A92138:1254
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. The Lord doth not particularly reprove the Priests by name in every place, in which he reproveth the people: But expressly for this same very sin, the Lord reproveth the Priests,1 Ezek. 44. 7. Let it suffice you, that ye have brought into my sanctuary strangers uncircumcised in heart, and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in my sanctuary to pollute it - 8▪ And ye have not kept the charge of my holy things; but ye have set keepers of my charge, in my sanctuary, for your selves. 24. And in controversy they shall stand in judgement (he had spoken of their teaching the people to discern between ⟨p. 453⟩the clean and the unclean, v. 23.) and they shall judge it according to my judgements, and they shall keep my Laws and my Statutes in all mine assemblies, and hallow my Sabbaths, so 2 Chron. 23. 19. And Jehojada set the porters at the Gates of the house of the Lord, that none which was unclean in any thing should enter in. And shall we conceive that porters, that is, Levites, would hold out those that were only ceremonially unclean, and receive in murderers who had killed there Children to Molech that same day? there was not to enter in [Greek or Hebrew] the unclean in any matter; the text is general, excludes idolaters and murders, and such as should refuse to enter in Covenant with the Lord, of which the Text speaketh. As for Erastus his consequence, which he unjustly imputeth to us, to wit, Israel sinned in coming to the Lords temple to profane it, in the very day that they slew their Children to Molech; Ergo, there ought to have been Priests, and now there must be Presbyters and selected overseers in a Church judicature to debar murderers, and the like scandalous persons from the Sacraments. 1. This is not our consequence. But this we say, if the Priests knew that same day, that they came to the Temple, they slew their Children to Molech, the Priests should have debarred them from coming to the Temple, and from eating the Passover, as their office and duty was by the Law of God, Num. 9. v. 6, 7.