and like groffer corruptions, and infults upon the true religion, when they become openly notorious, and especially if obftinately continued in to the juft offence and hurt of others.

Such restraint and punishment are reprefented in Scripture as an eminent service done to God, Exod. xxxii. 4, 26, 29. 1 Sam. xv. 2, 3. xviii. 22. Rev. xvii. 14, 16. xix. 17-19. Song ii. 15. in which laft text, the word rendered TAKE ordinarily fignifies an external and forcible taking, compare 2 Sam. i. 10. Judges xii. 6. xvi. 3, 21. Pfalm cxxxix. 9. Exod. iv. 4. Gen. xxv. 26. xxii. 13.

2. The end of God's appointment of magiftrates, is the GOOD of the fubjects, Rom. xiv. 4. Now fuch corruptions in religion impair that good in preventing the spread and fuccefs of the gofpel, which are fo exceedingly calculated to render men virtuous and happy, even in this life, 1 Tim. iv. 8. 1 Pet. iii. 11, 12, 13. Tit. ii. 12. and in promoting the hurt of men's morals, fafety, eftate, peace or liberty, Rom. i. 21-32., xvi. 18. 2 Pet. ii. 1, 2, 3, 10, 12, 13, 16, 18, 19. Jude, ver. 4, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 16, 18, 19. 2 Tim. iv. 3, 4. iii. 19, 13 ii. 16, 17. 1 Tim. iv. 2-5. vi. 3, 4.

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3. Such reftraint and punishment are reprfented in Scriptnre as a blessing to be prayed for, 1 Tim. ii. 1, 2, 4 and as a bleffing for which God ought to be thanked, Ezra vii. 25-28. Rev. xi. 15, 17.

4. It is promised, that such restraint and punishment fhould be produced by the effufion of the holy Ghoft upon the Chriftian Church, Zech. xii. 10, 12, 14. with xiii. 1-6. and that they should tend to the advantage, even of fome feducers, who fhould be brought to account the inflicters their real FRIENDS, Zech. xiii. 4, 5, 6..

5. The Scripture reprefents EVIL as removed, and GOOD both moral and civil as obtained, by fuch re

ftraints and punishments, Deut. xvii. 2, 5, 7, 10. 1 Kings xviii. 40, 41. 2 Chron. xiv. 3, 4, 5. and wickednefs and mifery as overflowing a nation, when neglected, Eccl. viii. 11. Judg. xvii. 4, 5, 6, 12. 1 Sam. ii. 12-29, and iv. Ezek. xxii. 25, 26, 30, 31.

6. When the proper judges neglected fuch reftraint and punishment, God raifed up fome in an extraordinary way, to execute it. Thus Elijah caufed flay the prophets of Baal, 1 Kings xviii. 40. Jehu caufed flay others of them, 2 Kings x. 5-25, The Jews, under the direction of Jehoiada, flew Mattan the priest of Baal, and Chrift himself once and again drove the buyers and fellers out the temple, John ii. 13-19. Mat. xxi. 12. Why ought not magiftrates, who are his vicegerents, as God, to imitate his conduct, Psal, lxxxii. 1, 6. 2 Chron. xix. 6. Rom. xiii. 1- -4.

7. The Scripture affords many approven inftances of fuch restraint or punishment of grofs corruptions in religion, as by Jacob, Gen. xxxv. 24. by the judges in the time and country of Job, Job xxxi. 26-28. by Mofes, Exod. xxxii. 4, 20, 22, 29. by the rulers of the ten tribes, Josh. xxii, 10-34. by Afa, 2 Chron. xv. 12, 13, 15. by Jehoshaphat, 2 Chron. xix. 3-8. by Jofiah, 2 Chron. xxxiv. 4, 33. 2 Kings xxiii. 5, 20. by Nehemiah, Neh. x. 20. by Nebuchadnezzar, Dan. iii. 29. by Artaxerxes, Ezra. vii. 26. and by the proteftant destroyers of Antichrift, Rev. xvii. 16.

V. Befide their power, as men, to try all things by the law of God manifefted to them, and their power of Christian discretion (if they are Chriftians) to judge by the word of God what is for their own fpiritual and eternal advantage, magiftrates, as fuch, have a power of POLITICALLY judging and determining, what and how, principles and practices

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of the true religion are to be connected with political rewards or encouragements; or, what ought to be profeffed and practifed by perfons, as members of their political fociety, in order to promote the real welfare of it, in fubordination to the glory of God, as King of nations.

