A free disputation against pretended liberty of conscience tending to resolve doubts moved

Argument XIV.

That which the servants of God do in an extraordinary impulsion of the Spirit,¹ in the case of the sinful neglect of the lawful Magistrate, or when there is no Christian Magistrate to do it, that must be the ordinary constant duty of the Magistrate, especially when that turns away wrath from the Land, and is taken as acceptable service to God, as if the ordinary Magistrate had done it. But the extraordinary punishing of those that violate the worship of God, and pervert the ways of God, and the faith of others, is such, ergo, to punish such as violate the worship of God, and pervert the faith of others, must be the ordinary constant duty of the Magistrate. The proposition is evident, because extraordinary acts necessary to be done supply the want of ordinary acts, as in moral acts acceptable to God is clear; when the under-Rulers do not their duty, Phinehas is praised, that he being a Priest, not a Judge, slew Zimri and Cosbey, and Phinehas did acceptable service to God in so doing, Num. 25. 11, 12, 13. and Elijah in his zeal killed the Priests of Baal, when Ahab the ordinary Magistrate sinfully neglected his duty, and Samuel now being no Judge, killed Agag, ••go, it was the duty of Saul as the ordinary Magistrate to do it. Now in the New Testament it is clear the ordinary officers and porters should violently have cast out the buyers and sellers, and tables of money changers out of the Temple, our Saviour Christ doth it i• an extraordinary way, and it was the zeal of the house of God that moved him, Ps. 69. 9. Job. 2. So Ananias and Sapphira lied to the Holy Ghost, & defrauded the Church in a matter of goods, therefore Peter struck them dead, then if there had been a Christian Magistrate, he should have inflicted bodily punishment upon Ananias and Sapphira; so Paul strikes Eli with blindness for attempting to pervert the faith of Sergius Paulus, ergo, the Magistrate, if there had been any to procure