6. Now, although the kingdom of God by Christ to be established with a new covenant, were heavenly; we must not therefore think, that they, who believing in Christ would make that covenant, were not so to be governed here on the earth too, as that they should persevere in their faith and obedience promised by that covenant. For in vain had the kingdom of heaven been promised, if we were not to have been led into it; but none can be led, but those who are directed in the way. Moses, when he had instituted the priestly kingdom, himself though he were no priest, yet ruled and conducted the people all the time of their peregrination, until their entrance into the promised land. In the same manner is it our Saviour’s office, (whom God in this thing would have like unto Moses), as he was sent from his Father, so to govern the future subjects of his heavenly kingdom in this life, that they might attain to and enter into that; although the kingdom were not properly his, but his Father’s. But the government whereby Christ rules the faithful ones in this life, is not properly a kingdom or dominion, but a pastoral charge, or the right of teaching; that is to say, God the Father gave him not a power to judge of meum and tuum, as he doth to the kings of the earth; nor a coercive power, nor legislative; but of showing to the world, and teaching them the way and knowledge of salvation; that is to say, of preaching and declaring what they were to do, who would enter into the kingdom of heaven. That Christ had received no power from his Father to judge in questions of meum and tuum, that is to say, in all questions of right among those who believed not, those words above cited do sufficiently declare: Man, who made me a judge or divider between you? And it is confirmed by reason. For seeing Christ was sent to make a covenant between God and men; and no man is obliged to perform obedience before the contract be made; if he should have judged of questions of right, no man had been tied to obey his sentence. But that the discerning of right was not committed to Christ in this world, neither among the faithful nor among infidels, is apparent in this; that that right without all controversy belongs to princes, as long as it is not by God himself derogated from their authority. But it is not derogated before the day of judgment; as appears by the words of St. Paul, speaking of the day of judgment (1 Cor. xv. 24): Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God even the Father, when he shall have put down all rule, and all authority, and power. Secondly, the words of our Saviour reproving James and John, when they had said (Luke ix. 54): Wilt thou that we call for fire from heaven, that it may consume them? (namely the Samaritans, who had denied to receive him going up to Jerusalem): and replying (verse 56), The Son of man is not come to destroy souls, but to save them; and those words: Behold I send you as sheep among wolves; Shake off the dust of your feet; and the like; and those words, God sent not his Son into the world, to judge the world, but that the world through him might be saved; and those: If any man hear my words, and keep them not, I judge him not; for I came not to judge the world, &c.: do all show, that he had no power given him to condemn or punish any man. We read indeed, that the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment to the Son; but since that both may, and must be understood of the day of future judgment, it doth not at all repugn what hath been said before. Lastly, that he was not sent to make new laws, and that therefore by his office and mission he was no legislator properly so called, nor Moses neither, but a bringer and publisher of his Father’s laws, (for God only, and neither Moses nor Christ, was a king by covenant), is collected hence; that he said, I came not to destroy, (to wit, the laws before given from God by Moses, which he presently interprets), but to fulfil; and, He that shall break one of the least of these commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven. Christ therefore had not a royal or sovereign power committed to him from his Father in this world, but councillary and doctrinal only; which himself signifies, as well then when he calls his apostles not hunters, but fishers of men; as when he compares the kingdom of God to a grain of mustard-seed, and to a little leaven hid in meal.
What the promises of the new covenant are on both parts.
