flood. But had you had as good a memory, as is generally thought needful to a man of art, it is believed you would have spared this reason, for your being so backward in putting men upon examination of the Scripture." And any one, but a man of art, who shall read what you tell us the magistrate's duty is; and will but consider how convenient it would be, that men should receive no instruction but from the ministry, that you there tell us the magistrate assists; examine no argu ments, hear nothing of the Gospel, receive no other sense of the Scripture but what the ministry proposes; (who if they had but the coactive power, you think them as capable of as other men,) might assist themselves; he, I say, who reflects but on these things, may perhaps find a reason that may better satisfy the ignorant and unlearned, who have not had the good luck to arrive at being of the number of these men of art, why you cannot descend to propose to men the studying of the Scripture.

Let me for once suppose you in holy orders, (for we, that are not of the adepti, may be allowed to be igno rant of the punctilios in writing observed by the men of art) and let me then ask what art is this, whose rules are of that authority, that one, who has received com mission from Heaven to preach the Gospel in season and out of season for the salvation of souls, may not allow himself to propose the reading, studying, exa mining of the Scripture, which has for at least these sixteen hundred years contained the only true religion in the world; for fear such a proposal should offend against the rules of this art, by being too particular, and confined to the Gospel-dispensation; and therefore could not pass muster, nor find admittance, in a trea tise wherein the author professes it his only business to inquire what method is to be used to bring men to the true religion?" Do you expect any other dispensation, that you are so afraid of being too particular, if you should recommend the use and study of the Scripture, to bring men to the true religion now in the times of the Gospel? Why might you not as well send them to the Scriptures, as to the ministers and teachers

of the true religion? Have those ministers any other religion to teach than what is contained in the Scriptures? But perhaps you do this out of kindness and care, because possibly the Scriptures could not be found; but who were the ministers of the true religion, men could not possibly miss. Indeed, you have allowed yourself to descend to what belongs only to some particular times and dispensations, for their sake, when you speak of the ministers of the Gospel. But whether it be as fully agreed on amongst Christians, who are the ministers of the Gospel that men must hearken to, and be guided by; as which are the writings of the apostles and evangelists, that, if studied, will instruct them in the way to heaven; is more than you or your men of art can be positive in. Where are the canons of this over-ruling art to be found, to which you pay such reverence? May a man of no distinguishing character be admitted to the privilege of them? For I see it may be of notable use at a dead-lift, and bring a man off with flying colours, when truth and reason can do him but little service. The strong guard you have in the powers you write for, and when you have engaged a little too far, the safe retreat you have always at hand in an appeal to these men of art, made me almost at a stand, whether I were not best make a truce with one who had such auxiliaries. A friend of mine, finding me talk thus, replied briskly, it is a matter of religion, which requires not men of art; and the assistance of such art as savours so little of the simplicity of the Gospel, both shows and makes the cause the weaker. And so I went on to your two next paragraphs.

In them, to vindicate a pretty strange argument for the magistrate's use of force, you think it convenient to repeat it out of your A. p. 26; and so, in compliance with you, shall I do here again. There you tell us, "The power you ascribe to the magistrate is given him to bring men, not to his own, but to the true religion and though, (as our author puts us in mind) the religion of every prince is orthodox to himself; yet if this power keep within its bounds, it can serve the

interest of no other religion but the true, among such as have any concern for their eternal salvation; (and those that have none, deserve not to be considered) because the penalties it enables him that has it to inflict, are not such as may tempt such persons either to renounce a religion which they believe to be true, or to profess one which they do not believe to be so; but only such as are apt to put them upon a serious and impartial examination of the controversy between the magistrate and them, which is the way for them to come to the knowledge of the truth. And if, upon such examination of the matter; they chance to find that the truth does not lie on the magistrate's side, they have gained thus much however, even by the magistrate's misapplying his power; that they know better than they did before where the truth doth lie; and all the hurt that comes to them by it, is only the suffering some tolerable inconveniencies for their fol lowing the light of their own reason, and the dictates of their own consciences; which certainly is no such mischief to mankind as to make it more eligible that there should be no such power vested in the magistrate, but the care of every man's soul should be left to himself alone, (as this author demands it.)"

