A92138:1895
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.
So neither are we to count Silver and Gold, and houses useless, which God in the Creation made Good, and useful for our life, and therefore no moral contagion can adhere so to these creatures, as we are utterly to disuse them, as creatures cursed, because they were abused, except it can be proved that the abuse of them hath deprived us of the necessary use, that they have by the law of Creation; for certain it is, as the killing of the sucking infants of the Amalekites was typical, and tieth not us to kill the young children of Papists so was the disusing, or not using of Gold, Silver and Houses, abused to Idolatry, typical.
So neither are we to count Silver and Gold, and houses uselesse, which God in the Creation made Good, and usefull for our life, and therefore no morall contagion can adhere so to these creatures, as we are utterly to disuse them, as creatures cursed, because they were abused, except it can be proved that the abuse of them hath deprived us of the necessarie use, that they have by the law of Creation; for certaine it is, as the killing of the sucking infants of the Amalakites was typicall, and tyeth not us to kill the young children of Papists so was the disusing, or not using of Gold, Silver and Houses, abused to Idolatrie, typicall.
And before I come to the second Conclusion, An house for the worship of God is amongst the things that are necessary, by way of dis-junction in speciè, not in individuo; that is, a house is necessary, in its Physical use, to fence off our bodies, the injuries of Sun, Air, and heaven, but not this house, for another1 house may serve the turn as conveniently. But some object Then this, or this house Dedicated superstitiously to the religious honour of a Saint ought to be removed out of the worship of God, 1 because by your own confession. Th•• individual house so abused is not necessary. God may will be worshipped, without ⟨p. 68⟩this house, though it never had been, in rerum naturâ. 2. From the worshipping of God in so Superstitious a place, many truly godly are so scandalized, that for worshipping God in such Superstitious and Idolatrous places, they have Separated from your Church, conceiving that in so doing you heal the wounds of the Beast; It is true, it may be their weakness, yea but be it so, that it were their wickedness, that they are scandalized, yet by your doctrine, in things not necessary you are not to do any thing by which either the weak, or the wicked may be scandalized; as is clear in the eating of meats,