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Show fh•ll have rdl.and rule a thou(and y;ares, Rovtl. 20. 4• Shall their freedome fro~J perfccution , be a dilfolution of the ChurcltE( hte? The like nHy be faid of the New J,rufolem (the Churchrs of the Javu, after the defrruction of G•g, and M•gog) when God {h,111 wipe away all teJres fm~n their eyes_, and roke away Dwh (violent De•th)forrow, crytng, and pame,( Rev.21.4-) lhall they tho.l ce . .!e to be Chu rche~, when ptrfecution ceafeth? Bdi<.k, to perf~cutcis not alwayes a nwke of a falfe Church: fonhen icwould beatnJrkeof a falfe Member of a Church, ora n•u ke of a Mernber of a faifeChurch: but lhe ccontrary appea· reth in the example of.Afo, who perfeouted the P.rophet of&.! for his holy Mclfage fake , 2 Chron. 16. to. And it hath b.tn fhewed above, that Stephen complaineth of the perfecution of~~ the Prophets, A{lJ 7· 51. And if they wereperfecuted , it was by the Church of che Old T eframenc: and if therefot e the Church of the Old Teframent was falfe, God had then no Church extam .upon the bee of the Earth. .It is therefore a b.gging of the Q!!efrion, to affirme, that tholi C!J,.rcbes cannot be truly Chriftian, who by tbemfilvu, or bJ tbt c• !IJiY p'i'Wer of King,, doe punifh fuch tH ili.Jfmt from them or are •PPY• againjl them. " And indeed a double begging of the Queflion, it is: For, I. It be~geth that for the Q!!eiHon,which is not the ~efiion : for itisno Q:teflion, but owt of Qgellion, th•t it is nodawfull .for a Chrifrian Church, to punifh men for dilfenting from them, or being oppofite to them. But the Q!.1eflion is, whether Clrrilli. an M•giflrates may not punifh ApoUate Hen:ticks and Seduce·"' not for di(feming from ·the Church, but for [educing from Ohnft, .and bb!phemingagainfl his Name- And(ifyou will)wherherth! Church may nod1:irre up rheChriiHan MJgiflrate, (after all mi· der helps uled without a vaile )to doe his Duty in fuch a cafe. 2. It is another beggin~ of the ~eflion,to tJke that for gr~mcd ( whicb ;, not yet proved) tbt ic u a nurk.,e of no trur Cht~ftu• Church to procrm tbe cifli '! prmi{bmmt of incurab/, objl irwe Beret~<~ •<Jnd Stdua<rl. Difculfer. . Wimztbe Ar.fo•.Terfoitb, that to Excormnunic~tean Herrtick,• -mt to prrfecute. ---------------------------------~----------- and ltSte writers di[r,ujfed. [anfwer, If the Anjwmr rvm th•.mghly &r<'a~dfrom tb' Spaufts ~ritHall )lumber (Cant. 5· ).and b&dreciJVered from tbe Drun~nmjfo o[thegrut Whore (wh• intoxic•teth the Natiom, Rev. 17.) Itu im· l'ffible, that he {bould fo an[tcer. • For who qucjli.nttb, 101hetber to <:<communicate 4n Heretick., be to ~focute? Excommunication-being of a Jfriritu.all nature, tt {entence den. unced b1 the word of Chrift ]<["'(the JPiritu'O King of theChureh:) ,.Ja jpiritu~O kJOing b; the two edged Stl'urd of the Spirit, irr delivering up tbeperfon Excommllnicate Unto Satan. 1hmfo.ewbo feeth rm tbil Anfwer c•metb not neere the !t!.t!eftion ? v ,[entkr. 1 mull frill profelfe my felfe co be one of them that f<e ~t not. for firll the Author of the Letter did no where txprelfe hrmfel.fe put any difference, neither between Church and Court, 10 :int of cenfure for caufe of Confcience : nor betweel] c~ufes of R ligion whether true, or falfe. I fit be unlawful! to banifh any ~ the'Common-wealth for cu1fe of Conleience, ~~is unlawilli to banith any from the Church for caufe of Conference, The Church ought to be more tender of the Liberty of Confcience,_ then the Court, as being more acquainted with the tenderne(J:'e ol' Confcience. . Secondly, if the cenfure of a man for cau(e of Conlc·te~ce by t~ civil! Sword, be perfrcution, it is a farre greate~ ~erfecuuon to etnfure a mm for c•u!C of Confciencc, by the Spt nruall Sw_ord, by how much the more fharp and keen the fpirituall Sword 1: above th-.civii!. Sure I am, Chril\ .JetiJs r.cckoneth Exc?mrmmJcJtion for perfecution, Luke 21. 12. They fhall lay thm hands on you, and perlecute you, delinring you up t.o ~he Syn•gogue•,and into Prifons. To deliver up into Synagoll,U<s IS as n·u:h pcrfecu· cion asto deliver into Prifons. And wiil the Vif:uffir then lay, thulf Chril\ had been awakened fr,,m bif JPiritu,ll jl~<mber, and fro•• the Drun~nnefl' of the greati.Yhore, it ~·d b-un imp•J!iblc, he ~mcld ~rve accoU!Ited Ext:ommunicstion a perflcutton!. . M, thinks , if a foulc were awakened unto [ptmmll fobm_ty, helhouid jud~e it a Corer and a deeper affiil:tion, to be bound IVl~h fpirimalichaines, both in Earth and He~ven, then to be bound ~n maieriall chaine! on Earth onely. Difcuffi:r. |