A92138:1258
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.
For a lame man to be a Priest, we can say something, but that all the lame in Israel were debarred from the Temple, and the holy things of God, we dare not say; and a difference of things and men we acknowledge, but that is nothing to weaken the argument. 6. How proveth Erastus the tares are not to be plucked up by men? Mat. 13. will bear no such thing: ill men are to be cast out of the Church before the day of judgement, both by the Magistrate and miraculously by the Apostles, and by Excommunication say we, Mat. 18. 1 Cor. 5.
Erastus. He that possesseth the price of the whore, is not to be ⟨p. 456⟩debarred out of the Temple, though the money could not be offered to God. The Pharisees would not have the price of blood cast in the treasure of the Temple; yet they cast not Judas out of the Temple, which these patrons of Ceremonies would have done, if there had been any Law for it.
Ans. This is to beg the question, the whore who sold her body for a price was unclean, and more unclean then the innocent money, and so in that case excluded from the holy things of God. 2. They admitted doves, oxen, and money changers into the Temple and profaned it, and why should they cast Judas out of the Temple? will their practises prove any thing, they used all divine ceremonies and Laws of God to their own carnal ends.
Ans. This is to beg the question, the whore who sold her body for a price was unclean, and more unclean then the innocent money, and so in that case excluded from the holy things of God. 2. They admitted doves, oxen, and money changers into the Temple and prophaned it, and why should they cast Judas out of the Temple? will their practises prove any thing, they used all divine ceremonies and Lawes of God to their owne carnall ends.