Chapter 10: Church and State

Article XXXVII

OF THE CIVIL MAGISTRATES^[1]

The queen’s Majesty hath the chief power in this Realm of England, and other her Dominions, unto whom the chief Government of all Estates of this Realm, whether they be Ecclesiastical or Civil, in all causes doth appertain, and is not, nor ought to be, subject to any foreign Jurisdiction.

Where we attribute to the Queen’s Majesty the chief government, by which Titles we understand the minds of some slanderous folks to be offended; we give not to our Princes the ministering either of God’s Word, or of the Sacraments, the which thing the Injunctions also lately set forth by Elizabeth our queen do most plainly testify; but that only prerogative, which we see to have been given always to all godly Princes in holy Scriptures by God himself; that is, that they should rule all estates and degrees committed to their charge by God, whether they be Ecclesiastical or Temporal, and restrain with the civil sword the stubborn and evil‑doers.

The Bishop of Rome hath no jurisdiction in this Realm of England.

The Laws of the Realm may punish Christian men with death, for heinous and grievous offences.

It is lawful for Christian men, at the commandment of the Magistrate, to wear weapons, and serve in the wars.

This Article deals summarily with a number of most contentious matters, on each of which volumes could be written – Papal Supremacy, the relations between Church and State, the merits of Capital Punishment, and Pacifism. Within the limits of our space it is possible to make only a brief reference to them.

The Roman Catholic Church declares that, ‘St. Peter was the chief Apostle, exercising by Christ’s appointment the supreme power of governing His Church’,^[2] and this claim is supported by appealing to St. Matt. 16:18 f:– ‘Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 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 shalt loose on earth shalt be loosed in heaven.’ At first sight this appears to be conclusive evidence of the validity of the claim, but it must be viewed in the light of the following facts:

^[1]This Article is derived from a similar one composed as one of the Forty-two Articles (1553) which, however, ran as follows:

‘The King of England is supreme head on earth, next under Christ, of the Church of England and Ireland.

‘The Bishop of Rome hath no jurisdiction in this realm of England.

‘The civil magistrate is ordained and allowed (probatus) of God: wherefore we must obey him not only for fear of punishment, but also for conscience’ sake.

‘The civil laws may punish Christian men with death for heinous and grievous offences.

‘It is lawful for Christians, at the commandment of the magistrate, to wear weapons and to serve in lawful wars.’

The first paragraph was recast in 1563 when the present second paragraph was also added.

^[2]B. L. Conway, The Question Box, p. 145.


	Church and State
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Title Contents Preface Introduction Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Appendix A Appendix B Appendix C Site Search: powered by FreeFind Copyright & Credit	Article XXXVII OF THE CIVIL MAGISTRATES^[1] The queen’s Majesty hath the chief power in this Realm of England, and other her Dominions, unto whom the chief Government of all Estates of this Realm, whether they be Ecclesiastical or Civil, in all causes doth appertain, and is not, nor ought to be, subject to any foreign Jurisdiction. Where we attribute to the Queen’s Majesty the chief government, by which Titles we understand the minds of some slanderous folks to be offended; we give not to our Princes the ministering either of God’s Word, or of the Sacraments, the which thing the Injunctions also lately set forth by Elizabeth our queen do most plainly testify; but that only prerogative, which we see to have been given always to all godly Princes in holy Scriptures by God himself; that is, that they should rule all estates and degrees committed to their charge by God, whether they be Ecclesiastical or Temporal, and restrain with the civil sword the stubborn and evil‑doers. The Bishop of Rome hath no jurisdiction in this Realm of England. The Laws of the Realm may punish Christian men with death, for heinous and grievous offences. It is lawful for Christian men, at the commandment of the Magistrate, to wear weapons, and serve in the wars. This Article deals summarily with a number of most contentious matters, on each of which volumes could be written – Papal Supremacy, the relations between Church and State, the merits of Capital Punishment, and Pacifism. Within the limits of our space it is possible to make only a brief reference to them. The Roman Catholic Church declares that, ‘St. Peter was the chief Apostle, exercising by Christ’s appointment the supreme power of governing His Church’,^[2] and this claim is supported by appealing to St. Matt. 16:18 f:– ‘Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 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 shalt loose on earth shalt be loosed in heaven.’ At first sight this appears to be conclusive evidence of the validity of the claim, but it must be viewed in the light of the following facts: ^[1]This Article is derived from a similar one composed as one of the Forty-two Articles (1553) which, however, ran as follows: ‘The King of England is supreme head on earth, next under Christ, of the Church of England and Ireland. ‘The Bishop of Rome hath no jurisdiction in this realm of England. ‘The civil magistrate is ordained and allowed (probatus) of God: wherefore we must obey him not only for fear of punishment, but also for conscience’ sake. ‘The civil laws may punish Christian men with death for heinous and grievous offences. ‘It is lawful for Christians, at the commandment of the magistrate, to wear weapons and to serve in lawful wars.’ The first paragraph was recast in 1563 when the present second paragraph was also added. ^[2]B. L. Conway, The Question Box, p. 145.
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