honour the God of nations, he is authorized to punish.

That offences against the second table of the moral law are punishable, is admitted by all. This, therefore, requires no proof.

That breaches of the first table should also be punished, is equally warranted by reason, and the word of God. Let us examine the penalties annexed to the obstinate violation of the first four precepts of the decalogue. With respect to the first of these, see Deut. xiii. 1, 5. "If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreamsthat prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death, because he hath spoken lies, to turn you away from the Lord your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt." Shall the magis trate punish the man who rebels against his own authority, and pass with impunity, or extend protection to the man, who, "untrembling, mouths the heavens," and points his artillery at the throne of the Omnipotent?

With respect to the second commandment, the penalty annexed to the breach of it is also expressly stated in Deut. xiii. 6. "If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend, which is as thine own soul, entice thee secretly, saying, Come, let us go, serve other gods-thou shalt not consent unto him, neither shalt thou spare, neither shalt thou conceal him, but thou shalt surely kill him." Compare Exod. xxxii. 27. Shall a robber of a little earthly property be severely punished? And shall he who robs God of his glory, and gives it to graven images, stocks, and stones, who, as in Hab. i. 16, sacrifices unto his net, and burns incense to his drag, be allowed to pass with

impunity? Hear what Job the Chaldean, (who lived not under the Jewish economy) says, chap. xxxi. 26, 28. "If I beheld the sun when it shined, or the moon walking in brightness; and my heart hath been secretly enticed, or my mouth hath kissed my hand; this also were an iniquity to be punished by the judge."

With respect to the third precept of the decalogue, we are informed, Lev. xxiv. 15, 16. "Whosoever curseth his God, shall bear his sin, and he that blasphemeth the name of the Lord, he shall surely be put to death; and all the congregation shall stone him," &c. Shall a man be punished for a treasonable expression against an earthly magistrate, and be protected in blaspheming Christ, denying his divinity, and vilifying and reproaching his blessed Spirit!! "If he that despised Moses' law, died without mercy, under two or three witnesses; of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?" Heb. x. 28, 29.

With respect to the fourth, we may consult Nehemiah xiii. 15, 19. When the people about Jerusalem engaged about secular employments, bearing burdens, and trafficking out and in the city, he expostulates with them, shuts the gate of the city, and sets his servants to see that no burdens be brought in on the Sabbath. And in the 21st verse, he testifies against the merchants who lodged about the gates and wall, saying, "Why lodge ye about the wall? If ye do so again, I will lay hands on you." Here, we have an approved example,

for punishing the obstinate violators of the holy Sabbath. Thus, the breakers of all the precepts of the first table are punishable by civil pains.

I cannot here omit quoting the following paragraph from Gillespie's Miscellaneous Questions. "Is not (says he) the mischief of a blind guide greater than if he acted treason, &c., and the loss of one soul by seduction, greater mischief than if he blew up Parliament, cut the throat of kings or emperors, so precious is that invaluable jewel of a soul. And (says he) when the church of Christ sinketh in a state, let not that state think to swim. Religion and righteousness flourish and fade, stand or fall together. They who are false to God will never prove faithful to men."

8. He hath a right to judge of the decrees of ecclesiastical assemblies, whether they are agreeable to the law of God, the supreme law of the land. 1st Thess. v. 21. The command to "prove all things," is obligatory on the magistrate, as well as others. He also is bound to use the rule of unerring rectitude. Isa. viii. 20. "To the law and the testimony, if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them."

Before he gives his sanction to any church deed, he must bring it to this sacred touch-stone; if it agrees therewith, he ought to ratify it, if not, he has not only a right to reject it, but he is also bound to stamp his negative upon it.

This ratification of it is solely civil, and similar to his sanctioning of civil ordinances.

If this power is denied him, he must be considered as a being of no discretion, and, consequently, unfit to be a civil magistrate. To suppose him bound to ratify whatever the church might decree, without previous examination and convic

tion of its propriety, would make him a mere tool, fit for nothing but propping up the crazy chair of the man of sin. But as we have endeavoured to show what the civil power ought to do for the church, it will be necessary, in the

V. place, to show what is the character of the civil branch, from which this is to be expected. And,

1. It should possess wisdom and understanding Ex. xviii. 21. "Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people, able men." And Deut. i. 13. "Take ye wise men and understanding-and make them rulers over you." They must be men of ability, possessing wisdom and prudence, and well acquainted with the laws of the Most High God. Thus it is, that "wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability" of their administration, Isa. xxxiii. 6. And without this, there can be no reasonable expectation that they will answer the ends of their appointment.

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2. Another part of their character, is, a profession of Christianity. For a Christian people to appoint a Deist to govern them, to say nothing of its repugnancy to the divine law, is even shameful. It is just like the trees in Jotham's parable, Judges, ix. 14. Then said all the trees unto the bramble, Come thou, and reign over us. Because they could not find a tree of more generous growth, to govern them. But this is contrary to the express command of God. Deut. xvii. 15. "Thou shalt in any wise set him king over thee, whom the Lord thy God shall choose: one from among thy brethren shalt thou set king over thee; thou mayest not set a stranger over thee, which is not thy bro. ther." Is it to be expected that the man, who is not a brother in the profession of the religion of

Jesus, but an obstinate Infidel, will make his administration bend to the interests of Immanuel, whose existence he denies, whose religion he mocks, and whose kingdom he believes to be fictitious?

3. Another character is, uprightness and integrity. Exod. xviii. 21, we are here informed that they should be "such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness.' The high responsibility connected with their station, requires men of rectitude, and integrity of character; thus, 2d Sam. xxiii. 2, 3. "The Spirit of the Lord spake by me, and his word was in my tongue. He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God."

4. They must be a terror to evil doers. Rom. xiii. 3, 5. "For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil the ministers of God, avengers to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil." Hence, we are informed "he beareth not the sword in vain," suppressing, as far as his influence can extend, every violation of the divine law.

5. They must be a “ praise to them that do well." 1st Pet. ii. 14. Rewarding and encou raging the virtuous, "that they may live quiet and peaceable lives in all godliness and honesty.' Solomon's administration is represented as being of this description, Ps. lxxii. 7. "In his days shall the righteous flourish and possess abundance of peace."

6. They should be continually attentive to official duty. Rom. xiii. 6. "For they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing." If this were duly attended to, not only would magistratical functions be better executed,