hobbes other

8/2/2019 Hobbes Other

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/hobbes-other 1/32

Hobbes – Leviathan – page 1

Thomas HobbesThe Leviathan

(Excerpts)

Chapter 31

The Scope Of The Following Chapters: That the condition of mere Nature, that isto say, of absolute Liberty, such as is theirs, that neither are Sovereigns, nor Subjects, is Anarchy, and the condition of War; That the Precepts, by which menare guided to avoid that condition, are the Laws of Nature; That a Commonwealth,without Sovereign Power, is but a word, without substance, and cannot stand; ThatSubjects owe to Sovereigns, simple Obedience, in all things, wherein their obedience is not repugnant to the Laws of God, I have sufficiently proved, in thatwhich I have already written. There wants only, for the entire knowledge of civil

duty, to know what are those Laws of God. For without that, a man knows not,when he is commanded any thing by the Civil Power, whether it be contrary to theLaw of God, or not: and so, either by too much civil obedience, offends the DivineMajesty, or through fear of offending God, transgresses the commandments of theCommon-wealth. To avoid both these Rocks, it is necessary to know what are theLaws Divine. And seeing the knowledge of all laws, depends on the knowledge of the Sovereign Power; I shall say something in that which follows, of the Kingdomof God.

Who Are Subjects In The Kingdom Of God: Whether men will or not, they must besubject always to the Divine Power. By denying the Existence, or Providence of God, men may shake off their Ease, but not their Yoke. But to call this Power of God, which extends itself not only to Man, but also to Beasts, and Plants, andBodies inanimate, by the name of Kingdom, is but a metaphorical use of the word.For he only is properly said to Reign, that governs his Subjects, by his Word, and

by promise of Rewards to those that obey it, and by threatening them withPunishment that obey it not. Subjects therefore in the Kingdom of God, are notBodies Inanimate, nor creatures Irrational; because they understand no Precepts ashis: Nor Atheists; nor they that believe not that God has any care of the actions of

mankind; because they acknowledge no Word for his, nor have hope of hisrewards, or fear of his threatenings. They therefore that believe there is a God thatgoverns the world, and hath given Precepts, and propounded Rewards, andPunishments to Mankind, are Gods Subjects; all the rest, are to be understood asEnemies.




A Threefold Word Of God, Reason, Revelation, Prophecy: To rule by Words,requires that such Words be manifestly made known; for else they are no Laws:For to the nature of Laws belongs a sufficient, and clear Promulgation, such asmay take away the excuse of Ignorance; which in the Laws of men is but of oneonly kind, and that is, Proclamation, or Promulgation by the voice of man. But Goddeclares his Laws three ways; by the Dictates of Natural Reason, By Revelation,and by the Voice of some Man, to whom by the operation of Miracles, he procurescredit with the rest. From hence there arises a triple Word of God, Rational,Sensible, and Prophetic: to which corresponds a triple Hearing; Right Reason,Sense Supernatural, and Faith. As for Sense Supernatural, which consists inRevelation, or Inspiration, there have not been any Universal Laws so given,

because God speaks not in that manner, but to particular persons, and to diversmen divers things.

A Twofold Kingdom Of God, Natural And Prophetic: From the difference betweenthe other two kinds of Gods Word, Rational, and Prophetic, there may be attributedto God, a two-fold Kingdom, Natural, and Prophetic: Natural, wherein he governsas many of Mankind as acknowledge his Providence, by the natural Dictates of Right Reason; And Prophetic, wherein having chosen out one peculiar Nation (theJews) for his Subjects, he governed them, and none but them, not only by naturalReason, but by Positive Laws, which he gave them by the mouths of his holyProphets. Of the Natural Kingdom of God I intend to speak in this Chapter.

The Right Of God’s Sovereignty Is Derived From His Omnipotence: The Right of Nature, whereby God reigns over men, and punishes those that break his Laws, isto be derived, not from his Creating them, as if he required obedience, as of Gratitude for his benefits; but from his Irresistible Power. I have formerly shown,how the Sovereign Right arises from Pact: To show how the same Right may arisefrom Nature, requires no more, but to show in what case it is never taken away.Seeing all men by Nature had Right to All things, they had right every one to reignover all the rest. But because this Right could not be obtained by force, itconcerned the safety of every one, laying by that Right, to set up men (withSovereign Authority) by common consent, to rule and defend them: whereas if

there had been any man of Power Irresistible; there had been no reason, why heshould not by that Power have ruled, and defended both himself, and them,according to his own discretion. To those therefore whose Power is irresistible, thedominion of all men adheres naturally by their excellence of Power; andconsequently it is from that Power, that the Kingdom over men, and the Right of afflicting men at his pleasure, belongs Naturally to God Almighty; not as Creator,and Gracious; but as Omnipotent. And though Punishment be due for Sin only,




because by that word is understood Affliction for Sin; yet the Right of Afflicting, isnot always derived from men’s Sin, but from Gods Power.

Sin Not The Cause Of All Affliction: This question, “Why Evil men often Prosper,and Good men suffer Adversity,” has been much disputed by the Ancient, and isthe same with this of ours, “By what Right God dispenses the Prosperities andAdversities of this life;” and is of that difficulty, as it hath shaken the faith, notonly of the Vulgar, but of Philosophers, and which is more, of the Saints,concerning the Divine Providence. “How Good,” says David, “is the God of Israelto those that are Upright in Heart; and yet my feet were almost gone, my treadingshad well-nigh slipt; for I was grieved at the Wicked, when I saw the Ungodly insuch Prosperity.” And Job, how earnestly does he expostulate with God, for themany Afflictions he suffered, notwithstanding his Righteousness? This question inthe case of Job is decided by God himself, not by arguments derived from Job’s

Sin, but his own Power. For whereas the friends of Job drew their arguments fromhis Affliction to his Sin, and he defended himself by the conscience of hisInnocence, God himself takes up the matter, and having justified the Affliction byarguments drawn from his Power, such as this “Where was thou when I laid thefoundations of the earth,” and the like, both approved Job’s Innocence, andreproved the Erroneous doctrine of his friends. Conformable to this doctrine is thesentence of our Savior, concerning the man that was born Blind, in these words,“Neither hath this man sinned, nor his fathers; but that the works of God might bemade manifest in him.” And though it be said “That Death entered into the world

by sin, (by which is meant that if Adam had never sinned, he had never dyed, thatis, never suffered any separation of his soul from his body,) it follows not thence,that God could not justly have Afflicted him, though he had not sinned, as well ashe afflicts other living creatures, that cannot sin.

Divine Laws: Having spoken of the Right of Gods Sovereignty, as grounded onlyon Nature; we are to consider next, what are the Divine Laws, or Dictates of

Natural Reason; which Laws concern either the natural Duties of one man toanother, or the Honor naturally due to our Divine Sovereign. The first are the sameLaws of Nature, of which I have spoken already in the fourteenth and fifteenth

Chapters of this Treatise; namely, Equity, Justice, Mercy, Humility, and the rest of the Moral Virtues. It remains therefore that we consider, what Precepts are dictatedto men, by their Natural Reason only, without other word of God, touching theHonor and Worship of the Divine Majesty.

Honor And Worship What: Honor consists in the inward thought, and opinion of the Power, and Goodness of another: and therefore to Honor God, is to think as




Highly of his Power and Goodness, as is possible. And of that opinion, the externalsigns appearing in the Words, and Actions of men, are called Worship; which isone part of that which the Latin understands by the word Cultus : For Cultus signifies properly, and constantly, that labor which a man bestows on any thing,with a purpose to make benefit by it. Now those things whereof we make benefit,are either subject to us, and the profit they yield, follows the labor we bestow uponthem, as a natural effect; or they are not subject to us, but answer our labor,according to their own Wills. In the first sense the labor bestowed on the Earth, iscalled Culture; and the education of Children a Culture of their minds. In thesecond sense, where men’s wills are to be wrought to our purpose, not by Force,

but by Compleasance, it signifies as much as Courting, that is, a winning of favor by good offices; as by praises, by acknowledging their Power, and by whatsoever is pleasing to them from whom we look for any benefit. And this is properlyWorship: in which sense Publicola , is understood for a Worshipper of the People,

and Cultus Dei, for the Worship of God.

Several Signs Of Honor: From internal Honor, consisting in the opinion of Power and Goodness, arise three Passions; Love, which hath reference to Goodness; andHope, and Fear, that relate to Power: And three parts of external worship; Praise,Magnifying, and Blessing: The subject of Praise, being Goodness; the subject of Magnifying, and Blessing, being Power, and the effect thereof Felicity. Praise, andMagnifying are significant both by Words, and Actions: By Words, when we say aman is Good, or Great: By Actions, when we thank him for his Bounty, and obeyhis Power. The opinion of the Happiness of another, can only be expressed bywords.

Worship Natural And Arbitrary: There be some signs of Honor, (both in Attributesand Actions,) that be Naturally so; as amongst Attributes, Good, Just, Liberal, andthe like; and amongst Actions, Prayers, Thanks, and Obedience. Others are so byInstitution, or Custom of men; and in some times and places are Honorable; inothers Dishonorable; in others Indifferent: such as are the Gestures in Salutation,Prayer, and Thanksgiving, in different times and places, differently used. Theformer is Natural; the later Arbitrary Worship.

Worship Commanded And Free: And of Arbitrary Worship, there are twodifferences: For sometimes it is a Commanded, sometimes Voluntary Worship:Commanded, when it is such as he requires, who is Worshipped: Free, when it issuch as the Worshipper thinks fit. When it is Commanded, not the words, or gestures, but the obedience is the Worship. But when Free, the Worship consists inthe opinion of the beholders: for if to them the words, or actions by which we




intend honor, seem ridiculous, and tending to contumely; they are not Worship; because a sign is not a sign to him that gives it, but to him to whom it is made; thatis, to the spectator.

