A92138:1388
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.
The Major is undeniable, for it involveth a contradiction that two supreme co-ordinate powers should be two, not Supreme,1 but subordinate powers: The same way I prove the Assumption. 1. The Magistrates power is supreme from God, Rom. 13. 1. The Powers that are be of God, Prov. 8. By me Kings reign, for no Ecclesiastical power, nor any power on earth, intervenes between God the Creator, and the power of the civill Magistrates; But God who giveth being to a society of men, hoc ipso, because they are a society of reasonable men, hath given to them a power immediately from▪ himself, to design such and such to be their Rulers: Show us any higher power above the Magistrates, but God the creator making the civill power. Never man dreamt that the Spiritual power of the Church doth intervene as an instrumental cause of the politic power. 2. By order of nature, a politic power is first: men are first men in natural and politic society, ere they be in a supernatural policy, or a Church; and Christ did not make a spiritual power by the intervention of a civill power. 2. The power of the two Kingdoms are distinguished by Christ, John 18. 36. Jesus answered, my Kingdom is not of this World, (then the power thereof is not of this World,) if my Kingdom were of this World, then would my servants fight that I should not be delivered to the Jews. The one power is coactive by the Sword, the other free, voluntary by the Word. Erastus had no reason to infer thence that Christs Kingdom is only internal and ⟨p. 511⟩invisible, not external and visible, because Christ opposeth his Kingdom to a fighting Kingdom, using the sword to defend him from the Jews, that he should not be taken and crucified, as is clear in the words, but he opposeth not his Kingdom to an external visible Kingdom, for his Church visible consisting of visible Officers is his Kingdom, Eph. 4. 11, 12. 1 Cor. 12. 13