glory and spiritual beauty and excellence by degrees faded away, and was almost lost by the visible powers, pomp and honours attending this very establishment. The church of Christ in the New Testament, is built on such a foundation, that it wants nothing of civil power to support it, besides the mere protection of the state, which every christian society may require and expect in common with every other society of men, who are good subjects, and pay all due allegiance to the state in which they dwell.

CONCLUSION.

I. THUS I have given a short account of my best senti ments, how far any sort of public assemblies for hearing lectures on divine, civil, or moral subjects, or the public preaching or celebration of peculiar religions, may be safely established by the state; how far some public worship may be required in general, and especially on particular occasions of the public interest of the state, and how far the people are required to pay their attendance. But I cannot find any sufficient power in the state or government to oblige the nation or particular persons in it under penalties to any form of worship. If I have in any thing exceeded the bounds of the just and reasonable rights of government, or too much limited the just and natural liberties or consciences of mankind, either princes or people, I shall be glad to be better informed in a spirit of meekness and charity, which generally attends the spirit of wisdom and truth.

II. The ouly maxim by which I have conducted my sentiments through all this scheme, is this, that the power of civil government reaches no further than the preservation of the natural and civil welfare, rights and properties of mankind with regard to this world, and has nothing to do with religion further than this requires: But the special rights of conscience, and the things of religion, as they relate to another world, belong to. God only. And the gospel of Christ does not pretend to erect a kingdom of this world, and therefore it alters nothing in the nature of civil government; but leaves to Casar the things that are Caesar's; Mat. xxii. 21.

III. There may be many things which a zealous christian ruler might think very proper to be done for the honour of his God and his Saviour in the public world, and in the management of the state; and indeed he may do much for God in reforming a sinful land; yet in the peculiarities of christianity, I find nothing that can be required or imposed by civil authority, without intrenching upon the rights or liberties of mankind: And I was not willing to indulge any thing to be imposed upon heathen subjects by christian governors, which may not also be counted rea

sonable and lawful for a heathen governor to impose upon christians; because the religion of Christ makes no change in the nature of civil power.

IV. Nor do I know how to vindicate a christian state in propagating their own religion by any such methods of compulsion or penalty, which a heathen state might not also use for the support and encouragement of theirs: And therefore I cannot see it lawful for any civil power in christendom to suppress the publication of any new, strange, or foreign sects or parties in religion, where they promise and pay due allegiance to the rulers, support the government, maintain the public peace, and molest not the state: Nor do I see good reason to make any such laws, or execute any such punishments against the peaceable preachers of any sect or party, which we christians should have thought unreasonable or unlawful for the civil powers of Athens to have made and executed against St. Paul, when in the midst of a heathen nation on Mars-hill he preached Jesus and the resurrection; Acts xvii. 22. In all our reasonings and writings on this important subject, let us take heed to allow no such power or dominion to men, which would have excluded the best of religions, that is, the religion of Christ out of the world.

V. I know it has been said upon these occasions, that the christian magistrate has right to persecute or suppress the Pagan religion, because it is false, whereas the Pagan magistrate has no right to suppress christianity, because it is true: And though these pretences to truth may be contended on both sides, yet since one may be proved to be true, and the other to be false, truth has always a right on its side which falsehood can never have. I answer, Every one who sets up for a persecutor, will pretend he is orthodox, and has the right on his side, and there is no common supreme court of judicature that can decide this matter, till the Supreme Judge of all appears in the last great day: And therefore since the pretences on either side are not sufficient to determine the justice of the persecution, or suppression of the other side, and since there is no common supreme court to which they can both appeal in this world, it follows evidently that each profession must allow liberty and toleration to the other, where the welfare of the state is secure, and brought into no danger by the practices of the inferior party. I might on this occasion recommend a book of Mr. Bayle's, entitled "a Philosophical Commentary on Luke xiv. 23. compel them to come in," written in two volumes octavo, wherein after he has gone through all the controversy about persecution, he adds a supplement to prove heretics have as much right to persecute the orthodox, as the orthodox have to persecute them.

THE APPENDIX,

Wherein the same Sentiments of Just Liberty are confirmed by a View of the Origin of a Christian Church.

