faith.

  The articles of religion are some of them practical and some
speculative. Now, though both sorts consist in the knowledge of truth,
yet these terminate simply in the understanding, those influence the
will and manners. Speculative opinions, therefore, and articles of
faith (as they are called) which are required only to be believed,
cannot be imposed on any Church by the law of the land. For it is
absurd that things should be enjoined by laws which are not in men's
power to perform. And to believe this or that to be true does not
depend upon our will. But of this enough has been said already. "But."
will some say; "let men at least profess that they believe." A sweet
religion, indeed, that obliges men to dissemble and tell lies, both to
God and man, for the salvation of their souls! If the magistrate
thinks to save men thus, he seems to understand little of the way of
salvation. And if he does it not in order to save them, why is he so
solicitous about the articles of faith as to enact them by a law?

  Further, the magistrate ought not to forbid the preaching or
professing of any speculative opinions in any Church because they have
no manner of relation to the civil rights of the subjects. If a
Roman Catholic believe that to be really the body of Christ which
another man calls bread, he does no injury thereby to his neighbour.
If a Jew do not believe the New Testament to be the Word of God, he
does not thereby alter anything in men's civil rights. If a heathen
doubt of both Testaments, he is not therefore to be punished as a
pernicious citizen. The power of the magistrate and the estates of the
people may be equally secure whether any man believe these things or
no. I readily grant that these opinions are false and absurd. But
the business of laws is not to provide for the truth of opinions,
but for the safety and security of the commonwealth and of every
particular man's goods and person. And so it ought to be. For the
truth certainly would do well enough if she were once left to shift
for herself. She seldom has received and, I fear, never will receive
much assistance from the power of great men, to whom she is but rarely
known and more rarely welcome. She is not taught by laws, nor has
she any need of force to procure her entrance into the minds of men.
Errors, indeed, prevail by the assistance of foreign and borrowed
succours. But if Truth makes not her way into the understanding by her
own light, she will be but the weaker for any borrowed force
violence can add to her. Thus much for speculative opinions. Let us
now proceed to practical ones.

  A good life, in which consist not the least part of religion and
true piety, concerns also the civil government; and in it lies the
safety both of men's souls and of the commonwealth. Moral actions
belong, therefore, to the jurisdiction both of the outward and
inward court; both of the civil and domestic governor; I mean both
of the magistrate and conscience. Here, therefore, is great danger,
lest one of these jurisdictions intrench upon the other, and discord
arise between the keeper of the public peace and the overseers of
souls. But if what has been already said concerning the limits of both
these governments be rightly considered, it will easily remove all
difficulty in this matter.

  Every man has an immortal soul, capable of eternal happiness or
misery; whose happiness depending upon his believing and doing those
things in this life which are necessary to the obtaining of God's
favour, and are prescribed by God to that end. It follows from thence,
first, that the observance of these things is the highest obligation
that lies upon mankind and that our utmost care, application, and
diligence ought to be exercised in the search and performance of them;
because there is nothing in this world that is of any consideration in
comparison with eternity. Secondly, that seeing one man does not
violate the right of another by his erroneous opinions and undue
manner of worship, nor is his perdition any prejudice to another man's
affairs, therefore, the care of each man's salvation belongs only to
himself. But I would not have this understood as if I meant hereby
to condemn all charitable admonitions and affectionate endeavours to
reduce men from errors, which are indeed the greatest duty of a
Christian. Any one may employ as many exhortations and arguments as he
pleases, towards the promoting of another man's salvation. But all
force and compulsion are to be forborne. Nothing is to be done
imperiously. Nobody is obliged in that matter to yield obedience
unto the admonitions or injunctions of another, further than he
himself is persuaded. Every man in that has the supreme and absolute
authority of judging for himself. And the reason is because nobody
else is concerned in it, nor can receive any prejudice from his
conduct therein.

  But besides their souls, which are immortal, men have also their
temporal lives here upon earth; the state whereof being frail and
fleeting, and the duration uncertain, they have need of several
outward conveniences to the support thereof, which are to be
procured or preserved by pains and industry. For those things that are
necessary to the comfortable support of our lives are not the
spontaneous products of nature, nor do offer themselves fit and
prepared for our use. This part, therefore, draws on another care
and necessarily gives another employment. But the pravity of mankind
being such that they had rather injuriously prey upon the fruits of
other men's labours than take pains to provide for themselves, the
necessity of preserving men in the possession of what honest
industry has already acquired and also of preserving their liberty and
strength, whereby they may acquire what they farther want, obliges men
to enter into society with one another, that by mutual assistance
and joint force they may secure unto each other their properties, in
the things that contribute to the comfort and happiness of this
life, leaving in the meanwhile to every man the care of his own
eternal happiness, the attainment whereof can neither be facilitated
by another man's industry, nor can the loss of it turn to another