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.

CHAP. XIX.

Quest. 15.

Of the use of Excommunication toward the Magistrate especi∣ally.* 1.1

Erastus. How many thousands of men have been killed by occasion of Excommunication in Germany? it hath subjected Kings and Scriptures, and all to the Pope.

Ans. All this may be said of the Gospell and of Christ, that hee is appointed for the fall and ruine of many, and that he came not to give Peace, but the Sword, 1 Pet. 2. 8. Luke 2. 34. Mat. 10. 34, 35. But the cause is not in the Gospell, or in Christ, but in mens cor∣rupt nature: Excommunication is the Rod of the King out of Zion, and we know how impatient men are of the yoke of Christ; Ex∣communication abused by the Pope doth all this.

Erastus. Excommunication cureth not wounded consciences, but be∣getteth* 1.2 Hypocrites.

Ans. So publike rebuking of those that sin publikely, 1 Tim. 5. 20. being abused doth beget Hypocrites, Esa. 57. 1, 2, 3. Ezek. 31, 32, 33. 1 King. 21. 27. 28, 29. so doth the Rod, the Word, the giving of almes, praying, being abused to wicked ends, make hy∣pocrites, Mat. 23. 14, 25. Mat. 6. 1, 2, 3, 4. Psal. 78. v. 34, 35, 36. Hos. 7. 14. Excommunication is innocent of all these.

Erastus. I thinke it not amisse that the Magistrate chuse godly and* 1.3

prudent men, and joyne to them godly Ministers, who in place of the Magistrate may inquire in the life and manners of men, and convene before them loose livers, and rebuke them, and if need be, deferre them to the Magistrate; But this is unjust, that such a Senate be chosen by the Church, which hath no power to chuse them. 2. That they are not chosen in the Name of the Magistrate, but against his will. 3. That they subject the Magistrate to them.

Ans. Erastus is willing there be a Presbytery: 1. Of mixed men, prudent men, and godly Pastors. 2. Chosen by the Magi∣strate.* 1.4 3. That they judge and rebuke Murtherers, Extortioners, Oppressors, Thieves, &c. But 1. he should give us Scripture for this his new Presbytery. He condemneth ours, because it wanteth (as he saith) the Authority; and the like of his Presbytery in the Old or New Testament you finde not. 2. That Ministers should judge of bloods, thefts, treasons, paricides (for all these are loose li∣vers) and of goods and inheritances, and give an account to the Civill Magistrate, is all one as if the Ministers of the Gospel should be Iudges as the Lords of the Gentiles, such as Pilate, Foelix and the rest, so they do it at the Command of the Supream Magistrate; then the King may warrant Ministers to go against the Command and practise of Christ, Luk. 22. 24, 25, 26. and 12, 13, &c. 2 Tim. 2. 4. For this is a Civill Judicature. 3. Then the Ministers rebu∣king in the name of the Civill Magistrate, may make him to Preach & exhort in the name of the Civil Magistrate. So Ministers, are they to hear the word at the Magistrates mouth? I thought Ministers had been the Ambassadors of an higher King, Ezech. 2. 7, 8. and 3. 3. Speak with my words to them, Rom. 1. 1. 2 Cor. 5. 20. 4. If the Ministers rebuke as Ambassadors of Christ: Those to whom they Preach the word of reconciliation, those they are to rebuke with Authority, and all hearers are subject to them: Magistrates or o∣thers,* 1.5 high or low: This is clear by 2 Cor. 5. 19. 20, &c. 2 Tim. 4. 1, 2. For rebuking in way of Preaching, or in way of censure, is a part of the Gospel. But Pastors are to Preach the Gospel to all, to great and small who stand in need of Reconciliation, 2 Cor. 5. 20, Act. 9. 15. He is a chosen vessel to me, to bear my name before Gentiles and Kings, and the Children of Israel.

Erastus. It is false that the Sword of the Magistrate is not

sufficient to coerce sins, Psal. 101. Kings have put to death those that seek not God: It is nothing that you say, the Priest judged those same sins in a spirituall manner, that the Magi∣strate judged politically; for it is false, that the Priests judged in a Judicature separated from the Civill Judges, as your Presbytery sitteth. See Levit. cap. 4. 5. 6. God seemeth to have given no Laws of punishing offenders by themselves, as with us, least we should imagine two distinct Judicatures.

