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and the greater the happiness of the Commonwealth be.The more faithfully magiftrates act in curbing of crimes, and promoting obedience to God the King of nations, as a mean of fecuring his felicitating bleffing to the Commonwealth, the more delightfully will Church-power be exercifed, and the more abundantly it will tend to the welfare of the Church. Nay, though the mediatorial power of Chrift be infinitely fufficient in its own place, to anfwer its own ends, yet the delightful exercise and fuccefs of it is not a little promoted by the faithful exercife of the powers of confcience, hufbands, parents, masters, magiftrates and Church-rulers, Acts xxiv. 16. 1 Tim. 5. Eph. iv-vi. Col. iii. iv. I & 2 Tim. Titus i-iii. 1Pet. ii.-5. Pfalm ii. 10, 12. Rev. ii. 15. xvii. 14, 16. xxi. 24. Ifai. xlix. 23. lx. 3, 4, 10, 16.

8. Though the marital, parental, magisterial, magistratical, and minifterial powers be altogether diftinct from, and independent of one another, and each of them has its own particular exercises pertaining to it alone; yet the fame perfon, in refpect of different relations, may be at once fuperior or inferior to another perfon, and fo may be required to fulfil the particular duties of his ftation, by one who hath not any lawful right to perform them himself. Thus magiftrates and minifters as fuch, may require hufbands to perform their duties to ther wives, parents to perform theirs to their children, or matters theirs to their fervants, as a mean of promoting the welfare of the Commonwealth and of the Church, in obedience to God, and aiming at his glory. An uncrowned hufband of a queen may command her, faithfully to exercise her magiftratical power, as a mean of honour and happiness to his family; and fhe as queen may command him in every thing relating to the welfare of

the State, as her officer or fubject. A parent may require his fon, as fuch, faithfully to exercife his minifterial, magiftratical, or magisterial power as a mean of honour and happiness to his family. A fon may command his father, who is his fervant, in every thing pertaining to the fervice due from him, and even to order his family aright, in fo far as it tends to promote that fervice. Minifters, as the ambafladors of Chrift, have power to require magiftrates, as Church members, faithfully to exercife their magiftratical power, fo as may best promote the honour of Chrift, and the welfare of his Church. And on the other hand, magiftrates have power to require minifters as their fubjects, faithfully to exercife their minifterial power, as a mean of rendering the nation pious and virtuous, in order to promote its happiness, and all this in fubordination to the law, and to promote the glory of God as the fupreme governor of families, Churches, or nations.

9. Though the marital, parental, magisterial, magiftratical and ministerial powers, have, each of them, fomething for its peculiar and diftinguishing object, in which no other power can interfere with it; Thus it is always unlawful for husbands, parents, mafters or minifters, as fuch, to affume the power of civil magiftrates in levying taxes, adjudging criminals to death,-always unlawful for parents, masters, or magiftrates, as fuch, to preach the gofpel, difpenfe facraments, or Church-cenfures;yet if the exercise of some of these powers be fearfully neglected or abused, the other powers may be exercised, in order to rectify the diforders occasioned, further than would be proper if there were no fuch neglect, abufe, or diforder. Thus if husbands, parents, or masters, fearfully abufe their power, relative to wives, children, or fervants, the rulers of Church or State, for the benefit of thefe focieties,

may interfere more with their family-concerns, than would be proper in other circumftances. If Churchrulers be notorioufly negligent or wicked, magiAtrates as Church-members, and to promote the welfare of the State, may do more in the reformation of the Church, than would be proper for them, if Church rulers were diligent and faithful. And, if through the indolence or wickedness of magiftrates, the affairs of the nation be thrown into terrible confufion, minifters as members of the Commonwealth, and to promote the welfare of the Church, may do more in the rectification of affairs, than would be proper, if the magistrates were faithful, 2 Kings xi. Chron. xxiii..

