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Show l5o The Teftimo~J-y of .Ancimt and late writers difcuffed. the rejettion of it upon the Rom•ne•Pagan·E'llpire, Revel. 6, 2. to 8. Difcu!frr. I an!iver t1Hrdly ; alrh~ugh ir b~ uue in a Church of Cbrift, tbat 3 fa!fo Rebgtort, or ff7orfhlp ptrmztted ::oiJJ doe hurt according to thrifc Tbte II r of O;rifl; Rev. 2. Jtl in t"'o co fer, I beleive a frJJfe R,. ligion will 11ot hurt (which ir mojllib..!_ to htriJe bw• T enullians m,.. 11il1g.) I. A falfe Religion out of the Church will not hurt the Church :no rmre thm wwh ;, the Wildermffi will hurt the inclojed Gardenr: vor poyfo" hurt the body, .-.heri itu not toulhed, or ta~n,yea and <.4ntidotft ate received againjl it. · 2. Aja!fo Religion and worjhip will not bt.rt a Civil/ State incofi the worfhippm breake r.Q civil/Law. And tbe Anfwerer el[ewhere ac· k._nowlcdg<th, that the civil/ Peace if not brokm, wbere the civil/ L:~wet are not, bro~t. And thu onely if the point i?J fi!:!_eflion. Defender. If this on ely be the point in Q!!eftion , where then lyeth the controverlie? for if I fay(as the Difcuffir faith I doe) that the Ci· ~ill Peace is n~t broken, when the Civill Law is not bro~on; and 1f a falfe Rchgron or wor fhip doe not hurt the civil) State, unlelfe the Worthippers breake fame civill Law, then where lyeth the pinch of th& controverfie? But l would not have the Difcuffir miflake himfelfe; I doe not remember, th•t I have any where laid, that the civill Peace is not broken, where the civill Law is not broken. He faith, I fay foelfewhere: Ifhemeane, that I fay fo in the Modell drawn up by my Brethren (the Elders of thofe Churches) he wrongeth and po!Juteth himfelfe much ( Crimimfalfi) when he faith rhatll.fr. Cotton With the ref! of the Miniflers of New-England compofed that Mo· dell uf Church and civil! power. It is no new thing with him, to fay I did that, which I did n<>t: that Modell was drawen up by fim1cother fellow-Brethren, but not by me. Thcreis a Trmh in the fpcech which they fpeak, rightly under flood , buc not as the Difuffir here taketh ir. For firfl, what if no civil! Law be made for the ellablifhment of Reli~;i< n, nor ag•infltho violarion of the Funda~lelltalls of it? this I'Clydefd~ of fo need full a Law,may bring the wrath of God upon upon the civil! S,are : as did the defect of a Kmg in lfraet, Judg. 21. 25. Ag•ine f~condly, there may be a Law made for the eflablifbing of true Religion : and it thou~h it be villl.ited , yet the Difcuffir will fay, no civil[ Law is violated, becaufe no Law concerning the fecond Table is violated. But that is his miflake, to thinke the civil! Lawes concerne on ely the outward Ell ate of the People, and not their Religion. That is a civill Law whatfoevet· concerneth the good of the City, and the propulfing of tbe contrary. Now Religion is the befl: goodoftheCity: and therefore Lawes •bout Religion are truly called civill Lawes, enatl:ed by civill Authority, about the befl: good of the City, for the promoting, and preferving of that good of the City. Bur having thus fPob..!_" to bi. fecond cafc firfl ( wber<in befoith, a falfi Religion will not burt a civil/State,) I come now to his firfl: which was, that a falfe Religion will not bort, if it be out of the Church, no more then r~etd1 in the wildernejfi rr>ill hurl the inci•Jed Garden. But what ifthe Garden be inclofed in the midft of a wilder• neffi: ? what if the weeds grow fo neere the inclofure ( or hedge) . roundabout the Garden, that they eafily creep into the Garden? what if every blafl of wind blow the feeds of the weeds into the Garden, which are ready to overfpread the Garden, Jnd to choak the good herbes? The D ifeuffir will fay, they that keep and drelfe the Garden fhould weed them our, True, fotheyoughc, tt> th'eir bell endeavour. But WCf'dt not alfoneedfuH, thatthcLordof the Coyle, who hath his Office~s bothtodrelfe his Garden & to keep his wildernes,fhould provide, that the keepeu of his wildernelTe fhould fuffer no venomous weeds to grow neere his garden, hedge, or pale, leafl the feeds thereof fhould annoy his Garden, and poyfon thofc within the Guclen that feed•on them ? " Ids true, which the Difcuffir faith, poyfon will not hurt tbebody, unleffi it be ta~n, or tnuched, yea and Amidotu tak[n againfl it. But who fhall prevent the Members of the Church from touch· ing or takine poyfon? or who !hall provide, that all the Mem• b~fl !hall take the Antidotes which are P.repared for them? Here wdl be needfull ;he filithfull vigilancy of the Chrifiian Magiftrare, to . |