Ans. We deny not, but the Sword is sufficient to punish offen∣ders, in its own kinde, in order to the peace of the Common-wealth. to remove evil; to cause others fear, to pacifie Gods wrath, as the Scriptures speak: so David and good Kings purged the city of God, but Erastus cannot deny but God ordained spirituall means of re∣bukings, putting out of the Camp, eschewing the company of of∣fenders, that they may be ashamed, and those spirituall means have a spirituall influence on the soul to remove offences, to gain the offenders, Matth. 18. 15. Psal. 110▪ 2. Isa, 11. 4. Psal. 141. 5. 2 Thess. 3. 14, 15.

2. The word maketh the Priests separated from Civill Iudges, Zach. 3. 7. The Angel of the Lord protested unto Ioshua the high Priest, if thou wilt walk in my wayes, and keep my charge, then thou shalt also judge my house, and thou shalt keep my courts. The Civill Magistrate judged not the house of God, the way that the High Priest did. The Divines that noteth on the place, say, The chief part in Ecclesiasticall affairs was upon the High Priest, Deu••. 17.* 1.6 12. 2 Chron. 19. 11. The word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 that is given to the Priest is to judge, to give out sentence in judgement, the very word that is given to King Iosiah; He judged the cause of the poor and needy, and Ier. 5. 28. They judge not the cause, the cause of the fatherlesse, and Ier. 21. 12. O house of David execute judgement in the morning, and the sons of Aaron the Priests, 1 Chron. 24. 5. are made some of them Governors of the sanctuary, and Governors of the house of God: It is the word that signifies Princes, 2 Kin. 9. 5. A word to thee O Prince 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, 1 Sam. 22. 2. 1 Chro. 11. 6. Ier. 17. 25, Num. 23. 3. 10. All the princes of Moab, Isa. 30. 4. Isa. 10. 8. Are not my princes Kings? and Lev. 4. 5, 6. chapters, judiciall acts are given to the

Priest that are proper to him as Priest, which none do but he, nor have the Civill ludges any part in it, more then they can offer sa∣crifices* 1.7 which none do but the priests, for he was to judge of the quality of the sins, and might not offer any sacrifice for every sin, nor dip his finger in the blood of the bullock seven times, for every sin, this spirituall judicature was the Priests. And neither Moses the Prince nor any Civill Iudge on earth could share with the Priests in judging this: all the world will say the judge may use the sword against the Murtherer, and Elders or Pastors have not to do with the sword at all: and the Pastors are to convince, re∣buke and work upon the conscience of the Murtherer to gain him to repentance, and no civill judge as a civill judge hath to share with him in this: here be distinct punishments, one corporall and civill, another spirituall, why then must they not flow from two distinct Iurisdictions? or if it displease any man, that we call Church∣censures with the name of punishment, we can forbear the name, for rebukes, suspension from the Sacraments, Excommunication, be∣cause they are intrinsecally, and of their own nature such as tend not to the hurt, but to the gaining and saving of the souls of the per∣sons censured; they are unproperly punishments, as the power and court they come from is unproperly a rod a Iudicature, a Court, and those that inflict the censures improperly Iudges, yet can it not be denied to be spirituall Government, and that there is a spiritu∣all sword, the word of God, and a spirituall coaction, flowing from Heralds, or servants in the name of the King of Kings and Head of the Church, who reigneth in his own Ordinances, and Ministers.

Erastus. The priests bade Uzziah not burn incense, because it was* 1.8 their part only to sacrifice: But vvhere is it vvritten that the King vvas condemned by the sentence of the Priests?

Ans. The Priests were a Colledge of Elders, who not only ju∣dicially condemned the Kings fact as against the Lavv of God, but 2 Chron. 26. Azariah and eighty priests vvith him vvithstood him, and resisted him, yea, they gave out sentence against him, ver. 18. It pertaineth not unto thee, Vzziah, to burn incense to the Lord, but to the Priests the sons of Aaron, that are consecrated to burn incense; go out of the sanctuary, for thou hast trespassed, they give out the sen∣tence of the Law of God, Numb. 16. 40, Nor might any come in to

the Holy place, but the Priests and Levites, Num. 18. 6, 7. here is a sentence judiciall by the voyces of 80. Priests in an externall court, given out against the supream Magistrate: for they gave not out this sentence as private men, but as Priests, judging according to the Law, and in this the King was subject to Ecclesiasticall jurisdiction.

