t is contrary to the laws of God. Therefore, it
remains here to speak of the kingdom of God, Whose subjects are they
that believe in Him. God declareth His laws either by natural reason, or
by revelation, or by the voice of prophets. He is necessarily sovereign,
for the one reason that He is omnipotent.

_IV.--Of a Christian Commonwealth and the Kingdom of Darkness_

Of God speaking by the voice of a prophet are two signs: that the
prophet worketh miracles, and that he teacheth no other religion than
that established. These two must go together. And since miracles have
ceased, it is clear that God no longer speaks by prophets. But He hath
revealed Himself in Scripture--that is, in those books which are in the
canon ordained. But whether their authority be derived from the civil
sovereignty or is of a universal church to which all sovereigns are
subordinate is another question. It may be seen, however, from Scripture
that the kingdom of God therein spoken of is a civil kingdom, for the
restoration whereof we pray daily, which is that kingdom of God by
Christ which was interrupted by the revolt of the Israelites and the
election of Saul.

A church is a term used in many senses, but in one only can it be
treated as a person having power to will, command, or do any action
whatever. And according to this sense I define a church to be "a company
of men professing Christian religion, united in the person of one
sovereign, at whose command they ought to assemble, and without whose
authority they ought not to assemble." It follows that a church that is
assembled in any commonwealth that hath forbidden them to assemble is an
unlawful assembly. There are Christians in the dominions of several
princes and states; but every one of them is subject to that
commonwealth of which he is himself a member, and consequently cannot be
subject to the commands of any other person. There is therefore no such
universal church as all are bound to obey.

The original covenant with Abraham gave him the sole right, which is the
inheritance of every sovereign, to punish any subject who should pretend
to a private vision for the countenancing of any doctrine which Abraham
should forbid. This covenant established that kingdom of God which was
interrupted by the secular kingdom of Saul. The coming of Christ was to
restore that kingdom by a new covenant; which kingdom was to be in
another world after the Resurrection. The power ecclesiastical was le