◊〉 bring Men to the true Religion Now if this be the only thing we were inquiring after as you cannot deny it to be then every one sees that in speaking to this Point I had nothing to do with any who have already imbraced the true Religion because they are not to be brought to that Religion but only to be confirmed and edified in it but was only to consider how those who reject it may be brought to imbrace it So that how much soever any of those who own the true Religion may be guilty of neglect of Examination 't is evident I was only concerned to shew how it may be cured in those who by reason of it reject the true Religion duly proposed or tender'd to them And certainly to confine my self to this is not to prevaricate unless to keep within the Bounds which the Question under debate prescribes me be to prevaricate In telling me therefore that I dare not say that the Ignorant the Careless the Inconsiderate the Negligent in examining c. i. e. all that are such are to be punished you only tell me that I dare not be impertinent And therefore I hope you will excuse me if I take no notice of the three Reasons you offer in your next Page for your saying so And yet if I had had a mind to talk impertinently I know not why I might not have dared to do so as well as other Men. There is one thing more in this Paragraph which though nothing more pertinent than the rest I shall not wholly pass over It lies in these Words He that reads your Treatise with Attention will be more confirm'd in this Opinion viz. That I use want of Examination only for a Pretence to punish Dissenters c. when he shall find that you who are so earnest to have Men punish'd to bring them to consider and examine that so they may discover the Way of Salvation have not said one Word of considering searching and hearkning to the Scripture which had been as good a Rule for a Christian to have sent them to as to Reasons and Arguments proper to convince them of you know not what c. How this confirms that Opinion I do not see nor have you thought fit to instruct me But as to the thing it self viz. my not saying one Word of considering searching and hearkning to the Scripture whatever Advantage a captious Adversary may imagine he has in it I hope it will not seem strange to any indifferent and judicious Person who shall but consider that throughout my Treatise I speak of the true Religion only in general i. e. not as limited to any particular Dispensation or to the Times of the Scriptures but as reaching from the Fall of Adam to the End of the World and so comprehending the Times which preceded the Scriptures wherein yet God left not himself without Witness but furnished Mankind with sufficient Means of knowing Him and his Will in order to their eternal Salvation For I appeal to all Men of Art whether speaking of the True Religion under this Generality I could be allowed to descend to any such Rules of it as belong only to some particular Times or Dispensations such as you cannot but acknowledg the Old and New Testaments to be In this your Answer you say the Subject of our Inquiry is only what Method is to be used to bring Men to the true Religion He that reads what you say again and again That the Magistrate is impower'd and obliged to procure as much as in him lies i. e. as far as by Penalties it can be procured that NO MAN neglect his Soul and shall remember how many Pages you imploy A. p 6 c. And here p. 6 c. to shew that it is the Corruption of humane Nature which hinders Men from doing what they may and ought for the Salvation of their Souls and that therefore Penalties no other means being left and Force were necessary to be used by the Magistrate to remove these great Obstacles of Lâ—…sts and Corruptions that none of his Subjects might remain ignorant of the way of Salvation or refuse to imbrace it One would think your Inquiry had been after the means of CVRING MENS Aversion to the true Religion which you tell us p. 53. if not cured is certainly destructive of Mens Eternal Salvation that so they might heartily imbrace it for their Salvation But here you tell us your Inquiry is only what Method is to be used to bring Men to the true Religion whereby you evidently mean nothing but outward Conformity to that which you think the true Church as appears by the next following Words Now if this be the only thing we were inquiring after then every one sees that in speaking to this Point I had nothing to do with any who have already imbraced the true Religion And also every one sees that since amongst those with whom having already imbraced the true Religion you and your Penalties have nothing to do there are those who have not considered and examined Matters of Religion as they ought whose Lusts and corrupt Natures keep them as far alienated from believing and as averse to a real obeying the Truth that must save them as any other Men it is manifest that imbracing the true Religion in your Sense is only imbracing the outward Profession of it which is nothing but outward Conformity And that being the furthest you would have your Penalties pursue Men and there leave them with as much of their Ignorance of the Truth and Carelesness of their Souls as they please who can deny but that it would be impertinent in you to consider how want of impartial Examination or Aversion to the true Religion should in them be cured because they are none of those Subjects of the Commonwealth whose spiritual and eternal Interests are by political Government to be procured or advanced none of those Subjects whose Salvation the Magistrate is to take Care of And therefore I excuse you as you desire for not taking notice of my three Reasons but whether the Reader will do so or no is more than I can undertake I hope you too will excuse me for having used so harsh a Word as
prevaricate and impute it to my want of Skill in the English Tongue But when I find a Man pretend to a great Concern for the Salvation of Mens Souls and make it one of the great Ends of Civil Government that the Magistrate should make use of Force to bring all his Subjects to consider study and examine believe and imbrace the Truth that must save them when I shall have to do with a Man who to this Purpose hath writ two Books to find out and desend the proper Remedies for that general Backwardness and Aversion which depraved humane Nature keeps Men in to an impartial Search after and hearty imbracing the true Religion and who talks of nothing less than Obligations on Soveraigns both from their particular Duty as well as from common Charity to take Care that none of their Subjects should want the Assistance of this only means left for their Salvation nay who has made it so necessary to Mens Salvation that he talks as if the Wisdom and Goodness of God would be brought in Question if those who needed it should be destitute of it and yet notwithstanding all this Shew of Concern for Mens Salvation contrives the Application of this sole Remedy so that a great many who lie under the Disease should be out of the Reach and Benefit of his Cure and never have this only Remedy applied to them When this I say is so manifestly in his Thoughts all the while that he is forced to confess that though Want or Neglect of Examination be a general Fault yet the Method he proposes for curing it does not reach to all that are guilty of it but frankly owns that he was not concerned to shew how the Neglect of Examination might be cured in those who conform but only in those who by reason of it reject the true Religion duly proposed to them which rejecting the true Religion will require a Man of Art to shew to be here any thing but Nonconformity to the National Religion When I say I meet with a Man another time that does this who is so much a Man of Art as to talk of all and mean but some talk of hearty imbracing the true Religion and mean nothing but Conformity to the National pretend one thing and mean another if you please to tell me what Name I shall give it I shall not fail for who knows how soon again I may have an occasion sor it If I would punish Men for Nonconformity without owning of it I could not use a better Pretence than to say it was to make them hearken to Reasons and Arguments proper to convince them or to make them submit to the Instruction and Government of the proper Ministers of Religion without any thing else supposing still at the bottom the Arguments for and the Ministers of my Religion to be these that till they outwardly complied with they were to be punished But if instead of outward Conformity to my Religion covered under these indesinite terms I should tell them they were to examine the Scripture which was the sixed Rule for them and me not examining could not give me a Pretence to punish them unless I would also punish Conformists as ignorant and unversed in the Scripture as they which would not do my Business But what need I use Arguments to shew that your punishing to make Men examine is designed only against Dissenters when in your Answer to this very Paragraph of mine you in plain Words acknowledg that though want of Examination be a general Fault yet the Method you propose for curing does not reach to all that are guilty of it To which if you please to add what you tell us That when Dissenters conform the Magistrate cannot know and therefore never examins whether they do it upon Reason and Conviction or no though it be certain that upon conforming Penalties the necessary Means cease it will be obvious that whatever be talked Conformity is all that is aimed at and that want of Examination is but the Pretence to punish Dissenters And this I told you any one must be convinced of who observes that you who are so earnest to have Men punished to bring them to consider and examine that so they may discover the way of Salvation have not said one Word of considering searching and hearkning to the Scripture which you were told was as good a Rule for a Christian to have sent Men to as to the Instruction and Government of the proper Ministers of Religion or to the Information of those who tell them they have mistaken ' their way and offer to shew them the right For this pâ—…ssing by the Scripture you give us this Reason that throughout your Treaâ—…se you speak of the true Religion only in general i. e. not as limited to any particular Dispensation or to the times of the Scriptures but as reaching from the Fall of Adam to the End of the World c. And then you appeal to all Men of Art whether speaking