Erastus. It is a vaine thing to say, they Excommunicate not the* 1.9 Magistrate as the Magistrate, none but Kata-baptists and such as deny Magistracy to be an Ordinance of God, can say that: Every man might excuse rebellion so, and say, I persecute not the Magistrate as he is a Magistrate, but as he is a tyrant: But I say you may not re∣proach the Magistrate, Exod. 22. farre lesse may you punish him. How can I obey him, whose whole life and actions, I may by Power, and coaction limit? The Magistrate so is but a servant to the Pres∣bytery.

Ans. Erastus scorneth this distinction, to say, the Magistrate not as a Magistrate, but as a scandalous man is Excommunicated: Yet we can make him receive the distinction whether he will or not: For Erastus saith, that Pastors may rebuke, convince, and threaten the Magistrate? Good man, may Pastors threaten and rebuke the* 1.10 Magistrate as the Magistrate? or may they only threaten, and re∣buke him as an offending man? Erastus dare not say the first, for so he were a grosse Kata-baptist, for then Pastors were to rebuke the very office, and to condemne it; if he say the latter, as he doth in expresse words, then he acknowledgeth that Pastors may bind the sinnes of wicked Magistrates in heaven, is this, good Thoma, no Ecclesiasticall coaction, no jurisdiction? and this is to receive the distinction whether you will or not. 2. The rejecting of this di∣stinction is a tenet of Royalists, for certainly we use no defensive armes against the King as King, but as he is a misled man; and I think the King will say, he useth not offensive armes against the Parliament as the Parliament, but under another very undeserved notion, as Rebels. 3. It is lesse that we may not rail on rulers, which is a sinne, (for to rail upon any cursing-wise is unlawfull) then that we cannot punish the ruler, which is more? To punish the ruler as a sinfull and wicked man, is a work of justice, and so lesse unlawfull then sin. Erastus taketh for confessed (as his custome is) that which we deny, that to punish rulers with an Ecclesiastick censure is a sin, as to rail on them, and curse them is a greater sin.

But to binde the rulers sinnes in heaven, is a punishment, and this the Elders may lawfully do, and to eschew the company of a ru∣ler, if he be a fornicator, an extortioner, and idolater, is either to punish him, or put shame upon him, 2 Thes. 3. 14. But one pri∣vate Christian, farre more a Church may do that, Rom. 16. 17. 1 Cor. 5. 9, 10. 2 Thes. 3. 14. except Erastus except the Magistrate from being under a Divine and Apostolick command; this he must say, and so we have the Apostles meaning; withdraw from those that cause divisions, and walk unordinately, and are fornicators, coveteous, extortioners, least they infect you, and that they may be a∣shamed, and repent, except they be Magistrates, though in the lowest rank; if they be Magistrates, they are gods, and you their subjects, and you may in no sort shame them. I should think God both accep∣ted persons, and would not have us to indeavour the repentance and gaining of the souls of Magistrates, because they are above Gospel-rules by this way of Erastus; and because the Presbytery may not rail on Magistrates, for that is sinne, it followeth not, the Presbytery may inflict no Ecclesiasticall censure on them; Yea, let me retort this, The Magistrate may not rail on, or curse and revile the Priests; So Paul expoundeth it, Act. 23. 5. against reviling of Priests, nor may the Magistrate revile or curse any subject, for I conceive reviling to be sinne, Mat. 5. 11. and 27. 39. Joh. 9. 28. 1 Cor. 4. 12. 1 Pet. 2. 23. 1 Cor. 6. 10. Isai. 51. 7. Zepha. 2. 8. 1 Pet. 3. 9. Jude 9. and the Magistrate is under the Moral Law. Hence I inferre by Erastus his reasoning, that the Magistrate may not pu∣nish, Priests, Prophets, Pastors, or any subject, though they most hainously trespasse against all Lawes, which is absurd. 3. That the Magistrate is made a servant, not a Magistrate, if the Elders may use the rod of Christ against him is a vaine consequence; Paul prea∣ched himself a servant, in a spirituall Ministery, to all the Christians in Corinth, 2 Cor. 4. 5. and all Elders are thus servants to Magi∣strates and flock; Yet Erastus knoweth that Paul had a rod of miraculous killing the disobedient, as Erastus expoundeth, 1 Cor. 5. & 1 Cor. 4. 21. What will ye? shall I come unto you with a rod, or in love? Suppose there had been a Christian Magistrate at Corinth that should fall in incest, as one did, 1 Cor. 5. 1. Paul could not come to him with the rod; or suppose the Roman Emperour had been a Christian and within the Church, and should have his Fa∣thers

