A TREATISE OF Excommunication WHEREIN 'T is Fully Learnedly and Modestly demonstrated THAT There is no Warrant Precept or President either in the Old or New Testament for Excommunicating any Persons or Debarring them the Sacraments whilst they make an outward Profession of the true Christian Faith Written Originally in Latine By the famous and pious THOMAS ERASTVS Doctor in Physick About the Year 1568. Brethren ye have been called unto LIBERTY onely use not Liberty for an occasion to the Flesh but by LOVE SERVE one another Gal. 5. v. 13. LONDON Printed for L. Curtis 1682. To the Pious READER AND Such as is studious of Truth THOMAS ERASTVS a Physician sends greeting LEst any lighting upon this Treatise should wonder what Motives or Provocations made me busie my self in this Controversie about Excommunication I shall as Concisely as Truly acquaint the World with the Rise and Occasion of it 'T is now much about sixteen years since some men have fallen into a kind of Excommunicating Frenzy under the specious Title of Ecclesiastical Discipline and as they contend sacred in it self and enjoyn'd the Church by God and fain would they have the whole Church tainted with the like that the manner of it they propose should be thus That a select number of Elders should sit in the name of the whole Church and judge who were fit and who unfit to be admitted to the Lords Supper I could not but wonder to see them consulting of such matters at such a time when we had neither fit persons to excommunicate or to be excommunicated for scarce a thirteenth part of the people understood and approved of the Doctrine of the Reformation which was then but blooming the residue were our profest Enemies so that no man who had his wits about him but must needs see that such a matter must unavoidably introduee dangerous Divisions among us And therefore I thought it not then so proper an Enquiry how some might be shut out of the Church as how more might be brought in and that the best thing we could apply our selves to would be the propagating saving Truths Besides they who were to be the Supervisors were not so much superior to the others in Age Experience Parts Judgment Virtue or Eminency that they could manage so weighty a matter with that Port and Dignity that was requisite Since therefore I saw that their desires could not have the labour'd Effects without the Churches Ruine and Subversion I was ever and anon cautioning them that they should weigh well what they did and not rashly attempt what they might after too late repent But though as yet I verily thought that Excommunication had been a thing commanded in the Scriptures yet I did not find it commanded after that manner that they proposed So that since Christ seemed to me to have left us at large for the manner of it I set my thoughts on work what might be the best way and course under our circumstances and would be attended with the least Distractions and Inconveniencies which I did with the closer application and diligence upon some Reflections that I had how fatal and turbulent to Christianity this had formerly proved and was still little better as it was managed Whilst I was upon these thoughts and look'd a little back upon what the Antients had writ on this subject I find it weaker in all points than I had before suspected so that I could not but begin to doubt of the very thing My next resort was to the School-men among whom I met with as little satisfaction Then came I to our Modern Writers who no whit mended the matter nay I observ'd that they did most manifestly differ among themselves in some things which quicken'd my diligence in the Enquiry So I laid by these Commentators a while and betook my my self to the Scripture in the perusal of which I mark'd and noted with all the exactness I could what was discrepant from and what agreeable unto the commonly received Opinion And truly it was no ordinary assistance to me in this matter to take a survey with my self of the state of the Jewish Church and Government for thus thought I with my self God in the 4th Chapter of Deut. v. 6 7 8. bears witness to their Laws that there was no Nation that had Statutes and Judgments so righteous and that for their Laws sake it should be said of them Surely this great Nation is a wise and understanding People Therefore it seem'd necessary with me that to have a Church gloriously and wisely modell'd it must make near approaches to the Judaical Form But certain it is that in this Jewish Church things were never so instituted by God as that there should be distinct procedures in the punishing Immoralities one by the Civil and another by the Ecclesiastical power What hinders then but that even now too that that Church which God hath blessed with a Christian Magistracy may sit down contented under one form of Government I then communicated my thoughts to learned good and pious men so far as that I press'd them not to consider the matter slightly and cursorily for I could not but deem it very unnecessary that there should be two Heads of the Visible Church where the Body is but one and that their Mandates Injunctions Decretals and all the Acts of a governing Authority should be distinct as hitherto they have been so that the Government of one should not be subject to the Inspection or Controul of the other but both their Jurisdictions be Chief in their kinds For such a Church-Senate or Convocation of select Elders would they in truth have fram'd that they should have the Supreme Right and Power of punishing Vice even in the Magistrates themselves but