of the true Religion under this Generality you could be allowed to descend to any such Rules of it as belong only to some particular Times or Dispensations such as I cannot but acknowledg the Old and New Testaments to be The Author that you write against making it his Business as no body can doubt who reads but the first Page of his Letter to shew that it is the Duty of Christians to tolerate both Christians and others who differ from them in Religion 't is pretty strange in asserting against him that the Magistrate might and ought to use Force to bring Men to the true Religion you should mean any other Magistrate than the Christian Magistrate or any other Religion than the Christian Religion But it seems you took so little notice of the Design of your Adversary which was to prove that Christians were not to use Force to bring any one to the true Christian Religion that you would prove that Christians now were to use Force not only to bring Men to the Christian but also to the Jewish Religion or that of the true Church before the Law or to some true Religion so general that it is none of these For say you throughout your Treatise you speak of the true Religion only in general i. e. not as limited to any particular Dispensation Though one that were not a Man of Art would suspect you to be of another Mind your self when you told us the shuting out of the Jews from the Rights of the Common-wealth is a just and necessary Caution in a Christian Commonwealth which you say to justify your Exception in the beginning of your A against the Largeness of the Author's Toleration who would not have Jews excluded But speak of the true Religion only in general as much as you please if your true Religion be that by which Men must be saved can you send a Man to any better Guide to that true Religion now than the
Compliance with you shall I do here again There you tell us The Power you ascribe to the Magistrate is given him to bring Men not to his own but to the true Religion And though as our Author puts us in mind the Religion of every Prince is Orthodox to himself yet if this Power keep within its bounds it can serve the Interest of no other Religion but the true among such as have any Concern for their Eternal Salvation and those that have none deserve not to be considered because the Penalties it inables him that has it to instict are not such as may tempt such Persons either to renounce a Religion which they believe to be true or to profess one which they do not believe to be so but only such as are apt to put them upon a serious and impartial Examination of the Controversy between the Magistrate and them which is the way for them to come to the Knowledg of the Truth And if upon such Examination of the Matter they chance to sind that the Truth does not lie on the Magistrate's side they have gained thus much however even by the Magistrate's misapplying his Power that they know better than they did before where the Truth doth lie And all the hurt that comes to them by it is only the suffering some tolerable Inconveniences for their following the Light of their own Reason and the Dictates of their own Consciences which certainly is no such Mischief to Mankind as to make it more eligible that there should be no such Power vested in the Magistrate but the Care of every Man's Soul should be left to himself alone as this Author demands it should be To this I tell you That here out of abundant Kindness when Dissenters have their Heads without any cause broken you provide them a Plaister For say you if upon such Examination of the Matter i. e. brought to it by the Magistrate's Punishment they chance to find that the Truth doth not lie on the Magistrate's side they have gain'd thus much however even by the Magistrate's misapplying his Power that they know better than they did before where the Truth does lie Which is as true as if you should say Upon Examination I find such an one is out of the way to York therefore I know better than I did before that I am in the right For neither of you may be in the right This were true indeed if there were but two ways in all a Right and a Wrong To this you reply here That whoever shall consider the Penalties will you perswade your self find no Heads broken and so but little need of a Plaister The Penalties as you say are to be such as will not tempt such as have any concern for their Eternal Salvation either to renounce a Religion which they believe to be true or profess one which they believe not to be so but only such as being weigh'd in Gold-Scales are just enough or as you express it are apt to put them upon a serious and impartial Examination of the Controversy between the Magistrate and them If you had been pleased to have told us what Penalties those were we might have been able to guess whether there would have been broken Heads or no. But since you have not vouchsafed to do it and if I mistake not will again appeal to your Men of Art for another Dispensation rather than ever do it I fear no body can be sure these Penalties will not reach to something worse than a broken Head Especially if the Magistrate shall observe that you impute the Rise and Growth of salse Religions which it is the Magistrate's Duty to hinder to the Pravity of humane Nature unbridled by Authority which by what follows he may have reason to think is to use Force sufficient to counterballance the Folly Perverseness and Wickedness of Men And whether then he may not lay on Penalties sufficient if not to break Mens Heads yet to ruin them in their Estates and Liberties will be more than you can undertake And since you acknowledg here that the Magistrate may err so far in the Use of this his Power as to mistake the Persons that he lays his Penalties on will you be Security that he shall not also mistake in the Proportion of them and lay on such as Men would willingly exchange for a broken Head All the Assurance you give us of this is If this Power keep within its bounds i. e. as you here explain it If the Penalties the Magistrate makes use of to promote a false Religion do not exceed the Measure of those which he may warrantably use for the promoting the True The Magistrate may notwithstanding any thing you have said or can say use any sort of Penalties any degree of Punishment you having neither shew'd the Measure of them nor will be ever able to shew the utmost Measure which may not be exceeded if any may be used But what is this I find here If the Penalties the Magistrate makes use of to promote a FALSE RELIGION Is it possible that the Magistrate can make use of Penalties to promote a false Religion Of whom you told us but three Pages back That it may always be said of him what St. Paul said of himself that he can do nothing against the Truth but for the Truth By that one would have thought you had undertaken to us that the Magistrate could no more use Force to promote a false Religion than St. Paul could preach to promote a false Religion If you say the Magistrate has no Commission to promote a false Religion and therefore it may always be said of him what St. Paul said of himself c. I say no Minister was ever commissioned to preach Falshood and therefore it may always be said of every Minister what St. Paul said of himself that he can do nothing against the Truth but for the Truth Whereby we shall very commodiously have an infallible Guide in every Parish as well as one in every Commonwealth But if you thus use Scripture I imagine you will have reason to appeal again to your Men of Art whether though you may not be allowed to recommend to others the Examination and Use of Scripture to find the true Religion yet you your self may not use the Scripture to what Purpose and in what Sense you please for the defence of your Cause To the remainder of what I said in that Paragraph your Answer is nothing but an Exception to an Inference I made The Argument you were upon was to justify the Magistrate's inflicting Penalties to bring Men to a false Religion by the Gain those that suffered them would receive Their Gain was this That they would know better than they did before where the Truth does lie To which I replied Which is as true as if you should say upon Examination I find such an one is out of the Way to York therefore I know better than I
dissent from the Communion of the National Church without examining whether theirs too may not be that only True Religion which is necessary to Salvation Is not this to demand that the Magistrate's Power should be applied only in favour of a Party And can any one avoid being confirm'd in this Suspicion when he reads that broad Insinuation of yours P. 34. as if Our Magistrates were not concern'd for Truth 〈◊〉 Piety because they granted a Relaxation of those Penalties which you would have imploid in favour of your Party For so it must be call'd and not the Church of God exclusive of others unless you will say Men cannot be saved out of the Communion of your particular Church let it be National where you please You do not you say encourage the Magistrate to misapply his Power because in the very same Breath you tell him he misapplies his Power I answer Let all Men understand you as much as you please to say that he sins in doing it That will not excuse you from encouraging him there unless it be impossible that a Man may be encourag'd to Sin If your telling the Magistrate that his Subjects gain by his misapplying of Force be not an Encouragement to him to misapply it the doing good to others must cease to be an Encouragement to any Action And whether it be not a great Encouragement in this case to the Magistrate to go on in the use of 〈◊〉 without impartially examining whether his or his Subjects be the True Religion when he is told that be his Religion true or false his Subjects who suffer will be sure to be Gainers by it let any one judg For the Encouragement is not as you put it to the Magistrate to use Force to bring Men to what he thinks a false Religion but it is an Encouragement to the Magistrate who presumes his to be the True Religion to punish his Dissenting Subjects without due and impartial Examination on which side the Truth lies For having never told the Magistrate that neglect of Examination is a Sin in him if you should tell him a thousand times that he who uses his Power to bring Men to a False Religion misapplies it he would not understand by it that he sinn'd whilst he thought his the True and so it would be no restraint to the misapplying his