Tribunal of God and yet be very justly condemned by the Magistrate Thus for instance If a Man has committed Theft or Murther and upon a sincere and hearty Repentance has obtained the Pardon of his Sins from God yet nevertheless if such a Person be accused and legally convicted of such Crimes before the Civil Magistrate He not only may but ought to put the Law of the Land in Execution agninst him though he believes him to be ever so penitent That it may be a Terrour unto others For if this ought not to be done every Malefactor by a pretence of Repentance which cannot certainly be discovered by any but God might escape the Lash of the Law By which Means all wicked Men would be encouraged to commit all sorts of Crimes Thus also when the Children of Israel were commanded by God to conquer the Land of Canaan we read how they sent Spies to make a Discovery of the Land that they might the more easily invade it Now it is most certain that these Spies did nothing but what they had God Almighty's Warrant for and yet if they had been taken by any of the Canaanitish Magistrates and legally convicted of their Design Who doubts but that it had been lawful for them to have punished them according to the Law of War and the Law of Nations For it is none of the Magistrates Business to enquire who keeps or transgresses the Laws of God for the Law of God extends to many Cases where the Magistrate's Authority has nothing to do but they who transgress the Laws of the Land and thereby disturb the Peace of the Common-wealth are upon a due Conviction to be punished by the Magistrate without any farther Enquiry it being his Business to do every thing which appears to be necessary for the Preservation of the Weal-Publick provided that he does nothing which is contrary to the known Laws of God who is the supreme King and Lord of all XXXVI But Fifthly it will be objected That whatever becomes of the civil Magistrate's Power yet this Doctrine which here is taught must certainly defeat and cancel all that Authority with which the Church is endowed and invested For though the civil Magistrate has no more to look after but only the Peace and Preservation of the Common-Wealth yet surely it is the Duty of the Church to take Cognizance of those things which are committed merely against the Law of God But how can the Church call any Man to an Account for any Sin or Transgression when a Man may plead for himself That he thought it was his Duty which Plea if really true and who but God can disprove it is sufficient according to this Doctrine to justifie him before God and consequently to indemnifie him from all Censures of the Church To this I answer That the Authority of the Church i. e. of a Christian Society is twofold viz. Either that Authority wherewith it is invested immediately by God or that which is conferred on it by the civil Laws and Constitutions of the Kingdom or Commonwealth The latter of these is a civil Authority though exercised by Ecclesiastical Persons because it is derived altogether from the civil Power And therefore the Consideration of it must be referred to what is but now said touching the civil Magistrate But as for that Authority which is given to the Church immediately by God it is evidently no more than this viz. An Authority to preach the Gospel and to perswade Men every where to receive it and an Authority to exclude those Men out of the Society that is out of the visible Communion of it who do not profess the true Christian Faith and live according to the Christian Law Other Authority than this does not appear to be given to the Church by God And nothing that I have said does in the least tend to abridge them any way as to the Exercise of this Power The Church may and ought to preach the Gospel and perswade men to embrace it And however any Man may be excused before God by invincible Ignorance yet he is not to be suffered in the visible Communion of the Church if he does not believe and live as a Christian XXXVII Sixthly it may be objected that I have several times in this Discourse made use of a Distinction which Distinction is nevertheless render'd altogether useless and impertinent by the main Design of the Discourse it self The Distinction is between necessary Matters of Religion and such as are not necessary which is referred to ◠26. and elsewhere But if no Man can be obliged in any Matter of Religion any farther than to do his best Endeavour from thence it must follow That all things are alike necessary in Religion For whatsoever is within a Man's Power according to this Doctrine is necessary for him and whatsoever is not within his Power is not necessary so that the very same thing may be necessary in Respect of one Man and not necessary in Respect of another which confounds the Distinction and renders it useless To this I answer That by things necessary I mean all such as it is a Sin for a Man to be ignorant of if the Knowledge of them be within his Power Such as are That Jesus is the Son of God That God is to be worshipped c. By things not necessary I mean Such as a Man is not obliged so much as to search after the lgnorance whereof shall not be accounted sinful before God although it might have been in a Man's Power to have known them Such are a great many curious Speculations which Divines do trouble themselves and the World with which they themselves do yet confess are not necessary to any Man's Salvation and consequently which a Man is no more obliged to trouble his Head with than with