well, That as the Jews were to cut off their enemies outwardly, in order to establish their kingdom and outward worship, so they were to uphold it the same way but as the kingdom and gospel of Christ was not to be established or propagated by cutting off or destroying the Gentiles, but by persuading them, so neither is it to be upheld otherwise.

But secondly, They urge, Rom. xiii. where the magistrate is said not to bear the sword in vain, because he is the minister of God, to execute wrath upon such as do evil. But heresy, say they, is evil. Ergo.

But so is hypocrisy also; yet they confess he ought not to punish that. Therefore this must be understood of moral evils, relative to affairs betwixt man and man, not of matters of judgment or worship; or else what great absurdities would follow, considering that Paul wrote here to the church of Rome, which was under the government of Nero, an impious heathen, and persecutor of the church? Now if a power to punish in point of heresy be here included, it will necessarily follow, that Nero had this power; yea, and that he had it of God; for because the power was of God, therefore the apostle urges their obedience. But can there be any thing more absurd, than to say that Nero had power to judge in such cases? Surely if Christian magistrates be not to punish for hypocrisy, because they cannot outwardly discern it; far less could Nero punish any body for

heresy, which he was incapable to discern. And if Nero had not power to judge or punish in point of heresy, then nothing can be urged from this place; since all that is said here, is spoken as applicable to Nero, with a particular relation to whom it was written. And if Nero had such a power, surely he was to exercise it according to his judgment and conscience, and in doing thereof he was not to be blamed; which is enough to justify him in his persecuting of the apostles, and murdering the Christians.

Thirdly, They object that saying of the apostle to the Galatians, v. 12. "I would they were even cut off which trouble you."

But how this imports any more than a cutting off from the church, is not nor can be shewn.

The same way may be answered that other argument, drawn from Rev. ii. 20 where the church of Thyatira is reproved for suffering the woman Jezebel: which can be no other ways understood, than that they did not excommunicate her, or cut her off by a church censure. For as to corporal punishment, it is known that at that time the Christians had not power to punish hereties so, if they had had a mind to it.

Fourthly, They allege, that heresies are numbered among the works of the flesh, Gal. v. 20. Ergo, &c.

That magistrates have power to punish all the works of the flesh is denied, and not yet proved.

Every evil is a work of the flesh, but every evil comes not under the magistrate's cognizance. Is not hypocrisy a work of the flesh? which our adversaries confess the magistrates ought not to punish. Yea, are not hatred and envy there mentioned as works of the flesh? And yet the magistrate cannot punish them, as they are in themselves, until they exert themselves in other acts which come under his power. But so long as heresy doth not exert itself in any act destructive to human society, or such like things, but is kept within the sphere of those duties of doctrine or worship which stand betwixt a man and God, they no ways come within the magistrate's power.

This forcing of mens' consciences is contrary to sound reason, and the very law of nature. For man's understanding cannot be forced by all the bodily sufferings another man can inflict upon him, especially in matters spiritual and supernatural: It is argument, and evident demonstration of reason, together with the power of God reaching the heart, that can change a man's mind from one opinion to another, and not knocks and blows, and such like things, which may well destroy the body, but never can inform the soul, which is a free agent, and must either accept or reject matters of opinion as they are borne in upon it by something proportioned to its own nature. To seek to force minds in any other manner, is to deal with men as if they were brutes, void of understanding.

There

Now the ground of persecution, as hath been above shewn, is an unwillingness to suffer; for no man, that will persecute another for his conscience, would suffer for his own, if he could avoid it, seeing his principle obliges him, if he had power, by force to establish that which he judges is the truth, and so to force others to it. fore I judge it meet, for the information of the nations, briefly to add something in this place concerning the nature of true Christian sufferings, whereunto a very faithful testimony hath been borne by God's witnesses, which he hath raised up in this age, beyond what hath been generally known or practised for these many generations, yea, since the apostacy took place. Yet it is not my design here in any wise to derogate from the sufferings of the Protestant martyrs, whom I believe to have walked in faithfulness towards God, according to the dispensations of light in that day appearing, and of which many were utter enemies to persecution, as by their testimonies against it might be made appear.

But the true, faithful, and Christian suffering is, for men to profess what they are persuaded is right, and so practise and perform their worship towards God, as being their true right so to do; and neither to do more in that, because of outward encouragement from men; nor any whit less, because of the fear of their laws and acts against it. Thus for a Christian man to vindicate his

just liberty with so much boldness, and yet innocency, will in due time, though through blood, purchase peace, as this age hath in some measure experienced, and many are witnesses of it; which yet shall be more apparent to the world, as truth takes place in the earth. But they greatly sin against this excellent rule, that in time of persecution do not profess their own way so much as they would if it were otherwise; and yet, when they can get the magistrate upon their side, not only stretch their own liberty to the utmost, but seek to establish the same by denying it to others.

But of this excellent patience and sufferings, the witnesses of God, in scorn called Quakers, have given a manifest proof: for so soon as God revealed his truth among them, without regard to any opposition whatever, or what they might meet with, they went up and down, as they were moved of the Lord, preaching and propagating the truth in market-places, highways, streets, and public temples, though daily beaten, whipped, bruised, haled, and imprisoned therefore. And when there was any where a church or assembly gathered, they taught them to keep their meetings openly, and not to shut the door, nor do it by stealth, that all might know it, and those who would might enter. And as hereby all just occasion of fear of plotting against the government was fully removed, so this their courage and faithfulness in not giving over their meeting together