Power And thus we have some Prospect of this admirable Machin you have 〈◊〉 up for the Salvation of Souls The Magistrate is to use Force to bring Men to the True Religion But what if he misapplies it to bring Men to a False Religion 'T is well still for his Subjects They are Gainers by it But this may encourage him to a Misapplication of it No You tell him that he that uses it to bring Men to a False Religion misapplies it And therefore he cannot but understand that you say he sins and lays himself open to Divine Vengeance No He believes himself in the right and thinks as St. Paul whilst a Persecutor that he does God good Service And you assure him here he makes his suffering Subjects Gainers and so he goes on as comfortably as St. Paul did Is there no Remedy for this Yes a very ready one and that is that the one only True Religion may be known by those who profess it to be the only True Religion To which if we add how you moderate as well as direct the Magistrate's Hand in punishing by making the last Regulation of your convenient Penalties to lie in the Prudence and Experience of Magistrates themselves we shall find the Advantages of your Method For are not your necessary Means of Salvation which lie in moderate Penalties used to bring Men to the True Religion brought to an happy State when that which is to guide the Magistrate in the Knowledg of the True Religion is that the True Religion may be known by those who profess it to be the only True Religion and the convenient Penalties to be used for the promoting of it are such as the Magistrate shall in his Prudence think fit and that whether the Magistrate applies it right or wrong the Subject will be a Gainer by it If in either of your Discourses you have given the Magistrate any better Direction than this to know the True Religion by which he is by Force to promote or any other intelligible Measure to moderate his Penalties by or any other Caution to restrain the misuse of his Power I desire you to shew it me And then I shall think I have reason to believe that in this Debate you have had more Care of the True Religion and the Salvation of Souls than to encourage the Magistrate to use the Power he has by your Direction and without Examination and to what degree he shall think sit in favour of a Party For the Matter thus stated if I mistake not will serve any Magistrate to use any degree of Force against any that dissent from his National Religion Having recommended to the Subjects the Magistrate's 〈◊〉 by a shew of Gain which will accrue to them by it you do well to bring in the Example of Julian who whatever he did to the Christians would no more than you own that it was Persecution but for their Advantage in the other World But whether his pretending Gain to them upon Grounds which he did not believe or your pretending Gain to them which no body can believe to be one be a greater Mockery you were best look This seems reasonable That his talk of Philanthropy and yours of Moderation should be bound up together For till you speak and tell them plainly what they may trust to the Advantage the Persecuted are to receive from your Clemency may I imagine make a second Part to what the Christians of that Age 〈◊〉 from his But you are solicitous for the Salvation of Souls and Dissenters shall find the Benefit of it CHAP. IX Of the Vsefulness of Force in Matters of Religion YOU having granted that in all Pleas for any thing because of its Usefulness it is not enough to say that it may be serviceable but it must be considered not only what it may but what it is likely to produce and the greater Good or Harm likely to come from it ought to determine the use of it I think there need nothing more to be said to shew the Uselesness of Force in the Magistrate's Hands for promoting the true Religion after it has been proved that if any then all Magistrates who believe their Religion to be true are under an Obligation to use it But since the usefulness and necessity of Force is the main Foundation on which you build your Hypothesis we will in the two remaining Chapters examine particularly what you say for them To the Author 's saying That Truth seldom hath received and he fears never will receive much assistance from the Power of Great Men to whom she is but rarely known and more rarely welcome You
prevail Men are forced to act contrary to their Consciences which is not the way to Salvation and if the Penalties prevail not you have the same Fruits Sects and Heresies as under Toleration In the other 't is true those ignorant loose unthinking Conformists do not break company with those who imbrace the Truth that will save them but I fear can no more be said to have any share in it than those who openly dissent from it For 't is not being in the Company but having on the Wedding-Garment that keeps Men from being bound Hand and Foot and cast into the dreadful and eternal Prison You tell us Force has a proper Efficacy to procure the Enlightning of the Vnderstanding and the Production of Belief viz. by making Men consider But you ascribing Mens Aversion to examine Matters of Religion to the Corruption of their Nature Force your way apply'd i. e. so that Men avoid the Penalties by an outward Conformity cannot have any proper Efficacy to procure Consideration since Men may outwardly conform and retain their Corruption and Aversion to Consideration and upon this account Force your way apply'd is absolutely impertinent But further If Force has such a proper Efficacy to procure the Production of Belief it will do more harm than good imploid by any but Orthodox Magistrates But how to put it only into Orthodox Hands is the Difficulty For I think I have proved that if Orthodox Magistrates may and ought to use Force for the promoting their Religion all that think themselves Orthodox are obliged to use it too And this may serve for an Answer to all you have said P. 16. I having said Whatever indirect Efficacy there be in Force apply'd by the Magistrate your way it makes against you Force used by the Magistrate to bring Men to consider those Reasons and Arguments which are proper and sufficient to convince them but which without being forced they would not consider may say you be serviceable indirectly and at a distance to make Men imbrace the Truth which must save them ` And thus say I it may be serviceable to bring Men to receive and imbrace Falshood which ` will destroy them To this you with great Triumph reply How Sir may Force used by the Magistrate to bring Men to consider those Reasons and Arguments which are proper and sufficient to convince them be serviceable to bring Men to imbrace Falshood such Falshood as will destroy them It seems then there are Reasons and Arguments which are proper and sufficient to convince Men of the truth of Falshood which will destroy them Which is certainly a very extraordinary Discovery though such as no Man can have any reason to thank you for In the first place let me ask you Where did you find or from what Words of mine do you infer that notable Proposition That there are Reasons and Arguments proper and sufficient to convince Men of the Truth of Falshood If a Magistrate of the True Religion may use Force to make Men consider Reasons and Arguments proper to convince Men of the Truth of his Religion may not a Prince of a False Religion use Force to make Men consider Reasons and Arguments proper and sufficient to convince them of what he believes to be true And may not Force thus be serviceable to bring Men to receive and imbrace Falshood In the next place Did you who argue with so much School-Subtilty as if you drank it in at the very Fountain never hear of such an ill way of Arguing as a conjunctis ad divisa There are no Arguments proper and sufficient to bring a Man into the â—…elief of what is in it-self falsâ—… whilst he knows or believes it to be false therefore there are no Arguments proper and sufficient to bring a Man into the Belief of what is in it-self false which he neither knows nor believes to be so A Senior Sophister would be laugh'd at for such Logick And yet this is all you say in that Sentence you erect for a Trophy to convince Mâ—…n of the Truth of Falshood which though not my Words but such as you in your way supply from what I said you are exceedingly pleased with and think their very repeating a Triumph But though there are no Arguments proper and sufficient to convince Men of the Truth of Falshood as Falshood yet I hope you will allow that there are Arguments proper and sufficient to make Men receive Falshoods for Truths why else do you complain of 〈◊〉 And those who imbrace Falshoods for Truths do it under the Appearance of Truth misled by those Arguments which make it appear so and so convince them And that Magistrates who take their Religion to be true though it be not so may with Force urge such Arguments you will I think grant But you talk as if no body could have Arguments proper and sufficient to convince another but he that was of your way or your Church This indeed is a new and very extraordinary discavâ—…y and such as your Brethren if you can convince them of it will have reason to thank you for For if any one was ever by Arguments and Reasons brought off or seduced from your Church to be a Dissenter there were then I think Reasons and Arguments proper and sufficient to convince him I will not name to you again Mr. Reynolds because you have charity enough to question his Sincerity Though his leaving his Country Friends and Acquaintance may be presum'd as great a Mark of his being convinced and in earnest as it is for one to write for a National Religion in a Country where it is uppermost I will not yet deny but that in you it may be pure Zeal for the True Reâ—…gion which you would have assisted with the Magiâ—…ratos Force And since you seem so much concern'd for your Sincerity in the Argument it must be granted you deserve the Character of a well-meaning Man who own your Sincerity in a way so little advantageous to your Judgment But if Mr. Reynolds in your Opinion was misled by corrupt Ends or secular Interest what do you think of a Prince now living Will you doubt his Sincerity or that he was convinced of the Truth of the Religion he professed who ventured Three Crowns for it What do you think of Mr. Chillingworth when he left the Church of England for the Romish Profession Did he do it without being convinc'd that that was the right Or was he convinc'd with Reasons and Arguments not proper or sufficient to convince him But certainly this could not be true because as you say p. 25. the Scripture does not teach any thing of it Or perhaps those that leave your Communion do it always without being convinc'd and only think they are convinc'd when they are not or are convinc'd with Arguments not proper and sufficient to convince them If no body can convince another but he that has Truth on his side you do more honour
