mandments, against which neither Rome, nor heaven nor
earth can command or forbid anything. And the ban or threatening with
which they think they can prevent this, amounts to nothing; just as it
amounts to nothing if an insane father severely threatens the son who
restrains him or locks him up.

XII. The third work of this Commandment is to obey the temporal
authority, as Paul teaches, Romans xiii, and Titus iii, and St. Peter,
I. Peter ii: "Submit yourselves to the king as supreme, and to the
princes as his ambassadors, and to all the ordinances of the worldly
power." But it is the work of the temporal power to protect its
subjects, and to punish thievery, robbery, and adultery, as St. Paul
says, Romans xiii: "It beareth not the sword in vain; it serves God
with it, to the terror of evil doers, and to the protection of the
good."

Here men sin in two ways. First, if they lie to the government, deceive
it, and are disloyal, neither obey nor do as it has ordered and
commanded, whether with their bodies or their possessions. For even if
the government does injustice, as the King of Babylon did to the people
of Israel, yet God would have it obeyed, without treachery and
deception. Secondly, when men speak evil of the government and curse
it, and when a man cannot revenge himself and abuses the government
with grumbling and evil words, publicly or secretly.

In all this we are to regard that which St. Peter bids us regard,
namely, that its power, whether it do right or wrong, cannot harm the
soul, but only the body and property; unless indeed it should try
openly to compel us to do wrong against God or men; as in former days
when the magistrates were not yet Christians, and as the Turk is now
said to do. For to suffer wrong destroys no one's soul, nay, it
improves the soul, although it inflicts loss upon the body and
property; but to do wrong, that destroys the soul, although it should
gain all the world's wealth.

XIII. This also is the reason why there is not such great danger in the
temporal power as in the spiritual, when it does wrong. For the
temporal power can do no harm, I since it has nothing to do with
preaching and faith and the first three Commandments. But the spiritual
power does harm not only when it does wrong, but also when it neglects
its duty and busies itself with other things, even if they were better
than the very best works of the temporal power. Therefore, we must
resist it when it does not do