A86004:91
Nihil respondes
Nihil respondes: or, A discovery of the extreme unsatisfactoriness of Master Colemans piece, published last week under the title of A brotherly examination re-examined. Wherein, his self-contradictions: his yielding of some things, and not answering to other things objected against him: his abusing of Scripture: his errors in divinity: his abusing of the Parliament, and endangering their authority: his abusing of the Assembly: his calumnies, and namely against the Church of Scotland, and against my self: the repugnancy of his doctrine to the solemn League and Covenant, are plainly demonstrated. / By George Gillespie minister at Edinburgh. Published by authority.Nihil respondes: or, A discovery of the extream unsatisfactorinesse of Master Colemans peece, published last weeke under the title of A brotherly examination re-examined. Wherein, his self-contradictions: his yeelding of some things, and not answering to other things objected against him: his abusing of Scripture: his errors in divinity: his abusing of the Parliament, and indangering their authority: his abusing of the Assembly: his calumnies, and namely against the Church of Scotland, and against my selfe: the repugnancy of his doctrin to the solemne League and Covenant, are plainly demonstrated. / By George Gillespie minister at Edenburgh. Published by authority.
London: printed for Robert Bostock, 1645
Title page typeset from the transcription.
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.
2. I desire (saith he) the Commissioner to give an instance in the new Testament of such a distinction (Civill and Church government) where the state was Christian.
Answ. I desire him to give an instance in the new Testament of these three things, and then he will answer himself. 1. Where was the State Christian? 2. Where had the Ministry a doctrinal power in a Christian State? 3. Where doth the new Testament hold out, that a Church government distinct from civill government may be where the State is not Christian, and yet may not be where the State is Christian? Shall the Churches liberties be diminished, or rather increased where the State is Christian?
Answ. I desire him to give an instance in the new Testament of these three things, and then he will answer himselfe. 1. Where was the State Christian? 2. Where had the Ministery a doctrinall power in a Christian State? 3. Where doth the new Testament hold out, that a Church government distinct from civill government may be where the State is not Christian, and yet may not be where the State is Christian? Shall the Churches liberties be diminished, or rather increased where the State is Christian?
In the third and fourth place, the brother tells us of the opinions of Gualther, Bullinger, Erastus, Aretius. The question is of the examples of Churches, not of the opinions of men. But what of the men? As for that pestilence that walketh in darkness through London and Westminster, Erastus his book against Beza, let him make of it what he can, it shall have an Antidote by and by. In the mean while he may take notice ⟨p. 32⟩that in the close of the sixth Book Erastus casts down that which he hath built, •ust as Bellarmine did in the close of his five books of justification. But as for the other three named by the brother,