Worship Public And Private: Again, there is a Public, and a Private Worship.Public, is the Worship that a Commonwealth performs, as one Person. Private, isthat which a Private person exhibits. Public, in respect of the wholeCommonwealth, is Free; but in respect of Particular men it is not so. Private, is insecret Free; but in the sight of the multitude, it is never without some Restraint,either from the Laws, or from the Opinion of men; which is contrary to the natureof Liberty.

The End Of Worship: The End of Worship among men is Power. For where a mansees another worshipped he supposes him powerful, and is the readier to obey him;

which makes his Power greater. But God has no Ends: the worship we do him, proceeds from our duty, and is directed according to our capacity, by those rules of Honor, that Reason dictates to be done by the weak to the more potent men, inhope of benefit, for fear of damage, or in thankfulness for good already receivedfrom them.

Attributes Of Divine Honor: That we may know what worship of God is taught us by the light of Nature, I will begin with his Attributes. Where, First, it is manifest,we ought to attribute to him Existence: For no man can have the will to honor that,which he thinks not to have any Being.

Secondly, that those Philosophers, who said the World, or the Soul of the Worldwas God, spoke unworthily of him; and denied his Existence: For by God, isunderstood the cause of the World; and to say the World is God, is to say there isno cause of it, that is, no God.

Thirdly, to say the World was not Created, but Eternal, (seeing that which isEternal has no cause,) is to deny there is a God.

Fourthly, that they who attributing (as they think) Ease to God, take from him thecare of Mankind; take from him his Honor: for it takes away men’s love, and fear of him; which is the root of Honor.

Fifthly, in those things that signify Greatness, and Power; to say he is Finite, is notto Honor him: For it is not a sign of the Will to Honor God, to attribute to him less




than we can; and Finite, is less than we can; because to Finite, it is easy to addmore.

Therefore to attribute Figure to him, is not Honor; for all Figure is Finite:

Nor to say we conceive, and imagine, or have an Idea of him, in our mind: for whatsoever we conceive is Finite:

Not to attribute to him Parts, or Totality; which are the Attributes only of thingsFinite:

Nor to say he is this, or that Place: for whatsoever is in Place, is bounded, andFinite:

Nor that he is Moved, or Rests: for both these Attributes ascribe to him Place:

Nor that there be more Gods than one; because it implies them all Finite: for therecannot be more than one Infinite: Nor to ascribe to him (unless Metaphorically,meaning not the Passion, but the Effect) Passions that partake of Grief; asRepentance, Anger, Mercy: or of Want; as Appetite, Hope, Desire; or of anyPassive faculty: For Passion, is Power limited by somewhat else.

And therefore when we ascribe to God a Will, it is not to be understood, as that of Man, for a Rational Appetite; but as the Power, by which he affects every thing.

Likewise when we attribute to him Sight, and other acts of Sense; as alsoKnowledge, and Understanding; which in us is nothing else, but a tumult of themind, raised by external things that press the organic parts of mans body: For thereis no such thing in God; and being things that depend on natural causes, cannot beattributed to him.

He that will attribute to God, nothing but what is warranted by natural Reason,must either use such Negative Attributes, as Infinite, Eternal, Incomprehensible; or

Superlatives, as Most High, Most Great, and the like; or Indefinite, as Good, Just,Holy, Creator; and in such sense, as if he meant not to declare what he is, (for thatwere to circumscribe him within the limits of our Fancy,) but how much weeadmire him, and how ready we would be to obey him; which is a sign of Humility,and of a Will to honor him as much as we can: For there is but one Name to signifyour Conception of his Nature, and that is, “I am”: and but one Name of hisRelation to us, and that is God; in which is contained Father, King, and Lord.




Actions That Are Signs Of Divine Honor: Concerning the actions of DivineWorship, it is a most general Precept of Reason, that they be signs of the Intentionto Honor God; such as are, First, Prayers: For not the Carvers, when they madeImages, were thought to make them Gods; but the People that Prayed to them.

Secondly, Thanksgiving; which differs from Prayer in Divine Worship, nootherwise, than that Prayers precede, and Thanks succeed the benefit; the end bothof the one, and the other, being to acknowledge God, for Author of all benefits, aswell past, as future.

Thirdly, Gifts; that is to say, Sacrifices, and Oblations, (if they be of the best,) aresigns of Honor: for they are Thanksgivings.

Fourthly, Not to swear by any but God, is naturally a sign of Honor: for it is aconfession that God only knows the heart; and that no mans wit, or strength can

protect a man against Gods vengeance on the perjured.

Fifthly, it is a part of Rational Worship, to speak Considerately of God; for itargues a Fear of him, and Fear, is a confession of his Power. Hence follows, Thatthe name of God is not to be used rashly, and to no purpose; for that is as much, asin Vain: And it is to no purpose; unless it be by way of Oath, and by order of theCommon-wealth, to make Judgments certain; or between Commonwealths, toavoid War. And that disputing of Gods nature is contrary to his Honor: For it issupposed, that in this natural Kingdom of God, there is no other way to know anything, but by natural Reason; that is, from the Principles of natural Science; whichare so far from teaching us any thing of Gods nature, as they cannot teach us our own nature, nor the nature of the smallest creature living. And therefore, when menout of the Principles of natural Reason, dispute of the Attributes of God, they butdishonor him: For in the Attributes which we give to God, we are not to consider the signification of Philosophical Truth; but the signification of Pious Intention, todo him the greatest Honor we are able. From the want of which consideration, have

proceeded the volumes of disputation about the Nature of God, that tend not to his

Honor, but to the honor of our own wits, and learning; and are nothing else butinconsiderate, and vain abuses of his Sacred Name.

Sixthly, in Prayers, Thanksgivings, Offerings and Sacrifices, it is a Dictate of natural Reason, that they be every one in his kind the best, and most significant of Honor. As for example, that Prayers, and Thanksgiving, be made in Words andPhrases, not sudden, nor light, nor Plebeian; but beautiful and well composed; For




else we do not God as much honor as we can. And therefore the Heathens didabsurdly, to worship Images for Gods: But their doing it in Verse, and withMusick, both of Voyce, and Instruments, was reasonable. Also that the Beasts theyoffered in sacrifice, and the Gifts they offered, and their actions in Worshipping,were full of submission, and commemorative of benefits received, was accordingto reason, as proceeding from an intention to honor him.

Seventhly, Reason directs not only to worship God in Secret; but also, andespecially, in Public, and in the sight of men: For without that, (that which in honor is most acceptable) the procuring others to honor him, is lost.

Lastly, Obedience to his Laws (that is, in this case to the Laws of Nature,) is thegreatest worship of all. For as Obedience is more acceptable to God than sacrifice;so also to set light by his Commandments, is the greatest of all contumelies. And

these are the Laws of that Divine Worship, which natural Reason dictates to private men.

Public Worship Consists In Uniformity: But seeing a Commonwealth is but onePerson, it ought also to exhibit to God but one Worship; which then it doth, when itcommands it to be exhibited by Private men, Publicly. And this is Public Worship;the property whereof, is to be Uniform: For those actions that are done differently,

by different men, cannot be said to be a Public Worship. And therefore, wheremany sorts of Worship are allowed, proceeding from the different Religions of Private men, it cannot be said there is any Public Worship, nor that theCommonwealth is of any Religion at all.

All Attributes Depend On The Laws Civil: And because words (and consequentlythe Attributes of God) have their signification by agreement, and constitution of men; those Attributes are to be held significative of Honor, that men intend shall so

be; and whatsoever may be done by the wills of particular men, where there is noLaw but Reason, may be done by the will of the Commonwealth, by Laws Civil.And because a Commonwealth hath no Will, nor makes no Laws, but those that aremade by the Will of him, or them that have the Sovereign Power; it follows, that

those Attributes which the Sovereign ordains, in the Worship of God, for signs of Honor, ought to be taken and used for such, by private men in their publicWorship.

Not All Actions: But because not all Actions are signs by Constitution; but someare Naturally signs of Honor, others of Contumely, these later (which are those thatmen are ashamed to do in the sight of them they reverence) cannot be made by




humane power a part of Divine worship; nor the former (such as are decent,modest, humble Behavior) ever be separated from it. But whereas there be aninfinite number of Actions, and Gestures, of an indifferent nature; such of them asthe Common-wealth shall ordain to be Publicly and Universally in use, as signs of Honor, and part of Gods Worship, are to be taken and used for such by theSubjects. And that which is said in the Scripture, “It is better to obey God thanmen,” hath place in the Kingdom of God by Pact, and not by Nature.

Natural Punishments: Having thus briefly spoken of the Natural Kingdom of God,and his Natural Laws, I will add only to this Chapter a short declaration of his

Natural Punishments. There is no action of man in this life, that is not the beginning of so long a chain of Consequences, as no humane Providence, is highenough, to give a man a prospect to the end. And in this Chain, there are linkedtogether both pleasing and unpleasing events; in such manner, as he that will do

any thing for his pleasure, must engage himself to suffer all the pains annexed to it;and these pains, are the Natural Punishments of those actions, which are the

beginning of more Harm that Good. And hereby it comes to pass, thatIntemperance, is naturally punished with Diseases; Rashness, with Mischance;Injustice, with the Violence of Enemies; Pride, with Ruin; Cowardice, withOppression; Negligent government of Princes, with Rebellion; and Rebellion, withSlaughter. For seeing Punishments are consequent to the breach of Laws; NaturalPunishments must be naturally consequent to the breach of the Laws of Nature;and therefore follow them as their natural, not arbitrary effects.

