A42757:1011
Aaron's rod blossoming, or, The divine ordinance of church-government vindicated so as the present…Aarons rod blossoming, or, The divine ordinance of church-government vindicated so as the present…
Aaron's rod blossoming, or, The divine ordinance of church-government vindicated so as the present Erastian controversy concerning the distinction of civill and ecclesiastical government, excommunication, and suspension, is fully debated and discussed, from the holy scripture, from the Jewish and Christian antiquities, from the consent of latter writers, from the true nature and rights of magistracy, and from the groundlessness of the chief objections made against the Presbyterial government in point of a domineering arbitrary unlimited power / by George Gillespie ...Aarons rod blossoming, or, The divine ordinance of church-government vindicated so as the present Erastian controversie concerning the distinction of civill and ecclesiasticall government, excommunication, and suspension, is fully debated and discussed, from the holy scripture, from the Jewish and Christian antiquities, from the consent of latter writers, from the true nature and rights of magistracy, and from the groundlesnesse of the chief objections made against the Presbyteriall government in point of a domineering arbitrary unlimited power / by George Gillespie ...
London: printed by E.G. for Richard Whitaker, 1646
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.
Sixthly, as touching that limitation yielded by himself, that they must be such as are able to examine themselves, I ask, 1. Are persons grossly ignorant able to examine themselves? 2. Are drunken persons able to examine themselves? 3. Are men of corrupt minds and erroneous, yea profane principles, who call evil good, and pervert Scripture to the defending of some gross sins, are these able to examine themselves? 4. Are those who are known that they had never any work of the law upon their consciences to convince or humble them (for by the Law is the knowledge of sin) able to examine themselves? If the answers be affirmative, then surely this self-examination is not rightly apprehended what it is. If the answers be negative; then those who in their address•s to the Lords Table are found ignorant, or drunk, or defenders of sin, or presumptuous and unconvinced, and do manifestly appear such, though they be not excommunicated, and being professed Christians, and desiring the Sacrament, yet ought not to be admitted.
Sixthly, as touching that limitation yeelded by himselfe, that they must be such as are able to examine themselves, I aske, 1. Are persons grossely ignorant able to examine themselves? 2. Are drunken persons able to examine themselves? 3. Are men of corrupt minds and erroneous, yea prophane principles, who call evill good, and pervert Scripture to the defending of some grosse sinnes, are these able to examine themselves? 4. Are those who are known that they had never any worke of the law upon their consciences to convince or humble them (for by the Law is the knowledge of sinne) able to examine themselves? If the answers be affirmative, then surely this selfe-examination is not ri•htly apprehended what it is. If the answers be negative; then those who in their address•s to the Lords Table are found ignorant, or drunke, or defenders of sinne, or presumptuous and unconvinced, and doe manifestly appeare such, though they be not excommunicated, and being professed Christians, and desiring the Sacrament, yet ought not to be admitted.
I proceed to his second conclusion, the strength whereof (so far as I am able to gather from his discourse) may be drawn together into this Argument. Such as in all ages, yea by the very Apostles themselves, have been deemed fit to receive, and could not be denied the Sacrament of Baptism, ought to be (being baptised and unexcommunicated, and willing to communicate) admitted to the Sacrament of the Lords Supper. But in all Churches from Christs time till this present, all external professors of Christ, even carnal persons, only upon a bare external profession of faith and repentance, were deemed fit to receive, and were never denied the Sacrament of Baptism (yea, saith he, we read in the very Apostles times that a mere external sleight confession of sin, and profession of the Christian faith, was