A57976:240
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.
10. The only apparent Argument against this interpretation is weak,1 and so our interpretation must stand: For they say that the word Church is never taken but for a company of believers, and the redeemed, Eph. 2. 20. builded on the rock Christ. I deny not but the word Church is very sparingly taken for the overseers only; yet it is taken in that sense, and there is reason why it cannot be otherwise taken in this place; for Revelation. 2. The Angel of the Church of Ephesus, Smyrna, &c. standeth for the whole Church, and the whole Church is written unto under the name of the Angel of such a Church: Which may be demonstrated thus, 1. because not only the Ministers, but the people that have ears to hear, are all and every one of them commanded to hear. 2, The promise of eating the tree of life, v. 7. of giving the hidden Manna, and the white stone, and the new name, and they shall be clothed in white, and their names not blotted out of the book of life who overcometh, agreeth not to Ministers only. 3. The command of being faithful to the death, of holding fast what they have, that none take away their crown, of strengthening what remaineth, of being zealous, and of repenting, are not given to Ministers only. 4. The rebukes of falling from the first Love, of not watching, of lukewarmness are not laid upon Ministers only; therefore to the Angel of the Church of Ephesus, of the Church of Smyrna, must need force have this meaning, Unto the Church of Ephesus, of Smyrna, and what is said to the Angels, is said to the Churches, as is clear, comparing chap. 1. v. 20. and chap. 2. v. 1. with v. 9. 11, 17. So Acts 18▪ v, 21, 22. ⟨p. 92⟩Paul is said to salute the Church, that must be the chief men and Elders of the Church; for the Church being so numerous at Jerusalem, as is proved, he could not salute the Church of believers, 1. his manner in writing his Epistles is to salute the prime persons only, and the rest in general; and this being a real salutation, or by all appearance verbal, he could not salute them all man by man, seeing he saw them in the bye, and the Kirk of Jerusalem (for he landed at Caesarea) was more numerous,