{"id": "card_n_31db5bed18f8", "kind": "note", "title": "Belgic Art. 36: The Civil Government", "body": "We believe that our gracious God, because of the depravity of mankind, has appointed kings, princes, and magistrates; willing that the world should be governed by certain laws and policies, to the end that the dissoluteness of men might be restrained, and all things carried on among them with good order and decency.", "source": {"label": "Belgic Confession (1561)", "url": "/codex.html#belgic-art36", "ref": "Article 36", "authority_tier": "creed"}, "shelf": "codex", "box": "confession_belgic", "bands": ["belgic", "continental_reformed", "three_forms_of_unity", "article_36", "Rom 13:1-7", "1 Pet 2:13-14", "1 Tim 2:1-2"], "connections": [{"to_card_id": "card_n_3e0feabde3ae", "relationship": "same_section", "origin": "nesting_2026_06_12"}, {"to_card_id": "card_n_1ac5299c16f9", "relationship": "same_section", "origin": "nesting_2026_06_12"}], "author": "engine", "created_at": "2026-05-19T00:00:00Z", "visibility": "public", "lifecycle_stage": "public", "volatility": "permanent", "metrics": {"paperclips_count": 0, "helpful_count": 0, "not_helpful_count": 0, "cite_count": 0, "walks_through_count": 0, "flagged_count": 0}, "updated_at": "2026-05-19T13:05:02.396813+00:00", "source_hash": "27169b44116ff5158c90a9dcaef13d4f5b940e410bbdc68b4720dc03346e2d3f", "witnesses": [{"class": "manuscript_tradition", "label": "Original French 1561 — Guido de Bres", "ref": "Belgic-1561"}, {"class": "translation", "label": "Dutch translation (Synod of Antwerp 1566)", "ref": "Belgic-NL"}, {"class": "critical_edition", "label": "Synod of Dort revision (1618-19)", "ref": "Belgic-Dort"}, {"class": "republication", "label": "CCEL — Belgic Confession", "url": "https://www.ccel.org/creeds/belgic.html", "ref": "CCEL-Belgic"}, {"class": "proof_text", "label": "Scripture proof texts", "ref": "Belgic-proofs"}], "witness_status": "passed", "witness_status_reason": "5 witnesses across 5 independence classes: ['critical_edition', 'manuscript_tradition', 'proof_text', 'republication', 'translation']", "surface": "witness"}