a decree about worship, that fhould interfere with Daniel's obedience to his God; yet when that was done, he would not pay fo much regard to it as to fhut his windows. Dan.-6. 4

And when the Son of God, who is the great Law-giver and King of his church, came and blotted out the hand-writing of the typical ordinances, and established a better covenant, or conftitution of his church, upon better promises, we are affured that he was faithful in all bis boufe, and counted worthy of more glory than Mofes. What vacancy has he then left for faliable men to fupply, by making new laws to regulate and support his worship? especially if we confider,

2. That as the putting any men into civil office is of men, of the people of the world; fo officers have truly no more authority than the people give them: And how came the people of the world by any ecclefiaftical power? They arm the magiftrate with the fword, that he may be a minifter of God to them for good, and might execute wrath upon evil doers; and for this cause they pay them tribute: upon which the apostle proceeds to name thofe divine commandments which are comprehended in love to our neighbour, and which work no ill to him. Surely the infpired writer had not forgotten the first and great command of love to God; but as this chapter treats the most fully of the nature and end of civil government of any one in the newteftament, does it not clearly fhew that the crimes which fall within the magiftrates jurif diction to punish, are only fuch as work ill to

our

our neighbour? Rom. 13. 1-10. While church government refpects our behaviour toward God as well as man.

3. All acts of executive power in the civil ftate, are to be performed in the name of the king or state they belong to; while all our religious acts are to be done in the name of the Lord Jefus; and fo are to be performed heartily as to the Lord, and not unto men. And it is but lip Jervice, and vain worship, if our fear toward him is taught by the precepts of men. Col. 3. 17, 23. Ifa. 29. 13. Mat. 15. 9. It is often pleaded, that magistrates ought to do their duty in religious as well as civil affairs. That is readily granted; but what is their duty therein? Surely it is to bow to the name of Jefus, and to ferve him with holy reverence; and if they do the contrary they may expect to perilh from the way. Phil. 2. 10. Pfa. 2. 10-12. But where is the officer that will dare to come in the name of the Lord to demand, and forcibly to take, a tax which was impofed by the civil ftate! And can any man in the light of truth, maintain his character as a minifter of Chrift, if he is not contented with all thatChrift's name and influence will procure for him, but will have recourfe to the kings of the earth, to force money from the people to fupport them under the name of an embaffador of the God of heaven! Does not fuch conduct look more like the way of thofe who made merchandize of flaves and fouls of men, than it does like the fervants who were content to be as their Master, who faid, He that heareth you beareth

beareth me; and he that defpifeth you defpifelh me? Rev. 18. 9, 13. Luke 10. 316. ·

4. In all civil governments fome are appointed to judge for others, and have power to compel others to fubmit to their judgment: but our Lord has most plainly forbidden us, either to affume or fubmit to any fuch thing in religion. Mat. 23. 1-9. Luke 22. 25-27. He declares, that the cause of his coming into the world, was to bear witness unto the truth and says he, Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice. This is the nature of his Kingdom, which he fays,Is not of this world : and gives that as the reafon why his fervants fhould not fight, or defend him with the fword. John. 18. 36, 37: And it appears to us that the true difference and exact limits between ecclefiaftical and civil government is this, That the church is armed with light and truth, to pull down the ftrong holds of iniquity, and to gain fouls to Chrift, and into his church, to be governed by his rules therein; and again to exclude fuch from their communion, who will not be fo governed; while the state is armed with the fwerd to guard the peace, and the civil rights of all perfons and focieties, and to punish thofe who violate the fame. And where thefe two kinds of go. vernment, and, the weapons which belong to them, are well distinguished, and improved according to the true nature and end of their inftitution,the effects are happy,and they do not at all interfere with each other: but where they have been confounded together, no tongue nor pen can fully describe the mischiefs that have enfued;

of

of which the Holy Ghoft gave early and plain warnings. He gave notice to the church, that the main of thote antichriftian confufions and abominations, would be drawn by philofophy and deceit, from the band-writing of ordinances that Chrift has blotted out. And to avoid the fame, directs the faints to walk in Chrift Jefus as they received him, rooted and built up in him, and ftablished in the faith as they have been taught ; viewing that they are complete in him, which is the HEAD over ALL PRINCIPALITY and POWER. Therefore he charges them not to be beguiled into a voluntary bumility, by fuch flefbly minds as do not hold this Head, but would fubject them to ordinances after the doctrines and commandments of men. Col. 2.

Now 'tis well known that this glorious Head made no use of fecular force in the first fitting up of the gospel church, when it might feem to be pecularly needful if ever; and it is alfo very evident, that ever fince men came into the way of ufing force in fuch affairs, their main arguments to fupport it have been drawn from the old Jew ifh conftitution and ordinances. And what work has it made about the head as well as members of the church?

First they moved Conftantine, a fecular prince, to draw his fword against heretics; but as all earthly states are changeable, the fame fword that Conftantine drew against heretics, Julion turned against the orthodox. However, as the high priest's sentence in the Jewish ftate, divided matters both for prince and people, the fame de

ceitful

ceitfu! pilofophy that had gone fo far, never left
plotting till they had fet up an ecclefiaftical head
over kingdoms as well as churches, who with
Peter's keys was to open and shut, bind and loose,
both in spiritual and temporal affairs. But after
many generations had groaned under this hell-
ifh tyranny, a time came when England renounc-
ed that head, and fet up the king as their head
in ecclefiaftical as well as civil concernments;
and though the free use of the fcriptures which
was then introduced, by a divine bleffing, pro-
duced a great reformation, yet ftill the high places
were not taken away, & the lord bishops made fuch
work in them, as drove our fathers from thence
into America, The first colony that came to
this part of it carried the reformation fo far, as
not to make use of the civil power to fave the
people to fupport religious minifters (for which
they have had many a lash from the tongues

&
pens of those who were fond of that way) but
the fecond colony, who had not taken up the
crofs fo as to feparate from the national church
before they came away, now determined to pick
out all that they thought was of univerfal and
moral equity in Mofes's laws, and fo to frame a
christian common-wealth here. + And as the
Jews were ordered not to fet up any rulers over
them who were not their brethren; fo this colony
refolved to have no rulers nor voters for rulers,
but brethren in their churches. And as the
Jews were required to inflict corporal punish-
ments, even unto death, upon non-conformers to
their worship, this common-wealth did the like to
fuch as refused to conform to their way; and they

+ Maffachusetts hiftory, vol. 3. p. 161,

ftrove