A42757:874
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.
This coherence of the Text and the dependency of vers. 18. upon that which went before (which dependency is acknowledged by Erastus, who perceiving that he could not deny the dependency, fancieth that the binding and loosing is meant of the offended brothers pardoning or not pardoning of the offender, Confirm. Thes. pag. 157.) doth also quite overthrow Master Prynnes other answer, that this binding and loosing is only meant of preaching the Gospel, and of denouncing remission of sins to the penitent, and wrath to the impenitent.
This coherence of the Text and the dependency of vers. 18. upon that which went before (which dependency is acknowledged by Erastus, who perceiving that he could not deny the dependency, fancieth that the binding and loosing is meant of the offended brothers pardoning or not pardoning of the offender, Confirm. Thes. pag. 157.) doth also quite overthrow Master Prynnes other answer, that this binding and loosing is onely meant of preaching the Gospell, and of denouncing remission of sinnes to the penitent, and wrath to the impenitent.
Nay, That potestas clavium conoionalis is instituted in other places: but here its potestas cl•vium disciplinalis, as is evident: First, by the coherence of the Text, and by the taking of two or three more, and then telling of the thing to the Church; all ⟨p. 416⟩which intimateth a rising as from one or two or three more, so from them to the Church, which cannot be meant of one man, as hath been argued against both Pope and Prelate, for no one man can be called a Church: neither hath one man the power of jurisdiction; but one man hath the power of preaching.
Secondly, the Apostles, and those who succeed them in the work of the Ministry have the same power of the Keys committed from Christ to them ministerially, which Christ hath committed from the father to him (as Mediator) authoritatively. For in the parallel place,