any Problems either in Geometry or Natural Philosophy XXXVIII Seventhly It may be objected That this Doctrine must needs encourage Men to continue in their Ignorance and not to take any Care or Pains to inform themselves concerning the Truth of Religion or any of the Duties of it For Why should a Man take any Pains to get more Knowledge which will it may be bring Trouble in the Practice of it when Ignorance is no manner of Bar to his Salvation For let him but live according to the Knowledge which he already has and God it seems requires no more from him To this I answer That for a Man to act according to the best of his Knowledge will not serve his turn except he has used his best Endeavour by all Means to know and understand the Will of God as perfectly as He can as I have shewn all Men are bound to do § 14. Which though it is a Comfort to those who are ignorant and cannot help it yet is no manner of Encouragement or Excuse for those whose Ignorance is their own Fault or Neglect XXXIX My Reason having thus brought me to embrace the Christian Religion
that way which he thinks to be the truest from hence it will follow That two Men who are contrary one to another in the Point of Religion may yet both be in the right Way to Heaven and a Turk or a Heathen may be saved as well as a Christian if they are but strongly persuaded that they are in the right I answer First That if the Objection means that I leave every Man to his own Reason and Understanding without any other help to find out the Trut of Religion it is a mistake For I have asserted That every Man according to the Measure of his Learning ought to make use of all the Means and Helps he can to understand the Scriptures and the Will of God See § 14. and § 25. But if the Meaning be That I leave every Man to chuse that Religion which after a serious Enquiry appears to him to be the best which is all that I contend for In this I say no more than what all Men must and do say as well as I. For either a Man must never enquire into the Truth of his Religion at all and then he chuses his Religion by mere chance and since there are many false Religions and but one true 't is great odds but he lights upon a wrong one Or if he does enquire either he must chuse that which he thinks not to be the best and then he acts against his Conscience or that which he thinks is the best Which is what I assert and what every Man of Sense professes himself to do Secondly As there are many Differences in the Notions and Sentiments of Men concerning those things which are in some measure abstruse and obscure so on the other side there are many things so apparent and evident that Men who are sincere and unbyassed if they have but common Sense can never differ about them Amongst which I think I may reckon all those things which God requires of necessity to any Man's Salvaton § 3. And whereas the World has for these many Years found that compelling Men to this or that Religion contrary to their own Sentiments has been so far from begetting Unity of any sort that on the contrary it has even distracted Mankind not only with Variety of Opinions each Party taking a delight to thwart other but also with War and Confusion If every Man were left to himself to follow what Religion he pleases as he shall answer to God for his Sincerity it is very probable that most Men having no Worldly Interest to serve by this or that Religion would in time be brought to agree in all the great and necessary Truths of Religion which are plain and evident to every sober and inquisitive Person And as for things not absolutely necessary and of an inferiour sort as I have said § 26. if Men would be but peaceable their Mistakes and consequently their Differences about them could do no great harm But if Men will still differ even about the essential and necessary Parts of Religion I know no Remedy for it upon Earth but must refer the Matter wholly to the Judgment of God in Heaven Thirdly I do not maintain That he who is in an Errour that is a Turk or an Heathen whatsoever the strength and sincerity of his Persuasion may be is in as sure a Way to Heaven and Salvation as he who is an Orthodox-Man and a Christian How God will deal with those that are mistaken and cannot help it I do not determine All that I would insinuate § 14. is That he will not punish any Man for any Errour or Mistake which he falls into through a pure Desect of his Understanding and not through any Fault or Neglect of his Will But how far he will reward such a Person for his good Meaning is more than I can tell XXXV Fourthly It may be objected That this Doctrine does in effect undermine and enervate the Force and Power of all Civil Government by opening a Way for all Malefactors to escape Punishment how great soever their Crimes may be If such a Person should plead thus for himself That he was fully persuaded in his Mind and Conscience that it was the Will of God that he should commit such a Thest or Murther of which he is accused and that therefore according to this Doctrine it was his Duty in the sight of God to act according to this Persuasion The Magistrate who knows not the Hearts of Men can never be able certainly to discover but that this is a real Truth that he was so persuaded And if every Man in all the Duties of Religion is bound to act according to his own Sense and Persuasion of Things with what Conscience can a Magistrate punish such a Person for that Fact which for ought he knows it was his Duty to commit I will not say but that it may so fall out that a Man may think it to be his Duty to commit the most horrid Villanies since Jesus Christ himself assures his Disciples That the Time would come that whoso killed them would think he did God Service Joh. 16. 