done by men of their own conceits; and all condemnable, or a diminutive good, that is found in those that differ from them; especially if they dispute, or write against them.

Whence is it but for want of self-denial, that men who know that whoredom, and drunkenness, and theft, are sins, can yet be ignorant (in the midst of light) that discord and church-divisions are sins? And that they hear him with heart-rising, enmity or suspicion, that doth declaim against them? As if uniting were the work of satan, and dividing were become the work of Christ. I mean not dividing from those without, but dividing in his church, and among his members; who are all baptized with one Spirit, into one body (1 Cor. xii. 13.), even the body of Christ, (not of the pope,) of which even apostles are but members, (and therefore Peter was not the head) (1 Cor. xii. 27, 28.); which is so tempered together by God, that there should be no schism in it, but that the members should have the same care one of another (1 Cor. xii. 24, 25.); and that for all the plain and terrible passages against divisions, that are found in the word of God, it seems to some a venial sin, and to others a commendable virtue, if not a mark of Christian piety. I may seem to speak incredible things of the delusions of selfish professors of religion, if they were not attested by the common and lamentable experience of the times.

And whence is it but for want of self-denial, that peacemakers succeed no better in their attempts? That while all men cry up peace and unity, most men are destroying them, and few are furthering them, and fewer do it with zeal and diligence; so few, that they are borne down in the crowd, and speed no better than Lot among the rabble of the Sodomites, that cried out against him, "This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge: now will we deal worse with thee than with them;" Gen. xix. 9. How long have some been longing, and praying, and moving, and labouring for peace among the professed sons of piety and peace in England; and all (for ought I see) almost in vain; unless to the condemnation of a selfish, unpeaceable generation! (But yet let the sons of peace plead for it, as long as they have a tongue and breath to speak).

Whence can it be but for want of self-denial, that magistrates professing a zeal for holiness, regard no more the interest of Christ; but that the name (and but the name) of

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liberty (a liberty that hath neither moral good or evil in it), is set in the balance against the things of everlasting consequence, and thought sufficient to overweigh them? And that the mere pretence of this indifferent carnal liberty, is thought an argument of sufficient weight, for the introduction of a wicked damning liberty, even a liberty to deceive and destroy as many as they can, and to hinder those that endeavour men's salvation? And what is the argument pleaded for all this? It is partly a pretence of tenderness and mercy; and partly because men cannot be made religious by force. And must such ignorant and juggling confusions serve turn, to cheat a nation of their religion and liberties, and many thousands of their salvation? As if all the controversy were, whether we should force others to be of our religion? When it is only or principally, whether we may hinder them from robbing us of our own; and from tempting unstable souls to sin and to damnation; and from hindering the means of men's salvation; and from the open practice of idolatry, or ungodliness: and if we cannot force them to the Christian faith, cannot we hinder them from drawing others from it? And are we unmerciful to them, if we give them leave to damn themselves (for that is the mercy that is pleaded for), and only hinder them from damning others? Is it cruelty, or persecution, to hinder them from enticing souls to hell, as long as they may freely go thither themselves? I should rather think that if we did our best to save themselves, it were far from cruelty: for example; if infidel or Papists' books be prohibited, what cruelty or persecution is this? If Quakers be hindered from railing at God's ordinances in the open streets and assemblies, what cruelty or persecution is this? But some think it enough for this toleration, that they think as confidently they are in the right, as we do that they err! And so do heathens, Mahometans, and infidels. And what! shall every man have leave to do evil, that can but be ignorant enough to think (or say he thinks) that he doth well? And must magistrates rule as men that are uncertain whether there be a Christ, or a church, or a heaven, or hell, because some are found in their dominions so foolish or impious as to be uncertain of it? In plain English, is it any hindrance to men's salvation, and furtherance of their damnation, to be made infidels, Papists, and such as deny the

essentials of Christianity, or not? If not, then away with Christianity and reformation; why do we pretend to it ourselves? But if it be, will merciful rulers set up a trade for butchering of souls; and allow men to set up a shop of poison, for all to buy and take that will? Yea, to proclaim this poison for souls, in streets and church-assemblies, as if men's souls were no more worth than rats, or mice, or hurtful vermin, or it were some noble achievement to send as many as may be to the devil? Judge impartially, whether all this be not for want of self-denial. If selfish interest led them not to this, and if they were more tender of the interest of Christ than of their own, than of men's souls than of their flesh, it would not be thus. But the same argument that tempts the sensual to hell, doth tempt such magistrates to set up liberty for drawing men to hell. The wicked sell their souls to spare the flesh, and let go heaven to enjoy the liberty of sinning; and run into hell to escape the trouble of a holy life and such magistrates sell the people's souls to spare the flesh of the deceivers; and in tenderness and mercy to their bodies, they dare not restrain men from seeking their damnation. Is faith and holiness propagated by persuasion, and not by force? Surely then infidelity, popery and ungodliness, are propagated by persuasion too? Again I tell you, self-love doth make such rulers wiser than to grant commission or liberty to all that will, to entice their soldiers to mutinies or rebellion, their wives to adultery, their children to prodigality, or their servants to thievery : but their love of Christ and men's salvation is not so strong as to satisfy them, whether men should be hindered from raising mutinies in his church, and from destroying souls! Forsooth they tell us that Christ is sufficient to look to his own cause. Very true, (and they shall one day know it). But must he not therefore teach or rule by men? Is not adultery, murder, theft, rebellion, against the cause of Christ, and his laws, as well as popery and infidelity? And must they therefore be let alone by man? Christ is sufficient to teach the world, as well as to govern. But doth it follow that men must be no teachers, under him? Nothing but selfishness could cause this blindness.

