Question 5: Q. 5. What is the Magistrates Power and Duty about Religion, and the Churches and Minis…, Church concord by Richard Baxter (1691) | AskReformation

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:384p. 74

10. There needeth not the device of Popes or Patriarchs, to call Councils, or to keep Peace among the Pastors of the Church: For the Magistrate must do it, as a great part of the work of his Office. Every Sovereign may call such Pastors unto Councils as are his Subjects: And several Princes by agreement may call their respective Subjects together when there is Cause; And proper Universal Councils (as is showed) are things which never were known, nor are not to be expected: And it must be a very extraordinary necessity, which must warrant the Pastors of several Kingdoms, to hold Councils together, when they are forbidden by their Kings: Princes also may correct Church-Tyrants and Usurpers, and Destroyers of Faith, or Piety or Peace: They ought to restrain such Pastors as would raise Seditions or Rebellions, or Persecutions of the Innocent, or that pretend Religion for the open and obstinate revilings of their Brethren, and are proved to be unquiet Firebrands to kindle Dissentions, and destroy Mens Love to one another, or arbitrarily to oppress the Flocks.

10. There needeth not the device of Popes or Patriarchs, to call Councils, or to keep Peace among the Pastors of the Church: For the Magistrate must do it, as a great part of the work of his Office. Every Soveraign may call such Pastors unto Councils as are his Subjects: And several Princes by agreement may call their respective Subjects together when there is Cause; And proper Universal Councils (as is shewed) are things which never were known, nor are not to be expected: And it must be a very extraordinary necessity, which must warrant the Pastors of several Kingdoms, to hold Councils together, when they are forbidden by their Kings: Princes also may correct Church-Tyrants and Usurpers, and Destroyers of Faith, or Piety or Peace: They ought to restrain such Pastors as would raise Seditions or Rebellions, or Persecutions of the Innocent, or that pretend Religion for the open and obstinate revilings of their Brethren, and are proved to be unquiet Firebrands to kindle Dissentions, and destroy Mens Love to one another, or arbitrarily to oppress the Flocks.

:387p. 75

13. But if they should forbid us the necessary Preaching of God's Word, or necessary assembling for God's public Worship, (as we must not account, those seasons and circumstances necessary which are unnecessary, so that which is necessary indeed, we must not desert, till we are disabled to perform it; seeing it is greater Sacrilege, if we alienate a person consecrated to God in so sacred an Office, than if we should alienate consecrated Goods or Lands; which are not so nearly related to a holy use. And seeing we took not up our calling upon mere trial for a time▪ And seeing it is more Cruelty in us, to see Thousands perish in ignorance and ungodliness, while we deny them our necessary help, than to shut up the Bowels of our Compassion to them, who are in corporal distress: And seeing Christ's threefold charge to Peter, doth teach us, also, as we love him to feed his Lambs. And all that are truly called to the Ministry, may say of their duty as Paul of his Apostolical Works, [Necessity is laid upon me, yea, woe is unto me, if I Preach not the Gospel] Joh. 21. 15, 16, 17, 18. 1 Cor. 9. 16. But there is no absolute necessity of our Liberties, Maintenance, Ease or Lives. And those that are indeed the Servants of God, and fear his Judgment, and look for their Reward and Felicity from him, must (with Dan. ch. 6. and the Apostles Act. 4. 18, 19 . & 5. 29.) hear God and obey him before men: Luk. 12. 4. and fear hell fire more than death, as Christ commandeth; and love mens Salvation and Christ's Kingdom better than our lives: Luk▪ 14. 26. 33. 1 Joh. 3. 16.

