Light for Smoke, Section 3
SECT. III. Rom. 14.23. Whatſoever is not of faith is ſinne, no barre to the eſtabliſhment of the Proſbyteriall Government; Mr. Saltm. his diſtinction of a State and publique conſcience and a perſonall conſcience.
Smoke. Pag. 17. SInce you will helpe me to prove you are welcome, you have furniſhed me with one Argument more, you are a faire enemie to l…nd out your owne weapon; and n…w you have made your Argument halfe for me I ſhall make the other halfe my ſelfe. What the Impoſers of Government cannot doe in faith they ſinne, this is your halfe Argument, but you take it for granted our Impoſers of Government are not ſuch, but ſuch as are fully perſwaded, and can ſet up the Government in faith.
Light. fPag. 9. of mine Exam.I ſhewed you ſhould frame your Argument, according to the ſcope of your Quere, rather againſt the eſtabliſhment of a government by the Magiſtrate, then againſt ſubmiſſion to a government by the people; and you ſeeme to take this as a courteſie from me, but you ill deſerve it, for you repeat it ſo imperfectly as to obſcure the light of it, and to impaire the ſtrength of it; for you bring it in thus: What the Impoſers of Government cannot doe of faith they ſinne; whereas in my Booke, out of which you ſhould fairely, nd faithfully have tranſcribed, the argument hath it more dearcly and fully in theſe words: Thoſe that ſet up a Government whereof they are not fully perſwaded in their mind, and which they cannot do in faith, do ſinne. To this major you adde a minor and concluſion, as followeth.
Smoke. Pag. 18. But the Parliament cannot be fully perſwaded of this government, therefore if they ſet it up they ſinne; and they cannot be fully perſwaded, becauſe the State or publique conſcience cannot conſent at this time; and the State conſcience cannot conſent, becauſe it hath no Scripture to ſecure it; for how can the Parliament be ſaid to be fully perſwaded, &c. unleſſe they could fully ſigne it with a jus divinum, or divine right? nothing but Scripture and the Word can properly fully perſwade.
Light. Thoſe that ſet up a Government, &c. This you call my Argument, but it is yours; for I deny your minor propoſition, and conſequently your concluſion, wherein you impute ſinne unto the Parliament, if they ſet up Presbyteriall Government. And you tell us of a State or publique conſcience, and of that you ſay in the laſt page of your book, it is with a publique or State conſcience as it is with a perſonall and particular conſcience, what is done muſt be done in faith, or elſe there is weakneſſe, doubting, and ſinne; now where there is not a full conſent, and perſwaſion from the Word of faith, there cannot be faith properly — if the laws of truth were founded, as the laws of civill States, in a meere legiſlative power, then Popery hath had as good aſſurance as any, they have had moſt voices, moſt councols. I wonder Sr. how you that ſo contract the Church into a particular Congregation, and who will not endure to heare of a Church of ſuch a latitude, as to be called Nationall, can allow of ſuch a large conſcience as a State and publique conſcience: and you reduce it to the ſame rule that you doe a perſonall, and a particular conſcience, and of both you ſay, they cannot have a full conſent and perſwaſion but from the word of faith; and doe you meane thereby, that whatſoever the State alloweth muſt have a particular warrant from the word of God? and that the civill Sanction muſt be ſet on nothing but that which hath the ſtampe of a Jus Divinum upon it? if ſo, you ſo much pinion the civill power, as to make it of little uſe for Government, either of Church or State.
Although againe you be as much too looſe (as here you are too nice) in that to the Magiſtrate you give libertie to different Religions, all pretending to the word of God, though in many points repugnant one to another.
For that of the Apoſtle, whatſoever is not of faith is ſinne, Rom. 14.23. it imports (as ſome expound it) that all the workes of Infidels are ſinnes, that it belongeth alſo to beleevers, and boundeth them ſo in their Chriſtian practice, that they muſt doe nothing againſt conſcience, nothing with a doubting conſcience, nothing at all which hath not warrant from the Word either in generall principles, or particular concluſions; and it ſerves likewiſe to ſhut out meere humane inventions from the worſhip of God, and the luxuriant fruitfulneſſe of humane fancie, againſt which the Ancient and OrthodoxeaTert. depraeſcript. adverſ. haeret. Hilar. in Pſal. 132. Hieron. contra Helvid. Aug. contra. Petil. l. 3. c. 6. Doctors have given many cautions, which Proteſtant Writers pertinently bring in againſt Popiſh Traditions, and additions thereto. But makes nothing either againſt the States eſtabliſhing of the Presbyteriall Government, nor againſt the peoples yeelding to it for want of faith, ſince for a great part of it, it is grounded on the Word of God, and is in no part of it repugnant to it.