Those worthy men, the authors of these positions, and others of their judgment, have cause to examine their souls with fear and trembling in the presence of God upon this interrogatory, viz., whether or no this be not the bottom and root of the matter: if they could have the same supply of maintenance without the help of the civil sword, or were persuaded to live upon the voluntary contribution of poor saints, or their own labour, as the Lord Jesus and his first messengers did:—I say, if this lay not in the bottom, whether or no they could not be willingly shut of the civil power, and left only to their inoffensive liberties?
A sad query to some concerning their practice.
I could also put a sad query to the consciences of some, viz., what should be the reason why in their native country, where the magistrate consenteth not, they forebore to practise such ordinances as now they do, and intended to do so soon as they got into another place where they might set up magistrates of their own, and a civil sword? &c. How much is it to be feared, that in case their magistrate should alter, or their persons be cast under a magistracy prohibiting their practice, whether they would then maintain their separate meetings without and against the consent of the magistrate, renuente magistratu.
A marvellous challenge of more liberty to Christians under a Christian magistrate than under the heathen.
Lastly, it may be questioned, how it comes to pass that in pleading for the church’s liberty more now under the Christian magistrate, since the Christians took that liberty in dangerous times under the heathen, why he quotes to prove such liberty, Pharaoh’s hindering the Israelites from worship, and, Ezra vii. 23, Artaxerxes’s fear of wrath upon the realm?
Are not all their hopes and arguments built upon the Christian magistrate, whom, say they, the first Christians wanted? and yet do they scare the Christian magistrate, whom they account the governor of the church, with Pharaoh and Artaxerxes, that knew not God, expecting that the Christian magistrate should act and command no more in God’s worship than they.
But what can those instances of Pharaoh’s evil in hindering the Israelites worshipping of God, and Artaxerxes giving liberty to Israel to worship God and build the temple, what can they prove but a duty in all princes and civil magistrates to take off the yoke of bondage, which commonly they lay on the necks of the souls of their subjects in matters of conscience and religion?
CHAP. CXXXI.
If the magistrates were appointed by Christ Jesus governors of his kingdom, it were not reasonable that Christians should more freely break the commands of the Christian than of the heathen magistrate.