A57976:107
A peaceable and temperate plea for Pauls presbytery in Scotland, or, A modest and…A peaceable and temperate plea for Pauls presbyterie in Scotland, or, A modest and…
A peaceable and temperate plea for Pauls presbytery in Scotland, or, A modest and brotherly dispute of the government of the Church of Scotland wherein our discipline is demonstrated to be the true apostolic way of divine truth, and the arguments on the contrary are friendly dissolved, the grounds of separation and the independency [sic] of particular congregations, in defence of ecclesiastical presbyteries, synods, and assemblies, are examined and tried / by Samuel Rutherfurd ...A peaceable and temperate plea for Pauls presbyterie in Scotland, or, A modest and brotherly dispute of the government of the Church of Scotland wherein our discipline is demonstrated to be the true apostolick way of divine truth, and the arguments on the contrary are friendly dissolved, the grounds of separation and the indepencie [sic] of particular congregations, in defence of ecclesiasticall presbyteries, synods, and assemblies, are examined and tryed / by Samuell Rutherfurd ...
London: printed for John Bartlet, 1642London: printed for Iohn Bartlet, 1642
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.
Hence out third conclusion. The Church of believers in eminence and primacy of Christian dignity is above the Church ministerial as ministerial, 1. In dignity. 2. Stability. 3. Causality. Indignity. 1. Because the Church of believers is the redeemed and conquested purchase of our Lord Jesus, but all the office-bearers, or the ministerial Churches of Pastors and Elders on earth, are not his redeemed ones, in so far as they are no more but officers and ministers ⟨p. 34⟩of the house, except they be believers, and so they fall in to the redeemed Church which is a better world, than to be naked pulpit-men. 2. In stability, because the advocation of Christ that the gates of hell shall not prevail against the Church of believers, and the promises of the Covenant for perseverance standeth good for them: But no such promises of stability are made to naked Church guides, but if they guide well, they fare the better; only common gifts are promised to them which cannot take them to heaven. 3. In causality, the Church of believers are superior, and above the Church of Church-guides, because Rulers and Officers are servants and means employed by Christ for the Church of believers,1 as for the end, office-bearers are for believers, as the means for the end, but believers are not for office-bearers.2 Medicine is for our health, and meat for our life,3 and the end is the cause, and so excellenter than the means, because of these three respects, and of the necessity of consent of believers in all acts of Government. Christs kingdom being a willing people.4 The Fathers, Tertullian, Origen, 5Cyprian, Chrysostom, Augustine, Epiphanius, Jerome, 6Cyril, Hilary, and our late Divines, Junius, Chemnitius, 7Martyr Calvin, Beza, Willet, Fulke, Bucer, and our brethren Baines and Ames. do ascribe a superiority, and so an authority to believers,