Skip to main content

Ursinus on the Duty of Magistrates to Enforce Both Tables of the Decalogue

This is from Ursinus's commentary on the 5th commandment of the Heidelberg Catechism (which should count for something since, you know, he wrote the catechism):


"The duties of magistrates may be reduced to these heads,

1. To require from their subjects obedience, and external propriety according to both tables of the Decalogue.
2. To enforce the precepts of the Decalogue, by defending those who yield obedience to it, and punishing such as are disobedient.
3. To enact certain positive laws for the maintenance of civil order. By positive laws, we mean such as determine and prescribe those circumstances which are necessary for the preservation of the order and honor of the state, and which contribute to the obedience which the law
of God requires.
4. The execution of the laws which they prescribe from time to time.

There are two extremes in opposition to the duties of magistrates. The first is remissness, or a want of proper attention to their duties, which shows itself, either in not requiring from their subjects obedience to the whole Decalogue; or in not enacting such things as are necessary for the preservation and order of civil society; or in not defending the innocent from the wrongs which may be inflicted upon them; or in not enforcing, or punishing too lightly those who violate the law of God, or such positive laws as have been enacted from time to time. The other extreme is tyranny, which consists either in demanding from their subjects what is unjust; or in not punishing those who sin; or in punishing them more severely than the offence which they have committed calls for."

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Stone Choir/Corey Mahler Invert God's Revelation

https://coreyjmahler.com/the-european-peoples-and-christianity/  *****EDIT: Some have said that they, or at least Corey Mahler perhaps believes, that the European religions were deviations from Christianity, believed by Noah and his sons. Over time, sinful man and demons twisted these European religions, which I think their argument is that it was originally Christian/derived from Noah and his offspring. Nordic paganism had the most in common with Christianity, even with Odin sacrificing himself on a tree, and therefore the Europeans were the most ripe and ready to embrace Christianity and continue to advance the cause of Christ more than other peoples/races/nations over the last 2,000 years since Christ.  To that I simply say, I appreciate the context given, but even if all that were true (maybe it is, maybe it is not), it doesn't change the fundamental points of my post below. Syncretism, Odinism, etc., even if it was somehow a distorted derivation flowing from the true...
1 comment
Read more

Why Pastors Shouldn't Preach In Jeans (Especially Skinny Jeans)

By: Thomas F. Booher I can't think of a better way to get labeled a legalist than to title a post like this. Hopefully by the end you will not see this as legalism and will see this as what it is- my attempt at describing what I believe is proper ecclesiology as defined by God in Scripture. So then, what is church? What does Scripture say we should be doing and not doing on Sunday mornings? That's what I want to explore. The Bible says to gather together in Christ's name; to teach, encourage, and admonish one another; to sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in our hearts to God (Heb. 10:24-25; Mat. 18:20; Col. 3:16). There are to be deacons (Acts 6:1-6) and elders (Ti. 1:5) in the church who act as overseers, and in the case of elders, are the shepherds of the flock who teach the word and rebuke with authority (Ti. 1:9).  God must call one to be a pastor/elder (Eph. 4:11). As such those who are called by God to preach the word are held to a ...
11 comments
Read more

Ordered Loves, Inequalities, Supremacy, and "Racism"

 By: Thomas F. Booher  Today, being a white Christian man in the United States and holding to properly ordered loves (a good definition of which is given here:  https://americanreformer.org/2024/12/rightly-ordered-love/ )  consistently and publicly will get you labeled as a "racist" or "white supremacist" or something similar soon enough.  In fact, you do not even have to be white or a man to be labeled something like a "white supremacist". But there's a rule out there today that if you can't find a minority to say it first, then what you are saying is bigoted, racist, etc.  I like the phrase/terminology of "properly ordered loves" because it is harder to slander/bear false witness against. It is harder to reduce down to some sort of scary word like "racist" or "kinist" or "supremacist" or "nazi" or whatever. I would say I also like the notion of "family first", but apparently some have ev...
Post a Comment
Read more