Faithful to confining themselves within the bounds of so pure an apostolat, far from erecting themselves into rivals of the civil power, they, on the contrary, proclaimed its independence and the sacredness of its rights:⁴ obedience to sovereigns is one of the first precepts of their pious morality. To resist governments is, they say, to offend the Ruler of the world, and take up arms against God himself.⁵ The successors of the apostles for a long time held the same language: they acknowledged no power superior to that of sovereigns but Divine Providence itself.⁶ They subjected to kings all the ministers of the altar, levites, pontiffs, evangelists, and even prophets.⁷ God alone was, immediately and without mediator, the only judge of kings; to him alone belonged their condemnation: the Church addressed to them only supplications or respectful advice.⁸ ⁴ Rom. xiii. ⁵ Qui resistit potestati, Dei ordinationi resistit; qui autem fesistunt, ipsi sibi damnationem acquirunt. ⁶ Chrysostom. Comm, on Epistle to the Romans. ⁷ Deum esse solum in cujus solius, imperatores sunt potestate, à quo sunt secundi, post quem primi ante omnes.— Colimus imperatorem ut hominem à Deo secundum, solo Deo minorem.—Tertull. ⁸ Quod rex delinquit, soli Deo reus est.—Cassiodoi’us, Si quis de nobis, 0 rex, justitiæ tram item transcendere volu-erit, à te corrigi potest: si verô tu excesseris, quis te corripiet, quis te condemnabit, nisi is qui se pronunciavit esse justitiam? —Gregor, Turon. ad Chilpericum. Reges non sunt à nobis graviter exasperandi, divino judiciô sunt reservandi.—Yvo. Carnot. See Bossuet’s reflections on these various texts of Scripture, and of the fathers. De(. Cler. Gail. par. 2. b. 6. ch. 13, 18, 26, 31, 32. She exercised empire only through the medium of her virtues⁹ and possessed no other inheritance than that of faith.¹⁰ These are the very expressions of the holy fathers, not only during the three first centuries, but subsequent to Constantine, and even after the time of Charlemagne. Every one knows, that previous to Constantine, the Christian churches had been but individual associations, too frequently proscribed, and at all times unconnected with the state. The popes, in these times of persecution and of ferment, most assuredly were far from aspiring to the government of provinces: they were contented in being permitted to be virtuous with impunity; and they obtained no crown on earth save that of martyrdom. From the year 321, Constantine allowed the churches to acquire landed property, and individuals to enrich them by legacies. Here we behold, in all probability, says the President Henault, what has given rise to the supposition of Constantine’s donation.¹¹ This donation preserved its credit for such a lapse of time, that in 1478 some Christians were burned at Strasburgh for daring to question its authenticity.