Article XVI: _Of Political Order._
The Sixteenth Article the adversaries receive without any exception,
in which we have confessed that it is lawful for the Christian to
bear civil office, sit in judgment, determine matters by the imperial
laws, and other laws in present force, appoint just punishments
engage in just wars, act as a soldier, make legal contracts, hold
property, take an oath when magistrates require it, contract marriage;
finally, that legitimate civil ordinances are good creatures of God
and divine ordinances, which a Christian can use with safety. This
entire topic concerning the distinction between the kingdom of Christ
and a political kingdom has been explained to advantage [to the
remarkably great consolation of many consciences] in the literature
of our writers, [namely] that the kingdom of Christ is spiritual
[inasmuch as Christ governs by the Word and by preaching], to wit,
beginning in the heart the knowledge of God, the fear of God and
faith, eternal righteousness, and eternal life; meanwhile it permits
us outwardly to use legitimate political ordinances of every nation
in which we live, just as it permits us to use medicine or the art of
building, or food, drink, air. Neither does the Gospel bring new
laws concerning the civil state, but commands that we obey present
laws, whether they have been framed by heathen or by others, and that
in this obedience we should exercise love. For Carlstadt was insane
in imposing upon us the judicial laws of Moses. Concerning these
subjects, our theologians have written more fully, because the monks
diffused many pernicious opinions in the Church. They called a
community of property the polity of the Gospel; they said that not to
hold property, not to vindicate one's self at law [not to have wife
and child], were evangelical counsels. These opinions greatly
obscure the Gospel and the spiritual kingdom [so that it was not
understood at all what the Christian or spiritual kingdom of Christ
is; they concocted the secular kingdom with the spiritual whence much
trouble and seditions, harmful teaching resulted], and are dangerous
to the commonwealth. For the Gospel does not destroy the State or
the family [buying, selling, and other civil regulations], but much
rather approves them, and bids us obey them as a divine ordinance,
not only on account of punishment, but also on account of conscience.
Julian the Apostate, Celsus, and very many others made the objection
to Christians that the Gospel would rend asunder states, because it
prohibited legal redress, and taught certain other things not at all
suited to political association. And these questions wonderfully
exercised Origen, Nazianzen, and others, although, indeed, they can
be most readily explained, if we keep in mind the fact that the
Gospel does not introduce laws concerning the civil state, but is the
remission of sins and the beginning of a new life in the hearts of
believers; besides, it not only approves outward governments, but
subjects us to them, Rom. 13, 1, just as we have been necessarily
placed under the laws of seasons, the changes of winter and summer,
as divine ordinances. [This is no obstacle to the spiritual kingdom.
] The Gospel forbids private redress [in order that no one should
interfere with the office of the magistrate], and Christ inculcates
this so frequently with the design that the apostles should not think
that they ought to seize the governments from those who held
otherwise, just as the Jews dreamed concerning the kingdom of the
Messiah, but that they might know they ought to teach concerning the
spiritual kingdom that it does not change the civil state. Therefore
private redress is prohibited not by advice, but by a command, Matt.
5, 39; Rom. 12, 19. Public redress which is made through the office
of the magistrate, is not advised against, but is commanded, and is a
work of God, according to Paul, Rom. 13, 1 sqq. Now the different
kinds of public redress are legal decisions, capital punishment, wars,
military service. It is manifest how incorrectly many writers have
judged concerning these matters [some teachers have taught such
pernicious errors that nearly all princes, lords, knights, servants
regarded their proper estate as secular, ungodly, and damnable, etc.
Nor can it be fully expressed in words what an unspeakable peril and
damage has resulted from this to souls and consciences], because they
were in the error that the Gospel is an external, new and monastic
form of government, and did not see that the Gospel brings eternal
righteousness to hearts [teaches how a person is redeemed, before God
and in his conscience, from sin, hell, and the devil], while it
outwardly approves the civil state.
It is also a most vain delusion that it is Christian perfection not
to hold property. For Christian perfection consists not in the
contempt of civil ordinances, but in dispositions of the heart, in
great fear of God, in great faith, just as Abraham, David, Daniel,
even in great wealth and while exercising civil power, were no less
perfect than any hermits. But the monks [especially the Barefoot
monks] have spread this outward hypocrisy before the eyes of men, so
that it could not be seen in what things true perfection exists.
With what praises have they brought forward this communion of
property, as though it were evangelical! But these praises have the
greatest danger, especially since they differ much from the
Scriptures. For Scripture does not command that property be common,
but the Law of the Decalog, when it says, Ex. 20, 15: Thor shalt not
steal, distinguishes rights of ownership, and commands each one to
hold what is his own. Wyclif manifestly was raging when he said that
priests were not allowed to hold property. There are infinite
discussions concerning contracts, in reference to which good
consciences can never be satisfied unless they know the rule that it
is lawful for a Christian to make use of civil ordinances and laws.
This rule protects consciences when it teaches that contracts are
lawful before God just to the extent that the magistrates or laws
approve them.
This entire topic concerning civil affairs has been so clearly set
forth by our theologians that very many good men occupied in the
state and in business have declared that they have been greatly
benefited, who before, troubled by the opinion of the monks, were in
doubt as to whether the Gospel allowed these civil offices and
business. Accordingly, we have recounted these things in order that
those without also may understand that by the kind of doctrine which
we follow, the authority of magistrates and the dignity of all civil
ordinances are not undermined, but are all the more strengthened [and
that it is only this doctrine which gives true instruction as to how
eminently glorious an office, full of good Christian works, the
office of rulers is]. The importance of these matters was greatly
obscured previously by those silly monastic opinions, which far
preferred the hypocrisy of poverty and humility to the state and the
family, although these have God's command, while this Platonic
communion [monasticism] has not God's command.