1
00:00:00,270 --> 00:00:05,490
Greetings. This is Pastor David Bass at New Geneva Orthodox Presbyterian Church with the

2
00:00:05,490 --> 00:00:10,029
Moment of Truth, where we challenge you to think through an important issue of life and faith.

3
00:00:10,390 --> 00:00:16,350
And today, I'd like to ask you, what is the doctrine of the lesser magistrate?

4
00:00:17,129 --> 00:00:25,510
And what does it mean for the resistance to and overthrow of tyranny? What is the doctrine

5
00:00:25,510 --> 00:00:33,210
of the lesser magistrate? Although not spoken of much today, at least has been in the past,

6
00:00:33,549 --> 00:00:40,649
and less understood even than is talked about, well, the doctrine of the lesser magistrate,

7
00:00:40,770 --> 00:00:48,270
I submit to you, is the key to biblical resistance, even to the use of force, if necessary,

8
00:00:48,750 --> 00:00:55,070
against tyranny. Now, some well-meaning Christians that I know find themselves in a quandary

9
00:00:55,070 --> 00:01:02,929
in facing terrible unbiblical tyranny on the one hand, and then confusion as to how to resist it

10
00:01:02,929 --> 00:01:09,629
on the other hand. Should we resist even unto violence? Can we resist? And when do we reach

11
00:01:09,629 --> 00:01:17,450
such a point? Then who should lead us? And on what possible biblical authority can we rely to resist

12
00:01:17,450 --> 00:01:25,230
tyranny? And does history afford us any reliable examples? We'll explore all of these questions and

13
00:01:25,230 --> 00:01:33,049
more as we look at the doctrine of the lesser magistrates. What I'd like to do today is begin

14
00:01:33,049 --> 00:01:40,670
to explore this relevant principle for our own day, so that we do not give up and passively bend our

15
00:01:40,670 --> 00:01:46,930
necks under the yoke of slavery at one extreme, but that we do not reflexively strike out in useless

16
00:01:46,930 --> 00:01:54,629
blind rage to no effect at the other extreme. The golden mean of biblical response to tyranny

17
00:01:54,629 --> 00:02:01,810
is in the middle. That is the doctrine of the lesser magistrate. And I would like to use as a jumping

18
00:02:01,810 --> 00:02:11,710
off point, a book by Reverend Matthew Truhella. That's T-R-E-W-H-E-L-L-A. Matthew Truhella. And

19
00:02:11,710 --> 00:02:21,810
that book is called The Doctrine of the Lesser Magistrates. And the subtitle is A Proper Resistance

20
00:02:21,810 --> 00:02:30,270
to Tyranny and a Repudiation of Unlimited Obedience to Civil Government. The Doctrine of the Lesser

21
00:02:30,270 --> 00:02:38,710
Magistrates by Matthew Truhella. And Matthew has done us a service in distilling many of the essential

22
00:02:38,710 --> 00:02:45,509
elements of this historical teaching. And I'd like to begin with three points today. Point number one,

23
00:02:46,050 --> 00:02:51,129
what is the doctrine of the lesser magistrate? Let's define that first, okay? What is the doctrine

24
00:02:51,129 --> 00:02:58,189
of the lesser magistrate? And Matthew Truhella, in his book, The Doctrine of the Lesser Magistrates,

25
00:02:58,629 --> 00:03:00,870
defines it as this, and I quote,

26
00:03:00,870 --> 00:03:07,810
When the superior or higher civil authority makes unjust or immoral laws or decrees,

27
00:03:08,330 --> 00:03:16,030
the lesser, lower-ranking authority has both the right and the duty to refuse obedience to that

28
00:03:16,030 --> 00:03:22,750
superior authority. If necessary, the lesser authorities even have the right and obligation

29
00:03:22,750 --> 00:03:30,990
to actively resist the superior authority. In a nutshell, that is the doctrine of the lesser

30
00:03:30,990 --> 00:03:38,110
magistrate. A magistrate, what is a magistrate, first of all? Well, a magistrate is an ancient term

31
00:03:38,110 --> 00:03:45,289
that denominates anyone in civil government who bears an office with authority. And such a one may

