90 the H 'STORY of the PURITANS. Chap. IV Et amen th, ritual, and fo are her weapons and cenfures. The weapons of the church 1558 are fcripture and ream, accompanied with prayers and tears. Thefe are v her pillars and the walls of her defence. The cenfures of the church are admonitions, reproofs, or declarations of perfons unfitnefs for her com. munion, commonly called excommunications, which are of a fpiritual na- ture, and ought not to aftèt men's lives, liberties, or eflates. No man ought to be cut off, from the rights and privileges of a fubjeEt, meerly btcaufe he is difqualified for chriflian communion. Nor has any church upon .earth authority from Chrift, to infli& corporal punifhments upon thofe, whom fhe may juftly expel her fociety : Thefe are the weapons of civil magiftrates, who may punifh the breakers of the laws of their countries, with corporal pains and penalties, as guardians of the civil rights of their fubjeEts ; but Chrifi's kingdom is not of this world. if thefe principles had obtained at the reformation, there would have been no room for the difturbance of any, whofe religious principles were not inconfiftent with the fafety of the government. Truth and charity would have prevailed ; the civil powers would have proteaed the church in her fpiritual rights; and the church, by inftrutling the people in their duty to their fuperiours, would have fupported the ftate. But the re- formers, as well puritans as others, had different notions. Theywere, for one-religion, one uniformmode of worfhip, one form of difcipline or - church government, for the whole nation, with which all mull comply outwardly, whatever were their inward fentiments; it was therefore re- folved to have an aft of parliament to eftablith an UNIFORMITY of public worfhip, without any indulgence to tender confciences: Neither party having the wifdom or courage to oppofe filch a law, but both endea- vouring to be included in it. Difpute be- To make way for this, the papifls who were in poffeffion of the church- !weal Pa- were firft to be va uifh'd the queen therefore appointed a publick Pr q PP P tints. difputation in We/lminlier Abbey, before her privycouncil and both houles 1559. of parliament, March Sift, between nine of the bithops, and the like number of proteflant divines, upon thefe three points. r. " Whether it was not againft fcripture and the cuftom of the an- te cient church, to ufe a tongue unknown to the people in the common " prayers and facraments? 2. " Whether every church had not authority to appoint, change, " and take away ceremonies, and ecclefiaftical rites, fo the fame were " done to edifying? 3. " Whether it could be proved by the word of God, that in " the orals there was a propitiatory facrifice for the dead and the living?" The difputation was to be in writing; but the papifis finding the po- pulace agaioft them, broke it off after the firft day, under pretence that the
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