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A77758 The ordinance of excommunication rightly stated and vindicated from severall false opinions concerning it. By a lover of truth and peace. Feb. 17. 1645. Imprimatur. John Downame. Bakewell, Thomas, b. 1618 or 19. 1646 (1646) Wing B535; Thomason E325_9; ESTC R200624 8,442 8

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THE ORDINANCE OF Excommunication Rightly stated and vindicated From severall false Opinions concerning it By a Lover of TRUTH and PEACE Feb. 17. 1645. Imprimatur John Downame THere hath been much debate about the Ordinance of Excommunication some say there is no such thing others say it is a humane Ordinance and to be executed by the Magistrate others hold it to be a divine Ordinance and yet all the Members of the Church must have equall power in the execution of it others say it belongeth onely to the Eldership yet not to be done without the consent of the Church that they may the better preserve the unitie of it and some say they are to be cast out from all the publike Ordinnances Others say they are to be cast out only from some of them And some say they are to be cast out for ignorance or at least suspended from the Lords Supper others say none but only for scandall These divisions have hindred our expectation of a setled government we have waited long and still Reformation sticks in the place of breaking forth of children Hos 13.13 and the meane time the soule of the Church like the Shunamite is vexed and grieved within her and all the Prophets seeme to say Let her alone for the Lord hath hid it from me and hath not told it me 2 King 4.27 They speak not then I said I will shew mine opinion the Spirit within me constraineth me Job 22.16 17. because the child of Reformation is come to the birth and there is no strength to bring forth Isa 37.3 therefore we mourne and humble our selves that scandalous persons might be taken from among us 1 Cor. 5.2 and the Ordinances of Christ kept from pollution that we might offer unto the Lord a pure offering Mal. 1.11 that the Lord might smell a savour of ●est and that the glorie of the Lord might dwell in our Land Isa 8.59 The Ordinance of Excommunication may be thus defined It is a divine censure inflicted by the E●●ership being Church-Officers in a ●egall ●a● upon scandalous persons that ●ither by the leaven of false Doctrine undermine h● Truths o● the Gospell or by the leaven of Prophannesse trample it under foot and the extent of it is to debarre them from all the publike Ordinances of Christ till they be ashamed and upon Reformation and satisfaction to the Church they may here-admitted in againe The two first branches of the definition I shall put together because the proving of one proves the other First Excommunication is a divine Censure because both the keyes were given to the Ministry the key of Doctrine and the key of Discipline It is not said to the Church that they shall have the keyes but saith Christ to Peter I will give thee the keyes Mat. 16.19 and whatsoever the Ministry or Church-Officers shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven and what they loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven Chap. 18.17 18. and what sins ye remit shall be remitted and what sins ye retaine shall be retained Joh. 20.23 Secondly it is a divine Censure because it was inflicted only by Church-Officers Paul saith I have judged and do not yee judge those that are within cast out therefore that wicked person 1 Cor. 5.12 13. and saith Paul he that troubleth you shall have his judgment whoever he be Gal. 5.10 and he received of the Lord that which he delivered to them 1 Cor. 11.23 it was not done by the Minister alone nor by all the Church but it was inflicted by many 2 Cor. 2.6 and this was the Eldership or Church-Officers because Thirdly If this divine Censure be not done the Church-Officers only are blamed for it the Lord said unto the Angell or Ministrie of the Church of Thyatyra I have some thing against thee because thou sufferest Iezabell to seduce my servants and the Lord hath somthing against the Angell or Ministrie of the Church of Pergamus because they had some among them that hold the Doctrine of Balaam Revel 2.14 20. Fourthly Excommunication is a divine Censure and not a humane Ordinance because it was in the Christian Church before they had either humane Lawes or Magistrates in it and afterwards when they had Kings and Einperours in the Church they have submitted themselves to this Ordinance Fifthly It is a divine Censure because the Church is commanded to obey them that have the rule over them who also have spoken unto them the Word of God and they watch for their soules as they that must give an account Heb. 13.7 17. as they rule in their family so they must rule in the Church for both must obey them 1 Tim. 3 4 5. Then this is contrary to their now Modell who utterly deny that there is any such Ordinance and would have the Magistrate to rule in the Church with regall power as they rule in the State but this is to dethrone Christ of his Kingly Office in the Church who placed them to rule so in the State onely and not in the Church by the positive Lawes of the Land But Ministers rule Ministerially by the Word only and in obedience to Christ and not to men Secondly This is contrarie to them who hold that all the Congregation must rule judge and censure but if all should be rulers who should they rule and if all should judge and censure who should they judge and censure it was the Apostles and Elders those Church-Officers in that Synod at Jerusalem that made Decrees to be kept laid it upon them they concluded and passed sentence Acts 15 19 28 16 4 21 25 this Censure of Excommunication was not inflicted by all but by many see 2 Cor. 2.45 6. Thirdly This is contrarie to those that would have this divine Censure to be but a humane Ordinance and to be inflicted by the Magistrate saying tell the Church is to tell the Magistrate Mat. 18.17 but sure Christ did never intend that brethren should go to law for every small private offence but rather tell the Officers of the Church and they would admonish them better then the true meaning of Christ is this There was a private offence which one neighbour had done to another which should have been decided by two swords but could not hereupon it was brought to the Eldership and being a private offence they could not punish him that did the wrong by Excommunicating him although he was desperate and was neither sorrie for what he had done neither would make satisfaction for the wrong now the Eldership could onely admonish him privately and if that would not reclaime him that did the wrong from private injuries the partie wronged was to refraine his company and to esteeme of him as a heathen or a Publican but neither the Church nor other men must so esteem of him till they have the same experience of his injurious dealing with them for the Church doth not say we will so esteem of him but let him be so