4 treatife of' Con fdente, onely by way ofreligion. If make confcience ofa thing, then J make a matter of religion of it : but what religion is there in the commandments of Magiflrates ? Suppofe the Magtflrate comiiiandeth us to get our armour in readincf%, to mend our high-wayes, ro moderate cxp'enfes at nuptials, or the lice ; there are civill things and not rel:,gious, and therefore howcan they bind conicience ? We make confcience only of religion and the Worfliip of. God. Such laws do not bind confcience under the name of re- ligion , but under the name of civil! difeipline. And again, though they do not bind conièienceper f and immediately, yet they do per aliaud and as fiíbjoylned to an higher law. For thoughthe breachof 'itch laws be onely a civil fault in it felf, yet in another reiject it maybe a morall finne, if the powers that are ordained of God be negleAed and difdheyed. And therefore though the confcience do tot regard civil laws as theyare civil ; neither do we make confcience of them as they are civil : yet as they are made by the Minifi er of God, and backedby his authoritie which the Lord bath let on them, fó they do take hold of confcience ; and not toperform them is contrarie to juthee and charitieand the profit andfàfetie of the Common-wealth, and fo a finne. Pies. i . This confuteth the Ana_baptifls , who denie that any obedience is to be given to the lecular power. Ye fee here that the laws of Magiflrates have Gods real upon them ; and there- fore we muff yield obedience unto them : for they bind in con- fcience. Again, this confuteth the Papifls, who teach that their Popes laws and commandments are of fupreme authoritie, and require egí all fubmrflionof fpirit with Gods laws : and allo that the omiffion of them is death and damnation. Our do6- tine and religion goeth between both : For we teach that Gods authoritie is only fupreme, and that he only can make laws under pain of death and damnation ; and that the authoritie of Magiftrates is fecondarie, and fecondarie obedience is to be I i given 159 rfet. ìl
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