Plea for Pauls Presbytery in Scotland, Title page – Dedication
A PEACEABLE AND TEMPERATE PLEA FOR PAVLS PRESBYTERIE IN SCOTLAND, OR A modest and Brotherly Dispute of the government of the Church of SCOTLAND, Wherein, Our Discipline is demonstrated to be the true Apostolick way of divine Truth, and the Arguments on the contrary are friendly dissolved, the grounds of Separation and the Indepencie of particular Congregations, in defence of Ecclesiasticall Presbyteries, Synods and Assemblies, are examined and tryed.
By Samuell Rutherfurd Professor of Divinity at Saint Andrews.
PSAL. 48. 12. Walke about Zion, and goe round about her, tell the Towers thereof.
VER. 13. Marke yee well her Bulwarks, consider her Pallaces, that yee may tell (it) to the generations following.
LONDON, Printed for Iohn Bartlet at the guilt-Cup neare St Austins-gate, 1642▪
TO THE HONOVRABLE And truly Noble Lord, Earle of Lindsey, Lord JOHN PARBROTH, &c. one of his Majesties Honourable Privy Councell.
Grace, Mercy and Peace, &c.
COnsidering (my Lord) your Lordships good minde and constant fidelity and care in advancing this blessed Reformation, and fending both your shoulders to hold up the Kingdome of our LORD JESUS, and also your singular respect and reall affection to this famous Vniversity, and the faculty of Divinity in this Society, I thought it rather a matter of debtfull necessity, then of arbitrary election and choise, that this little peece that pleadeth for the Government of the Church of Scotland, should thrust it self through the thick and throng of many worthier monuments of Learning, under the honourable Patrociny of your Lordships name. I am not ignorant that two blocks closeth the passage to many of greater parts and abilitie then I am, to adde (I may have leave to borrow the word) to the Presses child-birth… travelling with no end of making many books, Eccles. 12. 12.and these be the opinions of men, and the event of Printing: I may say of the former, that Opinion is a Witch and a great Inchantresse, while men call for Bookes, as nice banqueters call for dishes to the Table, for they make such wide oddes betwixt taste-pleasant and goodnesse of meat, as if they were sworne to the roofe of their mouth, rather then to health and life; so that it is much more obvious to please few, and gratifie none, then to satisfie all. And for the event, it is not unlike dicing, for it is doubtsome if Fame be not a lost prize in writing, and if the game goe not crosse the Authors haire. And such is our corruption, that the ayre or figures of a printed name is a peece of our self, and as our skin wherin our flesh and bones are kindly inchalmbered, and so were most tender of one penny breadth of this hide, or of letting one droppe of bloud of this kinde fall to the Earth. Notwithstanding of these prejudices, I have, howbeit most unable, dared to appeare also in the Presse, to say somewhat in way of a peaceable defence of our Church-government in Scotland. The pens of the worthy Reformers of the Christian Churches have beene so blessed in the conscience, if not in the evill eye of envy it selfe, that they have cleared the Scripture way of the Government of CHRISTS Kingdome to lye in a midline betwixt the Popes and Prelates lawlesse Church Monarchy, and the unorderly confusion of Democracie. It is not unknowne, the savoury perfume and honourable name that this poore Church hath gained, partly by the whole hoast of Protestant Writers and ancient Fathers, who have unanimously put downe in print, what wee have done in practice, according to our Nationall Oath, partly by the testimony of the blessed Lights,Beza epist. 79. and faithfull Witnesses of IESUS. Brightman.I might name Reverend Beza, Revelat. of Apoc. ch. 3. 7.learned Brightman, that manly and stout Witnesse of CHRIST M. George Wishart, History of the Church of Scotland p. 108, 109the body of the Confessions of Faith. And it is as well manifest to the world (Sunne and Moone being Witnesses) what Prelates have attempted against Presbyteriall Governement, but one said well,Corpus Confess fide…, p. 6. I beleeve IESUS to be a good man, and the Evangell blessed, because Satan, malice and Persecutours have done so much against them both with fire and tortures. What dust of late have they raised against it? in Church, State, Court, Parliament, three Kingdomes, in Rome, in the heart of King and many others, in Campo Martio, Esa. 23. 24.in open field, yea in the Sea, that the Sea should speake contrary to that stile of the Prophet,Cant. 6. 10. I travell in birth, I bring up children, and nothing could be the reason, but they saw the Woman looking foorth as the morning, Ps. 48. 4.faire as the Moone, cleare as the Sunne, terrible as an Army with banners, and when they saw Mount Zion beautifull in situation, they marvelled, they were troubled and hasted away. 3 Ioh. v. 9.And what daring insolency is this? when the Prelate could not finde his Father, and thought shame of his native Father Diotrephes, Halls Remonstr…nce to the Parliament, an. 1641.that one D. Hall and others have put him in the line of the blood royall, and printed him an office, jure divino, by divine right; Their Predecessours were content of the good old, jus humanum. Yet I hope, put the Prelate in the Calendar of well-borne officers, bastard as he is,Senec. sent. yet many must die ere he be here. This boldnesse putteth me in minde of the saying, Laus nova nisi oritur, vetus amittitur, except Prelates grow in new honour they loose their old honour. But why may we not hope that both they, their god-father the Pope, and their god-Mother Rome shall loose both new and old. God hath fetched as broken a Ship to land, and yet they will be of Divine Right: Is it not true that the Learned said of necessity? Necessitati quodlibet telum utile est? Any clubbe is a sword good enough for poore necessity, or then it is true, Necessitas egentem mendacem facit: Necessity turneth the poore man in a lyar, or which I rather thinke; Necessitas quod poscit, nisi das, eripit. If you give not willingly to necessity, what it suiteth, it must take it by strong hand and club-law. CHRIST hath fairely begun to his Vniversall conquest.Ps. 45. 3, 4. Gird thy sword upon thy thigh ô most mighty; and blessed shall all ages to come call all these Nobles who have shoulders to carry one stone to the raising of the wall of this Temple, and to build the Citie whose name is the LORD is there. Ezech. 48. 35.And in this course (my Lord) live, flourish and grow, and JEHOVAH build you a sure house, which is the prayer of
Your Lordships obliged servant at all respective obedience in CHRIST SAMUEL RUTHERFURD.