the King, Lords and Commons, the whole Legislative as well as Executive Power of this Realm, claims no Authority in other than in Worldly Things or Causes, and that they would not have the Act which they then made to be interpreted or expounded to intend more, confequently they disclaimed all Judicature in Spiritual Things and Caufes, where Worldly Things and Caufes are not affected by them: As indeed they are not, by fuch Matters wherein the Church justly claims a Jurifdiction as derived from Chrift. For the Spiritual Power which is claimed by the Church, affects only thofe Matters which concern Articles of the Catholick Faith of Christendom and other Things declared by the Holy Scripture and the Word of God to be neceffary to Salvation: Which Things are in this Act difclaimed by the Civil Power; and they will not have any thing decreed by them to be interpreted or expounded to intend any fuch Thing. And though the fame is not declared in all other Acts which concern Religion or Religious Perfons, yet being thus difclaimed in this Act, which remains to this Day unrepealed, it is plainly implied in all others: And proves, that the Supreme Power of this Realm claims no other than a Civil Authority over all Perfons with relation to all Caufes, and a Right to judge when and where Civil Penalties fhall be inflicted, and as it is expreffed in the Thirty feventh Article (confirm'd alfo by Act of Parliament) to restrain with the Civil Swold the stubborn and evil Doers. And this Civil Authority of the Magistrate is and was always allowed to belong to him, and to him only, whether he was Heathen or Chriftian. Our Saviour and his Apostles fubmitted to it, neither did they deny his Jurifdiction to judge whether they had done any thing which might deferve Death or Bonds, or any other Temporal Penalty. And fo alfo did the Primitive Chriftians under the Heathen Emperors. They complain indeed of the Unrighteoufnefs

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oufnefs of the Judgments given against them, but never deny'd or excepted against the Jurifdiction of their Judges. But it is only the Civil Authority of the Magiftrate was allowed or acknowledged in thofe Days, all Spiritual Power under Christ was then believed and owned to be in the Bifhops and Paftors of the Church; nor did the Emperor pretend to it. And as no Subjects of the State were more obedient to Kings and Temporal Magiftrates, fo no Subjects of the Church were ever more obedient to their Spiritual Governors than the Primitive Chriftians, having both the Example and Precept of Chrift and his Apoftles for this double. Obedience.

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S XXII. Our Bleffed Saviour, though he renounced all Civil Power, as has been already obferved, and was bimself fubject to it, yet exercifed his Spiri tual Authority without asking any Licence from the Civil Magiftrate on that Occafion, made and baptized Multitudes of Difciples, and out of them chofe twelve Apostles, and after that feventy others whom he fent to preach the Gospel and bring more into his Church, and commanded Obedience to them, faying, (c) He that heareth you, heareth me, and he that defpifeth you, defpifeth me; and he that defpifeth me, defpifeth him that fent me. And he alfo threatens the fevereft Judgments to thofe that fhall be difobedient and not hearken to thofe fent by him, faying, (d) whofoever shall not receive you and hear your Words, when ye depart out of that Houfe or City, shake off the Duft of your Feet. Verily I fay unto you, it shall be more tolerable. for the Land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the Day of Judgment, than for that City. St. Paul alfo, though he acknowledged the Magiftrates Civil Jurifdiction and his Authority to judge, whether he would inflict a Temporal Penalty on him or not, yet claimed a Spi

(c) Lukę 3, 16.

(d) Mat. X. 14, 15.

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ritual Jurifdiction to himself as derived from Christ and independent on the Magiftrate, and by virtue of this Authority he threatens the (e) Corinthians, and asks them if they will that he shall come unto them with a Rod, or in Love and the Spirit of Meekness And tells them alfo, that he (f) writes thefe things being abfent, left being prefent he should ufe Sharpness, according to the Power which the Lord had given him to Edification and not to Destruction. Here he plainly claims a Power, not given him by the Civil Magiftrate, but by the Lord, that is, by Chrift. And his Precepts were alfo agreeable to his Practice: For as in the thirteenth Chapter to the Romans he very strictly enjoins Obedience to the Civil Magiftrate, fo in other Places he enjoins Obedience to the Spiritual Governors, faying, (g) Know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you, and esteem them very highly in Love for their Works fake. (h) Remember them which have the Rule over you, who have spoken unto you the Word of God: whofe Faith follow, confidering the End of their Converfation. Obey them that have the Rule over you, and fubmit yourselves: For they watch four your Souls, as they that must give Account: That they may do it with Joy, and not with Grief; for that is unprofitable for you. And he himself, by virtue of his Authority received from Chrift, appointed thefe Spiritual Rulers, without asking the Civil Magiftrates Commiffion for it, (i) ordaining Elders in every Church. And not only did this himself, but commiffioned others to do the fame, as we learn from his Words to Titus, to whom he says, (k) For this Caufe left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldft fet in Order the Thing's that are wanting, and ordain Elders in every City, as I

