What is the difference between church and state

More particularly; the end of Church censures is, that men may be ashamed, humbled, reduced to repentance, that their spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.

The end of civil punishments inflicted by the Magistrate is, That justice may be done according to Law, and that peace and good order may be maintained in the Commonwealth, as hath been said. The end of delivering Hymeneus and Alexander to Satan was that they may learn not to blaspheme 1 Tim. Erastus yields to Beza that the Apostle doth not say Ut non possint blasphemare , that henceforth they may not be able to sin as they did before which yet he acknowledges to be the end of civil punishments, but that they may learn not to blaspheme.

The end of civil punishments is, Ut non possint as Erastus tells us that the offenders may not be able or at least being alive and some way free may not dare to do the like, the sword being appointed for a terror to them who do evil, to restrain them from public and punishable offences, not to work upon the spirit of their minds, nor to effect the destroying of the flesh by mortification, that the spirit may be safe in the day of the Lord.

In respect of the effects. The powers being distinct in their nature and causes, the effects must needs be distinct, which flow from the actuating and putting in execution of the powers. I do not here speak of the effects of the Ecclesiastical power of Order, the dispensing of the Word and Sacraments; but of the effects of the power of Jurisdiction or Government, of which only the controversy is.

In their objects. This difference Protestant writers do put between the Civil and Ecclesiastical powers. Junius Ecclesiast. Things Divine and Sacred we call both those which God commandeth for the sanctification of our mind and conscience, as things necessary; and also those which the decency and order of the Church requireth to be ordained and observed, for the profitable and convenient use of the things which are necessary: For example, Prayers, the administration of the Word and Sacraments, Ecclesiastical censure, are things necessary and essentially belonging to the Communion of Saints: but set days, set hours, set places, fasts and the like, belong to the decency and order of the Church, etc.

But human things we call such as touch the life, the body goods and good name, as they are expounded in the second Table of the Decalogue; for these are the things in which the whole Civil administration standeth. Tilen, Synt. If it be objected, How can these things agree with that which hath been before by us acknowledged, that the Civil Magistrate ought to take special care of Religion, of the conservation and purgation thereof, of the abolishing idolatry and superstition; and ought to be Custos utriusque Tabulae keeper of both Tables , of the first, as well as second Table?

I answer, That Magistrates are appointed, not only for Civil Policy, but for the conservation and purgation of Religion as is expressed in the Confession of Faith of the Church of Scotland, before cited, we firmly believe, as a most undoubted truth.

The Magistrate himself may not assume the administration of the keys, nor the dispensing of Church-censures; he can but punish the external man with external punishments. Of which more afterwards. In the Adjuncts. For 1. There is no such obligation upon the Civil power, as that there may be no Civil Court of Justice without prayer.

In divers cases Civil Jurisdiction hath been and is in the person of one man: But no Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction is committed to one man, but to an Assembly in which two at least must agree in the thing, as is gathered from the Text last cited. No private or secret offence ought to be brought before an Ecclesiastical Court, except in the case of contumacy and impenitency, after previous admonitions: This is the ordinary rule, not to dispute now extraordinary exceptions from that rule.

But the Civil power is not bound up by any such ordinary rule: For I suppose, our opposites will hardly say at least hardly make it good that no Civil injury or breach of Law and Justice, being privately committed, may be brought before a Civil Court, except first there be previous admonitions, and the party admonished prove obstinate and impenitent. In their correlations. The Correlatum of Magistracy is people embodied in a Common-wealth, or a Civil corporation. The Correlatum of the Ecclesiastical power is people embodied in a Church, or Spiritual corporation.

The Common-wealth is not in the Church, but the Church is in the Common-wealth, that is, One is not therefore in or of the Church, because he is in or of the Commonwealth, of which the Church is a part; but yet every one that is a Member of the Church, is also a Member of the Commonwealth, of which that Church is a part. The Apostle distinguishes those that are without, and those that are within in reference to the Church, who were notwithstanding both sorts within in reference to the Common-wealth 1 Cor.

The Correlatum of the Ecclesiastical power may be quite taken away by persecution, or by defection, when the Correlatum of the civil power may remain. There is a great difference in the ultimate termination. The Ecclesiastical power can go no further then Excommunication, or in case of extraordinary warrants, and when one is known to have blasphemed against the holy Ghost to Anathema Maranatha.

If one be not humbled and reduced by Excommunication, the Church can do no more, but leave him to the Judgement of God, who hath promised to ratify in Heaven, what his Servants in his Name, and according to his Will, do upon Earth. Salmasius spends a whole chapter in confuting the Point of the coactive and Magistratical Jurisdiction of Bishops. See Walo Messal. He acknowledges in that very place, pg. But the Point he asserts is, That Bishops or Elders have no such power as the Magistrate hath, and that if he that is excommunicate do not care for it, nor submit himself, the Elders cannot compel him.

But the termination or Quo usque of the civil power, is most different from this. It is unto death, or to banishment, or to confiscation of goods, or to imprisonment Ezra This is why God can be mentioned on American currency, why politicians can swear oaths on a religious text, and why Christmas Day, a Christian religious holiday, can be recognized as a federal holiday.

This picture shows a Christian church. According to separation of church and state , government and religion should remain independent of each other. Many Americans are skeptical about whether there actually is separation of church and state.

As a proud Christian, I will always be guided by my faith. I also believe that in America we have a separation of church and state. True or False? Separation of church and state is the idea that the government should ban religious practice. As an example of good science-and-society policymaking, the history of fluoride may be more of a cautionary tale.

Dental leaders barnstormed the state, and cities began to fluoridate. But on Thursday Boxer triggered a Golden State political earthquake, announcing that she would not seek a fifth term in Meanwhile, in Florida, Bush was flooded with questions about whether gay marriage could possibly come to the Sunshine State. Among the Perpendicular additions to the church last named may be noted a very beautiful oaken rood-screen.

The east window in this church has been classed as the A1 of modern painted windows. These differences of interests will lead to disputes, ill blood, and finally to separation. If we can free this State of Yankees, we will accomplish more than your armies down south have. He, with others, thinking the miss-sahib had gone to church, was smoking the hookah of gossip in a neighboring compound. The original version of this story misstated the year in which Thomas Jefferson wrote a letter to the Danbury Baptist Association in Connecticut.

It was , not Contact us at letters time. By James Lankford, Russell Moore. Lankford is a U. Senator from Oklahoma; Dr. TIME Ideas hosts the world's leading voices, providing commentary on events in news, society, and culture. We welcome outside contributions. Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of TIME editors.

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