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.

Quest. 9.

Other Arguments for Excommunication vindicated.

Erastus. The Apostle writeth, if any man love not the Lord Jesus,* 1.1 let him be accursed: Ergo, Paul will have the Elders to sit and judge who truely repent, who not, that they may admit the one to the supper, not the other; if this be excommunication, excommunication is grounded on a thousand places: to love Christ is to k••ep his comman∣dements, Ioh. 13. and 15. then who ever saith those that keep not the commandements of Christ, are cursed of God, he shall this way ex∣communicate: then Moses did often excommunicate. But because the false Apostles did strive to make Paul contemptible, therefore Paul saith, God be judge which of us loveth Christ, and let God destroy him who loves him not, this is the true meaning.

Ans. Erastus perverteth the sense of Beza his words, for Beza has no such conclusion as to prove a formall excommunication by the Elders, or Church judicature; this is Erastus sained conclusion. Beza inferreth from these words, that there is here gravissimae ex∣communicationis* 1.2 species, a kind of heavy excommunication, materi∣ally, to be eternally separated from Christ, called the great excommu∣nication. And it was to be accursed while the Lord come, and there∣fore this may prove there is a kind of lesser excommunication, in the Church, and Moses his cursing by way of preaching, may well inserre, that because there be Church censures, therefore there is a Church cursing heavy, and lesse heavy. But Beza intendeth not to prove excommunication by the Church from this, but only that Christs enemies are cursed, though they be other wayes in the Church;

and this kinde of excommunication, of shutting impenitent sinners out of heaven, is in a thousand places of scripture, and nothing can hence be concluded against Beza; and the like excommunication is Gal. 1. And when Ioh. 2. Ep. forbiddeth to receive a fa••••e teacher into your house, if he be a member of the Church, he is to be farre lesse kept in Christs greater house the Church; but is to be cast out.

Erastus. When Paul saith, Gal. 5. I would they were cut off who* 1.3 trouble you; he saith not, conveene the Elders, and cast such men out of the Church, or deliver them to Satan, but he wisheth that they were cut off by God.

Ans. 1. The place, Gal. 5. 12. I wish they were cut off that trouble* 1.4 you, is expounded by Piscator of cutting off from the visible Church; Yea he saith, conveene the Church, when he saith, v. 9. a little lea∣ven leaveneth the whole lumpe, that is, a little false Doctrine in∣fecteth the whole Church, and v. 10. I am confident of you, that ye will be no otherwise minded; but he that troubleth you shall bear his judgement, who ever he be: then he hopeth well of the Galathians that they will be of one mind to judge, and cast out the false tea∣cher, this is parallel to 1 Cor. 5. though Paul do not so right downe chide them for neglect of Church censures, as he doth 1 Cor. 5.

But saith Erastus, if Paul wished them to be cut off that troubled them, why did he not cut off those false teachers, and deliver them to Satan? Erastus answereth, it was not Gods will so to do, and the Apo∣stles* 1.5 could not in every place, and at every time kill miraculously; but when it was profitable, and necessary.

Ans. Then Paul, 1 Cor. 5. farre lesse could rebuke the Corin∣thians; because they prayed not that the incestuous Corinthian might be miraculously killed by Paul: for Paul had not power to kill him; because it was not necessary, nor profitable: the man repented, and was never killed. 2. Iudge if it be probable that Paul would wish to work a miracle in killing false teachers, when it was neither profitable, necessary, nor sa••e for the Church to have them killed. 3. Paul was confident the man who troubled them should beare his judgement. Erastus saith, it was not Gods will he should be miraculously killed; Ergo, it was not miraculous killing, but some Church censure; or then Erastus must find out another kind of judgement.

