Institutions of Christian religion framed out of Gods word, and the writings of the best diuines, methodically handled by questions and answers, fit for all such as desire to know, or practise the will of God. Written in Latin by William Bucanus Professor of Diuinitie in the Vniuersitie of Lausanna. And published in English by Robert Hill, Bachelor in Diuinitie, and Fellow of Saint Iohns Colledge in Cambridge, for the benefit of our English nation, to which is added in the end the practise of papists against Protestant princes.

What now is cōtrary to this doctrine of magistracie?

1 The heresy of the Donatists, who tooke away the authority of magistrates, & in hatred to this order, doe reckon vp many per∣secutions, which some magistrates haue made against the Church of God. 2. The error of the Anabaptists & Libertines (who were so called, because they seek liberty in outward things: & for, which in the memory of our forfathers they moued the common people to take arms against their gouernors) these deny. i. that magistracy is to be exercised amongst ••hose christiā & spirituall people, whom the truth, to wit, Christ, hath made freeb 1.1. 2. They admit of no suits in law, seats or sentences of Iustice, or any defence of a mans selfe: wheras the internal liberty of cōscience, which God by his spirit worketh in the harts of his elect, takes not away the subiection of the outward man due to gouernorsc 1.2, 3. They are of opinion that God would not haue Christians at all to become soldiers in warr, because Paule saith, speaking of spirituall not corporall warfare. 2. Cor. 10.7. The weapons of our warfare, are not carnall but spiritu∣all. But Paule speakes not heere of politicke magistrates, but of the

Pastors of the Church, armed on all sides, with the word of truth, the weapons of righteousnesse. 2. Cor. 6.7.4. They speake euill of such as are in authoritied 1.3.

3 The seditious rebellions of the Pope, & all his papall Cleargy, who vpon certaine forged immu••••ties, presume to take the sword of authority out of the magistrates hand, and to make all Princes vassals to them: yet Peter himselfe (whose successors they would be) commaunds Bishops in plaine termes, that they should not be Lords ouer Gods inheritancee 1.4, yea bids all men, to honour the Kingf 1.5. But (saith a papist) Persona praecipientis non continetur in persona lo∣quentis: Peter commaunds this in his owne person, therfore is not bounden to it in his owne person. Well then, Peter saith before, Feare God, is he by this comm••undement excluded from Gods feare? It seemeth surely his successors are, who because they will not honor gouernors, shew to the world that they feare not God, for he that feareth the king of kings, will honor and obey his vice∣gerents and Ambassadors.

3 The flatteries of such as so either extol the power of princes, that they derogate from Gods power, or denie that princes in causes both Ecclesiasticall & ciuill, haue supreme authority & headship ouer subiects, wher as the princes of Israel are oftē in the scripturs called, heads of the people, not, as the Pope wold be, to giue life to the church, for so only is Christ the head, but to cōmand, & direct that people ouer whō it pleaseth god to place kings in suprem authority

4 All such maners, rites, edicts & consultations which are not a∣greeable to that eternall rule of honouring God, and louing our neighbour, permitting thefts, robberies, vnbridled and promiscu∣ous lusts, or any other monsters of the like nature.

5 Seditious cōmotions of turbulēt rebels, against their magistrats.

6 Anarchy, or want of gouernors, which is worse then either the excesse or defect of any magistratea 1.6. 〈◊〉〈◊〉 made Chrysostome in his sermon to the people of Antioch to say, It were better to haue a Tyrant king, then no king, and Cornelius Tacitus to say, in the first booke of his history, It is better to liue vnder a bad prince, than vn∣der none.

Notes

• b 1.1

  Ioh, 8.32
• c 1.2

  Gal, 5, 1 2: Cor, 7, 21
• d 1.3

  Iude, 8.
• e 1.4

  1. Pet. 5, 3
• f 1.5

  1. Pet. 2.17
• a 1.6

  Iudg: 17, 6 〈◊〉〈◊〉. 21.25.