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A34038
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The righteous branch growing out of the root of Jesse and healing the nations held forth in several sermons upon Isai. chap. 11, from vers. 1 to 10 : together with some few sermons relating to all who live under the shadow of the branch / by William Colvill.
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Colvill, William, d. 1675.
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1673
(1673)
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Wing C5432; ESTC R26038
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212,566
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434
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that thereby he may not have sin but by his presumptuous thoughts he hinders himself to obtain the pardon of sin Such a condition of the Church as may be free from all spot or wrinkle is to be expected in Heaven when we shall be presented faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy Jude Epist 24. Yea we may not separat from Church-communion though gross and scandalous sinners live in it so long as they are acknowledged by the Church-rulers to be members thereof 1. Because the holy and zealous Prophets in the Old Testament did not command the people to make separation in such a case when Hophni and Phinehas the sons of Eli were a scandal to the people 1 Sam. 2.17 When many of the children of Israel both high and low were guilty of gross and scandalous sins the Prophet Isaiah did according to his duty sharply reprove them Isai 1.21 22 23. yet did he not require the godly to abstain from all Church-communion with these gross offenders 2. Albeit in our blessed Lord his time the Pharisees who had the preheminence for the most part in their Synagogues were men void of honesty judgement and mercy covetous proud and cruel yet the Lord himself kept communion with that Church Luke 4.16 As his custom was he went into the Synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up for to read He commanded others also to keep Church-communion with them Mat. 23.2 He did sharply reprove the Angels or Ministers of the Churches of Pergamos and Thyatira because they did tolerat in their Church-meetings persons abominable in errours both of judgement and of practice yet did he not command privat Professors in these Churches to separat from them and to erect Congregations apart by themselves 3. The Apostles Peter and John who were pillars of the Christian Church did keep Church-communion with the Jewish Church wherein were the Pharisees Acts 3.1 There were in the Church of Corinth some who did scandalously transgress by riot and drunkenness 1 Cor. 11.21 yet the Apostles did not require the pious and sober Christians among them to separat themselves from that Church Cyprian Lib. 3. Epist 3. Albeit there seem to be tares in the Church yet neither our faith nor charity should be hindered thereby that because we see tares to be in the Church we our selves therefore should depart from the Church it is our duty in such a case he means of privat Professors only to endeavour that we our selves may be good grain In a great house saith the Apostle 2 Tim. 2.20 there are not only vessels of gold and of silver but also of wood and of earth but the vessels of earth shall be broken by the Lord alone to whom the rod of iron is given And Epist 12. Neither think ye saith he to the Novatians that by so doing ye assert and maintain the Gospel of Christ whileas ye have separated your selves from the flock of Christ and from peace and concord with it when it is more agreeable to the duty of generous and good Souldiers to keep their ground within their own Trenches and being placed there to do such things which are for the benefit of the publick Augustine contra Donat. Parmen adviseth these who live in a Church pestered with profaneness and gross corruptions in manners for to do these four things 1. Let us amend saith he what we can 2. What things we cannot amend let us tolerat and mourn with love to the persons of these gross offenders 3. Let us endeavour to preserve unity 4. If thou canst not take away the wicked from thee yet take evil and wickedness out of thy self Calvin Institut Lib. 4. Cap. 1. Sect. 13. There were ever some who out of a false perswasion of their own perfect sanctity as if they had already become aerial Demons or Spirits they despised the society of all men in whom they perceived any humane weakness or frailty such men saith he were the Donatists and at this day some of the Anabaptists But as for flagitious and scandalous persons he thinks they should be processed and debarred from Church-communion in the holy Sacrament untill they satisfie the Church and thereafter be received again into communion If Church-rulers neglect to censure such scandalous persons privat Christians do not sin in receiving the holy Sacrament with them but the Church-rulers sin in not censuring them and thereby making the hearts of the godly sad Beza Epist 2. saith We should labour to come our selves especially to that holy Table with a pure conscience and if coming so we do communicat in the Church with some murderers and adulterers yea with Turks and Jews the fault will not be imputed to us but to the Church-rulers who admitted such August Tom. 9. Lib. de Medicin Cap. 3. saith We cannot debar any man from the communion except he hath of his own accord confessed or hath been processed and convict in some Judicature Ecclesiastical or Secular Yet if that hainous sin be known to one privat person only it appears he is bound both for good to the Church of Christ and for good to the soul of that guilty person sinning hainously in secret to follow our blessed Lord his direction Matth. 18.15 16 17. If thy brother shall trespass against thee go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone if he shall hear thee thou hath gained thy brother but if he will not hear thee c. and in end tell it to the Church Vse For exhortation seing the true members of the mystical body of Jesus Christ and sincere Converts to the Christian Faith will be as is prophesied here of a peaceable and harmless disposition and conversation let us live in a communion of love in peace and concord not like wolves and savage beasts biting and devouring one another How pleasant and how good a thing is it for brethren to dwell together in unity Psal 133.1 2. It is both pleasant and profitable like the oyntment poured forth upon the head of Aaron it maketh a Church fragrant and to be well reported amongst those who behold them or hear of them it is profitable like the dew of Hermon it maketh the Church to grow and enlarge her borders how pleasant is it to see the houses of one and the same city conform every way one to another as they say it is in the city of Gonoa but how unpleasant is it to see the houses of one and the same city divided far one from another as if every man in his own pride would make his own house a Citidale let us remember the spiritual Jerusalem should be as a City compact together Psal 122.3 How unpleasant also is it to see the stones of one and the same building even budging and dividing asunder one from another Is not the Christian Church said to be a building in Christ fittly framed together for an habitation of God through the Spirit Epes 2.22 and being so framed