to the first and second Letter concerning Toleration than is for the Advantage of your Cause when you impute to them the Increase of Sects and Heresies amongst us And there are some even of the Church of England have professed themselves so fully satisfied by the Reasons and Arguments in the first of them that though I dare not be positive to you whose Privilege it is to convince Men that they are convinced yet I may say 't is as presumable they are convinced having owned it as it is presumable that all that are Conformists are made so upon Reason and Conviction This I suppose may serve for an Answer to your next words That God in his just Judgment will send such as receive not the Love of Truth that they may be saved but reject it for the Pleasure they have in Vnrighteousness 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 strong Delusion i. e. such Reasons and Arguments as will prevail with Men so disposed to believe a Lie that they may be damn'd This you confess the Scripture plainly teaches us But that there are any such Reasons or Arguments as are proper and sufficient to convince or satisfy any but such resolute and obdurate Sinners of the Truth of such Falshood as will destroy them is a Position which you are sure the Scripture doth not 〈◊〉 us and which you tell me when I have better considered it you hope I will not undertake to maintain And yet if it be not maintainable what I say here is to no purpose For if there be no such Reasons and Arguments as here we speak of 't is in vain to talk of the Magistrate's using Force to make Men consider them But if you are still of the mind that no Magistrate but those who are of the True Religion can have Arguments back'd with Force proper and sufficient to convince and that in England none but resolute obdurate Sinners ever forsook or forbore the Communion of the Church of England upon Reasons and Arguments that satisfy or convince them I shall leave you to enjoy so charitable an Opinion But as to the Usefulness of Force your way applied I shall lay you down again the same Argument I used before though in Words less sitted for your Way of Reasoning on them now I know your Talent If there be any Efficacy in Force to bring Men to any Perswasion it will your Way apply'd bring more Men to Error than to Truth Your Way of using it is only to punish Men for not being of the National Religion which is the only Way you do or can apply Force without a Toleration Nonconformity is the Fault that is punish'd which Fault when it ceases the Punishment ceases But yet to make them consider is the end for which they are punish'd but whether it be or be not intended to make Men consider it alters nothing in the case Now I say that since all Magistrates who believe their Religion to be true are as much obliged to use Force to bring their Subjects to it as if it were true and since most of the National Religions of the World are erroneous if Force made use of to bring Men to the National Religion by punishing Dissenters have any Efficacy let it be what it will indirect and at a distance if you please it is like to do twenty times more harm than good because of the National Religions of the World to speak much within compass there are above 20 wrong for one that is right Indeed could Force be directed to drive all Men indifferently who are negligent and backward in it to study examine and consider seriously Matters of Religion and search out the Truth And if Men were upon their Study and Examination permitted to follow what appears to them to be right you might have some pretence for Force as serviceable to Truth in making Men consider But this is impossible but under a Toleration And I doubt whether even there Force can be so apply'd as to make Men consider and impartially examine what is true in the professed Religions of the World and to imbrace it This at least is certain that where Punishments pursue Men like outlying Deer only to the Pale of the National Church and when once they are within that leaves them free there and at ease it can do no Service to the True Religion even in a Country where the National is the true For the Penalties ceasing as soon as Men are got within the Pale and Communion of the Church they help not Men at all against that which you assign as the great Hindrance to the True Religion and which therefore in your Opinion makes Force necessary to assist it For there being no necessity that Men should leave either their Vices or Corruption or so much as their Ignorance to get within the Pale of the Church Force your way apply'd serves only to bring them even in the few Christian and Orthodox Countries to the Profession not to the Knowledg Belief or Practice of the True Religion You say corrupt Nature inclines Men from the True Religion to false ones and moderate Force is requisite to make such Men consider But such Men as out of corrupt Nature and for their Ease and carnal Pleasures chuse an erroneous Religion without considering will again as soon as they can find their Choice incommoded by those Penalties consult the same corrupt Nature and carnal Appetites and without considering any thing further conform to that Religion where they can best enjoy themselves 'T is only the conscientious part of Dissenters such as dissent not out of Indulgence to corrupt Nature but out of Perswasion who will not conform without considering as they ought And therefore your Argument from corrupt Nature is out of doors If moderate Penalties serve only to work on those who are led by corrupt Nature they are of no use but to fill the Church with Hypocrites that is to make those Men worse Hypocrites than they were before by a new Act of Hypocrisy and to corrupt the Manners of the rest of the Church by their converse with these And whether this be for the Salvation of Souls as is pretended or for some other End that the Priests of all Religions have generally so earnestly contended for it I leave to be consider'd For as for those who dissent out of Perswasion I suspect your moderate Penalties will have little effect upon them For such Men being awed by the Fear of Hell-fire if that Fear will not make them consider better than they have done moderate Penalties will be too weak to work upon them 'T is well if Dragooning and Martyring can do it But you add May it not be true nevertheless that Force your way applied may be serviceable indirectly and at a distance to bring Men to imbrace the Truth which may save them which is all you are concerned here to make good So that if it may possibly happen that it should ever bring two Men to
Nonconformity are intended to make all Men consider where 't is known that a great Number under the Magistrates Power are dispensed with and privileged from those Penalties How many omitting the Jews are there for example in the King of England's Dominions under his Care and Power of the Walloon and French Church to whom Force is never apply'd and they live in Security from it How many Pagans are there in the Plantations many whereof born in His Dominions of whom there was never any care taken that they should so much as come to Church or be in the least instructed in the Christian Religion And yet must we believe or can you pretend that the Magistrates use of Force against Nonconformists is to make all his Subjects consider so as to be convinc'd of and imbrace the Truth that must save them If you say in your way you mean no such Indulgence I answer the Question is not of yours but the Magistrates Intention though what your Intention is who would have the want of Consideration or Knowledg in Conformists exempt from Force is visible enough Again Those Penalties cannot be supposed to be intended to make Men consider which are laid on those who have or may have already considered And such you must grant to be the Penalties laid in England on Nonconformists unless you will deny that any Nonconformist has or can consider so as to be convinced or believe and imbrace the Truth that must save him So that you cannot vouch the Intention of the Magistrate where his Laws say nothing much less affirm that Force is intended to produce a certain end in all his Subjects which is not applied to them all and is applied to some who have attained that end already Unless you have a Privilege to affirm against all appearance whatsoever may serve your Cause But to learn some Moderation in this I shall send you to my Pagans and Mahumetans For whatever charitable wishes Magistrates may sometimes have in their Thoughts which I meddle not with no Body can say that in making the Laws or in the use of Force we are speaking of they intended to mâ—…ke Men consider and examine so as to be convinced of and heartily to imbrace the Truth that must save them but he that gives himself the Liberty to say any thing The Service that Force does indirectly and at a distance you tell us in the following Page is to make People apply thâ—…mselves to the use of those Means and Helps which are proper to make them what they are designed to be In the Case before us What are Men designed to be Holy Believers of the Gospel in this World without which no Salvation no seeing of God in the next Let us see now whether Force your way applied can be suted to such a Design and so intended for that End You hold That all out of the National Church where the Religion of the National Church is true should be punished and ought to have Force used to them And again you grant That those who are in the Communion of the National Church ought not to be punished or be under the stroke of Force nor indeed in your way can they If now the effect be to prevail with Men to consider as they ought so that they may become what they are designed to be How can any one think that you and they who use Force thus intend in the use of it that Men should really be Christians both in Perswasion and Practice without which there is no Salvation if they leave off Force before they have attained that effect Or how can it be imagined that they intend any thing but Conformity by their use