the order of fociety, and the true principle of all good order which ought to be preserved in it. Religion and policy have one common foundation, which is the appointment of God; and they ought not only to agree amongst themselves, but mutually fupport one another, after fuch a manner that private persons may exactly and faithfully obey both the one and the other; and that those who are minifters of these two powers may exercise them with fuch a fpirit, and by fuch rules, as to reconcile them; for it is certain, that true religion and good policy do always perfectly agree.

Because religion defigns only to form good difpofitions in the inward man, God has given to thofe powers, that are minifters of it, a fpiritual authority; whose only end is to govern the mind and heart, and to plant in them the love of justice, without using any temporal force to the outward man. But the office of the tem

poral

poral powers of policy, whofe aim is only to regulate the external order of society, is exercised with fuch a force as is neceffary to reftrain those who are not lovers of justice, but commit fuch irregularities as disturb order.

The fpiritual powers inftruct, exhort, and discharge other duties peculiar to their office; and the temporal powers command and forbid the external actions of men, maintain every one in his rights, difpoffefs ufurpers, chastise the guilty, and punish crimes, by inflicting fuch pains and penalties as are fuited to preferve the public peace. The fpiritual powers of religion, whose design is that wicked men should live and become good, have no other ways of punishing men, but by impofing fuch penalties as are proper to reduce them to a sense of their tranfgreffions. The temporal powers, which are to provide for the public peace, enact fuch penalties as are proper

to

to maintain it, and punish even with death those disturbers of public order who deferve it. But these differences between the defign of religion and policy, and between the offices of the fpiritual and temporal powers, are no ways contrary to their agreement; for though they are thus diftinguished in the exercise of their office, they agree in their common end of maintaining order, and mutually affift one another for that purpose. It is a law of religion, and a duty of those who are its minifters, to exhort and command every one to obey the temporal powers; not only for fear of their authority and the penalties they impose, but from a sense of their indispensable duty, for confcience fake, and the love of order. And it is a law of temporal policy, and the duty of those who are intrusted with the administration of it, to maintain the exercise of religion, and to employ the temporal authority, and even force itself, against thofe who disturb it.

Thus

Thus these two powers agree and mutually support each other.

Upon account of the difference between the defign of religion and that of policy, God has parted the administration of them; that so the spirit of religion, which should win the hearts of men by the love of justice and the contempt of temporal goods, might be infpired into them by other ministers than the temporal powers, who are armed with the terror of penalties and punishments to maintain external order, and whofe administration chiefly respects the use of temporal goods. The exercise of the spiritual power is confined to what concerns fpiritual matters, and ought not to thrust itself into temporal affairs; and as the adminiftration of the temporal power is converfant about temporal matters, it is not to meddle in fpiritual affairs. And as the two offices are immediately appointed by God, those who exercise one of thofe

those two powers are fubject to them who administer the other, in such things as depend upon it.

AGAIN, all the different ideas which can be conceived of the several forts of laws, which are expreffed by the names of laws divine and human, natural and positive, of religion and policy; of the laws of nations and the civil law; and by all the other names which can be given them, may be reduced to two kinds, which comprehend all laws of whatever nature, viz. Laws immutable and mutable.

The immutable laws, or natural laws, are fuch as, by neceffary confequence, are deduced from the two primary laws, and are so essential to the obligations which compose the order of a fociety, that they cannot be changed without undermining the foundations of that order.

The