And why (may some say) doth not Paul write to Excommunicate him, as he did the incestuous Corinthian? Beza Answereth, Paul would not 1 Cor. 5. take that Authority to himself, but would do it by* 1.6 the suffrages of the Church: So here he sheweth what he desireth, but happily it was not expedient that they should be presently cut off: So Beza: Yea, the words do well bear, that Paul thought fit, That they should bear their Iudgement who had troubled them, and that that leaven should be purged out. 2. Yea, if this cutting off be miraculous, it is clear, Paul could not Communicate it to others, for it was Pauls will that the incestuous Corinthian should be deli∣vered to Satan by the suffrages of the Corinthians: Nor do we read that the Apostles wished to cut off men miraculously, but were not able to do it.

Erastus. It is false, That Paul willed the man to be delivered to Satan by the suffrages of the Corinthians: For he saith 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, I have already Concluded, Ordained, Decreed, to deliver him to Sa∣tan, though I be absent in body: what then would he have done? he would all the Church being gathered together (not some Presbyters only) by his own spirit, and the power of the Lord Iesus granted to him, deliver the man to Satan, that he might strike fear and terror on others, and that the man might bear the just punishment of his wic∣kednesse.

Ans. Paul chideth them, that they were puffed up, and mourned not, that the man might be put out of the midst of them: Then, whereas it might be said, we want the presence of the Apostle Paul, and his privity to the businesse: To this Paul saith, ver. 3. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉,* 1.7 For me (saith he) I have, as if I were present in bo∣dy when you are Convened together, &c. Iudged to deliver such a one to Satan: Now that this Decree was the judiciall Decree and sentence of Paul as a miraculous Magistrate giving sentence judicially, when Paul himself was absent, and had not convinced the man, nor spo∣ken with him, I do not believe; 1. Because, though 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 may signifie such a sentence of a man when the guilty is before him, yet the word doth not necessitate us to this Exposition, Luk. 19. 22. Out of thy own mouth will I judge thee; for it doth as often signifie a simple act of the minde, and the opinion of any not sitting in judge∣ment, as Act. 13. 46. Ye judge your selves 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 unworthy of life Eternall, 1 Cor. 2. 2. I determined 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 to know nothing but

Christ, Luk. 7. 43. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, saith Christ to Simon the Pharisee who was not on the bench, Thou hast judged rightly, Tit. 3. 12. I have determined there to winter, 1 Cor. 10. 15. Iudge ye what I say, Act. 27. 1. When it was determined to sail into Italy. 2. We do not read that Apostle, Prophet or Iudge, gave out a sentence of death against any, the person condemned not being present nor heard: the Lord himself did it not to Adam, nor to Sodom; he came down to see, he examined Adam: Moses did not so condemn the man that gathered sticks on the Sabbath day: Joshua convinced Achan, the Prophet convinced Gehazi, ere he smote him with Le∣prosie, Peter convinced A••anias and Saphira to their faces, ere he killed them, so did Paul convince Elimas the sorcerer in his face, so did Christ in his miraculous purging of the Temple, convince them that His Fathers house should be a house of Prayer. Now Paul here giveth a judiciall sentence of death on a man, he never spake of being at Philippi whence he wrote, and the delinquent at Co∣rinth, if we beleeve Erastus. 3. Erastus judgeth that Paul knew this man to be penitent, and how knew Paul this? It must be a miraculous knowledge, by which Paul at Philippi looked upon the mans heart at Corinth, one of the greatest miracles that ever Paul wrought for Paul had the knowledge of the mans sinne only by report, v. 1. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 it is reported; between Pauls writing the first verse of that Chapter, and his writing the third verse there must interveene a miraculous discovery of the incestuous mans heart, Paul being at Philippi, and the man at Corinth; and Paul knowing the man to be penitent, and because of his penitency (as Erastus saith) Paul did not kill him: Yet Paul so farre absent, must have given out a miraculous sentence, as a miraculous Magi∣strate. I (saith he) by revelation as having the sword of God now in my hand, have judged, and given out sentence, that this man shall be miraculously killed by Satan, before your eyes, that all may feare, and do so no more, and yet I know him to be penitent, and that he shall not be killed by Satan; a monstrous and irrationall sentence, if it be said, that by report Paul had knowledge of his sinne, and by report al∣so he had knowledge of his repentence, and that his spirit would be saved in the day of the Lord, and that this knowledge came not to Paul by any immediate revelation. I answer, Yet the sentence must stand by Erastus his mind touching 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. I have judged and

