Jones on Article XXXVII: Of the Civil Magistrates

mercy, in the realm of Britain, the law and faith of Christ : ye have with you in the realm hoth the parts of the Scriptures : out of them, by God’s grace, with the counsel of your realm, take ye a law, and by that law, through God’s sufferance, rule your kingdom of Britain. For ye be God’s vicar in your king- dom, according to the saying of the psalm, &c. ’ O God, give thy judgment to the king, and thy righteousness to the king’s

son.’ The people and folk of the realm of Britain be yours,

who, if they be divided, ye ought to gather to concord and peace, to call them to the faith and law of Christ, and to the holy church, to cherish and maintain them, to rule and govern

them The Almighty God grant you so to rule the realm of

Britain, that ye may reign with him for ever, whose vicar ye be in the realm.’ Mark, I pray you, what this good pope grants. He calls the king ’ God’s vicar ’ twice in this letter. He says the king ought to call the people to the faith of Christ.” — Con- futation of an addition.

’ If kings would earnestly believe this, which is God’s own voice, and behold how many kings be deposed in the bond of kings, and for what causes, they would be as earnest to set forth God’s glory, that is to cause the gospel to be preached through their dominions, and to relieve their poor brethren

which be members of the same body that they be as they

have been diligent, politic, yea, rather deceitful in increasing their revenues.” — Layman’s Book.

THOSIAS BECON, D.I).

” To whom is it unknown, with how miserable captivity Ave have been detained and suppressed these many hundred years,

Q

through the usurped power and grievous tyranny of the bishop

of Rome Where was this doctrine of Christ and his apostles

become, that all men shall be subject to the high powers ? This sentence lay buried, ‘Be subject to every human creature for the Lord’s sake, whether it be unto the king, as supreme head, or to the rulers that are sent by him to the punishment of the evil-doers, but unto the praise of them that do well.’ The christian princes were not had in reverence and honour as they ought. O miserable case and detestable abusion.” — Pathway unto Prayer.

” The charges which the king’s grace’s majesty sustaineth daily for the wealth of all us his subjects are infinite, and far ex- ceed the unexpert capacity of the rude simple people, as we may see before our eyes as I may learn oft to speak of the build- ing of many castles, block-houses, strongholds, &c again of

the common schools and teachers of them, of sending forth preachers into every part of this realm, of procuring learned magistrates, of giving exhibition to many virtuous and learned men, and of a thousand tilings more.” — The Nosegay.

” Whether (if it be fortune a prince christian-learned to con- quer certain dominions of infidels, having none but temporal- learned men with him) it be defended by God’s law that he and they should preach and teach the word of God there or no ? and also make and constitute priests or no ? It is not against God’s law ; but contrary, they ought indeed so to do ; and there be histories that witnesseth, that some christian princes, and other laymen unconsecrate have done the same. Whether it be forfended by God’s law that (if it so fortuned that all the bishops and priests of a region were dead, and that the word of God should remain there unpreached, the sacrament of baptism and others unministered), that the king of that region should make bishops and priests to supply the same or no ? It is not for- bidden by God’s law.” — Questions and Answers, §c.

” Consider also the presence of the king’s majesty, God’s high vicar in earth, having a respect to his personage. Ye ought to have reverence to it, and consider that he is God’s high minister, and yet alloweth you all to be partakers with him of the hearing of God’s word.” — Ser. on Rom. xv. 4.

” The kingdom of God is general throughout all the world, heaven and earth are under his dominion. As for the other kings, they are kings indeed, but to God-word they be but deputies, but officers. He only is the right king ; unto him only must and shall all creatures in heaven and earth obey, and kneel be- fore his majesty.” — Ser. on Matt. vi. 13.

“Every man must labour ; yea though he be a king, yet he must labour : for I know no man hath a greater labour than a king. What is his labour ? To study God’s book, to see that there be no unpreaching prelates in his realm, nor bribing judges ; to see to all estates ; to provide for the poor.” — Ser. on Horn. xv. 4.

