holds them as finners against, and condemned by their confcience, Tit. iii. 10, 11.

4. The abfurdity of men's confciences being fuftained as a standard, as well as the proper method of magistrates' making laws relative to religion, have been already manifefted. Magiftrates' confciences have no more just claim to God-head than those of their meaneft fubjects. Not, therefore, magistrates' pretences to confcience, but plain and evident marks of the authority of God manifefted in, and from the Scriptures, muft determine their fubjects to receive a religion in obedience to their authority, as fubordinated to the authority of God, the Most High, Superior of both.

OBJECT. XXVI. "In Rom. xiii. where the pow er of magiftrates is more fully defcribed than any where elfe in the New Teftament, only the com mands of the second table of the moral law are subjoined, to mark that it only extends to the concerns of men one with another."

ANSW. I. Who authorized the objector to put afunder the two Teftaments and the two tables which God hath joined? Or, to feparate the first part of that chapter from the laft, which certainly relates to religion, any more than from verfe 9th.

2. The magistrate's character, minister of God for good, terror to, and revenger of evil doers, and his duty to love his neighbours as himself there hinted, cannot admit of his having no care about religion and the first table of the moral law.

3. To oblige men carefully to fearch the whole Scriptures, God hath feldom, if ever, manifefted his whole will, relative to any thing, in one paf fage.

OBJECT. XXVII. "If we allow magiftrates any power at all about religious matters, we muft plunge ourfelves into inextricable difficulties, as the precife

limits of civil and ecclefiaftical power can never be fixed, and every fmall mistake in religious opin ions, or neglect of religious duties, muft bring men to the gibet, as these draw down the wrath of God: on nations, as well as blafphemy and idolatry do."

ANSW. 1. There is no more difficulty in limiting the power of magiftrates about either religion or virtue, than in fixing precife limits to the power of Church rulers relative to those matters. Do you fix precife limits to Church-power according to the word of God, and I shall next moment fix as precife limits for the power of the magiftrate. If you: limit the exercife of Church power to duties requir ed, and fins forbidden in the first table of the moral: Jaw, you naturally leave the care of the duties required in the fecond table to the magiftrate. Butthen, whether a Church of Chrift, having no careor power about morality toward men, or a deputed kingdom of God without any care or power about any thing relating to the honour of God, be most abfurd and devilifh, I know not. If you aver, That the power of Church-rulers extends to the external obedience or difobedience of Church-members to. both tables of God's law, not as civil, but as fpiritual conduct, tending to the fpiritual advantage or hurt of the Church, and therefore connected with the fpiritual encouragements or frowns of Chrift's vifible Church; and that they meddle not with fins. against the fecond table as crimes against mens' perfon or property, but as fcandals against the fpiritual edi-. fication of the Church, and the glory of Jefus Chrift therein concerned; I immediately reply, That precifely in like manner, the power of magiftrates. extends to the external obedience or disobedience of civil fubjects as fuch, to both tables of God's law, not as it is of a fpiritual nature, but as it affects the civil welfare or hurt of the nation, or honour of God as,

the King of it, and fo ought to ftand connected with civil encouragements or difcouragements. If you pretend, that it will be ftill hard to fhew, how far magiftrates may, in that view, proceed in matters of the first table, particularly with refpect to offending clergymen. I anfwer, that it is not one whit harder, than to fhew how far Church-courts may proceed in matters of the second table, particularly with respect to offenfive magistratical administra

tions.

2. Your pretence, that if magiftrates punish any faults in religion, they must punish all known faults in the fame form and degree, is but a deceitful infult on the Moft High, who, in his word, appointed the capital punishment of idolaters and blafphemers, and yet never warranted the punishment of many faults relative to religion, in like manner; nay, for ought I fee, hath not required magiftrates at all to punish any thing but the moft atrocious faults in it. If you infult Chrift, who hath not commanded any faults, but atrocious ones obftinately continued. in, to be cenfured with excommunication, and hath never commanded many leffer neglects and infirmi❤ ties of Church-members to be cenfured at all,-It is an infult on common fenfe. Would you, or any man in his wits, either cenfure or punith men as feverly for a fimple neglect of a religious duty, as for an open and blafphemous infulting of religion?. Would you cenfure or punish the stealing of a single straw as feverely as the ftealing of a man or woman? Would you cenfure or punish a prick with a pin, as. feverely as the cutting of a man's throat, or the rip ping up of a woman with child.

OBJECT. XXVIII., " Either every error in doctrine, and mistake in worship, must be punished by the magiftrate, or only that which is more glaring and notorious. If it is only the latter, How are the

limits of what is punishable, and what is not, and the degree of punishment proper for each, to be precifely fixed."

ANSW. 1. If every fpecies of duty must be neglected, and the contrary fin allowed, where it is difficult to fix the precife boundaries of fin or duty,

or where it is difficult to fix the precife degrees of encouragement to be given to fuch obedience, or of cenfure or punishment due to fuch fin, men must be left to live like absolute atheists, in both Church and State, every man doing that which is right in his own eyes.

2. Unless you prove that every infult of, and outrage against God and his religion ought to pafs unpunished, and even be licensed and authorized, yourself must be equally embarraffed in fixing what is punishable and what is not, and what must be the form and degree of punishment annexed to each pu nifhable fault.

3. Nay, unless you prove, that all deeds, however horrid, ought to be tolerated in both Church and State, How are you to fix precifely, what deeds are cenfurable or punishable, and what not;-and what form and degree of cenfure or punishment is proper for each, in every particular form and circumftance. A man may as really, and for ought men can prove against him, as juftly pretend confcience for his wicked deeds of treafon, murder, robbery, &c. as for his damnable herefies, blafphemies, and idolatrous worship. Wicked deeds, if God be true, are the native fruits of grofs errois and idolatrous worship. A confcience, which under the clear light of Scripture revelation, approves the whole fyftem of Popery or Socinianifm, may as reasonably dictate the murder of faints, dethrone ment of lawful Sovereigns, community of women and goods, &c. Let once the plea of confcience, be

admitted in the cafe of treason, theft, robbery, murder, and the like, and I will undertake, it fhall be as commonly pled, as in the case of grofs herefy, blafphemy and idolatry; and it will be as impoffible for judges to difprove it in the one cafe, as in the other. Nothing therefore, will truly anfwer your tolerant scheme, but that every man be allowed to profefs, worship, and act as he pleaseth.

4. Let therefore magiftrates, as well as Churchrulers, in their punishing and cenfuring work, make God's word their rule; and if they do not perceive from it clearly the proper degrees of punishment and cenfure, let them rather err on the charitable fide, than in approaches to severity.

OBJECT. XXIX. "But, how are heretics, blafphemers, and idolaters to be got judged in order to punishment? They must be judged only by their Peers, by perfons of the fame ftation as themselves, quite impartial, and no wife attached to the contrary fentiments or practices."

ANSW. 1. But, how can you prove from Scripture or reason, that fuch criminals must be judged only by their Peers; or that there is a nation under heaven, in which criminals are judged by such Peers, as you mention?

2. Allowing that our juries confift of the proper Peers of the criminals, yet they judge not concerning the relevancy of the crime, or the form or degree of punishments, but of the proof of the fact,→ which, in the case of herefy, blafphemy, or idolatry, is ordinarily no more difficult, than in the cafe of adultery, inceft, theft, murder, &c.

3. Nothing can be more abfurd, than to pretend, that men's deteftation of herefy, blafphemy, and idolatry, difqualifies them from judging heretics, blafphemers, and idolaters. What! Doth men's abhorrence of theft, murder, adultery, difqualify