The pastor and the prelate, or reformation and conformitie shortly compared by the word of God, by antiquity and the proceedings of the ancient Kirk, by the nature and use of things indifferent, by the proceedings of our ovvne Kirk, by the vveill of the Kirk and of the peoples soules, and by the good of the commonvvealth and of our outvvard estate with the answer of the common & chiefest objections against everie part: shewing vvhether of the tvvo is to be follovved by the true Christian and countrieman.
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Title
The pastor and the prelate, or reformation and conformitie shortly compared by the word of God, by antiquity and the proceedings of the ancient Kirk, by the nature and use of things indifferent, by the proceedings of our ovvne Kirk, by the vveill of the Kirk and of the peoples soules, and by the good of the commonvvealth and of our outvvard estate with the answer of the common & chiefest objections against everie part: shewing vvhether of the tvvo is to be follovved by the true Christian and countrieman.
Author
Calderwood, David, 1575-1650.
Publication
[Holland? :: S.n],
Anno M.DC.XXVIII. [1628]
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Subject terms
Church and state -- Scotland -- Early works to 1800.
Cite this Item
"The pastor and the prelate, or reformation and conformitie shortly compared by the word of God, by antiquity and the proceedings of the ancient Kirk, by the nature and use of things indifferent, by the proceedings of our ovvne Kirk, by the vveill of the Kirk and of the peoples soules, and by the good of the commonvvealth and of our outvvard estate with the answer of the common & chiefest objections against everie part: shewing vvhether of the tvvo is to be follovved by the true Christian and countrieman." In the digital collection Early English Books Online. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/A17576.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed May 15, 2024.
Pages
The Pastors answer.
THE gouvernment and order appoynted by Christ can haue
no danger, discommoditie nor inconvenience, but such as
men bring upon it, and which through the neglect or contempte
thereof they bring upon themselues. That therefore must be the
best, which is best warranted by Christ, and approacheth nearest
to the simplicitie of the Apostles and the discipline of their times.
Malignant wits haue ever beene readie to lay imputations upon
Gods ordinances, as that his inward worship according to the
Gospell of Christ hath no wisedome, that the outward hath no
majestie, that his order of the Kirk is but Anarchie, because it is
not a monarchie: but as the naturall philosopher sayth, the order
of nature to be full of beautie, and the wise Statesman seeth the
beautie of the order of a wise policie: so the Christian, when he
seeth the order of the house of God, shall with the Apostle Col. 2.
rejoyce to see it, and will preferre the beautie thereof to the wise
government of the house & Court of Salomon, as being appoin∣ted
by a wiser then hee: euen Balaam, albeit disposed to curse,
when his eyes are opened to behold this wise order and marve∣lous
beautie, shall be forced to open his lips, and to say, How
goodly are thy tents o Iacob, and thy tabernacles to Israell: for a house full
of silver and gold I would not curse, for how shall I curse whom the Lord
hath not cursed? or how shall I defye,whom the Lord hath not defyed?
Numb. 23. and 24. And that there is no confusion in the paritie
mainteyned by the Pastor, it is manifest to him that desireth to
see, for:
1. Confusion hath no subordination for disposing of things, and setting
every thing in it owne place.
The paritie mainteyned by the Pastor hath a lawfull sub∣ordination
of Elders to Pastors, of Deacons to Elders, of
a Kirk Session to a presbyterie, of a presbyterie to a Sy∣node,
and of a Synode to a Nationall Assembly.
2. Confusion hath no prioritie of respect of precedencie nor of order.
Paritie of pastors so shunneth ambitiō, that it mainteyneth
a prioritie of precedencief and respect, for age, for zeale,
for gifts &c. and a prioritie of order, whereby one is mo∣derator
of others in all their Synods, and meetings, such
descriptionPage 59
...
as was amongst the Apostles themselues, but without prio∣ritie
of power or jurisdiction aboue the rest.
3. Confusion admitteth no commandement nor subjection:
Paritie of Pastor, admitteth both: for every Pastor conducteth
his owne flock, & every pastor is subject to a joynt fellow∣ship
of pastors in Presbyteries and Synods.
4. Confusion is abhorred, both by nature and all Societies, as their greatest
enemie, which overturneth all, where it hath place.
Paritie of Pastors hath the like paritie both in nature, and all
sorts of societie: for in nature one eye hath not power over
another, nor one hand over another, nor one foote over ano∣ther,
onely the head hath power over all. In the common∣wealth
and kingdome there is a paritie without a prioritie
of power of jurisdiction betwixt one Baron and another, &
betwixt one Nobleman and another, and in all the Colle∣giall
jurisdictions in the Land under the King himselfe. In
the worlde paritie betwixt one King and another, In the
Roman Kirk equalitie betwixt one Lord Bishop and ano∣ther,
and betwixt two Archbishops, Patriarks &c. and in
the Kirk of Christ betwixt Apostle and Apostle, &c. why
then shall the divine paritie of Pastors be accounted a con∣fusion.
Notes
Ans. Shewing by many particulars, that the order of the ministerie ap∣pointed by Christ is far from confu∣sion.