2. And how far God Almighty will be merciful unto such Persons who commit such Facts out of pure Ignorance and not out of Malice I had rather St. Paul should determine than I. See 1 Tim. 1. 13. But to the Objection I think it sufficient to answer That the Civil Magistrate as well as other Men is bound to act according to the clearest Conviction and strongest Persuasion of his own Mind If therefore upon the Examination of all Circumstances he be well satisfied and really believes that such a Plea from a Malefactor is no real Truth but only a mese Trick and Pretence in hopes to escape Punishment he ought to take no notice of it but to pronounce his Sentence according to the Law But that which comes up close to the Objection and which I think is the fullest and truest Answer is this viz. That the Civil Magistrate has nothing to do to enquire or regard how the Matter stands between God and the Conscience of the Transgressor of the Law of the Land so as to be thereby any way influenced in the Passing his Judgment It is enough to him if he be well and throughly convinced that the Laws by which he acts are no way contrary to the known Law of God There are many Cases wherein a Man offends highly against the Law of God in which the Civil Magistrate has no Power to inflict any Punishment on the Offender because the Fault which he may have committed does not it may be any way tend to the damage or disturbance of the Civil Society Which and which only is committed to the Care of the Magistrate Such for Example are many Acts of Covetousness or of Prodigality and other Sins against which it is not possible to provide by any Humane Laws And on the other side There are some Cases wherein a Man may stand absolved before the
Society have not certain Laws and Rules to proceed by in all such cases and some certain persons to put those Laws in execution every Man would take upon him to be his own Judge and what might feem fit and reasonable to one might appear otherwise to another of a contrary interest from whence perpetual Factions and Confusion must needs follow But there is no reason that any one or more of such a Society without the consent of the rest should take upon them to make Laws for or exercise Authority over the whole Community For if it were in every Mans power to make himself a Magistrate all might set up to be Rulers and few or none would be Subjects which would bring in Confusion and destroy the Society But when the whole Society do agree and consent that such certain persons shall have the exercising of such certain Powers which originally are in the Body of the Society it self it is then lawful for those persons to act accordingly and they who have consented to their Authority are by virtue of that Consent obliged to pay Obedience to them I conclude therefore that the Original of Magistrates is from the Consent of the People since there is no other solid ground that I can find upon which to establish them And when once a legislative and executive Power is thus setled and established by the consent of a People who acquiesce in it and upon all occasions take shelter under its Protection it is to be looked upon as ratified and confirmed by God's own appointment and Subjection and Obedience is accordingly to be paid to it by every particular person who abides within the precincts of its Juridiction For this was the very case of the Roman Government which was in St. Paul's time and there is exactly the same reason for it in all other Kingdoms and Common-wealths whatsoever 47. Since then Magistracy derives it self wholly from the Consent of the People from hence it will follow that the Original Rule of the Magistrates Power and the Subjects obedience is that Consent which the People has given or in other terms those Laws and Constitutions of the place in which the Body of the Nation have acquiesced Beyond which neither any Magistrate ought to command nor is any Subject bound to obey For where there is no Law there can be no Transgression nor any Obligation to Obedience nor consequently any Right to Command 48. But if the legislative Power of any Nation do enact any thing which is contrary to the express Law of God or the eternal Laws of good and evil No particular Man can be bound to obey such a Constitution For the Authority of God ought to weigh more with us than that of any Community whatsoever And it is expressly ruled in Scripture that we ought to obey God rather than Man 49. And the same Reason viz. Self-preservation which allows a Society thus setled into a Government to punish Malefactors within themselves must also justifie them it by force of Arms they defend themselves against any foreign Enemy which would wrong or oppress them or endeavour to recover their Right from those who have taken it from them and refuse to restore it For otherwise it were in vain for a Community to hope to subsist by maintaining good Order and Discipline at home if all the while they must without remedy lye continually exposed to the Wrongs and Insults of every Enemy which may assault them from abroad I conclude therefore that War whether defensive or offensive may in many cases be very just and lawful Nor is there the least word throughout the Holy Scriptures which may