The Conclusion Of The Second Part: And thus far concerning the Constitution, Nature, and Right of Sovereigns; and concerning the Duty of Subjects, derivedfrom the Principles of Natural Reason. And now, considering how different thisDoctrine is, from the Practice of the greatest part of the world, especially of theseWestern parts, that have received their Moral learning from Rome, and Athens;and how much depth of Moral Philosophy is required, in them that have theAdministration of the Sovereign Power; I am at the point of believing this mylabor, as useless, and the Commonwealth of Plato; For he also is of opinion that itis impossible for the disorders of State, and change of Governments by Civil War,

ever to be taken away, till Sovereigns be Philosophers. But when I consider again,that the Science of Natural Justice, is the only Science necessary for Sovereigns,and their principal Ministers; and that they need not be charged with the SciencesMathematical, (as by Plato they are,) further, than by good Laws to encourage mento the study of them; and that neither Plato, nor any other Philosopher hitherto,hath put into order, and sufficiently, or probably proved all the Theorems of Moraldoctrine, that men may learn thereby, both how to govern, and how to obey; I




recover some hope, that one time or other, this writing of mine, may fall into thehands of a Sovereign, who will consider it himself, (for it is short, and I think clear,) without the help of any interested, or envious Interpreter; and by theexercise of entire Sovereignty, in protecting the Public teaching of it, convert thisTruth of Speculation, into the Utility of Practice.

Chapter 32

The Word Of God Delivered By Prophets Is The Main Principle Of Christian Politics: I have derived the Rights of Sovereign Power, and the duty of Subjectshitherto, from the Principles of Nature only; such as Experience has found true, or Consent (concerning the use of words) has made so; that is to say, from the natureof Men, known to us by Experience, and from Definitions (of such words as areEssential to all Political reasoning) universally agreed on. But in that I am next to

handle, which is the Nature and Rights of a Christian Commonwealth, whereof there depends much upon Supernatural Revelations of the Will of God; the groundof my Discourse must be, not only the Natural Word of God, but also theProphetical.

Nevertheless, we are not to renounce our Senses, and Experience; nor (that whichis the undoubted Word of God) our natural Reason. For they are the talents whichhe hath put into our hands to negotiate, till the coming again of our blessed Savior;and therefore not to be folded up in the Napkin of an Implicate Faith, but employedin the purchase of Justice, Peace, and true Religion, For though there be manythings in Gods Word above Reason; that is to say, which cannot by natural reason

be either demonstrated, or confuted; yet there is nothing contrary to it; but when itseems so, the fault is either in our unskillful Interpretation, or erroneousRatiocination.

Therefore, when any thing therein written is too hard for our examination, wee are bidden to captivate our understanding to the Words; and not to labor in sifting out aPhilosophical truth by Logic, of such mysteries as are not comprehensible, nor fallunder any rule of natural science. For it is with the mysteries of our Religion, as

with wholesome pills for the sick, which swallowed whole, have the virtue to cure; but chewed, are for the most part cast up again without effect.

What It Is To Captivate The Understanding: But by the Captivity of our Understanding, is not meant a Submission of the Intellectual faculty, to theOpinion of any other man; but of the Will to Obedience, where obedience is due.For Sense, Memory, Understanding, Reason, and Opinion are not in our power to




change; but always, and necessarily such, as the things we see, hear, and consider suggest unto us; and therefore are not effects of our Will, but our Will of them. Wethen Captivate our Understanding and Reason, when we forbear contradiction;when we so speak, as (by lawful Authority) we are commanded; and when we liveaccordingly; which in sum, is Trust, and Faith reposed in him that speaks, thoughthe mind be incapable of any Notion at all from the words spoken.

How God Speaks To Men: When God speaks to man, it must be either immediately; or by mediation of another man, to whom he had formerly spoken byhimself immediately. How God speaks to a man immediately, may be understood

by those well enough, to whom he hath so spoken; but how the same should beunderstood by another, is hard, if not impossible to know. For if a man pretend tome, that God hath spoken to him supernaturally, and immediately, and I makedoubt of it, I cannot easily perceive what argument he can produce, to oblige me to

believe it. It is true, that if he be my Sovereign, he may oblige me to obedience, so,as not by act or word to declare I believe him not; but not to think any otherwisethen my reason persuades me. But if one that has not such authority over me shall

pretend the same, there is nothing that exacts either belief, or obedience.

For to say that God hath spoken to him in the Holy Scripture, is not to say Godhath spoken to him immediately, but by mediation of the Prophets, or of theApostles, or of the Church, in such manner as he speaks to all other Christian men.To say he hath spoken to him in a Dream, is no more than to say he dreamed thatGod spoke to him; which is not of force to win beleef from any man, that knowsdreams are for the most part natural, and may proceed from former thoughts; andsuch dreams as that, from self conceit, and foolish arrogance, and false opinion of amans own godliness, or other virtue, by which he thinks he hath merited the favor of extraordinary Revelation. To say he hath seen a Vision, or heard a Voice, is tosay, that he hath dreamed between sleeping and waking: for in such manner a mandoth many times naturally take his dream for a vision, as not having well observedhis own slumbering. To say he speaks by supernatural Inspiration, is to say hefinds an ardent desire to speak, or some strong opinion of himself, for which he canalledge no natural and sufficient reason. So that though God Almighty can speak to

a man, by Dreams, Visions, Voice, and Inspiration; yet he obliges no man to believe he hath so done to him that pretends it; who (being a man), may err, and(which is more) may lie.

By What Marks Prophets Are Known: How then can he, to whom God has never revealed His will immediately (saving by the way of natural reason) know when heis to obey, or not to obey his Word, delivered by him, that says he is a Prophet? (I




Kings 22) Of 400 Prophets, of whom the K. of Israel asked counsel, concerning thewar he made against Ramoth Gilead, only Micaiah was a true one. (I Kings 13)The Prophet that was sent to prophecy against the Altar set up by Jeroboam,though a true Prophet, and that by two miracles done in his presence appears to bea Prophet sent from God, was yet deceived by another old Prophet, that persuadedhim as from the mouth of God, to eat and drink with him. If one Prophet deceiveanother, what certainty is there of knowing the will of God, by other way than thatof Reason? To which I answer out of the Holy Scripture, that there be two marks,

by which together, not asunder, a true Prophet is to be known. One is the doing of miracles; the other is the not teaching any other Religion than that which is alreadyestablished. Asunder (I say) neither of these is sufficient. (Deuteronomy 13) “If aProphet rise amongst you, or a Dreamer of dreams, and shall pretend the doing of amiracle, and the miracle come to pass; if he say, Let us follow strange Gods, whichthou hast not known, you shall not hearken to him, &c. But that Prophet and

Dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he hath spoken to you to Revoltfrom the Lord your God.” In which words two things are to be observed, First, thatGod will not have miracles alone serve for arguments, to approve the Prophetscalling; but (as it is in the third verse) for an experiment of the constancy of our adherence to himself. For the works of the Egyptian Sorcerers, though not so greatas those of Moses, yet were great miracles. Secondly, that how great so ever themiracle be, yet if it tend to stir up revolt against the King, or him that governs bythe Kings authority, he that doth such miracle, is not to be considered otherwisethan as sent to make trial of their allegiance. For these words, “revolt from theLord your God,” are in this place equivalent to “revolt from your King.” For theyhad made God their King by pact at the foot of Mount Sinai; who ruled them byMoses only; for he only spoke with God, and from time to time declared GodsCommandments to the people. In like manner, after our Savior Christ had made hisDisciples acknowledge him for the Messiah (that is to say, for Gods anointed,whom the nation of the Jews daily expected for their King, but refused when hecame), he omitted not to advertise them of the danger of miracles. “There shallarise,” (says he) “false Christs, and false Prophets, and shall doe great wonders andmiracles, even to the seducing (if it were possible) of the very Elect.” (Matthew24) By which it appears, that false Prophets may have the power of miracles; yet

are we not to take their doctrine for Gods Word. Paul says further to the Galatiansthat “if himself, or an Angel from heaven preach another Gospel to them, than hehad preached, let him be accursed.” (Galatians 1) That Gospel was, that Christ wasKing, so that all preaching against the power of the King received, in consequenceto these words, is by St. Paul accursed. For his speech is addressed to those, who

by his preaching had already received Jesus for the Christ, that is to say, for Kingof the Jews.




The Marks Of A Prophet In The Old Law, Miracles, And Doctrine Conformable ToThe Law: And as Miracles, without preaching that Doctrine which God hathestablished; so preaching the true Doctrine, without the doing of Miracles, is aninsufficient argument of immediate Revelation. For if a man that teaches not falseDoctrine, should pretend to bee a Prophet without showing any Miracle, he isnever the more to bee regarded for his pretence, as is evident by Deuteronomy 18.“If you say in your heart, how shall we know that the Word (of the Prophet) is notthat which the Lord has spoken. When the Prophet shall have spoken in the nameof the Lord, that which shall not come to pass, that’s the word which the Lord hasnot spoken, but the Prophet has spoken it out of the pride of his own heart, fear himnot.” But a man may here again ask, When the Prophet hath foretold a thing, howshall we know whether it will come to pass or not? For he may foretell it as a thingto arrive after a certain long time, longer then the time of mans life; or indefinitely,

that it will come to pass one time or other: in which case this mark of a Prophet isun-useful; and therefore the miracles that oblige us to believe a Prophet, ought to

be confirmed by an immediate, or a not long deferred event. So that it is manifest,that the teaching of the Religion which God hath established, and the showing of a

present Miracle, joined together, were the only marks whereby the Scripture wouldhave a true Prophet, that is to say immediate Revelation to be acknowledged;neither of them being singly sufficient to oblige any other man to regard what hesays.

