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1. FORM for the Religious part either admits of Liberty of Conscience in the whole or in part; or dos not admit of Li∣berty of Conscience at all.
2. LIBERTY of Conscience intire, or in the whole, is where a man according to the dictats of his own Conscience may have the
[Chap. VI] free exercise of his Religion, without impediment to his Preferment or Imployment in the State.
3. LIBERTY of Conscience in part is, where a man according to the dictats of his Conscience may have the free exercise of his Re∣ligion; but if it be not the National Religion, he is therby incapable of Preferment or Imployment in the State.
4. WHERE the Form admits not of the free exercise of any other Religion except that only which is National, there is no Liberty of Conscience.
5. MEN who have the means to assert Liberty of Conscience, have the means to assert Civil Liberty; and will do it if they are op∣prest in their Consciences.
6. MEN participating in Property, or in Imployment Civil or Military, have the means to assert Liberty of Conscience.
7. ABSOLUTE Monarchy, being sole Proprietor, may admit of Liberty of Conscience to such as are not capable of Civil or Milita∣ry Imployment, and yet not admit of the means to assert Civil Liber∣ty; as the Greec Christians under the Turk, who, tho they injoy Li∣berty of Conscience, cannot assert Civil Liberty, because they have neither Property nor any Civil or Military Imployments.
8. REGULATED Monarchy, being not sole Proprietor, may not admit naturally of Liberty of Conscience, lest it admits of the means to assert Civil Liberty, as was lately seen in England by pulling down the Bishops, who, for the most part, are one half of the Foundation of regulated Monarchy.
9. DEMOCRACY being nothing but intire Liberty; and Liberty of Conscience without Civil Liberty, or Civil Liberty without Liberty of Conscience being but Liberty by halves, must admit of Liberty of Conscience both as to the perfection of its present being, and as to its future security: As to the perfection of its present be∣ing, for the Reasons already shewn, or that she do not injoy Liberty by halves; and for future security, because this excludes absolute Mo∣narchy, which cannot stand with Liberty of Conscience in the whole, and regulated Monarchy, which cannot stand safely with it in any part.
10. IF it be said that in France there is Liberty of Conscience in part, it is also plain that while the Hierarchy is standing this Liberty is falling, and that if ever it coms to pull down the Hierarchy it pulls down that Monarchy also: wherfore the Monarchy or Hierarchy will be beforehand with it, if they see their true Interest.
11. THE ultimat Result in Monarchy being that of one Man, or of a few Men, the National Religion in Monarchy may happen not to be the Religion of the major part of the People; but the Result in Democracy being in the major part of the People, it cannot happen but that the National Religion must be that of the major part of the People.
12. THE major part of the People, being in matters of Religion inable to be their own Leaders, will in such cases therfore have a pub∣lic leading; or, being debar'd of their Will in that particular, are debar'd of their Liberty of Conscience.
13. WHERE the major part of the People is debar'd of their Liberty by the minor, there is neither Liberty of Conscience nor Democracy, but Spiritual or Civil Oligarchy.
14. WHERE the Major part is not debar'd of their Liberty of [Chap. VI] Conscience by the Minor, there is a National Religion.
15. NATIONAL Religion is either coercive, or not coercive.
16. RELIGION is not naturally subservient to any corrupt or worldly Interest, for which cause to bring it into subjection to Interest it must be coercive.
17. WHERE Religion is coercive, or in subjection to Interest, there it is not, or will not long continue to be the true Religion.
18. WHERE Religion is not coercive, nor under subjection to any Interest, there it either is (or has no obstruction why it may not com to be) the true Religion.
19. ABSOLUTE Monarchy pretends to Infallibility in matters of Religion, imploys not any that is not of its own Faith, and pu∣nishes its Apostats by death without mercy.
20. REGULATED Monarchy coms not much short of the same pretence; but consisting of Proprietors, and such as if they dissent have oftentimes the means to defend themselves, it dos not therfore always attain to the exercise of the like power.
21. DEMOCRACY pretends not to Infallibility, but is in mat∣ters of Religion no more than a Seeker, not taking away from its People their Liberty of Conscience, but educating them, or so many of them as shall like of it, in such a manner or knowlege in Divine things as may render them best able to make use of their Liberty of Conscience, which it performs by the National Religion.
22. NATIONAL Religion, to be such, must have a National Ministry or Clergy.
23. THE Clergy is either a landed or a stipendiated Clergy.
24. A LANDED Clergy, attaining to one third of the Territory, is Aristocracy; and therfore equally incompatible with absolute Mo∣narchy, and with Democracy: but to regulated Monarchy for the most part is such a Supporter, as in that case it may be truly enough said, that NO BISHOP, NO KING.
25. THE Soverainty of the Prince in absolute Monarchy, and of the People in Democracy, admitting not of any Counterpoise, in each of these the Clergy ought not to be landed; the Laborer never∣theless being worthy of his hire, they ought to be stipendiated.
26. A CLERGY well landed is to regulated Monarchy a very great Glory; and a Clergy not well stipendiated is to absolute Monar∣chy or to Democracy as great an Infamy.
27. A CLERGY, whether landed or stipendiated, is either Hie∣rarchical or Popular.
28. A HIERARCHICAL Clergy is a Monarchical Ordinati∣on; a Popular Clergy receives Ordination from Election by the People.
FORM of Government (as to the Religious part) being thus completed, is sum'd up in the three following Aphorisms.
29. ABSOLUTE Monarchy (for the Religious part of the Form) consists of a Hierarchical Clergy, and of an Alcoran (or som Book receiv'd in the nature of Scripture) interpretable by the Prince only and his Clergy, willingly permitting to them that are not capable of Imployments a Liberty of Conscience.
[Ch. VII] 30. REGULATED Monarchy (for the Religious part of the Form) consists of an Aristocratical Hierarchy, of the Liturgy, and of the Holy Scriptures (or som such Book receiv'd for a Rule of Faith) interpretable only by the Clergy, not admitting Liberty of Conscience, except thro mere necessity.
31. DEMOCRACY (for the Religious part of the Form) consists of a Popular Clergy, of the Scriptures (or som other Book acknowleg'd divine) with a Directory for the National Religion, and a Council for the equal maintenance both of the National Religion, and of the Liberty of Conscience.