The Roman church is an exclusive hierarchy, and assigns to the laity the position of passive obedience. Laymen have no voice in spiritual matters, they can not even read the Bible without the permission of the priest, who holds the keys of heaven and hell. In the New Testament every believer is called a saint, a priest, and a king. As St. Paul says, we are all one body, though each member does its own work, to serve the others. This principle is the source of religious and civil liberty which flourishes most in Protestant countries.
Religious liberty is the mother of civil liberty.
The universal priesthood of Christians leads legitimately to the universal kingship of free, self-governing citizens, whether under a monarchy or under a republic. The good effect of this principle showed itself in the spread of Bible knowledge among the laity, in popular hymnody and congregational singing, in the institution of lay-eldership, and in the pious zeal of the magistrates for moral reform and general education. But it was also shamefully perverted and abused by the secular rulers who seized the control of religion, made themselves bishops and popes in their dominion, robbed the churches and convents, and often defied all discipline by their own immoral conduct. . Philip of Hesse, and Henry VIII. of England, are conspicuous examples of Protestant popes who disgraced the cause of the Reformation. In this respect the Protestants of England, Scotland, and North America, are ahead of the Protestants on the Continent of Europe.