[Footnote 1:  I have noted in the Tract one occurrence at least of the very un-Miltonic word its, as follows:—­“As the Samaritans believed Christ, first for the woman’s word, but next and much rather for his own, so we the Scripture first on the Church’s word, but afterwards and much more for its own as the word of God.”]

Blasphemy.—­“But some are ready to cry out ’What shall then be done to Blasphemy?’ Them I would first exhort not thus to terrify and pose the people with a Greek word, but to teach them better what it is:  being a most usual and common word in that language to signify any slander, any malicious or evil speaking, whether against God or man or anything to good belonging.”

Heresy and Heretic:—­“Another Greek apparition stands in our way, ‘Heresy and Heretic’:  in like manner also railed at to the people, as in a tongue unknown.  They should first interpret to them that Heresy, by what it signifies in that language, is no word of evil note; meaning only the choice or following of any opinion, good or bad, in religion or any other learning.”

A Wrested Text of Scripture:—­“It hath now twice befallen me to assert, through God’s assistance, this most wrested and vexed place of Scripture [Romans XIII, ’Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers,’ &c.]:  heretofore against Salmasius and regal tyranny over the State; now against Erastus and State-tyranny over the Church.”

Are Popery and Idolatry to be Tolerated?—­“But, as for Popery and Idolatry, why they also may not hence plead to be tolerated, I have much less to say.  Their Religion, the more considered, the less can be acknowledged a Religion, but a Roman Principality rather, endeavouring to keep up her old universal dominion under a new name and mere shadow of a Catholic Religion; being indeed more rightly named a Catholic Heresy against the Scripture; supported mainly by a civil, and, except in Rome, by a foreign, power:  justly therefore to be suspected, not tolerated, by the magistrate of another country.  Besides, of an implicit faith, which they profess, the conscience also becomes implicit, and so, by voluntary servitude to man’s law, forfeits her Christian liberty.  Who, then, can plead for such a conscience as, being implicitly enthralled to man instead of God, almost becomes no conscience, as the will not free becomes no will?  Nevertheless, if they ought not to be tolerated, it is for just reason of State more than of Religion; which they who force, though professing to be Protestants, deserve as little to be tolerated themselves, being no less guilty of Popery in the most Popish point.  Lastly, for Idolatry, who knows it not to be evidently against all Scripture, both of the Old and New Testament, and therefore a true heresy, or rather an impiety; wherein a right conscience can have naught to do, and the works thereof so manifest that a magistrate can hardly err in prohibiting and quite removing at least the public and scandalous use thereof.”

  Christ’s unique act of Compulsion:—­“We read not that Christ
  ever exercised force but once; and that was to drive profane ones
  out of his Temple, not to force them in.”