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

We have said enough against Saravia, but Bilson doth better deserve an answer, who allegeth more specious reasons to prove, that the Elders of the Jews were their civill Magistrates. He saith, There was no Senate nor Seniors among the Jews, but such as had power of life and death, of imprisonment, confiscation, banishment, &c. which he maketh to appear thus: In the days of Ezra the punishment of contemners was forfeiture of their substance, and separation from the congregation, Ezra 10.8. The trial of secret murder was committed to the Elders of every City, Deut. 21.3.4. They delivered the wilful murderer unto the Avenger of blood, to be put to death, Deut. 19.12. They condemned a stubborn son to death, Deut. 21.19. They chastened a ⟨p. 24⟩man who had spoken falsely of his wife, that he found her not a virgin, Deut. 22.15.16.18. Ans. First, if it should be granted, that the Elders spoken of in these places, were civill Magistrates, this proveth not that there were no Ecclesiastical Elders among the Jews.¹ Justellus in his Annotations upon the Book of the Canons of the African Church, distinguisheth betwixt the civill Elders mentioned, Can. 91. who were called Seniors locorum, or Urbium: and the Ecclesiastical Elders mentioned, Can. 100. who were called, Seniors Ecclesiae, and Seniors Plebis: the former name distinguishing them from the civill Elders, the latter distinguishing them from Preaching Elders. So there might be the same two sorts of Elders among the Jews. And what then? It is enough for us that we find in the Jewish Church, some Elders joined with the Priests, & employed in things Ecclesiastical. The Elders and Priests are joined together both in the new Testament, as Matth. 26.59. the chief Priests and Elders; so in other places before cited: And likewise in the old Testament,