Chap.3T.t9.n expansion 'soon eke 'Book of Jo B. Vert. 28. 583_ of covetoufnefie. And if it were infallibly knowne that a man were covetous, } et thecivili MIgiftrate cannot punifh any man for it; feing c vetoufnes wrongs no man but the covetous per. fon hirnfelfe, till it breakes forth into unrighteous'and opprefli_ve ads. Now becaufe 7.E conneds Idolatry with a fin that cannot fall under the fentence ofan earthly Judge, therefore fo me con- dude that Idolatry cloth not. Bit there is no neccffitie at all thofe coupling or conned- ingwords this all; (hould referre to the words immediately fore- going, andnot to the words of that other context beginning at the r 11h verfe ofthis Chapter, wherein fob had fpoken of a fin by name,which is to be punifhed by the Judge.As ifhe had íayd, what I fpake of Adultery (v. t I.) that it is a fin to be punifhed by the Judge, the fame I sfirme alto of Idolatry It is an iniqui- tie to be punifhed by the Judge. And if weeperufe all the for- mer part of the Chapter, yea and the latter too , wee (hall find all the fins that 7ebdifclaimeth and purgeth himfelí from to be fùch as fall under the punifhment ofGod only, except there two ofadultery (v. r I:) and ofIdolatry (v. 28. ) as allo that men- tioned (' v. 39. ) which, I fuppofe, will appeareupon examina-. Lion, to be a finofthis fort alío , the forceable or violent taking away the life ofa man. For there reafons andconfiderations, I cannot incline to their opinion, who ref mine the Text, toGod aloneas Judge ; though no doubt God will moft eminently judge this iniquitie ofIdola- try ; and therefore I ¡hall joyne with thole in the expofition of this Scripture, who put Idolatry under the Judgement ofman, as well as the Judgement of God'; and fo the poynt is plainely this ; It h the 11,fagiffrates dutie to punifh Idolatry. It is an iniquity to be puni(hed by the Judge. As the great Judge in heaven will certainly doe it, fo earthly Judges may and' ought to doe it.There arenot a few (I know) who urge it as the Magiftrates duty to punifh almoft upon every diffent in religion, and to drive men by his fword to an orthodoxneffe in opinion ; or that the Magiftrate muff draw his (word upon everyone who doth not comply with that which is publickly owned for truth They would have all men who diffent from what is fo held forth. taught:
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