THE

I. HE foregoing discourse was begun by tracing out the origin of civil government, and thence inferring the several rights and powers of it, and enquiring how far they would reach in any of the affairs of a religious society, and particularly of a christian church. Let us now take a short survey of the origin of christian churches and enquire whether the setting things in this view will afford any different lights or inferences concerning the power of civil magistrates in things sacred.

II. When the christian religion was first planted, almost all the states, kingdoms and governments of this world were heathens: Even Palestine itself had heathen governors. The blessed apostles travelling amongst the nations, and preaching the gospel wheresoever they could find opportunity, converted multitudes of single persons to the christian faith; these united themselves in little societies by agreement, to assemble together at certain seasons, and worship God by the apostles' directions through Jesus Christ.

III. In some of those same cities wherein christianity was preached, there were or might be also several other societies of men under the same civil government, united together by peculiar agreemen's among themselves for different purposes, but all subject to the rulers of the state in matters of civil government. Let us now suppose for instance, in the city of Corinth there might be a college of philosophers, a society of painters or antiquaries, a synagogue of Jews, an assembly of deists, and a church of christians."

IV. Each of these being voluntary societies, they have complete liberty and power to chuse their own presidents, teachers, and other officers out of their own body, as they stood in need of them, in order to regulate the affairs of their society: And they themselves contrive and agree upon rules and laws for the government of their own society, viz. upon what terms persons shall be admitted as members, for what reasons they shall be suspended for a season, or cast out utterly; what times, and places they shall meet in, what forms or ceremonies they shall use in any of their practices, what sum of money, or what utensils, or what goods, or support, or what proportion of these things each member shall furnish or supply toward the general design of the society, and what shall be the business of every member. These things, I say, must be agreed by the members of the society, but all in a constant consistence with the civil laws of the state, and the civil rights and liberties of every subject of it. Note, Wheresoever their original founder hath left them certain rules and directions, it is supposed they all consent to submit to them.

V. Now to apply all this to christianity. The chief and most important things in the christian society were appointed by Christ and his apostles, their first founders, as praying, preaching the gospel, singing, baptism, the Lord'ssupper, &c. Other circumstances which were not appointed by the apostles, and which yet were necessary to be determined some one way, these were probably and naturally left to be determined by the common consent and agreement of the church, for their mutual conveniency and general edification; such as the hour of their worship, the place of their meeting, &c. As for other circumstances which were not necessary to be determined one way,

such as their common habits, their gestures, &c. these were generally left indifferent to every worshipper; always provided they acted agreeably to the common light of nature and reason of things, becoming the sacred solemnity of worship, and in a consistence with the interest of the state. I say, it scems most probable that the determination of these things was left to the public agreement of the people, or to their private liberty: But if any persons shall suppose, they were left to be determined by the rulers or officers of the church, I will not by any means debate that matter here: it is enough for my purpose, if it be acknowledged, these things were left to be agreed upon or determined by the church itself either the people, or their officers in that society, and not by their civil governors*.

VI. Yet still let it be remembered that the power of the state or the civil government, is supreme over all these societies and their officers, in all things which relate to the peace and welfare of the nation or the city; and none of them have any right to make any laws, agree upon any rules, or do any thing contrary to the good of the city, or the civil government.

As for instance, if the college of philosophers profess and maintain the opinion of a public community of wives, or of exposing or murdering their children, if the synagogue of the Jews should refuse to give any pledges of their allegiance to heathen governors, if the christians should pretend that eivil dominion is founded in divine grace, or that the saints, that is, the christians, should rise and take the city, or that no faith is to be kept with heretics: or if any of these societies should profess and maintain the right of persecuting or punishing any other society for their peculiar sentiments or practices, which affect not the state or the public good, they themselves may lawfully be sent out of the city, and be banished from the protection of the civil government, for these things are contrary to the public welfare. Or if any of the members of any of these societies, should be guilty of crimes that are inconsistent with the peace of mankind or welfare of the state, viz. murder, drunkenness, stealing, cheating, slander, sedition, treason, &c, they may be punished by the state according to the laws of the land, without any consideration what other society they may belong to, or any regard to it.

