you

refute this adverfary of yours yourselves, which I do not fee any other means of your affecting, than by a conftant endeavour to outdo all men's bad words by your own good deeds. When laboured under more forts of oppreffion than one, you betook yourselves to God for refuge, and he was gracioufly pleafed to hear your most earneft prayer and defires. He has gloriously. delivered you, the firit of nations, from the two greatest mifchiefs of this life, and moft pernicious to virtue, tyranny and fuperftition; he has endued you with greatnefs of mind to be the first of mankind, who after having conquered their own king, and having had him delivered into their hands, have not fcrupled to condemn him judicially, and purfuant to that fentence of condemnation, to put him to death. After the performing to glorious an action as this, you ought to do nothing that is mean and little, not fo much as to think of, much less to do any thing but what is great and fublime. Which to attain to, this is your only way; as you have subdued your enemics in the field, fo to make appear, that unarmed, and in the higheft outward peace and tranquillity, you of all mankind are beft able to fubdue ambition, avarice, the love of riches, and can beft avoid the corruptions that profperity is apt to introduce, (which generally fubdue and triumph over other nations,) to fhow as great juftice, temperance, and moderation in the maintaining your liberty, as you have fhown courage in freeing yourfelves from flavery. Thefe are the only arguments, by which you will be able to evince, that you are not fuch perfons as this fellow reprefents you, Traitors, Robbers, Murderers, Parricides, Madmen; that you did not put your king to death out of any ambitious defign, or a defire of invading the rights of others, not out of any feditious principles or finifter ends; that it was not an act of fury or madness; but that it was wholly out of love to your liberty, your religion, to juftice, virtue, and your country, that you punished a tyrant. But if it fhould fall out otherwife (which God forbid) if as you have been valiant in war, you fhould grow debauched in peace, you that have had fuch visible demonftrations of the goodness of God to

yourselves,

yourselves, and his wrath againft your enemies; and that you fhould not have learned by fo eminent, fo remarkable an example before your eyes, to fear God, and work righteoufics; for my part, I thall eafily grant and confefs (for I cannot deny it) whatever ill men may fpeak or think of you, to be very true. And you will find in a little time, that God's difpleafure againft you will be greater than it has been againft your adverfarics, greater than his grace and favour has been to yourselves, which you have had larger experience of, than any other nation under Heaven.

A

TREATISE

ΟΙ

Civil Power in Ecclesiastical Causes;

SHOWING,

That it is not lawful for any Power on Earth to compel in Matters of Religion.*

To the Parliament of the Commonwealth of ENGLAND, with the Dominions thereof.

I

Have prepared, Supreme Council! against the muchexpected time of your fitting, this treatife; which, though to all chriftian magiftrates equally belonging, and therefore to have been written in the common language of Chriftendom, natural duty and affection hath confined, and dedicated firft to my own nation; and in a feafon wherein the timely reading thereof, to the eafier accomplishment of your great work, may fave you much labour and interruption: of two parts ufually propofed, civil and ecclefiaftical, recommending civil only to your proper care, ecclefiaftical to them only from whom it takes both that name and nature. Yet not

for this caufe only do I require or truft to find acceptance, but in a twofold refpect befides: firft, as bringing clear evidence of fcripture and proteftant maxims to the parliament of England, who in all their late acts, upon occafion, have profeffed to affert only the true proteftant chriftian religion, as it is contained in the holy fcriptures: next, in regard that your power being but for a time, and having in yourfelves a chriftian liberty of your own, which at one time or other may be oppreffed, thereof truly fenfible, it will concern you

* Firft printed 1659.

while you are in power, fo to regard other men's confciences, as you would your own fhould be regarded in the power of others; and to confider that any law against confcience is alike in force against any confcience, and fo may one way or other juftly redound upon yourfelves. One advantage I make no doubt of, that I fhall write to many eminent perfons of your number, already perfeet and refolved in this important article of christianity. Some of whom I remember to have heard often for feveral years, at a council next in authority to your own, fo well joining religion with civil prudence, and yet fo well diftinguithing the different power of either; and this not only voting, but frequently reafoning why it fhould be fo, that if any there prefent had been before of an opinion contrary, he might doubtlefs have departed thence a convert in that point, and have confeffed, that then both commonwealth and religion will at length, if ever, flourish in Christendom, when either they who govern difcern between civil and religious, or they only who fo 'difcern fhall be admitted to govern. Till then, nothing but troubles, perfecutions, commotions can be expected; the inward decay of true religion among ourfelves, and the utter overthrow at laft by a common enemy. Of civil liberty I have written heretofore by the appointment, and not without the approbation of civil power: of chriftian liberty I write now, which others long fince having done with all freedom under heathen emperors, I fhould do wrong to fufpect, that I now fhall with lefs under chriftian governors, and fuch especially as profefs openly their defence of chriftian liberty; although I write this, not otherwife appointed or induced, than by an inward perfuafion of the chriftian duty, which I may ufefully discharge herein to the common lord and master of us all, and the certain hope of his approbation, first and chiefeft to be fought in the hand of whofe providence I remain, praying all fuccefs and good event on your public councils, to the defence of true religion and our civil rights. JOHN MILTON.

A TREATISE OF CIVIL POWER

IN ECCLESIASTICAL CAUSES.

TWO things there be, which have been ever found working much mifchief to the Church of God, and the advancement of truth; force on one fide reftraining, and hire on the other fide corrupting the teachers thereof. Few ages have been fince the afcenfion of our Saviour, wherein the one of thefe two, or both together, have not prevailed. It can be at no time, therefore, unfeasonable to speak of these things; fince by them the church is either in continual detriment and oppreffion, or in continual danger. The former fhall be at this time my argument; the latter as I thall find God difpofing me, and opportunity inviting. What I argue, fhall be drawn from the Scripture only; and therein from true fundamental principles of the gospel, to all knowing chriftians undeniable. And if the governors of this commonwealth, fince the rooting out of prelates, have made leaft ule of force in religion, and moft have favoured chriftian liberty of any

any in this ifland before them fince the firft preaching of the gospel, for which we are not to forget our thanks to God, and their due praife; they may, I doubt not, in this treatise, find that which not only will confirm them to defend ftill the chriftian liberty which we enjoy, but will incite them alfo to enlarge it, if in aught they yet ftraiten it. To them who perhaps hereafter, lefs experienced in religion, may come to govern or give us laws, this or other fuch, if they please, may be a timely inftruction: however, to the truth it will be at all times no unneedful teftimony, at least fome difcharge of that general duty, which no chriftian, but according to what he hath received, knows is required of him, if he have aught more conducing to the advancement of religion, than what is ufually endeavoured, freely to impart it.

It will require no great labour of expofition, to unfold what is here meant by matters of religion; being

as