United States or Brunei ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
Under the righteous and benign administration of the saints, "kings shall be nursing-fathers, and their queens nursing-mothers to the church:" for "the nations and kingdoms that would not serve her, have perished; yea, those nations have been utterly wasted."
What power therein is denied unto him, and why. Such power is granted by the reformed churches and orthodox writers to the political magistrate, in reference to church affairs. Take it in these particulars. A defensive, protecting, patronizing power to the church, and all the members thereof. "Kings shall be thy nursing-fathers," &c., Isa. xlix. 23.
Wherefore seeing these nursing-fathers, favourers, and defenders, can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth, nor have any right against the gospel, but for the gospel; and their power, in respect of the church whereof they bear the care, being not privative or destructive, but cumulative and auxiliary, thereby it is sufficiently clear that they ought to cherish, and by their authority ought to establish the ecclesiastical discipline; but yet not with implicit faith, or blind obedience; for the reformed churches do not deny to any of the faithful, much less to the magistrate, the judgment of Christian prudence and discretion concerning those things which are decreed or determined by the church.
"I should never have been so old," replied Villon, showing his fingers, "if I had not helped myself with these ten talents. They have been my nursing-mothers and my nursing-fathers." "You may still repent and change." "I repent daily," said the poet. "There are few people more given to repentance than poor Francis. As for change, let somebody change my circumstances.
Moreover, the Christian magistrate hath then only discharged his office in reference to ecclesiastical discipline, when not only he withdraweth nothing from it, and maketh no impediment to it, but also affordeth special furtherance and help to it, according to the prophecy, Isa. xlix. 23, “And kings shall be thy nursing-fathers, and their queens thy nursing-mothers.”
And Isa. xlix.: And kings shall be thy nursing-fathers, and queens, i.e., commonwealths, shall be thy nursing-mothers, i.e., of the Church, they shall afford lodgings to churches and pious studies.
Reform must either be got, and speedily, or else we die: and nearly all the men that speak, instruct us, saying, "Have you quite done your interesting Negroes in the Sugar Islands? Rush to the Jails, then, O ye reformers; snatch up the interesting scoundrel-population there, to them be nursing-fathers and nursing-mothers.
Word Of The Day