of his life, and to be made a complete member of the state. Is it reasonable that any man should enjoy all the privileges of any society who will not oblige himself to the general and necessary rules of the society? And would not such a law be more likely to persuade and constrain parents to take some care that their children should be acquainted with these things which are so Decessary to the welfare of mankind and of the state? And that they should have some tolerable knowledge of them before they arrive at the age of man, when the law calls upon them to become complete and personal subjects of the state?

IV. Does it not seem very necessary also, that all who are constituted magistrates or officers in the state, should not only profess these things at the time of their being invested in their office, but that they should also be persons, who to all appearance practise according to their profession? For how shall we suppose those persons will be fit guardians or executors of the civil or moral laws, who themselves manifest by their practice that they have no regard to them? Is it not evident that a man who abuses the name of God by profane swearing and cursing, who is given to drunkenness or lewdness, cheating and lying, acts of violence and oppression, or any scandalous crime which interferes with the good of mankind and the welfare of a government; I say, is it not evident that such a man should never be made a magistrate or officer for the execution of the laws of the land? Is not this of vastly greater importance than to enquire into the speculative opinions of men and their peculiar formalities of worship, in order to judge whether they should be made officers in the state?

V. Would there also be any unreasonable hardship or any inconvenience in it, if such a civil officer who is found guilty of the public violation of the civil or moral laws of the state, should be exposed to a double penalty upon the transgression of any of these moral or civil laws? Or sometimes perhaps, if the penalty be a fine, may it not be made tenfold or more according to the quality or character of such an offender? Would not this be a more powerful means of keeping both magistrates and people within the rules of virtue and public safety.

SECT. VI.-Of Public Worship on the Principles of Natural

Religion.

I. Though we have already spoken concerning the veneration of a God as necessary in civil government, yet we have not hitherto considered any special act of religion to be performed toward him besides the religion of an oath. It comes now to be enquired, whether the acknowledgment of a God in a sufficient manner to answer the purposes of civil government, does not

also imply and demand, some public veneration or worship to be paid to him at certain seasons, that the world may see, as far as outward actions can manifest it, that we believe and reverence a Divine Power? This was supposed to be so necessary to the establishment of a state upon proper foundations, that Mr. Locke, that great patron of liberty, in the laws which he drew up for Carolina, appointed, that no man should have any estate or habitation in it, that does not acknowledge a God, and that this God is publicly and solemnly to be worshipped. Article 95.

II. Now the most natural, obvious and necessary parts of worship, are praise and adoration of this God, on account of his powers and perfections, the invocation of him by prayer for the blessings we stand in need of, and thanksgiving for the blessings we have received, acknowledging all that we have, even our being and our comforts, to be derived originally from him.

III. May not then every civil government appoint certain persons to offer up public prayers and praises unto the great God at certain stated seasons, and require the attendance of the people on this worship, since this is an act of natural religion, and some public worship seems necessary for every subject of the state to approve himself a believer in a God? I answer, It is difficult to find how this may be done in any nation without intrenching upon the liberty of mankind, and imposing upon the consciences of some of the inhabitants of the land; and that for these reasons :

IV. Reason I. First, It has been already granted that all the people or inhabitants of the land may not have learned to acknowledge the one true God, and if they happen to be heathens or polytheists, they may think it hard, to be constrained by a magistrate to worship, as the Athenians did, an unknown God; Acts xvii. 23. at least till they have been all so far taught and instructed as to know, believe, and profess the true God alone.

V. Reason II. Again, If the one true God, be thus publicly worshipped merely according to the dictates of the light of na-. ture, there may be several sects in the nation who may think it necessary to worship him with the addition or mixture of their peculiar rites and ceremonies, which they suppose divine, whenever they come before him; and therefore they should never be compelled to attend this mere natural worship. Christians would say, they are particularly required to worship the true God, in the name and by the mediation of Jesus Christ, according as our Lord has taught them. John xiv. 6. No man cometh to the Father but by me. John xvi. 24. Hitherto ye have asked nothing in my name, ask and ye shall receive. And St. Paul tells us, that whatever we do, and especially in divine worship, of which he is there speaking; it should be all in the name of Christ;

Col. iii. 17. Whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. Now a christian may think it unlawful to come and worship even the one true God together with the deists, and to join with them in those prayers and praises which are not offered in the name of Christ or by his mediation, and therefore he should never be constrained to attend this natural worship by any penalty.

VI. Reason III. I know not how far it may be supposed to alleviate this difficulty and make the conscience of every christian more easy, to tell him, that there are many parts of worship paid to God in christian churches without the actual use of the name of Christ. Do we not sing David's Psalms? Do we not repeat the Lord's-prayer? And if it be lawful to address God by several of these psalms or this prayer, wherein there is not the least mention of the name or mediation of Christ, may we not join with the natural religion and worship of deists in their prayers and praises, supposing that all their expressions be conformable to what reason and the light of nature dictate; which the christian religion always pre-supposes and confirms?

VII. Reason IV. If it shall be said here, that when God is worshipped by Jewish psalms or by the Lord's-prayer, christians do or should in their own mental meditations join the name of Christ and his mediation to these addresses to God; may it not be said also, that the same mental meditations may join the name and mediation of Christ to all these public and national invocations and adoratious of God performed according to the light of nature?