” Certainly every governour and ruler, every king, may de- fend his realm, chase and put by the invaders. Again the sub- jects are bound in conscience to fight wheresoever they be re- quired of their king and lord: and no doubt that man that so fight- eth, being lawfully called thereunto, he is in the service of God, he is God’s servant But subjects may not, of their own pri- vate authority take the sword, or rebel against their king ; for when they rebel they serve the devil.” — Ser. on Eph. vi. 10 —

” I have thought in times past, that the pope, Christ’s vicar, hath been Lord of all the world, as Christ is ; so that if he should have deprived the king of his crown, or you of the lordship of Bromeham, it had been enough ; for he could do no wrong.” — Letter to Sir Edward Baynton.

” For to fight against the king’s enemies, being called unto it by the magistrates, it is God’s service, therefore, when thou

diest in that service with a good faith, happy art thou.” — Ser. on Matt. vi. 1 2.

” I pray you what authority in these matters do you give to the civil magistrate ? Methink I hear you whisper, that the prince hath no authority in ecclesiastical matters. I know it is a received opinion among some of you, and therein you shake

hands also with the Papists and Anabaptists The words of

the ’ Admonition ’ be these, ’ And to these three jointly, the Ministers, Seniors, and Deacons, is the whole management of the church to be committed.’ Wherefore they spoil the civil magistrate of all government in ecclesiastical matters ; for if the whole government of the church is to be committed to Ministers, Seniors, and Deacons, what authority remaineth to the civil magistrate in the government of it ? Agreeable to this disobe- client spirit, and erroneous and papistical doctrine, is that in the second admonition, when the author of that book take from the civil magistrate all supremacy in ecclesiastical matters, and by evident circumstances, call his authority used in those things,

usurped In divers places he ” [the author of the admonition]

” maketh such a distinction between the church of Christ and a christian commonwealth, that hath a christian magistrate, as he would do betwixt the church and a heathenish commonwealth, that hath a persecuting and an unbelieving magistrate, and separateth the commonwealth of England, as far from the church of England, as he can do the commonwealth of Turcia, from the church of Christ in Turcia. All this I have noted to this end, that the good subject, and those that be careful for the prefer- vation of the state of this realm, and the lawful authority of her majesty, may the better consider and beware of this doctrine ; the which, unless I prove to be the self same with the papists in substance, let me sustain that punishment that is due unto them whom I burden and charge with forgetfulness of duty in

this point The papists give to the christian magistrate in

ecclesiastical matters, potesta’tem facti and not juris ; that is, to

see those laws executed and put in practice, that the pope and his clergy shall make, and to be, as it were, their executioner ;

but not to make any laws or orders in ecclesiastical matters

Who placed those Levites and priests in Jerusalem for the judg- ment and cause of the Lord, or who prescribed unto them what they should do, or who gave to them that authority ? Did not Jehosaphat ; — the text is plain. Jehosaphat had chief authority and government, both in things pertaining to God, and in thing3 pertaining to the commonwealth ; but for better execution of them, the one he did commit to be executed by Amaria the priest, the other, by Zabadiah, a ruler of the house of Judateven- As the Queen’s Majesty, being supreme governor in all cases, both ecclesiastical and temporal, committeth the hearing and j udging of ecclesiastical matters to the archbishops, and bishops, and temporal matters to the Lord Chancellor and other j udges ; neither can you any more conclude that Jehosaphat had no authority in ecclesiastical causes, because he made Amarias the priest judge in the same, than you can that he had nothing to do in temporal affairs, because he appointed also Zabadiah to hear and determine them. For if this reason be good, the Queen of England hath nothing to do with ecclesiastical matters, because she hath made the archbishops, and bishops, judges in them ; then is this as good, her Majesty hath no authority in civil matters, because she hath committed the same to the Lord Chancellor and other judges. For the subjection and bondage of the church which you so often talk of, this is my answer in few words : that subjection to lawful magistrates, in matters lawful, is no bondage to any, but to such as think dutiful obedi- ence to be servitude and bondage.” — Defence of the Answer.