of Force if they leave off the use of it as soon as Men conform Unless you will say that an outward Conformity to the National Church whose Religion is the true Religion is such an imbracing of the Truth as is sufficient to Salvation Or that an outward Profession of the Christian Religion is the same with being really a Christian which possibly you will not be very forward to do when you recollect what you meet with in the Sermons and Printed Discourses of Divines of the Church of England concerning the Ignorance and Irreligion of Conformists themselves For Penalties can never be thought by any one but he that can think against common Sense and what he pleases to be intended for any End which by that Constitution and Law whereby they are imposed are to cease before that End be attained And will you say that all who are conformable have so well considered that they believe and heartily imbrace the Truths of the Gospel that must save them When perhaps it will be found that a great many Conformists do not so much as understand them But the Ignorance or Irreligiousness to be found amongst Consormists which your way of talking forces me in some Places to take notice of let me here tell you once for all I lay not the blame of upon Conformity but upon your use of Force to make Men conform For whatever the Religion be true or false it is natural for Force and Penalty so applied to bring the irreligious and those who are careless and unconcerned for the true into the National Profession But whether it be fitter for such to be kept out rather than by Force to be driven into the Communion of any Church and owned as Members of it those who have a due Care and Respect for truly religious and pious Conformists were best consider But farther if as you say the opposition to the true Religion lies only in Mens Lusts it having Light and Strength enough were it not for that to prevail and it is upon that account only that Force is necessary there is no necessity at all to use Force on Men only till they conform and no farther Since I think you will not deny but that the Corruption of Humane Nature is as great in Consormists as in Nonconformists in the Professors of as in the Dissenters from the National Religion And therefore either Force was not necessary before or else it is necessary still after Men are Conformists Unless you will say that it is harder for a Man to be a Professor than a Christian indeed And that the true Religion by its own Light and Strength can without the help of Force prevail over a Man's Lusts and the Corruption of his Nature but it has need of the help of Force to make him a Conformist and an outward Professor And so much for the Effect which is intended by him that uses it in that use of Force which you defend The other Argument you bring to shew that your indirect and at a distance Vsefulness of Force your way apply'd is not by accident is the frequent Success of it Which I think is not the true Mark of what is not by accident for an Effect may not be by accident though it has never been produced but once
to say to my Modesty and Conscience for imputing to you what you no where say I grant it in direct words but in effect as plainly as may be The Magistrate may impose sound Creeds and decent Ceremonies i. e such as he thinks sit for what is sound and decent he I hope must be Judg and if he be Judg of what is sound and decent it amounts to no more but what he thinks sit and if it be not what he thinks sit why is one Ceremony preferr'd to another why one Doctrine of the Scripture put into the Creed and Articles and another as sound left out They are Truths necessary to Salvation We shall see that in good time here only I ask Does the Magistrate only believe them to be Truths and Ceremonies necessary to Salvation or does he certainly know them to be so If you say he only believes them to be so and that that is enough to authorize him to impose them you by your own Confession authorize Magistrates to impose what they think necessary for the Salvation of their Subjects Souls and so the King of France did what he was obliged to when he said he would have all his Subjects saved and so fell to Dragooning If you say the Magistrate certainly knows them to be necessary to Salvation we are luckily come to an Infallible Guide Well then the sound Creeds are agreed on the Confession and Liturgy are framed the Ceremonies pitch'd on and the Terms of Communion thus set up you have Religion establish'd by Law and what now is the Subject to do He is to conform No he must first considâ—…r Who bids him consider no body he may if he pleases but the Law says nothing to him of it consider or not consider if he conforms 't is well and he is approved of and admitted He does consider the best he can but finds some things he does not understand other things he cannot believe assent or consent to What now is to be done with him He must either be punished on or resign himself up to the Determination and Direction of the Civil Magistrate which till you can â—…ind a better name for it we will call Implicit Faith And thus you have provided a Remedy for the hazardous Condition of weak Understandings in that which you suppose necessary in the case viz. an infallible Guide and implicit Faith in Matters â—…oncerning Mens Salvation But you say For your part you know of no such Guide of God's appointing Let that be your Rule and the Magistrate with his Co-active Power will be left out too You think there is no need of any such because notwithstanding the long and many Proofs and remote Consequences the false Grounds and the captious and fallacious Arguments of Learned Men vers'd in Controversies with which I as well as those of the Roman Communion endeavour to amuse you through the Goodness of God the Truth which is necessary to Salvation lies so obvious and exposed to all that sinâ—…erely and diligently seek it that no such Person shall ever fail of attaining the Knowledg of it This then is your Answer that Truths necessary to Salvation are obvious so that those who seek them sincerely and diligently are not in danger to be misled or expos'd in those to Error by the Weakness of their Understandings This will be a good Answer to what I objected from the Danger most are in to be led into Error by the Magistrate's adding Force to the Arguments for their National establish'd Religions when you have shewn that nothing is wont to be impos'd in National Religions but what is necessary to Salvation or which will a little better accommodate your Hypothesis when you can shew that nothing is impos'd or requir'd for Communion with the Church of England but what is necessary to Salvation and consequently is very easy and obvious to be known and distinguish'd from Falshood And indeed besides what you say here upon your Hypothesis that Force is lawful only because it is necessary to bring Men to Salvation it cannot be lawful to use it to bring Men to any thing but what is absolutely necessary to Salvation For if the Lawfulness of Force be only from the need Men have of it to bring them to Salvation it cannot lawfully be used to bring Men to that which they do not need or is not necessary to their Salvation for in such an Application of it it is not needful to their Salvation Can you therefore say that there is nothing required to be believ'd and profess'd in the Church of England but what lies so obvious and expos'd to all that sincerely and diligently seek it that no such Person shall ever fail of attaining the Knowledg of it What think you of St. Athanasius's Câ—…eed is the Sense of that so obvious and expos'd to every one who seeks it which so many Learned Men have explain'd so different Ways and which yet a great many profess they cannot understand Or is it necessary to your or my Salvation that you or I should believe and pronounce all those damn'd who do not believe that Creed i. e. every Proposition in it which I fear would extend to not a few of the Church of England unless we can think that People believe i. e. assent to the Truth of Propositions they do not at all understand If ever you were acquainted with a Country-Parish you must needs have a strange Opinion of them if you think all the Plough-Men and Milk-Maids at Church understood all the Propositions in Athanasius's Creed 't is more truly than I should be apt to think of any one of them and yet I cannot hence believe my self authorized to judg or pronounce them all damn'd 't is too bold an Intrenching on the Prerogative of the Almighty to their own Master they stand or fall The Doctrine of Original Sin is that which is profess'd and must be owned by the Members of the Church of England as is evident from the 39 Articles and several Passages in the Liturgy and yet I ask you whether this be so obvious and expos'd to all that diligently and sincerely seek the Truth that one who is in the Communion of the Church of England sincerely seeking the Truth may not raise to himself such Difficulties concerning the Doctrine of Original Sin as may puzzle him though he be a Man of Study and whether he may not push his Enquiries so far as to be stagger'd in his Opinion If you grant me this as I am apt to think you will then I enquire whether it be not true notwithstanding what you say concerning the Plainness and Obviousness of Truths necessary to Salvation that a great part of Mankind may not be able to discern between Truth and Falshood in several Points which are thought so far to concern their Salvation as to be made necessary Parts of the National Religion If you say it may be so then I have nothing farther to enquire but
