out the other. There have been, in all Ages, States and Kingdoms wifely governed, where there was no fpiritual Power, nor Society at all; and it is well known that the Chriftian Church, for full three hundred Years together, stood and prospered in the full Exercise of her whole Ecclefiaftical Authority, under the most violent Oppofition, and cruel Perfecutions from the civil Power.

But you will fay, perhaps, this is an indirect Way of denying or queftioning the King's Supremacy, which both the Scriptures and the Laws of the Land have declared, and which all Ecclefiaftical Perfons are bound folemnly to recognize, and acknowledge him to be in all Caufes, and over all Perfons, as well Ecclefiaftical as Civil, in all his Dominions and Countries fupreme. By no means. We confefs and acknowledge, that all Perfons, of what Rank or Condition, State or Quality foever, are fubject to the temporal Government under which they live; and that the Clergy owe the fame Allegiance to the fupreme Power under whofe Protection they live, as the Laity do. The Apoftle's Command is general and abfolute, * Let every Soul be subject to the higher Powers, without any Exception or Limitation. Nor does this Power depend upon the Religion of the Prince; for this Precept was given when the chief Magistrate was a Heathen and a Perfecutor. Nero and Dioclefian were as much intitled to it as Conftantine or Theodofius. Jefus Chrift himself, whilft on Earth, acknowledged and fubmitted to the Roman Governor of Judea, and paidTribute 4 when demanded of him, as well as the rest

Rom. xiii, 1.

Matt. xvii. 27.

of his Countrymen. When he ftood before Pontius › Pilate, he did not demur to the Jurifdiction of the Court, nor the Authority of the Governor; but freely confeffed it, and that he bad received it from God. His Apoftles, and all his faithful Servants followed his Example in this Particular. Paul, when he food before Feftus, to answer the feveral Articles exhibited against him by the Jews, declares + he stood before Cefar's Judgment-Seat, where he ought to be judged; and therefore pleads, ‡ that neither against the Law of. the Jews, neither against the Temple, nor yet against Cefar, had he offended any thing at all. Nay, the RomanCatholics themfelves, who are not bigotted to the Court of Rome, have acknowledged all Perfons without Exception to be fubject to the civil Magiftrate. Thus the Faculty of Paris, Anno 1663, declared, that all Subjects owed fuch Allegiance to their King, that no Power upon Earth could, upon any Pretence whatfoever, abfolve them from it. And feveral of the Misfionaries in this Kingdom have made the like Declarations; and would not recant, though they have been cenfured and excommunicated by the Pope for fo doing, as is evident from the Caufa Valeriana (published at London by Peter Walsh, a Franciscan Friar, and printed by J. Brome, 1684.) Let me give you from thence the Words of Part of a Proteftation made by the Roman-Catholic Clergy of Ireland, fignified by a Bishop and above twenty other Regulars and Seculars of that Communion, The Words are thefe: We profefs that all abfolute Princes and fupreme Magiftrates, of what Religion foever they be, are God's Vice

* John xix. 11.

† A&ts xxv, 10. 3

Acts xxv. 8,

gerents

gerents upon Earth, and to them refpectively, according to the Laws of every Commonwealth, Obedience is due in civit and temporal Matters; and for this Caufe we proteft against all Doctrine and Authority to the contrary. So far we all agree about the Power of the Prince over all Ecclefiaftical Perfons. The greateft Difficulty is about Ecclefiaftical Caufes, and Matters purely fpiritual. Here the common Diftinction has its true and proper Ufe. He has Authority circa facra, but not in facris. He cannot ordain a Prieft, or confecrate a Church; he cannot adminifter the Sacraments; he cannot excommunicate an impenitent Sinner, nor abfolve a Penitent, nor execute any Part of the facerdotal Office: Yet in the Direction, Regulation, and Protection of the Church and its Minifters in the Exercise of their refpective Offices, in enforcing the Ecclefiaftical Difcipline by the temporal Authority, and restraining and punishing stubborn and obftinate Offenders with the civil Sword; he has a great and fufficient Power in all spiritual Caufes. He has allo Power to judge of all Doctrines, and declare whether this or that Faith, or this or that Article of Faith, fhall be preached in his Dominions. I do not fay that fuch a Law binds the Clergy in his Dominions to an active Obedience; but if it be established by the intire legislative Authority, it binds all Subjects to a paffiva Obedience; they are obliged to fubmit to the Penalties inflicted by the Law, and not to refift the Authority of the Magiftrate by human Force. The fupreme Magiftrate may abuse his Authority, by enacting what is contrary to the Law and Will of God; yet the Subjects have no Right to judge him for it; that belongs properly to God, to whom alone all fupreme legifla

M 4

tive

tive Powers are fubject. For the fupreme Power, in what Hands foever it is lodged, under what Form of Government foever it exerts itself, whether in a fingle Perfon, or a Community, can have no Superior upon Earth. To affert the contrary is a direct Contraction in Terms, and supposes that the fupreme Power can have a Superior to limit or control it.

Saving, therefore, all the Rights of temporal Princes, it plainly appears, that the Church, as a purely fpiritual Society in the Exercise of her fpiritual Powers, is intirely independent upon the State as it fubfifted fome hundreds of Years, in direct Oppofition to the greatest temporal Powers then upon Earth. Now it is essential to every Society to be invested with fuch Powers and Privileges as are necessary for their Support and Security, and to promote the several Purposes and Intentions of their Charter: As particularly that of choofing their own Governors and Directors: And, fecondly, of enacting and executing fuch Laws as may from time to time be thought neceffary for the Good of the whole, to meet and confult upon all Emergencies, to cenfure, punish, and expel unworthy Members, and unfaithful Officers, and enforce, by proper Penalties, the Obedience and Submiffion of all the Members of the Society. These have been, in all Ages, declared to be the inherent original Rights of the Church, which cannot, without Treachery, be given up, nor, without Sacrilege, invaded; and that this was the uniform Practice of the Church, appears from every Part of its Hiftory. As the Well-being of every Society depends chiefly upon its Directors and Governors, because they have the greatest Power to do Good or Hurt; therefore,

where

where the Choice of the Governors of one Society is in the Hands of another Society (as if the Church should make Laws, and choose Ministers for the State in temporal Matters; or the State vice verfa for the Church in Matters purely fpiritual) then is that Society intirely fubject to the other. And whereas no Society can fubfift without meeting and confulting about their Affairs, and giving proper Orders as Occafion fhall require; if one Society cannot meet to confider of their own proper Affairs, nor enact Laws, nor give Directions for the better Regulation and Im provement of the Society, without the Leave and Authority of another Society; then is the former in a manner diffolved, and its Charter destroyed, because it fubfifts precariously as to the Exercise of any Power upon the mere Will and Pleasure of another. This is a Degree of Subjection to which the Roman Governors did never reduce the Church of the Jews; for their High-Priefts and Elders, their Sanhedrim, or great Council, met whenever they pleased, as we frequently find in the Gospels and Acts of the Apostles. And fo we find the Chriftian Church always did, even whilft fhe was under a State of Oppreffion and Perfecution. They conftantly met together as Occafion required, to elect Governors and make Laws for the better Government of the Society, without any legal' or regular Interpofition or Reftraint from the civil Powers. I fay legal and regular, because tho' perhaps they might be interrupted and hindered sometimes by the Tyranny and Violence of their temporal Superiors, yet that was no more than the most regular and legal Convention may fuffer from the Violence and Oppreffion of a powerful Enemy, or tyrannical Prince.

Let