Mr. 'turner on Crimes and Punijhments. 315 



We may from hence infer, by the way, that 

 the opinions of men cannot, with propriety, 

 come under civil jurifdidlion j every man being 

 accountable, in this refpeft, to his moral go- 

 vernors only, his confcience and his God. It is 

 time enough for the civil magiftrate to interpofe, 

 when opinions manifeft themfelves in the con- 

 dud *of thofe who profefs them ; and then, if the 

 aftions they occafion are hurtful to fociety, he has 

 a right to reftrain themf without troubling himfelf 

 to enquire (becaufe he cannot determine; whether 

 the principles which gave rife to them are true 

 or falfe. 



We may alfo remark, in a curfory manner, 

 that this view of human punifhments furniflies 

 a ftrong prefumptive evidence in favour of the 

 dodrine of a future retribution, in which, all the 

 apparent injuftice of more imperfed courts will 

 be redified, and a fociety be eftablifhed, whofe 

 interefts will be more clofely conneded with the 

 flrideft principles of virtue. And though we 

 fhould allow, to thofe who contend for it, that 

 the natural arguments for a future ftate are not 

 fufficient of themfelves to afford full convidion 

 of its certainty, yet when, fince the promulga- 

 tion of Chriftianity, we are convinced of it by 

 another kind of evidence, it is nor, furely, de* 

 grading Divine Revelation, to fliew that its 

 (lodrines are confiftent with right reafon i fince 



* Pudfey-Ordination-Seivice, 0^111. p. 60. 



both 



