building, or food, drink, air. Neither does the Gospel bring new
laws concerning the civil state, but commands that we obey present
laws, whether they have been framed by heathen or by others, and that
in this obedience we should exercise love. For Carlstadt was insane
in imposing upon us the judicial laws of Moses. Concerning these
subjects, our theologians have written more fully, because the monks
diffused many pernicious opinions in the Church. They called a
community of property the polity of the Gospel; they said that not to
hold property, not to vindicate one's self at law [not to have wife
and child], were evangelical counsels. These opinions greatly
obscure the Gospel and the spiritual kingdom [so that it was not
understood at all what the Christian or spiritual kingdom of Christ
is; they concocted the secular kingdom with the spiritual whence much
trouble and seditions, harmful teaching resulted], and are dangerous
to the commonwealth. For the Gospel does not destroy the State or
the family [buying, selling, and other civil regulations], but much
rather approves them, and bids us obey them as a divine ordinance,
not only on account of punishment, but also on account of conscience.

Julian the Apostate, Celsus, and very many others made the objection
to Christians that the Gospel would rend asunder states, because it
prohibited legal redress, and taught certain other things not at all
suited to political association. And these questions wonderfully
exercised Origen, Nazianzen, and others, although, indeed, they can
be most readily explained, if we keep in mind the fact that the
Gospel does not introduce laws concerning the civil state, but is the
remission of sins and the beginning of a new life in the hearts of
believers; besides, it not only approves outward governments, but
subjects us to them, Rom. 13, 1, just as we have been necessarily
placed under the laws of seasons, the changes of winter and summer,