7. God promised unto Abraham, first, a numerous seed, the possession of the land of Canaan, and a blessing upon all nations in his seed, on this condition; that he and his seed should serve him: next, unto the seed of Abraham according to the flesh, a priestly kingdom, a government most free, in which they were to be subject to no human power, on this condition; that they should serve the God of Abraham on that fashion which Moses should teach: lastly, both to them and to all nations, a heavenly and eternal kingdom, on condition that they should serve the God of Abraham on that manner which Christ should teach. For by the new, that is to say, the Christian covenant, it is covenanted on men’s part, to serve the God of Abraham on that manner which Jesus should teach: on God’s part, to pardon their sins, and bring them into his celestial kingdom. We have already spoken of the quality of the heavenly kingdom, above in [art. 5]; but it is usually called, sometimes the kingdom of heaven, sometimes the kingdom of glory, sometimes the life eternal. What is required on men’s part, namely, to serve God as Christ should teach, contains two things; obedience to be performed to God, (for this is to serve God); and faith in Jesus, to wit, that we believe Jesus to be that Christ who was promised by God; for that only is the cause why his doctrine is to be followed, rather than any other’s. Now in holy Scriptures, repentance is often put instead of obedience; because Christ teacheth everywhere, that with God the will is taken for the deed; but repentance is an infallible sign of an obedient mind. These things being understood, it will most evidently appear out of many places of sacred Scripture, that those are the conditions of the Christian covenant which we have named; to wit, giving remission of sins and eternal life on God’s part; and repenting and believing in Jesus Christ, on men’s part. First, the words, (Mark i. 15): The kingdom of God is at hand; Repent ye and believe the gospel, contain the whole covenant. In like manner those (Luke xxiv. 46-47): Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day; and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And those (Acts iii. 19): Repent and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out when the times of refreshing shall come, &c. And sometimes one part is expressly propounded, and the other understood, as here (John iii. 36): He that believeth in the Son, hath everlasting life; He that believeth not the Son, shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him: where faith is expressed, repentance not mentioned; and in Christ’s preaching (Matth. iv. 17): Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand: where repentance is expressed, faith is understood. But the parts of this new contract are most manifestly and formally set down there, where a certain ruler, bargaining as it were for the kingdom of God, asketh our Saviour (Luke xviii. 18): Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? But Christ first propounds one part of the price, namely, observation of the commandments, or obedience; which when he answered that he had kept, he adjoins the other, saying (verse 22): Yet lackest thou one thing; Sell all that thou hast, and distribute to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me. This was matter of faith. He therefore not giving sufficient credit to Christ and his heavenly treasures, went away sorrowful. The same covenant is contained in these words (Mark xvi. 16): He that believeth and is baptized, shall be saved; but he that believeth not, shall be damned: where faith is expressed, repentance is supposed in those that are baptized. And in these words (John iii. 5): Except a man be born again of water and the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven: where, to be born of water, is the same with regeneration, that is to say, conversion to Christ. Now that baptism is required in the two places cited just before, and in divers others, we must understand, that what circumcision was to the old covenant, that baptism is to the new. Seeing therefore that was not of the essence, but served for a memorial of the old covenant, as a ceremony or sign, (and was omitted in the wilderness); in like manner this also is used, not as pertaining to the essence, but in memory and for a sign of the new covenant which we make with God. And provided the will be not wanting, the act through necessity may be omitted; but repentance and faith, which are of the essence of the covenant, are always required.
There are no laws added by Christ, beside the institution of the sacraments.
8. In the kingdom of God after this life, there will be no laws; partly, because there is no room for laws, where there is none for sins; partly, because laws were given us from God, not to direct us in heaven, but unto heaven. Let us now therefore inquire what laws Christ established not himself; for he would not take upon him any legislative authority, as hath been declared above in [art. 6]; but propounded to us for his Father’s. We have a place in Scripture, where he contracts all the laws of God published till that time, into two precepts. (Matth. xxii. 37, 38, 39, 40): Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy mind; this is the greatest and first commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. The first of these was given before by Moses in the same words (Deut. vi. 5); and the second even before Moses; for it is the natural law, having its beginning with rational nature itself: and both together is the sum of all laws. For all the laws of divine natural worship, are contained in these words, Thou shalt love God; and all the laws of divine worship due by the old covenant, in these words, Thou shalt love thy God, that is to say, God, as being the peculiar King of Abraham and his seed; and all the laws natural and civil, in these words, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. For he that loves God and his neighbour, hath a mind to obey all laws, both divine and human. But God requires no more than a mind to obey. We have another place where Christ interprets the laws, namely, the fifth, sixth, and seventh entire chapters of St. Matthew’s Gospel. But all those laws are set down either in the decalogue or in the moral law, or are contained in the faith of Abraham; as that law of not putting away a wife is contained in the faith of Abraham. For that same, two shall be one flesh, was not delivered, either by Christ first, or by Moses, but by Abraham, who first preached the creation of the world. The laws therefore which Christ contracts in one place, and explains in another, are no other than those to which all mortal men are obliged, who acknowledge the God of Abraham. Beside these, we read not of any law given by Christ, beside the institution of the sacraments of baptism and the eucharist.