to destroy the Samaritans who refused to receive him into their City Luk. 9.55 56. 4. And it is of good use to correct the obstinat unbelief of the Jews who wait for a Messias in outward pomp and glory they mistake the nature of this Kingdom by misunderstanding such places of holy Scripture wherein the Spirit of God speaks of the inward beauty of his Kingdom in an allusion to the outward beauty of earthly Kingdoms Psal 45.3 But if they were not prejudged and obstinatâ— they might learn something of the nature of this Kingdom from Isa 53.2 and Zechar. 9.9 where the Prophets foretell that the Messias shall not come in outward pomp and glory Vse 2. The Spiritual Guides and Ministers of the Church in imitation of Christ the chief shepherd of our souls should go about the business of this spiritual Kingdom and therein especially exercise their quickness and activity this was most minded by the holy Apostles Act. 6.4 Col. 1.28 29. The sense of the burden of this great work made the Apostle Paul to cry out Who is sufficient for these things It was the Apostles counsel 1 Tim. 4.15 Meditate on these things and give thy self wholly unto them Famous Gerson lib. de vit Spirit speaking to Church-men Tell me saith he whether it is a more holy thing to serve the world by thy self and to serve God by a Viccar and Substitute or to serve God by thy self and the world by a Substitute Pope Damasus compared the Ministers of the Church who to attend their worldly affairs did commit their flocks unto Substitutes or Suffragans he compared them I say unto some wanton women who having full breasts yet that they might give themselves to their pleasures did give out their Infants to be nursed by others VERSE III. And he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes c. IN the former part of the vers we have the manner of our blessed Lord his judging and governing his subjects with great wisdom and prudence In these words we have his equity and justice set down negatively vers 3. and positively vers 4. Whereas it is said here He shall not judge after the sight of his eyes it may be demanded if it be a fault for men to judge according to their seeing and hearing because men on earth cannot ordinarily understand any cause or action till first they have it in their sense and imagination Answ Certain it is that Judges should determine according to matters alleadged and proven and therefore must judge according to things heard or seen Deut. 1.16 17. The Priest under the Law was appointed to look with his eyes upon the leprous person before he judged and pronounced sentence whether he was clean or unclean But Judges would not be rash to judge according to fama clamosa the common report because in so doing men judged amiss of the Apostles themselves who were commonly but falsly reported to be seditious persons Acts 17.6 As also of their Doctrine calling it heresie Acts 24.14 Whereas a flagrant report is only a ground for inquiring but not for a judicial sentence Deut. 17.4 Neither must men in Judgement judge according to the seeing of their eyes as by looking to the person of the poor man to take no notice of his cause Deut. 1.17 nor should they judge partially out of respect to the man whom they see to be of outward grandour or prosperity in the world Lev. 19.15 Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgement thou shalt not respect the person of the poor nor honour the person of the mighty but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour Our blessed Lord judged not of the Pharisees according to his hearing of their fair words nor according to their seeming holiness but he judged righteous judgement of them that they were a generation of vipers The words may be also taken for the way of judging that was peculiar to Christ wherein he excelled all the Judges of the earth in so far as he needed not the help of the outward senses of hearing and seeing because he did discern and judge the secrets of the heart Solomon in judging which of the two women was the true mother of the child made good use of hearing both the one and the other but our blessed Lord knoweth the hearts and thoughts of men though they speak nothing Joh. 2.24 yea he knew the wickedness of their hearts notwithstanding their flattering speeches of dissimulation Vse This equity of our Lord in Judgement serveth for our imitation both in publick and privat Judgement Men in publick Judgement should not upon hear-say and baâ—e information proceed to a sentence of absolution or condemnation but they should inquire diligently if the matter be so as is reported God himself doth teach Judges this duty by his manner of proceeding to judge Sodom Gen. 18.21 and by his precept Deut. 13.14 For if it were enough upon hear-say and common report to judge and condemn then innocent persons should suffer many times Jeremiah was reported to be a factious man who by his preaching did weaken the hands of the people and Paul to be a seditious man that stirred up the people neither should Judges be rash upon hearing only the one party to pronounce sentence against the other for if it be enough to accuse who shall be innocent Prov. 18.17 He that is first in his own cause seemeth just but his neighbour cometh and searcheth him Such rashness in judging was contrair to the Law of the Jews Deut. 1.17 Joh. 7.51 Job searched out the cause which he knew not Job 29.16 It was contrair to the Law of Nature and of Nations among the Heathens Alexander the Great in time of judging laid his hand closs upon the one of his ears that he might reserve it as he said for the party that was accused Neither should they judge according to the seeing of the eye as they perceive the party to be a friend or an enemy rich or poor a great or a mean man Levit. 19.15 Deut. 33.9 because the Judge who is a respecter of persons is easily byassed and perverted in judgement Prov. 28.21 The partial Judge saith Shew me the man and then I will shew you the Law but the impartial and unbyassed Judge saith I will shew you the Law be the man what he will It was Tertullian his complaint against the Judges of that time persecuting the Christians there is saith he inquisitio nominis sed non examinatio criminis an inquiry after the name if they be called Christians but no examination of the crime It was well spoken by the Heathen Judge Aristides fitting in Judgement when one of the Competitors pleading before him said This fellow hath also done great wrong to thy self in speaking evil of thee My friend said Aristides I pray thee tell me only the wrong he hath done unto thee for I am Judge here to do right unto thee and not to judge the personal wrongs done