Ellis Sandoz

LT Political Sermons of the American Founding Era, Edited by Ellis Sandoz, Liberty Fund, Indianapolis, 1991
Where is hard copy? home stack, goes in sermon section of BCSA east wall bottom shelf

Theme:
Type: sermons
Value: 1-
Age: col
Interest: 1- (2+?)

Objectionable:
Vocabulary:
Synopsis/Noteworthy:

Great preface
Argues that private interpretation of Scripture trumps all other interpretations and liberties and must be civilly protected to have a free society
Argues that the role of cg is to protect freedom of conscience/religion 94

“Essential Rights and Liberties of Protestants,” Elisha Williams, Boston, 1744, pgs 51-118
Scripture is the only final rule of faith and practice55, 62, 64, 75, 98
Nonage 56
Property (is equal to person) 57
Law of nature 57
Source of cg 58, 115
Role of cg 58, 94, 97
Thinking and judging are inherent 62
Role of preacher (is to make scripture clear) 63, 68, 79
Don't accept the word of the preacher at face value 66
How to do church is up to each church 68-71
Establishment meaning 73
All humans and institutions are fallible 73, 77, 103
Powers which are not (even though they claim to be) 79 SEE BELOW
Obedience to cg is limited 79-87, 97
Christ/the Gospel see the limits 87-88
Unity not helped by a civil establishment of religion 91
Anti-popery 91, 93, 97, other (earlier)
Christianity results in love (no need for law so much) 93
Joining a local church is a matter of Christian liberty 99ff
Local church determines speaker 104, 108, 113
State not to decide schools 109 "If the civil authority of a state are obliged to take care for the support of religion, or in other words, of schools and the gospel ministry, in order to their approving themselves nursing fathers (as, I suppose, every body will own, and therefore I will not spend any time in proving it), then the law especially referred to is not an act of grace."
Most basic right/liberty is freedom of religion 117
Preserving liberty is done little by little 117-118 “It has commonly been the case, that Christian liberty, as well as civil, has been lost by little and little; and experience has taught, that it is not easy to recover it, when once lost. So precious a jewel is always to be watched with a careful eye; for no people are likely to enjoy liberty long, that are not zealous to preserve it.”

Powers which are not (even though they claim to be) 79-83
[In Romans 13:1, we must distinguish] between the powers which are, and the powers which are not. This is a plain and undeniable distinction; since it is well known there may be a pretended power where there is really none. ... The truth of the case is plainly this; that this text shows obedience is due to civil rulers in those cases wherein they have power to command, and does not call for it any further. ...it appears from what the apostle says in the 3rd and 4th verses, that their power is a limited one: and therefore the obedience due is a limited obedience. ... The ground of obedience cannot be extended beyond the ground of that authority to which obedience is required. ... Christ perfectly knew the weakness of human nature, and how apt men are to assume power over one another, even in matters of a religious nature, and how unfit they are to have any dominion therein: ... Here [Mt 23:8-10] all Christians are charged upon the duty and obedience they owe Christ, that they should none of them set themselves up for authoritative masters, judges, or directors of men in religious matters (as the Pharisees did); and likewise that they should not submit to any who should set themselves up as such. ... Christians [should be] resolved to give place by subjection, no, not for an hour to any human authority on earth in matters of religion, lest they cast dishonor on Christ their only lawgiver.
By what has been said you may see the falsehood of another supposition or argument you bring to support the civil magistrate’s authority in the case before us, viz. That every law not contrary to a superior law, is to be obeyed; which you seem to take for an allowed maxim, and so think you may fairly conclude, that any legal injunctions of the civil magistrate in matters of religion which are not contrary to some express law of God; are to be obeyed. If that proposition be limited to those things which are the objects of the civil magistrate’s power, viz. the civil interests of the people; if it stands for a maxim it affects not the case before us at all. But if it be extended to things out or beyond the line of their power, as matters of religion are; it is then a falsehood.
If civil rulers should take it into their heads to make a law, that no man shall have Luther’s Table-Talk in his house, that every man shall turn around upon his bed at 12 o’clock every day, or any such likewise laws (thousands of which might be invented by a wise tyrant); by this rule these laws are to be strictly obeyed, a higher law to the contrary not being found. And yet I think it may be presumed, a freeborn people can never become so servile as to regard them, while they have eyes to see that such rules have gone out of the lines of their power. There is no reason they should be fools because their rulers are so.
And here, if this be the rule, that we ought to obey human laws in religious matters in every instance where we can’t find a divine law enjoining what they forbid, or forbidding what they enjoin; then it is evident, religion is in danger of being made a very burdensome thing. To baptism you may add the sign of the cross, the salt, and cream, and spitting in the mouth, with a 100 other things that a fruitful imagination could furnish out.… (mer)