The nature of the two testaments, or, The disposition of the will and estate of God to mankind for holiness and happiness by Jesus Christ ... in two volumes : the first volume, of the will of God : the second volume, of the estate of God / by Robert Dixon.

The CONTENTS.

Restraint from proper End. Restraint from proper Guide. Restraint from proper Act. Restraint from proper Rule. Restraint from proper State. Restraint from proper Right. Constraint to base Actions.

TITLE X. Of the Cases of Slavery.

The Cases of true Slavery.

TRue Slavery is a thing so large and indefinite, as that it cannot well be defined; therefore it will be best by shewing the Cases thereof to design it.

As, because Felony and Treason are Crimes indefinite, therefore wise Lawyers do not define them, but shew the Cases to design them.

Cases designing true Slavery.

I. A Restraint of Man from his proper End is slavery.

The proper End of Man is Happiness, which consists in the know∣ledge and fruition of God: For this is life eternal, to know God, &c. other Ends are improper, alien and forreign, as Honour, Wealth, &c. for these are neither his proper end, nor yet the proper means to it, they are nei∣ther happiness nor holiness.

For a man then to be restrained from true happiness, that he cannot or may not be happy, that he cannot or may not know or enjoy God, this is true slavery. For the disability to true happiness, to be made unca∣pable of it is true misery, and true misery is true slavery.

Hence Bastardy is a misery, which bars the Child from all Inheri∣tance, and makes him uncapable of succession to his natural Father's Estate.

And Infamy is a misery, which bars a man from all Offices, and makes him uncapable of all Honour and Power in the Republick. For, Portae dignitatum non patent infamibus Personis, The Gates of Honour are shut close against all Varlets and Sons of Belial.

These and the like Disabilities, rendring men incapable of Benefices, or diminutions or degradations of Promotions, are but civil kinds of Slavery, because they finally restrain or deprive the Parties from those humane Ends, which worldly men esteem happiness.

II. Restraint of Man from his proper Guide is true slavery.

The proper Guide of Man, that leads him to his proper End, and moves him to all actions mediating thereunto, is right Reason, or as the Scripture terms it, a right Spirit; whether natural from himself, or super∣natural from God.

For right Reason, enlightned and quickned by Grace, becomes a right Spirit: And even that Holy Spirit which moves in the Saints, is but right Reason, sublimated above Nature and exalted into Grace.

This right Spirit should be the proper spring or plummet of Man, to move the strings and wheels of the Soul in her elicit or imperate acts.

All other guides, as the passions of Love, Fear and Anger, are impro∣per unto him, for they are rather troublers than leaders, hangers on than furtherers; hence they are called Perturbations, disturbing and discom∣posing the fair Soul, as sickness and lameness the Body.

Now for a man to be restrained from his proper guide, that he cannot or may not follow a right Spirit, but must be forced after a forreign Leader, after that Spirit which Satan suggests, or those Lusts that the Flesh prescribes, to be at a beck to every Passion, and serve his own Ser∣vants, this is slavery.

Hence, when Subjects are governed by their own proper Prince, that hath a true right and title to the Crown, they account themselves Free∣men; but when forced under an Usurper, that hath no true right or title to the Crown, they reckon themselves to be no less than slaves. Much more doth he make a slave of himself, that is led away by his own lust, and admits of a guide that hath no right to govern him at all.

III. A Restraint of Man from his proper Act is true slavery.

The proper Act of Man, whereby he negotiates and performs the deeds of a man, is his Will: To chuse or refuse of his own will, to consent or dissent to the will of another, and afterwards to execute and perform his choice and consent.

Hence the acts of the Will are called by Divines, Actus humani, the proper Acts of man, whereby he stands in the rank of Man. All other Acts, as Appetites that flow not from the Will, or Errors and Mistakes that fall besides the Will, or Constraints that run against the Will, are improper and alien to Man, and common to him with Beasts.

Thus for a man to be restrained from his proper Act, that he cannot or may not chuse or refuse, that he cannot or may not consent or dissent, or that he can will or nill, but not execute at all, but is forced from his

own will to act the will of another, this is true slavery. Of this St. Paul complains, that he had a Will of his own, but could not act it, but the contrary; To will is present with me, but how to perform I find not; for the good that I would I do not, but the evil which I would not that I do, &c.

By the Civil Law, the Slave can make no Will; Servo nulla Testamenti factio. The Slave also can be no Party to a Will, neither a Testatour, Executor, or so much as a Witness. Naturally he may write or speak his own mind, or testifie the mind of another; but legally he cannot do it, he is dead in Law.

