A92138:1530
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.
2. The Church of Antioch should have appealed to Cesar, if he had been a Christian, in the controversy touching circumcision; he should have determined who were perverters of souls, who not, and should have said by his office, as Emperor, It seemed good to the holy Ghost and to me. 3. We have not any practise, or precept or promise in the Old or New Testament, for any such appeal, except they say, all hard questions belonging to the Priests office were to come before Moses as a civill Magistrate, and not as the great Prophet to whom God revealed his mind. 4. If so, then all Church controversies in doctrine and discipline, should be ultimately resolved into the will of the Magistrate, speaking according to the word, and faith in most points should come by hearing a Magistrate determining against Arrius, that Christ is God consubstantial with the Father, and all binding and loosing in Earth as in heaven, should be from the Magistrate as the Magistrate, he should forgive and retain sins, and Christ should have ⟨p. 584⟩given the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven to the Magistrate as the Magistrate, certainly we should have the doctrine of the Church of Christ, and the building and edifying thereof most obscure in the New Testament, in which there is not one word of such a supreme and chief officer as the Magistrate. 5. The Parliament, college of civill judges, as they are civill Magistrates, should be the Church assemblies, and determine all doctrines, debar the ignorant and Heretics, and Apostates from the Sacraments, and totally cast them out of the Church and excommunicate them; I see not but then the Parliament as the Parliament is the Church, and the two Kingdoms, Joh. 18. 36. must be confounded, and no difference at all made between the civill state and the Church, because the Magistrate as the Magistrate is made by the adversaries the chief officer over the Church, the Ecclesiastical head, the mixed Governor, half civill, whole Ecclesiastical, in whose power all Pastors, Elders preach, dispense Sacraments, make Church-canons, as his Ministers and Servants; Christ when any brother trespasseth against a Christian brother saith, Tell the Church, never, Tell the christian Magistrate. But truly it is a great mistake in the learned Mr.
2. The Church of Antioch should have appealed to Cesar, if he had been a Christian, in the controversie touching circumcision; he should have determined who were perverters of souls, who not, and should have said by his office, as Emperour, It seemed good to the holy Ghost and to me. 3. We have not any practise, or precept or promise in the Old or New Testament, for any such appeal, except they say, all hard questions belonging to the Priests office were to come before Moses as a civill Magistrate, and not as the great Prophet to whom God revealed his minde. 4. If so, then all Church controversies in doctrine and discipline, should be ultimately resolved into the will of the Magistrate, speaking according to the word, and faith in most points should come by hearing a Magistrate determining against Arrius, that Christ is God consubstantiall with the Father, and all binding and loosing in Earth as in heaven, should be from the Magistrate as the Magistrate, he should forgive and retaine sins, and Christ should have