not do that till it be applied wider, and punishment be laid upon more than you would have it; for "if the magistrate be by force to procure, as much as in him lies, that none remain ignorant of the way of salvation;" must he not punish all those who are ignorant of the way of salvation? And pray tell me how this is any way practicable, but by supposing none in the national church ignorant, and all out of it ignorant of the way of salvation. Which, what is it, but to punish men barely for not being of the magistrate's religion; the very thing you deny he has authority to do? So that the magistrate having, by your own confession, no authority thus to use force; and it being otherwise impracticable for the procuring all his subjects the means of discovering the way of salvation;" there is an end of force. And so force being laid aside, either as unlawful, or impracticable, the author's argument holds good against force, even in your way of applying it.

But if you say, as you do in the foregoing page, that the magistrate has authority "to lay such penalties upon those who refuse to embrace the doctrine of the proper ministers of religion, and to submit to their spiritual government, as to make them bethink themselves so as not to be alienated from the truth: (for, as for foolish humour, and uncharitable prejudice," &c. which are but words of course that opposite parties give one another, as marks of dislike and presumption, I omit them, as signifying nothing to the question; being such as will with the same reason be retorted by the other side ); against that also the author's argument holds, that the magistrate has no such authority. 1. Because God never gave the magistrate an authority to be judge of truth for another man in matters of religion: and so he cannot be judge whether any man be alienated from the truth or no. 2. Because the magistrate had never authority given him "to lay any penalties on those who refuse to embrace the doctrine of the proper ministers of his religion, or of any other, or to submit to their spiritual government," more than on any other men.

To the author's argument, that the magistrate cannot receive such authority from the people; because no man has power to leave it to the choice of any other man to choose a religion for him; you give this pleasant answer: "As the power of the magistrate, in reference to religion, is ordained for the bringing men to take such care as they ought of their salvation, that they may not blindly leave it to the choice, neither of any other person, nor yet of their own lusts and passions, to prescribe to them what faith or worship they shall embrace: so if we suppose this power to be vested in the magistrate by the consent of the people; this will not import their abandoning the care of their salvation, but rather the contrary. For if men, in choosing their religion, are so generally subject, as has been showed, when left wholly to themselves, to be so much swayed by prejudice and passion, as either not at all, or not sufficient to regard the reasons and motives which ought alone to determine their choice; then it is every man's true interest, not to be left wholly to himself in this matter; but that care should be taken, that, in an affair of so vast concernment to him, he may be brought, even against his own inclination, if it cannot be done otherwise, (which is ordinarily the case) to act according to reason and sound judgment. And then what better course can men take to provide for this, than by vesting the power I have described in him who bears the sword ?"-Wherein I beseech you consider, 1. Whether it be not pleasant, that you say— "the power of the magistrate is ordained to bring men to take such care;" and thence infer, "Then it is. every one's interest to vest such power in the magistrate?" For if it be the power of the magistrate, it is his. And what need the people vest it in him, unless there be need, and it be the best course they can take, to vest a power in the magistrate, which he has already? 2. Another pleasant thing you here say is, "That the power of the magistrate is to bring men to such a care of their salvation, that they may not blindly leave it to the choice of any person, or their

own lusts, or passions, to prescribe to them what faith or worship they shall embrace; and yet that it is their best course to vest a power in the magistrate," liable to the same lusts and passions as themselves, to choose for them. For if they vest a power in the magistrate to punish them, when they dissent from his religion; "to bring them to act, even against their own inclination, according to their reason and sound judgment;" which is, as you explain yourself in another place, to bring them to consider reasons and arguments proper and sufficient to convince them: how far is this from leaving it to the choice of another man to prescribe to them what faith or worship they shall embrace? Especially if we consider that you think it a strange thing, that the author would have the care of every man's soul left to himself alone. So that this care being vested "in the magistrate with a power to punish men to make them consider reasons and arguments proper and sufficient to convince them" of the truth of his religion; the choice is evidently in the magistrate, as much as it can be in the power of one man to choose for another what religion he shall be of; which consists only in a power of compelling him by punishments to embrace it.