32
00:03:45,289 --> 00:03:50,509
be elected or appointed to that office. He may be a king or prince, a president or governor,

33
00:03:50,509 --> 00:03:57,169
a congressman or judge, a delegate, director or doggetter. What is important to us and to the

34
00:03:57,169 --> 00:04:03,409
reformers who help to formalize and define the doctrine of the lesser magistrate, what's important

35
00:04:03,409 --> 00:04:11,569
is that such an actor on behalf of liberty and the rights of the people, such a one bears legitimate

36
00:04:11,569 --> 00:04:19,250
authority for office and is not a rogue actor, an illegitimate rebel, a mere terrorist whose actions,

37
00:04:19,250 --> 00:04:25,610
even if successful in overthrowing tyranny and assuming power, will issue most likely in further

38
00:04:25,610 --> 00:04:32,149
tyranny and illegitimate exercise of power. And that has happened often in history. We won't go into

39
00:04:32,149 --> 00:04:39,709
those kinds of details, but we must say that history is replete with examples of men who resisted unjust

40
00:04:39,709 --> 00:04:46,449
and tyrannical measures by their superiors and practiced the doctrine of the lesser magistrate.

41
00:04:46,449 --> 00:04:52,410
If you know the history of Roman emperors, for example, then you know how wicked and capricious

42
00:04:52,410 --> 00:04:59,069
Emperor Caligula was. At one point, he ordered the governor of Palestine to install an image of

43
00:04:59,069 --> 00:05:06,230
himself for worship in the Jewish temple in Jerusalem. Oh, what a reaction that would have

44
00:05:06,230 --> 00:05:14,769
precipitated. Well, that governor, Publius Petronius was his name. He interceded as a lesser magistrate

45
00:05:14,769 --> 00:05:21,490
to refuse that order. And he told the Jews that were gathered before him, and I quote,

46
00:05:22,009 --> 00:05:29,009
I do not think it just to have such a regard for my own safety and honor as to refuse to sacrifice

47
00:05:29,009 --> 00:05:36,490
them for your preservation, who are so many in number and endeavor to preserve the regard that is

48
00:05:36,490 --> 00:05:43,649
due your law. He goes on to say and tell the Jews, I will assist your suit so far as possible

49
00:05:43,649 --> 00:05:49,769
that you may not be exposed to suffer on account of the honest designs you have proposed to yourselves

50
00:05:49,769 --> 00:05:57,170
and may God assist you for his authority. His authority is beyond all the contrivance and power

51
00:05:57,170 --> 00:06:07,050
of men, unquote. So, this governor, then Publius Petronius, interceded on behalf of the Jews against

52
00:06:07,050 --> 00:06:14,870
Emperor Caligula. Then, also another example from history, what authority higher than King John,

53
00:06:15,029 --> 00:06:21,430
for example, could order him to moderate his tyranny over England all the way back in 1215 A.D.?

54
00:06:21,430 --> 00:06:28,889
King John. There was no other power higher than him. Consequently, it was the nobles of England,

55
00:06:28,889 --> 00:06:36,569
the lesser magistrates, led by Bishop Stephen Langton, who rose up against King John and forced him at the

56
00:06:36,569 --> 00:06:43,529
point of a sword to sign the provisions of a great charter of rights, the Magna Carta on the fields of

57
00:06:43,529 --> 00:06:48,649
Runnymede. And of course, the Magna Carta would become a blueprint for the rights of all Englishmen

58
00:06:48,649 --> 00:06:55,589
and yea for the American Constitution. But make no mistake, it was the assertion of authority by the

59
00:06:55,589 --> 00:07:02,889
lesser magistrate that made it possible. And it is a biblical doctrine, too. Other examples can and will

60
00:07:02,889 --> 00:07:09,670
be cited, but just know that this doctrine of the lesser magistrate is familiar to many generations,

61
00:07:09,850 --> 00:07:15,810
except apparently our own. Our own founding fathers knew it, and they articulated it, and they practiced

62
00:07:15,810 --> 00:07:21,269
it, too. They were all lesser magistrates, in that they were members of colonial legislatures,

63
00:07:21,269 --> 00:07:27,689
or committees of correspondence, or even the armed militia. But they were under King George III,

64
00:07:27,689 --> 00:07:34,410
or Parliament back in England, yet they refused to obey tyrannical laws and commands from above.

