PHI LOS 0 P H Y . - Classic Works of Apologetics Online

and of To/el-at;(jn. 481
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to be applied, will be found a very significant part of
the direction.
not only~
It obliges the magistrate to refiect,
whether the religion which he wishes to
propagate amongst his subjects, be that which will
best secure their eternal welfare; not only, \vhether
the methods he empioys be likelv to effectuate the establishment
of that religion ; but al~ upon this further
question, whether the kind of intt>rf~rence, which he
is about to exerci:;e, if it were adopted as a common
maxim amongst ~tate5 and princes, or t:'eceived as a
general rule for the conduct of government in matters
of religion, would, upon ihe ~"holp~ and in the
mass of instances in which his example might be imitated.
, conduce to the furtherance of human ·salvation.
If the magistrate, for example~ shQuld think that, al.
though the applicatbn of his power might, in the in.
stance concerIling which he deliberates, advance the
true religion, and together with it the happiness of
his peop Ie, yet thai the same engine, in other hands,
who might assume the right to use it with the like
pretentious of reason and authority that he himself
alleges, would nlore frequently shut o1!t truth, and
obstruct the means .of ~alvation:. he wo~ld be bound
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by this opinion, still admitting public utility to be the
supreme rule of his conduct, to refrain from expedients,
which, whatever particular' effects he Dlay expect
from them, are in their general operation dangerous
or hurtful. If there be any difficulty in the subject,
it arises from that which is the cau.,e of every difficul.
ty in morah-the competition of particular and gen.
eral consequences; or, what is the same thing, the
s,-~hmission of one generalleule to another rule which
is still more genera).
Bearing then in mind that it is the general tenden ..
cy of the measure, or, in other words, the effects
which would ari~e from the measure being generally
ado!lted, that fixes upon it the character of rr.ctitude
or injustice; we proceed to inquire what is th;~ de",
grce and the sort of interference of secular laws in
matters of religion, which are likely to be beneficial
to the public happiness. There are two maxims,
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