A42757:805
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.
It must needs follow from that which hath been said, that, Let him be unto thee as an Heathen man and a Publican, is not a casting out from mere civill fellowship and company, but from religious and Church-fellowship. This agreeth well with that passage in Josephus contra Appionem lib. 2. Whoever (of the Gentiles) are willing to come and live under our Law, it doth freely receive them esteeming Communion to consist not only in origination or descent, but also in choice of life. But as for those (of the Gentiles) who come occasionally among us, our Law doth not admit them into our solemn or sacred Assemblies, but it appointeth to communicate unto them all such things as they need, as fire, water meat, also to show them the way, and to let none of them be unburied. (So likewise Publicans noted for impiety and injustice were permitted to be City Members, but not owned for Church-Members) Grotius de Jure Belli ac pacis lib. 2. c. 15. Sect. 9. holds that it was lawful for the Jews, not only to have company and commerce with Heathens, but to do them good and to enter in League and Covenant with them, such only excepted as the Law did accurse, namely the seven Nations in Canaan, the Amalekites, Ammonites and Moabites. He brings among other things the example of the Asmonites, who as they were themselves skilled in the Law, so with the approbation both of Priests and People, they made a Covenant with the Lacedaemonians and Romans: yea publicly prayed for them. Learned ⟨p. 378⟩Master Selden de Jure nat. & Gent. lib. 2. c. 3 doth not only confirm what hath been said before of the Proselyti Domicilii, Heathens not circumcised nor keeping the Law of Moses, but observing the seven precepts given to the Sons of Noah, and that such were permitted to dwell together with the Children of Israel; but he further tells us out of Maimonides that though when the Jewish Republic did flourish and when they were sui Juris, no strangers were permitted to dwell among them except such as did renounce Idolatry and keep the seven precepts, yet after the captivity and under the Romans, the Jews did allow to themselves a common commerce and civill conversing even with such Gentiles, as had not renounced the Pagan or Idolatrous worship;
It must needs follow from that which hath been said, that, Let him be unto thee as an Heathen man and a Publican, is not a casting out from mere civill fellowship and company, but from religious and Church-fellowship. This agreeth well with that passage in Iosephus contra Appionem lib. 2. Whoever (of the Gentiles) are willing to come and live under our Law, it doth freely receive them esteeming Communion to consist not onely in origination or descent, but also in choyce of life. But as for those (of the Gentiles) who come occasionally among us, our Law doth not admit them into our solemne or sacred Assemblies, but it appointeth to communicate unto them all such things as they need, as fire, water meat, also to shew them the way, and to let none of them be unburied. (So likewise Publicans noted for impiety and injustice were permitted to be City Members, but not owned for Church-Members) Grotius de Jure Belli ac pacis lib. 2. c. 15. Sect. 9. holds that it was lawfull for the Jewes, not onely to have company and commerce with Heathens, but to doe them good and to enter in League and Covenant with them, such onely excepted as the Law did accurse, namely the seven Nations in Canaan, the Amalekites, Ammonites and Moabites. He brings among other things the example of the Asmonites, who as they were themselves skilled in the Law, so with the approbation both of Priests and People, they made a Covenant with the Lacedemonians and Romanes: yea publikely prayed for them. Learned