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to
the
Reader.
ix
ately
judge the
confcience,
nor know
they the
ferret
motions
thereof;
and finally, becaufe
he
can
only
inflid
fpiritual
punifhment
on
the
finning confcience.
All the
laws
and commands
of
men,
in
whatever capacity, are
only
obligatory
of the
confcience
mediately, indire&ly,
and confequentially,
viz. in
fo
far
as
they
are confiftent,
compliant and
agreeable
with
the
laws
and commands
of
the abfolutely fupreme
Lawgiver, or
not repugnant
thereunto
:
For
certainly
he
hath
not given
a
difpenfation
to
any
power
on
earth,
civil
or
ecclefiaftick, to
counter-
mand
his
commands,
or
to
enjoin
obedience
to
commands
contrary
to,
or
inconfiftent
with,
his
own
;
whofe
com-
mands
are immediately
and
inviolably
binding
of
the
confciences
of
fuperiors
and
magifrates, tho' the
greateft Monarchs
on
earth,
as
well
as
of
inferiors
and
fubje&s, all
without exception being
inferiors
and
fubje
&s
to
him
:
Yet
fuch
laws
of
men
as
do
either
preis
or
declare the
commands
and
law
of
God,
and
make
for the confervation and obfervation thereof,
ob-
lige
in
confcience
;
becaufe
fuch laws,
as
they
are
fuch,
participate
of
the
nature
and
force
of
the divine
law
;
and
becaufe
the
law
of
God
doth
direly
and
immedi-
ately command
fubje
&ion
to
the
fuperior
powers
:
Therefore,
even in
reference
to
their
unjuft
Iaws,
and
fuch
as
are
repugnant to, or
incrnfiffent
with, the divine
laws, fubje
&s
are obliged in confcience
not
to
refufe
obedience to them out
of
any
contempt
of
lawful
autho-
rity (let
be to difclaim and
renounce
the
fame,
as
fome
poor feduced and
deluded
perfons
do in thefe
days,
either
out
of
ignorance,
or humour, or mifguided zeal,
to the great
reproach
of
religion)
nor
to
admit
of
any
thing that
may
have in
it the
leaft
appearance
of
offence,
and
fcandal
that
way
;
becaufe
the
contempt
of
lawful
authority,
and the fcandal
of
others, are
in
themfelves
fins
againft
the
law
of
God
:
Yet
Rill,
as
no
mere human
laws
do
dire&ly, immediately
and
of
themfelves (as
I
faid) bind the
confcience
;
fo
neither hath
God
given
a
power
to
any
of
the
fuperior
powers
on
earth
to
enjoin
obedience
to commands
that
are
crois
to his
own
in-:
jun&ïons, which
all
are
obliged
indifpenfibly
to
obey.
And therefore
it
is
not
only
firange,
but
even
flupen,
dinnc