A37042:719
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.
Another part of the exercise of this power (which often in its misapplication, or its being pretended to be so, is the ground of Church-divisions) is The matter of censuring and deposing of Ministers, and that two ways.
ANother part of the exercise of this power (which often in its misapplication, or its being pretended to be so, is the ground of Church-divisions) is The matter of censuring and deposing of Ministers, and that two wayes.
The one is, When some good men are deposed, or such as are supposed to be so, whereby persons that apprehend the injustice of the fact, do disclaim such a power, and adhere to such a person notwithstanding. Thus did the schism at Constantinople arise for the unjust deposition of Chrysostom, and his adherents were called Ihoannitae, as if they had been of another Religion; Such also was that of the Eustachians at Antioch; which being driven against honest men, and there being no condescending, at least what was once condescended unto, being again recalled, there was no1 stopping of such divisions, till in the manner, formerly hinted, and that being after both their deaths. In such cases extremities are to be shunned, for, its extremity that maketh rents, that is, too little condescending on the one side, and too much tenaciousness on the other.
- 1In what cases extremities are to be shunned.
One extremity to be eschewed, is, When Church judicatories are too tenacious of a past Sentence, or ⟨p. 400⟩the formality of some legal advantage which seemeth to justify the Sentence, as in that case of Chrysostoms, almost all the weight was laid on this at first, That he refused to appear before them, or acknowledge their Authority as they were constituted: and although both the people and others did adhere to him, yet there was no condescending, which occasioned a great schism and was exceedingly condemned by the generality of faithful men in these days. Another extremity is, upon the other side, When for satisfaction of a Judicatory too little is ceded; or upon supposition, even of an unjust Sentence, a schism is stated, to the