Miracles Ceasing, Prophets Cease, And The Scripture Supplies Their Place: Seeing therefore Miracles now cease, we have no sign left, whereby toacknowledge the pretended Revelations, or Inspirations of any private man; nor obligation to give ear to any Doctrine, farther than it is conformable to the HolyScriptures, which since the time of our Savior, supply the want of all other Prophecy; and from which, by wise and careful ratiocination, all rules and preceptsnecessary to the knowledge of our duty both to God and man, without Enthusiasm,or supernatural Inspiration, may easily be deduced. And this Scripture is it, out of which I am to take the Principles of my Discourse, concerning the Rights of thosethat are the Supreme Governors on earth, of Christian Commonwealths; and of the

duty of Christian Subjects towards their Sovereigns. And to that end, I shall speak in the next Chapter, or the Books, Writers, Scope and Authority of the Bible.

Chapter 44

The Kingdom Of Darkness What: Besides these Sovereign Powers, Divine, andHumane, of which I have hitherto discoursed, there is mention in Scripture of




another Power, namely, (Eph. 6. 12.), that of “the Rulers of the Darkness of thisworld, (Mat. 12. 26.), “the Kingdom of Satan,” and, (Mat. 9. 34.), “the Principalityof Beelzebub over Daemons,” that is to say, over Phantasms that appear in the Air:For which cause Satan is also called (Eph. 2. 2.) “the Prince of the Power of theAir;” and (because he rules in the darkness of this world) (John 16. 11.) “ThePrince of this world;” And in consequence hereunto, they who are under hisDominion, in opposition to the faithful (who are the Children Of The Light) arecalled the Children Of Darkness. For seeing Beelzebub is Prince of Phantasms,Inhabitants of his Dominion of Air and Darkness, the Children of Darkness, andthese Daemons, Phantasms, or Spirits of Illusion, signify allegorically the samething. This considered, the Kingdom of Darkness, as it is set forth in these, andother places of the Scripture, is nothing else but a “Confederacy of Deceivers, thatto obtain dominion over men in this present world, endeavor by dark, anderroneous Doctrines, to extinguish in them the Light, both of Nature, and of the

Gospell; and so to dis-prepare them for the Kingdom of God to come.”

The Church Not Yet Fully Freed Of Darkness: As men that are utterly deprivedfrom their Nativity, of the light of the bodily Eye, have no Idea at all, of any suchlight; and no man conceives in his imagination any greater light, than he hath atsome time, or other perceived by his outward Senses: so also is it of the light of theGospel, and of the light of the Understanding, that no man can conceive there isany greater degree of it, than that which he hath already attained unto. And fromhence it comes to pass, that men have no other means to acknowledge their ownDarkness, but only by reasoning from the unforeseen mischance, that befall themin their ways; The Darkest part of the Kingdom of Satan, is that which is withoutthe Church of God; that is to say, amongst them that believe not in Jesus Christ.But we cannot say, that therefore the Church enjoys (as the land of Goshen) all thelight, which to the performance of the work enjoined us by God, is necessary.Whence comes it, that in Christendom there has been, almost from the time of theApostles, such jostling of one another out of their places, both by foreign, and Civilwar? Such stumbling at every little asperity of their own fortune, and every littleeminence of that of other men? And such diversity of ways in running to the samemark, Felicity, if it be not Night amongst us, or at least a Mist? We are therefore

yet in the Dark.

Four Causes Of Spiritual Darkness: The Enemy has been here in the Night of our natural Ignorance, and sown the tares of Spiritual Errors; and that, First, byabusing, and putting out the light of the Scriptures: For we err, not knowing theScriptures. Secondly, by introducing the Demonology of the Heathen Poets, that isto say, their fabulous Doctrine concerning Daemons, which are but Idols, or




Phantasms of the brain, without any real nature of their own, distinct from humanefancy; such as are dead men’s Ghosts, and Fairies, and other matter of old Wivestales. Thirdly, by mixing with the Scripture divers relics of the Religion, and muchof the vain and erroneous Philosophy of the Greeks, especially of Aristotle.Fourthly, by mingling with both these, false, or uncertain Traditions, and fained, or uncertain History. And so we come to err, by “giving heed to seducing Spirits,”and the Demonology of such “as speak lies in Hypocrisy,” (or as it is in theOriginal, 1 Tim. 4.1,2. “Of those that play the part of liars”) “with a searedconscience,” that is, contrary to their own knowledge. Concerning the first of these, which is the Seducing of men by abuse of Scripture, I intend to speak brieflyin this Chapter.

Errors From Misinterpreting The Scriptures, Concerning The Kingdom Of God: The greatest, and main abuse of Scripture, and to which almost all the rest are

either consequent, or subservient, is the wresting of it, to prove that the Kingdomof God, mentioned so often in the Scripture, is the present Church, or multitude of Christian men now living, or that being dead, are to rise again at the last day:whereas the Kingdom of God was first instituted by the Ministry of Moses, over the Jews only; who were therefore called his Peculiar People; and ceasedafterward, in the election of Saul, when they refused to be governed by God anymore, and demanded a King after the manner of the nations; which God himself consented unto, as I have more at large proved before, in Chapter 35. After thattime, there was no other Kingdom of God in the world, by any Pact, or otherwise,than he ever was, is, and shall be King, of all men, and of all creatures, asgoverning according to his Will, by his infinite Power. Nevertheless, he promised

by his Prophets to restore this his Government to them again, when the time hehath in his secret counsel appointed for it shall bee fully come, and when they shallturn unto him by repentance, and amendment of life; and not only so, but heinvited also the Gentiles to come in, and enjoy the happiness of his Reign, on thesame conditions of conversion and repentance; and he promised also to send hisSon into the world, to expiate the sins of them all by his death, and to prepare them

by his Doctrine, to receive him at his second coming: Which second coming notyet being, the Kingdom of God is not yet come, and we are not now under any

other Kings by Pact, but our Civil Sovereigns; saving only, that Christian men arealready in the Kingdom of Grace, in as much as they have already the Promise of

being received at his coming again.

As That The Kingdom Of God Is The Present Church: Consequent to this Error,that the present Church is Christ’s Kingdom, there ought to be some one Man, or Assembly, by whose mouth our Savior (now in heaven) speaks, gives law, and




which represents his person to all Christians, or divers Men, or divers Assembliesthat doe the same to divers parts of Christendom. This power Regal under Christ,

being challenged, universally by that Pope, and in particular Commonwealths byAssemblies of the Pastors of the place, (when the Scripture gives it to none but toCivil Sovereigns,) comes to be so passionately disputed, that it puts out the Lightof Nature, and causes so great a Darkness in men’s understanding, that they see notwho it is to whom they have engaged their obedience.

And That The Pope Is His Vicar General: Consequent to this claim of the Pope toVicar General of Christ in the present Church, (supposed to be that Kingdom of his, to which we are addressed in the Gospel,) is the Doctrine, that it is necessaryfor a Christian King, to receive his Crown by a Bishop; as if it were from thatCeremony, that he derives the clause of Dei Gratia in his title; and that then onlyhe is made King by the favor of God, when he is crowned by the authority of Gods

universal Vice-regent on earth; and that every Bishop whosoever be his Sovereign,takes at his Consecration an oath of absolute Obedience to the Pope, Consequent tothe same, is the Doctrine of the fourth Council of Lateran, held under PopeInnocent the third, (Chap. 3, De Haereticis ) “That if a King at the Popesadmonition, doe not purge his Kingdom of Heresies, and being excommunicate for the same, doe not give satisfaction within a year, his Subjects are absolved of the

bond of their obedience.” Where, by Heresies are understood all opinions whichthe Church of Rome hath forbidden to be maintained. And by this means, as oftenas there is any repugnancy between the Political designs of the Pope, and other Christian Princes, as there is very often, there arises such a Mist amongst their Subjects, that they know not a stranger that thrusts himself into the throne of their lawful Prince, from him whom they had themselves placed there; and in thisDarkness of mind, are made to fight one against another, without discerning their enemies from their friends, under the conduct of another mans ambition.

And That The Pastors Are The Clergy: From the same opinion, that the presentChurch is the Kingdom of God, it proceeds that Pastors, Deacons, and all other Ministers of the Church, take the name to themselves of the Clergy, giving to other Christians the name of Laity, that is, simply People. For Clergy signifies those,

whose maintenance is that Revenue, which God having reserved to himself duringhis Reign over the Israelites, assigned to the tribe of Levi (who were to be his

public Ministers, and had no portion of land set them out to live on, as their brethren) to be their inheritance. The Pope therefore, (pretending the presentChurch to be, as the Realm of Israel, the Kingdom of God) challenging to himself and his subordinate Ministers, the like revenue, as the Inheritance of God, thename of Clergy was suitable to that claim. And thence it is, that Tithes, or other




tributes paid to the Levites, as Gods Right, amongst the Israelites, have a long time been demanded, and taken of Christians, by Ecclesiastics, Jure Divino , that is, inGods Right. By which means, the people every where were obliged to a doubletribute; one to the State, another to the Clergy; whereof, that to the Clergy, beingthe tenth of their revenue, is double to that which a King of Athens (and esteemeda Tyrant) exacted of his subjects for the defraying of all public charges: For hedemanded no more but the twentieth part; and yet abundantly maintained therewiththe Commonwealth. And in the Kingdom of the Jews, during the Sacerdotal Reignof God, the Tithes and Offerings were the whole Public Revenue.

From the same mistaking of the present Church for the Kingdom of God, came inthe distinction between the Civil and the Canon Laws: The civil Law being the actsof Sovereigns in their own Dominions, and the Canon Law being the Acts of thePope in the same Dominions. Which Canons, though they were but Canons, that is,

Rules Propounded, and but voluntarily received by Christian Princes, till thetranslation of the Empire to Charlemagne; yet afterwards, as the power of the Popeincreased, became Rules Commanded, and the Emperors themselves (to avoidgreater mischief, which the people blinded might be led into) were forced to letthem pass for Laws.

