III. The civil magistrate may not assume to himsoif (he

idministration-of the word and sacraments, or the power
'le keys of the kingdom of heaven*^: yet he hath aii-
^ .^..ty, and it is his duty, to take order, that unity and
keace be preserved in the church, that the truth of God
■ 'opt pure and entire, that all blasphemies and heresies
ppressed, all cormptions and abuses in worship and
discipline
Jier, Ceme, and he cometh : and to iiy servant. Do this, and he doeth L Ver. 10. When Jesus heard it, le marvelled, and said to them lut followed, Verily 1 say unto 'ou, I have not found so great iith, no, not in Israel Acts x. 1 . ilierc was a certain man "in Cesarea ;illed Cornelius, a centurion of the tand called the Italian band, Ver. L'. \ devout man, and one that feared . ith all his house, which gave .1ms to the people, and pray- God alway. Rev. xviL 14. shall make war with the t.anu7, and the Lamb shall over- omc them : for he is Lord of lords, nd King of kings: and they that ire with him are called, and chosen, M faithful. Ver. 16. And the rns which thou sawest upon ,ast, these shall hate the , and shall make her desolate ked, and shall eat her flesh, mu inun her with fire. I III. ^2 Chron. xxvi, 18. And IKcv withstood Uzziah the king, id unto him. It appertain- not unto thee, Uzziah, to jiurn incense uuto the Lord, but |o the priests the sons of Aaron, re consecrated to burn in- go out of the sanctuary, u.ou hast trespassed ; neither hall it be for thine honour from he Lord God. With Matth. viii. 17. And if he shall neglect 0 hear them, tell it unto the hurch : but if he neglect to hear
the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man, and a publi- can. And Maith. xvi. 19. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven : and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven : and whatsoever thou shak loose on earth, sliall be loosed in heaven. 1 Cor. xii. 28. And God hath set some in the church; first, apostles secondarily, prophets; thirdly, teach- ers; after that miracles; then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues. Ver. 29. Are all apostles f are all prophets? are all teachers } are all workers of miracles .' Eph. iv. 11. And he gave some apostles, and some prophets, and some evangelists, and some pastors and leathers ; Ver. 13. For the perfecting of tho saints, for the work of the mini- stry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. 1 Cor. iv. 1. Let a man so account of us as of the mitristtrs of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. Ver. 2. Moreover, it is required in stew- ards, that a man be found faithful. Rom. X. 15. And how shall they preach, except they be sent f as it is written. How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and hring glad tidings of good things ] Heb. v. 4. And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.
f Isa,
142
The Confession of Faith. Chap. XXIII,
discipline prevented or reforme^l, and ail the ordinances oi God'duly settled, administered, and observed ^ For the
bettei
f Isa. xlix. 23. And kings shall te thy nursing-fathers, and their queens thy nursing-mothers : they shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet, and thou shalt know that I am the Lord ; for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me. Psal. cxxii. 9. Be- cause of the bouse cif the Lord our God, I will seek thy good. Ezra vii. 23. Whatsoever is com- manded by the God of heaven, let it be diligently done for the house of the God of heaven : for why should there be wrath against the realm of the king and his sons ? Ver. 25. And tliou, Ezra, after the ■wisdom of thy God that is in thine hand, set magistrates and judges, which may judge all the people that are beyond the river, all such as know the laws of thy God ; and teach ye them that know them not. Ver. 26. And whosoever will not do the lavir of thy God, and the law of the king, let judgment be executed speedily upon him, whether it be unto death, or to banishment, or to confiscation of goods, or to imprisonment. Ver. 27. Blessed be the Lord God of our fathers, which hath put such a thing as this in the king's heart, to beautify the house of the Lord which is in Jenisalem : Ver. 28. And huth extended mercy unto me before the king and his counsellors, and before all the king's mighty princes ; and I was strengthened, as the hand of the Lord my God was upon me, and I gathered together out of Israel chief men to go up with me. Lev. xxiv. 16. And he that blas- phemeth the name of the Lord,
he shall surely be put to death
and all the congregation shall cer
tainly stone him ; as well the strau'
ger, as he that is bom in the land
when he blasphemeth the name o
the Lord, shall be put to death
Deut. xiii. 5. And that prophet, o
that dreamer of dreams, .shall bi
put to death, (because he hatl
spoken to turn you away fron
the Lord your God, which brough
you out of the land of Egypt, ant
redeemed you out of the house c
bondage, to thrust thee out of th
way which the Lord thy God com
manded thee to walk in,) so shal
thou put the evil away from th
midst of thee. Ver. 6. If thy brc
ther, the son of thy mother, c
thy son, or thy daughter, or th
wife of thy bosom, or thy frienc
which is as thine own soul, et
tice thee secretly, saying, Let v
go and serve other gods, whic
thou hast r;Ot known, thou, nc
thy fathers: Ver. 12. If thou sha
hear say in one of thy cities, whic
the Lord thy God hath give
thee to dwell there,, saying, &
2 Kings xviii. 4. He removed tJ-
high places, and brake the image
and cut down the groves, and bral;
in pieces the brasen serpent th;
Moses had made ; for unto tho'
days the children of Israel did bui
incense to it, and he called it H
hushtan. [1 Chron. xiii. 1. to f.
9th Firse. 2 Kings xxiii. 1. to t.
26th Fersc] 2 Chron. xxxiv. 3
And Jo.siah took away all tl
abon;inations out of all the countri
that pertained to the children
Israel, and made ail that we
present in Israel to serve, even
serve the Lord their Cod. Ai
1 i
WSt)
«p. XXIII. The Confession of Faith.
U3
v efTeding whereof, lie liath power to call synods, to
resent at them, and to provide that whatsoever is
acted in them be according to the mind of God"^.
i V. It is the duty of people to pray for magistrates'', to
honour their persons', to pay them tribute and other dues'',
Id obey their lawful commands, and to be subject to their
authority for conscience' sake'. Infidelity, or difference
in religion, doth not make void the magistrate''s just and
|£fi|i authority, nor free the peoj)le from their due obe-
l^k dicncc
ters : also the Levites shall be of- ficers befor* you. Deal courage- ously, and the Lord shall be with the good. [2 Chron. Chapters xxix. anJ XXX.] Matth. ii. 4. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. Vtr. T. And they said unto him, in Bethlehem of Judea : for thus it is written* by the prophet.