"It is the will and command of God that, since the coming of His Son the Lord Jesus, a permission of the most paganish, Jewish, Turkish, or anti-Christian consciences and worships, be granted to all men in all nations and countries; and they are only to be fought against with that sword which is only (in soul matters) able to conquer, to wit, the sword of God's Spirit, the Word of God." — Roger Williams, The Bloody Tenent of Persecution for Cause of Conscience (1644)
Williams's central argument in this passage is that:
- A
Only Christians should hold public office, but worship may be private
- Bcheck_circle
Civil authorities should not coerce religious belief; spiritual error must be answered only by Scripture
- C
Magistrates must enforce the First Table of the Ten Commandments
- D
The English monarch is the rightful head of all Protestant churches in the colonies
Explanation
Williams insists that conscience is beyond civil jurisdiction; the only proper weapon against false belief is the "sword of God's Spirit," meaning persuasion through Scripture, not state punishment.