A92138:1610
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. 1. There is no reason to say, that the supreme and principal power by way of royal dominion (as the argument supposeth) in Church matters, should agree to either Magistrate on earth, or Church; it is a Rose of the Crown of him who is the only King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, and so the Major is false: Nor is that care and inspection which is due to the Magistrate, taken from him ⟨p. 621⟩when we ascribe to Christ what is his due. 2. Neither doth it follow, that the Magistrate is directly obliged to follow the judgement of the Church, except we did make the judgement of the Church supreme and absolute, and armed with such a dominion as the adversaries give to the Magistrate; in which case it followeth, that the Church is directly and absolutely obliged to follow the judgement of the Magistrate, according to the way of the adversaries; and that if this argument be good, they must ascribe blind obedience, either to the Church or Magistrate, not to the Magistrate they say; Ergo, to the Church: Nor can they take it off by saying that the Magistrates dominion is limited by the Word of God; for they know that we teach, that all the constitutions and decrees of Synods made by the Church as the Church, is limited by the Word of God; yet they cease not to object to us, that we make the Magistrate a servant, and a lictor to the Church, and obliged by his place to give blind obedience to the Church, and therefore they are obliged to answer the argument, and remove papal dominion from their way, according to their own argument, if they will be willing to take in to themselves, with the same measure, that they give out to others: But if they give a ministerial power of judging to the Church, (the argument is easily answered) which they cannot give to the Magistrate, except they make his office to oblige the conscience, and his commands as magistratical to be given out under the pain of the second death: Now his sword is too short to reach to this, I hope, except you make the vengeance that he executeth on evil doers Rom. 13. to be eternal fire, and his sword to be no material nor visible sword, but such as commandeth Devils and Hell, which is absurd; for the Magistrates power of judging and commanding, is commensurable to his power of rewarding and punishing, that is, both is temporary, within time, on the body of this world:
Ans. 1. There is no reason to say, that the supream and principall power by way of royall dominion (as the argument supposeth) in Church matters, should agree to either Magistrate on earth, or Church; it is a Rose of the Crown of him who is the only King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, and so the Major is false: Nor is that care and inspection which is due to the Magistrate, taken from him