I do neither you nor the magistrate injury, when I say that the power you give the magistrate of " “punishing men, to make them consider reasons and arguments proper and sufficient to convince them," is to convince them of the truth of his religion, and to bring them to it. For men will never, in his opinion, "act according to reason and sound judgment," which is the thing you here say men should be brought to by the magistrate, even against their "own inclination," till they embrace his religion. And if you have the brow of an honest man, you will not say the magistrate will ever punish you "to bring you to consider any other reasons and arguments, but such as are proper to couvince you" of the truth of his religion, and to bring you to that. Thus you shift forwards and backwards. You say "the magistrate has no power to pu nish men, to compel them to his religion," but only

to "compel them to consider reasons and arguments proper to convince them" of the truth of his religion, which is all one as to say, nobody has power to choose your way for you to Jerusalem; but yet the lord of the manor has power to punish you, "to bring you to consider reasons and arguments proper and sufficient to convince you." Of what? That the way he goes in is the right, and so to make you join in company, and go along with him. So that, in effect, what is all your going about, but to come at last to the same place again; and put a power into the magistrate's hands, under another pretence, to compel men to his religion? which use of force the author has sufficiently overthrown, and you yourself have quitted. But I am tired to follow you so often round the same circle.

You speak of it here as the most deplorable condition imaginable, that "men should be left to themselves, and not be forced to consider and examine the grounds of their religion, and search impartially and diligently after the truth." This you make the great miscarriage of mankind. And for this you seem solicitous, all through your treatise, to find out a remedy; and there is scarce a leaf wherein you do not offer yours. But what if, after all now, you should be found to prevaricate?" Men have contrived to themselves," say you, "a great variety of religions:" it is granted. They seek not the truth in this matter with that application of mind, and that freedom of judg ment which is requisite:" it is confessed. "All the false religions now on foot in the world have taken their rise from the slight and partial consideration, which men have contented themselves with, in searching after the true; and men take them up, and persist in them, for want of due examination:" be it so. "There is need of a remedy for this, and I have found one whose success cannot be questioned:" very well. What is it? Let us hear it. 66 Why, dissenters must be punished." Can any body that hears you say so, believe you in earnest; and that want of examination is the thing you would have amended, when want of

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examination is not the thing you would have punished? If want of examination be the fault, want of examination must be punished; if you are, as you pretend, fully satisfied, that punishment is the proper and only means to remedy it. But if, in all your treatise, you can show me one place, where you say that the ignorant, the careless, the inconsiderate, the negligent in examining thoroughly the truth of their own and others' religion, &c. are to be punished; I will allow your remedy for a good one. But you have not said any thing like this: and which is more, I tell you beforehand, you dare not say it. And whilst you do not, the world has reason to judge, that however want of examination be a general fault, which you with great vehemency have exaggerated; yet you use it only for a pretence to punish dissenters; and either distrust your remedy, that it will not cure this evil, or else care not to have it generally cured. This evidently appears from your whole management of the argument. And he that reads your treatise with attention will be more confirmed in this opinion, when he shall find that you, who are so earnest to have men punished to bring them to consider and examine, that so they may discover the way to salvation, have not said one word of considering, searching, and hearkening to the Scripture; which had been as good a rule for a Christian to have sent them to, "as to reasons and arguments proper to convince them" of you know not what; "as to the instruction and government of the proper ministers of religion," which who they are, men are yet far from being agreed; "or as to the information of those, who tell them they have mistaken their way, and offer to show them the right; and to the like uncertain and dangerous guides; which were not those that our Saviour and the apostles sent men to, but to the Scriptures." "Search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life," says our Saviour to the unbelieving persecuting Jews, (John v. 39); and it is the Scriptures which, St. Paul says, "are able to make wise unto salvation," (2 Tim. iii. 15.)

Talk no more, therefore, if you have any care of