Hobbes - Leviathan.pdf

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* Deuteronomy, 17
*(2) I Corinthians, 6
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The fourth argument is taken from the baptism of kings; wherein,
that they may be made Christians, they submit their sceptres to
Christ, and promise to keep and defend the Christian faith. This is
true; for Christian kings are no more but Christ's subjects: but
they may, for all that, be the Pope's fellows; for they are supreme
pastors of their own subjects; and the Pope is no more but king and
pastor, even in Rome itself.
The fifth argument is drawn from the words spoken by our Saviour,
"Feed my sheep"; by which was given all power necessary for a
pastor; as the power to chase away wolves, such as are heretics; the
power to shut up rams, if they be mad, or push at the other sheep with
their horns, such as are evil, though Christian, kings; and power to
give the flock convenient food: from whence he inferreth that St.
Peter had these three powers given him by Christ. To which I answer
that the last of these powers is no more than the power, or rather
command, to teach. For the first, which is to chase away wolves,
that is, heretics, the place he quoteth is, "Beware of false
prophets which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are
ravening wolves."* But neither are heretics false prophets, or at
all prophets: nor (admitting heretics for the wolves there meant) were
the Apostles commanded to kill them, or if they were kings, to
depose them; but to beware of, fly, and avoid them. Nor was it to
St. Peter, nor to any of the Apostles, but to the multitude of the
Jews that followed him into the mountain, men for the most part not
yet converted, that he gave this counsel, to beware of false prophets:
which therefore, if it confer a power of chasing away kings, was given
not only to private men, but to men that were not at all Christians.
And as to the power of separating and shutting up of furious rams,
by which he meaneth Christian kings that refuse to submit themselves
to the Roman pastor, our Saviour refused to take upon him that power
in this world himself, but advised to let the corn and tares grow up
together till the day of judgement: much less did he give it to St.
Peter, or can St. Peter give it to the Popes. St. Peter, and all other
pastors, are bidden to esteem those Christians that disobey the
Church, that is, that disobey the Christian sovereign, as heathen
men and as publicans. Seeing then men challenge to the Pope no
authority over heathen princes, they ought to challenge none over
those that are to be esteemed as heathen.
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* Matthew, 7. 15
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But from the power to teach only, he inferreth also a coercive power
in the Pope over kings. The pastor, saith he, must give his flock
convenient food: therefore food: therefore the pope may and ought to
compel kings to do their duty. Out of which it followeth that the
Pope, as pastor of Christian men, is king of kings: which all
Christian kings ought indeed either to confess, or else they ought
to take upon themselves the supreme pastoral charge, every one in
his own dominion.
His sixth and last argument is from examples. To which I answer,
first, that examples prove nothing; secondly, that the examples he
allegeth make not so much as a probability of right. The fact of
Jehoiada in killing Athaliah* was either by the authority of King