A92138:1928
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.
And if the Master do co-operate to commit harlotry in climbing in at a window to a whore, and to robbing, in digging through an innocent mans house in the night, to kill the Master of the house, and to steal his goods, then the servant that co-operateth in these same physical actions, and also diggeth through the innocent mans house and kills himself, is the harlot, and the robber, by cooperation and participation, no less then the Master. The naked1 relation of a captive, and of a servant, cannot make the captive and servant innocent and guiltless co-operators, for then to sin at the command of any Conqueror and Master, because I am in the condition of a captive and servant, were lawful, though God forbid and inhibit me to do, what I do, by the command of my Master and Conqueror, for in so doing, Utor meo jure, I use my right as a servant. For God forbiddeth me in what relation I be in, servant, or Captive, to sin, at the command of any, or for declining any ill of punishment▪ Though as weighty as the torment of hell separated from sinful despairing and blaspheming of God. Now to co-operate with that which I know to be a sin, is to partake in other mens sins, which is forbidden, as a sin, 1 Tim. 5. 22. Eph. 5. 11. But to ⟨p. 87⟩run with the thief, and to help an Arch-robber, Prov. 1. 13. 14. is a consenting to his robbery and bloodshed. And to help any to dig through a house, or to climb in at a window to Incest, Sodomy, Buggery, to fetch a beast to the Master who rageth in the sin of Bestiality, or to fetch a young man to the Master or Conqueror to the sin of abominable Sodomy, knowing the Master and conquerors mind is to co-operate to Bestiality and Sodomy, is as high a measure of sinful cooperating in these abominations, as for the servant to help up, or life up his Master, to go in, at a window to an harlot, for this is a consent to these sins, and a consent in the highest degree; so to give a knife to a Master, who seeketh it from his servant, to kill his Father, Mother, Prince, Pastor, is to consent formally to such horrible parricides, and therefore Caspensis should have brought instances in Buggery, Sodomy, Parricide, when as he used softer Names of fornication and harlotry.