A57976:228
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.
The Septuagint agreeth with Matthew, 1[Greek or Hebrew]. So Arias Montanus, Tremell, Beza, Pareus, Musc•lus, Lyra, Hug. Cardinalis, Caieta•, Aquinas: It is not much matter that Castalio turneth (Tell the Assembly of the Commons) Augustine, Cyprian, Jerome, and all are against him. The scope of these words, is not,2 as many believe, that our Saviour setteth down a way how to remove private offences done betwixt brother and brother only. 1. Because the words then should not prove the lawfulness of excommunicating for public and scandalous sins. 2. The scope is as large, as binding and loosing on earth, and proportionally in heaven. But our Saviours aim is, to establish a Church consistory, for removing all scandals and offences out of the Church, private and public, betwixt brother and brother, and betwixt Church and Church. Neither is there ground for the foresaid scope, because he saith (If thy brother offend) in the singular number; for what if three, six, ten brethren offend, is not this course of our Saviours to be taken, ⟨p. 86⟩if six offend six? Hence it followeth that the Church here signifieth not only the Eldership of a particular Congregation, but it signifieth respectively all Presbyteries, and Synods, Provincial, National, and Oecomenicke; for seeing Excommunication and Ecclesiastical binding and loosing is Christs remedy, against all scandals private or public in Christs kingdom, then by a brother, by a Synecdoche is meant all that offendeth; then if a sister-Church offend a sister-Church, or a Provincial, or National Church offend a neighbour sister-Church, Christs remedies being Catholic and universal, as far as our diseases go, the course must be to (Tell the Church) I purpose then first, to show this interpretation to be agreeable to the mind of all Doctors, acknowledging one Church of Elders here,3 and next to prove our interpretation. Chrysostom Tell the Overseers, Augustine Tell the Watchmen, Hieron. We must tell many. So Cyprian, so the Council of Ancyra. 4