A92138:1576
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.
Obj. 2. But yet it will follow that the heathen Magistrate remaining heathen, is invincibly ignorant of his office; for in so far as he remaineth a heathen, he cannot promote the mediatory Kingdom ⟨p. 608⟩of Christ in any Notion; nay, not so much as it is a mean conducing to the external safety and peace of that civill society, whereof he i• head; Ergo, he must, while he remaineth an heathen, and never by rumour heareth of the Gospel, be by office a promoter of Christs Kingdom, and by office a punisher with the sword, of all such as blaspheme the mediator Christ, though through his own sinful ignorance he cannot put forth in acts or exercise the very official and Magistratical power, which he hath by office, and actu primo, while he remaineth an heathen Magistrate.
Obj. 2. But yet it will follow that the heathen Magistrate remaining heathen, is invincibly ignorant of his office; for in so far as he remaineth a heathen, he cannot promote the mediatory Kingdom ⟨p. 608⟩of Christ in any Notion; nay, not so much as it is a mean conducing to the externall safety and peace of that civill society, whereof he i• head; Ergo, he must, while he remaineth an heathen, and never by rumor heareth of the Gospel, be by office a promoter of Christs Kingdom, and by office a punisher with the sword, of all such as blasphem the mediator Christ, though through his owne sinfull ignorance he cannot put forth in acts or exercise the very officiall and Magistraticall power, which he hath by office, and actu primo, while he remaineth an heathen Magistrate.
Ans. 1. It followeth not that the heathen Magistrate, being ignorant (while he remaineth in that state) of some acts, which would conduce to the peace and external safety of the State, if the state were Christian, that he is invincibly ignorant of his office; to be unable to exercise some acts of an office not consistent with an heathenish state, can never argue invincible ignorance of the office. 2. The consequence is nought, that because he is ignorant of some acts, and cannot exercise them; that therefore the heathen Magistrate remaining heathen, is by office, and actu primo, an officer and vicegerent of Christs mediatory Kingdom: for at no time, and in no state, hath the Magistrates sword any influence in the mediatory Kingdom at all, but in so far as the sword may procure external peace to the society of that Kingdom as they are a civill body, which peace he might by office procure by other means then by commanding the Gospel to be preached, or by punishing such as blaspheme Christ: for though the material object of the Magistrates sword be the spiritual Kingdom of Christ, yet the formal object is the natural and civill peace of this Kingdom as a civill society, for to promote spiritual means, and to punish spiritual sins, such as heresy and blaspheming of Christ, do often conduce very much for civill peace. 3. It is false that the heathen Magistrate is unable to exercise his magistratical power for the mediator Christ through his own sinful ignorance, his not knowing Christ of whom he never heard, is not any sin at all, nor is he obliged to know or believe in him, of whom he never heard,