otherwise if Christ have freed false teachers from all punishment external, or that may be thought to work any otherwise then by mere spiritual instructing in all meekness, then by the liberty purchased by Christ they are freed from shame and reproach, for shame and the publicness of suffering is an external punishment, and is another means, besides meek instructing, as is clear from Judg. 8. 7. and from Souls calling Jonathan the son of a rebellious woman, in which he handled him shamefully, 1 Sam. 20. 34. Isa. 50. 6. Luk. 14. 9. Yea, by this way of Libertines, false teachers are not to be rebuked, nor avoided, that they may be ashamed, Paul may not upbraid the Cretans, and call them idle bellies, and liars, that they may be sound in the faith: for that must be contrary to the liberty, wherewith Christ hath made them free. And a bodily punishment may be extraordinary in regard of the manner of doing, when done by miracle, and fire brought from heaven, and in regard of the persons that inflict it,1 as that which Phinehas did being Priest, and Elijah being a Prophet, and Paul being an Apostle, when the Magistrate will not do his part; and yet the punishment in the […] and substance, may be according to an ordinary law of God that binds us: Paul strikes Elimas with blindness; it is no rule for Ministers to do the like to false teachers; but it is the rule for him that bears the sword, to inflict bodily punishment upon perverters of the Gospel, if this […] not, Joshua's wars with the Canaanites that were according ⟨p. 185⟩to a moral and perpetual rule of justice, and binds us, Josh. 11. 26, 27. should not bind us to lawful defensive wars in the like case, contrary to the law of nature, Josh. 11. 26, 27. because Joshua in these wars did many things extraordinarily, and killed all the cattle and women with child, which we are not to do. The answer of many is, These were extraordinary, ergo, they bind not us. Is no answer, they were extraordinary in the manner, not in the substance and nature of the punishment, in which the course of justice warrants us, as a rule flowing from the Law of nature, though the manner and extraordinary accidents are before us, as no obliging law, upon the same ground many argue; the Apostles, who were immediately inspired, give out synodical decrees, Acts 15.
otherwise if Christ have freed false teachers from all punishment external, or that may be thought to worke any otherwise then by meer spirituall instructing in all meeknesse, then by the liberty purchased by Christ they are freed from shame and reproach, for shame and the publicknesse of suffering is an external punishment, and is another meanes, besides meek instructing, as is clear from Judg. 8. 7. and from Souls calling Jonathan the sonne of a rebellious woman, in which he handled him shamefully, 1 Sam. 20. 34. Isa. 50. 6. Luk. 14. 9. Yea, by this way of Libertines, false teachers are not to bee rebuked, nor avoyded, that they may be ashamed, Paul may not upbraid the Cretians, and call them idle bellies, and lyars, that they may be sound in the faith: for that must be contrary to the liberty, wherewith Christ hath made them free. And a bodily punishment may be extraordinary in regard of the manner of doing, when done by miracle, and fire brought from heaven, and in regard of the persons that inflict it,1 as that which Phineas did being Priest, and Elias being a Prophet, and Paul being an Apostle, when the Magistrate will not do his part; and yet the punishment in the 〈…〉 and substance, may be according to an ordinary law of God that bindes us: Paul strikes Elimas with blindnesse; it is no rule for Ministers to do the like to false teachers; but it is the rule for him that beares the sword, to inflict bodily punishment upon perverters of the Gospell, if this 〈…〉 not, Joshua's warres with the Canaanits that were according ⟨p. 185⟩to a morall and perpetuall rule of justice, and bindes us, Josh. 11. 26, 27. should not binde us to lawfull defensive warres in the like case, contrary to the law of nature, Josh. 11. 26, 27. because Joshua in these warres did many things extraordinarily, and killed all the cattle and women with childe, which we are not to doe. The answer of many is, These were extraordinary, ergo, they binde not us. Is no answer, they were extraordinary in the manner, not in the substance and nature of the punishment, in which the course of justice warrants us, as a rule flowing from the Law of nature, though the manner and extraordinary accidents are before us, as no oblieging law, upon the same ground many argue; the Apostles, who were immediately inspired, give out synodicall decrees,
- 1How wars that are extraordinary in the manner, and in some particular acts may be and are in the substance of the acts ordinary rules obliging us.How wars that are extraordinary in the manner, and in some particular acts may be and are in the substance of the acts ordinary rules oblieg•ng us.
