it is true that the Magiftrate cannot command every good thing, nor punish every evill; the abftrufe controverfies in Religion come not under the cognifance of a Magiftrate, as a Magiftrate;only fuch things as are against the rules of common juice and equity, and the common light of Chriftianity, where he is to govern Chriftians, for he is to enjoyn and punifh fuch things only as if he were not; the community of people which fets him up, ought to enjoyn and punish, for he hath his power from them: but of this more in the next Principle.

If you fhall fay, But thofe Scriptures fpeaking of Civill Magiftrates, wee must understand them to be meant onely of civill things.

The Magiftrate hath his appellation civil,because the power that he exercises is civill, the things that he do are civill; he cannot do the works of a Church-officer, by all the power he hath, as administer Sacraments, and the like; but this hinders not the ufe of his civil power, and the doing of external as upon the outward man, fubfervient to fpiritual good; indeed what he doth, hath not any fpirituall efficacy in it, for then it were worship. Though he cannot work in a spirituall way upon mans foule, by his power, it is not an Ordinance fet apart by God to that end, yet he may by the exercise of his power upon the outward man, reftrain it from the externall act of evill, or bring it to an externall good; his power ftill that he exercifes is civill, yet ordered to the help of fpirituall good, either removendo prohibentia, or applicando media externa, or cohibenda a malo externo; removing outward things that hindered, applying outward means, or keeping from outward evils. What foever Commandement requires any duty, requires us to make use of all things that may help us to the performance of that duty; if there be any civil, naturall, fpiritual helps, we are bound to make use of all. Only here lies the great doubt, Whether bath God appointed the use of the Magiftrates power to be a belpe to the things of Religion? Hath God made this to be an Ordinance for the spirituall good of people?

That it is by God an Ordinance for their civill good, is plaine out of thofe Scriptures before mentioned ; but how doth

it appeare that ever God intended it to be an Ordinance for their jpirituall good?

What naturalnes there is in any thing, it hath it from God, njw. for nature is Gods worke, if there be a naturalnefs in it to work -upon the outward man,for the fartherance of fpiritual good; this is from God: if I should use it to work upon the inward man expecting a fpirituall efficacy, then I make it an ordinance to my felf, and fin against God, prefuming to put more in a creature of his, then it was appointed to. In this confifted the evil of ceremonies, they were used in a (pirituall way, to work upon the heart of man, by vertue of that inftitution that man put upon them, beyond what God in their natural power ever put into them.

But how can naturall and externall things be helps to things fpirituall and divine?

Any mans reafon, yea fenfe may tell him, that the taking Anfw. away externall hindrances, and the putting upon externall ufe of divers things, may keep from much evill, and further much good that is fpirituall and divine; though it cannot reach to the fpiritualneffe and divineneffe of that good, yet it reaches to the externall action, without which that divine and fpirituall good cannot be Wherefore feeing the New Taftament fets out the power of Magiftrates, and requires fubmiffion to them in fuch generali termes; from this we may draw fuch a conclufion, Therefore the Lord intended to leave Chriftians for their fubje&ion to Magiftrates, to the light of nature, & to the equity of the generall rules that were in Scripture before time; if God fhould fay, Ye are Chriftians, fce you part not with that liberty Chrift hath purcha fed for you; we may give this account, Lord we found in thy word that once thou didft make use of the power of Magiftrates in matters of Religion, & in the New Teftament there was nothing revealed to forbid their power in them; nay Lord, Thou toldft us there, that thou hast appointed them for our good, and to be a terrour to evill workes in the generall. From thence we gathered, that in our yee.ding to their power, it was thy will we should make ufe of those generall rules in Stripture wee found before the times of the Gospel, & of the light of nature. Bing alfo perfwaded it was thy mind we fhould make ufe E 2.

of

Si ideo dicetur

oronari licere, juia non probiSeat Scriptura,

193 retorquebi

of all the naturall helps we could for our fpirituall advantage, & we found it recorded in thy Word that thou didst allow of the exercife of fuch power in the things of Religion, even to those who had only the light of nature to guide them and being the use of it reached only to the outward man, we did not fee a neceffity of a fpeciall inftitution for this, knowing what naturalnefs it had in it, to be an externall help was put into it by thy felf, therefore we made ufe of it. God will accept of this account. Add yet a confideration or two.

1. When the Apoftles were convented before Civil Authority about matters of Religion, we never find that they plea. ded for them felves, You have no power to meddle with us in the things of Religion, they belong to Jefus Chrift only who is our King, & to that government he hath fet in his Church; No, their plea was only the juftness of their cause, that what they profeffed and preached was the truth of God, they did it in obedience to God.

