A57976:599
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.
But the government by independent congregations is such. The proposition is clear, 1. Because Christs keys are perfect and opens all locks. 2. Our Divines hence prove Christ a perfect Mediator, King, Priest and Prophet; because he perfectly cureth our threefold misery.
But the government by independent congregations is such. The proposition is cleare, 1. Because Christs keyes are perfect and opens all lockes. 2. Our Divines hence prove Christ a perfect Mediatour, King, Priest and Prophet; because he perfectly cureth our threefold misery.
I prove the assumption, by the doctrine of independency. Pastors and Doctors may not preach the Gospel without the bounds of their own congregation, neither can they exercise any pastoral acts else where, saith the English Puritanism and M. Best, 1and so Pastors and Doctors have now, since Apostles are out of the world,2 and the Churches are planted, no authority pastoral to preach the Gospel to those who sit in the region, and shadow of death, and if they preach the Gospel to those who are not of their congregation. 1. They do it as private men, not as Pastors. 2. They have no pastoral authority or calling from Jesus Christ, and his Church so to do. But certainly Papists, as Bellarmine, 3Suarez, Becanus, Vasquez, Gregor. de Valentia seeme to say better,4 who will have the authoritative power of sending Pastors to Nations, who want the Gospel,5 to be in the Pope, whom they conceive to be an universal Pastor to care for the whole Churches, so Christ hath left no pastoral authority on Earth in Pastors and Doctors to make those the Churches of Christ, and to translate them to the kingdom of grace, who are yet carried away with dumb Idols,