Selected quad for the lemma: church_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
church_n	heathen_a	let_v	publican_n	2,742	5	10.9981	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A16078	A harmonie vpon the the three Euangelists, Matthew, Mark and Luke with the commentarie of M. Iohn Caluine: faithfully translated out of Latine into English, by E.P. Whereunto is also added a commentarie vpon the Euangelist S. Iohn, by the same authour.; Harmonia ex tribus Evangelistis composita	Calvin, Jean, 1509-1564.; Calvin, Jean, 1509-1564. In Evangelium secundum Johannem. aut; Pagit, Eusebius, 1547?-1617.; Fetherston, Christopher.	1584 (1584)	STC 2962; ESTC S102561	1,583,711	1,539

neyther doe wee lose anye thing if GOD doe kindelye receiue into fauour them whiche by theyr sinnes hadde bene estraunged from him and it is a hardnes without godlines not to be gladde when we see our brethren restored from death to life Matth. 18. Mark Luk. 17. 15. Moreouer if thy brother trespasse against thee goe and tell him his fault betweene thee and him alone if hee heare thee thou haste wonne thy brother 16. But if hee heare thee not take yet with thee one or two that by the mouth of two or three witnesses euery word may be confirmed 17. And if hee will not vouchsafe to heare them tell it vnto the Church and if he refuse to heare the Church also let him be vnto thee as an heathen man and a Publican 18. Verely I say vnto you whatsoeuer yee bind on earth shal be bound in heauen and whatsoeuer ye lose on earth shal be losed in heauen 19. Againe verely I say vnto you that if two of you shal agree in earth vppon any thing whatsoeuer they shall desire it shal be giuen them of my father which is in heauen 20. For where two or three are gathered together in my name there am I in the mids of them   3. Take heede to your selues if thy brother trespasse againste thee rebuke him and if he repent forgiue him 15. If thy brother trespasse against thee Because hee had spoken before of bearing with the infirmities of the brethrē now he sheweth more plainly how and to what ende and how farre they are to be borne with For otherwise it had bene a ready obiection that offences cannot otherwise be auoyded but that euery manne shoulde winke at the faultes of other men and so should sinne be nourished by bearinge with it Therefore Christ prescribeth a meane betweene both which neither shall offende the weake too much and yet shall be apte for the healing of their diseases For seuerity compounded to the nature of a medicine is profitable and prayse worthy In summe Christe commaundeth his disciples so to forgiue one another that yet they endeuor to correct their faults which must be wisely obserued because that nothing is more difficult then to spare and fauour men and freely to reprehend their faultes All men almost do leane to the one side so that eyther they do deceiue one another with deadly flatteringes or els they strike them too hardly whom they should heale But Christ commendeth to his disciples mutual loue which should bee farre from flattery Hee onely commaundeth them to season their admonitions with moderation least if they be too austere hard they should ouerthrow the weake And he expresly setteth downe three degrees of brotherly correction the first is that hee which hath sinned should be admonyshed priuately And the second is if hee shew any token of stubbornesse that hee be againe admonished beefore witnesses The third is if he preuaile nothing this way that he be delyuered to the publike iudgment of the Church And this is the purpose which I spake of least that charity be broken vnder pretence of feruent zeale Further because ambition doth cary away the most part of men so that they are too desirous to spread the offences of their brethren Christ doth in time meete with this faulte commaunding vs to couer the faultes of our brethren as much as we can For who so are delighted with the shame and infamy of the brethren it is certeine that they are caryed away with hatred and malice for if there were any charity in them they would haue regard of the shame of the brethren It is yet demāded whether this rule doth generally extend to all sinners For there are very many whiche wil allow no publike reproues vntyl the offender be first pryuately admonished But there is a manifest restraint in Christes wordes for he doth not simply and without exception commaund that whosoeuer sinneth should be admonished or reproued priuately and without any witnesse but he would haue vs to try this way when we are priuately offended not because the matter is our owne but beecause it is meete that wee shoulde be wounded with sorowe as ofte as GOD is offended Neither yet dooth Christe speake heere of suffring iniuryes but hee dooth generally teach vs so to imbrace and vse louing kindnes amongst vs least by handling the weake ones more sharply wee should lose them which were to be kept Therefore this clause against thee doth not note an iniury done to some one man but distinguisheth betweene secrete and manifest sinnes For if any man sinneth against the whole Churche Paule commaundeth that he should be publikly reproued so that hee woulde not haue the very Elders spared For of them by name doth Paule giue Timothy charge that by publike reprouing them beefore all men they might be made a publike example to others 1. Tim. 5. 