the People fhall chufe, and especially if both the Rulers and the Majority of the People agree in the fame; even tho' the Reason of their Agreement is because they think it facred to Religion: Nor have the leffer Sects or Parties any reafon to complain, that for the general Good they are forbid publick Labors or Sports one Day in a Week. Upon this foot I think the penal Prohibition of publick Sports, Labor, or Traffick on Sundays in a Chriftian Country may be vindi

cated.

But if any particular Sects think other Days more facred than those which are appointed by the Government, they should never be conftrain'd to work or labor on those Days, except the Neceffity of the State require it, as I have before shewn.

I.

TH

CONCLUSION.

HUS I have given a fhort Account of my beft Sentiments, how far any fort of publick Affemblies, for hearing Lectures on Divine, Civil, or Moral Subjects, or the publick Preaching or Celebra

tion

tion of peculiar Religions, may be establish'd by the State; how far fome publick Worship may be requir'd in general, and efpecially on particular Occafions of the publick Interest of the State, and how far the People are required to pay their attendance. But I cannot find any fufficient Power in the State or Government to oblige the Nation under Penalties to any one Form of Worship. If I have in any thing exceeded the bounds of the juft and reasonable Rights of Government, or too much limited the just and natural Liberties or Confcience of Mankind, either Princes or People, I fhall be glad to be better inform'd in a Spirit of Meekness and Charity, which generally attends the Spirit of Wisdom and Truth.

II. The only Maxim by which I have conducted my Sentiments thro' all this Scheme is this, that the Power of Civil Government reaches no further than the Prefervation of the Natural and Civil Welfare, Rights and Properties of Mankind with regard to this World, and has nothing to do with Religion further than this requires: but the special Rights of Confcience and the things of Religion, as they relate to another World, belong to God only. And the Gofpel of Chrift

N 2

does

does not pretend to erect a Kingdom of this World, and therefore it alters nothing in the Nature of Civil Government.

III. There may be many things which a zealous Chriftian Ruler might think very proper to be done for the Honor of his God and his Savior in the publick World, and in the Management of the State; and indeed he may do much for God in reforming a finful Land; yet in the Peculiarities of Christianity I find nothing that can be required or impofed by Civil Authority, without intrenching upon the Rights or Liberties of Mankind: and I was not willing to indulge any thing to be impofed upon Heathen Subjects by Christian Governors, which may not alfo

be counted reasonable and lawful for a Heathen Governor to impose upon Christians; because the Religion of Christ makes no change in the Nature of Civil Power.

IV. Nor do I know how to vindicate a Chriftian State in propagating their own Religion by any fuch Methods of Compulfion or Penalty, which a Heathen State might not also use for the Support and Encouragement of theirs: And therefore I cannot fee it lawful for any Civil Power in Christendom to fupprefs the Publication of any new,

ftrange,

ftrange, or foreign Sects or Parties in Religion, where they promife and pay due Allegiance to the Rulers, fupport the Government, maintain the publick Peace, and moleft not the State: nor do I fee good reason to make any fuch Laws or execute any fuch Punishments against the peaceable Preachers of any Sect or Party, which we Chriftians should have thought unreasonable or unlawful for the Civil Powers of Athens to have made and executed against St. Paul, when in the midst of a Heathen Nation on Marsbill he preach'd Jefus and the Refurrection. In all our Reasonings and Writings on this important Subject let us take heed to allow no fuch Power or Dominion to Men which would have excluded the best of Religions, that is the Religion of Chrift out of the World.

THE

THE

APPENDIX.

I.

TH

HE foregoing Discourse was begun by tracing out the Origin of Civil Government, and thence inferring the several Rights and Powers of it, and enquiring how far they would reach in any of the Affairs of a religious Society, and particularly of a Chriftian Church.

Let us now take a fhort Survey of the Origin of Chriftian Churches, and enquire whether the setting things in this View will afford any different Lights or Inferences concerning the Power of Civil Magiftrates in things facred.

II. When the Chriftian Religion was first planted almost all the States, Kingdoms and Governments of this World were Heathens: even Palestine itself had Heathen Governors. The bleffed Apoftles travelling amongst the

Nations