§. I.
It will be fit in the first Place, for clearing of Mistakes, to say something of the State of the Controversy, that what follows may be the more clearly understood.
What Conscience is.By Conscience then, as in the Explanation of the fifth and sixth Propositions I have observed, is to be understood, That Persuasion of the Mind which arises from the Understanding’s being possessed with the Belief of the Truth or Falsity of any Thing; which though it may be false or evil upon the Matter, yet if a Man should go against his Persuasion or Conscience, he would commit a Sin; because what a Man doth contrary to his Faith, though his Faith be wrong, is no Ways acceptable to God. Hence the Apostle saith, [136]Whatsoever is not of Faith, is Sin; and he that doubteth is damned if he eat; though the Thing might have been lawful to another; and that this Doubting to eat some Kind of Meats (since all the Creatures of God are good, and for the Use of Man, if received with Thanksgiving) might be a Superstition, or at least a Weakness, which were better removed. Hence Ames. de Cas. Cons. saith, The Conscience, although erring, doth evermore bind, so as that he sinneth who doth contrary to his Conscience,[137] because he doth contrary to the Will of God, although not materially and truly, yet formally and interpretatively.
[136] Rom. 14. 23.
[137] i. e. As he supposeth.
So the Question is First, Whether the Civil Magistrate hath Power to force Men in Things religious to do contrary to their Conscience; and if they will not, to punish them in their Goods, Liberties, and Lives? This we hold in the Negative. But Secondly, As we would have the Magistrate to avoid this Extreme of incroaching upon Men’s Consciences, so on the other Hand we are far from joining with or strengthening such Libertines as would stretch the Liberty of their Consciences to the Prejudice of their Neighbours, or to the Ruin of Human Society. We understand therefore by Matters of Conscience such as immediately relate betwixt God and Man, or Men and Men, that are under the same Persuasion, as to meet together and worship God in that Way which they judge is most acceptable unto him, and not to incroach upon, or seek to force their Neighbours, otherwise than by Reason, or such other Means as Christ and his Apostles used, viz. Preaching and instructing such as will hear and receive it; but not at all for Men, under the Notion of Conscience, to do any Thing contrary to the moral and perpetual Statutes generally acknowledged by all Christians; in which Case the Magistrate may very lawfully use his Authority; as on those, who, under a Pretence of Conscience, make it a Principle to kill and destroy all the Wicked, id est, all that differ from them, that they, to wit, the Saints, may rule, and who therefore seek to make all Things common, and would force their Neighbours to share their Estates with them, and many such wild Notions, as is reported of the Anabaptists of Munster; which evidently appears to proceed from Pride and Covetousness, and not from Purity or Conscience; and therefore I have sufficiently guarded against that in the latter Part of the Proposition. But the Liberty we lay claim to is such as the Primitive Church justly fought under the Heathen Emperors, to wit, for Men of Sobriety, Honesty, and a peaceable Conversation, to enjoy the Liberty and Exercise of their Conscience towards God and among themselves, and to admit among them such as by their Persuasion and Influence come to be convinced of the same Truth with them, without being therefore molested by the Civil Magistrate. Thirdly, Though we would not have Men hurt in their Temporals, nor robbed of their Privileges as Men and Members of the Commonwealth, because of their inward Persuasion; yet we are far from judging that in the Church of God there should not be Censures exercised against such as fall into Error, as well as such as commit open Evils; and therefore we believe it may be very lawful for a Christian Church, if she find any of her Members fall into any Error, after due Admonitions and Instructions according to Gospel Order, if she find them pertinacious, to cut them off from her Fellowship by the Sword of the Spirit, and deprive them of those Privileges which they had as Fellow-members; but not to cut them off from the World by the temporal Sword, or rob them of their common Privileges as Men, seeing they enjoy not these as Christians, or under such a Fellowship, but as Men, and Members of the Creation. Hence Chrysostom saith well, (de Anath.) We must condemn and reprove the evil Doctrines that proceed from Hereticks; but spare the Men, and pray for their Salvation.