(c) To tell us that a Government must leave religion alone, because it cannot promote it without favoring one church more than another, is simply absurd. It is equivalent to saying that, as we cannot do good to everybody, we are to sit still and do no good at all.
(d) To tell us that no Government can find out what true re- ligion is, and that consequently a Government should regard all religions with equal indifference, is an argument only fit for an infidel. In England at any rate a belief that the Bible is true is a part of the Constitution ; an insult to the Bible is a punishable offence, and the testimony of an avowed atheist goes for nothing in a court of law.
(e) It is undoubtedly true that Christ's kingdom is a king- dom independent of the rulers of this world, and one which they can neither begin, increase, nor overthrow. But it is ut- terly false that the rulers of this world have nothing to do with Christ's kingdom, may safely leave religion entirely alone, and may govern their subjects as if they were beasts and had no souls at all.
Chrysostom says that our Lord's reply meant, " I am indeed a King; bat not such a King as thou suspectest, but one far more glorious."
[If my kingdom. ..servants fight.. .Jews.'] Our Lord proceeds to give proof that His kingdom was not of this world, and there- fore not likely to interfere with the Roman authority. " If the kingdom of which I am head, were like the kingdoms of this world, and supported and maintained by worldly means, then my disciples would take up arms and fight, to prevent my be- ing delivered to the Jews. This, as thou mayest know by in- quiry, is the very thing which I forbade last night. Thine own soldiers can tell thee that they saw Me reprove a disciple for fighting, and heard Me tell him to put up his sword."
Let as mark that a religion propagated by the sword, of by violence, is a most unsatisfactory kind of Christianity. The weapons of Christ's warfare are not carnal. Even true Chris- tians who have appealed to the sword to support their opinions, have often found themselves losers by it. Taking the sword, they have perished by the sword. Zwingle dying in battle, and the Scotch Covenanters, are examples.
Stier thinks that by " my servants " in this verse our Lord meant the angels ! This, however, seems very improbable.
Bullinger makes some good remarks on this sentence, in re- ply to the Anabaptists of his time. He says, among other things, " Just as it does not follow that the Church is worldly, because we who are flesh and blood, and are the world, are m.embers of the Church, — so no one, unless he wants common sense, will say that the Church is worldly, because in it Kings