65
00:07:34,410 --> 00:07:41,529
In fact, they organized to resist the tyranny foisted upon them to the point of armed resistance,

66
00:07:41,529 --> 00:07:47,769
didn't they? There would have been no American Revolution at all without the doctrine and

67
00:07:47,769 --> 00:07:56,649
execution of the teaching of the lesser magistrate. Number two, the second point I'd like to make with you,

68
00:07:56,649 --> 00:08:03,930
concerning the doctrine of the lesser magistrate is, number two, the roots of the doctrine of the

69
00:08:03,930 --> 00:08:12,670
lesser magistrate are in the biblical doctrine of interposition. Interposition. The doctrine of the

70
00:08:12,670 --> 00:08:20,649
lesser magistrate has as its roots the biblical doctrine of interposition. And Matthew Trujillo defines

71
00:08:20,649 --> 00:08:28,730
interposition as that calling of God which causes one to step into the gap, that is, willing to place oneself

72
00:08:28,730 --> 00:08:37,070
between the oppressor and his intended victim. Interposition is demonstrated when someone or some group

73
00:08:37,070 --> 00:08:44,649
interposes or positions themselves between an oppressor and the intended victim." Unquote.

74
00:08:44,649 --> 00:08:51,049
from Matthew Trujillo and the doctrine of the lesser magistrates, his book.

75
00:08:51,049 --> 00:08:58,409
Interposition is the necessary prerequisite to the doctrine of the lesser magistrate. It's not sufficient,

76
00:08:58,409 --> 00:09:05,450
but it is necessary to understand the doctrine of the lesser magistrate. Not all of those who interpose

77
00:09:05,450 --> 00:09:10,730
themselves are lesser magistrates, but exercising their authority on behalf of the people. But

78
00:09:10,730 --> 00:09:17,450
all lesser magistrates do interpose themselves at risk to their persons, property, and reputation.

79
00:09:18,090 --> 00:09:23,370
It is a necessary condition, but not sufficient for a full-orb definition of the doctrine of the

80
00:09:23,370 --> 00:09:29,450
lesser magistrate. Well, Matthew Trujillo defines interposition as this. The interposition of the

81
00:09:29,450 --> 00:09:36,409
lesser magistrate requires a willingness to risk potential security for the sake of justice.

82
00:09:36,409 --> 00:09:42,409
And such a risk is paramount to the lesser magistrate. Unquote. And the Bible is replete

83
00:09:42,409 --> 00:09:48,730
with examples of interposition too, whose actors that we call intercessors, of course. For example,

84
00:09:48,730 --> 00:09:54,409
the Hebrew midwives in Exodus interposed themselves between the Hebrew children and Pharaoh,

85
00:09:55,129 --> 00:10:01,450
who had ordered the midwives, Pharaoh did, to drown the Hebrew boys in the Nile since they had grown so

86
00:10:01,450 --> 00:10:07,850
numerous. At great risk to themselves, these women could not bring themselves to do this heinous thing,

87
00:10:07,850 --> 00:10:14,490
but delivered those Hebrew baby boys healthy and strong to their mothers. And God saw and rewarded

88
00:10:14,490 --> 00:10:21,049
these faithful midwives with safety and prosperity. Another example from the Bible. In 1 Samuel,

89
00:10:21,049 --> 00:10:27,690
we have recorded that King Saul made a rash vow to curse anyone who ate something before he defeated his

90
00:10:27,690 --> 00:10:34,809
enemies. Little knowing that his own son, Jonathan, tasted some honey to refresh himself and determined,

91
00:10:34,809 --> 00:10:41,769
however, to fulfill his vow. Saul was ready to slay his own son until the people gathered as one man to

92
00:10:41,769 --> 00:10:50,250
interpose themselves between Saul and Jonathan, saving Saul's son, Jonathan. And a more contemporary

93
00:10:50,250 --> 00:10:58,490
example of interposition. On this kind of larger scale is the Romanian Revolution of 1989, where the

