A57976:61
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.
A second exception there is of some, who say, a concionall or preaching power of forgiveness of sins is not given to all, to whom a loosing from sins by Church censures is given, as is clear in our Ruling Elders, who have not power to forgive sins by preaching, yet have power to forgive, bind and loose, by Church-censures. Answer, We may distinguish where the law distinguisheth,1 for howbeit the power of preaching be not given formally to ruling Elders, yet it is effectually in the fruit given to them, in ⟨p. 10⟩the judicial and authoritative application in the external court of Christs Church,2 but believers, as believers only, have neither power to preach formally,3 nor yet effectively to apply judicially the threatenings of the word in discipline,4 to the judicial correction of delinquents; now the keys in the word,5 and the keys in the discipline, are the same keys of Christs kingdom,6 as Amesius observeth, and the keys of the word are the keys of the kingdom,7 committed to all, either formally or effectively,8 to whom the keys of discipline are given,9 but they are never given to single believers who cannot lawfully preach.10 Therefore single believers are not the subject of the keys.11