doctrines of the gofpel. In thus endeavouring to make their fubjects attend on, receive, and obferve the doctrines of the gospel, all appearance of force fhould be carefully avoided, as that is apt to provoke a dislike, rather than to promote a chearful embracement of them. But force may be used to reftrain, or duly and feafonably punish the infolent oppofers and revilers of the true religion, which is established. And, on no account, ought fuch plagues of nations, as well as of Churches, to receive any authoritative licence to commit fuch wickedness.

OBJECT. XXXV. "The annexing of temporal encouragements to the profeffion and practice of the Chriftian religion or external difcouragements to the profeffion or practice of such opinions and worship as are contrary to it,-tends to render men hypocrites, and their religion merely carnal, in obedience to civil authority, and influenced by mere carnal motives. It makes men trample on and debauch their confcience, and fo fap the foundation of all true piety and virtue.

ANSW. I. God, who well knows the true nature of religious worship and obedience, and highly regards the candor and purity of confcience, excited the Ifraelites to it, partly by external encouragements, reftraints and terrors, Deut. iv-viii. xxvii. -xxxii. Lev. xviii.-xx. xxvi. and by each of his prophets, Ifa. i.to Mal. iv. And even under the gofpel, godliness hath the promises of this life, as well as of that which is to come, 1 Tim. iv. 8. 1 Pet. iii. 13.Did you mean to blafpheme his

conduct as abfolutely devilish?

2. With God's approbation, David, Nehemiah and others, by familiar intimacy, and by preferring them to posts of honour, encouraged fuch as appeared eminent in the profeffion and practice of revealed religion; and they excluded fuch as appear

ed notoriously wicked, Pfal. cxix. 63. & ci. 6, 7. Neh. vii. 2. & xiii. 28. Nay, David before-hand publicly intimated his refolution to prefer only pious and faithful men.And why not, when such bid faireft to be eminently useful officers in the State?

3. Why may not men, even by external advan tages be encouraged to an external attendance upon gofpel ordinances, which, by the blefling of God and the working of his Spirit, may iffue in rendering them eminently useful fubjects, and in their eternal falvation, even as children may be hired to that reading of their Bible and learning of their Ca techifm, which may iffue in their converfion and everlasting life?

4. Regard to the command of parents, masters, magiftrates, and ministers, all at once, in our religious profeffion and practice, is no way inconfiftent with, but may be delightfully fubordinated to a fupreme regard to the authority of God in them.

5. Do you really think, that thofe, who believe neither a God, nor a heaven, nor a hell, ought under pretence of civil right, to be as readily admitted to places of power and truft, in civil governments as the most pious? Nay, are not even a profeffion and practice of the Chriftian religion much more profitable in a nation, than open blafphemy, impiety and idolatry, which we have heard from God's own word, exceedingly corrupt men's morals, and pull down the wrath of God on the fociety.

6. If fuch things only be restrained and punished, as are plainly contrary to the law of God, and a right confcience, and never punished, till after fufficient means of conviction have been afforded and trampled on, how can that make men diffemble with or fin against their confcicence, any more than the

punishment of theft, murder, inceft, or the like, can do it?

OBJECT. XXXVI. "The abolishment of all civil establishments of revealed religion, would have a remarkable tendency to render men truly pious, truly fincere, in their faith, profeffion and worship; and to render them excellent fubjects, candid, peaceable, and affectionate lovers of one another. It would effectully root out Popery and every thing

fimilar."

ANSW. 1. Just as remarkable a tendency, as the leaving of children to themselves hath to render them truly virtuous, and a diftinguished honour to their parents, Prov. xxix. 15. 1 Sam. iii. 13.-as remark able a tendency as the abolishment of all ecclefiaftical establishments of it would have to render men perfect faints.

2. It is plain, that God, when he fixed a civil establishment of revealed religion, and when he reprefented, as above, herefy, blafphemy, and idola. try, as rendering men monsters of all manner of wickedness, instead of good fubjects, neighbours, or Chriftians, thought otherwife. Are you wiser than

He?

3. Never, that I know of, was there a nation of numerous fociety on earth, in which there was iefs of a religious establishment, good or bad, than among the Ifmaelians of Irak and Syria, and the Giagas of Africa. What were the noted virtues which flourished among them? Murders, affaffinations, which cannot be read or heard, without horror. Under the protection of an extenfive toleration, how did England, about an hundred and thirty years ago, fwarm with Sectarian errors, blafphemies, confufions? And, what hath either the peace of the State, or the orthodoxy and holiness of our Church gained by our laft Scotch toleration? Repeated at

tempts in 1715 and 1745, to unhinge our civil etablishment and dethrone our lawful Sovereigns in favour of Popish pretenders, are the noted advantages, which have accrued to our State, and an alarming increase of infidelity, profanenefs, and Popery, to our Church. Inftead of fcarce fix hundred Papifts, which was once all that could be reckoned in Scotland, their number now, may amount to about thirty thousand. In about a dozen of parishes in the North, they have above twenty congregations, feveral of them pretty large, and a College and an Academy for training up priefts. How quickly thefe, with the Scotch Colleges abroad, may fur nish converters for the whole nation, God only knows. In the parish of South Uift, there are 2300 Papifts and 300 Proteftants; in Barra 1250 Papists and 50 Proteftants; in Ardnamurchan 1950 Papifts, and 17 Proteftants; in Kirkmichael and its neighbouring parish 1520 Papists; in Kilmanivaig 1600; and in Glenelg 1340.

OBJECT. XXXVII. "All civil laws eftablishing revealed religion must necessarily land magistrates in perfecuting their fubjects; for, if thefe civil laws be contemned and violated, the breakers must be

nished."

pu

ANSW. 1. For this reafon no fuperior, parent, mafter, minifter, or magiftrate, muft make any appointment relative to religious matters, because, if it be difregarded, punishment or cenfure must be inflicted, and that will amount to perfecution in the fenfe of the objection. No duty must ever be attempted, left fome perplexing confequence fhould attend it.

2. Tho' evil doers ordinarily reckon restraints of iniquity perfecution, the Scripture allows nothing to be perfecution but unjust severities exercised against the profeffion or practice of gofpel-truth-at least a

gainst innocence or virtue. Punishment of men for what is plainly contrary to the word of God is no perfecution for confcience fake, but a proper correction of them for trampling on and murdering their conscience.

3. If by the bleffing of God, parents can do much to advance religion in their families, without any furious or hurtful beating of their children,-and minifters do much to promote it in their congregations, without proceeding, perhaps once in their life, to the higher excommunication; and if both may do much to render their children and people useful members of the Commonwealth, without having power to fine, imprifon or kill them, why may not magiftrates by their appointments, encouragements and example, much promote the profeffion and practice of revealed religion, without proceeding, unless very rarely, to any disagreeable severities?The point we attempted directly to establish is, that magiftrates ought never to grant an au thoritative toleration to grofs herefy, blafphemy, idolatry; you therefore act uncandidly in perpetually haling in the affair of punishments; even capital ones, just as your tolerant friends the antient Remonftrants perpetually haled in the doctrine of reprobation, in order to render the fovereignty of God's grace odious to the people.

4.

If magistrates take heed never to punish on the head of religious matters, but when the CRIME is plainly relevant and manifeft, plainly contrary to the laws of God, as well as to those of the land; and that the punishment be SUITABLE and SEASONABLE, circumftantially calculated to promote the real welfare of the Commonwealth, why fhould they be charged with perfecution, for prudently supporting their most important laws, and yet held innocent, if not virtuous, in fupporting their comparatively in