From hence it is, that in all Dominions, where the Popes Ecclesiastical power isentirely received, Jews, Turks, and Gentiles, are in the Roman Church tolerated intheir Religion, as far forth, as in the exercise and profession thereof they offend notagainst the civil power: whereas in a Christian, though a stranger, not to be of theRoman Religion, is Capital; because the Pope pretends that all Christians are hisSubjects. For otherwise it were as much against the law of Nations, to persecute aChristian stranger, for professing the Religion of his own country, as an Infidel; or rather more, in as much as they that are not against Christ, are with him.

From the same it is, that in every Christian State there are certain men, that areexempt, by Ecclesiastical liberty, from the tributes, and from the tribunals of theCivil State; for so are the secular Clergy, besides Monks and Friars, which in many

places, bear so great a proportion to the common people, as if need were, there

might be raised out of them alone, an Army, sufficient for any war the Churchmilitant should employ them in, against their own, or other Princes.

Error From Mistaking Consecration For Conjuration: A second general abuse of Scripture, is the turning of Consecration into Conjuration, or Enchantment. ToConsecrate, is in Scripture, to Offer, Give, or Dedicate, in pious and decentlanguage and gesture, a man, or any other thing to God, by separating of it from




common use; that is to say, to Sanctify, or make it Gods, and to be used only bythose, whom God hath appointed to be his Public Ministers, (as I have already

proved at large in Chapter 35) and thereby to change, not the thing Consecrated, but only the use of it, from being Profane and common, to be Holy, and peculiar toGods service. But when by such words, the nature of quality of the thing itself, is

pretended to be changed, it is not Consecration, but either an extraordinary work of God, or a vain and impious Conjuration. But seeing (for the frequency of

pretending the change of Nature in their Consecrations,) it cannot be esteemed awork extraordinary, it is no other than a Conjuration or Incantation, whereby theywould have men to believe an alteration of Nature that is not, contrary to thetestimony of mans Sight, and of all the rest of his Senses. As for example, whenthe Priest, in stead of Consecrating Bread and Wine to Gods peculiar service in theSacrament of the Lords Supper, (which is but a separation of it from the commonuse, to signify, that is, to put men in mind of their Redemption, by the Passion of

Christ, whose body was broken, and blood shed upon the Crosse for our transgressions,) pretends, that by saying of the words of our Savior, “This is myBody,” and “This is my Blood,” the nature of Bread is no more there, but his veryBody; notwithstanding there appeared not to the Sight, or other Sense of theReceiver, any thing that appears not before the Consecration. The EgyptianConjurers, that are said to have turned their Rods to Serpents, and the Water intoBlood, are thought but to have deluded the senses of the Spectators by a false showof things, yet are esteemed Enchanters: But what should wee have thought of them,if there had appeared in their Rods nothing like a Serpent, and in the Water enchanted, nothing like Blood, nor like any thing else but Water, but that they hadfaced down the King, that they were Serpents that looked like Rods, and that it wasBlood that seemed Water? That had been both Enchantment, and Lying. And yet inthis daily act of the Priest, they doe the very same, by turning the holy words intothe manner of a Charm, which produces nothing now to the Sense; but they face usdown, that it hath turned the Bread into a Man; nay more, into a God; and requiremen to worship it, as if it were our Savior himself present God and Man, andthereby to commit most gross Idolatry. For if it bee enough to excuse it of Idolatry,to say it is no more Bread, but God; why should not the same excuse serve theEgyptians, in case they had the faces to say, the Leeks, and Onions they

worshipped, were not very Leeks, and Onions, but a Divinity under their Species,or likeness. The words, “This is my Body,” are equivalent to these, “This signifies,or represents my Body;” and it is an ordinary figure of Speech: but to take itliterally, is an abuse; nor though so taken, can it extend any further, than to theBread which Christ himself with his own hands Consecrated. For he never said,that of what Bread soever, any Priest whatsoever, should say, “This is my Body,”or, “This is Christ’s Body,” the same should presently be transubstantiated. Nor did




the Church of Rome ever establish this Transubstantiation, till the time of Innocentthe third; which was not above five hundred years ago, when the Power of Popeswas at the Highest, and the Darkness of the time grown so great, as men discernednot the Bread that was given them to eat, especially when it was stamped with thefigure of Christ upon the Crosse, as if they would have men believe it wereTransubstantiated, not only into the Body of Christ, but also into the Wood of hisCrosse, and that they did eat both together in the Sacrament.

Incantation In The Ceremonies Of Baptism: The like incantation, in stead of Consecration, is used also in the Sacrament of Baptism: Where the abuse of Godsname in each several Person, and in the whole Trinity, with the sign of the Crosseat each name, makes up the Charm: As first, when they make the Holy water, thePriest says, “I Conjure you, you Creature of Water, in the name of God the Father Almighty, and in the name of Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord, and in virtue of

the Holy Ghost, that you become Conjured water, to drive away all the Powers of the Enemy, and to eradicate, and supplant the Enemy, &c.” And the same in theBenediction of the Salt to be mingled with it; “That you become Conjured Salt,that all Phantasms, and Knavery of the Devils fraud may fly and depart from the

place wherein thou art sprinkled; and every unclean Spirit be Conjured by Him thatshall come to judge the quick and the dead.” The same in the Benediction of theOil: “That all the Power of the Enemy, all the Host of the Devil, all Assaults andPhantasms of Satan, may be driven away by this Creature of Oil.” And for theInfant that is to be Baptized, he is subject to many Charms; First, at the Churchdoor the Priest blows thrice in the Childs face, and says, “Go out of him uncleanSpirit, and give place to the Holy Ghost the Comforter.” As if all Children, till

blown on by the Priest were Demoniacs: Again, before his entrance into theChurch, he says as before, “I Conjure you, &c. to go out, and depart from thisServant of God:” And again the same Exorcism is repeated once more before he beBaptized. These, and some other Incantations, and Consecrations, in administrationof the Sacraments of Baptism, and the Lords Supper: wherein every thing thatserves to those holy men (except the unhallowed Spittle of the Priest) hath someset form of Exorcism.

And In Marriage, In Visitation Of The Sick, And In Consecration Of Places: Nor are the other rites, as of Marriage, of Extreme Unction, of Visitation of the Sick, of Consecrating Churches, and Churchyards, and the like, exempt from Charms; in asmuch as there is in them the use of Enchanted Oil, and Water, with the abuse of theCrosse, and of the holy word of David, Asperges me Domine Hyssopo , as things of efficacy to drive away Phantasms, and Imaginary Spirits.




Errors From Mistaking Eternal Life, And Everlasting Death: Another generalError is from the Misinterpretation of the words Eternal Life, Everlasting Death,and the Second Death. For though we read plainly in Holy Scripture, that Godcreated Adam in an estate of Living for Ever, which was conditional, that is to say,if he disobeyed not his Commandment; which was not essential to Humane Nature,

but consequent to the virtue of the Tree of Life; whereof he had liberty to eat, aslong as he had not sinned; and that he was thrust out of Paradise after he hadsinned, lest he should eat thereof, and live for ever; and that Christ’s Passion is aDischarge of sin to all that believe on him; and by consequence, a restitution of Eternal Life, to all the Faithful, and to them only: yet the Doctrine is now, and hath

been a long time far otherwise; namely, that every man hath Eternity of Life by Nature, in as much as his Soul is Immortal: So that the flaming Sword at theentrance of Paradise, though it hinder a man from coming to the Tree of Life,hinders him not from the Immortality which God took from him for his Sin; nor

makes him to need the sacrificing of Christ, for the recovering of the same; andconsequently, not only the faithful and righteous, but also the wicked, and theHeathen, shall enjoy Eternal Life, without any Death at all; much lesse a Second,and Everlasting Death. To salve this, it is said, that by Second, and EverlastingDeath, is meant a Second, and Everlasting Life, but in Torments; a Figure never used, but in this very Case.

All which Doctrine is founded only on some of the more obscure places of the New Testament; which nevertheless, the whole scope of the Scripture considered,are clear enough in a different sense, and unnecessary to the Christian Faith. For supposing that when a man dies, there remains nothing of him but his carcass;cannot God that raised inanimate dust and clay into a living creature by his Word,as easily raise a dead carcass to life again, and continue him alive for Ever, or make him die again, by another Word? The Soul in Scripture, signifies always,either the Life, or the Living Creature; and the Body and Soul jointly, the BodyAlive. In the fifth day of the Creation, God said, Let the water produce Reptile

Animae Viventis , the creeping thing that has in it a Living Soul; the Englishtranslate it, “that has Life:” And again, God created Whales, “& omnem animamviventem ” which in the English is, “every living Creature:” And likewise of Man,

God made him of the dust of the earth, and breathed in his face the breath of Life,“& factus est Homo in animam viventem ,” that is, “and Man was made a LivingCreature;” And after Noah came out of the Ark, God says, he will no more smite“omnem animam viventem ,” that is “every Living Creature;” And Deuteronomy12: “Eat not the Blood, for the Blood is the Soul;” that is “the Life.” From which

places, if by Soul were meant a Substance Incorporeal, with an existence separatedfrom the Body, it might as well be inferred of any other living Creature, as of Man.




But that the Souls of the Faithful, are not of their own Nature, but by Gods specialGrace, to remain in their bodies, from the Resurrection to all Eternity, I havealready I think sufficiently proved out of the Scriptures, in Chapter 38. And for the

places of the New Testament, where it is said that any man shall be cast Body andSoul into Hell fire, it is no more than Body and Life; that is to say, they shall becast alive into the perpetual fire of Gehenna.

