22O APPENDIX. hers as it pleases, inihings wherein the good or hurt of the statehave nö concern. XVII. Here I know it will be objected, that this is setting up " a do- minion within a dominion," or " imperium in imperio," which politicians have usually thoughtdangerous. But I think it may be sufficiently replied in answer to this difficulty, Reply, That if every such society keep itself within its own bounds, and meddle with nothing relating to the state ; and if the civil magistrate has the supreme power and dominion even over all thesesocieties, so far as to se- cure what relates to thecivil welfare, the peace of mankind, and the safety of government, there can be no inconvenience or danger in giving a full and complete toleration, protection and liberty to any such societies. What de- triment canany civil gòvernment be exposed to by a master ruling bis own family, by his own private laws, or by a tutor or president of a college, who governs his own academy and students by appointed rules of his own, still supposing they meddle not with state-affairs, nor obstruct the public peace or government, but conform, to the laws of the state. XIX. And if the forms of government in the city of Corinth, should change from aristocracy tomonarchy or democracy, or if it mould itself into any other form, still these societies of christians and philosophers, deists, antiquaries, or painters might be safe in the enjoyment of their proper liberties, and the state suffer not the least inconvenience by them. XX. Perhaps it will be enquired here, if the bulk of the people of a nation together with their rulers embrace the christian faith, may they not be esteemed as a christian state, and may not the whole nation, be considered both as members of the civil state and of the christian church, and be governed by christian rulers, as officers both of the churchand state, andbe ruled promiscuously by their laws and sanctionsofrewards and penal- ties both in things sacred and civil? And may it not be maintained as a mixed government or establishment of church and state without any great distinction between them. I answer, XXI. Answer I. First, when things of no very different a nature are mixed and blended together, it is most likely it will bring a medley of confusions into both : When we unite and mingle ideas so distinct as ci- vil government and religion, as the laws and rights of God and of Caesar, as persons and ordinances temporal and spiritual as powers sacred and human, as the concerns of the soul and the body, as the things of this world and the things of the world to come, it will be exceeding hard to reason and judge aright concerning the conduct proper to both, or to either of them, and it will be almost impossible to determine and maintain their just limits and boundaries: It will introduce such a perplexity of things, as will scarce allow sufficient grounds to judge, when or how far, one in- croacbes on the other, and to correct any mistakes, irregularities or unhappy consequences, which may be derived and grow from this unnatural mixture. In the secondplace therefore, XXII. Answer II. Since we cannot so well reason and determine upon things when in such a confusion, let us reflect what bath been the real effectwhere such sort of mixtures have been practised. Thus it has been of old, when Roman Emperors lent the bishops their secular power, and the bishops gave them aright to call synods, to preside in them, to determine affairs in thechurch. Thus it has been done in many of the popish states and kingdoms, where bishops have been the chief rulers in the state: But if we enquire of our ancestors in this nation when it was all subject to popery, or if we survey the popish nations of Europe, and observe their mixture of civil and sacred powers, what can we find derived from it but frequent usurpation of civil
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