But What shall be done in the meanwhile?I answer:The principal and chief care of every one ought to be of his own soul first,and,in the next place,of the public peace;though yet there are very few will think it is peace there,where they see all laid waste.There are two sorts of contests amongst men,the one managed by law,the other by force;and these are of that nature that where the one ends,the other always begins.But it is not my business to inquire into the power of the magistrate in the different constitutions of nations.I only know what usually happens where controversies arise without a judge to determine them.You will say,then,the magistrate being the stronger will have his will and carry his point.Without doubt;but the question is not here concerning the doubtfulness of the event,but the rule of right.But to come to particulars.
I say,first,no opinions contrary to human society,or to those moral rules which are necessary to the preservation of civil society,are to be tolerated by the magistrate.But of these,indeed,examples in any Church are rare.For no sect can easily arrive to such a degree of madness as that it should think fit to teach,for doctrines of religion,such things as manifestly undermine the foundations of society and are,therefore,condemned by the judgement of all mankind;because their own interest,peace,reputation,everything would be thereby endangered.Another more secret evil,but more dangerous to the commonwealth,is when men arrogate to themselves,and to those of their own sect,some peculiar prerogative covered over with a specious show of deceitful words,but in effect opposite to the civil right of the community.For example:we cannot find any sect that teaches,expressly and openly,that men are not obliged to keep their promise;that princes may be dethroned by those that differ from them in religion;or that the dominion of all things belongs only to themselves.For these things,proposed thus nakedly and plainly,would soon draw on them the eye and hand of the magistrate and awaken all the care of the commonwealth to a watchfulness against the spreading of so dangerous an evil.But,nevertheless,we find those that say the same things in other words.What else do they mean who teach that faith is not to be kept with heretics?
Their meaning,forsooth,is that the privilege of breaking faith belongs unto themselves;for they declare all that are not of their communion to be heretics,or at least may declare them so whensoever they think fit.What can be the meaning of their asserting that kings excommunicated forfeit their crowns and kingdoms?
It is evident that they thereby arrogate unto themselves the power of deposing kings,because they challenge the power of excommunication,as the peculiar right of their hierarchy.That dominion is founded in grace is also an assertion by which those that maintain it do plainly lay claim to the possession of all things.For they are not so wanting to themselves as not to believe,or at least as not to profess themselves to be the truly pious and faithful.These,therefore,and the like,who attribute unto the faithful,religious,and orthodox,that is,in plain terms,unto themselves,any peculiar privilege or power above other mortals,in civil concernments;or who upon pretence of religion do challenge any manner of authority over such as are not associated with them in their ecclesiastical communion,I say these have no right to be tolerated by the magistrate;as neither those that will not own and teach the duty of tolerating all men in matters of mere religion.For what do all these and the like doctrines signify,but that they may and are ready upon any occasion to seize the Government and possess themselves of the estates and fortunes of their fellow subjects;and that they only ask leave to be tolerated by the magistrate so long until they find themselves strong enough to effect it?Again:That Church can have no right to be tolerated by the magistrate which is constituted upon such a bottom that all those who enter into it do thereby ipso facto deliver themselves up to the protection and service of another prince.For by this means the magistrate would give way to the settling of a foreign jurisdiction in his own country and suffer his own people to be listed,as it were,for soldiers against his own Government.