A42757:870
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.
for his Kingdom is not of this world, neither are the weapons thereof carnal but spiritual. And beside the Magistrate may lawfully and sometime doth bind on punishment, when the soul is loosed in Heaven, and the sin remitted. Again, the Magistrate may lawfully, and sometime doth loose and absolve from punishment, when a mans soul is impenitent, and sin is still bound upon his conscience. There is no such promise that God will forgive whom the Magistrate forgiveth, or condemn whom the Magistrate condemneth. Neither hath God any where in Scripture committed to the Magistrate the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, or the word of reconciliation, as to the Ambassadors of Christ.
for his Kingdome is not of this world, neither are the weapons thereof carnall but spirituall. And beside the Magistrate may lawfully and sometime doth bind on punishment, when the soule is loosed in Heaven, and the sinne remitted. Again, the Magistrate may lawfully, and sometime doth loose and absolve from punishment, when a mans soule is impenitent, and sinne is still bound upon his conscience. There is no such promise that God will forgive whom the Magistrate forgiveth, or condemne whom the Magistrate condemneth. Neither hath God any where in Scripture committed to the Magistrate the Keyes of the Kingdome of Heaven, or the word of reconciliation, as to the Ambassadours of Christ.
Binding and loosing in the other sense by a dogmatical authoritative declaration of the will of Christ, is not so principally or directly intended Matth. 18. 18. as that other binding and loosing in respect of sin. Howbeit it is not to be excluded, because the words preceding Vers. 17. mention not only the execution of Excommunication, Let him be to thee as an Heathen man and a Publican; but also the Churches judgement, and determination of the case, if he neglect to hear the Church, which words imply, that the Church hath declared the will of Christ in such a case, and required the offender to do accordingly, but he showing himself unwilling and contumacious, as it were saying in his heart, I will break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from me, thereupon the promise reacheth to this also, that what the Church hath determined or imposed according to the will of Christ shall be