(1) Civil government is an ordinance of God established for
God's glory and and the welfare of man. To that end God has entrusted
into the hands of the lawful magistrate the sword. It is lawful for
Christians to serve as magistrates in a lawful government and in even in
an unlawful government (provided no oath of allegiance to an evil
constitution is required), to exercise capital punishment, just wars and
judicial recompense to the guilty, and for a Christian to exercise self-
defence.
(2) It is the duty of the civil magistrate to suppress all
false religion and to establish the true reformed religion (in doctrine, worship,
and government) by law within his realm.
Wherefore we condemn the Anabaptists, and all those troublesome spirits,
which do reject higher powers and magistrates, overthrow all laws and
judgments, make all goods common, and, to conclude, do abolish and
confound all those orders and degrees, which God hath appointed among
men for honesty's sake (Belgic Confession, Article 36).
Yet civil government has as its appointed end, so long as we live among
men, to cherish and protect the outward worship of God, to defend sound
doctrine of piety and the position of the church, to adjust our life to the
society of men, to form our social behavior to civil righteousness, to
reconcile us with one another, and to promote general peace and
tranquility (Calvin, Institutes, IV, XX, 2, p.1487, emphases added).
Moreover, to kings, princes, rulers, and magistrates, we affirm that chiefly
and most principally the conservation and purgation of the religion
appertains; so that not only they are appointed for civil policy, but also for
maintenance of the true religion, and for suppressing of idolatry and
superstition whatsoever: as in David, Jehoshaphat, Hezekiah, Josiah, and
others, highly commended for their zeal in that case, may be espied (_The
Scottish Confession of Faith_, Chapter 24, emphases added).
The orthodox churches believe also, and do willingly acknowledge, that
every lawful magistrate, being by God himself constituted the keeper and
defender of both tables of the law, may and ought first and chiefly to take
care of God's glory, and (according to his place, or in his manner and way)
to preserve religion when pure, and to restore it when decayed and
corrupted: and also to provide a learned and godly ministry, schools also
and synods, as likewise to restrain and punish as well atheists,
blasphemers, heretics and schismatics, as the violators of justice and civil
peace [George Gillepsie]
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