The apologist condemned: or, A vindication of the Thirty queries (together with their author) concerning the power of the civil magistrate in matters of religion. By way of answer to a scurrilous pamphlet, published (as it seems) by some poposalist, under the mock-title of An apologie for Mr John Goodwin. Together with a brief touch upon another pamphlet, intituled, Mr J. Goodwin's queries questioned. By the author of the said Thirty queries.

An Answer to the Pamphlet, Entituled, M^r J. Goodwin's Queries Questioned.

COncerning the Author of the Pamphlet, stiled, M^r John Goodwin's Queries Questioned, together with this his Discourse, I shall not need to say much, since he hath befriended me with the gentle opposition of one Que∣ry only, to my Thirty; and this so well conditioned, that it may be easily resolved, without the least detriment, or damage, to the Cause pleaded in my Queries. For is not his one Query, this; Whether the fourth Command∣ment doth not sufficiently justifie and enjoyn the Power of the Civil Magistrate in matters of Religion? I must confess that this Commandment doth (in one sence) sufficiently justifie and enjoyn the Power of the Civil Magistrate in matters of Religion; but in this sence, the first, and the second, or any other of the nine, doth both justifie and enjoyn the same, altogether as sufficiently as this. For that which is neither justifiable, nor meet to be enjoyned, may be said to be sufficiently justified and enjoyned, when there is nothing at all said, or done, either for the one, or the other. An innocent person is sufficiently punished, when

he is not punished at all: and the Gentleman the Author of the Query in hand; is sufficiently commended for the same, when he is not commended at all. I pre∣sume the treasure of the duty, or power, of the Civil Magistrate, as such, was never judged by any sober man to be hid in the field of the fourth Commandment, nor in any part of the first Table, nor did ever any labourer in Gods vineyard dig here to find it. It is the sence of all judicious men, as far as my reading extendeth, that the first of the two Tables doth not prescribe, or intermeddle with, the duties of one man to another, nor yet the duties appertaining either to any natural, or politique Office, or Relation; but only enjoyns such duties, wherein the Worship of God consisteth, and which equally relate to all persons whatsoever. Of this mind is Calvinf, Peter Martyrg, Musculush, Riveti, and many others.

Besides, the tenor of the words in this Commandment running after the same manner, and carried on by the same pronoun, or term of address, thou, thou, as well in the subsequent part of the Command, as in the two first clauses, it is extreamly incongruous to say, or think (as my Anti-Querist doth) that in the two first clauses the personal observation of the Command, is commanded to all

in general, and to men, as men, and that in the rest, the observation of it should be commanded unto Parents, as such, and unto Magistrates, as such. For, according to this notion, the first and second, Thou, must signifie, Thou man, and again, Thou man: The third Thou, Thou Parent, and Thou Master too: the fourth and last Thou, Thou Magistrate. If my Anti-Querist can shew any other period, or sentence throughout all the Scripture, of like interpretation, with this, and wherein the same pronoun and term of address, must import and signifie such variety of capacities, relations, and formal consi∣derations, it is probable I shall consider further of his notion about the fourth Commandment, then yet I think it worth the while to do; although a parallel in this case would be no sufficient demonstration of the truth or soundness of the conceit.

2. If the Master of the Family (whether Father, or Master) or Magistrate, be impowered and enjoyned by this Commandment, the former, to compel, and by punishment force, his children, or servants, to the out∣ward Worship of God; the latter, to do the like unto strangers, by mulcts, fines, imprisonments, &c. then are they equally impowered, and enjoyned, to exercise the same compulsive authority upon their Cattel also (their OX, Ass, and Horse) and commanded to force these also unto the outward means of Gods Worship. For the tenor of the Commission, or Injunction (so fan∣cied by the Anti-querist) imposed by this Command∣ment upon Magistrates, and Masters of families, respect∣eth as well, and as much, the one, as the other. In it thou shalt not do any work: thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy CATTEL, nor the stranger within thy gates, &c. Here is not the least difference made, nor intimated, between the

Power given to the Master, or Magistrate, over their children, servants, strangers, &c. and that given them over their CATTEL.

3. If there were any Injunction intended by God in this Commandment to be layd upon the Magistrate, to compel those under his Jurisdiction, unto the outward or publique means of Gods Worship, doubtless such an Injunction should rather respect, and be extended unto, the generality of his own people, and native Subjects, then Strangers only: Whereas here is not the least men∣tion, or intimation, of any other person, that can with any colour be pretended to be made obnoxious to the (imaginary) compulsive Power of the Magistrate, but the STRANGER only.

