A92138:867
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.
If any such power were given to the Church, by their Prayers to obtain from God a miraculous killing of all scandalous persons, who infecteth the Church, in case the civill Magistrate were an Heathen, and an enemy to Christian Religion and refused to purge the Church; Christ, who provideth standing remedies for standing diseases must have left this miraculous power to all the christian Churches in the earth that are under Heathen Magistrates, or some power by way of Analogy like to this, to remove the scandalous person, but we find not any such power in the Churches under Heathen Magistrates, except power of refusing to the offender the Communion, and rejecting him as an Heathen and Publican that he may be ashamed and repent. 3. The whole faithful at Corinth, men, women and children and all the Saints (for to those all, i• this power given, as Erastus saith) must1 have had a word of promise (if they ought to have prayed in faith as the Prophets and Apostles prayed in faith, that they might work miracles) that Paul was miraculously to kill the incestuous man▪ But that all and every one who were puffed up, and mourned not at this mans fall, had any such word of promise I conceive not imaginable by the Scriptures, for the Proposition I take it as undeniable; if Paul rebuked the Corinthians all and every one, because they prayed not, and mourned not to God, that Paul wrought not this miracle in killing the incestuous man, they behoved to have a word of God, for their warrant, commanding them to pray: O Lord give power to Paul, to kill such▪ an incestuous man miraculously: For such Faith of miracles had Christ, and all the Prophets and Apostles, Joh. 11. 41. So did Sampson pray in faith, Judg. 16. 28. and Elijah 1 Kings 18. 36, 37, 38. and so did the Apostles ⟨p. 319⟩pray, Act. 4. 24, 29, 30. and with them the Church of believers, for working of miracles in general; for the Apostles had a word of promise in the general for working of miracles,