THE NINETEENTH SECTION.

OF THE CIVIL MAGISTRATE.

I.-FROM THE LATTER CONFESSION OF HELVETIA.

Chapter 30. Of Magistracy.

THE magistracy, of what sort soever it be, is ordained of God himself, for the peace and quietness of mankind; and so, that he ought to have the chiefest place in the world. If he be an adversary to the Church, he may hinder and disturb it very much: but if he be a friend and so a member of the Church, he is a most useful and excellent member thereof, which may profit it very much, and finally may help and further it very excellently. His chiefest duty is, to procure and maintain peace and public tranquillity: which doubtless he shall never do more happily, than when he shall be truly seasoned with the fear of God and true religion; namely, when he shall, after the example of the most holy kings and princes of the people of the Lord, advance the preaching of the truth, and the pure and sincere faith, and shall root out lies, and all superstition, with all impiety and idolatry, and shall defend the church of God. For indeed we teach that the care of religion doth chiefly appertain to the holy magistrate. Let him therefore hold the word of God in his hands, and look that nothing be taught contrary thereunto. In like manner let him govern the people committed to him of God, with good laws, made according to the word of God.* Let him hold them in discipline, and in duty, and in obedience : let him exercise judgment by judging uprightly: let him not accept any man's person, or receive bribes: let him deliver widows, fatherless children, and those that be afflicted, from wrong: let him repress, yea, and cut off such as are unjust, whether in deceit or by violence. "For he hath not received the sword of God Therefore let him draw forth this sword of

in vain." Rom. xiii. 4.

That is, with such as do not forbid that which God doth command in the Moral Law, and by the voice of nature itself; nor command that which He forbiddeth. For otherwise, by the name of the word of God the Civil Law of the Jews might also be understood; to the which, notwithstanding, we are not bound in so much as it is civil, but only so far forth as it is grounded upon the general and perpetual rule of justice,

God against all malefactors, seditious persons, thieves or murderers, oppressors, blasphemers, perjured persons, and all those whom God hath commanded him to punish or even to execute. Let him suppress stubborn heretics (which are heretics indeed), who cease not to blaspheme the majesty of God, and to trouble the Church, yea, and finally to destroy it. But if so be it be necessary to preserve the safety of the people by war, let him do it in the name of God; provided he have first sought peace by all means possible, and can save his subjects no way but by war. And whileas the magistrate doth these things in faith, he serveth God with those works, as with such as be good, and shall receive a blessing from the Lord.

We condemn the Anabaptists, who, as they deny that a Christian man should bear the office of a magistrate, so also they deny that any man can justly be put to death by the magistrate, or that the magistrate may make war, or that oaths should be performed to the magistrate, and such like things. For as God will work the safety of his people by the magistrate, whom he hath given to be, as it were, a father of the world; so all subjects are commanded to acknowledge this benefit of God in the magistrate. Therefore let them honour and reverence the magistrate, as the minister of God; let them love him, favour him, and pray for him, as their father; and let them obey all his just and equal commandments. Finally, let them pay all customs and tributes, and all other duties of the like sort, faithfully and willingly. And if the common safety of the country and justice require it, and the magistrate do of necessity make war, let them even lay down their life, and spend their blood for the common safety and defence of the magistrate; and that in the name of God, willingly, valiantly, and cheerfully. For he that opposeth himself against the magistrate, doth procure the wrath of God against him. We condemn, therefore, all contemners of magistrates, rebels, enemies of the commonwealth, seditious villains, and, in a word, all such as do either openly or closely refuse to perform those duties which they owe.

The Conclusion. We beseech God, our most merciful Father in heaven, that He will bless the princes of the people, and us, and his whole people, through Jesus Christ, our only Lord and Saviour; to whom be praise and thanksgiving, both now and for ever! Amen.

II. FROM THE FORMER CONFESSION OF HELVETIA.

Article 26. Of Magistracy.

Seeing that every magistrate is of God, his chief duty (except it please him to exercise a tyranny) consisteth in this; to defend and protect religion from all blasphemy, and, as the prophet teacheth out of the word of the Lord, to put it in practice, so much as in him lieth. Ezek. xlv. 9. In which part truly the first place is given to the pure and free preaching of the word of God, the instruction of the youth of citizens, and a right and diligent teaching in schools; to lawful discipline, a liberal provision for the ministers of the Church, and a provident care for the poor (unto which object tend all the faculties of the Church :) secondly, to judge the people according to just and divine laws,* to keep judgment and justice, to maintain the public peace, to cherish the commonwealth, and to punish offenders, according to the quality of the fault, in their estate, person, or life. Which things when he doth, he performeth a service due to God. We know that, though we be free, we ought with true faith holily to submit ourselves to the magistrate, both in our body, and in all our faculties, and with endeavour of mind also to perform faithfulness, and the oath which we made to him,† so far forth as his government is not evidently repugnant to Him, for whose sake we do reverence the magistrate.

