e
institutions, designed for specific purposes. Each has its own sphere,
and the authority belonging to each is necessarily confined within its
own province. The father appears in his household as its divinely
appointed head. By the command of God all the members of that household
are required to yield him reverence and obedience. But he can not carry
his parental authority into the church or the state; nor can he appear
in his family as a magistrate or church officer. The obedience due to
him is that which belongs to a father, and not to a civil or
ecclesiastical officer, and his children are not required to obey him
in either of those capacities. In like manner the officers of the
church have within their sphere a divine right to rule, but they can not
claim civil authority on the ground of the general command to the people
to obey those who have the care of souls. Heb. xiii: 17. As the church
officer loses his power when he enters the forum; so does the civil
magistrate when he enters the church. His right to rule is a right which
belongs to him as representing God in the state--he has no commission to
represent God either in the family or the church; and therefore, he is
entitled to no obedience if he claims an authority which does not belong
to him. This is a very obvious principle, and is of wide application. It
not only limits the authority of civil officers to civil affairs, but
limits the extent due to the obedience to be rendered even in civil
matters to the officers of the state. A justice of the peace has no
claim to the obedience due to a governor of a state; nor a governor of a
state to that which belongs to the President of the Union; nor the
President of the Union to that which may be rightfully claimed by an
absolute sovereign. A military commander has no authority over the
community as a civil magistrate, nor can he exercise such authority even
over his subordinates. This principle applies in all its force to the
law-making power. The legislature can not exercise any power which does
not belong to them. They can not act as judges or magistrates unless
such authority has been actually committed to them. They are to be
obeyed as legislators; and in any other capacity their decisions or
commands do not bind the conscience. And still further, their
legislative enactments have authority only when made in the exercise of
their legitimate powers. In other words, an unconstitutional law is no
law. If our Congre