IV. A Restraint of Man from his proper Rule is true slavery.

The proper Rule of a man, to frame and steer his Actions by, is the Law, as the Law of God, which is alwaies just; or of Man, which is then alwaies just, when no Law of God declares it unlawful.

The Law, not Conscience, is the Soveraign rule of Man: For the Conscience must have a Law for the rule of it, or else it will be unruly; for where there is no Law, there can be no Conscience, seeing Conscience is but the dictate of the law of Equity; a law prescribing to the law of Justice, and overruling it. And Conscience pretended is but blindness of mind, or hardness of heart, unless it can see or feel it self in some Law.

All other Rules, as Favour and Fear, Humour, Fancy and Pleasure, are improper unto man, alien and forreign, for they are leaden and crooked Rules, that cause us to wander in crooked waies: So for a man to be re∣strained from his proper Rule, so that he cannot, or may not, live by the Law, but is forced to live contrary to Law, only at the will and pleasure of another, this is true slavery.

Hence, when Subjects are ruled by their own Municipal and National Laws, that are genuine and proper to them, they account themselves free men; but when ruled by forreign and strange Laws, or by the plea∣sure of the Prince in an arbitrary uncertain way, such subjection is called Slavery.

V. A Restraint of Man from his proper State is true slavery.

The proper State of Man, whereby he is ranked distinct and superiour to all other sublunary Creatures, is to be a person living in the condition of a Reasonable Soul.

All other Estates, whether they proceed from Titles, Degrees or Offi∣ces, are improper unto Man, alien and forreign to him, for none of these advance him to the rank of Man. Now for a man to be restrained from his proper State, that he cannot, or may not, live in the person of Man; but is forced to a state below Man in the condition of a Beast, or is yet farther forced to a state below a Beast, and to live in the condition of the Dead, alive in Nature, but dead in Law, this is true slavery.

Hence Slaves by the Civil Law are made equivalent to Beasts, such as we call Cattel, Horses, or Oxen, yea and to dead men; Servitus morti assimilatur. L. Intercidit. F. de Conditionibus. And by the Common Law of England Monks and Friers were under a Civil slavery, as men dead in Law, and entring into their Order were to make their Wills, as men on their Death-beds; else they were held to die intestate, and the Ordinary thereupon was to grant away the Administration of their Goods, as if already dead. Vide 2d. Book of Littleton, Inst. chap. Villenage.

VI. Restraint of a man from his proper Right is true slavery.

The proper Right of Man, whereby he claims any thing to be his own, is the right and claim of himself over himself, to have the pro∣priety possession and government, as to be Master of himself, and have the use and fruit of himself.

This is his original Right, whereby he was not only morally righteous, but had a legal right over the Creatures; Ergo, much more over himself.

All other rights, whereby he enjoys Houses, Lands or Goods, are improper to Man, alien and forreign, not natural but positive, grounded upon humane Contracts.

Now for a man to be restrained from his proper Right, that he cannot or may not have propriety, possession or usufruct of himself, but is forced to become the propriety, possession and usufruct of another, by selling, or letting, or losing the free-hold of himself; this is true slavery.

Hence the Civil Law describes slavery to be subjection, Contra natu∣ram dominio alterius, and, Servus dicitur nullius Juris: Against Nature for a man not to be his own, but another's man, and to have right to no∣thing, not so much as to himself.

When Subjects have not the property of their Goods, they count themselves slaves: If he be rightly stiled a slave that hath not property in any goods, much more is he a slave that hath no property of himself.

VII. Constraint of a man to vile and base Actions is true slavery.

For as Restraint from good makes slavery, so Constraint to evil makes slavery out of measure slavish.

Hence the Israelites were slaves in Egypt, constrained to make Bricks, and Pots of Clay. The Prodigal was a slave to the Citizen, to feed his Swine, and yet not to be sed with them. The Possessed in the Gospel were slaves to Satan, and forced often by him into the fire and water.

Put all these three together, and they shew the full Nature of slavery, that is, bondage of Spirit, restraining Man from his several properties, and constraining him to their several contraries. The use of all is, to shew thee thy Error. Thou complainest of Temporal slavery, it is a false and counterfeit slavery, the Spiritual slavery is the true slavery: To feel the burthen of that, and complain of the misery, would argue a good increase of God's grace in thee; and if God's grace free thee from that slavery, then art thou free from all the World, which God grant.

Notes

• Restraint from proper end.
• Restraint from proper Guide.
• Restraint from proper Act.
• Ro. 7.18.
• Restraint from proper Rule.
• Restraint from proper State.
• F.L. Aquila.
• Restraint from proper Right.
• Constraint ••o base Acti∣ons.