13. But if they should forbid us the necessary Preaching of God's Word, or necessary assembling for God's publick Worship, (as we must not account, those seasons and circumstances necessary which are unnecessary, so that which is necessary indeed, we must not desert, till we are disabled to perform it; seeing it is greater Sacrilege, if we alienate a person consecrated to God in so sacred an Office, than if we should alienate conseorated Goods or Lands; which are not so nearly related to a holy use. And seeing we took not up our calling upon meer tryal for a time▪ And seeing it is more Cruelty in us, to see Thousands perish in ignorance and ungodliness, while we deny them our necessary help, than to shut up the Bowels of our Compassion to them, who are in corporal distress: And seeing Christ's threefold charge to Peter, doth teach us, also, as we love him to feed his Lambs. And all that are truly called to the Ministry, may say of their duty as Paul of his Apostolical Works, [Necessity is laid upon me, yea, woe is unto me, if I Preach not the Gospel] Joh. 21. 15, 16, 17, 18. 1 Cor. 9. 16. But there is no absolute necessity of our Liberties, Maintenance, Ease or Lives. And those that are indeed the Servants of God, and fear his Judgment, and look for their Reward and Felicity from him, must (with Dan. ch. 6. and the Apostles Act. 4. 18, 19 . & 5. 29.) hear God and obey him before men: Luk. 12. 4. and fear hell fire more than death, as Christ commandeth; and love mens Salvation and Christ's Kingdom better than our lives: Luk▪ 14. 26. 33. 1 Ioh. 3. 16.

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14. But where we may not actively obey, we must either fly to another City, Mat. 10. 23. or patiently suffer, and not resist, Rom. 13. 3. 5. Matth. 5. 10, 11, 12. We must not revile when we are reviled, nor curse (no not in our hearts) the Rulers of our people, nor secretly or openly dishonour them; Because their honour is more necessary to the common good than our vindication is: 1. Pet. 2. 23. Act. 23. 5. Eccl. 10. 20. Much less may we raise any Seditions or Rebellions▪ or revenge or defend our selves by Wars against them, or against their truly authorized Officers: The Christian Religion being so far from justifying any disloyalty, that it most strongly obligeth us to honour our Superiors, upon the highest accoun••; and to give place to wrath and evil, Rom. 12. 17. 19. 21. and to pray for Kings and all in authority, that we may live a quiet and peaceable▪life, ⟨p. 76⟩in all godliness and honesty. And though among Christians as some tha• bear that Name are vicious and sensual; so some are turbulent and seditious; and some that are better may be ensnared by the Differences of Statesmen and Lawyers; and it hath ever been Satan's grand design to raise jealousies against Christianity and Godliness in the Rulers of the Earth, and to make them believe, that the most serious and godly Christians are the worst and most dangerous Subjects; yet the very Nature and Laws of Christianity, do make it most evident that the best and the entirest Christians, and the most Godly and Heavenly Men, must needs be the most loyal faithful Subjects; and he that is truest to God, will (so far as he understandeth) be truest both to King and Kingdom: And as our Obedience to the fifth Commandment is part of our Religion, so the promoting of all due Obedience unto our Governors, and the preventing of all Rebellions and Disloyalty, must be part of the work of all true Pastors, in their public Teaching and their private converse.

14. But where we may not actively obey, we must either fly to another City, Mat. 10. 23. or patiently suffer, and not resist, Rom. 13. 3. 5. Matth. 5. 10, 11, 12. We must not revile when we are reviled, nor curse (no not in our hearts) the Rulers of our people, nor secretly or openly dishonour them; Because their honour is more necessary to the common good than our vindication is: 1. Pet. 2. 23. Act. 23. 5. Eccl. 10. 20. Much less may we raise any Seditions or Rebellions▪ or revenge or defend our selves by Wars against them, or against their truly authorized Officers: The Christian Religion being so far from justifying any disloyalty, that it most strongly obligeth us to honour our Superiours, upon the highest accoun••; and to give place to wrath and evil, Rom. 12. 17. 19. 21. and to pray for Kings and all in authority, that we may live a quiet and peaceable▪life, ⟨p. 76⟩in all godliness and honesty. And though among Christians as some tha• bear that Name are vicious and sensual; so some are t•rbulent and seditious; and some that are better may be ens•ared by the Differences of Statesmen and Lawyers; and it hath ever been Satan's grand design to raise jealousies against Christianity and Godliness in the Rulers of the Earth, and to make them believe, that the most serious and godly Christians are the worst and most dangerous Subjects; yet the very Nature and Laws of Christianity, do make it most evident that the best and the entirest Christians, and the most Godly and Heavenly Men, must needs be the most loyal faithful Subjects; and he that is truest to God, will (so far as he understandeth) be truest both to King and Kingdom: And as our Obedience to the fifth Commandment is part of our Religion, so the promoting of all due Obedience unto our Governours, and the preventing of all Rebellions and Disloyalty, must be part of the work of all true Pastors, in their publick Teaching and their private converse.