94
00:10:58,490 --> 00:11:06,009
murderous Marxist dictator, Nikolai Ceaușescu, was overthrown. That revolution began when his secret

95
00:11:06,009 --> 00:11:13,610
police came to arrest the troublesome pastor of a reformed church in the city of Timisoara, and that

96
00:11:13,610 --> 00:11:21,210
pastor was Laszlo Toks. This was a common practice in Marxist Romania, where Christians in particular

97
00:11:21,210 --> 00:11:26,490
were disappeared by the regime, never to be heard from again. And when the people of the congregation

98
00:11:26,490 --> 00:11:33,769
caught wind of it, they assembled at the church as one man and refused to give the police entry. And as

99
00:11:33,769 --> 00:11:39,129
news of this resistance spread throughout Romania, it inspired others to take to the streets and

100
00:11:39,129 --> 00:11:48,570
eventually overthrow Ceaușescu's regime. So, the traditional principle of law in the United States

101
00:11:48,570 --> 00:11:58,809
as well. The tradition and the principle of law in U.S. jurisprudence abundantly acknowledges interposition,

102
00:11:58,809 --> 00:12:06,090
too. As Black's Law Dictionary, used in law schools for a century and a half at least,

103
00:12:06,090 --> 00:12:13,690
the Black's Law Dictionary defines interposition as this, the doctrine that a state in the exercise

104
00:12:13,690 --> 00:12:20,490
of its sovereignty may reject a mandate of the federal government deemed to be unconstitutional

105
00:12:20,490 --> 00:12:26,090
or to exceed the powers delegated to the federal government. The concept is based upon the 10th

106
00:12:26,090 --> 00:12:35,049
amendment of the Constitution of the United States reserving to the states powers not delegated to

107
00:12:35,049 --> 00:12:42,970
the United States." Unquote. From Black's Law Dictionary. In fact, it can be argued that the very

108
00:12:42,970 --> 00:12:50,330
founding of our nation was an act of interposition by lesser magistrates. The Declaration of Independence

109
00:12:50,330 --> 00:12:56,490
representing the pinnacle. The people of the American colonies had long been oppressed by the

110
00:12:56,490 --> 00:13:03,450
King and Parliament of England, and they cried out for relief from taxes and brutal treatment and

111
00:13:03,450 --> 00:13:10,490
a violation of basic rights that were guaranteed to every English citizen, but not to them. Oh,

112
00:13:10,490 --> 00:13:18,330
in fact, Patrick Henry's famous give me liberty or give me death speech called specifically for the

113
00:13:18,330 --> 00:13:25,129
interposition of the Continental Congress since others would not. We have done everything that could

114
00:13:25,129 --> 00:13:32,970
be done to avert the storm which is now coming, excuse me, Patrick Henry would say. I quote Patrick

115
00:13:32,970 --> 00:13:38,889
Henry from his speech. He says, we have done everything that could be done to avert the storm which is now

116
00:13:38,889 --> 00:13:45,129
coming. We have petitioned, we have remonstrated, we have supplicated, we have prostrated ourselves before

117
00:13:45,129 --> 00:13:52,090
the throne and have implored its interposition to arrest the tyrannical hands of the ministry and

118
00:13:52,090 --> 00:13:59,690
parliament. Unquote. Patrick Henry uses that term interposition directly in his speech. Patrick

119
00:13:59,690 --> 00:14:06,730
Henry was a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses, the colonial representative body of the people.

120
00:14:07,289 --> 00:14:14,570
He was exactly the kind of lesser magistrate who had authority to resist the tyranny of King and

121
00:14:14,570 --> 00:14:21,690
parliament. The important factor is that here is duly constituted authority, not random

122
00:14:21,690 --> 00:14:30,009
individual action perpetrated by frustrated citizens who, if they act together at all, usually act in a

123
00:14:30,009 --> 00:14:37,049
mob without purpose and or direction. No, that's not the doctrine of the lesser magistrate. And that

124
00:14:37,049 --> 00:14:44,970
brings us to our third point. And our third point is a first principle is that all authority is delegated

125
00:14:44,970 --> 00:14:53,289
authority. All authority is delegated authority at the end of the day. No man is an autonomous authority unto