represent the Profession of a Soldier who fights under a lawful Authority as any way contrary to Religion and a good Conscience Tho such a Man certainly ought not only to exercise his calling with as much Mildness and Humanity as can be consistent with the service of his Country but also ever to satisfie himself first of the lawfulness of the Cause in which he engages before he draws his Sword in the Quarrel For as we are obliged to do no hurt to any Man whatsoever if we can avoid it so for the very same reason ought we not to become instrumental in any Wrong or Injustice which another Man let him be who he will intends to do 50. That an humble Demeanour together with a reasonable Diligence and an honest Fidelity to his Master is the Duty of every Servant is most apparent because if a Servant be either haughty negligent or unfaithful he ceases in effect to be a Servant And on the other side that Justice and Humanity are no less the Duty of a Master towards his Servant is altogether as clear because where these are not observed the Condition of a Servant must be intolerable and contrary to that comfortable state which we suppose God to design for all Men and therefore for Servants who are as much Men and as much valued by God and for whom Christ died as well as for their Masters 51. That all Christians are or according to Christs Institution ought to be combined together into one Society which is called the Church I have already said Part 2. § 40. Now in all such incorporated Societies these three things are ever to be considered 1. What is the Design of the person or persons who first gather and institute them 2. What Advantage accrues to those who become Members of them And 3dly what are the Laws and Rules to be observed by the whole Body and every Member of it The Design of our Saviour Jesus Christ who at the Will of his heavenly Father instituted and embodied the Christian Church was to purifie unto himself a peculiar People zealous of good works or in other terms by this Incorporation so made more effectually to promote the practice of Virtue and Godliness in the World The benefit and advantage which every true Member of this Church may propose to himself is the participation of God's Grace and assistance here for the better performance of his Duty and the enjoyment of everlasting Happiness hereafter both which are promised to us by God in and through Christ Jesus our Saviour And lastly the Laws of the Christian Church are either 1. The general Laws of Piety and Morality of which I have hitherto been giving an account or 2. Such particular Constitutions as are proper to it considered as a congregated and incorporated Body of Men which I have reserved to be treated of in the last place of all 52. The first thing which is incumbent on every Man as or rather in order to become a Member of the Christian Church is to be baptized in the Name of the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost Which Ceremony is intended to put us in mind of that Purity and Cleanness from sin to which we ought to bring our Souls by a virtuous and holy life And altho to wet or wash the Body with Water may
of necessity be outwardly expressed in Words because there is no other way of keeping their Thoughts wherein their Worship does consist united and joyned together And since Words not understood are in effect the same with no Words at all I conclude that the Language wherein the Worship of any Church or Congregation is offered up to God must always be such as is well understood by the Assembly of the People who meet together Nor does even the Doctrine of Transubstantiation amaze me more than that the Church of Rome should own the 14th Chapter of St. Paul's first Epistle to the Corinthians to be the Word of God and yet have all their publick Services every where performed in the Latine Tongue only which is not now understood by the generality of any Nation in the World 61. As Peace and Vnity mutual Love and good Agreement amongst the Members of every Society together with Order and Decency in all that is transacted amongst them absolutely necessary to the being and continuance or at least to the well-being of the Society it self so are they carefully prescribed and inculcated by Christ and his Apostles as things to be always preserved and maintained in the Christian Church And as he who first occasions the violation of any of them is plainly guilty of a very great sin so in all Matters that are not particularly and clearly determined by God's Law we cannot propose a better and safer Rule to our selves than always to do that which tends most to the advancement and preservation of them 62. If some certain time be not determined for Christians to meet together for God's Worship which every Man may know of before it comes and accordingly prepare himself for it by laying aside for that time his worldly Business Disorder and Confusion which is the natural Consequence of Uncertainty must needs follow That one Day at least in seven was expressly required by God under the Mosaick Law to be sanctified and set a part for his Service is beyond dispute That the Observation of the Jewish Sabbath or the last Day of the Week is not required from the Christian Church to me seems very evident from St. Paul's reckoning it amongst the transitory Shadows of the old Law Col. 2. 