%V1í1 .Rpofiles. And why, I pray, doth he not as well make the fuppofition of their not being forbidden by any lawful fovereign, as by their own ? lince he will not, neither cloth, deny, that lawful fovereign powers may prohibite firangers within their own dominions, to preach or praetife againft the law, or publick confcience, and chaftife them for contravention and difobedience (ex- cepting always the perfons of ambaffadors and he- raids fent from other civil fovereigns, which ufed to be accounted in a manner facred and inviolable) as well as their own native fubje&ts And if fo, had the apostles been forbidden to preach and baptize, by the fovereign power of every kingdom and common -wealth, whe- ther they came (as they could not readily, nor reafon- ably expel but they would, all the kingdoms and corn- moon- wealths of the world being then Pagan, excepting that of the _Yews) where would they., or could they have preached and baptized ? and what would have be- come of the gofpel, and of a gofpel- church ? Did not Paul and Silas, after the magifirates of the city of Phi- lippi had (it feems with their own hands, debafing them- (elves in their fury below the dignity of their office) rent off their clothes, laid many flripes on them, and caen them into prison, for 'their preaching, and teaching cu- :flow (as was alledged by their accusers) which were not lawful to be received or obferved by them, being Romans ; Did they not,I fay, go in and exhort,or preach to the bre- thren in the houfe of Lydia, and that after they were by the magifirates desired to depart out of the city ? as we may fee,Aöh 16. 5tkly,Thatprivate persons living in king- doms or commonwealths do not fin, and (hall be kept harmless in obeying the laws and commands of their lawful fovereigns, tho' crofs the dictates of their own confcience, and it may be crofs to the positive com- mands of God ; The firff of these new teachers, Mr. Hobbs, tells us (as we íhewed before in the firff abfurdi- tg) in the cafe of denying Chrift before men, molt dread- fully threatned by him with denying them before . bis Fa- ther, That whatever afubjeFf, as Naaman was, is compelled to in obedience to his fovereign, and doth it not in order to is ow'as suited$ but in order to the laws of Pia own coun- try;
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