A42758:169
An assertion of the government of the Church of Scotland in the points of…
An assertion of the government of the Church of Scotland in the points of ruling-elders and of the authority of presbyteries and synods with a postscript in answer to a treatise lately published against presbyterial government.An assertion of the government of the Church of Scotland in the points of ruling-elders and of the authority of presbyteries and synods with a postscript in answer to a treatise lately published against presbyteriall government.
Edinburgh: printed for James Bryson, 1641Edinburgh: printed for Iames Bryson, 1641
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.
HIS fi•st Reason that showed […] to think• there were […] any […] ⟨p. 78⟩Church, is because Bishops, Presbyters, that preach and minister the Sacraments, and Deacons, howsoever they much degenerated in later times, yet all still remained in all Christian Churches throughout the World, both Greek and Latin, in their names and offices also in some sort. But of these ruling Elders, there are no foot-steps to be found in any Christian Church in the World, nor were not for many hundred years; whereas there would have been some remains of these as well as the other, had they ever had any institution from Christ or his Apostles, as the other had. To this we answer. 1. If the Christian Churches throughout the World had wanted ruling Elders longer then they did, yet prescription can be no prejudice to the ordinance of God. 2. After that the golden age of the Apostles was spent and gone, exact diligence was not taken, to have the Church provided with well qualified Ministers, but many unfit men, yea, sundry heretics entered into that sacred vocation, whereby it came to pass that corruption and error overflowed the Churches,1 as both Eusebius proveth from Aegesippus and catalogus testium veritatis from Irenaus. Might not this be the cause of changing the office-bearers ⟨p. 79⟩and government of the Church. 3. In the Roman, yea in Prelatical Churches there are scarce any foot-steps at all of the offices of preaching Presbyters, and Deacons, as they were instituted by the Apostles. The Apostles ordained Presbyters to preach the Word, to minister the Sacraments, to govern the Church, and to make use of the keys. But the Popish and Prelatical Presbyters have not the power of the keys, nor the power of Church government, for it is proper to their Prelates; as for the other two they are common to their Deacons, for they also do preach and baptise. The office of the Popish Priest standeth in two things, to consecrate and offer up the body of Christ, and to absolve the faithful from their sins: See Conci. Triden. de sacr. Ordin. cap. 1. Hier. Savonarola. Triumph. cruc. lib. 3. cap. 16. And the same two make up the proper office of the Priest by the order of the English Service Book.