CHAP. God himself hath prescribed, so they cannot impose I. what religion they please contrary to what he hath The forms and cir cumstances belong to jurisdic tion. enjoined. He hath directed and established what religion shall be embraced by prince and people, and that must not be altered; but the ways to propagate and improve the same, and the removing of all that would obstruct that improvement, and the suppressing of all that would corrupt or discredit it, is committed to the sovereign power, to provide for the peace of church and state according to its discretion by all remedies which are not contrary to God's own direction. Whatsoever God hath commanded to be done in his Scriptures must be observed, and what he hath of religion forbidden must not be permitted, by kings and temporal princes in their several dominions: what he hath not directed or forbidden may be supplied by the wisdom of those his lieutenants: or otherwise they could not provide for the peace and well-being of the people committed to their charge. And as they explain or alter old laws upon doubts and inconveniences which arise, or enact new upon the defects discovered in their policy, in such manner as by the constitution of their several governments laws are to be made, and with the assistance of such persons who understand the nature and humour and just pretences of the people, (which cannot be so exactly known and understood by the prince himself without such assistance;) so, upon doubts which arise in religion which are not manifestly cleared in and by the Scripture, or upon pretences that the Scriptures do direct or imply or inhibit somewhat that is or is not. in practice, new rules or canons and injunctions may be prescribed by the sovereign power, with the assist ance I. ance of such learned and pious persons whose educa- CHAP. tion and experience and other qualifications make them fit for that great affair. The body and substance of religion (as is said) is enjoined and determined in Scripture, which must not be altered. Whatsoever is not determined there (and the circumstances formalities and ceremonies which are to be used in the exercise of religion and the more decent worship of God are not prescribed and directed by the Scriptures) must therefore be provided for and enjoined by that authority which is entrusted with the government of that dominion and people where the same is to be exercised; and in which the nature and humour of the people, the custom and disposition of the time, have been always and may always lawfully be considered and indulged to; and they never were in all respects the same even in those churches which were planted and instituted by the Apostles themselves, nor will nor need be the same to the end of the world; since the nature of the climate and manners of nations have always had, and always will have, a great influence upon the circumstances of religion and forms of religious worship throughout the world. As we are justly offended with those amongst ourselves who, in those religious duties which require the humblest postures and most devout adoration, will affect to stand or to sit rather than to kneel, (this latter being the posture in which they would for the humility of it present their petition to the King, and the other that which they would practise if they were to speak to any man no better than themselves,) I say the singularity and irreverence of these men may justly be reprehended and punished: and yet, if the Turks and eastern nations should become Christians, B 2 I. CHAP. Christians, it would be equally unreasonable to condemn them for not kneeling, which is not the posture of their devout reverence and consequently not the fittest for their devotions. It is no wonder that the differences are so great and many between the inhabitants of Europe and of Asia in the habits postures and gestures, that it would be impossible to establish an unity and uniformity in the outward form and practice of their devotions, though the inward and substantial parts of religion were equally submitted to by all; when the same or as important dissimilitudes in the manners habit and practice amongst the European nations themselves renders that conformity extremely difficult, if not equally impossible; since decency (which is the best rule in many cases) is not the same, nor are the same things comely and uncomely in all places. But every thing of that kind, which is not of the essence of religion, must be ordered and regulated by the sovereign power as may best suit with the peace and prosperity of their government; and therefore it is a very unreasonable and unjust presumption of those who, upon those circumstantial differences in practice, or indeed upon any differences which may consist with the essence of Christian religion, proclaim men and nations to be of several religions: which is an odious distinction to exclude all the obligations of religion, and to introduce a bitterness animosity and uncharitableness that is inconsistent with any religion; and as if the salvation they desire and depend upon were not the same, the same confidence of Christ, and the same confidence in him, which is and can be but one; though the circumstances and forms and ceremonies in his worship and I. and service, and even expressions of him and his at- CHAP. tributes and merits, are not, nor ever have been, nor will be the same. It is not in the power or liberty of private and particular men to choose these circumstances of religion for themselves, or to use what forms or ceremonies they please in the exercise of it, because they are not of the substance or essence of religion. They may not change the substance, because it is prescribed by God himself; and they may not change the circumstances, because they are enjoined by that authority to which God referred the forming and composing and establishing them; and they thereby become so much of the very substance and essence of religion that we can no more reject the one than the other; and we may as lawfully make a new creed for ourselves as new canons and rules of practice. Things that were of themselves indifferent cease to be indifferent, and become necessary, when they are by lawful authority commanded to be practised; and kings are as well obliged to exact obedience to the latter, as to take care that there be no invasion of the former; and it is by such authority only that unity and uniformity (which are very wholesome if not necessary ingredients unto peace) may be established by every prince in his particular dominions; and these cannot universally be established, because there is no universal monarch but God himself, who hath left that work to be performed by his vicegerents according to the wisdom he hath given them, and which can no other way be provided. Princes and kings, to whom this necessary supreme trust is committed, and upon which the glory and honour of God as well as the peace happiness and prosperity of themselves I. CHAP. and of the people so much depends, cannot transfer this trust to another over whom themselves have no authority they must take such aid and assistance to them in discharge of the trust as may enable them to perform it; but they ought not to put it out of their own power, upon any presumption that it will be as well or better done than by themselves, without being able to take it out of his hands again who is not faithful in it. That nurse who is chosen by the parents is inexcusable if she commits the nourishing the infant she hath received to the care of another without their consent, and to one from whom she cannot require it again; but much more if she delivers it into the hands of a foreigner, who transports it into a foreign country to suck the milk of a stranger, and to learn the manners of a country to which the parents would not have it subject. The nursery must be performed by those to whom it is committed, and to those ends for which it was principally committed. Inquiry have lost, and the tained, a jurisdiction minion of Since it cannot be reasonably supposed that kings how princes and princes have supinely waved and declined this Bishop of part of their trust of the church and religion which Rome ob- God hath so solemnly bequeathed to them, or stusupreme pidly transferred it to any other, and thereby dein the do- prived themselves of the better moiety of their soveother reignty in their own dominions; it will be worth our princes by inquiry how they come to be without it, (for it is too spiritual so-apparent that most of the Christian princes are without it or without the exercise of it, which is all one,) and what just title he who usurps it from them hath to it; by what inducements and motives they have been prevailed with to relinquish it; and what colour or pretence the Bishop of Rome, who usurps usurping a vereignty. and |