20. And certenly it were a ridiculous thing that hee which offended so that his offence were openly knowne to the publike offence of the brethren should bee admonished of euery one of them for so if a thousand knew it he shuld be admonished a thousand tymes VVherefore that distinction whiche Christ expresly maketh is to be kept that no man by making secrete offences common should rashly and without necessity defame his brother If he shall heare thee thou hast wonne Christ confirmeth his doctrine by the profit and fruite that shall come thereof For it is no small matter to get a soule to God which was in bondage to Sathan And whereof cōmeth it to passe that they which are falne doe seldome repent but beecause that they being handled odiously and as enemies do hardē themselues in obstinacy Therefore nothing is better then gentlenesse which reconcileth to God them which had falne from him And he that dooth intemperately runne into a fond fauouring the offender doth willingly lose the saluation of his brother which he had in his hand In Luke Christ commaundeth vs expresly to be satisfied with a priuate admonition if our brother be thereby brought to repentaunce Hereby is also gathered how necessary it is that there be amongste the faythfull a free and mutuall lyberty of reprouing one another For when as euery one of vs doth offend often euery daye it were extreame crueltie by our silence and dissimulation to betray the saluation of them whō by a friendly reprofe we might delyuer from destruction For though that successe doth not alwayes followe yet dooth there lye a great guiltinesse vpon him who neglecteth the remedy prescribed by the Lord for the preseruation of the saluation of the brethren It is also to be noted that the diligenter we are to perfourme this duety the more the Lord doth yeeld ouer his own honour to vs. For one man cannot conuerte another it only belongeth vnto him yet doth he adorne vs with this vndeserued title that we doe gaine or winne a lost brother 16 If he heare thee not take yet with thee The second degree

is that hee which behaued himselfe stubbornely towardes one manne or woulde not abide to be taught shoulde againe be admonished before witnesses Some doe heere obiecte that it is in vaine to call witnesses if wee haue to deale with a manne that is disobedient and rebellyous for hee wyll be so farre from being bente to acknowledge his fault in theyr presence that hee will more wickedly deny the same But this knotte shall be easily losed if thou wilt distinguishe betweene a kinde or manner of denyinge and of slypping backe Hee that precisely denyeth the deede and saieth that hee is falselye and slaunderouslye charged is to be lette alone for it shall be in vayne to vrge him by callynge him beefore wytnesses But beecause the moste parte of menne doe eyther frowardlye scorne or impudentlye excuse that which they had doone wickedly and vngodly vntyll they be brought before greater aucthoritie it shall bee profitable to obserue this course towardes them Also the saying of our sauiour must so be vnderstod as it appeareth by the word he vseth which signifieth to reproue To reproue is to conuince by euident demonstration And how shoulde I reproue him that stoutlye denyeth the whole matter For he that hath so hard a browe as to deny the offence committed shutteth vp the way against the second admonition Now wee vnderstand against whom Christe woulde haue vs to vse witnesses that the admonition may haue the more weight and the greater effect But there is no absurditie in it that he doth bend Moses words somewhat into an other sense Moses forbiddeth to giue iudgemente of a matter vnknowne and setteth downe this as a lawful meanes of triall that by the testimony of two or three euery word may stand or be confirmed Christe alluding to that lawe saieth that the cause is euident where two or three witnesses doe arise to condemne the man especially that the iudgment of the church may be the riper Neither is there any cause why he should complaine of iniury for being brought forth into the lyghte which refused to heare two or three 17. Tell it vnto the Church It is demaunded what hee meaneth or vnderstandeth by the name of the Churche For Paule 1. Corinthians 5. 