1 ing delivered to Satan. How falfe this is, appears from the Exceptions before mentioned; the Duty of fhunning Excommunicates not extending to natural, domestick, or civil Relations, or to discharge any Child, or Servant, or Subject, or Soldier from his Duty to his Domestick, Civil, or Military Superior, and therefore as this Difcipline doth not affect a Magistrate of any fort in his Domestick, fo neither in his Civil, or Military Capacity; but as all his Children must obey, and all his Servants attend him within Doors, fo must all his Subjects obey him, all his Officers attend him, and all his Soldiers march and fight in Obedience to his Orders without. He muft ftill have his Lictors, and ftill ride in his Curule Chair, and to be short, is the fame Magistrate after, as he was before Excommunication, and must have the fame Duty paid him by his Inferiors in their feveral Relations, and Posts. In a word, his full Charge against this Discipline is falfe, for it deprives no Man of all Converse, as he faith, nor is any Man left by it alone, and folitary in the midst of Mankind. a b Then he goes on to reflect on the Cenfures of the Church for trifling Causes, for which the Penalty of Excommunication is commonly inflicted. Here is his doughty fallacious way of arguing again against the use of Power from the abufe of it, which, if it were true, would argue down all Domeftick, Civil, and Military Power in the World. But, I believe, if thofe, he calls trifling Canfes were, examined, they -would be found to be the weighty Caufes of Con"tempt, and Contumacy, when refractory Perfons "will not own the Judgment, and Authority of the Ecclefiaftical Courts, or fubmit to them, tho' but in fo fmall a matter, as a Groat, or Shilling. C • Preface p. xlv. P. 44. •P.44. In the next place, he faith, * That if Excommunication belongs by Divine Right to the Clergy, then the Magiftrate hath not all Power neceffary for the Protection of bis Subjects, because by the Terror of this dreadful Punishment; they drive the most ufeful Citizens, and their Trades into Foreign Parts, to the Ruine of the Common-Wealth. To which I answer, as formerly, Whether it belongs to them, or no, is a Question of Fact, and if it doth, as indeed it doth belong to them, then the Terror of the Punishment is no Argument against it. For all Punishments of all forts are more or lefs terrible, and the Argument is as good against the Civil, as the Ecclefia-. stical Power. What a powerful Declaration could he make against Aqua, & igni interdicere? and how finely could he Harangue it against the dreadful Power of A&t of Attainder, or against the Powers that Kings, and Sovereign Eftates have of forbidding their Subjects, under the pain of Death, to harbour, or receive Traytors, and Rebels, by which he may fay, they drive the Noble Peers, the worthiest Gentlemen, the beft Patriots, and the most useful Citizens, and their Trades into Foreign Parts, to the Ruine of the Commonwealth? But Secondly, if by the Terror of Excommunication he means the Terror of it, as a pure Spiritual Punishment, that can drive none into Foreign Parts, becaufe an Excommunicate at Home is as much an Excommuicate Abroad all the Christian World over, being bound by the Sentence, wherever he goes; tho' he fhould take the Wings of the Morning, and fly into the uttermost parts of the Sea, even there his Excommunication will hold him, as well as at Home, and he fhall be bound both in Heaven, and · Earth. But if by the terrible Nature of it, he means, as I fuppofe he doth, the Civil Punishments, that attend it by the Laws of Chriftian Countries, then it is not the Clergy, but the Magiftrates themfelves, who are Judges of the publick Good, that drive out the most useful Citizens, and their Trades into Foreign Parts, to the Ruine of the Commonwealth. Then he faith, If the Clergy met in Council may determine for the Chriftian World, when they shall eat, and when not; that is, appoint times of Fafting, and Abftinence, and can forbid the use of Flesh, and Excommunicate all, who disobey them, why may they not affume the fame power about Drinks, and Cloaths, of rifing, or going to Bed, or Working, or not Working, which is included in appointing Holy Days. Here is ftill the fame Fallacy again of arguing against Lawful Power, from the abufe of it in those that have it, and his Argument is as good in the fame inftances against the Temporal, as the Spiritual Power. Thus the Diffenters argue against the Power of the Church, in