The Kingdom of God Among Men, Tract 1 · Chapter 32
CHAP. XXXII.
The Wisdom of the Higher Powers in promoting the Religiousness of their People.
THe advancement of true Religion is the interest of the Higher Powers, if to maintain Gods honour and mans chief good be their interest, and if the defying of God and the utter undoing of men be against it. Yea, if the Tranquility and Peace of Governours and the stability of Government be regarded, human Wisdom will direct to promote that way which is no other than the exercise of a Conscience void of offence towards God and towards Man. Godliness includes Prudence, Justice, Temperance, Fortitude, and all Goodness. It is an internal Law effectually subduing them that have it to all external Laws that are just and good, and the example of it goes far to the bettering of many others in things pertaining to humanity. It is regular and harmonious in every part, it leads to Order, Peace and Unity, and there is nothing in it inconsistent with right Policy. It is the way of true Wisdom, and apt to take most among the serious and well advised part of the People, and when it hath taken hold of them, it makes them Wise and Serious more abundantly. It corrects rash, rugged, wrathfull, and fierce natures, and to say the least, whatsoever turbulency may afterwards remain in such, it makes them of far more sedate and castigate Spirits than otherwise they would be. And though it doth not forthwith exterminate, yet it so debilitates all Complexional Distempers, that they cannot break forth into a course of mischief; and ordinarily it works an evident notable change. Of so great force is an attentive and active Conscience over all human passions. And doubtless it is the strongest bond to hold Subjects in obedience to their Governours. For the Conscientious are held in by the terrour of the Lord and the dread of the wrath to come, besides the sense of mans wrath, which they have in common with all considerate Persons.
Wherefore it is clearly the Princes Interest that his Subj…cts universally (if it can be) should be Religious, and consequently it is the Wisdom of his Government to indeavour it as far as it is attainable. And if he would bring them to such a state, he is to take care to exalt Gods immediate Soveraignty over their Consciencies, and under that Soveraignty to hold them in subjection to himself. For where Conscience is not preserved in its awfull regard to Gods Law as its Supream rule, true Religion is extinguished. And they are the Patrons of Irreligion, who propagate such principles as tend to alienate the Conscience from its true Soveraign and Proprietor, and either to make it servile to those who have no just dominion over it, or to debauch it into searedness or dead security.
One way most needfull and advantagious for preserving Gods Authority over Conscience, is most effectually to bind Gods Laws upon the People; and to order what things else are necessary for the due observation thereof, and to lay no other yoke upon them in things pertaining to God. And as this way imports much to the sincerity and reality of Religion, so it doth no less to the keeping of Religious minds in unity. For in what center will the judiciously Conscientious unite, if not in the revealed mind and will of God, as it is apprehended by them? Will the injunctions of the Civil Magistrate, or the Authority of Ecclesiastical Superiors better resolve the doubts of such men, or silence their Disputes? This is not urged to prove that Superiors can injoyn nothing in Religion, but what is particularly before enjoyned of God; or that the Consciences of Inferiors are not bound by their Commands in subordination to Gods Commands: but only that they take the best course for the unfeigned Piety and truly Christian concord of their People, that by their injunctions, seek mainly to promote obedience to the Divine Laws, and add no more of their own than what is clearly necessary thereunto. And what more just and prudent course than to forbear things that are unnecessary, and unserviceable to the promoting of Truth and Peace; yet with a perplexity and a stumbling block, an easie inlet to all dissolute or ductile Spirits, and a bar against many of known sincerity: and to use that moderation in the publick Rule and Standard, which takes away or exceedingly lessens, dissents, and consequently the occasions of dissention.
The Spirit of Christianity forbids Christian Magistrates to destroy sincere Christians, for their little differences and narrow principles in Forms of Church Order. And no reason of State will oblige them to that severity, how importunately soever some Interessed men may urge it. Judicious charity or a prudent indulgence towards such, cannot undermine Religion or the Civil State. And a sound Ecclesiastical Polity set for the increase of true Godliness, will receive no dammage by it, but it will rather gain upon those Dissenters, and if their scruples be not removed, it shall abide firm and stable, and grow in strength by the reputation of its own goodness and sufficiency, in that it is not hazarded or impaired by this charity and forbearance. The Higher Powers by granting some limited liberty do more universally protect the faithfull, and having no interest in competition with the advancement of Christs Kingdom, are able and wise enough to provide against any dangerous inconveniencies. The bounds and rules of this indulgence are not so undiscoverable as to make it a vain proposal: yet, it is but an idle demand of those that require an enumeration of all particulars, than which, nothing more or less may be tolerated in any case. All particularities in any human affairs are not easie nor necessary to be known at one view, nor are they so fixed, but they may admit considerable variations according to the different state of things. There be general rules of Prudence that are a sufficient indication of what ought to be done at any time, as the present case requires. As the Wisdom of a Housholder will direct him how far to bear with faults and weaknesses in his Family; so the Magistrate by Wisdom will discern what may be born with in his Common-Wealth, so far as is sufficient to the true and just ends of Government.