Truth. Yet are they commonly brought as the great precedents for all succeeding princes and rulers in after ages: and in this very controversy, their practices are brought as precedential to establish persecution for conscience.
Who force the consciences of others, yet are not willing to be forced themselves.
Secondly, those emperors and other princes and magistrates acted in religion according to their consciences’ persuasion, and beyond the light and persuasion of conscience can no man living walk in any fear of God. Hence have they forced their subjects to uniformity and conformity unto their own consciences, whatever they were, though not willing to have been forced themselves in the matters of God and conscience.
Constantine and others wanted not so much affection as information of conscience.
Thirdly, had not the light of their eye of conscience, and the consciences also of their teachers, been darkened, they could not have been condemned for want of heavenly affection, rare devotion, wonderful care and diligence, propounding to themselves the best patterns of the kings of Judah, David, Solomon, Asa, Jehoshaphat, Josiah, Hezekiah. But here they lost the path, and themselves, in persuading themselves to be the parallels and antitypes to those figurative and typical princes: whence they conceived themselves bound to make their cities, kingdoms, empires, new holy lands of Canaan, and themselves governors and judges in spiritual causes, compelling all consciences to Christ, and persecuting the contrary with fire and sword.
Sad consequences of charging the civil powers with the care of spirituals.
Upon these roots, how was, how is it possible, but that such bitter fruits should grow of corruption of Christianity, persecution of such godly who happily see more of Christ than such rulers themselves: their dominions and jurisdictions being overwhelmed with enforced dissimulation and hypocrisy, and (where power of resistance) with flames of civil combustion: as at this very day, he that runs may read and tremble at?
Peace. They add further, that the princes of Christendom setting their horns upon the church’s head, have been the cause of anti-christian inventions, &c.
Civil rulers giving and lending their horns or authority to bishops, both dangerous to the truth of Christ. The spiritual power of the Lord Jesus compared in scripture to the incomparable horn of the rhinoceros.