A perswasive to peace, amongst the sons of peace. Or a treatise of Christian peace, wherein is shewed the nature, necessity, and excellency of it : as also that it is a duty incumbent upon all Christians, especially those who are invested with chiefe power and authority to do what they can to procure it : with a proposall of some means that may be fit for this purpose. / By Tho: Whitfeld minister of the Gospel.

CHAP. XIII. Shewing that the preserving of peace is a duty chiefly incumbent on those who are invested with chiefe power and authority.

AS the procuring and preser∣ving peace is a duty incum∣bent upon all Christians in their place and station; so, that it is a duty principally incumbent upon magistrates and those into whose hands God hath put chiefe power and authority, may appeare upon these grounds.

1 Because God hath dignified them above others, he hath made them as eyes and eares & o∣ther members of the body, that are of greatest honour, of greatest emi∣nency, & excellency. Now all dig∣nity drawes duty after it. Whom God lifts up in any degree of dig∣nity above others, he requires of

them a proportionable degree of duty. The great duty which God requires of every man, as a mem∣ber of the body, is to seek the good of the whole, to have a mutuall care of the wellfare and wellbeing of all the fellow members; now the preserving of peace is a prin∣cipall meanes tending to this end: which serves not only to preserve the well being, but the very be∣ing of any society of men that are conjoyned either in a civill or re∣ligious way, and without which they cannot long subsist, (as hath been already shewed.)

2 God hath put power into the hands of these, whereby they are emabled to do more than others can do for procuring of good, as other waies, so this way. He hath put a sword into their hands, whereby they may make men feare, that those who will not be drawn to duty by love, may be

driven to it by feare, for they are not to beare the sword in vaine. Rom. 13.4. Others can onely perswade, but they may after a sort enforce: though they cannot enforce men to change their minds and opini∣ons, or to change their affections, and dispositions, from a turbulent, into a quiet and peaceable temper, yet they may enforce them to for∣beare such speeches and actions as will certainly breed disturbance. Power rightly managed may do much for restraint of many dis∣tempers and disorders not only in the state, but in the Church, with∣out offering any unjust violence to any man. So depraved is the dis∣position of the most part of men, that they are fitter objects of po∣wer, than of perswasion: that they have more need of purgings than cordials, of incisions than lenitives: now the magistrate hath power to make use of both these.

3 This is one principall end why God hath put power into the hands of magistrates, namely, that they may procure peace and quiet∣nesse to those that live under them: hence we are enjoyned particular∣ly to pray for all that are in autho∣rity, for this end, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all god∣linesse and honesty. 1 Tim. 2.2. It is therfore the duty of magistrates, as to procure a civill peace, without which we cannot live quietly: so to procure (as much as lieth in them) a religious peace, without which we cannot live godlily, therefore to restraine all such dividing opini∣ons, and disorderly practises as shall tend to the disturbance of ei∣ther of these. As violent and in∣jurious practises hinder from living quietly, so perverse corrupt opini∣ons that are destructive to piety, will hinder them from living god∣lily, at least from living godlily

with quietnesse; therefore it is the magistrates duty to restraine both these. If people do enjoy plenty and fulnesse, yet if they cannot en∣joy it with peace and quietnesse, it much abates the benefit and comfort of it: so if they enjoy true religion which teacheth to live godlily, yet if they be often forced to contend with those that boldly and blasphemously oppose it, and that without any restraint, it must needs breed them much trouble and affliction: therefore if the magistrate will procure both quietnesse and godlinesse, it con∣cernes him to put a restraint upon such as these.