wife; Paul could use no rod against him, and should he not have in readinesse revenge against all disobedience? 2 Cor. 10▪ 6. and authority, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, given him by the Lord for edification, v. 8. against all offenders within the Christian Church? in regard that Christ is head and King of the Church; but he should have neither rod nor revenge in readinesse against the disobedience of the Em∣perour? why, is not the rod of Paul the rod of Christ? 2 Cor. 10. 8. yea certainly, is not then the Christian Emperour the subject of Christs Kingdome? and subject to the King Christ, and his rod? No but (saith Erastus) Paul, Is the Emperour subject to thee? and if Paul should have a rod to punish the Emperour, then the Apostle could not be the Emperours subject, nor obey him as a God on earth: for (saith Erastus,) no subject may punish the Magistrate. This is downe right to make God an accepter of persons, nor can Erastus deny but sharp rebuking was a punishment, Tit. 1. Rebuke them sharply that they may be sound in the ••aith; And this the Apostle urgeth all Ministers and watchmen to do, not being afraid of the faces of Kings, Iere. 1. 17, 18. Joh. 2. 1, 2, 3▪ 4. 2 Tim. 4. 1, 2, 3. Era∣stus teacheth Magistrates to break Christs bounds, and to say, we will not have this man to reigne over us, he needed not employ a wicked pen for this, they need no teacher, vitia discuntur sine Ma∣gistro.

Erastus. Some of yours say, there is need of the Magistrates consent* 1.11 to Excommunication, but certainly he will never consent to be Ex∣communicated himself, Theodosius was not willing, nor will good Magistrates consent, when they see the danger on themselves, you would not bring in again the Church-penances of the ancients.

Ans. 1. We all think the Cumulative consent of the godly Magistrate, is necessary to Excommunication: Because he is ob∣liged to joyne his sanction and authority to all Christs Ordinan∣ces, but we think not the privative, or negative consent is requi∣red; so as no mans sinnes should be bound in heaven, except the Magistrate say Amen. 2. Put Erastus his Arguments in forme, and you shall see their weaknesse as thus: He whose consent is required to Excommunication, cannot be punished with Excommunication him∣selfe, because no man will consent, not Theodosius, nor the godliest man, that he be punished himselfe: But the Magistrates consent (say the Presbyterians) is to be had to Excommunication; Ergo, the

Magistrate cannot be punished with Excommunication himselfe.

