bounteous assistance to them. All which argues no more, but that sometimes it pleaseth God to open the hearts of tyrants greatly to favour and further his people. Such favour found Nehemiah and Daniel, and others of God's people have and shall find, so often as it pleaseth him to honour them that honour him before the sons of men.

Peace. Who sees not how little this scripture contributes to their tenent? But why, say some, should this king confirm all with such severe punishments? and why for all this should Ezra give thanks to God, if it were not imitable for after times?

Truth. The law of God, which he confirmed, he knew not, and therefore neither was, nor could he be a judge in

the case.

And for his ground, what was it but the common Nebuchadterrors and convictions of an affrighted conscience?

nezzar, Darius, and Artaxerxes,

examined.

In such fits and pangs, what have not Pharaohs, Sauls, their Ahabs, Herods, Agrippas spoken? And what wonderful decrees have Nebuchadnezzar, Cyrus, Darius, Artaxerxes, put forth concerning the God of Israel, Dan. iii. and vi., and Ezra i. and vii., &c.; and yet as far from being charged with, as they were from being affected to, the spiritual crown of governing the worship of God, and the conscience of his people.

thanksgiving for the

decree ex

gover-amined.

It is true, Ezra most piously and justly gave thanks to Ezra's God for putting such a thing into the heart of the king; king's but what makes this a pattern for the laws of civil nors now under the gospel? It suited well with that national state of God's church, that the gentile king should release them, permit them to return to their own land, assist them with other favours, and enable them to execute punishments upon offenders according to their national state.

But did God put such a thing as this into the heart of

Christ needs

no human

confirmations.

The sum of

the examples of gentile kings decreeing for God's

worship in scripture.

the king, viz., to restrain upon pain of death all the millions of men under his dominion from the idolatries of their several and respective countries? to constrain them all, upon the like penalty, to conform to the worship of the God of Israel, to build him a temple, erect an altar, ordain priests, offer sacrifice, observe the fasts and feasts of Israel? Yea, did God put it into the king's heart to send Levites into all the parts of his dominion, compelling them to hear? which is but a natural thing, as some unsoundly speak, unto which all are bound to submit.

Well, however, Ezra gives thanks to God for the king; and so should all that fear God in all countries, if he would please to put it into the hearts of the kings, states, and parliaments, to take off the yokes of violence, and permit, at least, the consciences of their subjects, and especially such as in truth make conscience of their worships to the God of Israel: and yet, no cause for Ezra then, or God's Ezras and Israelites now, to acknowledge the care and charge of God's worship, church, and ordinances, to lie upon the shoulders of Artaxerxes, or any other civil prince or ruler.

Lastly. For the confirmation or ratification which they suppose magistrates are bound to give to the laws of Christ, I answer, God's cause, Christ's truth, and the twoedged sword of his word, never stood in need of a temporal sword or a human witness to confirm and ratify them. If we receive the witness of an honest man, the witness of the most holy God is greater, 1 John v. 9.

The result and sum of the whole matter is this:1. It may please God sometimes to stir up the rulers of the earth to permit and tolerate, to favour and countenance, God's people in their worships, though only out of some

[See Broadmead Records, Introd. pp. xli., lxxxvii.]

strong conviction of conscience or fear of wrath, &c. and yet themselves neither understand God's worship, nor leave their own state, idolatry, or country's worship.

For this God's people ought to give thanks unto God; yea, and all men from this example may learn, not to charge upon the magistrates' conscience-besides the care of the civil peace, the bodies and goods of men-the spiritual peace, in the worship of God and souls of men; but hence are magistrates instructed favourably to permit their subjects in their worships, although themselves be not persuaded to submit to them, as Nebuchadnezzar, Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes did.

CHAP. XCVII.

Peace. The sixth question is this:-How far the church is subject to their laws?

"All those," say they, "who are members of the commonweal are bound to be subject to all the just and righteous laws thereof, and therefore, membership in churches not cutting men off from membership in commonweals, they are bound to be subject, even every soul, Rom. xiii. 1, as Christ himself and the apostles were in their places wherein they lived. And therefore to exempt the clergy, as the papists do, from civil subjection, and to say that generatio clerici is corruptio subditi, is both sinful and scandalous to the gospel of God; and though all are equally subject, yet church members are more especially bound to yield subjection, and the most eminent most especially bound, not only because conscience doth more strongly bind, but also because their ill examples arc

The law of putting to

more infectious to others, pernicious to the state, and provoke God's wrath to bring vengeance on the state.

Hence, if the whole church, or officers of the church, shall sin against the state, or any person, by sedition, contempt of authority, heresy, blasphemy, oppression, slander, or shall withdraw any of their members from the service of the state without the consent thereof, their persons and estates are liable to civil punishments of magistrates, according to their righteous and wholesome laws, Exod. xxii. 20; Levit. xxiv. 16; Deut. xiii. 5, and xviii. 10."

Truth. What concerns this head in civil things, I gladly subscribe unto: what concerns heresy, blasphemy, &c., I have plentifully before spoken to, and shall here only say two things.

First. Those scriptures produced concern only the people of God in a church estate, and must have reference only to the church of Christ Jesus, which, as Mr. Cotton confesseth, is not national but congregational, of so many as may meet in one place, 1 Cor. xiv. [23,] and therefore no civil state can be the antitype and parallel: to which purpose, upon the eleventh question, I shall at large show the difference between the national church and state of Israel, and all other states and nations in the world.

Secondly. If the rulers of the earth are bound to put death bas to death all that worship other gods than the true God, or

phemers of Christ, cuts

off all hopes that blaspheme (that is, speak evil of in a lesser or higher Jews of par- degree) that one true God: it must unavoidably follow,

from the

taking in

his blood.

that the beloved for the Father's sake, the Jews, whose very religion blasphemeth Christ in the highest degree-I say,

7 ["If a prince should, by covenant and oath, make his whole kingdom a national church, he should do more than he hath any word of Christ to

warrant his work." A Survey of the Sum of Ch. Discipline, &c., part 2, Argument 12.]

they are actually sons of death, and all to be immediately executed according to those quoted scriptures. And—

effects of

conscience.

Secondly. The towns, cities, nations, and kingdoms of The ireful the world, must generally be put to the sword, if they fighting for speedily renounce not their gods and worships, and so cease to blaspheme the true God by their idolatries. This bloody consequence cannot be avoided by any scripture rule, for if that rule be of force, Deut. xiii. and xviii., not to spare or show mercy upon person or city falling to idolatry, that bars out all favour or partiality; and then what heaps upon heaps in the slaughter-houses and shambles of civil laws must the world come to, as I have formerly noted; and that unnecessarily, it being not required by the Lord Jesus for his sake, and the magistrate's power and weapons being essentially civil, and so not reaching to the impiety or ungodliness but the incivility and unrighteousness of tongue or hand.

CHAP. XCVIII.

Peace. Dear Truth, these are the poisoned daggers stabbing at my tender heart! Oh, when shall the Prince of peace appear, and reconcile the bloody sons of men! but let me now propose their seventh head: viz.,—

"In what order may the magistrate execute punishment on a church or church member that offendeth his laws?

"First. Gross and public, notorious sins, which are against the light of conscience, as heresy, &c., there the magistrate keeping him under safe ward should send the offender first to the church to heal his conscience, still provided that the church be both able and willing there