. AN ESSAY, 185 their king ; and therefore the civil and the religious concerns of that nation , were more intermingled one with another in the same pages of the bible ; and the religious observation of certain days and times was appointed by God, as theparticular governor of that lanci as well as the universal Lord of conscience; which land was not very large in its whole extent. But these pecu- liarities of goverpment cannot be applied to any other nationor people whatsoever ; nor even to the Jews at present, who are now no united nation, but are abandoned by God their king to be a scattered people throughout the earth. Though nothing can be inferred from the special bows of the Jews about days ap- pointed for public worship under severe penalties, which would justify other magistrates in enacting such laws, yet the nature of the thing, if such lectures of civil and moral laws must be read, will certainly require certain times to be appointed for reading them and attendance upon them. And therefore it will he absolutely necessary that such days, or hours at least, be legally settled by public authority, since the welfare of the state requires it. V. It will be said perhaps, that however these attendances, are required by a law, it is not to be supposed they will be'puuc- tually performed nor this law obeyed, unless there be some penalty annexed to the neglect. I acknowledge it, and there- fore the penalty should in such cases be so wisely framed and limited, that it may not exceed the. damage the public may be supposed to sustain by such a neglect. As for the neglect of attendingthese public lectures, I fear it will hardly be esteemed a sufficient penalty, that persons by this neglect will continue ignorant of the laws moral and civil, and thereby be more ex- posed to incur the several penalties to which the breaking of those laws will subject them., If any other penalties be need- ful, let others propose them. I would be very cautious in appointed penalties, though a law has but small force without them. VI. But it will be objected here, in opposition to any such , penalties, since God only is the Lord of conscience, no govern- ment has any right or authority to impose any thing on the con- sciences of its subjects, which they solemnly declare or swear theybelieve to be unlawful or offensive to God, as shall be more p>.nrticularly shewn afterward : Suppose then any persons should pretend their conscience slots not permit them to attend upon these establishedmoral lectures of the veneration due to a God; and the various civil duties to men on those days or at those seasons that are appointed by the state for these lectures : As for. instance, suppose a christian in a Turkish country be ap- pointed to attend on these public lectures on the Lord's-day or Sunday which he accounts sacred; or suppose aJew should be
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