Ans. I retort it, he whose consent is required for threatning wrath ••o, and rebuking of offenders and scandalous men, he is not to be threatned with wrath, and rebuked for his own offences and scandals; because no man, no Theodosius, no godly Magistrate, when he seeth the present danger, will consent, that he be threatned with the wrath of God and rebuked himselfe; We know Nathan was afraid to rebuke a Magistrate according to Gods heart, but in the third Person. But Erastians teach that the Magistrate, when he scandalously of∣fends, should be threatned and rebuked; Ergo, the Magistrates consent is not requisite to threatnings and rebukings of Pastors. But the conclusion is against Erastus, for the Pastors preach, and re∣buke, and threaten as the deputies and servants of the Magistrate, and as sent by him; and the Magistrate preacheth, rebuketh, threat∣neth all offenders, and himselfe also in and through Pastors as his servants, as Erastus teacheth; then he must consent, that they threaten and rebuke himselfe. 2. The proposition is false, it is pre∣sumed, all the subjects do consent to lawfull penall Lawes against sorcery, murther, incest in the generall, and virtually, that they shall be put in execution against themselves: yet the Sorcerer will never formally consent, that he himselfe be put to death, though he once, as a subject, consented to the Law, that all Sorcerers be put to death: For when the penall Law against sorcery was enacted, he consented to this. 3. He whose consent accumulative is requisite, that scandalous offenders in generall be Excommunicated, but not that this or this man, possibly the Magistrate himselfe, he is not to be Excommunicated, is most false; he whose consent negative, is requi∣site for Excommunication, he is not to be Excommunicated himself, the proposition is true; But I assume, the Magistrates consent nega∣tive, is requisite to Excommunication, there is nothing more false: For shall that which the Church bindeth on earth, not be bound in heaven, except the King, the Iustice, or Master Constable say Amen to it on earth? We say not that the Magistrates consent as a Ma∣gistrate, is requisite, for the Excommunicating of himselfe. For though as a Magistrate he ought to give his consent to Excommu∣cate all offenders, and adde his civill sanction, as one of the seven wise men of Greece said, Patere legem, quam ipse tuleris. Yet he is not Excommunicated as a Magistrate (except with Kata-baptists,

you condemne the Office of Magistracie as an unlawfull Ordi∣nance) but as a scandalous man. 3. The old penances, as they do us that service to make good that Excommunication was in the anci∣ent Church, and that Erastus wanteth the authority of the Fathers, and upon his ingenuity should have been ashamed to cite them for his way, so we condemne them as introductory to Popery; but let Erastus forme an Argument from this, and logick shall his••e at it. That which bringeth in old satisfactions and penance, is not to be holden. But Excommunication, or the Excommunicating of Magi∣strates doth this; Ergo, The assumption must be proved.

Erastus. It hath no more truth which you say, that the Magistrate,* 1.12 while he punisheth, cureth not the conscience, for God calleth many by tribulations to himselfe, and farre more then by your Excommuni∣cation.

Ans. I would Erastus had drawen up an Argument, which sel∣dome he doth, for this it must be:

That which is a saving mean to gaine scandalous offenders to Ie∣sus Christ, and better then Excommunication, is an Ordinance of God, and the other no Ordinance; But the Magistrates punishing with the sword the scandalous offenders, is a saving meane to gaine scandalous offenders, and better then Excommunication; Ergo,

Ans. Neither Major nor Minor proposition hath any truth at all. 1. Though the Magistrates sword were a better meane to gain souls, it followeth not that Excommunication is no mean. The Law is lesse powerfull for gaining souls, The Gospel more power∣full. But the Law is not for that no Ordinance of God. 2. Era∣stus his reason to prove, that the Magistrates punishing cureth the conscience, as a saving Ordinance, no lesse then Excommunication, must be this; That, by which God calleth, and draweth many to him∣selfe, is a saving mean, to cure the conscience; but by the Magistrates punishing of scandalous men, God doth this as by other tribulations. The proposition must be, a propositio per se; That by the Magistrates heading, and hanging, scourging, and imprisoning of themselves, as kindly and intrinsecally saving means, such as rebukes, promises, commands, excommunication are, the Lord calleth men, and con∣verteth them, that is false, God no more useth the Sword of the Ma∣gistrate, as a kindly mean of gaining souls, then the sword of an oppressing Tyrant; so Nebuchadnezzars oppressing of the Church