appointed thee. Therefore, for Men to say, that there cannot be two Independent Powers, the one Spiritual and the other Temporal in the fame Place, and that the fame Person cannot be fubject to one Man in Spirituals and to another in Temporals, is directly contrary both to our Saviour's Doctrine and Practice, and to that of his Apostles alfo, and is confuted by plain Facts teftified by the Holy Scriptures. And Matter of Fact is a fenfible Demonftration. And therefore they must either deny the Fact, they must deny the Scriptures and Christianity itself, or must grant that two Independent Powers, the one Spiritual, and the other Temporal, may exift at the fame Time and in the fame Place, and be exercised over the. fame Perfons: For we have the fame Evidence for this that we have for Chriftianity itself. Neither is it in any Respect contrary to Reason: For what fhould hinder but the fame Man may be fubject to his Bishop and his King at the fame Time, and when guilty of an Offence, liable to be punished by both, by his King corporally, and his Bishop spiritually? Thus for Inftance, Suppofe a Man is guilty of Theft: He may and ought to be punish'd in the King's Courts according as the Law in that Cafe fhall direct; but this does not hinder but that he may and ought also to receive a Spiritual Correction from his Paftor, to be reproved, rebuked and exhorted by him, and to be denied the Benefit of the Body and Blood of Chrift, till he give fufficient Testimonies of his fincere Repentance; nay, his Paftor ought to treat him in that Manner even though he fhould be pardoned by the Prince. And I conceive it must be manifest to every Body that fuch Proceeding of the Paftor no way impedes or interferes with the Prince's Authority: For if the Prince fees it fit to punifh fuch an Offender according to the utmost Severity of the Laws, and the Paftor at the fame time fees it convenient, upon due Teftimonies given of fincere Repentance,

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to declare and pronounce to him the Pardon and Remiffion of his Sins, and to fign and feal that Pardon by communicating to him the Representative Body and Blood of Chrift; or if the Magistrate shall fee it expedient entirely to pardon the Offence, and to restore him to all the Rights and Privileges he before enjoy'd; but at the fame time the Paftor thinks it proper to deny him the Abfolution of the Church, and to admit him to the Participation of the Body and Blood of Chrift, because he has not feen fuch due Teftimonies of Repentance as he judges to be neceffary on fuch an Occafion, both Powers, Spiritual and Temporal, are then duly exercised on the fame Perfon and in the fame Caufe, and yet one does not at all interfere with the other. Such Proceeding as this can raise no Diffention between the Spiritual and Temporal Powers, whilft they are both_thus kept within their proper Bounds. But if the Temporal Magiftrate will alfo pretend to a Spiritual Power, and because he fees it expedient to pardon the Malefactor the Temporal Punishment due to his Crimes, fhall therefore judge and determine that his Spiritual Governor must also give him the Abfolution of the Church, and adminifter the Body and Blood of Chrift to him as a Seal of that Absolution, or fhall either pretend to give fuch Abfolution himself, or to force the Spiritual Governor to do it, or perfecute him for his Refufal; Or if on the other hand the Spiritual Governor, because he fees the Man has given due Testimonies of his Repentance, and for that Reason judges it fit to give him the full Abfolution of the Church, fhall therefore require the Magistrate to remit the Temporal Punishment due to fuch Crimes, or fhall either pretend himself to pardon fuch Temporal Punishment, or to oblige the Magiftrate to do it by threatning him with Spiritual Cenfures, if he refuses; in fuch a Cafe indeed the two Powers will plainly interfere with each other. But the Caufe of

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this