A57976:167
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.
3. The Believers must either be the virtual, or the formal subject of the keys, They are not the virtual subject or cause, as flint is a cause of fire; for our brethren say that the believers formally perform acts of the keys, and that they rebuke, they excommunicate, ⟨p. 61⟩they choose their officers, which is an authoritative act of the keys, as they teach. Now a virtual cause is not formally the cause of the effect; as fire is the cause of fire, and doth not formally perform acts of the formal cause; food doth not formally make motion in the body, but only virtually. But they are forced to acknowledge that believers are the formal subject of the keys: It is absurd that one should essentially, and actu primo, have the power of the keys, and yet he may not preach, nor baptize, that is, as if one had a reasonable soul, and yet could neither discourse nor move, nor walk.
3. The Beleevers must either be the virtuall, or the formall subject of the keyes, They are not the virtuall subject or cause, as flint is a cause of fire; for our brethren say that the beleevers formally performe acts of the keyes, and that they rebuke, they excommunicate, ⟨p. 61⟩they chuse their officers, which is an authoritative act of the keyes, as they teach. Now a virtuall cause is not formally the cause of the effect; as fire is the cause of fire, and doth not formally performe acts of the formall cause; food doth not formally make motion in the body, but onely virtually. But they are forced to acknowledge that beleevers are the formall subject of the keyes: It is absurd that one should essentially, and actu primo, have the power of the keyes, and yet he may not preach, nor baptize, that is, as if one had a reasonable soule, and yet could neither discourse nor move, nor walke.
4. The power of the keys is either in the officers as officers,1 or only as believers; if as officers, then they cannot borrow the keys from believers, seeing they have them as officers, suppose they be not believers, and that is against the meaning of this distinction; if they have the power of the keys only as believers, then all Ministers that are non-beleevers want the keys.