To this I tell you, "That here, out of abundant kindness, when dissenters have their heads, without any cause, broken, you provide them a plaster." For, say you, "if upon such examination of the matter, (i. e. brought to it by the magistrate's punishment) they chance to find that the truth doth not lie on the magistrate's side, they have gained thus much however, even by the magistrate's misapplying his power, that they know better than they did before where the truth does lie. Which is as true as if you should say: Upon examination I find such an one is out of the way to York, therefore I know better than I did before that I am in the right. For neither of you may be in the right. This were true indeed, if there were but two ways in all, a right and a wrong.' To this you reply here: "That whoever shall consider the penalties, will,

you persuade yourself, find no heads broken, and so but little need of a plaster. The penalties, as you say, are to be such as will not tempt such as have any concern for their eternal salvation either to renounce a religion which they believe to be true, or profess one which they believe not to be so; but only such as, being weighed in gold scales, are just enough, or, as you express it, are apt to put them upon a serious and impartial examination of the controversy between the magistrate and them." If you had been pleased to have told us what penalties those were, we might have been able to guess whether there would have been broken heads or no: but since you have not vouchsafed to do it, and, if I mistake not, will again appeal to your men of art for another dispensation, rather than ever do it; I fear nobody can be sure these penalties will not reach to something worse than a broken head: especially if the magistrate shall observe that you impute the rise and growth of false religions (which it is the magistrate's duty to hinder) to the pravity of human nature, unbridled by authority; which by what follows he may have reason to think is to use force sufficient to counterbalance the folly, perverseness, and wickedness of men: and whether then he may not lay on penalties sufficient, if not to break men's heads, yet to ruin them in their estates and liberties, will be more than you can undertake. And since you acknowledge here, that the magistrate may err so far in the use of this his power, as to mistake the persons that he lays his penalties on; will you be security that he shall not also mistake in the proportion of them, and not lay on such as men would willingly exchange for a broken head? All the assurance you give us of this is, " If this power keep within its bounds, i. e. as you here explain it, If the penalties the magistrate makes use of to promote a false religion, do not exceed the measure of those which he may warrantably use for the promoting the true." The magistrate may, notwithstanding any thing you have said, or can say, use any sort of penalties, any degree of punishment; you having neither showed the

measure of them, nor will be ever able to show the utmost measure, which may not be exceeded, if any may be used.

But what is this I find here? "If the penalties the magistrate make use of to promote a false religion." Is it possible that the magistrate can make use of penalties to promote a false religion; of whom you told us, but three pages back, "That may always be said of him, (what St. Paul said of himself) that he can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth?" By that one would have thought you had undertaken to us, that the magistrate could no more use force to promote a false religion, than St. Paul could preach to promote a false religion. If you say, the magistrate has no commission to promote a false religion, and therefore it may always be said of him what Saint Paul said of himself, &c. I say, no minister was ever commissioned to preach falsehood; and therefore it may always be said of every minister, (what St. Paul said of himself) that he can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth" whereby we shall very commodiously have an infallible guide in every parish, as well as one in every commonwealth. But if you thus use Scripture, I imagine you will have reason to appeal again to your men of art, whether, though you may not be allowed to recommend to others the examina tion and use of Scripture, to find the true religion, yet you yourself may not use the Scripture to what purpose, and in what sense you please, for the defence of

cause.

your

To the remainder of what I said in that paragraph, your answer is nothing but an exception to an inference I made. The argument you were upon, was to justify the magistrate's inflicting penalties to bring men to a false religion, by the gain those that suffered them would receive.

Their gain was this: "That they would know better than they did before where the truth does lie." To which I replied, "Which is as true, as if you should say, upon examination I find such an one is out of the way to York; therefore I know better than I did