A92138:1396
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. Whether Judas did eat the Supper of the Lord, or not, I think nothing of the matter; only Master Prinne hath duram provinciam, and a very hard task to prove it from Scripture, If I were to examine his book, I should deny his consequences from the Evangelists, for not any of them can prove that Judas did communicate at the last Supper. But, 1. Christs example in this being an act of Christ, as God, permitting the greatest hypocrisy on earth, is no rule to the Church to give the Lords Supper to Judases; First, Judas was visibly and infallibly to Christ, a man who deserved to be totally excluded out of the Church and all Christian society, and to Christ a known traitor, a Devil, an hypocrite; Ergo, as Christ did not exclude him out of the Church; neither should the Saints now exclude from their society; nor should the Christian Magistrate (as Erastus and Master Prinne thinketh) exclude Judases and known traitors, and known Devils, and known children of the Devil out of the Church; this is to Erastus and Master Prinne both absurd. 2. Christ did eat and drink with Judas knowing him to be all these; Ergo, we may eat and drink with known traitors also, the contrary is a truth, 1 Cor. 5. 9, 10. 11. 2 Thess. 3, 14, 15, Rom. 16. 17. evident enough. 3. Christ preached the Gospel to those that he knew sinned against the Holy Ghost, to the Pharisees who persecuted Christ to death and others, Math. 12. 31, 32, 33, 34. Joh. 15. 22, 23, 24, 25. Joh. 7. 28, 29. Joh. 12. 35, 36, 37, 38. Joh. 10. 31, 32. Joh. 11. 47, 48. and this is by the exposition of Erastus l. 3. c. 3. pag. 307. 308. and Master Prinne his vindication, pag. 38, 39. To give holy things to dogs: so Mr. Prinne saith, that by dogs and swine, are meant only such infidels and heathen, who refuse to embrace and believe the Gospel, or harbour or entertain the preachers of