Page:The Net of Faith.pdf/547



(:The temporal power, bad as it is, could not of itself sharpen so many swords for the Christians.:) But that great pillar of the Church of Rome which supports her strongly that it may not fall, gave to the gospel a spirit of a sharp sword when he said: "If Christian discipline were to disparage war completely, this should be found in the gospel ordering us to put down arms and give up soldiering; however, it is satisfied with the admonition not to exact too much and to be content with wages. It does not attack the calling of the soldier." This "great pillar" has thus extracted blood instead of milk out of the gospel. If our faith were founded on such bloodinesses – and how much blood there was spilled by the soldiers because of this teaching! – then it would be correct. But our faith obliges us to bind wounds, not to make blood run

And he says about the Christian discipline: When the soldiers came to John to be baptized saying, "And we, what must we do?" should he have given them another answer, "Throw your  Luke 3:14. St. Augustine often uses this . "The gospel nowhere attacks the calling of soldier, so it views it as lawful." ., 138,ii,15; also , v:21, i:20, v: 12,13,16,24,26; xix:17, xv:5, iv:4, v:15;xv:7; xix:21, xx:9; etc.

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