4. One main end of the Institution and gift of the Sabbath by God, was that such persons (especially) who were under such a Power and Authority of others, by which they might be, and ordinarily were, compelled to labour, work, and pains-taking, as children and servants, together with laboring cattel, might have a seasonable and competent rest, and refreshing, from their accustom∣ed labour. This is evident from several places. Six days shalt thou do thy work, and on the seventh day thou shalt rest: THAT thine OX and thine Ass may rest, and the son of thine handmaid, and the stranger may be refreshedk. So again: But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thine OX, nor thine Ass, nor any of thy Cattel, nor thy stran∣ger that is within thy gates; THAT THY MAN-SERVANT AND THY MAID-SERVANT MAY REST AS WELL AR THOU. And remember that thou wast a servant in the Land of Egyptl, &c. This last clause, and remember that thou wast a servant, &c. added by way of motive, and

enforcement of obedience unto the preceding Com∣mandment, from those, to whom it was more peculiarly given (as viz. Parents, and Masters) plainly sheweth, that God in this Commandment did in a very signal and spe∣cial manner, aim at and intend the ease, comfort, and re∣freshing of those, who otherwise were subject and in danger to have been over-wrought, surcharged, and op∣pressed with labour, by others. Now then, if it shall be supposed, that these Parents, or Masters, who have the Command of their childrens and servants labours, all the week besides, are either impowered, but especially en∣joyned, by God in this Commandment, to compel or force them against their wills by stripes, or otherwise, to the outward means of Divine Worship, he should give them a Commission, nay lay an Injunction upon them, to make the day intended by him for the comfort, rest, and refreshing of these children and servants, a day of greater sorrow, trouble, and discomfort unto them, as the case might be (and was frequently not unlike to be) then any, or all the days of the week besides; and so should plainly prevaricate with one of his chief intentions in the Command, and be divided in himself.

5. If the Magistrate be impowered, or enjoyned, by the Commandment before us, to compel (either by fines, imprisonment, or the like) strangers or others, to the ex∣ternal Worship of God, then in case that Worship, where∣unto he is supposed to be impowered or enjoyned to com∣pel them, be, in the Judgment and Conscience of him that is compelled, superstitious, idolatrous, or unlawful, then the Magistrate hath not simply a Power, but a Command layd upon him by God, to force men, and particularly strangers, to pollute their Consciences, or at best to play the hypocrites by drawing near unto God with their lips, whilest their hearts are far from him.

6. (And lastly) If the Magistrate hath a Power or Command from God to compel strangers, or others (by the means aforesaid) to the outward Worship of God, then must he be supposed to be anointed by God with an infallible spirit of discerning, which is the true Worship of God, and instituted by himself. Otherwise God must be supposed not only to give a Commission unto, but even to lay an Injunction upon, the blind to lead, yea to hale and drag, the blind; and not only so, but as the case may be, and is like to be very frequently, to lay an In∣junction upon the blind, to lead, hale, pull, and drag, even the seeing themselves: which is a much more unnatural absurdity, then the other.

These things (with some others, which I shall not trouble either my self, or Reader, to mention, at present) considered, make it a thing very apparant unto me, that that which led my Anti-querist out of the way of the mind of God in the fourth Commandment, was partly his pre-conceived opinion of the Magistrates Power in matters of Religion, together with his inability where to find a more plausible or colourable ground for it in all the Scripture; partly his non-advertency that the ex∣ternal or bodily rest from labour, is the only literal and express end of God in this Commandment, (however this literal rest was typical, pointing at both those rests spoken of, Heb. 4. 9, 10, 11.) partly also the tenor and carriage of the Commandment it self, expresly calcula∣ted according to the exigency of such an end.

For the reason why this Commandment was deliver∣ed by God in this tenor, or form of words,—in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattel, nor thy stranger, &c. rather then in this, No person what∣soever, bond or free, young or old, stranger or home∣born,