VIII. Reason V. If this might be allowed, there would be then indeed a sort of natural religion, which is the foundation of all true revealed religion, which might be taught universally to all the people, which might be practised and established through the nation, and perhaps be supported by the state: But still I fear the universal attendance on worship could not be commanded under any penalty, because all christian people will not, or cannot satisfy their consciences with the salvo proposed; and perhaps other sects may dislike it too upon the same foundation.

IX. Reason VI. And besides, many persons may find their consciences dissatisfied with the men whom the state shall chuse to offer up their social worship to God; they may be dissatisfied with other expressions or other omissions in the public worship or in the appointed forms thereof, besides those which I have mentioned; they may be also dissatisfied to have communion in worship with a congregation of deists, or with mere unitarian worshippers, if they profess the holy scripture and the trinity. Many sects may declare their consciences are really dissatisfied with this worship, because all men are bound to offer their best unto God, and they would complain that such mere natural wor

slip is far below the best that they could offer; now the state has no power to compel the consciences of men to join in that worship of God which they dislike or disapprove as unworthy of him or unacceptable to him, provided that they do every thing else that is necessary to become faithful members of the state. SECT. VII. Of particular Religions supposed to be revealed.

I. Supposing that some public worship mnst be authoritatively required or maintained in a state, for the welfare of the state itself, let us enquire further then how it is possible to be done without infringing natural liberty. Besides the general principles of natural religion which seem reasonable and proper to be made known to all the people, as has been before declared, there may be several particular sects in the nation, both among the governors and governed, who have other special articles of faith and other peculiar rules of practice or worship, ceremony or sacrifice, over and above these natural and moral doctrines or duties. And these peculiarities of religion are believed to come to them by a revelation from the God they worship, or from men who were taught of God, which is much the same.

II. Now if public worship must be maintained, every man would chuse to do it in his own way: And every man, both governor and governed, ought to have full liberty to worship his God in that special way and manner which his own conscience believes to be of divine appointment, or which he thinks to be most necessary, in order to secure the special favour of his God and his own future happiness. This is a personal obligation which natural conscience, or the light of reason, which is the candle of the Lord within us, lays on every individual person among mankind; supposing always that this peculiar religion does not break in upon the just rights or the peace of our neighbours. And indeed if it does unjustly invade their peace or their natural or civil rights, this seems to be sufficient evidence that it does not come from God, who is the original author and supreme guardian of the natural rights of his creatures: Nor will any wise and righteous government indulge such mischievous pretences of conscience or divine revelation, though in any other case, I see not that any governors have a right to forbid it.

III. The great God who gave us all reason and conscience, never appointed the conscience, nor the reason, nor the will of one man absolutely to appoint the religious duties of another; except always in case of infancy, where conscience or reason is not grown up to its proper exercise, and parents are entrusted with the education and the religion of their children till they can learn for themselves the knowledge of God and their duty to him. The phantom or chimera of an universal conscience given by God himself to all supreme ruling powers for the authoritative guidance and sway of the ruled in every nation in religious

affairs, is so poor and sorry a preface, and is big with such absurdities, that it is now banished out of the books and opinions of every nation where liberty is known; nor should it ever be recalled or revived lest God, as the author of all civil government should be made the author and commander of all that idolatry and superstition, which the governors of this world may command.

IV. Where persons therefore profess the obligations of conscience to any revealed religion, and claim the right of worship which arises thence, it must always be granted; but still with this proviso, as was said before, that none of these pretences to divine revelation, none of these peculiar forms or practices, to which men profess to be bound by their consciences, be inconsistent with the peace of the state, the welfare of their neighbours, and the support of the civil government: For it is not to be supposed that the great God would ever reveal and appoint any thing to be believed or practised as a matter of religion, by creatures who must dwell under some civil government, which should be inconsistent with civil government itself or the common and social welfare of mankind. For this very reason it is that no religion hath a right to be tolerated which professes and maintains the persecutions of other religions, or which binds down persons under penalties to act in the things of God contrary to their consciences because this is injurious to mankind in general, and invades the just and natural liberties of men, and thereby breaks in upon the peace of the state. And for the same reason no person, whatsoever religion he professes, can claim toleration for himself in the practice of it, who asserts and maintains a right to persecute other religions besides his own: Such a person is a common nuisance to a state, for his principles are inconsistent with the peace of civil society: And besides, what reason can he have to claim that toleration for himself which he refuses to others?

V. Where particular persons of the same religion shall unite in societies for religious purposes, with this proviso of the safety of the state, there the state has not only no right nor authority to forbid them, but the rulers of the state are obliged to guard and protect them from insults and injuries in the employment of all their natural liberties and these invaluable rights of conscience; and they are obliged by their office to maintain these rights of their people, in opposition to all the public scandal and outrage with which persons of different religions might be tempted to treat each other: For all magistrates are guardians of the peace of the state, and of all the natural rights and liberties of mankind, in things relating to God or man. The great rule is happily expressed by our Saviour; Mat. xxii. 21. Render to Casar the things that are Casar's, and to God the things that