condemned him as a miraculous Magistrate to dye upon a report, though I never heard him, and I know he shall not dye for this sault: for can it be said, that Paul retracted a sentence which he gave out as the deputy of God, and he even then, when he wrote the sen∣tence, kn••w there was so much repentance in the man, as he would for it be moved not to kill him. 4. There is no ground in the Text, why Paul should be said to seek the naked presence of the whole people, to do such a miracle before them, he being himselfe absent; for there is more then a naked presence of the Corinthians, as only witnesses that they might be affraid & do so no more: for they were present as instructed with the spirit of Paul, and the power of the Lord Jesus Christ▪ to deliver such a one to Satan: as the words bear, v. 4. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. For to be con∣veened in the name of Christ, being spoken, Mat. 18. v. 20. of a Church meeting, or in reference thereunto in the same phrase, and to be conveened with the power and spirit of Paul, and of the Lord Iesus, cannot agree to Paul; nor can it be said, I Paul absent in body, and present in spirit, in the name of the Lord Jesus, and with my spi∣rit, and the power of the Lord Jesus, have decreed to deliver such a one to Satan. For, 1. the Grammer of the words cannot beare that, for (being conveened in the name of the Lord, with my spirit) are constructed together in the Text. 2. It is no sence, nor any Scripture phrase. I present in spirit, and with my spirit have decreed to deliver such a one to Satan. 3. It is evident that Paul would, as it were absent, recompence his bodily absence, with the presence of the spirit, and road of Church censure, which the Lord had communicated to them. 5. Erastus needeth not object, that there was a conveening of the Church, not of some Elders, for as there is no word of the word Elders in the Text, so is there no word of 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 in the Text, and so the debate will be, what is meant by 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 whether Elders, or people, or both; but though every one in their owne place were understood, yet the words beare a juridicall convention, being conveened in the name of the Lord Jesus, and with my spirit, and the power of the Lord Jesus.

Erastus▪ The questions why Paul did not command to excommuni∣cate the false Apostles in Galathia? Or why he did not miraculousty kill them? are both urgent; But the latter is most urgent, for the

power of miraculous afflicting men, was given to few men, and to Apostles: But it is a wonder, if excommunication was ever, and eve∣ry where to be observed in all Churches. Yet Paul neither practiseth it here, nor else where, nor commandeth others to practise it; now here he desireth they may be cut off, but not excommunicated.

Ans. We say the last is no question, you never read in the New-Testament, or in the Old, that Prophets or Apostles consulted, or advised with the people, whether they should work miracles or not: 2. Though Excommunication was an ordinary power, as the power of binding and loosing given to the Church, Matth. 16. 19. and 18. 18. Ioh. 20. 22, 23. Yet the actuall exercise of Excommuni∣cation, being the highest and weightiest censure, and the most se∣vere of any other on earth, it is no wonder that Paul be as spa∣ring and rare in the exercise of it, as the Apostles were in killing mens bodies. 3. It is a begging of the question, to say, Paul nei∣ther practised himself, nor commanded others to excommunicate, for he did both.

Erastus. That which is, Rom. 16. spoken for eschewing of those* 1.8 who cause offences, is that every one single person beware of false Teachers; it is not spoken to the Church to Excommunicate those false Teachers, and therefore there is no such need of such a Presbytery as you dream of, but only of good and diligent Ministers, who may right∣ly instruct, and prudently teach their hearers, what Teachers they ought to eschew.