126
00:14:53,289 --> 00:15:01,690
himself, that is, without being subject to a higher authority. That word autonomous is a compound word

127
00:15:01,690 --> 00:15:10,490
consisting of auto, meaning self, and nomos, meaning law, that is, a law unto oneself. No man is like this. No

128
00:15:10,490 --> 00:15:17,850
magistrate is like this. Every king, president, or congress must ultimately acknowledge God and his law

129
00:15:17,850 --> 00:15:25,850
as highest authority. Even if they don't, they will pay the price eventually. A hard lesson learned by

130
00:15:25,850 --> 00:15:34,250
every tyrant is that no man breaks God's law in reality when he disobeys. Rather, that tyrant is

131
00:15:34,250 --> 00:15:41,129
eventually broken upon God's adamant law and never breaks it in himself, like a ship upon the rocks when

132
00:15:41,129 --> 00:15:48,409
he disobeys God's law. The Bible is clear when it says there is no authority except from God, and the

133
00:15:48,409 --> 00:15:55,610
authorities that exist are appointed by God. This, of course, is from Romans chapter 13 verse 1. By

134
00:15:55,610 --> 00:16:06,090
definition, all power exercise that power by God's appointed office. All in power exercise that power

135
00:16:06,090 --> 00:16:14,409
by God's appointed office. And as I have articulated in other places, civil government was instituted in

136
00:16:14,409 --> 00:16:22,490
principle under the noetic covenant in Genesis. And while civil government has existed in many forms

137
00:16:22,490 --> 00:16:28,730
since then, history has demonstrated that the constitutional republic is the best form of

138
00:16:28,730 --> 00:16:33,929
government for a Christian people. And we have been blessed to live under such a form of civil

139
00:16:33,929 --> 00:16:40,649
government in the United States of America. A blessing that is swiftly being squandered, I'm afraid,

140
00:16:40,649 --> 00:16:49,529
by this generation. Well, integral to this reality of delegated authority is that the rights bestowed

141
00:16:49,529 --> 00:16:56,330
upon man in civil government are also from God, since he is the author of said government and its

142
00:16:56,330 --> 00:17:02,090
provisions. And our founding fathers recognized this too in the declaration. Those famous words,

143
00:17:02,090 --> 00:17:08,809
all men are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life,

144
00:17:08,809 --> 00:17:16,329
liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Well, so crucial to the fabric of these rights

145
00:17:16,329 --> 00:17:23,369
is the protection of civil government. That, as the declaration says, to secure these rights,

146
00:17:23,369 --> 00:17:29,210
governments are instituted among men. Oh, dear listener, government is not instituted under the

147
00:17:29,210 --> 00:17:37,289
civil covenant to exalt individual kings or benefit a monarchical line of men, or as an instrument to

148
00:17:37,289 --> 00:17:44,250
plunder and victimize the masses on behalf of a privileged few, nor is it instituted for any other purpose

149
00:17:44,250 --> 00:17:51,049
than to secure the rights of the people. That's the purpose of civil government. The civil magistrate

150
00:17:51,049 --> 00:17:58,730
exists to serve the people in this regard, as a sheepdog of their commonwealth and protector of their

151
00:17:58,730 --> 00:18:06,490
rights under God. As Jefferson observes in the declaration, that whenever any form of government

152
00:18:06,490 --> 00:18:13,690
becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it and to institute

153
00:18:13,690 --> 00:18:21,450
new government." That is precisely what our founding fathers were about in making a revolution and a

154
00:18:21,450 --> 00:18:29,289
constitution. And consequently, it is the right and the duty of those in civil authority to interpose

155
00:18:29,289 --> 00:18:37,289
on behalf of the people being oppressed, and as their representatives in a republic, to institute new

156
00:18:37,289 --> 00:18:45,450
government then. If those in positions of power, most responsible and most able by dint of office, charged

157
00:18:45,450 --> 00:18:54,490
with instituting new government, fail and refuse to do so, then it falls to the lesser magistrates to take up this

158
00:18:54,490 --> 00:19:05,690
duty. Reverend Trujillo aptly draws upon the 12th century philosopher John of Salisbury in his monumental

