The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Bloudy Tenent of Persecution for Cause of Conscience Discussed and Mr. Cotton's Letter Examined and Answered, by Roger Williams CHAP. LXXXIV. CHAP. LXXXIV. The second head, concerning superiority of each power. The second head, concerning superiority of each power, Rom. xiii. 1-3; Isa. xlix. 23. Luke xii. 14, John viii. 11. And that judicium of the church in lawsuits, 1 Cor. vi. 2, is only arbitrarium, not coactivum. Peace. “Because contention may arise in future times which of these powers under Christ is the greatest, as it hath been under anti-christ, we conceive, first, that the power of the civil magistrate is superior to the church policy in place, honours, dignity, earthly power, in the world; and the church superior to him, being a member of the church, ecclesiastically; that is, in a church way, ruling and ordering him by spiritual ordinances according to God’s [word], for his soul’s health, as any other member. So that all the power the magistrate hath over the church is temporal, not spiritual; and all the power the church hath over the magistrate is spiritual, not temporal. And as the church hath no temporal power over the magistrate, in ordine ad bonum spirituale; so the magistrate hath no spiritual power over the church in ordine ad bonum temporale. “Secondly, the delinquency of either party calleth for the exercise of the power of terror from the other part; for no rulers ordained of God are a terror to good works, but to evil, Rom. xiii. 3. So that if the church offend, the offence of the church calleth upon the civil magistrate, either to seek the healing thereof as a nursing father, by his own grave advice and the advice of other churches; or else, if he cannot so prevail, to put forth and exercise the superiority of his power in redressing what is amiss, according to the quality of the offence, by the course of civil justice. “On the other side, if the magistrate being a member of the church shall offend, the offence calleth upon the church either to seek the healing thereof in a brotherly way, by conviction of his sin; or else, if they cannot prevail, then to exercise the superiority of their power in removing of the offence, and recovering of the offender, by church censures.” Answer. A contradiction, to make the magistrate supreme judge in spiritual causes, and yet to have no spiritual power. Truth. If the end of spiritual or church power is bonum spirituale, a spiritual good: and the end of civil or state power is bonum temporale, a temporal good; and secondly, if the magistrate have no spiritual power to attain to his temporal end, no more than a church hath any temporal power to attain to her spiritual end, as is confessed:—I demand, if this be not a contradiction against their own disputes, tenets, and practices, touching that question of persecution for cause of conscience. For if the magistrate be supreme judge, and so, consequently, give supreme judgment, sentence, and determination, in matters of the first table and of the church, and be custos utriusque tabulæ, [the] keeper of both tables (as they speak), and yet have no spiritual power as is affirmed—how can he determine what the true church and ordinances are, and then set them up with the power of the sword? How can he give judgment of a false church, a false ministry, a false doctrine, false ordinances, and with a civil sword pull them down, if he have no spiritual power, authority, or commission from Christ Jesus for these ends and purposes? Further, I argue thus: If the civil officer of state must determine, judge, and punish in spiritual causes, his power, authority, and commission must be either spiritual or civil, or else he hath none at all: and so acts without a commission and warrant from the Lord Jesus; and so, consequently, [he] stands guilty at the bar of Christ Jesus, to answer for such his practice as a transcendent delinquent. The civil magistrate confessed to have no civil power over the souls of men: nor spiritual. Now for civil power, these worthy authors confess that the government of the civil magistrate extendeth no further than over the bodies and goods of the subject, and therefore hath no civil power over the soul, and therefore, say I, not in soul-causes. Secondly. It is here confessed, in this passage, that to attain his civil end, or bonum temporale, he hath no spiritual power; and therefore, of necessity, out of their own mouths must they be judged for provoking the magistrate, without either civil or spiritual power, to judge, punish, and persecute in spiritual causes; and to fear and tremble, lest they come near those frogs which proceed out of the mouth of the dragon, and beast, and false prophet, who, by the same arguments which the authors here use, stir up the kings of the earth to make war against the Lamb, Christ Jesus, and his followers, Rev. xvii. 14.