A37042:275
The dying man's testament to the Church of Scotland, or, A treatise concerning scandal…
The dying man's testament to the Church of Scotland, or, A treatise concerning scandal divided into four parts ... : in each of which there are not a few choice and useful questions, very shortly and satisfyingly discussed and cleared / by ... Mr. James Durham ... who being dead (by this) yet speaketh ; and published by John Carstares ... ; to which is prefixed an excellent preface of famous Mr. Blair ... ; together with a table of the contents of the several chapters of each part.
Edinburgh: printed by Christopher Higgins, 1659
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
9. In that directory which Christ giveth, Mat. 18. this is implied, because he doth warrant an offended brother to bring obstinate offenders to the Church, as the last step of their duty, and as their •ull exoneration, Tell the Church, saith he; and no more is required by him after that, but conforming of his carriage to the Churches Sentence in case of obstinacy. And none can think, upon supposition that the Church did not their duty, that then they were from that forth, not to join in that Church, but to separate from them as from heathens and publicans: because so a particular person might Excommunicate a Church, whom yet Christ will not have to withdraw from ⟨p. 136⟩communion with a private member, till obstinacy and the Churches censuring intervene; Yea, by so doing, a private person might account another a heathen and publican without any public Censure, which is contrary to Christs scope, which subjoineth this withdrawing of communion from him to the Churches Censure. This will bind the more if we consider that Christs words have an allusion (as is commonly acknowledged) to the Jewish Sanhedrin, which being but one, could not admit of any separation from its communion, though there had been defect in this: What may be done in abstaining of personal communion in unnecessary things, is e•er to be acknowledged; yet if separation in such a supposed case, were called-for as a duty, that direction would not be a sufficient direction for an offended brother, because it leaveth him without direction in the last step: Yet Christs progress so particularly from one step to another, saith, that it is otherwayes intended.
9. In that directory which Christ giveth, Mat. 18. this is implied, because he doth warrand an offended brother to bring obstinate offenders to the Church, as the last step of their duty, and as their •ull exoneration, Tell the Church, saith he; and no more is required by him after that, but conforming of his carriage to the Churches Sentence in case of obstinacie. And none can think, upon supposition that the Church did not their duty, that then they were from that forth, not to joyn in that Church, but to separate from them as from heathens and publicans: because so a particular person might Excommunicate a Church, whom yet Christ will not have to withdraw from