A42757:852
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 5: That Tell it to the Church hath more in it, then, Tell it unto a greater number.
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.
There is yet another interpretation of these words invented to elude the argument for Ecclesiastical government and censures from Mat. 18. Tell it unto the Church, that is, if the offending brother will neither hearken to private admonition, nor to admonition before two or three witnesses, then tell it unto many or unto a greater company. This calls to mind uDr Sutcliffes gloss upon the word Presbytery, 1 Tim. 4. 14. that it signifieth Presbyters or Ministers non juris vinculo, sed utcunque collectos, as if the occasional meeting of some Presbyters in Westminster Hall, or upon the Exchange, or in a journey, or at a burial, were a Presbytery with power to lay on hands.
THere is yet another interpretation of these words invented to elude the argument for Ecclesiasticall government and censures from Mat. 18. Tell it unto the Church, that is, if the offending brother will neither hearken to private admonition, nor to admonition before two or three witnesses, then tell it unto many or unto a greater company. This cals to mind uDr Sutcliffes glosse upon the word Presbytery, 1 Tim. 4. 14. that it signifieth Presbyters or Ministers non juris vinculo, sed utcunque collectos, as if the occasionall meeting of some Presbyters in Westminster Hall, or upon the Exchange, or in a journey, or at a buriall, were a Presbytery with power to lay on hands.
- uSutcliv de Presbyt. cap. 1.
That interpretation of the word Church is no better. But that I may reject nothing without reason, I desire it may be considered, 1. Whether either in Scripture, or in any Greek Lexicon, or in any Classic author, it can be found that the word [Greek or Hebrew] was ever used to signify merely a greater number or company then two or three, not called out and embodied together for government or worship. For my part I could never yet find where the simple majority of the number maketh the denomination of [Greek or Hebrew]. I find the word sometimes (yet very seldom) used of an unlawful assembly combining or joining together to evil: the reason I take to be this, because they pretended to be authorised as a lawful assembly; so Christ called Judas, friend, when he came to betray him