B20736:299
The way of the churches of Christ in New-England, or, The way of churches…The vvay of the churches of Christ in New-England, or, The vvay of churches…
The way of the churches of Christ in New-England, or, The way of churches walking in brotherly equality, or co-ordination, without subjection of one church to another measured and examined bight golden reed of the sanctuary, containing a full declaration of the church-way in all particulars / by Mr. J. Cotton ...The vvay of the churches of Christ in New-England, or, The vvay of churches walking in brotherly equalitie, or co-ordination, without subjection of one church to another measured and examined bythe golden reed of the sanctuary, containing a full declaration of the church-way in all particulars / by Mr. J. Cotton ...
London: printed by Matthew Simmons, 1645
THE Way of the Churches of Christ in NEW-ENGLAND, Measured by the G… › Chapter 4 › Section 6
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.
Of this sort are Excommunicated persons, for in regard of their engrafting, they are true members, and cannot be quite cut off from the body of Christ, Joh. 10.18. And though they be holden as cut off from the holy Communion of the faithful by the Churches censure; as also because Christ ratifieth in heaven, what the Church hath done on earth; and likewise because in themselves they want the free passage of the life and virtue of the spirit of grace, till they be touched with repentance; yet they are not wholly cut off from the society of the faithful, because the seed of faith remaineth in them, and that knitteth the bond of conjunction with Christ.
Of this sort are Excommunicated persons, for in regard of their ingraffing, they are true members, and cannot be quite cut off from the body of Christ, Joh. 10.18. And though they be holden as cut off from the holy Communion of the faithfull by the Churches censure; as also because Christ ratifieth in heaven, what the Church hath done on earth; and likewise because in themselves they want the free passage of the life and vertue of the spirit of grace, till they be touched with repentance; yet they are not wholly cut off from the societie of the faithfull, because the seed of faith remaineth in them, and that knitteth the bond of conjunction with Christ.
Answ. Those godly learned Divines, who do thus argue, we do so highly esteem, and so deeply reverence in the Lord, that were the cause our own, and not the Lords, we should rather let it fall, then defend it, by opposition to the grave judgements of such holy Saints. But because we may not accept persons in the things of Christ, we are forced to excuse our selves from submitting to their judgements in this cause, which yet generally in others we yield unto them; Our answer therefore is, that howsoever such excommunicate persons as are truly faithful (notwithstanding the censure of excommunication) because the seed of faith remaineth in them; yet to the society of the faithful, joined in a particular visible Church, they are not knit, but wholly cut off from their Communion: for it is not the seed of faith, nor faith it self, that knitteth a man to this or that particular visible Church,