1. It was ever granted, that all authority _in secular matters_ derived from him who had the sovereign power, whether he were one man or an assembly of men. That the same _in spiritual matters_ depended on the authority of the _Church_, is manifest by the lastly foregoing proofs; and besides by this, that all Christian cities are Churches endued with this kind of authority. From whence a man, though but dull of apprehension, may collect, that in _a Christian city_, that is to say, in a city whose sovereignty belongs to a Christian prince or council, _all power, as well spiritual as secular, is united under Christ_, and therefore it is to be obeyed in all things. But on the other side, _because we must rather obey God than men_, there is a difficulty risen, how obedience may safely be yielded to them, if at any time somewhat should be commanded by them to be done which Christ hath prohibited. The reason of this difficulty is, that seeing God no longer speaks to us by Christ and his prophets in open voice, but by the holy Scriptures, which by divers men are diversely understood; they know indeed what princes and a congregated Church do command; but whether that which they do command, be contrary to the word of God or not, this they know not; but with a wavering obedience between the punishments of temporal and spiritual death, as it were sailing between Scylla and Charybdis, they often run themselves upon both. But they who rightly distinguish between the things necessary to salvation, and those which are not necessary, can have none of this kind of doubt. For if the command of the prince or city be such, that he can obey it without hazard of his eternal salvation, it is unjust not to obey them; and the apostle’s precepts take place (Col. iii. 20-22): _Children obey your parents in all things: servants in all things obey your masters according to the flesh._ And the command of Christ (Matth. xxiii. 2-3): _The Scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses’ chair; all things therefore whatsoever they command you, that observe and do._ On the contrary, if they command us to do those things which are punished with eternal death, it were madness not rather to choose to die a natural death, than by obeying to die eternally: and then comes in that which Christ says (Matth. x. 28): _Fear not them who kill the body, but cannot kill the soul._ We must see, therefore, what all those things are, which are necessary to salvation. [Sidenote: All things necessary to salvation, are contained in faith and obedience.]