A92138:1067
The divine right of church-government and excommunication
The divine right of church-government and excommunication: or a peaceable dispute for the perfection of the holy scripture in point of ceremonies and church government; in which the removal of the Service-book is justified, the six books of Tho: Erastus against excommunication are briefly examined; with a vindication of that eminent divine Theod: Beza against the aspersions of Erastus, the arguments of Mr. William Pryn, Rich: Hooker, Dr. Morton, Dr. Jackson, Dr. John Forbes, and the doctors of Aberdeen; touching will-worship, ceremonies, imagery, idolatry, things indifferent, an ambulatory government; the due and just powers of the magistrate in matters of religion, and the arguments of Mr. Pryn, in so far as they side with Erastus, are modestly discussed. To which is added, a brief tractate of scandal ... / By Samuel Rutherfurd, Professor of Divinity in the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. Published by authority.The divine right of church-government and excommunication: or a peacable dispute for the perfection of the holy scripture in point of ceremonies and church government; in which the removal of the Service-book is justifi'd, the six books of Tho: Erastus against excommunication are briefly examin'd; with a vindication of that eminent divine Theod: Beza against the aspersions of Erastus, the arguments of Mr. William Pryn, Rich: Hooker, Dr. Morton, Dr. Jackson, Dr. John Forbes, and the doctors of Aberdeen; touching will-worship, ceremonies, imagery, idolatry, things indifferent, an ambulatory government; the due and just powers of the magistrate in matters of religion, and the arguments of Mr. Pryn, in so far as they side with Erastus, are modestly discussed. To which is added, a brief tractate of scandal ... / By Samuel Rutherfurd, Professor of Divinity in the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. Published by authority.
London: printed by John Field for Christopher Meredith, 1646
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.
Ans. If you take punishing for inflicting Church-censure, (as we here take it) then all the places that says the Priests pronounced the Leper clean or unclean, to put out of the camp, or take in, to judge of the adulterous woman, of the restitution made by those for whom they offered Sacrifices, to judge between the clean and unclean; to hold out of the Sanctuary the unclean, the uncircumcised in heart and flesh, Levit. 13. 3, 4, &c. and 20, 22. and 21. 26, and 30. 44. and 31. 50. Ezek. 22. 26. and 44. 8, 9, 10. Num. 3. 6, and 5. 18, 19. Deut, 17. 12. say the Priests had power to punish ⟨p. 387⟩for transgressing of Gods Laws, and where the Prophets complain of the Priests mis-government and unjustice, it is presupposed they were to govern justly according to the Law, Jer. 5. 31. 2 King. 12. 4. Jer. 26. 7, 8, 11. Hag. 2. 11, 12. Ezek. 44. 8, 9, 10. 2. For the place 2 Chron. 19. it is evident that Jehoshaphat doth reform both Church and State, and brought the corrupted Judicatures to that which they should be by Law; and v. 5, 6, 7. He set judges in the fenced cities of Judah: Here is the civill judicature. And v. 8. Moreover in Jerusalem did Jehoshaphat set of the Levites, and of the Priests, and of the chief of the fathers of Israel, for the judgement of the Lord, and for controversies, when they returned to Jerusalem. Now that this second is a Church judicature, I am confirmed, 1. Because Jehoshaphat appointed civill judges in all the fenced cities of Judah; Ergo, Also in Jerusalem the prime fenced city: Now this civill judicature was not tied to a place, but was in every city, even all the fenced cities; but the Synedrie of Priests, Levites and Elders was only at Jerusalem, in the place that the Lord should choose,