159
00:19:05,690 --> 00:19:17,289
work, Politocraticus by John of Salisbury, a philosopher of the 12th century. And he shows then how

160
00:19:17,289 --> 00:19:24,329
consistently the church has insisted that all civil authority is delegated authority. This goes all

161
00:19:24,329 --> 00:19:30,970
the way back at least to the 12th century and further, and John of Salisbury says in his work,

162
00:19:30,970 --> 00:19:38,089
and I quote, "...all power is from the Lord God. The power which the prince has is therefore from God,

163
00:19:38,089 --> 00:19:46,329
for the power from God is never lost nor severed from him, but he merely exercises it from a subordinate

164
00:19:46,329 --> 00:19:56,650
hand." Unquote. So eloquently said. So, with God as the ultimate lawgiver, those in subordination

165
00:19:57,529 --> 00:20:06,329
exercising their authority in delegation from God, well, law promulgated by them must be consistent,

166
00:20:06,329 --> 00:20:14,250
therefore, with God's law. And when it is not, but flagrantly violated and contravened by the

167
00:20:14,250 --> 00:20:22,009
magistrate, then those magistrates have forfeited the obedience of the people. We no longer owe them

168
00:20:22,009 --> 00:20:29,049
our obedience when they flagrantly violate God's law. They have broken the social contract implicit

169
00:20:29,049 --> 00:20:38,089
in civil government, and such a tyrannical magistrate has become indeed a tyrant." John of Salisbury

170
00:20:38,089 --> 00:20:47,369
defines tyranny. He says, "...tyranny is abuse of power entrusted by God to man." Unquote. Simply

171
00:20:47,369 --> 00:20:53,849
elegantly put, isn't it? And once again, Matthew Truhella, in his book, he says this, "...when a higher

172
00:20:53,849 --> 00:21:01,930
authority makes unjust law, he abuses his power and may be resisted. When the lesser magistrate sees the

173
00:21:01,930 --> 00:21:09,369
higher magistrate make bad law, it is the right and duty of the lesser magistrate to interpose

174
00:21:09,369 --> 00:21:19,210
against such false law." Unquote. Dear listener, this understanding of delegated authority under God,

175
00:21:19,210 --> 00:21:26,490
protected and insured by the lesser magistrate, seems to be a lost golden nugget in the United States of

176
00:21:26,490 --> 00:21:34,009
America currently, and I would submit deliberately counter-inculcated by the tyrannical state as it

177
00:21:34,009 --> 00:21:41,289
is presently constituted. We have all been groomed. There's a lot of talk in the news today about

178
00:21:41,289 --> 00:21:46,970
groomers. Well, we have all been groomed, but especially the last few generations, and monolithic

179
00:21:46,970 --> 00:21:53,849
statism. The individual no longer matters unless he or she wants to transition to another gender or maybe

180
00:21:53,849 --> 00:22:00,009
encroach upon white privilege, then they're listened to. But otherwise, the rights of the individual to life,

181
00:22:00,009 --> 00:22:07,289
liberty, property, freedom of the press and religion, to arm and defend himself, or to be free from the intrusion

182
00:22:07,289 --> 00:22:14,809
and spying eye of the state, these are all gone forfeit because of expediency. Oh, we live in a different

183
00:22:14,809 --> 00:22:23,130
age now, we're told. We live in a different age than those slave-holding founders. Individual rights must be put

184
00:22:23,130 --> 00:22:31,609
aside in order to save the planet, right? Or we can no longer own personal vehicles or eat meat or own

185
00:22:31,609 --> 00:22:38,809
a well-heated, well-cooled home. No, days are different. No, that's an excuse for tyranny, dear listener.

