A92138:1099
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.
Erastus. You say Deut. 17. mention is made of blood, of the cause of Pleas, not because the Synedrie judged of the fact, but because they answered the true sense of the Law; I say, whether they answered of the fact, or of the Law, they sentenced judicially of life and death, so that there was no provocation from them to the civill judicature, for ⟨p. 401⟩he was put to death, who would not stand to their sentence, but you deny that any politic causes or matters of blood or death, belongs to your Presbytery.
Erastus. You say Deut. 17. mention is made of blood, of the cause of Pleas, not because the Synedrie judged of the fact, but because they answered the true sense of the Law; I say, whether they answered of the fact, or of the Law, they sentenced judicially of life and death, so that there was no provocation from them to the civill judicature, for ⟨p. 401⟩he was put to death, who would not stand to their sentence, but you deny that any politick causes or matters of blood or death, belongs to your Presbytery.
Ans. 1. Beza said well the fact, and the putting of the man to death, which is the assumption and conclusion belonged to the civill judge, not to the Priests; But the questio juris, the question of Law belonged to the Ecclesiastical judicature of Priests, Levites and Elders; and it is evident, that it was a case of conscience, concerning a matter, or an admirable cause that cannot be determined by the judges in the city, they not being so well versed in the Law as the Priests, whose lips should preserve knowledge, Mal. 2. 7. Therefore it is not a fact, that may be cleared by Witnesses, there is not such difficulty in facts, except in adultery, or secret Murders, the word cometh from [Greek or Hebrew] to admire, or to be separated from sense and reason,