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Show Kingdomes oi our Lord: and they may doe as good fervice to,the civil! State, who bring the wrath of God upon them' I:!Y their Apoftadr, as they that bring downe blcffi ngs fwm H"a ven -by the Pwfeffion and Pra8:ife of the true Religion in Purity. Difcuffer. ·-r querie Jecnndb, to whom P au I g we rbu ch~(ge , to n>atcb againp them? ver.31. They wemwt the MagiftM<J of ,tbe City of Ephefus, but the El- , d,rs of the Cbu,,cb •f Ephdm. Defender. Who doubteth of it ? , Difcu!fer. M"'IJ if the[e charges and Exbortalions given by Cbrij! to the Shep· beards and Minijlersof tbe Churdm, becommon,ly attribu~ed and dird1td (by the.Anfn•erer in thu Di[courf~) ta the CiviU Magijlrate. Defender. Cujtu contraiinm verumejl. For looke the i\nfwer through, and you !hall find, not one of thefe charges or Exhortations,given to ,Minifters, were ever dire8:ed by the Anfwerer, to civill Magiftrates : the falfhood of the Difcu.fftr in this charge upon the 'l>nfwerer , is palpable and notorious. And this rxhortadon in this place, the Anfwerer d01h not fo much as mention at all ei· thera~ dire8:ed to Magill rates, or to E!ders. Difcu!fer·. } dcftre it may be inquired into, whethtr in all ihe will, or Teflarr.wt . of Chrijl , r'hm be any focb r¥'ord of Cbrijl by nuy of Com ;nand , Promi[ r, or Example , c01mtm>ncing tbe Governo;m of the Givill State , to meddle n>itb tbeji wolvu , if in civili things peaceo ~le and obedient. , V<fender. ·This Conditio'n if ( in civill t hingspeaceab!e and obedient) irn· ·plyeth a contradil:tion to the nature and praaice of wolves. How <:an Wolves be peaceable, and obcdicnr, unle!fe they be reflrainrd? and how can they be reltrained, and not mcdlcd with? Wbot •Peace (laid Jclm) F1 lmg ar thewhoredomu of J•zibel, and her n>itcb· -craj tJ are fo nZJn)', '2 Kings 9· 2 2 . . Y cs :may not fpirimall whorcdomes and witch-crafts fland with Civil! Peace? No verily: thewhoredomts and ~vitch-crafcsof the Je:pbcl of • Ronll, Rome tooke away civill peace from the eutb, and brought in the ~rk.! to oppreffe the peace b oth ofChriflian Churces and Common-wealths, as hath been !hewed above, 'R..vel. 9·15 .:a I. That dreadful1exampleof(;odsvengeance up0n Civtll Scates f<>r tolerating and praCI:ifing Image-wor!hip, is a ferious a.nd loud warning co all Chril\ian State• to bew.ue offuch feductng fpirits asbearc them in hand, they !hall have peace, though they tol-cra~e Idolatrous and falfe worfhips in t h,eir Tetritoryes. Be fides for another fxample, and chat approved, you find in the Lords Teflamenc, Revel. 16. 4• s, 6, 7. ofwhich.before. And for a word of command from Chrill, to meddle WJth wolves, chat grand charter, whcreby Magill:rates are efiablifhed in che new Tcllament may abundantly fuffice , The Magi{lrace is the Minifter of G~d, an avenger to execute wrath upon him t bat doth evil! Rom. I++ If the wolfe bean evil! doer, lee him Iaake at the Magiflrate as appointed of God to be an avenger,and ex~cutor of w~ach upon him. Say not, yea, ifche w~lfc be an evrlldoer ag~wil: t~e fecoud Table, but not fo, ilagarnll:the firftTable : ,onf anevrll doer againll the bodies au d. cllates of men, not fo,if againft their foules. · · · For who gave any man commiffion foto li_mit tbe word of Gad or the power of 1hc Magiftrate? Be fides rt hath been often faid,1 that he that gaeth about _co fubvcrt Religion, _a~d to dellroy foules,is an evill doer aga1nft the .peace of the Clvlll State • • , , Dilculfer. If God hAd givt,1 cb1rgr to M~gij!ram t• f1.uni{h t~iU tloerr in mJttersof Religion,h• w•Nldhave glVtn to M agiftrattlfn tbe world, ~bilit' to di[cern•, nml tietermi~:e, who are flmp, anti who "" wolvz/h onre[fors, whom he;. bor~nd to puniP, 11ntl {Uppreffi. Te~ tbt] '!'"ft be able to di(ce:rne tbt4, not with otbtr s mens qes, but wub th<rr owne &c. Defender. 'It hath betn declared above, that Magillrates ought to be lo well accq ua;med with maccrsol Religion,." 10 difcerne the Fundamental! Princip,\s thereof , and the ev!ll _of tho le hercfies and Blafphemies, as doe fubvert the fame. The1r Ignorance thc~eof, is no difcharge of their duty before the Lord. Such w olv1!h N opprdfor•, |