A42757:884
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.
Tenthly, doth Mr Prynne believe that Jesus Christ hath any where given to Church-officers a forensicall or juridical power of binding by Excommunication, and loosing by Absolution or receiving again into the communion of the Church? If he doth believe it, then I ask where hath Christ committed that power unto them, if not Matth. 18? If he doth not believe that Christ hath given any such power, then why doth he hold Excommunication to be lawful and warrantable by the Word of God▪ Most certain it is, that neither King, nor Parliament, nor Eldership, nor Synod, nor any power on earth, may or ⟨p. 420⟩ought to prohibit or keep back from the Sacrament such as Christ hath not commanded to be kept back, or to bind sinners by Excommunication, if Christ hath given no such commission to bind in that kind.
Tenthly, doth Mr Prynne believe that Jesus Christ hath any where given to Church-officers a forensicall or juridicall power of binding by Excommunication, and loosing by Absolution or receiving againe into the communion of the Church? If he doth believe it, then I aske where hath Christ committed that power unto them, if not Matth. 18? If he doth not believe that Christ hath given any such power, then why doth he hold Excommunication to be lawfull and warrantable by the Word of God▪ Most certaine it is, that neither King, nor Parliament, nor Eldership, nor Synod, nor any power on earth, may or ⟨p. 420⟩ought to prohibite or keepe backe from the Sacrament such as Christ hath not commanded to be kept backe, or to bind sinners by Excommunication, if Christ hath given no such commission to bind in that kind.
Eleventhly, it may give us some light in this present Question, to compare the phrase of binding and loosing