A Treatife of Civil Power in

Ecclefiaftical Causes :

Shewing that it is not lawfull for any power on earth to compell in matters of Religion. "To the PARLAMENT of the Commonwealth of England with the dominions therof.

Have prepar'd, Supream Councel, against the much expected time of your fitting, this treatise; which, though to all Chriftian magiftrates equally belonging, and therfore to have bin written in the common language of Chriftendom, natural dutie and affection hath confin'd, and dedicated first to my own nation: and in a feafon wherin the timely reading therof, to the easier accomplishment of your great work, may fave you much labor and interruption of two parts ufually propos'd, 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 cause only do I require or truft to finde acceptance, but in a two-fold reSpect befides: first as bringing cleer evidence of fcripture and proteftant maxims to the Parlament of England, who in all thir late acts, upon occafion, have profefsd to affert only the true proteftant Chriftian religion, as it is containd in the holy fcriptures: next, in regard that your power being but for a time, and having in your felves a Chriftian libertie of your own, which at one time or other may be opprefsd, therof truly fenfible, it will concern you while you are in power, fo to regard other mens conSciences, as you would your own should 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 justly redound upon your felves. One advantage I make no doubt of, that I shall write to many eminent perfons of your number, alreadie perfet and refolvd in this important article of Christianitie. Some of whom I remember to have heard often for feveral years, at a councel next in autoritie to your own, fo well. joining religion with civil prudence, and yet fo well diftinguishing the different power of either, and this not only voting, but frequently reafoning why it should be fo, that if any there prefent had bin before of an opinion contrary, he might doubtless have departed thence a convert in that point, and have confefsd, 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 Shall be admitted to govern. Till then nothing but troubles, perfecutions, commotions can be expected; the inward decay of true religion among our felves, and the utter overthrow at last by a common enemy. Of civil libertie 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 don with all freedom under heathen emperors, I Should do wrong to fufpect, that I now fhall with lefs under Chriftian governors, and fuch efpecially as profefs openly thir defence of Chriftian libertie; although I write this not otherwife appointed or induc'd then by an inward perfwafion of the Chriftian dutie which I may usefully difcharge herin 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 publick councels to the defence of true religion and our civil rights. JOHN MILTON.

WO things there be which have bin ever found working much mischief to the church of God, and the advancement of truth; force on the one fide restraining, and hire on the other fide corrupting the teachers thereof. Few ages have bin fince the afcenfion of our Saviour, wherin the one of these two, or both together have not prevaild. It can be at no time therfore 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 fhall finde God difpofing me, and opportunity inviting. What I argue, fhall be drawn from the fcripture only; and therin from true fundamental principles of the gofpel; to all knowing Chriftians undeniable. And if the governors of this commonwealth fince the rooting out of prelats have made leaft ufe of force in religion, and most have favord Christian liberty of any in this Iland before them fince the first preaching of the gospel, for which we are not to forget our thanks to God, and their due praise, they may, I doubt not, in this treatife finde that which not only will confirm them to defend still the Christian liberty which we enjoy, but will incite them alfo to enlarge it, if in aught they yet straiten it. To them who perhaps herafter, lefs experienc'd

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 unneedfull teftimonie; at least some discharge of that general dutie which no Christian but according to what he hath receivd, knows is requir'd of him if he have aught more conducing to the advancement of religion then what is ufually endeavourd, freely to impart it.

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It will require no great labor of expofition to unfold what is here meant by matters of religion; being as foon apprehended as defin'd, such things as belong chiefly to the knowledge and service of God: and are either above the reach and light of nature without revelation from above, and therfore liable to be variously understood by humane reason, or such things as are enjoind or forbidden by divine precept, which els by the light of reason would seem indifferent to be don or not don; and fo likewife muft needs peer to everie man as the precept is understood. Whence I here mean by confcience or religion, that full perfwafion whereby we are affur'd that our beleef and practise, as far as we are able to apprehend and probably make appeer, is according to the will of God and his Holy Spirit within us, which we ought to follow much rather then any law of man, as not only his word every where bids us, but the very dictate of reafon tells us. Act 4, 19. whether it be right in the fight of God, to hearken to you more then to God, judge ye. That for beleef or practise in religion according to this confcientious perswasion no man ought to be punishd or molefted by any outward force on earth whatsoever, I distrust not, through Gods implor'd affiftance, to make plane by these following arguments.

First it cannot be deni'd, being the main foundation of our proteftant religion, that we of these ages,

having no other divine rule or autoritie from without us warrantable to one another as a common ground but the holy fcripture, and no other within us but the illumination of the Holy Spirit fo interpreting that scripture as warrantable only to our felves and to fuch whofe confciences we can fo perfwade, can have no other ground in matters of religion but only from the scriptures. And these being not poffible to be understood without this divine illumination, which no man can know at all times to be in himself, much less to be at any time for certain in any other, it follows cleerly, that no man or body of men in these times can be the infallible judges or determiners in matters of religion to any other mens confciences but thir own. And therfore thofe Beroeans are commended, Act. 17, 11, who after the preaching even of S. Paul, fearchd the fcriptures daily, whether those things were fo. Nor did they more then what God himself in many places commands us by the fame apostle, to search, to try, to judge of these things our selves: And gives us reafon alfo, Gal. 6, 4, 5, let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another: for every man shall bear his own burden. If then we count it fo ignorant and irreligious in the papift to think himself dischargd in Gods account, beleeving only as the church beleevs, how much greater condemnation will it be to the proteftant his condemner, to think himself justified, beleeving only as the state beleevs? With good cause therfore it is the general confent of all found proteftant writers, that neither traditions, councels nor canons of any vifible church, much less edicts of any magistrate or civil feffion, but the scripture only can be the final judge or rule in matters of religion, and that only in the confcience of every Christian to himself. Which proteftation made by the first publick reformers of our religion