A peaceable and temperate plea for Pauls presbytery in Scotland, or, A modest and…A peaceable and temperate plea for Pauls presbyterie in Scotland, or, A modest and…

3. I desire to know what excommunication is, if it be not to deny all Church-communion with those who were once in our Church, now if this be done by one Sister-church to another sister-church, it is no excommunication at all, seeing Christ hath not given the power of the keys to one Sister-church over another, for one particular Church is not set over another in the Lord, but when the Eldership of many consociated Sister-churches denieth Church communion to one of these consociated Churches having turned obstinate in scandalous sins, I see not what this is else but excommunication and authoritative unchurching and ejection of such a Church. Also our brethren plead for the peoples power in excommunicating, because all and •very one of the believers are to eschew the company of the person excommunicated, therefore all and every one should have hand in excommunicating him, as all Israel and not the Judges only were actors in putting away the leaven, so reasoneth ⟨p. 223⟩Parker M. Best, ¹so also the Separatists, yea if it be right taken, so also saith Beza, P. Martyr, Calvin, Marlorat: ²So Chrysostom, Augustine; for all are to consent to the excommunication of one who is a member of that visible Church with themselves,³ but so it is that all consociated Churches are to eschew the company of an excommunicated by a single congregation supposed by our brethren to be independent:⁴ Because 1. if they admit him to the Lords Supper with them,⁵ they profane the holy things of God.⁶ 2. They annul excommunication supposed by our brethren duely,⁷ & clave non errante, ⁸