A57976:196
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.
4. Conclusion. There is a visible governing Church in the new Testament, whose members in complete number of believers doth not meet in one place ordinarily for the worship of God, neither can they continually so meet. 1. The Church of Jerusalem was one Church, under one government, and called one Church in the singular number, which grew from one hundred and twenty, Acts 1. to three thousand one hundred and twenty, Acts 4. 41. and then added to these, Acts 4. 4. five thousand men, which is eight thousand one hundred and twenty. And Acts 9. 35. all that dwelt at Lydda and Sharon turned to the Lord, v. 42. many in Joppa believed in the Lord, Acts 20. 21. many thousands of the Jews believed, Acts 5. 14. multitudes of believers moe were added to the Lord, both of men and women, Acts 6. 1. their number were multiplied. Now it was not possible they could all meet in one house, especially seeing that prophecy was to take its first accomplishment at Jerusalem, 1where all flesh was to see the salvation of God. And that of Joel 2. I will pour my spirit on all flesh. 2Its true Bath saith, this Church was numerous by accident, at extraordinary confluences of strangers. Yet the multitudes of thousands which I have observed from the story of the Acts (granting the confluence, Acts 2. of nations to be extraordinary) did meet daily, Acts 2. 46. from house to house. Now so many thousands could not meet daily, that is, ordinarily. 2. From house to house in private houses, and so it is not possible all that people did make but one Congregation independent, where 1 all had voices in discipline. 2. all did break bread, that is, receive the Sacrament in a private house: so that their meeting together must be taken distributively in diverse Congregations, not collectively, for that were against edification. 2. against the nature of congregational worship. 2. There was a visible Church in Samaria under one government, that could not convene in all the members, in one place. The numerous