most plain and evident, that both by the Laws and Canons of this Kingdom Ecclefiaftical Caufes as well as Temporal are under the Cognizance of the Sovereign Magiftrate. And indeed if Spiritual Caufes might be exempted from Her Jurifdiction, Her Authority would be little and inconfiderable; It would be no difficult Matter to make all Caufes in fome fenfe Spiritual: For wherever any Wrong is done, whether it be Murder, Treafon, Robbery, Trefpafs, Non-payment, or the like, there is an Offence committed against God, and confe quently might all be made Spiritual Caufes, and the Church only fhould take Cognizance of 'em as fuch, and proceed against the Offenders as Wicked Perfons who have juftly incurred its Cenfures. By which Means the Civil Power would be reduced to a very narrow Compafs, it may be to nothing. But as I take it, the Church and Magiftrate have in all Cafes a co-ordinate Power: The Magiftrate by punifhing any Offender, deprives not the Church of its juft Authority, neither does the Church by its Cenfures deprive the Magiftrate of his Power. The Magiftrate Punishes all Offences against his own Laws with the Sword, and the Church cenfures all thofe which break the Laws of God. Therefore where an Offender is at the fame time guilty of the Breach both of Human and Divine Laws, I fee not any Reason why he fhould be exempted from fuffering both Temporal and Spiritual Punishment: And notwithstanding the Magistrate trics him at his own Tribunal, and inflicts fuch a Penalty on him as the Laws judge him to have deferved; yet I do not fee that this hinders his proper Spiritual Judge from cenfuring f him him alfo for offending against the Laws of God. I do not fay that he is to be cited into the Ecclefiaftical Court for what has been already punished in the Temporal, that would be both hard and unreafonable: For I look upon the Ecclefiaftical Courts as they are now managed, to have much more Temporal than Spiritual belonging to 'em, and it would be unjust that a Man fhould have two temporal Judgments paffed upon him for the fame Crime. But my meaning is, that notwithstanding a Man has received a temporal Punishment for his Offence, yet his own proper Paftour who has the Care of his Soul committed to him, may ufe his fpiritual Authority to reprove, rebuke and exhort him, and even to deny him Communion too, till he has given Teftimony of his Sincere Repentance. But now as to pure Spiritual Matters or Caufes, 'tis certain the Supreme Magiftrate has Cognizance of them alfo, but it is only a Temporal not Spiritual Cognizance. He may judge of all Doctrines, and declare whether this or that Faith, this or that Article of Faith fhall be preached in his Dominions... I do not fay that fuch a Law binds the Minifters of Christ to an active Obedience, yet if it be established by the Legislative Authority it binds all Subjects to a Paffive Obedience, they are obliged to fubmit to the Penalties inflicted by that Law, and not to refift the Authority by Humane: Force. For tho' in this Matter the Supreme Power by enacting what is contrary to God's Will abuses: his Authority, yet Subjects cannot judge him for it, that belongs properly to God, to whom only all Supreme Legiflative Powers are fubject, for the Supreme Power where-ever it is lodged, lodged, whether in a single Person or Community can have no Superiour upon Earth: Because it implies a Contradiction that the Supreme Power fhould have a Superiour. The Magistrate may therefore call any of his Subjects before him, and judge him concerning his Religion, whether it be agreeable to the Laws of the State or not, and none can juftly except against his Jurifdiction in this Matter. Thus St. Paul and the other Apoftles and Primitive Preachers of Chriftianity were carried before Rulers and Judges, to be tried concerning their Doctrine, yet they made no Exceptions against the Temporal Authority in this Point. On the contrary St. Paul made his Declaration Act. 25.10. that he ftood at (y) CESAR'S Judgment Seat where he ought to be judged, yet not according to the Divine but the Temporal Law, therefore he pleaded (z) that neither against the Law of the FEWS, neither against the Temple, nor yet against