That these and the like forms, repent, be baptized, keep the commandments, are not laws.
9. What may be said then of these kind of precepts, Repent, Be baptized, Keep the Commandments, Believe the Gospel, Come unto me, Sell all that thou hast, Give to the poor, Follow me; and the like? We must say that they are not laws, but a calling of us to the faith: such as is that of Isaiah (lv. 1): Come; buy wine and milk without money and without price. Neither if they come not, do they therefore sin against any law, but against prudence only; neither shall their infidelity be punished, but their former sins. Wherefore St. John saith of the unbeliever, The wrath of God abideth on him; he saith not, The wrath of God shall come upon him. And, He that believeth not, is already judged; he saith not, shall be judged, but is already judged. Nay, it cannot be well conceived, that remission of sins should be a benefit arising from faith, unless we understand also on the other side, that the punishment of sins is an hurt proceeding from infidelity.
It belongs to the civil authority, to define what the sin of injustice is.
10. From hence, that our Saviour hath prescribed no distributive laws to the subjects of princes, and citizens of cities; that is to say, hath given no rules whereby a subject may know and discern what is his own, what another man’s, nor by what forms, words, or circumstances a thing must be given, delivered, invaded, possessed, that it may be known by right to belong to the receiver, invader, or possessor: we must necessarily understand that each single subject (not only with unbelievers, among whom Christ himself denied himself to be a judge and distributor, but even with Christians) must take those rules from his city, that is to say, from that man or council which hath the supreme power. It follows therefore, that by those laws; Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Honour thy father and mother; nothing else was commanded, but that subjects, and citizens, should absolutely obey their princes in all questions concerning meum and tuum, their own and others’ right. For by that precept, Thou shalt not kill, all slaughter is not prohibited; for he that said, Thou shalt not kill, said also, (Exod. xxxv. 2): Whosoever doth work upon the sabbath, shall be put to death. No, nor yet all slaughter, the cause not being heard; for he said, (Exod. xxxii. 27): Slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbour. (Verse 28): And there fell of the people about three thousand men. Nor yet all slaughter of an innocent person; for Jephtha vowed (Judges xi. 31): Whosoever cometh forth, &c. I will offer him up for a burnt offering unto the Lord; and his vow was accepted of God. What then is forbidden? Only this: that no man kill another, who hath not a right to kill him; that is to say, that no man kill, unless it belong to him to do so. The law of Christ therefore concerning killing, and consequently all manner of hurt done to any man, and what penalties are to be set, commands us to obey the city only. In like manner, by that precept, Thou shalt not commit adultery, all manner of copulation is not forbidden; but only that of lying with another man’s wife. But the judgment, which is another man’s wife, belongs to the city; and is to be determined by the rules which the city prescribes. This precept therefore commands both male and female to keep that faith entire, which they have mutually given according to the statutes of the city. So also by the precept, thou shalt not steal, all manner of invasion or secret surreption is not forbidden; but of another man’s only. The subject therefore is commanded this only, that he invade not nor take away aught which the city prohibits to be invaded or taken away; and universally, not to call anything murder, adultery, or theft, but what is done contrary to the civil laws. Lastly, seeing Christ hath commanded us to honour our parents, and hath not prescribed with what rites, what appellations, and what manner of obedience they are to be honoured; it is to be supposed that they are to be honoured with the will indeed, and inwardly, as kings and lords over their children, but outwardly, not beyond the city’s permission, which shall assign to every man, as all things else, so also his honour. But since the nature of justice consists in this, that every man have his own given him; it is manifest, that it also belongs to a Christian city to determine what is justice, what injustice, or a sin against justice. Now what belongs to a city, that must be judged to belong to him or them who have the sovereign power of the city.
It belongs to civil authority, to define what conduces to the peace and safety of the city.