Hobbes - Leviathan.pdf

in those places where Christianity was forbidden by the civil laws,
a putting of themselves out of the company of the excommunicate, and
where Christianity was by the civil law commanded, a putting the
excommunicate out of the congregations of Christians; who elected
the pastors and of the Church, that it the congregation; who
consecrated and blessed them, that it was the pastor; what was their
due revenue, that it was none but their own possessions, and their own
labour, and the voluntary contributions of devout and grateful
Christians. We are to consider now what office in the Church those
persons have who, being civil sovereigns, have embraced also the
Christian faith.
And first, we are to remember that the right of judging what
doctrines are fit for peace, and to be taught the subjects, is in
all Commonwealths inseparably annexed (as hath been already proved,
Chapter eighteen) to the sovereign power civil, whether it be in one
man or in one assembly of men. For it is evident to the meanest
capacity that men's actions are derived from the opinions they have of
the good or evil which from those actions redound unto themselves; and
consequently, men that are once possessed of an opinion that their
obedience to the sovereign power will be more hurtful to them than
their disobedience will disobey the laws, and thereby overthrow the
Commonwealth, and introduce confusion and civil war; for the
avoiding whereof, all civil government was ordained. And therefore
in all Commonwealths of the heathen, the sovereigns have had the
name of pastors of the people, because there was no subject that could
lawfully teach the people, but by their permission and authority.
This right of the heathen kings cannot be thought taken from them by
their conversion to the faith of Christ, who never ordained that
kings, for believing in him, should be deposed, that is, subjected
to any but himself, or, which is all one, be deprived of the power
necessary for the conservation of peace amongst their subjects and for
their defence against foreign enemies. And therefore Christian kings
are still the supreme pastors of their people, and have power to
ordain what pastors they please, to teach the Church, that is, to
teach the people committed to their charge.
Again, let the right of choosing them be, as before the conversion
of kings, in the Church, for so it was in the time of the Apostles
themselves (as hath been shown already in this chapter); even so
also the right will be in the civil sovereign, Christian. For in
that he is a Christian, he allows the teaching; and in that he is
the sovereign (which is as much as to say, the Church by
representation), the teachers he elects are elected by the Church. And
when an assembly of Christians choose their pastor in a Christian
Commonwealth, it is the sovereign that electeth him, because it is
done by his authority; in the same manner as when a town choose
their mayor, it is the act of him that hath the sovereign power: for
every act done is the act of him without whose consent it is
invalid. And therefore whatsoever examples may be drawn out of history
concerning the election of pastors by the people or by the clergy,
they are no arguments against the right of any civil sovereign,
because they that elected them did it by his authority.
Seeing then in every Christian Commonwealth the civil sovereign is
the supreme pastor, to whose charge the whole flock of his subjects is
committed, and consequently that it is by his authority that all other
pastors are made, and have power to teach and perform all other
pastoral offices, it followeth also that it is from the civil
sovereign that all other pastors derive their right of teaching,