A92138:232
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.
otherwise Formalists go on with Papists and Arminians to justify the actions of the unregenerated, as simply Lawful and good, though performed by them with ⟨p. 80⟩no respect to God or his Commandment: 2. As concerning actions of Church-Policy, that cannot be warranted by the light of nature, and yet have intrinsical conveniency and aptitude to edify and decently to Accommodate the worship of God. I conceive these may be done, but not because the Church so commandeth, as if their commandment were the formal reason of our obedience, but because partly the light of the Law of reason, partly scripture doth warrant them; but that Cross and Surplice can be thus warranted is utterly denied: Again I conceive that there be two sort of positives in the externals of Government or worship: 1. Some Divine, as that there be in the Public Worship, Prayers, Praising, Preaching, Sacraments, and these are substantials; that there be such Officers, Pastors, Teachers, Elders and Deacons; that there be such censures, as rebuking, Excommunication and the like, are morally Divine, or Divinely Moral: and when the Church formeth a Directory for worship and Government, the Directory it self is in the Form not simply Divine. And if it be said that neither the Church of the Jews, nor the Church Apostolic had more a written Directory, nor 1they had a written Liturgy or book of Common Prayers or Public Church-service: I answer, nor had either the Jewish or Apostolic Church any written Creed or system, written of fundamental Articles, such as is that, which is commonly called the Apostolic Creed; but they had materially in the scripture the Apostolic Creed; and the Directory they had also the same way, for they practised all the Ordinances directed, though they had no written Directory in a formal contexture or frame: for Prayers, Preaching, Praising, Sacraments and Censures never Church wanted in some one order or other▪ though we cannot say that the Apostolic Church had this same very order and form: But a Liturgy which is a commanded, imposed, stinted Form, in such words and no other, is another thing then a Directory as an unlawful thing is different from a Lawful: 2.
otherwise Formalists go on with Papists and Arminians to justifie the actions of the unregenerated, as simply Lawfull and good, though performed by them with ⟨p. 80⟩