An assertion of the government of the Church of Scotland in the points of…

Ans. 1. I say with Whittaker, Posse alia, &c. That other lawful councils may in like manner affirm their Decrees to be the Decrees of the holy Ghost, ¹if they be like unto this council, and if they keep the same rule which the Apostles did keep and follow in this council, for if they decree and determine nothing but from the Scriptures, which was done in this council; and if they examine all questions according to the Scriptures, and in all their Decrees follow the voice of the Scripture, then may they affirm that the holy Ghost hath so decreed. 2. If the Doctrine or exhortation of a Pastor well grounded upon the Scriptures be the Word of God, then much more is the Decree of a Synod well grounded upon the Scriptures, the Decree of the holy Ghost. 3. That Assembly was not of the Apostles alone, but of the Apostles and Elders, neither did the Decrees proceed from the Apostles alone, but from the Apostles and Elders, Acts 16.4. and 21.25. and in the place which is now objected, Acts 15.28. not the Apostles alone, but the Elders with them, say, It seemed good ⟨p. 209⟩to the holy Ghost and to us. What the Elders did then, the Elders may do now, for time hath not diminished their authority. 4. Nay, what the Apostles did in that Synod, the Elders may do in a Synod now; for the Apostles then did nothing but in the ordinary and common way of disputing and debating, comparing reason with reason, and sentence with sentence, and thereafter framing the Decree according to the light which they had by reasoning and by searching the Scriptures. But (which is most observable) the sentence of the Apostle Peter in that Synod was very imperfect and defective; for he only dissuadeth from imposing the yoke of the ceremonial law upon the Churches of the Gentiles, but maketh no mention of any overture for avoiding the offence betwixt the Jews and the converted Gentiles at that time, which I may suppose he would have done, if his light and judgement had carried him that far: In this the Apostle James supplieth the defect of Peters sentence,² and propoundeth an overture which pleased the whole council, and according to which the decree was given forth. This made Luther to say that James did change the sentence of Peter. And all this it pleased God so to dispose, that we might understand that Synod to be