Ans. 1. The eschewing of false Teachers is a generall, and a du∣ty* 1.9 no question given to all and every one of the Church: But the place doth no more say in expresse terms that a single Pastor should give warning particularly by name, that this man, Iohn, Hymeneus, Alexander, are those false Teachers to be eschewed, then it saith, that the Presbytery, which we assert, doth in expresse termes, shew what false Teachers they be, who by name are to be Excommuni∣cated and eschewed; but you see, that Erastus is overcome by truth, so far, as he must say one single Minister may declare that such a false Teacher, by name, is to be eschewed as a Heathen and a Publican, and so in effect excommunicated, and put out of the Church; but he denieth that the Church may declare him a Hea∣then, as Matth. 18. and that many Elders, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 gathered to∣gether in the name of Christ, as it is, 1 Cor. 5. may put out a false

Teacher, or a wolf out of the flock. 2. We grant that it is spoken to every one, that he should eschew false teachers, yea, and 2 Thes. 3. All that walketh unordinately, all fornicators, extortioners, drunkards, 1 Co••. 5. But that every man should eschew those, whom he in his private judgement conceiveth to be such, before he re∣buke them, and labour to gain them, and in case of obst••n••cy, Tell the Church, as Christ commande••h, Matth. 18. is not commanded, bu•• forbidden, Matth. 18. Lev. 1917. Col. 3. 15. For if this should be, that I might immediatly, upon my own private grudge, unbro∣ther and cast out of my heart and intire fellowship, every one whom I conceive offendeth me, and walketh unordinately, without observing Christs order, or previous rebuking of him, I make a pathway to perpetuall Schismes: 2. A violation of all Laws of fra∣ternity, and Christian Communion. 3. A diss••lving and breaking of all Church Communion, and i•• were strange, if Erastus will have Christs order kept, Matth. 18. in private offences done by one brother to another, and not in publick offences, when a brother offendeth twenty, and a whole Church, as if I were obliged to seek to gain my brothers soul in private and l••sse injuries, and not in publick, and more hainous offences.

Hence it is clear to me, If we are to reject an Heretick, after once,* 1.10 or twice admonition, and not to receive in our houses false Teachers, and 1 Tim. 6. 3. If any teach otherwise, and consent not unto the wholesome word, even the words of our Lord Iesus Christ, being given to perverse disputing, as men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, 1 Tim. 6. 3, 4, 5. We are to withdraw our selves from such, and to save, with severity and plucking out of the fi••e, those that can∣not be cured; then certainly the Church of Christ must also turn away from such men, and acknowledge them as no members of the body, whereof Christ is the head; if we say not this, if one hath leave in a constituted Church, to j••dge and condemne his brother, and then we shall not take the course of the Apostles in the like case, as Act. 15. which is not Apostolick, for when false Teachers troubled the Brethren, they would not peremptorily, though great Apostles, as Paul and Barnabas, determine against either the false doctrine, or the persons of the Teachers, while the Apostles, El∣ders, and Brethren did meet in a Synod, and determine against the Error, and against the men, as such as troubled the Brethren with

words, and perverted their souls, Act. 15. Now Erastus is willing to acknowledge a sort of Divine Excommunication, not a humane, as he is pleased to call that Ordinance of separating of wicked men from the Church and holy things of God, which yet was in the Church of the Jews, instituted by Christ and his Apostles, and which no Church wanted, as learned Beza saith, even in the time of per∣secution: had Erastus explained to us his divine Excommunication, as he calleth it, it were easie to bring most of his owne Arguments with greater strength of reason against it then against ours, which is the truely divine Excommunication.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Erastus li. 3. ca. 9. pag. 254.
• * 1.2

  Beza de pre••byt. pag 97.
• * 1.3

  Pag. 255.
• * 1.4

  The place Gal. 5. 12. vindicated.
• * 1.5

  Pag 255. 256.
• * 1.6

  Pag. 97. de Presbyte∣rio,
• * 1.7

  Paul did not judici∣ally con∣demne the incestuous man.
• * 1.8

  Pag. 256. 257.
• * 1.9

  To eschew the scanda∣lous is ma∣terially to Excommu∣nicatethem.
• * 1.10

  Tit. 3. 10. Ioh 2. 10.