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…

Yea and the Christian King ruleth over men as men, and also as Christian-m•n; he ruleth over them as men, with a dominion over their bodies, lives and goods by his civill laws, he hath also dominion as King over men, as Christians and members of Christs kingdom and Church, not over their consciences (for that is proper only to the father of spirits) but he hath a coactive power over all men, even Pastors, as to cause them do their Christian duties, he hath power to compel Church-men in Assemblies to determine truth, and to use the keys right, and to preach and use the Sacraments according as Christ hath commanded in his Word, and to punish them when they do otherwise. What then if the King discern that to be truth, and absolve the man, whom the Church-Assembly doth condemn as an heretic, who shall judge betwixt them?

Yea and the Christian King ruleth over men as men, and also as Christian-m•n; he ruleth over them as men, with a dominion over their bodies, lives and goods by his civill lawes, he hath also dominion as King over men, as Christians and members of Christs kingdome and Church, not over their consc•ences (for that is proper only to the father of spirits) but he hath a coactive power over all men, even Pastors, as to cause them do their Christian duties, he hath power to compell Church-men in Assemblies to determine truth, and to use the keyes right, and to preach and use the Sacraments according as Christ hath commanded in his Word, and to punish them when they do otherwise. What then if the King discerne that to be truth, and absolve the man, whom the Church-Assembly doth condemne as an heretick, who shall judge betwixt them?

I answer, the infallible rule of judging for both is ⟨p. 304⟩the Word of God, which speaketh home unpartially to both, if they will hear, but certainly the Kings civill, kingly coactive power to compel men to do their duty remaineth the highest and most supreme power on Earth, in genere potestatis politicae, in the kind of politic power, and pastors and all men may, by this power, be compelled to do right, as for the abuse of the power, it is no part of the power, and in this kind the King hath a negative politic and kingly suffrage and voice in all Church Assemblies, no ecclesiastical constitution hath the force of a law without the politic suffrage of the civill Judge. And again the ecclesiastic power that Christ hath given to his Church remaineth: also the most supreme power under Christ in genere potestatis ecclesiasticae, and the King is subject to this power. The King is not excepted in this, He that despiseth you despiseth me, and in this, whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven, and in this, whose sins ye remit, they are remitted, and whose sins ye retain they are retained, and this ecclesiastical power being the highest on Earth, Pastors may command Kings in the Lord,