17. But that we Christians ought not to be behind-hand with the Jews in setting apart a proportion of our time for God's Service I think will follow as well from the great Mercies which we have received from him for which we no less than they ought to shew and express our Thankfulness as also from that general Rule which our Saviour has given us that our Righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees And that accordingly one Day in seven namely the First Day of the Week which in Scripture is therefore called the Lord's Day Rev. 1. 10. has ever been so set apart for the Service of God in all Christian Churches I presume will be denied by none As also that the Reason of the Apostles making choice of this particular Day was in remembrance of our Saviour's glorious Resurrection which on that Day was performed and whereby their Faith in him which began to waver was confirmed and raised above all doubt or diffidence Now since no Reason can be given or so much as imagined why this Day should be changed for any other Day of the Week I do from what has been said conclude that the Lord's Day or First Day of the Week ought for ever to be kept holy in the Christian Church and particularly dedicated to the Service of God And where either the Church universal or any particular Church has set aside any other days to be kept holy in remembrance either of any of God's Mercies to us or of the Martyrdom of any of his chosen Saints who sealed the Truth of the Gospel with their Lives and transmitted it so confirmed down unto us or as Days of Fasting or Abstinence in order to humble our selves before God for our Sins since in all this there is nothing contrary to God's Law nor any thing but what may be well consistent with and serviceable to true Piety It will follow from what I have said § 61. That every Member of such a Church is obliged to keep and observe these same other Holy Days so far as no way to give Scandal disturb the Order or break the Peace of the Church which has established them 63. Order and Decency necessarily require that all the outward circumstances of Worship which God himself has not determined by his own Law should be so setled by the Church as that all Confusion and Unseemliness therein may as much as is possible be avoided But care on the other side ought ever to be taken that Modes and Ceremonies be not so multiplied as to become uneasy and burdensome or distract the Devotion of the People Now there being no such fixed and demonstrable Rules of Decency and Order but what will have a different relish with different Men according to their several Educations and Customs to which they may have been used it will be very difficult if not impossible for any Church so to regulate these external matters as to please every Mans Fancy and give disgust to none For what some may think to be but decent others may take to be too formal or pompous and what these may apprehend to be suitable to the Simplicity of Christianity another sort may look on as mean and jejune As therefore the Church in this case can do no more but act according to the best of her Prudence so since every Man cannot expect to have his particular Fancy in these things pleased and gratified It will evidently appear to be the Duty of each private Christian so far to comply with every such constitution of the Church where he dwells provided there be nothing in it which is sinful as not to break the Peace and Unity or disturb the Order of the Church on that account But if any Church shall offer to impose any Ceremonies or practices whatsoever which God has not prescribed and which therefore are in themselves indifferent not for Decency and Order but as things in themselves Holy or absolutely necessary to Salvation as some of old would have done by the Jewish Ceremonies with such Impositions as these no Christian ought at all to comply nor suffer his Religion or Conscience to be thus burthened But every Man must stand fast in that Liberty wherewith Christ has made us free tho at the same time he must be very careful not to pretend or use this Liberty as a Cloke of Maliciousness 64. Since different Opinions in matters of Religion are generally apt to beget Dissensions and Animosities between those who entertain them as our dayly Experience does abundantly testifie It ought to be the Church's and every private Christian's endeavour that all Men may become of one and the same Judgment or at least that there may be as few Differences amongst them as
is possible When therefore any religious Dispute arises whereby the Church's Peace and Unity is like to be endangered It is free and proper for Nor is there any thing which should hinder either the Church universal or any particular Church or even any prudent Men whatsoever to declare and publish their sense of the matter in debate But as no Man can be obliged to believe the Determination of any Church or party whatsoever any farther than he is convinced and satisfied of its agreement with Reason and the Holy Scriptures Part 2. § 1 and 2. so is not any Man bound to oppose or dispute even against an Error it self except there be something in it which is injurious to Christian Faith or practice and consequently which may prove pernicious to Men's Salvation And therefore if such a Mistake which may have prevailed in any Church cannot well be rectified without endangering the breach of Peace and Charity because they who hold it it may be are obstinately wedded to it I think it is the Duty of us all to be very tender in such a case and to permit every Man freely to abound in his own Sense until such time as God shall think fit to