A57976:243
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.
11 Argument. That Church which the plaintiff must tell, that is publicly to admonish the offender, but that is the Church of Elders, 1 Thes: 5. 12, 13, 14. 1 Tim: 5. 20. Luk: 10. 16. for they only are to receive public delations, and to rebuke publicly, as is, Titus 1. 13. 1 Timothy 5. 1. and ver: 19. 2 Timothy 4. 2.
11 Argument. That Church which the plaintiffe must tell, that is publickly to admonish the offender, but that is the Church of Elders, 1 Thes: 5. 12, 13, 14. 1 Tim: 5. 20. Luk: 10. 16. for they only are to receive publick delations, and to rebuke publickly, as is, Titus 1. 13. 1 Timothy 5. 1. and ver: 19. 2 Timothy 4. 2.
12 It shall follow, if Christ understand here by the Church, the Church of believers, that in the case of an Elderships scandalous life, or if otherwise all the officers be taken away by death, that then a company of believing women and children being the Spouse of Christ, and so having claim and title to Christ, his covenant and all his ordinances, may censure, deprive and excommunicate the •lders, and ordain Elders and pastors with public fasting and praying and laying on of hands. But this latter is unwritten in the ⟨p. 94⟩Word of God. For 1. Private believers, far less believing women and children cannot judge the watchmen, and those who were over them in the Lord. 2. In the Old Testament the heads of Families only excommunicated, Gen: 21. 10, 11, 12, 13. and the Priests judged the Leper, Levit: 13. 3, 4, 5. Deut: 24. 8, 9. Numb: 5. 1. not the people, and in the New Testament, the Apostles and Elders only ordained pastors and officers with praying and laying on of hands, Act: 6. 6. Act: 13. 3. Act: 14. 23. 1 Tim: 4. 14. 2 Tim: 1. 6. 1 Tim: 5. 22. Tit: 1. 5. and never the people: also if three be believers happen to be an independent Church, and then the plaintiff rebuking the offender according to Christs rule, Mat: 16. 16. before the Brethren who are witnesses, he shall tell the Church, before he tell the Church, because three are an independent Church by the Doctrine of our Brethren, and moreover if these three being a Church, shall excommunicate the offending brother before the Church (of which Christ speaketh, when he saith, tell the Church) shall hear of the matter: Then shall 1. Christs order be violated: 2. The offending brother shall be excommunicated by a true ministerial Church, lave non errante, and that duly, because he is contumacious to them, and yet he is not excommunicated, because Christs order is violated, and the matter is never come before the Church, who hath power to bind and loose on Earth: 3. And certainly they must say three or four believers do not make a Church, and they must give some other thing to make up essentially one true visible Church, then a company of believers visibly professing one Covenant with God.