The Bloody Tenant of Persecution for the Cause of Conscience, Part 3 · Chapter 6
CHAP. VI.
Peace.
THe next distinction concerning the manner of persons holding forth the aforesaid practices (not onelyonly the waightier duties of the Law, The 4. distinctiō discussed.but points of doctrine and worship lesse principall.)
Some (saith he) hold them forth in a meeke and peaceable way: some with such arrogance and impetuousnesse, as of it selfe tendeth to the disturbance of civill peace.
Truth.
In the examination of this distinction we shall discusse,
First, what is civill Peace, (wherein we shall vindicate thy name the better.)
Secondly, what it is to hold forth a Doctrine or Practice in this impetuousnesse or arrogancy.
First,What civill peace is. for civill peace, what is it but pax civitatis, the peace of the Citie, whether an English City, Scotch, or Irish Citie, or further abroad, French, Spanish, Turkish City, &c.
Thus it pleased the Father of Lights to define it, Iorem. 29. 7. Pray for the peace of the City; which peace of the City, or Citizens, so compacted in a civill way of union, may be intire, unbroken, safe, &c. notwithstanding so many thousands of Gods people the Iewes, were there in bondage, and would neither be constrained to the worship of the Citie Babell, nor restrained from so much of the worship of the true God, as they then could practice, as in plaine in the practice of the 3 Worthies, Shadrach, Misach, and Abednego, as also of Daniel, Dan. 3. & Dan. 6. (the peace of the City or Kingdome, being a far different Peace from the Peace of the Religion or Spirituall Worship, maintained & professed of the Citizens. This Peace of their Worship (which worship also in some Cities being various) being a false Peace,Gods people must be Nonconformitants to Evill. Gods people were and ought to be Nonconformitants, not daring either to be restrained from the true, or constrained to false Worship, and yet without breach of the Civill or Citie-peace, properly so called.
Peace.
Hence it is that so many glorious and flourishing Cities of the World maintaine their Civill peace, yea the very Americans & wildest Pagans keep the peace of their Towns or Cities; The difference between Spirituall and Civill Peace.though neither in one nor the other can any man prove a true Church of God in those places, and consequently no spirituall and heavenly peace: The Peace spirituall (whether true or false) being of a higher and farre different nature from the Peace of the place or people, being meerly and essentially civill and humane.
Truth.
O how lost are the sonnes of men in this point? To illustrate this: The Church or company of worshippers (whether true or false) is like unto a Body or Colledge of Physitians in a Citie; like unto a Corporation, Society, or Company of East-Indie or Turkie-Merchants, or any other Societie or Company in London: which Companies may hold their Courts, keep their Records, hold, disputations; and in matters concerning their Societie, may dissent, divide, breake into Schismes and Factions, sue and implead each other at the Law, yea wholly breake up and dissolve into pieces and nothing, and yet the peace of the Citie not be in the least measure impaired or disturbed; because the essence or being of the Citie, and so the well-being and peace thereof is essentially distinct from those particular Societies; The difference between the Spirituall and Civill State.the Citie-Courts, Citie-Lawes, Citie-punishments distinct from theirs. The Citie was before them, and stands absolute and intire, when such a Corporation or Societie is taken down. For instance further, The City or Civill state of Ephesus was essentially distinct from the worship of Diana in the Citie, or of the whole city. Againe, the Church of Christ in Ephesus (which were Gods people, converted and call'd out from the worship of that City unto Christianitie or worship of God in Christ) was distinct from both.
Now suppose that God remove the Candlestick from Ephesus, yea though the whole Worship of the Citie of Ephesus should be altered:The Civil State, the Spirituall estate, and the Church of Christ distinct in Ephesus. yet (if men be true and honestly ingenuous to Citie-covenants, Combinations and Principles) all this might be without the least impeachment or infringement of the Peace of the City of Ephesus.
Thus in the Citie of Smirna was the Citie it selfe or Civill estate one thing, The Spirituall or Religious state of Smirna, another; The Church of Christ in Smirna, distinct from them both; and the Synagogue of the Iewes, whether literally Iewes (as some thinke) or mystically, false Christians, (as others) called the Synagogue of Sathan, Revel. 2. distinct from all these. And notwithstanding these spirituall oppositions in point of Worship and Religion, yet heare we not the least noyse (nor need we, if Men keep but the Bond of Civility) of any Civill breach, or breach of Civill peace amongst them: and to persecute Gods people there for Religion, that only was a breach of Civilitie it selfe.