The reasons of the Christian religion the first part, of godliness, proving by natural…

But on the other side, Kings and States do ordinarily do execution on those that displease them, and break their Laws: The case of a Daniel is so rare, that it would be no rule to direct a rational course by: If the King should forbid me praying as he did Daniel, or command me to worship his Image, as he did the other three witnesses; reason and self-preservation would require me to obey him: for its ten to one but he would execute his wrath on me, and its an hundred to one God would not deliver me here. God suffered thirty or forty thousand to be murdered at once by the French Massacre under Charles 9. He suffered two hundred thousand to be murdered by the Irish Papists: He suffered many to be burned in Queen Mary's days: He suffered yet greater Havoc to be made of the poor Waldenses and Albigenses: He suffered most cruel inhumane torments, and ⟨p. 146⟩death, upon thousands of innocent persons, to change the new-planted Religion in Japan. He therefore that careth for his life and peace, will think it far safer to venture on the present executions of God, than of his King, or Enemy, or any one that is strong enough to ruin him: If I lived under the Turkish Empire, and were commanded to deny Christ, and to renounce my Baptism, and to subscribe that my Baptismal Vow doth not oblige me, or any way to lie, or be perjured, or sin against God; self-preservation would bid me, [Venture on the sin, for it is an hundred to one but God will spare thee;¹ and it is an hundred to one but that the Prince will punish and destroy thee if thou obey him not] How few that knew there were no life to come, would not rather venture to please a Tyrant, or a Robber than God, and more fear to displease them? and would not by perjury, or any commanded villainy, save himself from their fury and cruelty? and would not study more to flatter and humour them, than to obey their God? And so Man should have the chief government of the world, while Man's rewards and punishments were so much more notable than God's, Man would be feared and obeyed before God: that is, Man would be taken for our God. These things are clear undeniable truths. If there were no life to come, self-love and reason would make man more obedient to Man than God, and so make Gods of flesh and blood. But whether this be the tendency of the Government of God, let Reason judge.

But on the other side, Kings and States do ordinarily do execution on those that displease them, and break their Laws: The case of a Daniel is so rare, that it would be no rule to direct a rational course by: If the King should forbid me praying as he did Daniel, or command me to worship his Image, as he did the other three witnesses; reason and self-preservation would require me to obey him: for its ten to one but he would execute his wrath on me, and its an hundred to one God would not deliver me here. God suffered thirty or forty thousand to be murdered at once by the French Massacre under Charls 9. He suffered two hundred thousand to be murdered by the Irish Papists: He suffered many to be burned in Queen Mary's days: He suffered yet greater Havock to be made of the poor Waldenses and Alligenses: He suffered most cruel inhumane torments, and