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.

SECT. I.

Whether Religious kneeling, laying aside our intention and will to Adore that before which we kneel, of its own nature be Adoration?

This Question is most necessary, both against Papists and Forma∣lists: But first remember, that a 1.1 Raphael de la Torres, a late School∣man, maketh seaven Adorations: 1. Bowing of the knee. 2. Pro∣stration. 3. The lifting up of the eyes. 4. Of the hands to Hea∣ven. 5. Kissing. 6. Knocking on the Breast. 7. Uncovering of the head: Though this last be not Adoration, but a Nationall sign of Reverence, and is not every where Adoration; yet b 1.2 A∣bulensis saith, the Iews did pray and Sacrifice with covered heads: So saith c 1.3 Virgill, and d 1.4 Lod. Vives: Therefore the Corinthians had this from the Grecians as a civil sign of gravity, which should not be banished from Gods worship; and if it be appropriate to an I∣dol, it should in that case be made Veneration: But no Reverence

at all is due to an Idol. Jesuits, as e 1.5 Suarez▪ and others, and Formalists, Morton, Burges, Hooker teach us, That Religious bow∣ing before a creature, if there be no intention of Adoring, is not A∣doration: But it is to be considered;

1. Bowing of the knee Physically or civilly▪ is indifferent and is not Adoration: for we bow to Kings, and Artificers may bow the knee to drive a nail in a bed, and yet are not Adoring; but Religious Adoration, whither ye will or not by natures impression is a Religious note of Religious submission.

2. I consider four acts of the soul that may convoy externall A∣doration.* 1.6 1. One of the minde, a consideration of the excellency of what we Adore: 2. A will to submit to this excellency: 3. The judgements diting this to be honest to submit: 4. A purpose or intention habituall or actuall of Adoring; many of these may be where there is no Adoring: and the Religious externall bowing of the body is essentially Adoring, when that bowing is in a state of worship: kneeling before consecrated Elements for Reverence of either God or the Elements, must be Adoration, though we should wash it with foul water, and say, that there is no intention to ten∣der Gods glory to these Elements.

3. Let it be considered what is said by the f 1.7 Jesuit Joannes de Lu∣go, the Popes Professor at Rome, which I propound with some change: 1. There is a purpose of externall Adoring, with an inward submis∣sion of the heart; whether this be an habituall or actuall intention, it▪ is sure it is an Adoration, when it cometh forth in a gesture of A∣doring. 2. A will to bow the body in scorn and derision, as the Souldiers bowed the knee before Iesus; and this being not in a state of worshipping, but in a state and ••ase of disgracing, is not Religi∣ous bowing or Adoration: This is not a naturall expression of in∣ward submission, but rather of disgrace. 3. There is a willed or voluntary Religious bowing for fear, for gain, or for glory; yet without any internall estimation of the excellency of the thing A∣dored. This Suarez denyeth to be worshipping, it being only a faining of worship, not a worshipping.* 1.8

But I prove the contrary: 1. Because then no enacted wor∣shipping of Idols, were indeed a worshipping of an Idol, and yet all the time that the Adorer boweth his knee to the Idol, though he have no inward purpose of heart to Adore the externall bowing,

must be a naturall expression of actuall submission to the thing be∣fore which we bow, and a conciliating of an opinion with others, of Religious eminency and subjection of Divine dignity, to that thing before which we kneel. 2. Religious kissing of the Calves of Samaria, Hos. 8. is a naturall expression of Religious love to these Calves, though the kisser have no intention of worshipping▪ 3. Act. 14. 11, 12, 13. The men of Lystra are reproved for Sacri∣ficing, and so for Adoring-men; 15. Sirs, Why do ye these things for we also, are men of like passions as you, and Preach to you that ye should turn from these Vanities to the living God? Barnabas and Paul rebuketh the men of Lystra, because they worshipped men with humane passions; yet did they not intend to worship men, for they were to them in that act of worshipping, Gods in mens shape, as they say, v. 11. Gods are come down to us in the likenesse of men; if they conceived them not to be men indeed, but Gods come down from heaven; then could they not intend to worship men, but Gods: So Iohn would not, nor had any purpose to worship a cre∣ated Angel; but taking him to be God, he fell down and worship∣ped, as is clear by the Angels reproofe, Rev. 19. 10. He said unto me, See thou do it not, I am thy fellow servant: Likewise, Act. 17. The Athenians set up an Altar not to the Pourtraict of gold, which yet they worshipped, v. 2. 4, 5. but intended not to worship it;* 1.9 But the God which made heaven and earth, whom Paul preached: So are the Gentiles said to offer to Devils, not to God▪ what they offer, 1 Cor. 10. 20. Deut. 37. 17. Psal. 106. 37. and 2 Chron. 11. 15. Peroboams Calves are Devils; and yet they intended not to wor∣ship Devils, but God, that brought them out of the Land of Aegypt, 1 King. 12. 28.

