victims, and it is hard to fatiate fuch a devouring Idol!

Another fundamental mistake, in the perfecution of Servetus, was, "that, in confequence of their fuppofing they were certainly in the right themfelves, they thought "it their duty to call in the fecular arm; and that magiftrates had a power,

given them, from God, to intermeddle "with religious affairs, and punih men "for differing in their opinions from the "Great or the Many."

They did not duely confider that, by this argument, the Proteftants, who were many of them that very year burned in France, fuffered juftly; and that they furnished the Papifts with an invincible argument, against themselves, wherever the Protestants were in their power. Nay, Calvin went further, when he incited the magiftrates of Vienne (who were Papifts) to apprehend Servetus, and burn him, because of his opinions. They would have done as much for Calvin, if they had catched him. And, according to his own fentiments, he could have had nothing justly to have objected against them.

But the truth is, "though the magistrate hath a right to punish all fuch as difturb the peace of fociety; yet he hath no right to punish peaceable members of fociety, whatever their religious opinions be." Religion should ever be carefully feparated from civil govern

ment;

ment; though ignorant, bigoted, and interested men have generally been for mixing and confounding them, in order to support themselves in wealth and power. Religion lies between God and a man's own confcience; and the magiftrate ought to protect every one, in his right of choofing his own Religion, of profeffing it publicly, and worfhiping in his own way, without any danger from his fo doing. And it ought to be remembred, in honor of Servetus, that he fo well understood the Rights of Confcience, as to declare exprefly, "That the fword of the

magiftrate ought not to be made ufe of, in "matters of Religion." -Which the celebrated Mr. Locke, and others, have, fince that, abundantly shown to be truly reasonable and chriftian.

It has been the common method of Perfecutors and Inquifitors, in such cases, to devest themselves of all humanity, and mix their own private refentments with their zeal for orthodoxy. Had Servetus paid a profound fubmiffion to Calvin and his friends, as Valentinus Gentilis did, who was afterwards imprifoned at Geneva, for Herefy, he would have escaped with his life, as well as the other. But to confult fuch great Doctors about their opinions, and yet dare to differ from them, and to write against them, was not to be indured. Nay, Calvin intimates, "that, if he had behaved with any modefty,

" he

"he fhould have been fpared;" but Servetus would not acknowlege himself convinced, before he was really convinced; and therefore he fell a facrifice to the refentments of his Perfecutors; who, being refolved upon his deftruction, produced private letters, betrayed the fecrets of friendship, and fcrupled no method to bring him to ruine. For there is no Faith to be kept with Heretics. traying fecrets, and violating friendship, and a thousand other things, which are wicked in themselves, immediately become virtuous, pious, laudable, and excellent; when zealots are to contend for the Faith, and support their own infallible fyftems.

And be

His profecutor was allowed counsel; but Servetus, though a foreigner, and a stranger to their methods of proceding, was an Heretic; and therefore he must have no favor shown him; nor even common Justice.

Malefactors can generally have in prison what may render their confinement more easy, as long as they themselves can pay for it; but Servetus must be ftarved, amidst cold and naftineffe; and their Chriftian charity denied him the common favors, which are due to all mankind.

What a favage thing is perfecution! that can transform men into brutes, or devils; and make them deaf to the forceful cries of the miferable, in the most exquifite diftreffe? St. Paul fais, that of faith, hope, and charity,

these

these three christian virtues, the greatest of thefe is Charity. But they were of a different opinion from St. Paul; and therefore they exalted faith above charity, and broke the christian laws, to promote the glory of God, and drive Herefy out of the Christian church. They got a number of hands from the neighboring ftates, to fupport and vindicate the fentence, which they were going to paffe; but neither power nor multitudes can make Wrong to be right; and a few may, in fome cafes, hold the truth, when error prevails both among the great and the many.

It would have given me a moft exquifite pleasure, to have found the great reformer, Calvin, instead of apprehending Servetus in Geneva, to have got him his liberty, after he had been unjustly apprehended by others; and to have used him, in the fame friendly and beneficent manner, that he could have wifhed to have been treated himself; if he had fallen into the hands of Papists, or other Perfecutors. Calvin, being a man of great parts, might have made as good a difcourfe as he was able, before Servetus and all the magiftrates of Geneva, "in order to have "shown, how contrary Servetus's notions were to Reafon and Holy Scripture; and ought

to have exerted all his eloquence, in point"ing out the abfurdity of Perfecution, for any religious opinion whatever. If he had "treated that phyfician with fuch humanity,

" it

it would have been the most likely way to "have induced him to liften to what he had

to offer. And, tho' Calvin had not fucced"ed, in bringing over his adversary, he might nevertheleffe have convinced him of "his Chriftian charity and fincere good

wifhes; and fhown, that (though Serve"tus's arguments were many of them ob"fcure, and fuch as he could not fee the "force of; yet) he retained a fincere good"will to his person, and would recommend "it to him to examine his opinions over again; to abstain from all unbecoming expreffions, and to take care, left he should "be tranfported with a violent and indifcreet " zeal; that Almighty God had been very "propitious to him, in not permitting him "to fall a facrifice into the hands of Papifts; "who were then drunk with the blood of fo many of the Saints and Martyrs of Jefus: That, for his part, he abhorred perfecu"tion, in all the kinds and degrees of it; "and that he treated Servetus with humani

ty, and preferved him out of Chriftian cha"rity; which was doing, as he, in a like cafe, would have defired to be done to " him ; that he was glad to see him in a

cr

Proteftant city, where Liberty of confcience "was daily gaining ground; and among true "chriftians, who did not defire the death of a

finer, but rather that he should turn and "live. That, if he pleafed to tarry with them, "they

N