Of the Civil Magistrate, XXIII:4

It is the duty of people to pray for magistrates, to honor their persons, to pay them tribute or other dues, to obey their lawful commands, and to be subject to their authority, for conscience' sake. Infidelity, or difference in religion, does not make void the magistrates' just and legal authority, nor free the people from their due obedience to them: from which ecclesiastical persons are not exempted, much less has the Pope any power and jurisdiction over them in their dominions, or over any of their people; and, least of all, to deprive them of their dominions, or lives, if he shall judge them to be heretics, or upon any other pretence whatsoever.

Following Paul's admonition at the start of 1 Timothy 2 it is fit and proper for all Christians to keep their civic leaders in prayer. But our regard for our secular leaders goes further than that--because they participate in a godly authority they command our respect and obedience, and we owe them proper and just support in the form of taxes and other lawful levies. Many will argue that a government that disdains or belittles biblical religion should get no cooperation from Christians, but the Confession says otherwise. The legal authority of the civil magistrate under God is not affected by his unbelief, so long as he upholds justice in his own sphere.

This paragraph has deep roots in the history of Western Europe, marked as it was by contention between church and state over matters of jurisdiction and influence. Historically the church endeavored to keep members of the clergy outside the juridiction of the secular courts. A priest, for example, charged with theft or some other crime would be tried by ecclesiastical courts and was "untouchable" by the secular authorities. Sometimes it was perceived that clergy guilty of civil or criminal infractions received less than satisfactory punishment or even went unpunished altogether, which was no little cause of resentment on the part of people outside the church as an institution. On an even grander scale, the Roman papacy was intensely politically active through much of the Middle Ages and Reformation period preceding the Westminster Assembly--England had much experience of Roman meddling in her political affairs, especially during the latter half of the 16th century. Here the Confession is rather blunt in denying to the papacy any right to deprive people of lands, properties, or lives under any circumstances. This all may seem rather remote to us, living in the early 21st century, but much of the thought underlying these concepts has been encorporated into our own system of government. We take for granted liberties that were hard-fought and hard-bought not all that long ago.

Tomorrow: Introduction to marriage and divorce.