A92138:1903
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. These meats▪ Rom. 14. and 1 Cor. 8. 10. were then indifferent, but they are not so now, when the Gospel is fully promulgate, for we may not now to abstain from Meats forbidden in the Ceremonial law, for fear to offend a weak Jew, for our abstinence should harden them in their ••beliefe, that Christ is not yet come in the flesh. To make Temples and houses dedicated to Saint•, as indifferent now as meats were then▪ and the argument were concludent▪ But to demolish Churches and remove their physical use now were as Judaical, as to forbear to eat Swines flesh. We are not to deprive our selves of the physical use of […] of this▪ or this meat as thinking ⟨p. 73⟩we are bound by any law of God to forbear the use thereof, and especially we are not to do it, as conceiving we are under the tie of a law given to the Jews, whereas we are under no such tie, or law, at all. But the disusing of Temples dedicated to Saints, that the Adversaries plead for, Deut. 7. is a total renouncing of all use of them, & the places they allege from the Ceremonial law doth conclude it: for the Temples, silver and gold of the Idols of Can•an were altogether useless to Israel. It was Achan's sin, that he took the Babylonish garment, and the wedge of Gold; for any use civill or religious, though he should have bestowed these for any religious use, or the relief of the poor and indigent: yea, though it was scandalous to none, he having taken these privately and by theft, yet the very taking of them was a curse to him, and the whole Camp of Israel, for the total abandoning of all use whatsoever of these houses, Gold and Silver, which in themselves, and by the law of Creation were physical, and in regard of that natural use they had from their Creator to supply our necessity, can have its rise from no other total and complete cause, but from the sole positive