She is not taught by laws,nor has she any need of force to procure her entrance into the minds of men.Errors,indeed,prevail by the assistance of foreign and borrowed succours.But if Truth makes not her way into the understanding by her own light,she will be but the weaker for any borrowed force violence can add to her.Thus much for speculative opinions.Let us now proceed to practical ones.A good life,in which consist not the least part of religion and true piety,concerns also the civil government;and in it lies the safety both of men's souls and of the commonwealth.Moral actions belong,therefore,to the jurisdiction both of the outward and inward court;both of the civil and domestic governor;I mean both of the magistrate and conscience.Here,therefore,is great danger,lest one of these jurisdictions intrench upon the other,and discord arise between the keeper of the public peace and the overseers of souls.
But if what has been already said concerning the limits of both these governments be rightly considered,it will easily remove all difficulty in this matter.Every man has an immortal soul,capable of eternal happiness or misery;whose happiness depending upon his believing and doing those things in this life which are necessary to the obtaining of God's favour,and are prescribed by God to that end.It follows from thence,first,that the observance of these things is the highest obligation that lies upon mankind and that our utmost care,application,and diligence ought to be exercised in the search and performance of them;because there is nothing in this world that is of any consideration in comparison with eternity.Secondly,that seeing one man does not violate the right of another by his erroneous opinions and undue manner of worship,nor is his perdition any prejudice to another man's affairs,therefore,the care of each man's salvation belongs only to himself.But I would not have this understood as if I meant hereby to condemn all charitable admonitions and affectionate endeavours to reduce men from errors,which are indeed the greatest duty of a Christian.Any one may employ as many exhortations and arguments as he pleases,towards the promoting of another man's salvation.But all force and compulsion are to be forborne.
Nothing is to be done imperiously.Nobody is obliged in that matter to yield obedience unto the admonitions or injunctions of another,further than he himself is persuaded.Every man in that has the supreme and absolute authority of judging for himself.And the reason is because nobody else is concerned in it,nor can receive any prejudice from his conduct therein.But besides their souls,which are immortal,men have also their temporal lives here upon earth;the state whereof being frail and fleeting,and the duration uncertain,they have need of several outward conveniences to the support thereof,which are to be procured or preserved by pains and industry.For those things that are necessary to the comfortable support of our lives are not the spontaneous products of nature,nor do offer themselves fit and prepared for our use.This part,therefore,draws on another care and necessarily gives another employment.But the pravity of mankind being such that they had rather injuriously prey upon the fruits of other men's labours than take pains to provide for themselves,the necessity of preserving men in the possession of what honest industry has already acquired and also of preserving their liberty and strength,whereby they may acquire what they farther want,obliges men to enter into society with one another,that by mutual assistance and joint force they may secure unto each other their properties,in the things that contribute to the comfort and happiness of this life,leaving in the meanwhile to every man the care of his own eternal happiness,the attainment whereof can neither be facilitated by another man's industry,nor can the loss of it turn to another man's prejudice,nor the hope of it be forced from him by any external violence.But,forasmuch as men thus entering into societies,grounded upon their mutual compacts of assistance for the defence of their temporal goods,may,nevertheless,be deprived of them,either by the rapine and fraud of their fellow citizens,or by the hostile violence of foreigners,the remedy of this evil consists in arms,riches,and multitude of citizens;the remedy of the other in laws;and the care of all things relating both to one and the other is committed by the society to the civil magistrate.
This is the original,this is the use,and these are the bounds of the legislative (which is the supreme)power in every commonwealth.I mean that provision may be made for the security of each man's private possessions;for the peace,riches,and public commodities of the whole people;and,as much as possible,for the increase of their inward strength against foreign invasions.These things being thus explained,it is easy to understand to what end the legislative power ought to be directed and by what measures regulated;and that is the temporal good and outward prosperity of the society;which is the sole reason of men's entering into society,and the only thing they seek and aim at in it.And it is also evident what liberty remains to men in reference to their eternal salvation,and that is that every one should do what he in his conscience is persuaded to be acceptable to the Almighty,on whose good pleasure and acceptance depends their eternal happiness.