A57976:134
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.
8 Parker reasoneth from the stability of the Church. 1Where there is more stability, there is more authority, as our Divines reason, proving the Pope to be inferior to the Council. 1. A Church cannot be gathered in the name of Christ, but there is the power of Christ, 1 Cor. 5. 4. Matth. 18. But a Church may be, 2and was constitute at first, saith Saravia, without Elders and Pastors. 2. The Church hath ecclesiastic authority, when the overseers are absent, as in the reformed Churches, or when by heresy they lose their authority, the authority of the overseers, dependeth on the Church, 3but the authority of the Church dependeth not on the overseers. 3. When the Pastor is dead, the Church keepeth still her authority, 4when the Pope is (saith Bellarmine) the keys remain in the Christs hands, and he giveth them to the next Pope: Behold fleeing keys (saith Morton.) Ans. A ministerial Church is never gathered in Christs name, while there be a ministry, unless you would say, Peter is a man before he be a reasonable creature which is a contradiction, some few believers may meet together, but they cannot preach, ⟨p. 48⟩baptize, censure, while Christs power of the keys be given them, except by an extraordinary power from I. C. 2. What if a Church of believers be by order of nature, before there be overseers? Yet have they not the keys while CHRIST call some of their number out to give them the Keys, for there was no power of the Keys of the New Testament, while Christ gave it to John Baptist, and called the twelve Disciples; else their calling to be Apostles should not be a conferring on them the Keys, which is false: for when, Matth. 10. 1, 5. they are sent out with power to preach, he gave them the Keys, •nd yet they were a Church of Disciples before, and first called to faith, and then to the Keys, and to the Apostleship. 2.