impofing Ceremonies, because if the Church have power of Impofing, as they call enjoining Ceremonies, it may as well impofe Ten thousand, as One, or Two; but Power is always lodged fomewhere, and if thofe, in whom it is vested, will abuse it by infolent Impofitions, they must be answerable for it to their Superiors on Earth; or, if they be Supream, to the great God in Heaven. Nay, this way of arguing will divest a Father of a Family of all his Au thority, who may make himself very uneafie to his. Domesticks, by his Impofitions in the fame Instances. But the Question, as I must still observe, is a Question of Fact, whether the Governors of the Church have a Power to appoint times of Abftinence, and Fafting, and of appointing Holy Days, and in fome cafes of giving Orders about Cloaths, or not. And when our Author will de * P 47: fire me, I think I fhall be able to prove that she hath fuch power, particularly as to Cloaths, which our Author thinks the greatest of Abfurdities : *The Apostle commanded the Corinthian Women to be vailed, o. covered in Divine Service; and if for the fame reason, the Convocation fhould ordain it now, after his Example, and their excellent Practice, I think they would do well. I once faw the greatest Queen of Europe, quit all the State, in which fhe came to Church, at the Church-door, and there pull her Hoods over her Face, which the put up again when the came out; and if our Clergy in Convocation fhould forbid Men, and Women not to go to Church in the fame Dresses, as they go to Balls, and Plays, all ferious Chriftians, I believe, would obey their Orders with joy; and our Churches would then look more like the Houses, and our Divine Service more like the Worship of God, and our Congregations would then appear fo Venerable in the Eyes of our Adverfaries, that they instead of reproaching them with too much caufe, would be forced to report that God was in them, and among them of a truth. But without any Proof he still begs the Question about the Power of the Clergy, faying of it in thefe, as well as other Inftances, that They affume it. They, faith he, who can affume fuch a Power to themselves, what will they not, unless fufficiently curbed, pretend to. And he, may a mutinous Son of a Family fay in like manner to his Father, who can affume fuch a Power to himself, what will he not do, unless he is curbed? If I fhould take up one Pin when he bids me, he may bid me take up Pins all the day long. If he forbids us the ufe of Flesh one day, he may forbid it all the Year, and turn us out of Doors for difobeying him, and then why may he not affume * Cor. xi. 15. the * the fame power about Drink, and Cloaths; thefe are intolerable Impofitions on the Liberties of Mankind. In another place he faith, That the Arguments for which the Clergy ufe their Spiritual Jurifdiction will give them the Cognifance of all Causes, and a right to Excommunicate for one Sin, as well as another, and confequently of invading of Property, and Rebellion, which would make them judges to whom Right, and Allegiance belonged, and subject all publick, and private Caufes to their determination. To which I answer, This is as falfe, as it is invidious: For the Church hath always difclaimed, and renounced to hear, or try Caufes of Civil Right, and Property between Subjects, or rival Princes, as not being of her Cognifance, after the Example of her Lord, and Saviour, who when one of his Difciples faid unto him, Ma fter, Speak to my Brother, that he may divide the Inheritance with me; anfwered, Who made me a judge, or divider over you? The Church, our Saviour's Kingdom, though it is in the World, yet it is not of the World, and her Governors as fuch, have nothing to do with worldly Tryals; nor as fuch can they judge of Right, and Wrong in publick, or private Causes, except in Cafes of Notoriety of Fact, which need neither Tryal, Witneffes, or Proof, and of which every Man is judge, as well as they. In thefe Cafes they may exercife their Jurif diction, and Excommunicate open Rebels, and Raptors for their Sin, till the one lay down their Arms, and the other make Reftitution: And if a Bishop fhould fo Cenfure a Man, who at Noon-day in the fight of a Thousand People fhould do to this Man, as the Sabaans, and Chaldeans did to Job, or it may be worse, plunder his Houfe, and carry his Wife, and Children (if he have any) away Captive, I believe he would think that Bifhop did not only what he had power, but what he ought to do, and * P. 47. + P. 43 would |