And because I know that this stream proceeds from the Roman spring, and it is their great design to persuade the world, that it belongs not to magistrates to meddle with re

ligion, but only to cherish them that the pope approveth of, and to punish those whom the pope condemns, and that Christ must govern and judge of matters of religion himself; that is, by his pretended Roman vicechrist; I shall only now say this, that if Rome were acquainted with self-denial, and if the selfish, carnal interest of riches and rule, and worldly greatness had not blinded them, they could never have believed themselves, that Christ did appoint the pope of Rome to be his universal vicar; and that princes and magistrates in their own dominions, have not more power to judge who is to be tolerated or punished by the sword, than the pope of Rome; when no priest, or prelate upon earth (as such) hath any thing to do with such a judgment; no, not in the places where they live. All that they have to do therein, is to judge who is the heretic, or offender, in order to his censure and excommunication; but it is magistrates only that must judge who is the heretic or offender, in order to corporal punishment or restraint. And this I undertake to make good against all the Papists in the world: much more, that the Roman tyrant hath no such power at the antipodes, and in all the Christian nations of the earth.

Remember in all this, that I speak not against a toleration of godly, tolerable men, Episcopal, Presbyterian, Independent, Anabaptist, &c. that will walk in charity, peace and concord; we shall never be well till these are closed.

But do we not know that Papists have Italy, and Spain, and Germany, and France at hand to help them? And that if we grant them such a liberty as shall strengthen them and make way for their power, we give them our own liberty, and are preparing faggots for our own martyrdom, and giving away the Gospel, that by wonders of mercy hath been till now preserved, (and I hope shall be preserved in despite of Rome and hell). Nor yet do I plead for any cruelty against a Papist, but for a necessary defence of the interest of Christ and the souls of men, and the hopes of our posterity. True humanity abhorreth cruelty.

Did magistrates well know their dependence upon God, and that they are his officers, and must make him their end, they would not take their flocks to be their masters, though they may take them for their charge; nor would they set up a carnal interest of the multitude against the pleasing of God, and men's salvation: nor would they think so highly

of men's conceits and wills, as to judge it a matter of so much moment, to allow them in religion to say and do what they list. If allowing a man's self in the practice of known sin is inconsistent with a state of grace, and a sign of a miserable slave of satan, I leave it to you to consider, what it will prove to allow others, even countries and nations, in known sin. And if rulers know not that setting up an universal vicechrist, and worshipping bread (though they think there is no bread) with divine worship, and serving God in an unknown tongue, with other points of popery, are sin; and that opposing and reproaching the holy Scriptures, ordinances and ministry, are sin; woe to such rulers, and woe to the nations that are ruled by such. O what a blessing is a holy, self-denying magistracy to a nation! If one could have told you twenty years ago, that you, and such as you should be rulers in this land, how confidently would you have promised an universal encouragement to godliness, and a vigorous promoting the cause of Christ, and a zealous suppressing of all that is against it! Little would you or I have thought, that after professors of godliness, were in power, so many years should have been spent in destroying charity and unity, and cherishing almost all that will stand up for the devil, and plead his cause against the doctrine, and discipline, and worship, and churches, and officers of Jesus Christ, and that in their days it should have been put to the question, Whether the ministry itself should be taken down? and that men in power should write for liberty, for all that will call itself religion, even popery not excepted, (nor, I think, infidelity or Mahometanism itself); and that those that write so should be men in power. My heart would have risen against him as an odious calumniator, that should have presumed to tell me, that such men as have attempted this would ever have come to such a pass: and I should have encountered them with Hazael's question, "Are they dogs, that they should do so vile a thing?" and exercise such cruelty on souls, and seek to bring back the people of God to the Romish vomit, and set up the greatest tyranny on earth, and all under pretence of a religious liberty?

But alas, it is not magistrates only that are so wanting in self-denial. Ministers also are guilty of this crime, or else we should not have been so forward to divisions, and so backward to the cure; nor would men of this profession, for