III.-FROM THE CONFESSION OF BASLE.

Article 7. Of Magistracy.

Moreover, God hath assigned to the magistrate, who is His minister, the sword and chief external power, for the defence of the good, and for the revenging and punishment of the evil. Rom. xiii. 4; 1 Pet. ii. 14. Therefore every Christian magistrate (in the number whereof we also desire to be ‡) doth direct all his strength to this; that among those which are committed to his charge, the

That is, agreeable to equity and righteousness, and, to conclude, to the law of nature, whereof God himself is the author.

That is, the fealty whereby subjects are bound to their magistrates. These things are spoken in the person of the magistrates themselves, and not of the pastors of the church at Basle, insomuch as this Confession was published in the name of the magistrates themselves.

name of God may be sanctified, his kingdom may be enlarged, and men may live according to his will, with an earnest rooting out of all naughtiness. And, in the margin :-This duty also was enjoined to the Heathen magistrate how much more to the Christian magistrate ought it to be commended, as to the true substitute of God!

:

Also, Article 11. Sections 1, 3, and 4.

We do clearly protest, that, together with all other doctrines which are directly contrary to the sound and pure doctrine of Jesus Christ, we do not only not receive, but, as abominations and blasphemies, reject and condemn those strange and erroneous doctrines, which the spirits of hurlyburly among other damnable opinions do bring forth, saying, &c. that magistrates cannot be Christians. And, in the margin :-The magistrate doth then shew himself to be a good magistrate, when he is a true Christian.

The Conclusion.-Last of all, we submit this our Confession to the judgment of the holy scripture of the Bible: and therefore we promise, that if out of the foresaid Scriptures we may be better instructed, we will at all times obey God and his holy word most thankfully.

IV. FROM THE CONFESSION OF BOHEMIA.

Chapter 16. Of the Civil Power, or Civil Magistrate.

Furthermore, it is taught out of holy Scripture, that the civil magistrate is the ordinance of God, and appointed by God: who both taketh his original from God, and, by the effectual power of his presence and continual aid, is maintained to govern the people in those things which appertain to the life of this body here upon earth; (whereby also he is distinguished from that spiritual government of the Church :) whereof is that worthy sentence of Paul, "There is no power but of God, and the power that is, is ordained of God." Rom. xiii. 1. Then according to these points, all they that, being endued with this authority, do bear public offices, of what kind soever they be, being in the degree of magistrates, necessarily must know, acknowledge, and remember this, that they are God's deputies, and in His stead; and that God is the Sovereign Lord and King, even of them all, as well as of other men to whom at length, in the last day,

they must give an account of the degree wherein they were placed, of their dominions, and of the whole administration of their government; whereof it is expressly written in the book of Wisdom, chap. vi. 1-11. and elsewhere.

Aud seeing they do govern instead of God upon earth, and are his deputies, it is meet that they frame themselves to the example of the superior Lord, by following and resembling Him, and by learning of Him mercy and justice. As touching these, therefore, such an instruction hath been delivered: that they who are in authority ought to do good unto others, according to that which Christ saith, "They that are mighty are called gracious or bounteous lords;" Luke xxii. 25. and that in regard of their duty they are especially bound hereunto, and that this is their peculiar charge, that they cherish among the people, without respect of persons, justice, peace, and all good things that appertain unto the time; that they protect and defend their peaceable subjects, their rights, their goods, their life and their bodies, against those that wrong and oppress them, or do any ways indamage or hurt them; also that against the unjust violence of the Turks, together with others that do the like, they do succour and defend them; and so serve the Lord God herein, that they bear not the sword in vain, but valiantly, courageously, and faithfully use the same to execute the will and works of God therewith. Hereof in the holy Scripture such are called gods: Psal. lxxxii. 6; John x. 34. and of St. Paul, "the ministers of God." Rom. xiii. 6. "The magistrate," saith he, "is the minister of God for thy good;" Rom. xiii. 4. who is sent," as Peter saith, "to take vengeance on those that do evil, and to give honour unto those that do good." 1 Pet. ii. 14.

But forasmuch as the magistrate is not only the power of God, in that sort as the Scripture doth ascribe that title even to an Heathen magistrate; (as Christ said unto Pilate, "Thou couldest have no power over me, unless it were given thee from above:" John xix. 11.) but the Christian magistrate ought also to be a partaker, and, as it were, and chiefly, a minister of the power of the Lamb, Jesus Christ; Rev. i. 5; and xix. 10. (whom God hath in our nature made Lord and King of kings, 1 Tim. vi. 15. that kings of the earth, who in times past had been Heathen, might come under the power of the Lamb, and give their glory unto the Church, and become nurses thereof; Isa. xlix. 23. which then began to be fulfilled, when they received the Christian religion, and made them nests under the tree of mustard-seed, which is faith: Matt. xiii. 31,