of God, and the Assyrians unjust wasting of the people of Israel, shall be kindly means of gaining of souls; because God blessed the rod to many to humble their uncircumcised heart; but this is accidentall to, and beside the nature of the rod: but it is not accidentall to re∣buking, threatning, promises to the preaching of the Gospel, nor to Excommunication to save souls and gaine them to Christ. The Gospel, and all the parts of it, are kindly, and of themselves the* 1.13 power of God to salvation: The Magistrates sword to Erastus must be the power of God to salvation, and Christ, Matth. 18. in his order of gaining an offending brothers soul, by this reason must descend, not ascend, contrary to the order of Christ, for Christ ma∣keth the rebuking between brother and brother, to be the first step of gaining an offender to Christ. 2. The rebuking before two or three. 3. Before the Church. 4. Excommunication: Now all these are spirituall means and more efficacious, the second then the first, the third then the second, the fourth then any of them. But Erastus maketh Christ in the fourth step, to descend from three spirituall steps of gaining the mans soul, to a fourth, which is carnall, to wit, let him be as a heathen, &c. this is Caesars sword, which cer∣tainly is a carnall weapon, proper to the Kingdomes of this world, Ioh. 18. 36. whereas rebuking, exhorting, promises, and Excommu∣nication, are the spirituall weapons of the warfare of the Ministers of Christ, 2 Cor. 10. 4, 8, 9. Rev. 1. 16. Esai 11. 4. Psal. 45. 4. Rom. 1. 16. The exercise of the sword is a mean of edifying consequen∣ter by removing false teachers, that hindreth edification; but no man can say it is a mean of it self, and kindly in regard of the man against whom the sword is used; Farther, that which is a common mean of conserving peace in all societies and corporations, even without the Church, where the Gospel was never heard, cannot be a kindly mean of gaining mens souls that are within the visible Church.

Erastus. Ambrose following the example of Azariah, cannot be de∣fended* 1.14 in debarring Theodosius from the Sacraments; Yea, it was ty∣ranicall and damnable to debarre a man desirous to hear the word, who otherwayes repented and acknowledged his fault, from the means of salvation. It was like the Popes proud fact in trampling ••on the Empe∣rours neck▪ he had no cause of wrath against Theodosius, but as Nice∣phorus saith, the Emperour hated Ambrose.

Ans. 1. If Erastus had come to Logick, he refuteth here but a Law by a fact of Ambrose. 2. What if Ambrose debarred Theodo∣sius from hearing the word; Ergo, there is no Excommunication, it followeth not. 3. That he debarred Theodosius from the Sacra∣ment, after he gave evidences of his repentance to the Church, is an untruth. 4. That after such a cruell fact of murthering so many innocent persons of Thessalonica, Theodosius should have been ad∣mitted to the Sacrament, or remained a Member of the Church, to eat and drink his owne damnation, and not be cast out, as 1 Cor. 5. no man but Erastus could say: so it is cleare, that Ambrose did no more then a faithfull Pastor, and Amariah and the 80. valiant Priests did, in not suffering the holy things of God to be polluted; Lipsius, no religious man, saith, l. 2. c. 24. de Constantia, quo facto ni∣hil magis impium omnis ve••us impietas habuit. Beza, Bucer, P. Mar∣tyr, Melancton, Calvin, Anto. Waleus, Gomaras, commend Am∣brose. And truly to kill seven thousand Citizens of Thessalonica, of which the most part were innocent, deserved more then Excom∣munication, if more could be inflicted by the Church. See Ambrose, Epist. 5. 28, 29. Erastus had no reason to compare so laudable a fact to the proud fact of an abominable Pope trampling on the Em∣perours neck, and abusing the word of God, Psal. 91. to defend his devilish pride.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Lib. 5. c. 1. Erast. 298.
• * 1.2

  page 299.
• * 1.3

  page 29••.
• * 1.4

  Erastus yieldeth there is a Presbytery.
• * 1.5

  The Magi∣strate un∣der Church discipline.
• * 1.6

  Annot. on the Bible, An. 1645. in Zach. 3. 7.
• * 1.7

  A judica∣ture pro∣per to the priests as priests.
• * 1.8

  Page 300.
• * 1.9

  Page 301.
• * 1.10

  Page 300. Erastus, Quis un∣quam dubi∣tavit, an Ministris li∣ceat impro∣be age••tes, Magistra∣tus, ex verb•• Dei, objur∣gare, argue∣re, repre∣hendere, in∣crepare, ade∣oque solvere & ligare?
• * 1.11

  Page 302. 303. How the Magistrates consent is requisite in Excommu∣nication.
• * 1.12

  Page 302. The Magi∣strats sword no kindly mean to gain souls, as Erastus dreameth.
• * 1.13

  Rom. 1. 16.
• * 1.14

  L. 5. c. 1. p. 302. 303.