A42763:178
CXI propositions concerning the ministry and government of the ChurchCXI propositions concerning the ministerie and government of the Church
Edinburgh: printed by Evan Tyler, 1647
Title page typeset from the transcription.
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.
86.
What then? Shall it be lawful ordinarily for Ministers and Elders to do what they list, or shall the Governors in the Churches, glorying in the Law, by their transgression dishonour God: God forbid. For first, if they shall trespass in any thing against the Magistrate or municipal Laws, whether by intermeddling in judging of civill causes, or otherwise disturbing the peace and order of the Common-wealth, they are liable to civill trial and judgements, and it is in the power of the Magistrate to restrain and punish them.
What then? Shall it be lawfull ordinarily for Ministers and Elders to do what they list, or shall the Governours in the Churches, glorying in the Law, by their transgression dishonour God: God forbid. For first, if they shall trespasse in any thing against the Magistrate or municipall Lawes, whether by intermedling in judging of civill causes, or otherwise disturbing the peace and order of the Common-wealth, they are lyable to civill tryall and judgements, and it is in the power of the Magistrate to restrain and punish them.
87.
Again it hath been before showed, that to Ecclesiastical evils Ecclesiastical remedies are appointed and fitted, for the Church is no less then the Common-wealth, through the grace of God, sufficient to it self in reference unto her own end: and as in the Common-wealth, so in the Church, the error of inferior judgements and Assemblies, or their evil Government, is to be corrected by superior Judgements and Assemblies, and so still by them of the same order, lest one order be confounded with another, or one Government be intermingled with another Government. What shall now the adversaries of Ecclesiastical power object here, which those who admit not the yoke of the Magistrate may not be ready in like manner to transfer against the civill Judicatories and Government of the Common-wealth? Seeing it happeneth sometimes that the Common-wealth is no less ill Governed then the Church.