CESAR, had he offended any thing at all. But had they gon about to judge him Spiritu ally, in order to proceed to Ecclefiaftical Cenfures against him, there is no Question but he would have told them that this was no part of Temporal Power, that the Keys of God's Church were not committed to them, nor was he bound in Confcience to acknowledge them proper. Judges in this Affair. Neither does a Prince by becoming Chriftian acquire any fuch Ecclefiaftical Power. For the Authority of all Supreme Governments is, and must be the fame in every Refpect be their Religion what it will. So that a Chriftian Magiftrate has no more Power over Ecclefia ftical Perfons or in Ecclefiaftical Caufes than an Infidel. For where they are Supreme their (2) A&t. 25.8. Authority Authority equally extends over all Perfons, Band in all Caufes to judge of them by the Temporal Laws; Difference in Religion making no Difference in the Authority: And the Grand Seignior has the fame Legal Authority over the Greek Church within his Dominions, that the French King has over the Gallican. It is not material to enquire how they, or any other Supreme Power do or may abuse this Authori→ ty, but I will endeavour to fhew how they ought to use it. In the first Place they fhould employ their Power to protect and Defend the Church of God, according to that of the Prophet, (a)) Ifa. 49. 23. Kings fhall be thy nurfing Fathers, and their Queens thy nurfing Mothers. They are therefore to take care particularly that all the Members of the Church under their Protection, (b) may 1 Tim. 2. 2 lead a quiet and peaceable Life in all Godliness and Honesty, for it is upon this Account that the Apostle exhorts the Church to pray for them. In Order to which they should see that the Minifters of Christ be maintained in all their just Rights and Priviledges. So the Good King Hezekiah, when he began to reform the Abuses committed by his Predeceffors, (c) commanded (e) 2 Chr. 31. 4, the People that dwelt in Jerufalem, to give the,&c. Portion of the Priests and Levites, that they might be encouraged in the Law of the Lord. And not only commanded this, but went alfo himself to fee it done, and appointed Cononiah the Levite and Shimei his Brother with diverfe others to take Gare of the Stores which were brought in, and to be Overfeers of the Churches. Treasury, and thus he did throughout all Judea. In (d) Jol. 24, 14. 13. 16. In the next Place it belongs to the Supreme Magiftrate to reform the Church when it is corrupted with Idolatry, Herefy or Superstition. Thus Joshua commanded the People (d) to put away the Gods which their Fathers ferved on the other fide of the Flood and in Egypt, and to (1) 2 Chr, 15. 8, ferve the Lord. (e) King Afa alfo put away the abominable Idols out of all the Land'; and made a Law that whosoever would not seek the Lord God of Ifrael should be put to Death. And deprived his Mother Maachah of her Royalty, becaufe fhe had made an Idol in a Grove. And his 2 Chr. 17. 6. Son (f) Fehoshaphat completed this Reformation by taking away the High Places and Groves (g) 2 King.18.4. out of Judah. The like did (g) Hezekiah, for he removed the High Places, and brake the Images, and cut down the Groves, and brake in Pieces the brazen Serpent which Mofes had made. For certainly the Civil Magiftrate may confirm the Law of God with Civil Sanctions, and punish the Breach of 'em with corporal Penalties if he fhall fee 'Occafion. Thus befide thofe al() Neh. 13. 15, ready mentioned, we find that (b) Nehemiah punifhed fuch as broke the Sabbath and Mar &c. ried ftrange Wives. Even Heathen Kings (i) Dan. 3. 29. have done the like. (i) Nebuchadnezar made a Law that whofoever should speak any thing a mifs of the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego fiould be cut in pieces, and their Houses (k) Dan 6. 26. fhould be made a Dunghil. And (k) Darius decreed that in every Dominion of his Kingdom, Men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel. The ancient Chriftian Emperours also made many Laws to punifh fuch as broke the Laws of God, as will be evident to any that shall read the Hiftories of former Ages, or but look into the Theodofian or Juftinian Code. Where the |