A42757:868
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 6: Of the power of binding and loosing Matth. 18. 18.
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.
I will now proceed to a further confirmation of the two propositions afore mentioned. Touching the first, That this binding and loosing Matth. 18. 18. belongeth nei her to private Christians, nor to civill Magistrates, but to Church Officers, I clear it thus. There are two things by which (as Schoolmen observe) mens souls and consciences are bound, 1. They are bound by their sins. Prov. 5. 22. His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, & he shall be holden with the cords of his sins, Act. 8. 23. thou art in the bond of iniquity. 2. Men are bound by precepts Matth. 23. 4. They bind heavy burdens and grievous to be born, and lay them on mens shoulders. This binding by precept or law, some take to be meant Ezech. 3. 25. O Son of man behold they shall put bands upon thee, & shall bind thee with them, that is, thou shalt in vision see thy self bound with bands upon thee, to signify that I have forbidden thee to be a reprover to the rebellious house. So the Chaldee paraphrase. But thou a Son of man, behold I have put my word upon thee, as a band of cords with which they bind, and thou shalt not go forth into the midst of them. Now in both these respects the Scripture elsewhere doth ascribe to Church-Officers a power of binding and loosing. 1 In respect of sin Jo. 20. 23. Whosesoever sins ye remit they are remitted unto them, and whosesoever sin s ye retain they are retained. It is spoken to the Apostles and their successors in the Ministry of the Gospel. Matth. 16. 19. I will give unto thee the Keys of the Kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shal• bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Where the power of binding and loosing is ⟨p. 412⟩given to the Apostles, & Grotius upon the place cleareth it from