A92138:1187
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. Beside Levites and Priests, there belonged to the1 Synedry of the Jews other heads of families; Ergo, beside Ministers there must be Prophets and Doctors in the Presbytery, it followeth not.
Erastus. Beside Levites and Priests, there belonged to the1 Synedry of the Iews other heads of families; Ergo, beside Ministers there must be Prophets and Doctors in the Presbytery, it followeth not.
- 1pa. 287.
Ans. Erastus fancies a conclusion of an Argument that Beza 1saith not; for he saith; Ergo, beside Ministers there must be some chief men, which we call ruling Elders, to represent the people, ⟨p. 433⟩that there may be (as all our Divines and Scripture teach) a threefold government in the Church: A Monarchy, in regard of Jesus Christ the only head and King of the Church, as the Jewish Church had their High Priest a Type of him; and Aristocracy, in Pastors and Teachers, as the Jews had their Priests and Levites; and a Democracy in the ruling Elders, as the Jews had their Zekenim, and their Heads of families and Elders in the Ecclesiastical Sanhedrin, and we in the Presbytery to represent the people: and of these three the Jewish Ecclesiastic Sanhedrin is made up 2 Chron. 19. 8. of the Levites and the priests [Greek or Hebrew] of the heads of Fathers, or Masters of families. Now Erastus yieldeth that good Jehoshaphat departed not from Gods institution in his reformation, all this Erastus passeth over in silence, being ignorant of the Jewish Church government, and not able to answer, and he addeth something of Doctors not to a purpose, and saith there be no Doctors but Pastors only in the Word; contrary to