the sovereign
power for its own sake, he says, but for God's sake, whose children
we are; and we should be drawn to this, not that we may thereby
acquire a merit,--for what I do for God's sake, I must freely do as
an act of service: moreover, I would do from mere cheerfulness, what
His heart desires. But why should we be obedient to the magistracy
for God's sake? Because it is God's will that evil-doers should be
punished, and those that do well should be protected, that there may
be concord in the world. So we should demand that there be civil
peace, which God requires; but the majority are unbelieving, so that
He has enacted and ordained, in order that the world might not go to
anarchy, that the magistracy should bear the sword and restrain the
wicked, in order that if they are not disposed to be at peace, they
may be compelled to it. This He executes through the magistracy, so
that the world may be ruled to the good of all. Whence you see that
if there were none wicked, there would be no need of magistracy;
wherefore he says, _to the punishment of evil-doers, and to the
praise of those that do well_. The just should have the honor of it
when they do right, since they exalt and crown worldly magistracy,
insomuch that others may take example from them,--not that any one
may thereby merit any thing before God. Such is Paul's language,
also, in Rom. xiii.: "The power is not established to the fear of
those that do well, but for the evil; therefore, if thou wouldst not
be afraid of the power, do well."

V. 15. _For this is the will of God, that by well-doing ye should
silence the ignorance of foolish men._ In these words St. Peter
silences those vain babblers who glory in their christian name, and
prevents them from coming forward and saying, Since faith is
sufficient for a Christian, and works do not justify, what is then
the necessity of being subject to the civil power, and paying tribute
and taxes? And he tells them thus, that although we have no need of
it, we ought readily to do it to please God, so that the mouth of
those enemies of God who asperse us may be stopped, and they be able
to bring up nothing against us, and be compelled to say that we are
honest, obedient people. So we read of many saints, that they were
summoned to war, under heathen rulers, and slew the enemy, yet were
subject and obedient (to those that summoned them), as we Christians
are bound to be to the magistracies, although it is now maint