A42757:773
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
Book 3 › Chapter 2: Whether Matth. 18. 15, 16, 17. prove Excommunication.
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.
His fourth reason is, that those words, let him be to thee as an Heathen man and a Publican, cannot signify excommunication, because Heathen men being never members of the Church, could never be excommunicated or cast out of it, being uncapable of such a censure. As for publicans, those of them who were members of the Jewish Church, though they were execrable to the Jews, by reason of their Tax-gatherings and oppressions, yet we never read in Scripture, that they were excommunicated or cast out of their Synagogues, but contrarily, that they went up into the Temple to pray, as well as the Pharisees, and were more acceptable to Christ himself, &c. So likewise Sutlivius (against Beza) de pres•yt. Cap. 9. pag. 57. I answer 1. by a retortion. Master Prynne p. 4. expounds these words, let him be unto thee as an Heathen man and a publican, to be meant of avoiding familiar fellowship with the Brother that hath committed ⟨p. 361⟩a civill trespass, and keeping no more civill company with him. Now I argue thus ad hominem. This cannot be the meaning which he gives, because Heathens being never admitted into familiar fellowship and company with the Jews (who might not marry nor familiarly converse with them, as himself proveth pag. 4.) could never be cast out of their fellowship and company, being uncapable of any such thing. If our exposition of excommunication must drive us to acknowledge that Heathens were formerly members of the Jewish Church, his exposition of avoiding familiar fellowship, must drive him to acknowledge that formerly the Heathens were admitted into familiar fellowship with the Jews.
His fourth reason is, that those words, let him be to thee as an Heathen man and a Publican, cannot signifie excommunication, because Heathen men being never members of the Church, could never be excommunicated or cast out of it, being uncapable of such a censure. As for publicans, those of them who were members of the Jewish Church, though they were execrable to the Jewes, by reason of their Tax-gatherings and oppressions, yet we never read in Scripture, that they were excommunicated or cast out of their Synagogues, but contrarily, that they went up into the Temple to pray, as well as the Pharisees, and were more acceptable to Christ himself, &c. So likewise Sutlivius (against Beza) de pres•yt. Cap. 9. pag. 57. I answer 1. by a retortion. Master Prynne p. 4. expounds these words, let him be unto thee as an Heathen man and a publican, to be meant of avoiding familiar fellowship with the Brother that hath committed