A42757:327
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.
That whole Chapter is a prophecy concerning the condition of the Church in the New Testament, as is evident by six parallels at least. Vers. 5. with Rom. 2. 24. Vers. 7. with Rom. 10. 15. Vers. 10. with Luke 3. 6. the beginning of Vers. 11. with Revel. 18. 4. the following part of Vers. 11. with 2 Cor. 6. 17. Vers. 15. with Rom. 15. 21. Neither is it the Church invisible, but the Church visible, for Vers. 15. is applied to the calling of the Gentiles Rom. 15. 21. and Vers. 11. to the Churches open separation from Babylon, Revel. 18. 4. It is also the Church ministerial Vers. 7, 8, 11. How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, &c. Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice, &c. Be ye clean that bear the vessels of the Lord. It remains to consider what is meant by the unclean, Vers. 1. it cannot be meant of legal uncleanness (the ceremonial Law being abolished) nor of the hid uncleanness of close hypocrites (for in that sense it is ⟨p. 108⟩only the privilege of the Church triumphant, that no unclean thing, nor no hypocrite shall enter there.) It must therefore be meant of such as are visibly or scandalously unclean. And when it is said, there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised, and the unclean, it must be understood respective, the uncircumcised, signifying such as are not fit to be at all Churchmembers: the unclean signifying such as are not fit to have communion in the holy things: for so these two were distinguished under the Law. Thirdly, there is another place which (to me) puts it out of controversy, 2 Cor. 6: 14, 15, 16, 17. Where the Apostle exhorteth believers to avoid all intime conversation or fellowship with unbelievers, by marrying with them, by going to the Idol Temples, or the like; he concludeth with a manifest allusion to the legal ceremony, Be ye separate, and touch not the unclean thing, or the unclean things as the Syriac hath it. And what agreement hath the Temple of God with idols, Vers. 16. Where the Syriac readeth thus: And what agreement hath the Temple of God with the temple of Devils? Remember, would the Apostle say, that as under the Law, the touching or eating of unclean things made those that touched them, or did eat of them to be unclean; so doth your fellowship with unbelievers, or your eating in their Idol temples defile you.