186
00:22:39,609 --> 00:22:46,650
All of this is made up out of thin air, environmentally speaking, if we can put it that way. The state declares

187
00:22:46,650 --> 00:22:56,009
it to be so, and they do so by fiat, that is by mere word of declaration. But the value of the doctrine

188
00:22:56,009 --> 00:23:04,250
of the lesser magistrates, the value of the doctrine of the lesser magistrates is that it serves as a

189
00:23:04,250 --> 00:23:11,529
check upon tyranny by insisting that all power is delegated authority from God and must be exercised

190
00:23:11,529 --> 00:23:18,329
accordingly. As Truhella puts it, he says in his book, once again, we're reviewing the doctrine of

191
00:23:18,329 --> 00:23:24,009
the lesser magistrate in Matthew Truhella's book, The Doctrine of the Lesser Magistrates, and he says,

192
00:23:24,009 --> 00:23:32,009
if the higher authority commands that which God forbids or forbids what God commands, the lesser

193
00:23:32,009 --> 00:23:39,930
magistrate must not obey and, if necessary, actively resist. The state is not God. They don't get to do

194
00:23:39,930 --> 00:23:47,130
whatever seems good to them. Men should not give unlimited obedience to civil government. In fact,

195
00:23:47,130 --> 00:23:55,289
men have a duty to oppose any in authority when they make unjust or immoral laws." Unquote.

196
00:23:55,289 --> 00:24:01,690
From Matthew Truhella. Well, until the American people wake up from their slumber of tyranny,

197
00:24:01,690 --> 00:24:07,210
dear listener, and exercise that lazy, atrophied constitutional backbone,

198
00:24:07,210 --> 00:24:13,369
we will continue to descend into the ancient state of all men since the fall, that is, slaves.

199
00:24:13,369 --> 00:24:18,410
And right now, those who have the rule over us are in no mood to insure or protect our rights,

200
00:24:18,410 --> 00:24:23,529
are they? They are in no way disposed to cleave to the Constitution, and they are perfectly content

201
00:24:23,529 --> 00:24:29,450
to use their power to enrich themselves and aggrandize their own power. And this is the State of the

202
00:24:29,450 --> 00:24:37,529
Union. The federal government is a giant blood-gorge tick, sucking on the body politic, and shows no

203
00:24:37,529 --> 00:24:44,250
signs of morphing into the strong, lean servant of the people that it was chartered to be under the

204
00:24:44,250 --> 00:24:51,609
Constitution, endowed with integrity and humility. We do not see that today, do we? With that being the

205
00:24:51,609 --> 00:24:57,289
case, it is up to the lesser magistrate to assert his authority and take his place in the constitutional

206
00:24:57,289 --> 00:25:03,690
order. This is no time for rogue actors. This is not the time for every bubba and hothead to go get his

207
00:25:03,690 --> 00:25:09,609
gun and start shooting up the country. That's just what the state is looking for, what they're baiting

208
00:25:09,609 --> 00:25:17,369
the impulsive to start. That is really what January 6th was about at the end of the day. No, what is

209
00:25:17,369 --> 00:25:26,089
required is for liberty to proceed in a God-given order, and that order is one of exercising delegated

210
00:25:26,089 --> 00:25:31,769
authority from God that is the authority of the lesser magistrate. And we'll have much more to say

211
00:25:31,769 --> 00:25:39,450
upon this in future broadcasts. But for now, know that there is no cause for despair or confusion,

212
00:25:39,450 --> 00:25:46,009
dear listener. Brother citizen, we do not have to give up or give in or flail about with futile,

213
00:25:46,009 --> 00:25:51,930
impotent action that only issues in needless violence and destruction. No, we will leave that to

214
00:25:51,930 --> 00:26:01,369
our enemies. We have the time-tested biblical path blazed for us of the doctrine of the lesser magistrate.

215
00:26:01,369 --> 00:26:08,970
It is time to wake up to it and embrace it, come to know it, to practice it, and pray for its wise

216
00:26:08,970 --> 00:26:16,650
administration by those in power. This is Pastor David Bass at New Geneva Orthodox Presbyterian Church.

217
00:26:16,650 --> 00:26:22,890
We meet for holy worship on Sunday morning at 10 a.m. at 101 4th Street on the corner of 4th and

218
00:26:22,890 --> 00:26:28,170
Boulevard. Come and join us. Come and visit us. You'll receive a warm welcome and find out what we're

219
00:26:28,170 --> 00:26:34,650
about. New Geneva Orthodox Presbyterian Church. You can call us for more information or feedback

220
00:26:34,650 --> 00:26:48,970
at area code 208-523-0196. That's area code 208-523-0196.