| OCR Text |
Show .i XXIX. e.A Conftr11Mtion of the lawful. nefs of War, out oft he !Lntients. NOw, that we may confirm our do .. tl: ine; firll there are not wanting to us VVriters, and thofe of the more aDtient fort, who think both capital punHhments, and VVars which depend thereon, may lawfully be us·d by Chri· fiians . For Clemens of ..Alexm:dria 1 faith, A Chri!lian, if he be call•d to go· I 'Vern, will be like Mofe s, a living Law unto his iubjeCts, and he will render to the good rewards, to the evil punifhmems. And eliewhcre defcribing the habit of a Chrillian, he faith, it becomes him to go barefoot , unlels perhaps t · he be a Souldier. In the ~ ConHituti· ·1-t·J· • Vidcwr ons which bear the name of Clemens fcriptu~is li• 7{Jm~tmu, we read thws : .All kjlling bet fimc:nte is not unlawful but otJlJ of the innocent: f4zoc ulo Cceun• 1et 1. st ha t w h1 ·c ' b I·J J· U,;f•l. re r. J 1 t 1 ervea on .r o ' the Magiftrates. But, private autho• rities being laid aftde, let us come to the publick authority of the Church, which ought to be of gre:~ tell weight. 1 fay then, that the Church never _re· je~ed, nor excommunicated any for ferving in the Wars ; Which yet ought to have been done , and would have been done, if War had been repugnant ~ ••• C. s~o. to the new Tdla111ent. In the Conftitutions now cited, that writer fpea· king S1 king c;>ffuch as amien_tly were wont to be admitted to Bapnfm , or reJeCted from it, faith : Let ~ Sould~tr. re1u; .. ring Bapti[m be taHJht to ~tbflem {rom injuries and opprejji1ns: to be content , with his wages. If he obferve thefe things, let him be admitted. Tertulli~tn in his Apologetick fpeaking in the name . ofChriftians ; We 1.~ to Sea, and toW arc • .fl. i.n 7our Company. A little before he had c. 37· faid: We are ftrangers, and yet we have filled all places, your Cities, Ijlands, Caflles, Towns, (ouncil.r, 1M JOUr Camps ~tlfo. In the fame Book he · had related, how by the prayers of the ChriLHan Souldiers a lhower of Rain was obtei· ned from Heaven to refrdh tha Army of Marcus * .Aurelit~~ Em,erour. In • Vide & Xi~ his De coron11 he faith, That Souldicr phiJi,!um _fie that threw away his Garland wu more hac ~ftona. cont\ant than his other Brethren; and fuewech, that he had many Chrilhan fellow .. S:>uldiers. Moreover, fome Soul-diers were not wanting, who having futfered torments for Chrill, even to the death , received from tbe Church the fame honour with the reft of Martyrs; Among whom are remcmbred the three ComMpa. nio. nso(Pdau J•,·Ctria/u underDe- .. Add em•,t•,. . cuu, . arm~ un er V a/erian,fifty u~der rem CJUenda111 .At~rtlt4n;Pif!or ,MaurtU ,and Va/pntmm :1 Corntlio th~l.bfler ofthe Souldiers·undet Maxi- B~pti~' uml 'mant~s; Marct/lt~~ the Centurion about ;rJu! apu~ a46 the fame~e; SeveriAnundef Licinim. onem~nuto, Concer\oo • · |
