Peace. Yea; but they say that “such laws as are conversant about religion may still be accounted civil laws, as on the contrary an oath doth still remain religious, though conversant about civil matters.”
Truth. Laws respecting religion are twofold.
Laws concerning religion, either religious or civil.
First, such as concern the acts of worship and the worship itself, the ministers of it, their fitness or unfitness, to be suppressed or established: and for such laws we find no footing in the New Testament of Jesus Christ.
The very Indians abhor to disturb any conscience at worship.
Secondly, laws respecting religion may be such as merely concern the civil state, bodies, and goods of such and such persons, professing these and these religions; viz., that such and such persons, notorious for mutinies, treasons, rebellions, massacres, be disarmed: again, that no persons, papists, Jews, Turks, or Indians, be disturbed at their worship, a thing which the very Indians abhor to practise toward any. Also, that immunity and freedom from tax and toll may be granted unto the people of such or such a religion, as the magistrate pleaseth, Ezra vii. 24.
These and such as are of this nature, concerning only the bodies and goods of such and such religious persons, I confess are merely civil.
Canons and constitutions pretended civil but indeed ecclesiastical.
But now, on the other hand, that laws restraining persons from such and such a worship, because the civil state judgeth it to be false:—
That laws constraining to such and such a worship, because the civil state judgeth this to be the only true way of worshipping God:—