ture: But if it be publifhed, and comes from the thought into action; then it becomes matter of fact in principle and in persuasion, and is just so punishable, as is the crime that it perfuades. Such were they, of whom St. Paul * complains, who brought in damnable doctrines and herefies; and his wishing them to be cut off, is just concerning them, take it in any fenfe of rigour and severity, fo it be proportionable to the crime, or criminal doctrine. Such were thofe of whom God fpake in the 13th chapter of Deuteronomy: If any prophet tempts to idolatry faying, Let us go after other Gods, be fhall be flain. But thefe do not come into this question. But the propofition is to be understood, concerning questions disputable in the matter of understanding; which alfo, notwithstanding that law of Mofes, fuch falfe prophets were permitted to entertain; as appears beyond exception, in the great divisions and difputes between the Pharifees and the Sadducees.

It is not denied, but that certain and known idolatry, or any other fort of practi

cal impiety, together with the doctrine on which it is founded, may be punished corporally; because it is no other but matter of fact: But no matter of mere opinion, no errors that of themselves are not fins, are to be profecuted or punished by death. or corporal inflictions.

And this I propose to make appear from the feveral confiderations following.

FIRST, It is eafy for us in fuch matters to be deceived. So long as the christian religion was a plain profeffion of the articles of belief, and a hearty profecution of the rules of good life; the fewness of the articles, and the clearness of the rule, were the cause of seldom erring. But when divinity is fwelled up to fo great a body, when the feveral questions which the peevishnefs and wantonnefs of feventeen ages have commenced are brought together, and from all thefe queftions fomething is drawn into the common mafs; it is impoffible for any industry to consider so many particulars, in the infinite numbers of queftions, as are neceffary to be confidered, before we can with certainty determine any. And after

all

all the confiderations which we can have in a whole age, we are not fure not to be deceived. The obfcurity of fome questions, the nicety of fome articles, the intricacy of some revelations, the variety of human understandings, the windings of logick, the tricks of adverfaries, the fubtilty of fophifters, the engagement of educations, perfonal affections, the portentous number of writers, the infinity of authorities, the vastnefs of fome arguments (as confifting inthe enumeration of many particulars), the uncertainty of others, the several degrees of probability, the difficulties of Scripture, the invalidity of the proofs of tradition, the oppofition of all exterior arguments to each other, and their open conteftation, the publick violence done to authors and records, the private arts and fupplantings, the fatiffyings, the indefatigable induftry of fome men to abuse all understandings and all persuasions into their own opinions; these, and thousands more, even all the difficulty of things, and all the weakneffes of man, and all the arts of the devil, have made it impoffible for any man, in fo great a variety of matter, not to be deceived. No man

pretends to it but the pope; and no man is more deceived than he is in that very particular.

FROM hence proceeds a danger which is confequent hereunto; for if we, who are fo apt to be deceived, and fo infecure in our refolution of queftions difputable, should perfecute one disagreeing from us, we are. not fure that we do not fight against God, For if his propofition be true, and perfecuted; then, because all truth is derived from God, this proceeding is against God, and therefore (upon Gamaliel's ground) this is not to be done, left peradventure we be found to fight against God: Of which because we can have no fecurity in this cafe, we have all the guilt of a doubtful or an uncertain confcience. For if there be no fecurity in the thing, the confcience in fuch cafes is as uncertain as the question is. And if the confcience be not doubtful, where it is uncertain; it is because the man is not wife, but as confident as ignorant, the first without reason, and the fecond without excufe.

And it is very difproportionable, for a

man

man to perfecute another certainly, for a propofition, that if he were wise, he would know is not certain; at leaft, the other perfon may innocently be uncertain of it. If he be killed, he is certainly killed; but if he be called heretick, it is not fo certain that he is an heretick. It would be good therefore, that proceedings were according to evidence, and the rivers not fwell over the banks, nor a certain definitive fentence of death paffed upon fuch perfuafions as cannot certainly be defined,

And this argument is of fo much the more force, because we fee, that the greatest perfecutions that ever have been, were against truth, even against christianity it felf. And it was a prediction of our bleffed Saviour, that perfecution fhould be the lot of true believers. And if we compute the experience of what chriftians have fuffered, and the prediction that truth fhould fuffer, with thofe few inftances of hereticks that have fuffered; it is odds, but that perfecution is on the wrong fide; and that it is error and herefy that are cruel and tyrannical; especially fince the truth of Jefus Chrift, and of his religion, is fo meek, fo charitable,