4. If Religious kneeling require that we intend to worship eve∣ry thing, before which; as an object, we do Religiously kneel; then Religious kneeling should not signifie in ernall submission of the heart by natures impression or Divine institution; but by the vo∣luntary and the free institution of him that kneeleth: But this ••a••∣ter is absurd, for if kneeling should signifie, what it doth signifie by our free and voluntary appointment: Then we might 1. put upon naturall gestures what sig••ific••tion we pleased, and were not to stand to the signification which God and nature have put upon kneeling. 2. So it were in mans power to impose upon Religious

kneeling to God, civill curtesie, such as a subject expresseth to his Prince, or a son to his Father, and it were free to us to kneel to a stock, and that Religiously, and yet put upon kneeling the negative reverence, that we give to the Bible; and it were in the three chil∣drens will to kneel to N••buchadnezzars Image, and impose this signification on the g••sture, that they were kneeling to God only, all which are manifestly false: so g 1.10 Field saith, kneeling hath in∣stitution from the instinct of nature.

They Object, 1. The externall act of kneeling signifyeth the in∣ward submission of heart, but there is no inward submission of the heart to a thing to which we kneel, when we are compelled to kneel on∣ly for fear of men, or induced to kneel for hope of glory, or some by∣respect without any intention or purpose to adore, therefore this exter∣nall Adoration is a false signe, and signifieth not a thing as it is, and so is no worship.

Ans. That externall bowing is not true, but false: I distinguish, it is not true Morally, because it is a false signe, and a sinfull abu∣sing of worship, for there ought to be a bow••d heart, when there is a bowed knee, but if the meaning be, this externall bowing is not true metaphysically, and partaketh not of the nature of Religious worshipping, it is false, for it is truly worship, and the essence and definition of worship agreeth to it: for from Religious bowing there resulteth by the nature of the externall Act, which is of di∣vine institution, an honouring of that before which we do bow, as before a proposed object, what ever be the present purpose or intention of the bower: else if I bow to an Idol intending, and conveying in my heart-purpose all honour to God only, I should not worship an Idol: The three Children cast into the fiery Fur∣nace did but refuse externall bowing to Nebuchadnezzar, and would hazard upon burning quick, before they should give that to the* 1.11 Image; for the Kings commandment was not, that all should give and convey in purpose of heart to that Image all divine glory, but only Religious prostration before it; yet the three Children say, Dan. 3. Well, be it known to thee, O king, that we will not serve thy Gods, nor worship thy golden Image, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 They expresly re∣fuse knee-bowing, & the reason is, because if ye bow your knee Re∣ligiously to a stock, it is not in your power or free choice, to stay the flux and motion of Religious honour off, or from the stock; but

because Religious bowing doth not convey honour to the thing be∣fore which ye bow by your free will, but by God and natures in∣stitution, even as weeping naturally expresseth sorrow, laughing, gladnesse, so doth Religious bowing signifie Religious honouring, without any act of the free choice of the worshipped intervening. It is impossible to adore God, in and through an Image, and give no Religious reverence to the Image at all; as it is impossible to hear the word and tremble at it; and yet none of that Religious trem∣bling be bounded and terminated upon the Word; as it is impossible to kneel to the Kings Ambassador conveying all and whole that ci∣vill honour to the King, but some honour must redound to the Am∣bassador; 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 no∣thing 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 Sa∣maria, 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 ho∣nouring 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 ho∣nour we please, as if it were in our power, that Religious kneel∣ing 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 a 1.12 Iohannes Delugo de∣fineth it, Nota submission is internae.