you do make any use of it you would call it Believing If you mean that the true Religion may be known with the certainty of Knowledg properly so call'd I ask you farther whether that true Religion be to be known by the Light of Nature or needed a Divine Revelation to discover it If you say as I suppose you will the latter then I ask whether the making out of that to be a Divine Revelation depends not upon particular matters of Fact whereof you were no Eye-witness but were done many Ages before you were born and if so by what Principles of Science they can be known to any Man now living The Articles of my Religion and of a great many other such short-sighted People as I am are Articles of Faith which we think there are so good grounds to believe that we are perswaded to venture our Eternal Happiness on that Belief And hope to be of that number of whom our Saviour said Blessed are they that have not seen and yet have believed But we neither think that God requires nor has given us Faculties capable of knowing in this World several of those Truths which are to be believed to Salvation If you have a Religion all whose general Truths are either self-evident or capable of demonstration for matters of Fact are not capable of being any way known but to the by-standers you will do well to let it be known for the ending of Controversies and banishing of Error concerning any of those Points out of the World For whatever may be known besides matter of Fact is capable of demonstration and when you have demonstrated to any one any Point in Religion you shall have my consent to punish him if he do not assent to it But yet let me tell you there are many Truths even in Mathematicks the evidence whereof one Man seeing is able to demonstrate to himself and so may know them which Evidence yet he not being able to make another see which is to demonstrate to him he cannot make known to him though his Scholar be willing and with all his Power applies himself to learn it But granting your Supposition That the one true Religion may be known by those who profess it to be the only true Religion will it follow from hence that because it is knowable to be the true Religion therefore the Magistrate who prosesses it actually knows it to be so Without which Knowledg upon your Principles he cannot use Force to bring Men to it But if you are but at hand to assure him which is the true Religion for which he ought to use Force he is bound to believe you and that will do as well as if he examin'd and knew himself or perhaps better For you seem not well satisfied with what the Magistrates have lately done without your leave concerning Religion in England And I confess the easiest way to remove all Difficulties in the Case is for you to be the Magistrates infallible Guide in matters of Râ—…ligion And therefore you do well here also to keep to your safe Stile lest if your Sense were clear and determin'd it might be more exposed to Exceptions and therefore you tell us the true Religion may be known by those who profess it For not saying by some of those or by all those the Error of what you say is not so easily observed and requires the more trouble to come at Which I shall spare my self here being satisfied that the Magistrate who has so full an imployment of his Thoughts in the Cares of the Government has not an over-plus of leisure to attain that Knowledg which you require and so usually contents himself with believing Your next Supposition is That the one true Religion may also be manifested to be such by theâ—… to others so far at least as to oblige them to receive it and leave them without excuse if they do not That it can be manifested to some so as to oblige i. e. cause them to receive it is evident because it is received But because this seems to be spoken more in reference to those who do not receive it as appears by these following Words of yours Then 't is altogether as plain that it may be very reasonable and necessary for some Men to change their Religion and that it may be made appear to them to be so And then if such Men will not consider what is offer'd to câ—…nvince them of the reasonableness and necessâ—…y of doing it it may be very fit and reasonable you tell me for any thing I have said to the contrary in order to the bringing them to the consideration to require them under convenient Penalties to forsake their false Religions and to embrace the true You suppose the true Religion may be so manifested by a Man that is of it to all Men so far as to leave them if they do not imbrace it without excuse Without Excuse to whom I beseech you to God indeed but not to the Magistrate who can never know whether it has been so manifested to any Man that it has been through his Fault that he has not been convincâ—…d and not through the fault of him to whom the Magistrate committed the care of convincing him And 't is a sufficient exâ—…use to the Magistrate for any one to say to him I have not neglected to consider the Arguments that have been offered me by those whom you have imploy'd to manifest it to me but that yours is the only true Religion I am not Religion Which is so direct and sufficient an Excuse to the Magistrate that had he an express Commission from Heaven to punish all those who did not consider he could not yet justly punish any one whom he could not convince had not consider'd But you endeavour to avoid this by what you infer from this your Supposition viz. That then it may be very fit and reasonable for any thing I have said to the contrary to require Men under convenient Penalties to forsake their false Religions to imbrace the true iâ—…order to the bringing them to consideration Whether I have said any â—…hing to the contrary oâ—… no the Readers must judg and I need not repeat But now I say it is neither just nor reasonable to require Men under Penalties to attain one end in order to bring them to use the means not necessary to that but to another end For where is it you can say unless you will return to your old Supposition of yours being the true Religion which you say is not necessary to your method that Men are by the Law required to forsake their false Religions and imbrace the true The utmost is this in all Countries where the National Religion is imposed by Law Men are required under the Penalties of those Laws outwardly to conform to it which you say is in order to make them consider So that your Punishments are for the attaining one end viz. Conformity in order to make
Miracles to supply a means he no where authorised or appointed How long Miracles continued we shall see anon Say you If we may be allowed to guess this Modesty of yours where you confess you guess is only concerning the time of the continuing of Miracles but as to their supplying the want of coactive Force that you are positive in both here and where you tell us Why Penalties were not necessary at first to make Men to give Ear to the Gospel has already been shewn and a little after the great and wonderful things which were to be done for the evidencing the truth of the Gospel were abundantly sufficient to procure Attention c. How you come to know so undoubtedly that Miracles were made use of to supply the Magistrate's Authority since God no where tells you so you would have done well to shew But in your Opinion Force was necessary and that could not then be had and so God must use Miracles For say you Our Saviour was no Magistrate and therefore could not inflict political Punishments upon any Man so much less could he impower his Apostles to do it Could not our Saviour impower his Apostles to denounce or inflict Punishments on careless or obstinate Unbelievers to make them hear and consider You pronounce very boldly methinks of Christ's Power and set very narrow limits to what at another time you would not deny to be infinite But it was convenient here for your present purpose that it should be so limited But they not being Magistrates he could not impower his Apostles to inflict political Punishments How is it of a sudden that they must be political Punishments You tell us all that is necessary is to lay Briars and Thorns in Mens ways to trouble and disease them to make them consider This I hope our Saviour had power to do if he had found it necessary without the assistance of the Magistrates he could have always done by his Apostles and Ministers if he had so thought â—…it what he did once by St. Peter have drop'd Thorns and Briars into their very Minds that should have pricked troubled and diseased them sufficiently But sometimes it is Briars and Thorns only that you want sometimes it must be Humane Means and sometimes as here nothing will serve your turn but political Punishments just as will best sute your occasion in the Argument you have then before you That the Apostles could lay on Punishments as troublesome and as great as any political ones when they were necessary we see in Ananias and Saphira And he that had all Power given him in Heaven and in Earth could if he had thought â—…it have laid Briars and Thorns in the way of all that received not his Doctrine You add But as he could not punish Men to make them hear him so neither was there any need that he should He came as a Prophet sent from God to reveal a new Doctrine to the World and therefore to prove his Mission he was to do such things as could only be done by a Divine Power And the Works which he did were abundantly sufficien both to gain him a hearing and to oblige the World to receive his Doctrine Thus the want of Force and Punishments are supplied How far so far as they are supposed necessary to gain a hearing and so far as to oblige the World to receive Christ's Doctrine whereby as I suppose you mean sufficient to lay an Obligation on them to receive his Doctrine and render them inexcusable if they did not But that they were not sufficient to make all that saw them effectually to receive and imbrace the Gospel I think is evident and you will not I imagine say that all who saw Christ's Miracles believed on him So that Miracles were not to supply the want of such Force as was to be continued on Men to make them consider as they ought i. e. till they imbraced the Truth that must save them For we have little reason to think that our Saviour or his Apostles contended with their neglect or refusal by a constant train of Miracles continued on to those who were not wrought upon by the Gospel preached to them St. Matthew tells us XIII 57. that he did not many mighty works in his own Country because of their Unbelief much less were Miracles to supply the want of Force in that use you make of it where you tell us it is to punish the fault of not being of the true Religion For we do not find any miraculously punished to bring them in to the Gospel So that the want of Force to either of these purposes not being supplied by Miracles the Gospel 't is plain subsisted and spread it self without Force so made use of and without Miracles to supply the want of it ' and therefore it so far remains true that the Gospel having the same Beauty Force and Reasonableness now as it had at the beginning it wants not Force to supply the defect of Miracles to that for which Miracles were no where made use of And so far at least the Experiment is good and this Assertion true that the Gospel is able to prevail by its own Light and Truth