bring them to a clearer sight of the Truth And by no means to renounce the Communion of any Church on the account of any Error that is not damnable and much less on account only of such Terms or Expressions as are but abstruse or of doubtful signification For otherwise since the Apprehensions of Men are so very different especially in such things as being remote from our Senses are matter only of rational Speculation if Difference of Opinion upon such theological Questions as do not immediately concern our Salvation were a sufficient ground for Separation in point of Communion there would soon be probably almost as many Churches as Men in the World But if any Church shall require from a Man either to comply with or practise any thing which is not only against his Fancy in point of Decency or Convenience but also against his Conscience in point of Lawfulness or that he should not only be silent and not oppose but also explicitly profess the Belief of any such Doctrines as he judges to be false however innocent the Belief of them may be to them who think them true and if such a Church shall refuse and deny her Communion to all those who will not joyn with her upon these Terms We must rather be contented to be excluded from such a Church's Communion than to purchase it by solemnly telling a down right Lye before God and the World or by the violation of any other of God's Commands For if we offer to do Evil that Good may come of it St. Paul has declared us to be in a state of Damnation 65. For the due regulation of every Society it is necessary that it have a Power somewhere or other vested in it over its own Members either to compel them to live orderly according to its Laws and Constitutions or if any of them are disobedient and refractory and will not upon due admonition be reclaimed wholly to exclude them from the Body of the Community For otherwise if the Members of any Society may at their pleasure break its Constitutions and violate its Laws without control this would be wholly to pull down the Enclosure and lay all open and common as before and consequently in effect to dissolve the Society it self And accordingly our Saviour has given the Church a Power to admonish and rebuke those who give any scandal by their ungodly and unruly Behaviour and if upon this they do not repent and reform of rejecting and cutting them off from her Communion Which Authority must ever be exercised with due mildness and caution for the edification and not with heat and fury which in the end would more probably tend to the destruction of the Church But if any Church shall go beyond this to punish or persecute Men with Fire and Sword or with Fines and Imprisonment only for being of a different persuasion from and refusing to communicate with her In my Opinion she herein acts contrary to that Mildness and Gentleness which the Gospel upon all occasions prescribes and particularly in the case of dealing with those who oppose themselves to it 2 Tim. 2. 24. Altho at the same time it cannot be deâ—yed but that if any Man under the pretence of Conscience or Religion shall advance such Doctrines or do such acts as are destructive to the peace or safety of the civil State or Common-wealth the civil Magistrate may and ought to punish such a person according to the Laws of the Land notwithstanding all his pretences For if the Plea of Conscience the truth of which can only be known to Almighty God be sufficient to save any Malefactour from Punishment no civil Society can ever be safe and all humane Laws and Magistrates would be wholly useless See Part 1. § 35. 66 And as Almighty God in his Mercy is pleased not to cut the greatest sinners off from all hopes of pardon but is ready at any time upon their true and sincere Repentance to receive them again into his Favour so has he committed unto the Church the ministry of Reconciliation which Church therefore accordingly ought not only to endeavour to bring sinners to Repentance by Preaching Admonition and Exhortation but also wherever she sees evident Marks and Tokens of it in any person of which yet there ought to be good assurance for his greater comfort and ease of Conscience to remit or absolve him from his sins and restore him again to the benefit and privilege of Christian Communion of which I suppose that he has or ought to have been deprived And whatever Sentence of thus binding or loosing remitting or retaining of Men's sins is duly and regularly pronounced by the Church upon Earth our Saviour assures us it shall be ratified and confirmed by God in Heaven But that a Man is obliged to make a particular Confession of all his sins unto any other person except God in order to obtain the Pardon of or Absolution from them as I no where find it asserted in the Holy Scripture so the reason which the Roman Divines do allege for it is very weak and unconcluding For it is not the particular Confession of a Man's sins which may be performed by the most hardened impenitent but his Contrition and the visible reformation of his life which may sufficiently appear without a particular Confession that only can enable the Church or her Ministers to judge whether he truly repents of his sins or not and consequently whether he be a proper Object of God's Mercy and the Church's Favour Altho I deny not but that in some cases it may be very proper for a Man to make known the diseases of his Soul to a prudent Spiritual Physician that he may have his advice for the cure of them And his Duty also