A92138:1912
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.
Ob. 5. But at your first reformation of the Church of Scotland, your Reformers, such as M. Knox, and others▪ demolished most of the fairest Churches in that Land, and for no other reason, but because they had been nests of popish idolatry.
Ob. 5. But at your first reformation of the Church of Scotland, your Reformers, such as M. Knox, and others▪ demolished most of the fairest Churches in that Land, and for no other reason, but because they had been nests of popish idolatrie.
Ans. That Churches in so far as their use extendeth, farther then to the commodious propulsation of injuries of Sun and Ai•e, be demolished, we can well allow, for these that were demolished by our Reformers of blessed memory; nor so spacious and inconvenient for hearing the word of God and celebration of the Sacraments, being ordained for Masses, Idols, for blind superstition, that the very length, breadth, height, beauty, and glory of them might redound to the glory of Saints and Idols, that it was reason they should be demolished in so far as they conduced nothing for the physical and necessary end, for which Churches are ordained under the New Testament; And thus far we allow of the breaking of Images, Crosses, Crucifixes, and all Monuments of Idolatry, so as the matter of all these, whether Timber, Marble stones, Metal of Gold, Silver, Brass, or the like to be employed, for the necessary use of mans life, but that all their superstitious form and1 religious use be utterly abolished. As for the abolishing of Bells abused in time of Popery; because they have a necessary and Physical use to give warning for the seasonable convening of the people of God, to the public worship, I see no ground, for it, from Deut. 7. or other places, but we must be necessitate to stamp to powder the very Metal of Bells, and to render them not only useless in Churches, but any other way tending to the good of mans le.