Truth. In this passage, as I said before, I observe how weakly and partially they deal with the souls of magistrates, in telling them they are the guardians of both tables, must see the church do her duty, punish, &c.; and yet in this passage the elders or ministers of the churches not only sit judges over the magistrates' actions in church affairs, but in civil also, straitening and enlarging his commission according to the particular interests of their own ends, or at the best their consciences. government of the church magistrate to the civil (as before), and yet to abridge his conscience, I grant the word of the Lord is the only rule, light, and To give the lantern in all cases concerning God or man, and that the ministers of the gospel are to teach this way, hold out this lantern unto the feet of all men; but to give such an absolute power in spiritual things to the civil magistrate, and yet after their own ends or consciences to abridge it, is but the former sporting with holy things, and to walk in contradictions, as before I noted. Many of the particulars I acknowledge true, where the magistrate is a member of the church; yet some passages call for explication, and some for observation. First, in that they say the civil magistrate ought not to proceed against the offences of an excommunicate person, which manifestly hurt not the good of the state, until the church hath made her complaint for help from them, I observe two things: what is it with holy but to sport things? &c. contradic First, a clear grant that when the church complaineth An evident for help, then the magistrate may punish such offences as tion. hurt not the good of the state: and yet in a few lines after they say, the magistrates have no power to censure such offences of church members by the power of the civil sword, but only such as do immediately hurt the peace of the civil state; and they add the reason, because the proper end of the civil government being the preservation of the peace and welfare of the state, they ought not to end of civil An excellent confession of the proper government. break down those bounds, and so to censure immediately When civil laws are not broken, it is confessed that civil peace is not hurt. for such sins which hurt not their peace. to And in the last place, they acknowledge the magistrate hath no power punish any for any such offences as break no civil law of God, or law of the state published according to it: "for the peace of the state," say they, "being preserved by wholesome laws, when they are not hurt, the peace is not hurt." A grievous charge against the Christian church, and it. CHAP. CXXVIII. Peace. Dear Truth, here are excellent confessions, unto which both truth and grace may gladly assent; but what is your second observation from hence? Truth. I observe secondly, what a deep charge of weakness is laid upon the church of Christ, the laws, governthe King of ment, and officers thereof, and consequently upon the Lord Jesus himself: to wit, that the church is not enabled with all the power of Christ to censure sufficiently an offender-on whom yet they have executed the deepest censure in the world, to wit, cutting off from Christ, shutting out of heaven, casting to the devil-which offender's crime reacheth not to hurt the good of the civil state; but that she is forced to make complaint to the civil state, and the officers thereof, for their help. Oh! let not this be told in Gath, nor heard in Askelon! and oh! how dim must needs that eye be, which is bloodshot with that bloody and cruel tenent of persecution for cause of conscience! Peace. But what should be meant by this passage, viz., "That they cannot give liberty to the magistrate to punish without exception all excommunicate persons, within so many months?" law in New England Truth. It may be this hath reference to a law made A strange formerly in New England, that if an excommunicate per- Formerly, son repented not within, as I have heard, three months against exafter sentence of excommunication, then the civil magistrate might proceed with him. communicate persons. These worthy men see cause to question this law upon good reasons rendered, though it appears not by their words that they wholly condemn it, only they desire a longer time, implying that after some longer time the magistrate may proceed: and indeed I see not, but according to such principles, if the magistrate himself should be A dangerous cast out, he ought to be proceeded against by the civil against all state, and consequently deposed and punished, as the pope teacheth: yea, though happily [haply?] he had not offended against either bodies or goods of any subject. doctrine civil magistrates. prohibited punished by all sin, Rom. xiii. Thirdly, from this confession, that the magistrate ought Many sins not to punish for many sins above-mentioned, I observe to be how they cross the plea which commonly they bring for tran the magistrates punishing of false doctrines, heretics, &c., charge him (viz., Rom. xiii., The magistrate is to punish them that do evil); and when it is answered, True, evil against the second table, which is there only spoken of, and against the bodies and goods of the subject, which are the proper object of the civil magistrate, as they confess: it is replied, Why? is not idolatry sin? heresy, sin? schism and false worship, sin? Yet here in this passage many evils, many sins, even of parents against their children, masters against their servants, husbands against their wives, the magistrate ought not to meddle with. charged to Fourthly. I dare not assent to that assertion, "That Original sin even original [sin] remotely hurts the civil state." It is hurt remotetrue some do, as inclinations to murder, theft, whoredom, ly (but falsely) the civil state. th Magistrates strangely forbidden to hear civil complaints. Thousands of common no true church of Christ. slander, disobedience to parents, and magistrates; but blindness of mind, hardness of heart, inclination to choose or worship this or that God, this or that Christ, beside the true, these hurt not remotely the civil state, as not concerning it, but the spiritual. Peace. Let me, in the last place, remind you of their charge against the magistrate, and which will necessarily turn to my wrong and prejudice: they say, the magistrate, in hearing and prosecuting the complaints of children against their parents, of servants against their masters, of wives against their husbands, without acquainting the church first, transgresseth the rule of Christ. Truth. Sweet Peace, they that pretend to be thy dearest friends, will prove thy bitter enemies. First, I ask for one rule out of the Testament of the Lord Jesus, to prove this deep charge and accusation against the civil magistrate? Secondly, this is built upon a supposition of what rarely weals where falls out in the world, to wit, that there must necessarily be a true church of Christ in every lawful state, unto whom these complaints must go: whereas, how many thousand commonweals have been and are, where the name of Christ hath not (or not truly) been founded! The complaints of perly fall in nizance of the civil Thirdly, the magistrates' office, according to their own families pro- grant, properly respecting the bodies and goods of their to the cog: subjects, and the whole body of the commonweal being magistrate. made up of families, as the members constituting that body, I see not how, according to the rule of Christ, Rom. xiii., the magistrate may refuse to hear and help the just complaints of any such petitioners-children, wives, and servants against oppression, &c. They who give to Peace. I have long observed, that such as have been magistrates ready to ascribe to the civil magistrate and his sword more than God hath ascribed, have also been most ready to cut more than is due, are most apt to of what is off the skirts, and, in case of his inclining to another con- disrobe them science than their own, to spoil him of the robe of that theirs. due authority with which it hath pleased God and the people to invest and clothe him. But I shall now present you with the thirteenth head, whose title is, CHAP. CXXIX. What power magistrates have in public assemblies of churches. 13th head. "First," say they, "the churches have power to assemble and continue such assemblies for the performance of all God's ordinances, without or against the consent of the magistrate, renuente magistratu, because— "Christians are commanded so to do, Matt. xxviii. 18-20. "Also, because an angel from God commanded the apostles so to do, Acts v. 20. "Likewise from the practice of the apostles, who were not rebellious or seditious, yet they did so, Acts iv. 18— 20, Acts v. 27, 28. 66 Further, from the practice of the primitive church at Jerusalem, who did meet, preach, pray, minister sacraments, censures, Acts iv. 23, renuente magistratu. "Moreover, from the exhortation to the Hebrews, [chap.] x. 25, not to forsake their assemblies, though it were in dangerous times; and if they might do this under professed enemies, then we may much more under Christian magistrates, else we were worse under Christian magis |