The 1646 Westminster Confession of Faith by The Westminster Assembly 1646

• Chapter I. Of the holy Scripture
• Chapter II. Of God, and of the Holy Trinity
• Chapter III. Of God's Eternal Decree
• Chapter IV. Of Creation
• Chapter V. Of Providence
• Chapter VI. Of the Fall of Man, of Sin, and of the Punishment thereof
• Chapter VII. Of God's Covenant with Man
• Chapter VIII. Of Christ the Mediator
• Chapter IX. Of Free Will
• Chapter X. Of Effectual Calling
• Chapter XI. Of Justification
• Chapter XII. Of Adoption
• Chapter XIII. Of Sanctification
• Chapter XIV. Of Saving Faith
• Chapter XV. Of Repentance Unto Life
• Chapter XVI. Of Good Works
• Chapter XVII. Of The Perseverance of the Saints
• Chapter XVIII. Of the Assurance of Grace and Salvation
• Chapter XIX. Of the Law of God
• Chapter XX. Of Christian Liberty, and Liberty of Conscience
• Chapter XXI. Of Religious Worship and the Sabbath-day
• Chapter XXII. Of Lawful Oaths and Vows
• Chapter XXIII. Of the Civil Magistrate
• Chapter XXIV. Of Marriage and Divorce
• Chapter XXV. Of the Church
• Chapter XXVI. Of the Communion of the Saints
• Chapter XXVII. Of the Sacraments
• Chapter XXVIII. Of Baptism
• Chapter XXIX. Of the Lord's Supper
• Chapter XXX. Of Church Censures
• Chapter XXXI. Of Synods and Councils
• Chapter XXXII. Of the State of Man After Death, and of the Resurrection of the Dead
• Chapter XXXIII. Of the Last Judgment
• Signed

Chapter XXIII. Of the Civil Magistrate

CHAPTER XXIII.
Of the Civil Magistrate.
I. God, the Supreme Lord and King of all the world, hath ordained civil magistrates to be under him over the people, for his own glory and the public good; and to this end, hath armed them with the power of the sword, for the defense and encouragement of them that are good, and for the punishment of evil-doers.

II. It is lawful for Christians to accept and execute the office of a magistrate when called thereunto; in the managing whereof, as they ought especially to maintain piety, justice, and peace, according to the wholesome laws of each commonwealth, so, for that end, they may lawfully, now under the New Testament, wage war upon just and necessary occasions.

III. The civil magistrate may not assume to himself the administration of the Word and sacraments, or the power of the keys of the kingdom of heaven: yet he hath authority, and it is his duty, to take order, that unity and peace be preserved in the Church, that the truth of God be kept pure and entire; that all blasphemies and heresies be suppressed; all corruptions and abuses in worship and discipline prevented or reformed; and all the ordinances of God duly settled, administered, and observed. For the better effecting whereof, he hath power to call synods, to be present at them, and to provide that whatsoever is transacted in them be according to the mind of God.

IV. It is the duty of the people to pray for magistrates, to honor their persons, to pay them tribute and other dues, to obey their lawful commands, and to be subject to their authority, for conscience' sake. Infidelity, or difference in religion, doth not make boid the magistrate's just and legal authority, nor free the people from their obedience to him: from which ecclesiastical persons are not exempted; much less hath the Pope any power or jurisdiction over them in their dominions, or over any of their people; and least of all to deprive them of their dominions or lives, if he shall judge them to be heretics, or upon any other pretense whatsoever.