2. b 1.13 Suarez objecteth, Adoration is a voluntary action proceed∣ing from the will of the Adorer; and therefore excluding this will, it is not Adorations, but only the materiall action of adoring; also ado∣ration is honouring, but none can honour without an intention of hono∣ring, and therefore he who externally giveth signes of honour to an Idol without an intention to honour the Idol, doth not truly honour and adore the Idol, but only dissembleth.

Ans. Qui bené distinguit benè solvit: Our third distinction doth well answer this: The naked materiall action of bowing Physically considered, wanting all Religious will of adoring is not an honou∣ring; if a Carpenter bow before an Image to drive a naile in it, he doth not worship the Image, because that is an action, In statu artis, non in statu Religionis; In a state of Art, not in 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Religi∣ous state: But the voluntary bowing before any thing in a state of worship, or Religion, as its here, is Adoration; for there is vo∣luntary bowing in a Religious way of a state, but there is not re∣quired a particular intention to Adore the signe, that is accidentall to the nature of worship.

Suarez objecteth, The e••••••nce of Adoration requireth the inten∣tion of the Adorer, therefore the adoring of this, or that thing, requi∣reth a proportionable intention of adoring the thing.

Ans. 1. The Antecedent is not universally true, and is a begging of the question, because externall adoring of an Idol may be without intention to adore an Idol. 2. Though the Antece∣dent were true; that an absolute Adoration of God requi∣reth the intention of the doer, as it is not true; Lawfull and sincere Adoration indeed requireth the intention, but not ab∣solute adoration: Though (I say) it were true, yet it followeth not that a relative adoration requireth an intention of giving co-adora∣tion or relative worship to the signe.

Suarez. 3. Objecteth: The honouring of one thing cannot proper∣ly be called the honouring of another thing different therefrom, except that honouring be some way referred by the minde, to that other thing, or except they be partakers one of another; but the Image, and first samplar, or prototype are different things, therefore the honouring of the first samplar cannot be called the honouring of the Image, except the honouring by the intention be referred to the Image. I answer, The Image and Samplar are one in a sinfull imagination, as Jehovah and the Golden Calf are one, but it followeth not, that there must be two distinct intentions, one in adoring the Prototype, and in co∣adoring the Image another: But he who intendeth to honour the King in his Ambassadors person, needeth not two intentions, one by which he intendeth to honour the King, another whereby he in∣tendeth to honour his Ambassador.

Notes

• a 1.1

  Ratha∣el de la Torres, or▪ din. prae∣dicat. tom. 1. in 22. Tho. q. 84. tra. 2. disp. 5.
• b 1.2

  Abu∣lensis in Le∣vit. cap. 13. q. 10.
• c 1.3

  Virgil. An. 3. Et capiteante aras phry∣gio velatus amictu.
• d 1.4

  Lod. vi∣ves com. in August. de civit. dei lib. 15. c. 2.
• e 1.5

  Suarez. Tom. 1. in 3. Thom. q. 25 art. 5. Sect. 4.
• * 1.6

  Four things in Adoration.
• f 1.7

  Joannes de Lugo, de myster. in∣carna••, dis. 23. Sect. 2. n. 23.
• * 1.8

  Intention of worship not essen∣tiall to worship.
• * 1.9

  Also to in∣tend wor∣ship is es∣sentiall to worship, as sincere and hearty; Ergo, •••• is not essen∣tiall to worship in generall, as what is es∣sentiall to the spece as such, is not essentiall to the general that com prehendeth that sp••ce.
• g 1.10

  Field of the Church, 4. book cap. 31.
• * 1.11

  Religious bowing of its nature, not by mans free and Arbi∣trary in∣tention sig∣nifieth di∣vine Ado∣ration.
• a 1.12

  Ioannes de Lugo, de mystei incarnat, disp. 13. S. 2. n. 14.
• b 1.13

  Suarez to. 1. in 3. q. 25. art. 5. S. 4. Objection of Suarez contending that inten∣tion of a∣doring is essentiall to Adora∣tion, remo∣ved.