without the continuance of Force on the same Person or punishing Men foâ—… not being of the true Religion You say Our Saviour being no Magistrate could not inslict Political Punishments much less could be impower his Apostles to do in I know not what need there is that it should be political so there were so much Punishment used as you say is sufficient to make Men consider it is not necessary it should come from this or that Hand or if there be any odds in that we should be apt to think it would come best and most effectually from those who preached the Gospel and could tell them it was to make them consider than from the Magistrate who neither doth nor according to your Scheme can tell them it is to make them consider And this Power you will not deny but our Saviour could have given to the Aposâ—…les But if there were such absolute need of Political Punishments Titus or Trajan might as well have been converted as Constantinâ—… For how true it is that Miracles supplied the want of Force front those Days till Constantine's and then ceased we shall see by and by I say not this to enter boldly into the Counsels of God 〈◊〉 to take upon me to consure the Conduct of the Almighty or to call his Providence to an account but to answer your saying Our Sâ—…viour was no Magistrate and therefore could not inflict Political Punishments For he could have had both Magistrates and Political Punishments at his Service if he had thought sit and needed not to have continued Miracles longer than there was necessity for evincing the Truth of the Christian Religion as you imagine to supply the want of the Magistrate's Assistance by Force which is necessary But how come
one will deny Christian Magistrates to have that Power Since the Commission of the Law of Nature to Magistrates being only that general one of doing Good according to the best of their Judgments if that extends to the use of Force in Matters of Religion it will abundantly more oppose than promote the True Religion if Force in the case has any Efficacy at all and so do more harm than good Which though it shews not what you here demand that it can not do any Service towards the Salvation of Mens Souls for that cannot be shewn of any thing yet it shews the Disservice it does is so much more than any Service can be expected from it that it can never be proved that God has given Power to Magistrates to use it by the Commission they have of doing Good from the Law of Nature But 〈◊〉 you tell me Till I have 〈◊〉 that Force and Penalties cannot do any Service towards â—…he Saâ—…ation of Souls there will be no occaâ—…ion for the Caution I gave you not to be wiser than our Maker in that stupendous and supernatural Work you have forgot your own 〈◊〉 That it is not enough to authorize the use of Force that it may be useful if it be not also necessary And when you can prove such Means necessary which though it cannot be shewn never upon any occasion to do any Service yet may be and is abundantly shewn to do so little Service and so uncertainly that if it be used it will if it has any Efficacy do more harm than good If you can I say prove such a Means as that necessary I think I may yield you the Cause But the use of it has so much certain Harm and so little and uncertain Good in it that it can never be suppos'd included or intended in the general Commission to the Magistrates of doing good Which may serve for an Answer to your next Paragraph Only let me take notice that you here make this Commission of the Law of Nature to extend the use of Force only to induce those who would not otherwise to hear what may and ought to move them to imbrace the Truth They have heard all that is offered to move them to imbrace i. e. believe but are not moved Is the 〈◊〉 by the Law of Nature commission'd to punish them for what is not in their Power for Faith is the Gift of God and not in a Man's Power Or is the Magistrate commission'd by the Law of Nature which impowers him in general only to do them good Is he I say commission'd to make them lie and 〈◊〉 that which they do not believe And is this for their good If he punish them till they imbrace i. e. believe he punishes them for what is not in their Power if till they imbrace i. e. barely prosess he punishes them for what is not for their good To neither of which can he be commission'd by the Law of Nature To my saying Till you can shew us a 〈◊〉 in Scripture it will be fit for us to obey that 〈◊〉 of the Gospel Mark 4. 24. which bids us take â—…eed what we 〈◊〉 You reply That this you suppose is only intended for the 〈◊〉 Reader For it ought to be renderd Attend to what you hear which you prove out of 〈◊〉 What if I or my Readers are not so learned as to understand either the Greek Original or 〈◊〉 Latin Comment Or if we did are we to be blamed for understanding the Scripture in that Sense which the National i. e. as you say the True Reliâ—…ion authorizes and which you tell us would be a Fault in us if we did not believe For if as you suppose there be sufficient Provision made in England for instructing all Men in the Truth we cannot then but take the Words in this Sense it being that which the Publick Authority has given them for if we are not to follow the Sense as it is given us in the Transtation authorized by our Governors and used in our Worship establish'd by Law but must seek it elsewhere 't will be hard to find how there is any other Provision made for instructing Men in the Sense of the Scripture which is the Truth that must save them but to leave them to their own Inquiry and Judgment and to themselves to take whom they think best for Interpreters and Expounders of Scripture and to quit that of the True Church which she has given in her Translation This is the Liberty you take to differ from the True Church when you think â—…it and it will serve your purpose She says take take what you hear but you say the true Sense is 〈◊〉 to what you hear Methinks you should not be at such variance with Distenters for after all nothing is so like a Nonconformist as a Conformist Though it be certainly every one's Right to understand the Scripture in that Sense which appears truest to him yet I do not see how you upon your Principles can depart from that which the Church of England has given it but you I ndâ—… when you think fit take that Liberty and so much Liberty as that would I think satisfy all the 〈◊〉 in England As to your other place of Scripture if St. Paul as it seems to me in that Xth to the Romans were shewing that the Gentiles were provided with all things necessary to Salvation as well as the Jews and that by having Men sent to them to preach the Gospel that Provision was made what you say in the two next Paragraphs will shew us that you understand that the Greek Word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies both Hearing and Report but does no more answer the Force of those two Verses against you than if you had spared all you said with your Greek Criticism The Words of St. Paul are these How then shall they call on him on whom they have not believed And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard And how shall they hear without a Preacher And how shall they preach except they be sent So then Faith cometh by Hearing and Hearing by the Word of God In this Deduction of the Means of propagating the Gospel we may well suppose St. Paul would have put in Miracles or Penalties if as you say one of them had been necessary But whether or no every Reader will think St. Paul set down in that place all necessary Means I know not but this I am consident he will think that the New Testament does and then I ask Whether there be in it one word of Force to be used to bring Men to be Christians or to hearken to the good Tidings of Salvation offer'd in the Gospel To my asking What if God for Reasons best known to Himself would not have Men compell'd You answer If he would not have them compell'd now Miracles are ceased as far as moderate Penalties compel otherwise you are not concern'd
People be wrought on without it If a Papist at Rome a Lutheran at Stockholm or a Calvinist at Geneva should argue thus for his Church would you not say that such as these look'd like the Thoughts of a poor prejudiced narrow Mind But they may mistake and you cannot they may be prejudiced but you cannot Say too if you please you are confident you are in the Right but they cannot be confident that they are so This I am sure God's Thoughts are not as Man's Thoughts nor his Ways as Man's Ways Isai. LV. 8. And it may abate any one's Confidence of the necessity or use of Punishments for not receiving our Saviour or his Religion when those who had the power of Miracles were told that they knew not what manner of Spirit they were of when they would have commanded down Fire from Heaven But you do well to take care to have the Church you are of supported by Force and Penalties whatever becomes of the Propagation of the Gospel or the Salâ—…ation of Mens Souls in other parts of the World as not coming within your Hypothesis In your next Paragraph to prove that God does bless the use of Force you say you suppose I mean by the Words you there cite that the Magistrate has no ground to hope that God will bless any Penalties that he may use to bring Men to hear and consider the Doctrine of Salvation or which is the same thing that God does not at least not ordinarily afford his Grace and Assistance to them who are brought by such Penalties to hear and consider that Doctrine to enable them to hear and consider it as they ought i. e. so as to be moved heartily to imbrace it You tell me If this be my Meaning then to let me see that it is not true you shall only desire me to tell you whether they that are so brought to hear and consider are bound to believe the Gospel or not If I say they are and you suppose I dare not say otherwise then it evidently follows that God does afford them that Grace which is requisite to enable them to believe the Gospel Because without that Grace it is impossible for them to believe it and they cannot be bound to believe what it is impossible for them to believe To which I shall only answer That by this irrefragable Argument it is evident that where-ever due Penalties have been used for those you tell us are sufficient and competent Means to make Men hear and consider as they ought there all Men were brought to believe the Gospel which whether you will resolve with your self to be true or false will be to me indifferent