by, "all nations ;" and as those who reject it are subject to the wrath of God, for "he that believeth not shall be damned," it is the most bounden duty of the christian magistrate, as well from a sense of submission to the will of the Supreme Ruler," by whom kings reign," as by the obligation of promoting the welfare of the community, and obtaining the divine protection and blessing for it, to protect, to uphold, and, as far as sound policy permits, to propagate the divine system of christianity amongst his people.

The word of God says to all princes, and especially to those who have received the true religion of His Son: "Be wise now, therefore, O ye kings; be instructed ye judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling," on which St. Augustine observes, "How do kings serve the Lord in fear, but by forbidding, and, by a religious severity, punishing those things which are done against the Lord's commandments? For he serves Him in different réspects as a man, and as a king. As a man, he serves Him by living faithfully: as a king he serves Him by establishing laws commanding righteousness and forbidding the contrary. So did Hezekiah serve God, by destroying the groves and the idol temples, and those high places which were built against the commands of God. In the like manner king Josiah served God," &c. " The example of the godly kings in the Old Testament was also referred to by the Emperor Charlemagne, in the preface to his Capitulare, where he says to the bishops, "Let no one, I pray you, think this admonition presumptuous, which arises from piety, and by which we endeavour to correct errors, to remove super

e Matt. xxviii. 19.

Mark xvi. 16.

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fluities, and to establish what is right; but rather let him receive it with benevolence and charity. For we read in the Book of Kings, how the holy Josiah endeavoured to restore the kingdom given to him by God, by going through it, correcting and admonishing "." Bellarmine himself, argues the duties of christian princes from the "godly kings" mentioned in Scripture ; and, in short, this appears to have been the general opinion of the church, until De Marca, in the seventeenth century, objected to arguments drawn from the conduct of the Jewish kings, in order, as he said, to deprive the English of their principal argument for the royal supremacy.

The christian magistrate is bound to protect christianity, because he knows it to be the only true religion, the only method by which God wills that men should serve him, and gain his favour. I am not here engaged in examining the duty of heathen, infidel, and heretical magistrates to religion, or how far they are bound to support the false religion which they may judge to be true. It is certain that no false religion can have the same proofs of a divine origin as catholic christianity. It is not to be admitted as possible by any christian. But in so far as it is possible that any person can be excused for not believing christianity to be true, and in preferring some other religion to it; in so far only is he excused for upholding and propagating the latter.

Hence the doctrine of Warburton and Paley, that the civil magistrate is bound to support and establish the largest sect, is to be rejected: because it can never

825.

h Harduin. Conc. t. iv. p.

i Bellarminus de Membris Eccl. Militantis, lib. iii. c. 18.

CHAP. 111.] Nature of Protection afforded by Magistrates. 323

tend to the welfare of the community to establish a false religion, a heresy, or a schism, which being no portion of the christian church, and inheriting no promises from God, but rising in impious opposition to the divine will, is so far from drawing down the divine blessing on its professors, that it is rather calculated to bring evil on the people amongst whom it prevails.

CHAPTER III.

ON THE EXTENT AND NATURE OF THE PROTECTION AFFORDED BY THE CIVIL MAGISTRATE TO THE CHURCH.

In order to determine the extent of the protection to be afforded to christianity by the christian magistrate, we must remember the object with which this protection is given. It is because the church of Christ is best qualified to promote the ends of civil society, and because the divine blessing rests on it alone, that the church ought to be supported by those princes who know its divine origin. Therefore, the protection afforded by the state rests on the fundamental condition of maintaining all that is essential to the church, and not depriving it of any one of those characteristics which Christ willed never to be separated from it. Hence a prince would violate the very principle on which he is bound to support the church, if he obliged her to profess doctrines contrary to those revealed by God, or to relinquish any of her essential rites or discipline. In so doing, he would deprive her of the character of a divine institution, would impair, if not destroy, her influence in promoting morality and reli

gion, and thus disqualify her from bringing the divine blessing on the nation.

The christian magistrate originally, in becoming the protector of the true church, could only lawfully have undertaken this office, with the intention of preserving the definite system of religion which God had revealed, and which the catholic church had received. And from the office of protection, thus limited, may be deduced the supremacy and all the powers of the christian magistrate in the true church.

These powers may be, in some degree, gathered from those which the state exercises with regard to any society whatever, whose constitution and ends it judges to be of high importance to the public welfare, and to which it is desirous of giving effectual support and encouragement. The first and most obvious act of protection is, to give security to the persons and property of its individual members, so that the fact of their membership shall not induce legal penalties or any other danger. Further encouragement is afforded, by giving facilities for the increase of that society by pecuniary assistance if necessary to extend its operations, by protection to the funds destined to its uses, or even by conferring special marks of favour and confidence, on some or all of its members. This protection relates to the external condition of the society; but it may also be extended to its internal condition. In this respect it infers the legal establishment of all the essential principles and features of the society, and therefore the suppression of any attempts to introduce innovations subversive of those essential principles. It also infers the legal enforcement of the established rules and practices on all the members of the society, so that its peace may

not be disturbed, or its salutary action impeded by internal disorganization. It infers the remedying of abuses inconsistent with the laws or customs of the society, or abuses in those laws themselves, calculated to impair the perfection and efficiency of the whole system. And, in fine, it implies the exercise of these various powers by means and in modes consistent with the preservation of the essential constitution of the society itself.

The protection of the state, thus exercised in relation to the christian society, gives rise, at once, to that state of things, which is commonly called the "establishment," and "the supremacy" of the civil magistrate. The christian magistrate relieves the church from legal persecution; gives security to the persons and property of its individual members; affords legal protection to the property devoted by pious individuals to the maintenance of the christian ministry, guards the churches from violation, affords the necessary pecuniary assistance for the spread of religion, and in some countries confers temporal power and dignity on its chief pastors. Thus the church becomes "established."

The ecclesiastical supremacy of the christian magistrate consists in his general right of protection to the church and to its essential principles.

He is to defend the faith of the catholic church, and therefore to repress all attempts to introduce heresies and errors. He is to enforce and execute the discipline of the church, and to prevent any of its members from resisting the spiritual powers constituted by Jesus Christ. He is to preserve the peace and unity of the church, procuring the termination or suppression of controversies. He is to see that the ministers of the church fulfil the office of their vocation,