As The Doctrine Of Purgatory, And Exorcisms, And Invocation Of Saints: Thiswindow it is, that gives entrance to the Dark Doctrine, first, of Eternal Torments;and afterwards of Purgatory, and consequently of the walking abroad, especially in

places Consecrated, Solitary, or Dark, of the Ghosts of men deceased; and therebyto the pretences of Exorcism and Conjuration of Phantasms; as also of Invocationof men dead; and to the Doctrine of Indulgences; that is to say, of exemption for atime, or for ever, from the fire of Purgatory, wherein these Incorporeal Substances

are pretended by burning to be cleansed, and made fit for Heaven. For men beinggenerally possessed before the time of our Savior, by contagion of theDaemonology of the Greeks, of an opinion, that the Souls of men were substancesdistinct from their Bodies, and therefore that when the Body was dead, the Soul of every man, whether godly, or wicked, must subsist somewhere by virtue of its ownnature, without acknowledging therein any supernatural gift of Gods; the Doctorsof the Church doubted a long time, what was the place, which they were to abidein, till they should be re-united to their Bodies in the Resurrection; supposing for awhile, they lay under the Altars: but afterward the Church of Rome found it more

profitable, to build for them this place of Purgatory; which by some other Churchesin this later age, has been demolished.

The Texts Alleged For The Doctrines Aforementioned Have Been Answered Before: Let us now consider, what texts of Scripture seem most to confirm thesethree general Errors, I have here touched. As for those which Cardinal Bellarminehas alleged, for the present Kingdom of God administered by the Pope, (thanwhich there are none that make a better show of proof,) I have already answeredthem; and made it evident, that the Kingdom of God, instituted by Moses, ended inthe election of Saul: After which time the Priest of his own authority never

deposed any King. That which the High Priest did to Athaliah, was not done in hisown right, but in the right of the young King Joash her Son: But Solomon in hisown right deposed the High Priest Abiathar, and set up another in his place. Themost difficult place to answer, of all those than can be brought, to prove theKingdom of God by Christ is already in this world, is alledged, not by Bellarmine,nor any other of the Church of Rome; but by Beza; that will have it to begin fromthe Resurrection of Christ. But whether he intend thereby, to entitle the Presbytery




to the Supreme Power Ecclesiastical in the Commonwealth of Geneva, (andconsequently to every Presbytery in every other Commonwealth,) or to Princes,and other Civil Sovereigns, I do not know. For the Presbytery hath challenged the

power to Excommunicate their own Kings, and to bee the Supreme Moderators inReligion, in the places where they have that form of Church government, no lessthen the Pope challenges it universally.

Answer To The Text On Which Beza Infers That The Kingdom Of Christ Began At The Resurrection: The words are (Mark 9.1.) “Verily, I say unto you, that there besome of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen theKingdom of God come with power.” Which words, if taken grammatically, make itcertain, that either some of those men that stood by Christ at that time, are yetalive; or else, that the Kingdom of God must be now in this present world. Andthen there is another place more difficult: For when the Apostles after our Saviors

Resurrection, and immediately before his Ascension, asked our Savior, saying,(Acts.1.6.) “Will you at this time restore again the Kingdom to Israel,” heanswered them, “It is not for you to know the times and the seasons, which theFather has put in his own power; But you shall receive power by the coming of theHoly Ghost upon you, and you shall be my (Martyrs) witnesses both in Jerusalem,& in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the Earth:” Which isas much as to say, My Kingdom is not yet come, nor shall you foreknow when itshall come, for it shall come as a thief in the night; But I will send you the HolyGhost, and by him you shall have power to bear witness to all the world (by your

preaching) of my Resurrection, and the works I have done, and the doctrine I havetaught, that they may believe in me, and expect eternal life, at my coming again:How does this agree with the coming of Christ’s Kingdom at the Resurrection?And that which Paul says (I Thessalonians) “That they turned from Idols, to servethe living and true God, and to wait for his Son from Heaven:” Where to wait for his Son from Heaven, is to wait for his coming to be King in power; which werenot necessary, if this Kingdom had been then present. Again, if the Kingdom of God began (as Beza on that place (Mark 9) would have it) at the Resurrection;what reason is there for Christians ever since the Resurrection to say in their

prayers, “Let thy Kingdom Come”? It is therefore manifest, that the words of St.

Mark are not so to be interpreted. There are some of them that stand here (says our Savior) that shall not taste of death till they have seen the Kingdom of God comein power. If then this Kingdom were to come at the Resurrection of Christ, why isit said, “some of them” rather than all? For they all lived till after Christ was risen.

Explication Of The Place In Mark 9:1: But they, that require an exactinterpretation of this text, let them interpret first the like words of our Savior to




Peter concerning John, “If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to you?” uponwhich was grounded a report that he should not dye: Nevertheless the truth of thatreport was neither confirmed, as well grounded; nor refuted, as ill grounded onthose words; but left as a saying not understood. The same difficulty is also in the

place of St. Mark. And if it be lawful to conjecture at their meaning, by that whichimmediately follows, both here, and in St. Luke, where the same is again repeated,it is not improbable, to say they have relation to the Transfiguration, which isdescribed in the verses immediately following; where it is said, that “After six daysJesus takes with him Peter, and James, and John (not all, but some of his Disciples)and leads them up into an high mountain apart by themselves, and was transfigured

before them. And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as noFuller on earth can white them. And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses,and they were talking with Jesus, &c.” So that they saw Christ in Glory andMajesty, as he is to come; insomuch as “They were sore afraid.” And thus the

promise of our Savior was accomplished by way of Vision: For it was a Vision, asmay probably be inferred out of Luke, that recites the same story and says, thatPeter and they that were with him, were heavy with sleep; But most certainly outof Matthew 17 (where the same is again related;) for our Savior charged them,saying, “Tell no man the Vision until the Son of man be Risen from the dead.”Howsoever it be, yet, there can from thence be taken no argument, to prove that theKingdom of God takes beginning till the Day of Judgment.

Abuse Of Some Other Texts In Defense Of The Power Of The Pope: As for someother texts, to prove the Popes Power over civil Sovereigns (besides those of Bellarmine;) as that the two Swords that Christ and his Apostles had amongstthem, were the Spiritual and the Temporal Sword, which they say St. Peter hadgiven him by Christ: And, that of the two Luminaries, the greater signifies thePope, and the lesser the King; One might as well infer out of the first verse of theBible, that by Heaven is meant the Pope, and by Earth the King: Which is notarguing from Scripture, but a wanton insulting over Princes, that came in fashionafter the time the Popes were grown so secure of their greatness, as to condemn allChristian Kings; and Treading on the necks of Emperors, to mock both them, andthe Scripture, in the words of the Psalm, “you shall Tread upon the Lion and the

Adder, the young Lion and the Dragon you shall Trample under thy feet.”

The Manner Of Consecrations In The Scripture, Was Without Exorcisms: As for the rites of Consecration, though they depend for the most part upon the discretionand judgment of the governors of the Church, and not upon the Scriptures; yetthose governors are obliged to such direction, as the nature of the action it self requires; as that the ceremonies, words, and gestures, be both decent, and




significant, or at least conformable to the action. When Moses consecrated theTabernacle, the Altar, and the Vessels belonging to them he anointed them with theOil that God had commanded to be made for that purpose; and they were holy;There was nothing Exorcised, to drive away Phantasms. The same Moses (the civilSovereign of Israel) when he consecrated Aaron (the High Priest,) and his Sons,did wash them with Water, (not Exorcised water,) put their Garments upon them,and anointed them with Oil; and they were sanctified, to minister unto the Lord inthe Priests office; which was a simple and decent cleansing, and adorning them,

before he presented them to God, to be his servants. When King Solomon, (thecivil Sovereign of Israel) consecrated the Temple he had built, (II Kings) he stood

before all the Congregation of Israel; and having blessed them, he gave thanks toGod, for putting into the heart of his father, to build it; and for giving to himself thegrace to accomplish the same; and then prayed unto him, first, to accept thatHouse, though it were not suitable to his infinite Greatness; and to hear the prayers

of his Servants that should pray therein, or (if they were absent) towards it; andlastly, he offered a sacrifice of Peace-offering, and the House was dedicated. Herewas no Procession; the King stood still in his first place; no Exorcised Water; no

Asperges Me , nor other impertinent application of words spoken upon another occasion; but a decent, and rational speech, and such as in making to God a presentof his new built House, was most conformable to the occasion. We read not that St.John did Exorcise the Water of Jordan; nor Philip the Water of the river wherein he

baptized the Eunuch; nor that any Pastor in the time of the Apostles, did take hisspittle, and put it to the nose of the person to be Baptized, and say, In odorem

suavitatis , that is, “for a sweet savor unto the Lord;” wherein neither the Ceremonyof Spittle, for the uncleanness; nor the application of that Scripture for the levity,can by any authority of man be justified.

The Immortality Of Mans Soul, Not Proved By Scripture To Be Of Nature, But Of Grace: To prove that the Soul separated from the Body lives eternally, not only theSouls of the Elect, by especial grace, and restoration of the Eternal Life whichAdam lost by sin, and our Savior restored by the Sacrifice of himself, to theFaithful, but also the Souls of Reprobates, as a property naturally consequent to theessence of mankind, without other grace of God, but that which is universally

given to all mankind; there are divers places, which at the first sight seemsufficiently to serve the turn: but such, as when I compare them with that which Ihave before (Chapter 38) alleged out of the 14 of Job, seem to me much moresubject to a divers interpretation, than the words of Job.

