A92138:379
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.
a father cannot love the Doctor for his sons cause, but some love he must confer really upon the Doctor, if not absolute, yet relative, for his sons cause. Jacob could not kiss Joseph his sons coat, and yet refer that whole expressed affection to Joseph and nothing at all to the coat, for then should there be no reason, why he should kiss the coat, rather then the skin of the beast supposed to be the devourer of his son; if therefore the Communicant should kiss the Sacramental Bread, as he boweth Religiously before it, as the object of his Sacramental worship, which he receiveth, I hope it would be thought very like the kissing of the Calves of Samaria, and a Religious expression of love to the bread, and by the same case, Religious bowing to God, by the intervening of bread a representative object, must be an expression of Religious honouring of Bread, but no Religious honouring by Religious bowing can be expressed, but Adoration of bread; for as I have proved, it is not in our free Election that Religious kneeling signify what honour we please, as if it were in our power, that Religious kneeling signify Religious, or civill honour, or more, or less Religious honour, but our will or thoughts cannot change the nature of things; kneeling is essentially Religious, as aJohannes Delugo defineth it, Nota submission is internae.
a father cannot love the Doctor for his sons cause, but some love he must confer really upon the Doctor, if not absolute, yet relative, for his sons cause. Jacob could not kisse Joseph his sons coat, and yet refer that whole expressed affection to Ioseph and nothing at all to the coat, for then should there be no reason, why he should kisse the coat, rather then the skin of the beast supposed to be the devourer of his son; if therefore the Communicant should kisse the Sacramentall Bread, as he boweth Religiously before it, as the object of his Sacramentall worship, which he receiveth, I hope it would be thought very like the kissing of the Calves of Samaria, and a Religious expression of love to the bread, and by the same case, Religious bowing to God, by the interveening of bread a representative object, must be an expression of Religious honouring of Bread, but no Religious honouring by Religious bowing can be expressed, but Adoration of bread; for as I have proved, it is not in our free Election that Religious kneeling signifie what honour we please, as if it were in our power, that Religious kneeling signifie Religious, or civill honour, or more, or lesse Religious honour, but our will or thoughts cannot change the nature of things; kneeling is essentially Religious, as