5. commaundeth the incestuous Corinthe to bee excommunicate not of anye chosen number but of the whole companye of the godly and therefore it maye seeme probable that the iudgement was heere referred to all the people But beecause that then there was as yet no Church which hadde giuen theyr name to Christe nor anye such order appoynted and the Lorde himselfe speaketh as of a manner vsed and receyued it is not to bee doubted but that hee alludeth to the order of the olde Churche as also in other places he applyeth his speach accordinge to the manner knowne amongste them VVhen hee commaundeth Matthew 5. 23. that the gyfte which wee woulde offer be left at the Altar vntyll wee may be reconcyled to the offended brother it is not to be doubted but that hee woulde by the presente forme and manner of worshypping of GOD vnder the lawe teache vs that wee cannot praye ryghtlye nor offer anye thing to GOD so longe as we are at dyscorde with the brethren So therefore nowe dooth he looke into the fourme of disciplyne receyued amongste the Iewes for it were absurde for hym to appoint the iudgemente to the Church when as yet there was none Also when as the aucthoritie of excommunication amongste the Iewes was in the handes of the Elders whoe represented the person or estate of the whole Church Christe dooth then verye aptly appoynt that they whiche haue sinned should at length be openly brought before the Church if they doe eyther proudlye despyse or scoffinglye scorne at pryuate admonitions VVee knowe that after the Iewes returned from the captiuitie of Babylon they hadde a chosen councell which they called Sinhedrim in Greeke Synedri●n whereunto the censure of manners and doctrine was committed This gouernmente and this brydle to keepe frowarde and vntractable menne in order was lawfull and approued of God If anye manne except that all thinges were corrupt and out of order at the comminge of Christe so that that tyranny should bee accounted nothing lesse then the iudgement of the Church The aunswere is easie though the manner of theyr dealinge was defiled and corrupted yet was the order worthylye praysed of CHRISTE as it had been in tymes paste delyuered by the Fathers And when as shortlye after hee erected a Church the corruption being taken awaye hee restored the pure vse of excommunicating Yet it is not to be doubted but that the order of disciplyne which flouryshed vnder the kingdome of CHRIST succeeded in place of that Elder And certeinely when as the prophane nations hadde a shadowe of this rite of excommunicating it appeareth that God had put this into the minds of men from the beginning that if any were vncleane and defiled they should be driuen from the holy exercises Therefore it was a vile and shamefull thing for the people of GOD to be altogeather without that disciplyne whereof there was remayninge some shewe amongst the Gentiles And that whiche was obserued in the lawe did Christe translate to vs because that wee and the aunciente fathers haue one the same cause But it was not the purpose of Christ to send his disciples to the Synagogue which when it willingly nouryshed filthy corruptions in her bosome it excommunicated the true sincere worshippers of GOD. But he declareth that that order should bee holden in his Church which had bene holily appoynted vnder the law That which is presently added of Heathens and Publycans confirmeth the interpretation that I brought For because the Heathens the Publycans were then much hated and abhorred amongste the Iewes vnto them he compareth men that are vncleane and incureable which wyll obey or yeelde to no admonitions It is certeine that he would not haue giuen this precept to the Heathens of whome the Church shoulde be gathered that they shoulde flye from themselues Neyther is there any cause at this day why the faythfull should abhorre the Publycans But Christ that he might the better be vnderstoode borowed that manner of speach which was presently vsed in his owne countrey But the meaning is that we should haue nothing to doe with the contemners of the Church vntil they repent 18. VVhatsoeuer ye shall bynde Hee rehearseth the same wordes nowe which hee vsed beefore in the sixteene Chapter but in a diuerse sense For there his purpose was to confirme the aucthoritye of doctrine and heere hee appoynteth disciplyne which is adioyned to doctrine There Christe sayde that the preaching of the Gospell should not be in vaine but that it should be a sauour eyther to lyfe or to death here hee sayeth though the wicked doe scorne the iudgement of the Church yet it shall not be in vaine This distinction must be holden that he speaketh there of the word preached and here of