And first there are the words of Solomon (Ecclesiastes 12) “Then shall the Dustreturn to Dust, as it was, and the Spirit shall return to God that gave it.” Which




may bear well enough (if there be no other text directly against it) thisinterpretation, that God only knows, (but Man not,) what becomes of a mans spirit,when he expires; and the same Solomon, in the same Book, delivers in the samesentence in the sense I have given it: His words are, “All go, (man and beast) to thesame place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again; who knows that the spiritof Man goes upward, and the spirit of the Beast goes downward to the earth?” Thatis, none knows but God; nor is it an unusual phrase to say of things we understandnot, “God knows what,” and “God knows where.” That of Genesis 5:24, “Enochwalked with God, and he was not; for God took him;” which is expoundedHebrews 13:5, “He was translated, that he should not die; and was not found,

because God had translated him. For before his Translation, he had this testimony,that he pleased God,” making as much for the Immortality of the Body, as of theSoul, proves, that this his translation was peculiar to them that please God; notcommon to them with the wicked; and depending on Grace, not on Nature. But on

the contrary, what interpretation shall we give, besides the literal sense of thewords of Solomon “That which befalls the Sons of Men, befalls Beasts, even onething befalls them; as the one dies, so doth the other; yea, they have all one breath(one spirit;) so that a Man hath no preeminence above a Beast, for all is vanity.”By the literal sense, here is no Natural Immortality of the Soul; nor yet anyrepugnancy with the Life Eternal, which the Elect shall enjoy by Grace. And“Better is he that hath not yet been, than both they;” that is, than they that live, or have lived; which, if the Soul of all them that have lived, were Immortal, were ahard saying; for then to have an Immortal Soul, were worse than to have no Soul atall. And again, “The living know they shall die, but the dead know not any thing,”that is, Naturally, and before the resurrection of the body.

Another place which seems to make for a Natural Immortality of the Soul, is that,where our Savior says, that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are living: but this is spokenof the promise of God, and of their certitude to rise again, not of a Life then actual;and in the same sense that God said to Adam, that on the day he should eat of theforbidden fruit, he should certainly die; from that time forward he was a dead man

by sentence; but not by execution, till almost a thousand years after. So Abraham,Isaac, and Jacob were alive by promise, then, when Christ spoke; but are not

actually till the Resurrection. And the History of Dives and Lazarus, make nothingagainst this, if we take it (as it is) for a Parable.

But there be other places of the New Testament, where an Immortality seems to bedirectly attributed to the wicked. For it is evident, that they shall all rise toJudgment. And it is said besides in many places, that they shall go into“Everlasting fire, Everlasting torments, Everlasting punishments; and that the




worm of conscience never dies;” and all this is comprehended in the wordEverlasting Death, which is ordinarily interpreted Everlasting Life In Torments:And yet I can find no where that any man shall live in torments Everlastingly.Also, it seems hard, to say, that God who is the Father of Mercies, that doth inHeaven and Earth all that he will; that hath the hearts of all men in his disposing;that works in men both to doe, and to will; and without whose free gift a man hathneither inclination to good, nor repentance of evil, should punish men’stransgressions without any end of time, and with all the extremity of torture, thatmen can imagine, and more. We are therefore to consider, what the meaning is, of Everlasting Fire, and other the like phrases of Scripture.

I have showed already, that the Kingdom of God by Christ begins at the day of Judgment: That in that day, the Faithful shall rise again, with glorious, and spiritualBodies, and bee his Subjects in that his Kingdom, which shall be Eternal; That they

shall neither marry, nor be given in marriage, nor eat and drink, as they did in their natural bodies; but live for ever in their individual persons, without the specificeternity of generation: And that the Reprobates also shall rise again, to receive

punishments for their sins: As also, that those of the Elect, which shall be alive intheir earthly bodies at that day, shall have their bodies suddenly changed, and madespiritual, and Immortal. But that the bodies of the Reprobate, who make theKingdom of Satan, shall also be glorious, or spiritual bodies, or that they shall beeas the Angels of God, neither eating, nor drinking, nor engendering; or that their life shall be Eternal in their individual persons, as the life of every faithful man is,or as the life of Adam had been if he had not sinned, there is no place of Scriptureto prove it; save only these places concerning Eternal Torments; which mayotherwise be interpreted.

From whence may be inferred, that as the Elect after the Resurrection shall berestored to the estate, wherein Adam was before he had sinned; so the Reprobateshall be in the estate, that Adam, and his posterity were in after the sin committed;saving that God promised a Redeemer to Adam, and such of his seed as shouldtrust in him, and repent; but not to them that should die in their sins, as do theReprobate.

Eternal Torments What: These things considered, the texts that mention EternalFire, Eternal Torments, or the Word That Never Dies, contradict not the Doctrineof a Second, and Everlasting Death, in the proper and natural sense of the wordDeath. The Fire, or Torments prepared for the wicked in Gehenna, Tophet, or inwhat place so ever, may continue for ever; and there may never want wicked mento be tormented in them; though not every, nor any one Eternally. For the wicked




being left in the estate they were in after Adams sin, may at the Resurrection liveas they did, marry, and give in marriage, and have gross and corruptible bodies, asall mankind now have; and consequently may engender perpetually, after theResurrection, as they did before: For there is no place of Scripture to the contrary.For Paul, speaking of the Resurrection understands it only of the Resurrection toLife Eternal; and not the Resurrection to Punishment. And of the first, he says thatthe Body is “Sown in Corruption, raised in Incorruption; sown in Dishonor, raisedin Honor; sown in Weakness, raised in Power; sown a Natural body, raised aSpiritual body:” There is no such thing can be said of the bodies of them that riseto Punishment. The text is Luke 20, a fertile text. “The Children of this worldmarry, and are given in marriage; but they that shall be counted worthy to obtainthat world, and the Resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given inmarriage: Neither can they die any more; for they are equal to the Angels, and arethe Children of God, being the Children of the Resurrection:” The Children of this

world, that are in the estate which Adam left them in, shall marry, and be given inmarriage; that is corrupt, and generate successively; which is an Immortality of theKind, but not of the Persons of men: They are not worthy to be counted amongstthem that shall obtain the next world, and an absolute Resurrection from the dead;

but only a short time, as inmates of that world; and to the end only to receivecondign punishment for their contumacy. The Elect are the only children of theResurrection; that is to say the sole heirs of Eternal Life: they only can die nomore; it is they that are equal to the Angels, and that are the children of God; andnot the Reprobate. To the Reprobate there remains after the Resurrection, aSecond, and Eternal Death: between which Resurrection, and their Second, andEternal death, is but a time of Punishment and Torment; and to last by successionof sinners thereunto, as long as the kind of Man by propagation shall endure, whichis Eternally.

Answer Of The Texts Alleged For Purgatory: Upon this Doctrine of the NaturalEternity of separated Souls, is founded (as I said) the Doctrine of Purgatory. For supposing Eternal Life by Grace only, there is no Life, but the Life of the Body;and no Immortality till the Resurrection. The texts for Purgatory alleged byBellarmine out of the Canonical Scripture of the Old Testament, are first, the

Fasting of David for Saul and Jonathan, mentioned (II Kings); and again, (IISamuel) for the death of Abner. This Fasting of David, he says, was for theobtaining of something for them at Gods hands, after their death; because after hehad Fasted to procure the recovery of his own child, as soon as he know it wasdead, he called for meat. Seeing then the Soul hath an existence separate from theBody, and nothing can be obtained by men’s Fasting for the Souls that are alreadyeither in Heaven, or Hell, it follows that there be some Souls of dead men, what are




neither in Heaven, nor in Hell; and therefore they must bee in some third place,which must be Purgatory. And thus with hard straining, he has wrested those

places to the proof of a Purgatory; whereas it is manifest, that the ceremonies of Mourning, and Fasting, when they are used for the death of men, whose life wasnot profitable to the Mourners, they are used for honors sake to their persons; andwhen ‘tis done for the death of them by whose life the Mourners had benefit, it

proceeds from their particular damage: And so David honored Saul, and Abner,with his Fasting; and in the death of his own child, recomforted himself, byreceiving his ordinary food.

In the other places, which he alleges out of the Old Testament, there is not so muchas any show, or color of proof. He brings in every text wherein there is the wordAnger, or Fire, or Burning, or Purging, or Cleansing, in case any of the Fathershave but in a Sermon rhetorically applied it to the Doctrine of Purgatory, already

believed. The first verse of Psalm 37, “O Lord rebuke me not in your wrath, nor chasten me in your hot displeasure:” What were this to Purgatory, if Augustine hadnot applied the Wrath to the fire of Hell, and the Displeasure, to that of Purgatory?And what is it to Purgatory, that of Psalm 66, “We went through fire and water,and you brought us to a moist place;” and other the like texts, (with which theDoctors of those times intended to adorn, or extend their Sermons, or Commentaries) haled to their purposes by force of wit?

