1883 Haydock Douay Rheims Bible
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| Romans 13:1 | Let *every soul be subject to higher powers: for there is no power but from God: and those that are, are ordained of God. Wisdom 6:4.; 1 Peter 2:13. | Let every soul, or every one, be subject, etc.{ Ver. 1. Non est potestas, exousia, nisi a Deo. St. Chrysostom, om. kg. p. 189. ouk eipen, ou gar estin archon ei me upo tou theou, alla peri tou pragmatos dialegetai legon, ou gar estin exousia.|} The Jews were apt to think themselves not subject to temporal princes, as to taxes, etc. and lest Christians should misconstrue their Christian liberty, he here teacheth them that every one (even priests and bishops, says St. Chrysostom) must be subject and obedient to princes, even to heathens, as they were at that time, as to laws that regard the policy of the civil government, honouring them, obeying them, and their laws, as it is the will of God, because the power they act by is from God. So that to resist them, is to resist God. And every Christian must obey them even for conscience-sake. St. Chrysostom takes notice that St. Paul does not say that there is no prince but from God, but only that there is no power but from God, meaning no lawful power, and speaking of true and just laws. See hom. xxiii. (Witham) |