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For if the Christian magistrate be the vicegerent of Christ, and of Christ as Mediator; and if he be to manage his office under, and for Christ,—then the reverend brother must either prove from Scripture, that Christ, as Mediator, hath given such a commission of vicegerentship and deputyship to the Christian magistrate; or otherwise, acknowledge that he hath given a most dangerous wound to magistracy, and made it an empty title, claiming that power which it hath no warrant to assume.
This was the ground of my answer, p. 42, that he “must either prove from Scripture, that Christ, as Mediator, hath given such a commission of vicegerentship and deputyship to the Christian magistrate, or otherwise acknowledge that he hath given a most dangerous wound to magistracy, and made it an empty title, claiming that power which it hath no warrant to assume.” I added: “As the Mediator hath not anywhere given such a commission and power to the magistrate, so, as Mediator, he had it not to give; for he was not made a judge in civil affairs, Luke xii. 14; ‘And his kingdom is not of this world,’ John xviii. 36.” Now, but what reply hath he made to all this?
This, I say, they must prove, which they will never be able to do, or otherwise they do, by their doctrine, lead the magistrate into a snare, and leave him in it. For how shall he be acknowledged for a vicegerent who can show no commission nor warrant for his vicegerentship?
That the apostle Paul bade pray for the devil’s vicegerent, 1 Tim. ii. 1, 2. The reverend brother doth but more and more wind himself into a labyrinth of errors, while he endeavours to take away the distinction of the twofold kingdom, and the twofold vicegerentship of God and of Christ.
For that which I denied was, That magistracy is derived from Christ as Mediator, or that Christ as Mediator hath given a commission of vicegerentship and deputyship to the Christian magistrate to manage his office and authority under, and for him, and in his name; as is clear in my examination, p. 42. Nay, Mr Coleman himself, a little before his syllogism, p. 19, takes notice of so much.
Likewise, that a servant who obeyeth his master’s wife, and executeth her commands, because it is his master’s will, and for his master’s honour, doth therefore obey his master’s wife vice domini, as his master’s vicegerent; and, by consequence, that the duty of obedience to the wife doth originally belong to the husband; for the capacity of a vicegerent, which he hath by his vicegerentship, is primarily the capacity of him whose vicegerent he is.
That which I did, and still do hold, is this: That the civil magistrate, whether Christian or pagan, is God’s vicegerent, who, by virtue of his vicegerentship, is to manage his office and authority under God, and for God; that is, in God’s stead, and as God upon earth: but he is not the vicegerent of Christ as Mediator, neither is he, by virtue of any such vicegerentship, to manage his office and authority under Christ, and for Christ; that is, in Christ’s stead, and as Christ Mediator upon earth.
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