A37042:398
The dying man's testament to the Church of Scotland, or, A treatise concerning scandal…
The dying man's testament to the Church of Scotland, or, A treatise concerning scandal divided into four parts ... : in each of which there are not a few choice and useful questions, very shortly and satisfyingly discussed and cleared / by ... Mr. James Durham ... who being dead (by this) yet speaketh ; and published by John Carstares ... ; to which is prefixed an excellent preface of famous Mr. Blair ... ; together with a table of the contents of the several chapters of each part.
Edinburgh: printed by Christopher Higgins, 1659
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Of the second sort, we say, That there is a moderation called-for in it, and Ministers are not always called either doctrinally, or by Discipline, judicially to reprove or censure them: I will not say but sometimes ⟨p. 203⟩it may be meet to discover the least error, and it may be by circumstances so aggreged, that it may be needful judicially to take notice of it, as when it's involved with offence and ready to breed Schism or Scandal, or in such like cases (in which respect there are some things mentioned in the decree, Act. 15. which are not very material in themselves, as the eating of things strangled) yet, we say, it is not simply and always necessary for Ministers to press at the convincing of all who maintain something different from truth, or which is supposed to be so by them, if •it be of things extra-fundamental, or, which have not direct or palpable influence upon the violating of faith, or corrupting of manners, much less to censure for the maintaining of it. For, it is not of such that these Epistles speak: And we see, Rom. 14. and in the Epistles to the Corinthians, in the debate about meats and eating of things sacrificed to idols, and such like, wherein though there was still a right side and a wrong, yet doth he rather press the forbearing of these debates, than the dipping into them, not astricting men always to follow this or that, providing it be done without breach of unity and charity. Hence it is▪ that although there be somethings he will give no forbearance unto, but authoritatively and ministerially he decideth in them, yet in the same Epistles there is something amongst the Saints that he seeketh rather to heal, and to obtain mutual forbearance in, than peremptorily to decide. See Rom. 14. 1 Cor. 8. 2, 3, &c. Phil. 2. 3.
Of the second sort, we say, That there is a moderation called-for in it, and Ministers are not alwayes called either doctrinally, or by Discipline, judicially to reprove or censure them: I will not say but sometimes