10. All governing authority empowers the poffeffors of it, to iffue forth laws or commandments, binding on the subject of it. But thefe laws or commandments can extend their binding force no further, than the particular department belonging to that power, as by that, every particular form of authority, derived from God, is limited. The laws or commandments of parents, mafters, magiftrates, and Church-rulers, extend only to external things in the family, Commonwealth, or Church. These of confcience and of Chrift extend also to that which is inward in the heart. And as all human fuperiors are imperfect in knowledge themfelves, and cannot enable their fubjects perfectly to understand their whole duty, it is neceffary that laws of families or nations, or conftitutions of Churches require nothing but what is plainly agreeable to the law of God, and nothing in religion but what is plainly required by the word of God, that fo nothing may be contrary to the fe laws but what is not only really, but plainly contrary to the word of God. And, the weaker the fubjects are, the more condefcenfion ought to be exercised towards them in this matter, Rom, xy. 1, 2.

11. As men cannot bow the hearts of their inferiors unto subjection, they ought always to iffue forth their commandments in the moft prudent, mild and gaining manner. It is very improper to iffue forth any law doubtful or obfcure, or which most of the fubjects are not likely to be got peaceably to comply with. This ought especially to be attended to, in the framing and impofing of laws and conftitutions relative to religion, which ought to be a reafonable and voluntary service.

12. As nothing, particularly in religion, ought to be contrary to any law of Church or State but what is plainly contrary to the law of God; and nothing ought to be held cenfurable by the laws of the Church, or punishable by the laws of the State, but what is plainly contrary to thefe laws, and hath become duly public, in the providence of God, without requiring the party concerned to be his own accufer.So on account of the weakness or number of the offenders, or the difordered ftate of the fociety, many real fcan dals in the Church must be forborne without cenfure, and many real crimes against the State forborne without punishment; notwithstanding, it would be extremely wicked, authoritatively to licence or tolerate them in either. If your children be very young, raving in a fever, delirious, or apt to fall into convul. five fits, it might be very prudent and dutiful for you to forbear severe chastisement of them for playing on the Lord's day; repeating fome wicked expreffions, they had heard from their fellow children, or the like. But would it be lawful in you to give them a parental licence to profane the Sabbath or name of God, and promise them protection in fo do ing? You dare not pretend it. God himfelf wifely forbears the punishment of many things, which his law forbids.

13. As it is never errors or corruptions of the

heart, but wicked words and deeds, fufficiently and regularly manifefted, which are to be corrected in families, punished in Commonwealths, or cenfured in Churches, Deut. xiii. 1,-14. xvii. 46. Heb. x. 28 1 Tim. v. 1. So even in punishing manifeft crimes, efpecially in matters of religion, all proper mildnefs ought to be exercised, never proceeding to extremities, where there is any hope of reformation, or where, as in the cafe of herefy or blafphemy, confeffion and repentance can make any kind of reftitution, Mat. xviii. 15,18. Among the Hebrews, not one appears to have been punished for idolatry, if he profeffed repentance and reformation. The princes of Ifrael first attempted to bring the Reubenites and Gadites, whom they fuppofed guilty of it, to repentance, Joh. xxii. Never in the reformation by Afa, Hezekiah, or Jofiah, have we one inftance of a penitent idolater flain. The idolaters condemned to death, Deut. xiii. xvii. are reprefented as men of Be lial, prefumptuous, and obftinate in their wickednefs. The prophets of Baal whom Eiljah caufed be put to death, 1 Kings xviii. 40. and Mattan the prieft, who was flain by Jehoiada's orders, 2 Kings xi. 18. were no doubt of this fort; and probably alfo guilty of promoting the murder of the Lord's prophets and people. The man put to death for profanation of the Sabbath, appears to have acted prefumptuoufly, Num. xv. 30-36. Afa and his fubjects covenanted to put to death fuch as obftinately adhered to idolatry, 2 Chron. xv. 12, 13.

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14. Magiftrates ought never to attempt forcing men to believe with their hearts, even the most fundamental truths of religion, or to practife any religious duty, that being no means appointed by God for convincing them of the truth, or inducing them to a cordial performance of religious duites, 2 Cor.

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