Places Of The New Testament For Purgatory Answered: But he alleges other places of the New Testament, that are not so easy to be answered: And first that of Matthew 12:32: “Whosoever speaks a word against the Son of man, it shall beforgiven him; but whosoever speaks against the Holy Ghost, it shall not beforgiven him neither in this world, nor in the world to come.” Where he will havePurgatory to be the World to come, wherein some sins may be forgiven, which inthis World were not forgiven: notwithstanding that it is manifest, there are butthree Worlds; one from the Creation to the Flood, which was destroyed by Water,and is called in Scripture the Old World; another from the Flood to the day of Judgment, which is the Present World, and shall be destroyed by Fire; and thethird, which shall be from the day of Judgment forward, everlasting, which is

called the World To Come; and in which it is agreed by all, there shall be noPurgatory; And therefore the World to come, and Purgatory, are inconsistent. Butwhat then can bee the meaning of those our Saviors words? I confess they are veryhardly to bee reconciled with all the Doctrines now unanimously received: Nor is itany shame, to confess the profoundness of the Scripture, to bee too great to besounded by the shortness of humane understanding. Nevertheless, I may propoundsuch things to the consideration of more learned Divines, as the text it self




suggests. And first, seeing to speak against the Holy Ghost, as being the thirdPerson of the Trinity, is to speak against the Church, in which the Holy Ghostresides; it seems the comparison is made, between the Easiness of our Savior, in

bearing with offences done to him while he was on earth, and the Severity of thePastors after him, against those which should deny their authority, which was fromthe Holy Ghost: As if he should say, You that deny my Power; nay you that shallcrucify me, shall be pardoned by me, as often as you turn unto me by Repentance:But if you deny the Power of them that teach you hereafter, by virtue of the HolyGhost, they shall be inexorable, and shall not forgive you, but persecute you in thisWorld, and leave you without absolution, (though you turn to me, unless you turnalso to them,) to the punishments (as much as lies in them) of the World to come:And so the words may be taken as a Prophecy, or Prediction concerning the times,as they have along been in the Christian Church: Or if this be not the meaning, (for I am not peremptory in such difficult places,) perhaps there may be place left after

the Resurrection for the Repentance of some sinners: And there is also another place, that seems to agree therewith. For considering the words of Paul (ICorinthians) “What shall they doe which are Baptized for the dead, if the dead risenot at all? Why also are they Baptized for the dead?” a man may probably infer, assome have done, that in St. Paul’s time, there was a custom by receiving Baptismfor the dead, (as men that now believe, are Sureties and Undertakers for the Faithof Infants, that are not capable of believing,) to undertake for the persons of their deceased friends, that they should be ready to obey, and receive our Savior for their King, at his coming again; and then the forgiveness of sins in the world tocome, has no need of a Purgatory. But in both these interpretations, there is somuch of paradox, that I trust not to them; but propound them to those that arethoroughly versed in the Scripture, to inquire if there be no clearer place thatcontradicts them. Only of thus much, I see evident Scripture, to persuade men, thatthere is neither the word, nor the thing of Purgatory, neither in this, nor any other text; nor any thing that can prove a necessity of a place for the Soul without theBody; neither for the Soul of Lazarus during the four days he was dead; nor for theSouls of them which the Roman Church pretend to be tormented now in Purgatory.For God, that could give a life to a peace of clay, hath the same power to give lifeagain to a dead man, and renew his inanimate, and rotten Carcass, into a glorious,

spiritual, and immortal Body.

Another place is that of I Corinthians, where it is said that they which builtStubble, Hay, &c. on the true Foundation, their work shall perish; but “theythemselves shall be saved; but as through Fire:” This Fire, he will have to be theFire of Purgatory. The words, as I have said before, are an allusion to those of Zach. 13, where he says, “I will bring the third part through the Fire, and refine




them as Silver is refined, and will try them as Gold is tried;” Which is spoken of the coming of the Messiah in Power and Glory; that is, at the day of Judgment, andConflagration of the present world; wherein the Elect shall not be consumed, but

be refined; that is, depose their erroneous Doctrines, and Traditions, and have themas it were singed off; and shall afterwards call upon the name of the true God. Inlike manner, the Apostle says of them, that holding this Foundation Jesus Is TheChrist, shall build thereon some other Doctrines that be erroneous, that they shallnot be consumed in that fire which renews the world, but shall pass through it toSalvation; but so, as to see, and relinquish their former Errors. The Builders, arethe Pastors; the Foundation, that Jesus Is The Christ; the Stubble and Hay, FalseConsequences Drawn From It Through Ignorance, Or Frailty; the Gold, Silver, and

precious Stones, are their True Doctrines; and their Refining or Purging, theRelinquishing Of Their Errors. In all which there is no color at all for the burningof Incorporeal, that is to say, Impatible Souls.

Baptism For The Dead, How Understood: A third place is that of I Corinthians, before mentioned, concerning Baptism for the Dead: out of which he concludes,first, that Prayers for the Dead are not unprofitable; and out of that, that there is aFire of Purgatory: But neither of them rightly. For of many interpretations of theword Baptism, he approves this in the first place, that by Baptism is meant(metaphorically) a Baptism of Penance; and that men are in this sense Baptized,when they Fast, and Pray, and give Alms: And so Baptism for the Dead, andPrayer of the Dead, is the same thing. But this is a Metaphor, of which there is noexample, neither in the Scripture, nor in any other use of language; and which isalso discordant to the harmony, and scope of the Scripture. The word Baptism isused (in Mark and Luke) for being Dipped in one’s own blood, as Christ was uponthe Cross, and as most of the Apostles were, for giving testimony of him. But it ishard to say, that Prayer, Fasting, and Alms, have any similitude with Dipping. Thesame is used also Matthew (which seems to make somewhat for Purgatory) for aPurging with Fire. But it is evident the Fire and Purging here mentioned, is thesame whereof the Prophet Zachary speaks, “I will bring the third part through theFire, and will Refine them, &c.” And Peter after him, “That the trial of your Faith,which is much more precious than of Gold that perishes, though it be tried with

fire, might be found unto praise, and honor, and glory at the Appearing of JesusChrist;” And Paul (I Corinthians) “The Fire shall try every mans work of what sortit is.” But Peter, and Paul speak of the Fire that shall be at the Second Appearing of Christ; and the Prophet Zachary of the Day of Judgment: And therefore this placeof Matthew may be interpreted of the same; and then there will be no necessity of the Fire of Purgatory.




Another interpretation of Baptism for the Dead, is that which I have beforementioned, which he prefers to the second place of probability; And thence also heinfers the utility of Prayer for the Dead. For if after the Resurrection, such as havenot heard of Christ, or not believed in him, may be received into Christ’sKingdom; it is not in vain, after their death, that their friends should pray for them,till they should be risen. But granting that God, at the prayers of the faithful, mayconvert unto him some of those that have not heard Christ preached, andconsequently cannot have rejected Christ, and that the charity of men in that point,cannot be blamed; yet this concludes nothing for Purgatory, because to rise fromDeath to Life, is one thing; to rise from Purgatory to Life is another; and being arising from Life to Life, from a Life in torments to a Life in joy.

A fourth place is that of Mat. 5:25, “Agree with your Adversary quickly, whilethou art in the way with him, lest at any time the Adversary deliver the to the

Officer, and thou be cast into prison. Verily I say unto the, you shall by no meanscome out thence, till thou has paid the uttermost farthing.” In which Allegory, theOffender is the sinner; both the Adversary and the Judge is God; the Way is thisLife; the Prison is the Grave; the Officer, Death; from which, the sinner shall notrise again to life eternal, but to a second Death, till he have paid the utmostfarthing, or Christ pay it for him by his Passion, which is a full Ransom for allmanner of sin, as well lesser sins, as greater crimes; both being made by the

passion of Christ equally venial.

The fifth place is that of Matthew 5:22, “Whosoever is angry with his Brother without a cause, shall be guilty in Judgment. And whosoever shall say to hisBrother, Racha , shall be guilty in the Council. But whosoever shall say, Thou Fool,shall be guilty to hell fire.” From which words he infers three sorts of Sins, andthree sorts of Punishments; and that none of those sins, but the last shall be

punished with hell fire; and consequently, that after this life, there is punishment of lesser sins in Purgatory. Of which inference, there is no color in any interpretationthat hath yet been given to them: Shall there be a distinction after this life of Courtsof Justice, as there was amongst the Jews in our Saviors time, to hear, anddetermine divers sorts of Crimes; as the Judges, and the Council? Shall not all

Judicature appertain to Christ, and his Apostles? To understand therefore this text,we are not to consider it solitarily, but jointly with the words precedent, andsubsequent. Our Savior in this Chapter interprets the Law of Moses; which theJews thought was then fulfilled, when they had not transgressed the Grammaticalsense thereof, howsoever they had transgressed against the sentence, or meaning of the Legislator. Therefore whereas they thought the Sixth Commandment was not

broken, but by Killing a man; nor the Seventh, but when a man lay with a woman,



not his wife; our Savior tells them, the inward Anger of a man against his brother,if it be without just cause, is Homicide: You have heard (says he) the Law of Moses, “you shall not Kill,” and that “Whosoever shall Kill, shall be condemned

before the Judges,” or before the Session of the Seventy: But I say unto you, to beAngry with ones Brother without cause; or to say unto him Racha , or Fool, isHomicide, and shall be punished at the day of Judgment, and Session of Christ, andhis Apostles, with Hell fire: so that those words were not used to distinguish

between divers Crimes, and divers Courts of Justice, and divers Punishments; butto tax the distinction between sin, and sin, which the Jews drew not from thedifference of the Will in Obeying God, but from the difference of their TemporalCourts of Justice; and to show them that he that had the Will to hurt his Brother,though the effect appear but in Reviling, or not at all, shall be cast into hell fire, bythe Judges, and by the Session, which shall be the same, not different Courts at theday of Judgment. This Considered, what can be drawn from this text, to maintain

Purgatory, I cannot imagine.

The sixth place is Luke 16. 9. “Make you friends of the unrighteous Mammon, thatwhen you fail, they may receive you into Everlasting Tabernacles.” This he allegesto prove Invocation of Saints departed. But the sense is plain That we should makefriends with our Riches, of the Poor, and thereby obtain their Prayers while theylive. “He that gives to the poor lends to the Lord.” The seventh is Luke 23. 42.“Lord remember me when thou come into thy Kingdom:” Therefore, says he, thereis Remission of sins after this life. But the consequence is not good. Our Savior then forgave him; and at his coming again in Glory, will remember to raise himagain to Life Eternal.

The Eight is Acts 2:24, where St. Peter says of Christ, “that God had raised him up,and loosed the Pains of Death, because it was not possible he should be held of it;”Which he interprets to bee a descent of Christ into Purgatory, to loose some Soulsthere from their torments; whereas it is manifest, that it was Christ that was loosed;it was he that could not be held of Death, or the Grave; and not the Souls inPurgatory. But if that which Beza says in his notes on this place be well observed,there is none that will not see, that instead of Pains, it should be Bands; and then

there is no further cause to seek for Purgatory in this Text.

hobbes other

Documents