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Show wig: or ZJCHRISTIA'N r . 11651:],de im'om'vbitb the Publiqae Per/021(that is to ay, t e Cpre- onifritagf the Common-wealth )fietb cammana'ed to bee :tauagbt. b]? which it is manifeit, that an opinion publiquely appomlte to h e tauoht, cannot be erefie; nor the Soveraign l rinces tiat aut orizz3them, Hmrctiques; For Hzeretiques are, none but pgivaie mferlii that fiubbornly defend fome Doctrine, prohibited by t at aw u . a. ,.. 5%iiiibgrpsrove that Chril'tians areno't to tolerate Infidell, or Hire}; i f. i if t i? "E i i li; i i (f C ticall Kings, he alled eth a'plate'in Deut.17. where God foibid Ier the jews,when they iall fer aKing over themfelves , tofc iOfO ea flranoer : And from thence inferreth, that it is unlaw till or a Chrifiian, to choofeaKing, that is not aChriflian. And tisbtrue, that hethat is a Chrifiian, that is,_hee that hath already o liged himfelf to receive our Saviour when he {hall come, for his King,fhal tempt God too much in choofing for King in this world if one that hee knoweth will endeaiIour, bothby terrour, and per wafionto make him violate his faith. But, it is (faitlihee ) the famg danger, to choofe One that is not a Chrii‘tian , for King ,fian not to depofe him,when hee is chofen. To thislfay, the que ion is not of the danger of not depofingi, but ofthe Juflice of depofing him. To choofe him, may in tome cafes bee uniiilt, butto depofe him, when he is chofen, is in no cafe Juit. Foritfis alwaies violation of faith, and confequently againf't the Law 0 Nattitrel, which is the eternall Law of God. Nor doe wee read,that any uci Doctrine was accounted Chriftian in the time of the Apofiles; nor in the time ofthe Romane Emperours, till the Popes had the Civill Soveraivnty of Rome. But to this he hath replyed , that the Chriflians of o d, depofed not Nero,nor Diode/m», nor Ittlzrm, nor Vale": an Arrian, for this caufe onely,that they wanted Temporall forces. Perhaps f0. But did our Saviour, whofor calling for, might have had twelve Legions of immortall, invulnerable Angels to affifl him, want forces to depofe Cafar, or at leafl Pilate, that uniuftly, without finding fault in him , delivered him to the jews to bee crucified? Or if the Apoi'tles wanted Temporall forces to de: pofe Nero, was it therefore neceifary for them in their Epifiles to the new madc- Chrifiians, to teach them (as they did)to obey the Powers confiituted over them , (whereof Nero in that time was one,) and that they ought to obey them, nor for tear of their wrath, but for confcience fakec' Shallwe fay they did not onely obey, but alfo teach what they meant not , for want ofiirength . It is not therefore for want of lirengtlf, but for coniCienceiake, that Chrifiians are to tolerate their Heathen Princes, or Princes (for I cannot call anyone whofe Doctrine is the Publique DO»; trine,an Hreretique)that authorize the teaching ofan Errour. Ant whereas for the Temporall Power of the Pope , he alledgeth tur‘ "I": that St. Paul ( I Car. 6.) appointed judges under the Heathen Princes of thofe times, fuch as were not ordained by "1015 Ptin("air is not true. For St. Paul does but adviie them , to ml": pm. 3.‘ c o M M a N-WE A L TH; 6114;.452‘ rather than to goe to law one with another before the Heathe n Judges; which is a wholfome Precept, and full of Charity, fit to bee praétifed alfo in the belt Chriflzian Common-wealrhs; And for the danger that may arife to Religion, by the Subjects tolerating of an Heathen, or an Erring Prince , it is a point, of which a Subjeét is no competent judgei; or if hee bee, the Popes Temporall Subjects may judge alfo of the Popes Dodrine. For every Chriltian Prince, as I have former proved, is no leffe Supreme Pafior of his own Subjects, than l the Pope of his. The fourth Argument, is taken from the Baprifme of Kings; wherein, that they may be made Chriitians they fubmit their Scepters to Chriit; and promife to keep, and defend the Chriiti an Faith. This is true; for Chriflian Kings are no more but Chriit s Subjects : but they may, for all that, bee the Popes Fellowes; for they are Supreme Pafiors of their own Subjeef ts; and ghlef Pope is no more but King , and Paflor, even in Rome it e e. The fifth Argument, is drawn from the words fpokeniby our Saviou r, Feed my flieep; by which was given all Power necefiary for a Paflor; as the Power to chafe away Wolves, fuch as are Hmretiques; the Power to ihur up Rammes, if they be mad, or puih at the other Sheep with their Homes, fuch as are EVIU (though Clirillian)Kings-, and Power to give the Flock convenient food : Prom whence hee inferreth, that St. Peter had thefc three Powers given him by Chrifl. To whichI aniwer, that the luff of theie Powers, is no more than the Power, or rather Command to Teach. For the firfi, which is to cliafe away Wolves, that is, Hirrctiques, the place hee quoteth is (Mat/I2. 7. 15.) Beitwe of [ax/e Prop/m: WINE/l com: to you in Sheep: clot/1mg, (m inwardly are ramming M'o/t'u. But neither are Ha:- tetiques talie Prophets, or at all Prophets: nor 1(adiiiittingHaeretiques for the Wolves there meant,) were the Apoliles com- manded to kill them, or if they were Kings, to elcpofethemghut to beware of, fly, and avoid them: nor was it to St. Peter, nor to any or the Apofiles, but to the multitude of the jews that followed him into the mountain, men for the molt part not yet con‘ vetted, that hee gave this Counfell, to Beware of falle Prophets: which therefore if it conferre a Power of chafing away Kings, was given, not onely to private men; but to men that Were not at all Chrifiians. And as to the Power of Separating, and Shutting up of furious Rammes, ( by which hee meaneth Chrifiian Kings that refute to fubmit themfelves to the Roman 1-‘afi0r,) our Saviour refufed to take upon himthat Powerin this world himfelf, but advifed to let the Corn and Tares grow up fome oftheir Brethren to compound their difl‘ercncesgs A rbitraniris together till the day ofjudgment: much lelle did hee give it to St. Peter, or can 5. Peter give it to the Popes. St. Peter, andall other Pafiors, are hidden to eficem thofe Chrii‘tians that difobey ta: it: the Church, that is, ( that difobeythe Chrifiian Soveraignc ) as Sf 2' Heathen |