This would be the case at Constantinople;and the reason of the thing is the same in any Christian kingdom.The civil power is the same in every place.Nor can that power,in the hands of a Christian prince,confer any greater authority upon the Church than in the hands of a heathen;which is to say,just none at all.Nevertheless,it is worthy to be observed and lamented that the most violent of these defenders of the truth,the opposers of errors,the exclaimers against schism do hardly ever let loose this their zeal for God,with which they are so warmed and inflamed,unless where they have the civil magistrate on their side.But so soon as ever court favour has given them the better end of the staff,and they begin to feel themselves the stronger,then presently peace and charity are to be laid aside.Otherwise they are religiously to be observed.Where they have not the power to carry on persecution and to become masters,there they desire to live upon fair terms and preach up toleration.When they are not strengthened with the civil power,then they can bear most patiently and unmovedly the contagion of idolatry,superstition,and heresy in their neighbourhood;of which on other occasions the interest of religion makes them to be extremely apprehensive.They do not forwardly attack those errors which are in fashion at court or are countenanced by the government.Here they can be content to spare their arguments;which yet (with their leave)is the only right method of propagating truth,which has no such way of prevailing as when strong arguments and good reason are joined with the softness of civility and good usage.Nobody,therefore,in fine,neither single persons nor churches,nay,nor even commonwealths,have any just title to invade the civil rights and worldly goods of each other upon pretence of religion.
Those that are of another opinion would do well to consider with themselves how pernicious a seed of discord and war,how powerful a provocation to endless hatreds,rapines,and slaughters they thereby furnish unto mankind.No peace and security,no,not so much as common friendship,can ever be established or preserved amongst men so long as this opinion prevails,that dominion is founded in grace and that religion is to be propagated by force of arms.In the third place,let us see what the duty of toleration requires from those who are distinguished from the rest of mankind (from the laity,as they please to call us)by some ecclesiastical character and office;whether they be bishops,priests,presbyters,ministers,or however else dignified or distinguished.It is not my business to inquire here into the original of the power or dignity of the clergy.This only I say,that,whencesoever their authority be sprung,since it is ecclesiastical,it ought to be confined within the bounds of the Church,nor can it in any manner be extended to civil affairs,because the Church itself is a thing absolutely separate and distinct from the commonwealth.The boundaries on both sides are fixed and immovable.He jumbles heaven and earth together,the things most remote and opposite,who mixes these two societies,which are in their original,end,business,and in everything perfectly distinct and infinitely different from each other.No man,therefore,with whatsoever ecclesiastical office he be dignified,can deprive another man that is not of his church and faith either of liberty or of any part of his worldly goods upon the account of that difference between them in religion.For whatsoever is not lawful to the whole Church cannot by any ecclesiastical right become lawful to any of its members.But this is not all.
It is not enough that ecclesiastical men abstain from violence and rapine and all manner of persecution.He that pretends to be a successor of the apostles,and takes upon him the office of teaching,is obliged also to admonish his hearers of the duties of peace and goodwill towards all men,as well towards the erroneous as the orthodox;towards those that differ from them in faith and worship as well as towards those that agree with them therein.And he ought industriously to exhort all men,whether private persons or magistrates (if any such there be in his church),to charity,meekness,and toleration,and diligently endeavour to ally and temper all that heat and unreasonable averseness of mind which either any man's fiery zeal for his own sect or the craft of others has kindled against dissenters.I will not undertake to represent how happy and how great would be the fruit,both in Church and State,if the pulpits everywhere sounded with this doctrine of peace and toleration,lest I should seem to reflect too severely upon those men whose dignity I desire not to detract from,nor would have it diminished either by others or themselves.