1. If they may enact laws in the matters of God, as hath been proven; and may judge in what is fundamental in religion, or in that which is contained in exprefs words of Scripture,or in matters of the fecond table of the moral law, then they must have power to judge of that which is plainly deducible from the exprefs words of Scripture, by neceffary confequence, and in thofe matters of the firft table of the moral law, which as much belong to the law of nature, as any in the fecond; have power politically to judge why, and how, fuch a religious profeffion and practice is to be encouraged by the civil authority; and how, and why, that which is notoriously oppofite to the true religion, is to be difcouraged.

2. Without this political judging of them, magiftrates could never determine, whether the decifions of ecclefiaftical courts ought to be ratified by their civil authority or not, 1 Theff. v. 21. Acts xvii. 11. If in judging of thofe things, magiftrates improve the Word, the Spirit, and the faithful minifters of God, for their counfellors, they bid fair to have a divine fentence in their lips, and not to err in judgment, Deut. xvii. 18-20. Pfal. cxix. 97-105. Prov. xvi. 10. Ifa. xxxii. 1. If, neglecting to confult these, magiftrates give a corrupt fentence, they lie open to the judgment of God,-to the restraint and correction of the collective body, of the fubjects, or their reprefentatives,-and alfo to ecclefiaftical cenfure, if they be Church-members.

3. If magiftrates be nurfing fathers to the Chrif

tian Church, Ifa. xlix. 23. they ought to prevent her being poisoned with corrupt food; and hence must have a power politically to judge what is corrupt, and what is not.

4. If the magiftrate be the keeper of the peace of the kingdom, then, if a party in the Church, complaining of the grofs errors of the other, fhould form a furious fchifm, he must have power politically to judge, who is in the right, or in the wrong, -who adhere to the truths established by law, and who do not; and to fhew favour accordingly, i Theff. v. 21.

5. If magiftrates may reftrain and punish evil doers, they may exercife this power over Church officers, if, in their Synods, they make blasphemous or idlatrous decrees, which tend to disturb the Commonwealth, and difhonour God, the King of nations, --and hence mult politically judge of their condu& by, the laws of God and the land.-No cove

nanted fubjection to Church judicatures, as a member of the Church, can deprive them of this political judgment, any more than of their right of cognition and difcretion as men and Chriftians. Magiftrates' political judgment, how principles or practices are to be connected with civil encouragements or difcouragements, is no infallible rule of Church courts' judging, how principles and practices.ought to be connected with ecclefiaftical encouragements or cenfures: nor are the decifions of ecclefiaftical courts any infallible rule to direct magifirates. But the law of God is the only infallible and fupreme rule to both. Nor is the decifion of the one fubordinate to that of the other; but both, as well as every man's right to judge for himself according to the law of God, what he is to believe and practise in order to his own peace and comfort, and his joyful anfwering in the final judgment of God, are fupreme in

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their refpective departments, fubordinated only to the judgment of God himself.-But, to argue the matter ftill more particularly,

1. If magiftracy, confcience, and human rights, natural and civil, be all derived from God, as all but Atheists must allow, magiftrates can have no more power, authoritatively to tolerate fin, than God himfelf can command it. If God, by virtue of the infinite perfection of his nature, have no will, no power, authoritatively to proclaim liberty to commit fin, he cannot communicate any fuch power to the magiftrate. Nor can the magiftrate account to God for exceeding his power in licenfing that which is infinitely injurious to him, more than the British king's Lion-keeper hath power, or could be account-able for loofing and hunting out the lions in the tower upon His Majefty. If confcience derive all its power from God, it can have no more power to enjoin any thing finful, than Lord North hath to hire ruffians to affaffinate his Sovereign. If all human rights be derived from God, the primary and fupreme proprietor of all things, it is impoffible they can authorize men to contrive or commit any thing finful, or can protect them in it.

2. Men's ftate in this world is neither feparated nor feparable from, but clofely connected with their eternal ftate. And magiftracy is an ordinance of God, appointed by him for his own glory, and to promote the chief end of mankind in glorifying him, Rom. xiii. 2. Prov. xvi. 4. 1 Cor. x. 31. 1 Pet. iv. 11. Rom xii. 36. But, how, Sir, do magiftrates promote this end, if they give the fame degree of protec tion, though perhaps, not of encouragement, to the foul-ruining and practice-corrupting delufions and abominations of Satan, as they do the eternally-faving religion of God and his Chrift?--if they give the fame countenance to them, who to the corrup→