OF TOLEllATION. 1 7-5
0." toioZtc! avnia^spcvTzi ■tto/Ckou: dva-micovdiv akXorptovoiJji'iii' %d/i rovrov xa/ 6vvitJ/J!yO(jiai xai suffrdffsic, kraifslai rs yiyvovTUi, ci'Xip i^Kiffra, fjt^ovap^la, ovfL- <pBpsi- — " Worship," saith he, " the divine power thyself according to the constitutions of thy country, everywhere and at all times; and com- pel others so to honour it. But hate and punish those who introduce foreign religions; not only for the god's sake, — whom he who con- temueth will regard nothing else, — but because such, introducing new deities, do persuade many to transgress (or to change affairs);^ Vvhence are conjurations, seditions, private societies, — things no way conducing to monarchy," Hist. Rom., lib. lii. 36.
Hence, doubtless, was that opposition which Paul met withal in divers of the Roman territories. Thus, at Athens (though, as I sup- pose, they enjoyed there their own laws and customs, very suitable, as it should seem, to those of the Romans), preaching Jesus, he was accused to be " a setter forth of strange gods," Acts xvii. For al- though, as Strabo observeth of the Athenians, that publicly, by the authority of the magistrates, 'roXXd ruv tsvixuv tspSjv 'xapsds^avro, " they received many things of foreign worships;" yet that none might at- tempt any such things of themselves is notorious from tlie case of Socrates, who, as Laertius witnesseth, was condemned asous fj^h vo/xl^n '^soug '/i 'TToXig oh voiMiZ.ovT(x, 'inpa, hs xa/va bai,wovia siffriyou/xsvov, — " one who thought not those to be gods whom the city thought so to be, but brought in certain new deities." Hence, I say, was Paul's opposition, and his haling to Mars-liill. Without doubt, also, this was the bottom of that stir and trouble he met withal about Philippi. It is true, private interest lay in the bottom with the chief opposers ; but this legal constitution was that which was plausibly pretended. Acts xvi. 21, " They teach customs which are not lawful for us to receive, neither to observe, being Romans:" oux s^sen 'Fu/Mukig, — "it is not lawful for us Romans" to receive the religion they hold out, because statutes are made amongst us against all religious worship not alloAved by public authority. Let Calvin's short annotation on that place be seen. GalHo's refusing to judge between Jews (as he thought) in a Jewish controversy, is no impeachment of this truth; had it been about any Roman establishment, he would quickly have inter- posed. Now, this law amongst them was doubtless " fundi Christiani calamitas."
This, then, in the first place, was enacted, that no worship should be admitted, no religion exei'cised, but what received establishment and approbation from them who supposed themselves to be intrusted with authority over men in sUch things. And this power of the dragon was given over to the beast and false prophet. The anti- christian power succeeding in the room of the paganish, — the pope and councils, of the emperors and senate, — it was quickly confirmed that
176 OF TOLERATION.
none slioulJ be suffered to live in peace who received not liis mark and name, Rev. xiii. 16, 17. Whereunto, for my part, I cannot but refer very many of those following imperial constitutions, which were made at first against the opposers of the church's orthodoxism, Imt were turned against the witnesses of Jesus in the close.
(2.) This being done, they held out the reasons of this estabhsh- ment. I shall touch only one or two of tlieni, which are still common to them who walk in the same paths with them.
[1.] Now, the first was, That toleration of sundry ways of worship, and several religions, tends to the disturbance of the commonwealth and that civil society which men under the same government do and ought to enjoy. So Cicero tells us, lib. ii., De Leg., " Suosque deos, aut novos, aut alienigenas coli, confusionem habet," &c. ; — it brings in confusion of religion and civil society. The same is clearly held out in that counsel of Mrecenas to Augustus before mentioned. " They," saith he, " who introduce new deities, draw many into inno- vations; whence are conspiracies, seditions, conventicles, no way pro- fitable for the commonwealth."
[2.] The other main reason was. That hereby the gods, whom they owned and worshipped, were dishonoured and provoked to plague them. That this was continually in their mouths and clamours, all the acts at the slajing of the martyrs, the rescripts of emperors, the apologies of the Christians, as Tertullian, Justin Mart}T, Arno- bius, Minutius Felix, do abundantly testify. All trouble was still as- cribed to their impiety. Upon the first breaking out of any judgment, as though the cause of it had been the toleration of Christians, pre- sently the vulgar cry was, " Christianos ad leones." Now, that those causes and reasons have been traduced to all those who have since acted the same things, especially to the emperors' successor at Rome, needs not to be proved. With the power of the dragon, the wisdom also is derived. See that gi'eat champion. Cardinal Bellarmine, fighting with these very weapons. Lib. de Laicis, cap. xxi. And in- deed, however illustrated, improved, adorned, supported, flourished, and sweetened, they are the sum of all that to this day hath been said in the same case.
(3.) Having made a law, and supported it mth such reasons as these, in proceeding to the execution of the penalty of that laAV as to particular persons (which penalty being, as now, arbitrary, was in- flicted unto banishment, imprisonment, mine-digging, torturing in sundry kinds, maiming, death, according to the pleasure of the judges), they alwnys charged upon those persons, not only the denying and opposing their own deities, religion, and worship ; but also, that that which they embraced was foolish, absurd, detestable, pernicious, sinful, Avicked, ruinous to commonwealths, cities, society, families,