But I would proceed yet further here, and add, that if any of these societies should presume to punish any of their own members with the loss of life or limb, or seizing their property, or in any manner which is inconsistent with the peace or welfare of the state, these members so punished, or any others for them, may make complaint to the civil rulers, and these civil rulers have a right to restrain these particular societies from inflicting such punishments, and they have a right also to punish those that inflict them according to the laws of the land; for it is their proper business to see that no member of the state be injured in life, liberty or property. Hence it follows, that these particular societies have no right or power to punish those whom their own particular laws only may call criminal, except with such small fines, inconveniences, or dishonours as their offending members willingly submit to, or by sharp reproofs, or by suspending them for a season from their meetings, or casting them utterly out of their society: but they have no power nor right to call in the civil arm to punish them for such sort of faults. Indeed if their crime be such as affects the common welfare of the state, or peace of man.. kind, they may not only be expelled out of that soctety in particular, by the members of it, for all such societies should suffer nothing among them contrary to the peace or welfare of the state: But they should also be cited

I have no concern here in that famous question, whether a christian church must be governed by an episcopal person, or bishop in the way of monarchy, or by a synod of presbyters in a way of aristocracy, or by the vote of the people in a way of democracy; but it is evident, that the civil powers, of what form soever they be, have no just right or authority to govern the church in things sacred.

before the civil magistrate, in order to be punished as the laws of the land direct.

And if I were to speak here peculiarly of the christian church, I would say, that it has no power to punish its own officers or members according to scripture, for any crime whatsoever, but one of these three ways, viz. by an admonition or reproof given publicly in the church, by suspension or exclusion from the office they bore therein, or from the communion of the church for a season, or by utter exclusion of them from the church, which is called excommunication: And the civil magistrate may punish the same persons, if their crimes affect the public welfare, with death or imprisonment, or any other civil penalty which the law of the land appoints.

VII. If nothing be found in any of these societies or their members, contrary to the interests of the state or welfare of the people, then they may by their professed allegiance to the state, claim protection of the state; the rulers of the state have no proper power nor authority to hinder them from meeting in their several societies, which were instituted for different purposes, but they are bound to defend them as good subjects. Nor have magistrates any power to determine the greater or the lesser offices, rules, actions, circumstances, or any affairs relating purely to these distinct societies: They have no power to appoint the painters, who should be their president, or when they shall meet, or what sort of pencils, or what colours they shall use; nor have the rulers of the state any right to require the philosophers to change any of their opinions, or to read Plato, or Zeno, or Aristotle, or to alter the course of their lectures; nor can they impose rules on the assembly of deists, when to sit, or stand, or kneel; nor should they command the Jews when they shall wash themselves, or what flesh they shall eat; nor impose upon the christians, who shall be their teachers, or what habits or garments they shall wear, or what gestures they shall use in their preaching or singing, or any other parts of their worship. In these things the state has no power to interpose, where the public welfare of the city or nation receives no danger or damage.

VIII. It is granted indeed, that if the necessity or welfare of any such city or state require that foreign silk shall not be worn, nor any foreign paper be used, in order to encourage a national manufacture, or that no person shall appear without a woollen garment upon them, to promote the breeding of sheep, or that veal shall not be eaten, nor calves be slain for a twelvemonth, in order to maintain a breed of cattle after a great murraia, &c. All these societies ought to submit their particular rules and their personal liberty to these laws of the state, and to comply with them as the state enjoins. But where the affairs, exigencies or benefits of the state do not require such commands or prohibitions, there these private societies and their actions are not to be modelled and determined by the mere humour, or caprice, or arbitrary will of a magistrate.

IX. Perhaps you will say, are not civil magistrates to be obeyed" in omnibus licitis & honestis," that is, "in all things that are lawful and honest?" And if magistrates require several of these particular actions or circumstances of action to be performed according to their will in these several societies, ought not the societies to obey them, provided there is nothing commanded but what is honest and lawful? To this I answer,

X. That I have read of an oath of obedience" in omnibus licitis & honestis,” “in all things lawful and honest,” required and imposed by ecclesiastical superiors, whether justly or no, I say not: but I never knew that this was the just limitation of obedience due to civil powers: For since the anthority of the civil power reaches only to the common welfare and safety of the state and people, the sworn obedience of subjects can be required only in things that relate to the welfare of the people and the state. I never heard that those famous words loyalty and allegiance which are so often used in our nation, signified any more than our obligation and our readiness to obey the