A57976:538
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.
and so the ground of the bond is (the part must be in subjection to those who command the whole) John and Thomas are parts of this congregation, such an Eldership ⟨p. 202⟩commandeth the whole, therefore John and Thomas are in subjection to such an Eldership. So all the believers of this congregation and all the believers of the sister-congregations are parts of this presbytery; whereas Gods providence might have disposed, that all the believers here might have been parts and members of another presbytery: And so by proportion sundry presbyteries are parts of a provincial Church, and sundry believers of many provinces are parts and members of a National Church. Now the division of a Nation into Provinces, and of Provinces into so many territories called presbyteries, and the division of presbyteries into so many congregations, cannot be called a devise of mans, because it is not in the Word of God; for by that same reason, that John and Thomas and so many threes and fours of believers should be members of an independent congregation, seeing it is not in the Word, it shall be also a devise of man. For all our singular acts are mixed, there is something moral in them, and that must be squared and ruled by the word; and something is in them not moral, but positive, and this is not to be squared by the word; but sometimes by natures light (which I grant is a part implicit of Gods word) sometimes it is enough that the positive part be negatively conform to the word, that is, not contrary to it: Howbeit I hold that the morality required in every action, must be positively conform to the word, for example the Law saith, Every male-child must be circumcised the eighth day, Gen. 17. 7. Now the action of Christs circumcision, and Christs presenting in the Temple, and offering of two turtle Doves, and two young pigeons is said to be according to the Law of Moses, Luke 2. 23. [Greek or Hebrew], as it is written; yet the b•be Jesus by name, his mother Mary who brought him into the Temple, the Priest by name that offered the Doves for him, are not written in the Scripture of Moses his law; but the morality of that action was positively conform to Moses his law: so that every part be subject to the ⟨p. 203⟩