towards God; that no religion should be publicly professed; nor
ought there to be any inquiry which of many is alone true; nor ought one
to be preferred to the rest; nor ought one to be specially favored, but
to each alike equal rights ought to be assigned, with the sole end that
the social order incurs no injury from them. It is a part of this theory
that all questions concerning religion are to be referred to private
judgment; that to every one it is allowed to follow which he prefers, or
none at all, if he approves of none. Hence these consequences naturally
arise; the judgment of each conscience is without regard to law;
opinions as free as possible are expressed concerning worshipping or not
worshipping God; and there is unbounded license of thinking and
publishing.

These foundations of the State being admitted, which at the time are in
such general favor, it easily appears into how unfavorable a position
the Church is driven. For when the conduct of affairs is in accordance
with the doctrines of this kind, to the Catholic name is assigned an
equal position with, or even an inferior position to that of alien
societies in the State; no regard is paid to ecclesiastical laws; and
the Church, which, by the command and mandate of Jesus Christ, ought to
teach all nations, finds itself forbidden in any way to interfere in the
instruction of the people. Concerning those things which are of mixed
jurisdiction, the rulers of the civil power lay down the law at their
own pleasure, and in this manner haughtily set aside the most sacred
laws of the Church. Wherefore they bring under their own jurisdiction
the marriages of Christians, deciding even concerning the marriage bond,
concerning the unity, and the stability of marriage. They take
possession of the goods of the clergy because they deny that the Church
can hold property. Finally, they so act with regard to the Church that
both the nature and the rights of a perfect society being removed, they
clearly hold it to be like the other associations which the State
contains, and on that account, if she possesses any legitimate means of
acting, she is said to possess that by the concession and gift of the
rulers of the State. But if in any State the Church retains her own
right, with the approval of the civil laws, and any agreement is
publicly made between the two powers, in the beginning they cry out that
the interests of the Church must be severed from those of the State, and