AN ESSAY. 1$3 are God's. The peace of the state, and its civil welfare belongs toCasar, and he is to be honoured and supported by proper tri- bute for this purpose ; but conscience belongs only to God, and no Caesar onearth bath any right to invade it. VI. Nor has any civil ruler whatsoever anyright to enquire or command the people to profess and practise that peculiar reli- gion which he himself professes, under any penalties, because the peculiarities of this or of any other sect of religion are not necessary for the good of the state. A man may be in all re- spects as useful and valuable a member and supporter of the state, though he profess and practise such a peculiar religion as is very different from what the rulers profess or practise, and in some respects, perhaps contrary to it. VII. Whatsoever sects or societies of men agree together in any of these supposed revealed religions, or any religious sere- monies, forms or practices, which their consciences think neces- sary, they must agree also upon particular times and places for their peculiar exercises of public worship ; and they must sup- port and maintain the expences of them out of their own perso- nal property, or at their own charge. VIII. But that the state may take no umbrageor suspicion, at the religious assemblies of persons who differ from the reli- gion of the rulers, as though they were designed for seditious purposes ; and that every person may secure his full freedom to exercise his own peculiar religion according to his'conscience , without disturbance, it may be proper, if not necessary, that wheresoever ten or twelve or twenty persons, more or less, shall . agree upon such a special or peculiar religion, and fix a place for their worship, they shall give notice of it to some public magis- trate or public court, and let their religion and their place be be registered under some particular name which they shall chuse for themselves. Mr. Locke is so much of this mind in two or three articles of his laws drawn up for Carolina*, that he hardly thinks any person fit for the protection of the state and all the civil privileges thereof, if hisnaine be not registered at seven- teen years of age in some one or other worshipping society ; I beg leave indeed to query, whether seventeen years are an age of sufficient discretion for every young person to determine that point. Perhaps the age of one and twenty may be early enough. IX. As places must be agreed upon for social worship, so also musttherti'me. Now suppose the time which some parti- cular sects agree upon for their exercises of religion are believed by them to be made sacred for worshipping by divine appoint- ment, such as Friday of the Turks, Saturday of the Jews, and Sunday of the christians; and suppose these very days or part * These few artigies ass the only Stings I consulted while I was drawing up this essay. Vol.. Ir. N
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