2. If all men be bound to improve all the abilities, gifts, talents they have for the propagation of the Gospel, the Magiftrates are bound to improve those which are peculiar to them; If a man hath more wifdom then others, or a greater eRate, or more friends, he is to make ufe of all thefe for helps to the furtherance of Religion; if then a man hath more power then others, he is to improve that likewife, not onely by countenancing what he conceiveth to be right, but by all cther means according to the dictates of Reafon, not forbid by Scripture.

But we have often heard that of Tertullian urged; If it be therefore faid it is law full becaufe the Scripture doth not forbid, it is therefore unlaw full because the Scripture doth not command.

Anf. In the matters of Gods worship this rule is to be urgur ideo corona- ed, but not in matters civil or natural, though in their way fubfervient to worship, their Reafon may guide very far.

i non licere,

quia Scriptura non jubear.

Tertul.de co

ron milit.

But you will fay, What? will you then make the Magiftrate a Judge in all causes of Religion? he may be a wicked man, a Heathen, and yet a true Magiftrate.

Anf. Whatsoever he be, yet he may be a Judg in matters of fact, & fo far as Reafon may go in matters of right, he may judge whether you do not go against your owne principles,

either in your profeffion, acts of worship, or in the wrong you do to your brother; yea, he may judg whether your very principles be not contrary to the common light of the knowledg of God, that God hath given to men, and to the rules of humane juftice. A Magiftrate who is not skilfull in Phyficke or Navigation, yet he may judg Phyfitians and Mariners, if they wrong others in their way.

CHAP. VI.

The fecond Pofition, Confcience is a tender thing, and must

not be medled with.

Ertainly Confcience is a very tender thing; and as men muft take heed how they offer violence to their own confciences, fo to the confciences of others; It is fuch a thing as is not in fubjection to any creature in Heaven or Earth, only to God himself. Gerrard reports out of the Histories of France

of a King of Navarre, writing to his Nobles, used this exprel- Dominatum in fion, The rule over confciences and foules is left to God alone: And confcientias & of a King of Polonia, who was wont frequently to fay, That animas foli God bad referved three things to himfelfe: 1. To make fomething Deo reli&tum. of nothing. 2. To know things future. 3. To rule over confcience. Deum tria fibi Maximilian the fecond ufed to fay, There was no tyranny more refervaffe, ex intollerable then to feeke to rule over confciences. Henry the third, nibilo aliquid King of France, as the laft pangs of death carried him into a facere, futura nother world, had this fpeech, Learn of me that piety is a duty fcire, & confciof man unto God, over which worldly force bath no power; this ri. was fpoken in the fame Chamber where the Councell was held about that fatall Bartholmew day, in the year 1572. But for all this, the Devill muft not be let alone, though he be got into mens confciences, God hath appointed no City of refuge for him; if he flies to mens confciences, as Joab did is dominar to the horns of the Altar, he must be fetched from thence, or velle. falne upon there. Something may be done to men to keepe

thear

entik domina

Nullam effe tyrannidem in

tollerabiliorem, quam confcien

them from evill, and to reduce them, notwithstanding the plea of their confciences.

But what may be done to a man in fuch a cafe?

Firft, any man that pleads his confcience, may be required to give an account of his confcience; it is not enough for him to lay, his confcience puts him upon fuch a thing, or keeps him from fuch a thing;he muftgive an account of the grounds upon which his confcience goes.

The word requires us to give an account to every man of that hope that is in us, if he requires it in a due way; wee are bound to give no offence neither to the Jew nor Gentile : It is against the light of nature, that men in a fociety should do things of which they need give no account to any whattoe

ver.

Secondly, due enquiry is to be made, whether the Devill be indeed in the confcience, it may be you fhall finde him in fome other room of the fcule, only he pretends to that as his fanctuary, hoping to escape better there then any where else; if he fhould be found in a mans will, he thinks he should be foon hunted out with violence, he could not fcape there; but he hopes men will deal more tenderly with confcience; therefore either thither he will get, or at least he will give it out he is got in there, hoping you will enquire after him no further, when it is given out he hath taken refuge there, as a Malefactor searched after; it may be is lurking in fome houfe not far from you;but that you may either not fearch, or cease fearching; he causes it to be given out, that he is got into fome ftrong Caftle, or fome other Countrey where there is little hope to come at him.

But how ball it be known, whether the Devill be in a mans confcience or not? Confcience is an inward roome, who can fee into it, what, or who is there?

It is a very hard thing to give a judgment, but these notes may help us much in difcerning.

Fift, if I fee a mans owne private interest is much engaged in what he pretends confcience for, this may be enough to raife fufpision, though it can be no determining rule; for a man may in fome things have his confcience put him upon

that