an argument of confidence more than truth, yet laying fuch a wager, ftaking of a man's foul, and pawning his life, gives an hearty teftimony that the perfon is honeft, refigned, charitable, and noble. And it may be queftioned, whether truth can do a perfon or a cause more advantages, than these can do to an error. And therefore, befides the impiety, there is great imprudence, in canonizing an heretick, and confecrating an error, by fuch means; which were better preferved as encouragements of truth, and comforts to real and true martyrs. To all which we may add, that to perfecute those that differ from us in opinion, is also unnatural, and unreasonable. Unnatural; for the understanding being a thing wholly fpiritual, cannot be restrained, and therefore neither can it be punished by corporal afflictions. And fince all punishments, in a prudent government, are inflicted upon the offender, either for cure or prevention; and since no punishment of the body can cure a disease in the foul; it is disproportionable in nature, and in all civil govern government, to punish where the punishment can do no good. It may be an act of tyranny, but never of juftice. For an opinion is never the more true or falfe for being perfecuted. Some men have believed it the more, as being provoked into a confidence, and vexed into a refolution; but the thing it felf is not the truer. And tho the executioner may confute a man by an argument not to be gainfaid, yet he cannot convince his understanding; for such premises can infer no conclufion, but that of a man's life. And a wolf may as well give laws to the understanding, as he whose dictates are only propounded in violence, and written in blood. And a dog is as capable of a law as a man, if there be no choice in his obedience, and no reason to direct his choice. And as it is unnatural, fo it is unreasonable, that one man should force another to be of his opinion, because he is backed with power; as if he that can kill a man cannot but be infallible: And if he be not, why fhould he do violence to that man's confcience, only because he can do violence to his person? IN fhort: Force in matters of opinion can do no good, but is very apt to do hurt. For no man can change his opinion when he will; or be fatisfied in his reason that his opinion is falfe, only because it is difcountenanced. If a man could change his opinion when he has a mind, he might cure many inconveniencies of his life: All his fears and his forrows would foon difband, if he would but alter his opinion, whereby he is perfuaded, that fuch an accident that afflicts him is an evil, and fuch an object formidable. Let him but believe himself impregnable, or that he receives a benefit when he is plundered, difgraced, imprisoned, condemned, and afflicted; neither his fleeps need to be disturbed, nor his quietness difcompofed. But if a man cannot change. his opinion when he pleases; nor even doth fo, heartily or refolutely, but when he cannot do otherwife; then, to ufe force, may make him an hypocrite, but never to be a right believer. FINALLY: It is one of the glories of the chriftian religion, that it was fo pious, VOL. III. excellent, Ee excellent, miraculous, and perfuafive; that it came in upon its own piety and wisdom, with no other force but a torrent of arguments and demonstrations of the spirit; like a mighty rufhing wind, to beat down all ftrong holds, and every high thought and imagination; but towards the persons of men, it was always full of meekness and charity, compliance and toleration, condefcenfion and bearing with one another, reftoring perfons overtaken with an error, in the Spirit of meekness, confidering left we alfo be tempted. And it would be a mighty disparagement to fo glorious an inftitution, that in its principle it fhould be merciful and humane, and in the promotion and propagation of it fo inhuman. And it would be improbable and unreasonable, that violence should be used in the perfuafion of one propofition, and yet in the perfuafion of the whole religion nothing like it. To do so, may ferve the end of a temporal prince, but never promote the honour of Chrift's kingdom, the sense and spirit whereof is defcribed in those excellent words of St. Paul |