Against Pretended Liberty of Conscience, Chapter 3
CHAP. III. The Church may complain of Hereticks.
THe ſame Authour argueth againſt the Churches inſtigating of the Magiſtrate againſt men for matters of conſcience 1.16. 75. Miniſters are not armed with force and it is not fit they ſhould ſaevire per alios ſtirre up the Magiſtrate againſt others, the Magiſtrate is the Miniſter of God properly for wrath. But it is fit for Miniſters to ſay as Chriſt, I came not to deſtroy but to ſave alive.
Anſw. The Authour ſaith the queſtion is not of tranſmitting of ſuch things to the Magiſtrate as belong to manners, but to conſcience, as if an heretick failed againſt no manners. Yet all his Arguments prove that Miniſters ſhould not complaine to the Magiſtrate of ill manners and the ſcandalous converſation of any, and this he inſtanceth from the example of Chriſt, who Joh. 8. would not accuſe a woman of adulterie. 2. The Magiſtrate is as properly the Miniſter of God for good, for the praiſe of well-doing, as the Miniſter of God for wrath, and if the Church ſhould tell the Magiſtrate his dutie, as watchmen ſhould doe to all under their care Ezek. 3. 16, 17, 18, 19. Magiſtrate or other, if the Magiſtrate ſpare the life of a murtherer, the watchmen are unfaithfull, if they complaine not openly and tell the Magiſtrate he does not his dutie, and upon the ſame ground, if the Magiſtrate muſt coerce with the ſword ſeducing wolves and Jezabels, the Paſtours ought to admoniſh him. And its Atheiſticall to ſay the Magiſtrate is conſcious of ſins againſt manners, and of his dutie and obligation he needs no inſtigation. Becauſe no Magiſtrate be he an Achab or a David, but he needs be quickened to his dutie, and will ſend a murtherer away, and a bloody Joab whom God will have not to live, and ſhould the Prophets be called inſtigatores, and ſavientes per alios, ſuch as deſtroy mens lives when they tell the Magiſtrate he is a murtherer and guilty of innocent blood, if he ſuffer the bloody man to live?Paſtors are are not out of their calling nor Apparitours nor tale-bearers if they complaine to the Magiſtrate of hereticks and all ev…-doers. or ſhould this be called tale-telling, and the Paſtor thruſting of himſelf into a more diſaffecting office to be a Tale-teller an Apparitour or ſummoner of men to the Civill Magiſtrates court, he made ſuch a poor man be fined and wife and Children be ſtarved becauſe he is not of his opinion. What would this authour give an Atheiſt leave to ſay? but ſo ſ…ander free preaching or free Synodicall complaining to the Magiſtrate? ſuch a man of our charge is damned by his own conſcience and devours the flock, as Arrius and Manes did, ſuch a one is a bloody murtherer, a Sorcerer, the Magiſtrate bears the ſword to execute vengeance on evill doers, and yet ſuffer known murtherers to live and be gray-haird, are Miniſters, who are to warn Fathers, Teachers, Maſters, Judges, Kings Jer. 1. 10. Nations, and Kingdomes of their dutie, thruſters of themſelves into a diſaffecting office, and Apparitours and Summoners of men before Civil courts, becauſe they warne the Magiſtrate of his dutie? is this obtruding into another office to give warning to all to be free of the blood of all men? this is like the ſpeech of a wicked King Amaziah 2 Chro. 25. 16. To the Prophet who rebuked him, for ſeeking after the Gods of the Nations. Art thou made of the Kings Counſell? forbear, why ſhouldeſt thou be ſmitten? I therefore ſummon this authour to compeer before the judge of the world, and give an accompt of this doctrine, for he ſpeaks it againſt the faithfull ſervants of God of the Church of Scotland, who complained to the king of Idolatrous ſeducers and Semminary prieſts and Jeſuits, of bloody murtherers, of grinders of the faces of the poore and in…orrigible ſcandalous offenders; whoſe wretched example was a ſhame to the Goſpel and brought guilt upon the land, that he might uſe the ſword againſt ſuch evill doers? and ſhould Miniſters be Apparitours and tale-tellers either againſt ſuch as deſerve capitall puniſhment for ſins againſt the ſecond table as well as againſt the firſt table? woe will be to him that calls good evill, and evill good. Is the neceſſary duty of the calling of a watchman to warne the Magiſtrate of his bloodie omiſſions, (for ſo the Lord calls it Eſay. 1. 21, 22. Eſay 3. 12, 13, 14, 15. Prov. 2…. 7. Prov. 31. 8. And exhorts to it) an over-doing? and a tale-bearing?
He cites alſo the example (p. 76. 77.) of Chriſt who would not accuſe the woman taken in adulterie. What doth this prove? Ergo Chriſt would not have faithfull paſtors to complaine both to God, and to preach againſt Rulers who puniſh not uncorrigible adulterers? Chriſt would not accuſe her, he would not judge her. Ergo the Judges under the new Teſtament who accuſe, judge and condemn adulterers, are not followers of Chriſt? What can an Anabaptiſt alleadge more to prove there ought to be no Magiſtrates under the new Teſtament? Adulterers muſt be tollerated: A Miniſter ſhould not preach that the Magiſtrate ſins in not puniſhing the Adulterer. Chriſt complained not of Pilates mixing the Galileans blood with their ſacrifice to Caeſar, ſhould therefore Miniſters not complaine though the Chriſtian Magiſtrate ſuffer ſuch blood-ſhed?
Of the ſame kinde is that wrangling, prudent fathers encourage not their children to informe of one anothers faults, becauſe it doth not nouriſh love. What then? Ergo Miniſters ſhould complaine to the Godly Magiſtrate of no omiſſions at all? I think by this Divinitie, if one brother know his brother to kill his brother, he ſhould neither informe father nor Magiſtrate that the murtherer may be rebuked by the father or corrected by the Judge, becauſe that may hinder love, but let this wrangler anſwer, whither it be more reall love to the murtherers ſoul to informe againſt him, and more glory to God, more peace to the familie; or to be ſilent and let his brother run to hell, and wrath lye upon the whole land? It is but a loſſe of time to refute ſuch weak foolerie againſt naturall reaſon, far more contrary to ſound Divinitie, for if paſtors informe againſt evil doers out of deſire of revenge, malice or hatred, they ought not upon theſe grounds to rebuke any ſins at all, and we condemn the doing of good duties upon evill motives and principles.