no Ox or Ass whatsoever, or the like, shall do any work; the reason (I say) why God used the former tenor of words in drawing up this Commandment, was to in∣timate, that the Rest of the Sabbath was not like to be violated, or the Commandment it self broken, but by the covetousness, cruelty, or oppression of Parents and Masters, and such who had power to exact and require labour and work, from others, whether persons, as chil∣dren, servants, and strangers, or other creatures, as OX, Ass, or the like. As the Apostle saith, The Law was not made (i.e. was not so much made) for a righteous man [meaning, for such a man who is under no likelyhood of sinning] but for the lawless and disobedientm, &c. i. e. for such, who without the bar of the Law and the punish∣ment therein threatened, were, or would be, very pro∣pense and apt to do wickedly, &c. upon a like account we may very reasonably conceive and say, that the Law of the Rest of the Sabbath was not so much made for children, or servants, or Oxen, or Asses, because there is so little propensity in these, to work, or labour, when they are not necessitated unto it by their Superiors, in as much as they are no gainers by thir labours, but losers rather; but for Heads of Families, Masters of Servants, Parents, of Children, Owners of laboring Cattel, &c. who by reason of those covetous and hard dispositions, which are so incident unto men, that have the opportunity of inriching themselves by the labour of others, were likely to transgress in this kind. Or in case there should be found any disposition in a child, or ser∣vant, man, or maid (and there is the same reason of the stranger) to work on the Sabbath day without being compel'd unto it by their Parents, or Masters, this dispo∣sition is sufficiently reproved, or restrained, by God, partly in his restraining their Masters and Parents them∣selves from working, partly by restraining them from

imposing any burthen of labour upon them on this day. These two particulars are sufficient to inform them, that his will and mind is, that they should rest from labour on the Sabbath day.

So that when God in the Commandment turns him∣self so particularly unto Parents, and Masters, charging them they shall not do any work, they, nor their children, nor their servants (of the one sex, or the other) his mean∣ing is not, that they should compel them to keep the Sab∣bath (which is my Anti-querists notion) but that they take heed that they compel them not to break it, viz. by imposing any servile work, or labour upon them on this day. Thy children, thy servants, shall do no work; i. e. they shall not be employed, or required, or con∣strained by thee, to work on the seventh day. This to be the meaning of God, is yet more evident from hence, viz. that the same Charge or Injunction is layd upon the Parent, or Master, in reference to his Cattel, which is layd upon him in respect of his Children, or Servants. In it thou shalt not do any work, Thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy CATTEL. Now sure enough it is, that men are not commanded to compel or force their Cattel to keep the Sabbath day, but only not to compel them to labour on this day, which is their breaking of it. But as touching the work or interposure of the Magistrate in one kind or other, as such, about the observation of the Sabbath, here is altissimum & profundissimum silentium, most perfect and profound silence from the one end of the Heaven of this Commandment unto the other.

To conclude, whereas the Anti-querist informeth his Reader, that my 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. Queries concern only the Ordination of Ministers, which (he well saith) is nothing to the Question about the Magistrates

Power; the truth is, that to my best remembrance, the Ordination of Ministers was not so much as once in all my thoughts, whilest I was drawing up the said Queries: nor do any of them concern the Ordination of Ministers in the least. Or if the Gentleman will needs, by an Acy∣rology, term the subject of those Queries, the Ordination of Ministers; then I must crave leave to inform him, that although the said Queries do not concern the Que∣stion of the Magistrates Power about matters of Religi∣on, in the general, yet do they mainly concern a parti∣cular branch of that Power, which is asserted unto him about such matters in the Ministers Proposals; as the Reader, if he judgeth it worth his time to compare the one with the other, will readily find. But by the sence of this Anti-querist, and the Apologist touching the in∣terposure of the Magistrates Power in matters of Reli∣gion, it appeareth sufficiently that if the Land had a Pha∣laris King over it, there would be found more then one Perillus to make him brazen Bulls for the tormenting of such Christians, who are either too weak, or too wise, to swim down the stream of a State Religion, or to call men, Rabbi.

Notes

• f

  In duas e∣nim partes, quibus tota continetur justicia, le∣gem suam sic divisit Deus, ut priorem religionis officiis, quae peculialiter ad numinis sui cultum pertinent, alteram officiis charitatis, quae in homines respiciunt, assignaverit. Calv. Inst. l. 2. c. 8. §. 11.
• g

  Prima tabula est, quae circa Deum absque ullo medio versatur: Altera vero ad proximum dirigitur. P. Martyr. Loc. Com. Class. 2. c. 3. §. 21.
• h

  Si cogites de dilectione Dei & proximi, prima tabula di∣lectionem Dei; altera, dilectionem proximi requirit. Musc. Loc. in Praecept. Octav. Et paulo post: Prima tabula, quid Deo; altera, quid proximo debeamus praescri∣bit.
• i

  Nec in primâ tabulâ continentur mandata de officio nostroerga nos, & proximum, sed erga Deum. Rivet. Explicat. Decalogi. p. 109. Secunda tabula continet sex alia praecepta, quae nos erudiunt de iis, quae proximo debemus, ut prio∣ris praecepta nos direxerunt ad ea, quibus specialiter & immediate Deo sumus astricti. Idem. p. 170.
• k

  Exod. 23. 12.
• l

  Deut 5, 14 15
• m

  1 Tim. 1. 9.