Timon Cline recently recently published an article at American Reformer about the historical Christian understanding as civil rulers as nursing fathers. In his article, he referenced an election sermon preached by Edward Dorr in 1765 to the General Assembly of the Colony of Connecticut. The sermon, entitled “The duty of civil rulers, to be nursing fathers to the church of Christ,” helpfully explains the role and responsibility the civil magistrate has in a society “to provide for, and support the publick exercises of religion.” Cline, in his article, references a specific part of the sermon where Dorr is explaining “how, and in what ways civil rulers are to be nursing fathers to the church of Christ. The passage is long but is well worth our time and consideration.

Civil rulers are to suppress all immorality and vice, and to encourage the practice of virtue and piety. Immorality and vice is highly detrimental not only to the civil, but especially to the religious interests of mankind. It sets itself in opposition to them, and in proportion as the former increases, the latter must decay. While on the other hand, virtue and piety are an honor and an ornament to a people, and the best security, both of church and state. Civil rulers should therefore set themselves to encourage the one, and to discountenance and discourage the other. They are by office bound to oppose evil men, and evil things, and to support and assist the good. By divine institution, they are to be terrors to evil doers, and a praise to them that do well. For this end they are armed with power and authority, and are ministers of God to execute vengeance on them that do evil. I am sensible indeed, that many sorts of immorality and vice lie secret and concealed from public view, and fall not properly under the cognizance of the civil magistrate, nor are they punishable by the state; but others are open and public, such as profaning the name of God and religion, fraud, theft, injustice, intemperance, uncleanness, &c. These are properly within the jurisdiction of the civil magistrate, and he ought to support religion, by employing his power and influence to discountenance and discourage them, and to promote and encourage their contrary virtues. And the eyes of good rulers will be open upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell in their sight; they will early destroy the workers of iniquity, and cut them off from the land.

Compared to our earlier consideration of the basics of civil rule, Dorr offers a much more eloquent and thorough understanding of the duty of civil rulers. Fundamentally, civil rulers have the duty to suppress evil and encourage good. This ought to be reflected in its policies, laws, and lawgivers themselves. Frown at the bad and smile at the good really is an apt description of the role a civil magistrate plays and yet, rulers have an active responsibilty as opposed to a passive voice on the sidelines. This is where some limited government, libertarian leaning Conservatives go astray. Civil rulers have a positive role in, as Dorr says, “encourag[ing] the practice of virtue and piety.” Government is far more than punishing criminals and executing justice, albeit that is a primary responsibility. Civil rulers hold the responsibility to support and promote that which is good in aim of encouraging piety and virtue in its populace. Civil rulers are in authority “by divine institution” and therefore should govern accordingly. Distrust of our current ruling class is wise and understandable and at this time our government does need to vastly be diminished. However, we must remember that God Himself institutes rulers and grants to them real authority and power to suppress vice and encourage virtue.

As Christians in Colorado vote this Fall on issues such as abortion, marriage, education and criminal sentencing, it is helpful to remember what God commands and demands of our civil rulers. However, in a system where the citizens hold a level of authority, we must, as Joe Rigney recently explained, “we must steward the civic authority that God has entrusted to us.” In essence, citizens function as lesser civil rulers in a democratic republic. Votes hold real civic authority in our nation and in our state and while it is a minor role to play, the same principles ought to apply. Therefore, vote this Fall to suppress all immorality and vice and encourage the practice of piety and virtue. At a minimum, this means Voting No on Amendment 79 and Amendment J and voting Yes on Amendment 80 and Proposition 128. For more details, read here.