and on either hand equally advantage your Cause Had you appeal'd to Eperience for the Success of the use of Force by the Magistrate your Argument had not shewn half so much depth of Theological Learning But the Mischief is that if you will not make it all of a piece Scholastick and by arguing that all whom the Magistrates use Force upon are brought to consider as they ought and to all that are so wrought upon God does afford that Grace which is 〈◊〉 and so roundly conclude for a greater Success of Force to make Men believe the Gospel than ever our Saviour and the Apostles had by their Preaching and Miracles for that wrought not on all your unanswerable Argument comes to nothing And in truth as you have in this Paragraph ordered the matter by being too sparing of your abstract Metaphysical Reasoning and imploying it but by halves we are fain after all to come to the dull way of Experience and must be forced to count as the Parson does his Communicantes by his Easter-Book how many those are that are so broughs to hear and consider to know how far God blesses Penalties Indeed were it to be measur'd by conforming the Easter-Book would be a good Register to determin it But since you put it upon Believing that will be of some-what a harder Disquisition To my saying upon that place out of Isaiah VI. 10. Make the Heart of this People fat lest they understand and convert and be healed Will all the Force you can use be a means to make such People hear and understand and be converted You reply No sir it will not But what then What if God declares that he will not heal those who have long resisted all his ordinary Methods and made themselves morally speaking incurable by them Which is the utmost you say I can make of the Words I quote Will it follow from thence that no good can be done by Penalties upon others who are not so far gone in Wickedness and Obstinacy If it will not as it is evident it will not to what purpose is this said It is said to this purpose viz. to shew that Force ought not to be used at all Those ordinary Methods which resisted are punished with a Reprobate Sense are the ordinary Methods of Instruction without Force as is evident by this place and many others particularly Rom. I. From whence I argue That what State soever you will suppose Men in either as past or not yet come to the Day of Grace no Body can be justified in using Force to work upon them For till the ordinary Methods of Instruction and Persuasion can do no more Force is not necessary for you cannot say what other Means is there left and so by your own Rule not lawful For till God hath pronounced this Sentence here on any one Make his Heart fat c. the ordinary Means of Instruction and Perswasion may by the assistance of God's Grace prevail And when this Sentence is once passed upon them and God will not afford them his Grace to 〈◊〉 them I take it you confess in this place I am sure you must confess your Force to be wholly useless and so utterly 〈◊〉 Unless that can be pertinent to be used which you own can do nothing So that whether it will follow or no from Mens being given up to a Reprobate Mind for having resisted the preaching of Salvation That no good can be done by Penalties upon others this will follow that not knowing whether Preaching may not by the Grace of God yet work upon them or whether the Day of Grace be past with them neither you nor any Body else can say that Force is necessary and if it be not necessary you your self tell us it is not to be used In your next Paragraph you complain of me as representing your Argument as you say I commonly do as if you allow'd any Magistrate of what Religion soever to lay Penalties upon all that dissent from him Unhappy Magistrates that have not your allowance But to console them I imagine they will 〈◊〉 that they are all under the same Obligation one as another to propagate the Religion they believe to be the true whether you allow it them or no. For to go no farther than the first
necessary Means of Force in the way you contend for reaches no farther than to bring Men to a bare outward Conformity to the Church of England wherein you can â—…dately affirm that it is presumable that all that are of it are so upon Reason and Conviction I suppose there needs no more to be said to convince the World what Party you write for The Party you write for is God you say But if all you have said aims or amounts to nothing more than that the Church of England as now establish'd by Law in its Doctrines Ceremonies and Discipline should be supported by the Power of the Magistrate and Men by Force be driven into it I fear the World will think you have very narrow Thoughts of God or that that is not the Party you write for 'T is true you all along speak of bringing Men to the True Religion But to evidence to you that by the one only True Religion you mean only that of the Church of England I tell you that upon your Principles you cannot name any other Church now in the World and I again demand of you to do it for the promoting whereof or punishing Dissenters from it the Magistrate has the same Right to use Force as you pretend he has here in England Till you therefore name some such other True Church and True Religion besides that of England your saying that God is the Party you write for will rather shew that you make bold with his Name than that you do not write for another Party You say too you write not for any Party but the Soâ—…s of Men. You write indeed and contend earnestly that Men should be brought into an outward Conformity to the Church of England But that they imbrace that Profession upon Reason and Conviction you are content to have it presumable without any farther Enquiry or Examination And those who are once in the outward Communion of the National Church however ignorant or irreligious they are you leave there 〈◊〉 by your only competent Means Force without which you tell us the True Religion by its own Light and Strength is not able to prevail against Mens Lusts and the Corruption of Nature so as to be consider'd as it ought and heartily imbraced And this drop'd not from your Pen by chance But you professedly make Excuses for those of the National Religion who are ignorant of the Grounds of it And give us Reasons why Force cannot be used to those who outwardly conform to make them consider so as sincerely to imbrace believe and obey the Truth that must save them But the â—…verend Author of the Pastoral Care tell you PARTY is the true Name of making Converts except they become at the same time good Men. If the use of Force be necessary for the Salvation of Souls and Mens Souls be the Party you write for you will be suspected to have betrayed your Party if your Method and necessary Means of Salvation reach no farther than to bring Men to outward Conformity though to the True Church and after that abandons them to their Lusts and depraved Natures destitute of the help of Force your necessary and competent Means of Salvation This way of managing the Matter whatever you intend â—…ms rather in the Fitness of it to be for another Party But since you assure us you write for nothing but God and Mens Souls it can only be said you had a good Intention but ill Luck since your Scheme put into the Language of the Country will sit any National Church and Clergy in the World that can but suppose it self the True and that I presume none of them will fail to do You were more than ordinary reserv'd and gracious when you tell me That what Party I write for you will not undertake to say But having told me that my Letter tends to the promoting of 〈◊〉 in Religion you thought 't is like that was sufficient to shew the Party I write for and so you might safely end your Letter with Words that looked like civil But that you may another time be a little better informed what Party I write for I will tell you They are those who in every Nation â—…ear God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and are accepted with him and not those who in every Nation are zealous for Humane Constitutions cry up nothing so much as outward Conâ—…ormity to the National Religion and are accepted by those who are the Promoters of it Those that I write for are those who according to the Light of their own Conâ—…ences are every-where in earnest in Matters of their own Salvation without any desire to impose on others A Party so seldom favour'd by any of the Powers or Sects of the World A Party that has so few Preferments to bestow so few 〈◊〉 to reward the â—…ndeavours of any one who appears for it that I conclude I shall easily be believ'd when I say that neither Hopes of Preferment nor a Design to recommend my self to those I live amongst has 〈◊〉 my Understanding or misled me in my Undertaking So much Truth as serves the turn of any particular Church and can be accommodated to the narrow Interest of some Humane Constitution is indeed often received with applause and the Publisher finds his account in it But I think I may say Truth in its full Latitude of those generous Principles of the Gospel which so much recommend and inculcate universal Charity and a Freedom from the Inventions and Impositions of Men in the things of God has so seldom had a fair and favourable Hearing any where that he must be very ignorant of the History and Nature of Man however dignified and distinguish'd who proposes to himself any secular Advantage by writing for her at that rate As to your Request in the Close of your Letter I hope this will satisfy you that you might have spar'd it And you with the rest of the World will see that all I 〈◊〉 in my former Letter was so true that you need not have given me any caution for the future As to the 〈◊〉 of what I say I doubt whether I shall please you Because I find by your last Letter that what is brought by me to shew the Weakness Absurdities or 〈◊〉 of what you write you are very apt to call 〈◊〉 and nothing to the purpose You must pardon me therefore if I have endeavour'd more to please other Readers than you in that Point I hope they will find in what I have said not much besides the matter But to a Man who supposing himself in the right builds all upon that Supposition and takes it for an Injury to have that Privilege deny'd him To a Man who would soveraignly decide for all the World what is the True Religion and thereby impower what Magistrates he thinks fit and what not to use Force To 〈◊〉 a Man not to seem 〈◊〉 would be really to be so This makes me pleas'd with your Reply to so many