A92138:1458
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.
VI. Assertion. Though the Magistrate may both threaten to inflict, and actually inflict the ill of temporal punishment on Ministers, if they be either idle or unsound in their administration; yet thence can only be concluded that the male administration of the ministry is subjected to the Magistrate as such, but not the Ministry it self, or the exercise thereof. 1. The male administration of any office is accidental to the office. 2. This subjecteth the erring person, not the teaching Minister to the civill Magistrate. Nor doth this make the Ministers in the exercise of their office, properly subordinate to the Ministers, but only so far as the spirits of the Prophets are subject to the Prophets.
VI. Assertion. Though the Magistrate may both threaten to inflict, and actually inflict the ill of temporall punishment on Ministers, if they be either idle or unsound in their administration; yet thence can onely be concluded that the male administration of the ministerie is subjected to the Magistrate as such, but not the Ministery it selfe, or the exercise thereof. 1. The male administration of any office is accidentall to the office. 2. This subjecteth the erring person, not the teaching Minister to the civill Magistrate. Nor doth this make the Ministers in the exercise of their office, properly subordinate to the Ministers, but onely so farre as the spirits of the Prophets are subject to the Prophets.
VII. Assertion. There is a twofold subordination of the exercise of Male administration of Ministers; one civill, another Ecclesiastical: These two differ, so as the former must be subordinate to the Magistrate who is to inflict bodily punishment, but the latter is only subject to the Church. The Judicial determination according1 to the Word of God, for the informing of the conscience and gaining to the truth the erring Ministers, is proper to the College of Ministers; and in this if the college of Ministers err, they are also punishable, and the Magistrate is to command them to judge and determine, de novo, over again: The Magistrate in a constitute church is to determine civilly, and sentence, and civilly punish the Ministers that either are dumb dogs, and will not bark, or that perverts the souls of people with false doctrine, and where the Church is constituted, it is presumed that the Priests, whose lips should preserve knowledge, have determined in an Ecclesiastical way, the very same which the Judge civilly is to determine, not because