180 CIVIL POWER IN THINGS SACRED. this matter, let others judge : ButI shall have occasion to men- tion this hereafter. IX. I will not stay here to debate whether it be necessary for this purpose of swearing for The uses of civil government, thatmen should acknowledge one single Almighty Power, that is, the true God in opposition to all false gods : For it is certain that some governments, who worshipped idols or false gods, didbelieve that these invisible powers would punish injustice and fraud among men, and thereby did maintain and secure themselves, and made their nation tolerably peaceful and flou- rishing for years or ages. But this may be assertedwith abun- dant evidence and truth, that the common acknowledgment of the one living and true God, both by princes and people, by the governors and governed, is by far the best and surest band of government and the common peace : But I shall haveoccasion to mention this also afterward. SECT. III-Of Public Teachers of the Laws and Morality. I. As there are many social duties of the law of nature which regard the security of lives and properties of men, for which all government is designed; such as honesty, justice, truth, gratitude, goodness to men, honour and fidelity to supe- riors, &c. so there are many crimes which are destructive to their properties or their lives, or to their whole government and peace ; such as treason in all degrees, cheating, stealing, rob- bing, plundering, adultery, assaults, maiming, murder, and various other sorts of injuries to the bodies of men, to their known rights, powers, and privileges, as well as to their es- tates, their reputation, good name, and comfort: +All which ought to be in the power of civil governments to forbid and restrain by proper laws ; which laws should sometimes have proper rewards appointed for the innocent informers and assis- tants of the magistrates, but always penalties to be inflicted on the criminal. II. There are also some personal dutiés of the law of na- ture, such as sobriety and temperance, frugality and industry ; and there are sins against this law which relate primarily and chiefly to single persons, such as intemperance of every kind, gluttony, drunkenness, profuse and riotous living, universal idleness or neglect of labour among the poor, fornication, self-murder, &c. which though they do not perhaps so sensibly, directly, and immediately injure our neighbours, yet they are very pernicious to any state or government, inasmuch as they dispose men greatly to the commission of injuries against their neighbours, the violation of the rights of mankind, and the peace of society and government. These crimes seem therefore properly to lie under the cognizance and the restraints of the civil government.
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