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. LXXXVI. CHAP. LXXXVI. The third head concerns the end of both these powers. [Peace.] “First, the common and last end of both is God’s glory, and man’s eternal felicity. “Secondly. The proper ends— “First, of commonwealth, is the procuring, preserving, increasing of external and temporal peace and felicity of the state, in all godliness and honesty, 1 Tim. ii. 1, 2. “Secondly, of the church, a begetting, preserving, increasing of internal and spiritual peace and felicity of the church, in all godliness and honesty, Esay. ii. 3, 4, and ix. 7. So that magistrates have power given them from Christ in matters of religion, because they are bound to see that outward peace be preserved, not in all ungodliness and dishonesty, for such peace is Satanical; but in all godliness and honesty, for such peace God aims at. And hence the magistrate is custos of both the tables of godliness, in the first of honesty, in the second for peace’s sake. He must see that honesty be preserved within his jurisdiction, or else the subject will not be bonus cives. He must see that godliness as well as honesty be preserved, else the subject will not be bonus vir, who is the best bonus cives. He must see that godliness and honesty be preserved, or else himself will not be bonu magistratus.”[207] Truth. In this passage here are divers particulars affirmed, marvellously destructive both to godliness and honesty, though under a fair mask and colour of both. The garden of the church and the wilderness of the world made all one. First, it will appear that in spiritual things they make the garden and the wilderness, as often I have intimated—I say the garden and the wilderness, the church and the world, are all one: for thus, If the powers of the world, or civil state, are bound to propose external peace in all godliness for their end, and the end of the church be to preserve internal peace in all godliness, I demand, if their end (godliness) be the same, is not their power and state the same also? unless they make the church subordinate to the commonwealth’s end, or the commonweal subordinate to the church’s end, which—being the governor and setter up of it, and so consequently the judge of it—it cannot be. The commonweal more charged by these authors with the worship and ordinances, than the church. Now if godliness be the worshipping and walking with God in Christ, is not the magistrate and commonweal charged more by this tenet with the worship and ordinances of God, than the church? for the magistrate they charge with the external peace in godliness, and the church but with the internal. I ask further, what is this internal peace in all godliness? whether intend they internal, within the soul, which only the eye of God can see, opposed to external, or visible, which man also can discern? or else, whether they mean internal, that is spiritual, soul-matters, matters of God’s worship? and then I say, that peace, to wit, of godliness or God’s worship, they had before granted to the civil state. The authors of these positions never yet saw a true difference between the church of Christ and the world, in point of worship. Peace. The truth is, as I now perceive, the best and most godly of that judgment declare themselves never to have seen a true difference between the church and the world, and the spiritual and civil state; and howsoever these worthy authors seem to make a kind of separation from the world, and profess that the church must consist of spiritual and living stones, saints, regenerate persons, and so make some peculiar enclosed ordinances, as the supper of the Lord, which none, say they, but godly persons must taste of; yet, by compelling all within their jurisdiction to an outward conformity of the church worship, of the word and prayer, and maintenance of the ministry thereof, they evidently declare that they still lodge and dwell in the confused mixtures of the unclean and clean, of the flock of Christ and herds of the world together—I mean, in spiritual and religious worship. Truth. For a more full and clear discussion of this scripture, 1 Tim. ii. 1, 2, on which is weakly built such a mighty building, I shall propose and resolve these four queries.