not with corporal punishments but by prohibiting them the Sacrament first privately and if on this they reform'd not then in a more solemn and publick manner But my Opinion was as I always told them That one Supreme Magistrate of Gods institution and of the true Faith might and had as good right now to restrain Vice as heretofore under the Law And I took me an instance from Solomon's glorious Reign which was a kind of Type of the Christian Church's reigning upon Earth Now neither under him nor yet under Moses the Judges or any other the Kings or when govern'd by the Optimacy have we any foot-steps of two so distinct Judicatures over mens actions and manners Nature says Musculus allows not two absolute and Independent Governments without any subordinacy of one to the other to Lord it over the same people I must confess I received great Aids and Improvement of these my Thoughts from the persons with whom I conferr'd them for in some things their Observations out-went my own and where they did not they furnisht me many material hints to mend them by But still I kept my self quiet from any publick Contests in this Affair and entered not into any Debates about it where I was
not provok'd and then too I used the utmost moderation in the managing them esteeming it as disadvantageous as needless to trouble our Churches with this Dispute when it did not yet appear that any body had imposed such a Form of Discipline upon them But others who think the relish of Government more sweet and pleasant than that of Obedience could not so temper their mouths but by all the Arts and Insinuations that they thought might work our most pious Prince to their designes they labour'd as I afterwards understood to introduce something very like this into our Churches and had not other rubs thwarted them God knows how far they might have prevailed Besides how did they lie at me all this while what Dirt did they throw upon me onely for that they knew how averse I was to their purposes and that I should not be wanting according to my best endeavours to frustrate them But this I need not here enlarge upon It happened about the same time that an English-man who was then said to have left his Country because he could not brook a Surplice and such-like Formalities then enjoyn'd desiring to commence Doctor proposed in his Theses Disputes concerning indifferent matters and religious habits Now our Divines would not admit of this man to his Doctorship for fear of giving distaste to the English Clergy though in the latter of his Theses something was proposed too relating to this matter but it seems they thought the peace and tranquillity of our own Church a trifle not worth the regarding And therefore amongst his other Theses this was one That in every Church that was rightly instituted there ought to be a Government or Discipline observed whereby the Ministry in conjunction with Elders for that purpose to be elected should have right and authority to excommunicate any vitious Liver even Princes themselves Now though I was not without apprehensions that this Dispute was not then taken up for nothing yet I hoped withal that no more would come of it than of an ordinary Disputation where the Question is agitated Pro and Con not for deciding the matter so much as to whet and exercise the young Disputants and to try how well qualified they are for the Degrees that they stand Candidates for I therefore stirr'd not thither and indeed other affairs hindered my being present And for others who I saw ready to take up the Cudgels I advised them to have a greater regard to the Churches Tranquillity than to the Follies of a few yet some disputed the point with them But it might have prov'd no more than a Disputation of course had they not called as well them as me Profane Satanical Devilish Makebates Enemies to Religion and Holiness Fanaticks and what not Truly for my self I can religiously say it never enter'd into my thoughts to set Pen to Paper in this matter till I both heard and saw with what intemperateness they comported themselves both publickly and privately so that I thought a longer silence but a betraying the Truth But as I was then more than ordinarily employed by reason of the sick Souldiers who return'd from France with Casimire in the year 1568. I set down my Thoughts but brokenly as in the intervals of my Employ things from time to time occurr'd to my mind which when I had amassed a pretty deal though confusedly and immethodically together I distributed and submitted them to the Censure of others intreating them withal that if they observ'd any thing false or but weakly maintain'd they would answer the one and strengthen the other with better Reasons And I hop'd to gain this if nothing else thereby that those of contrary Sentiments would become more calm and moderate upon the perusal of what I had writ and not differ from us farther than they had Arguments to bear them out One of the two persons with whom I thought of conferring most particularly saw and read three parts of four before the whole was transcribed and being then askt what was his Judgment of it he promised to give it when he should have perused the whole But something I know not what he said by the by of Leaven and that he thought the Consent of the antient Church was to be very much esteem'd of and in fine some other things did he let fall whereby 't was easie for me to make a Judgment of his Opinion in the case And I learnt quickly after that the very same person had writ a Tract about Excommunication in maintenance of the Vulgar Opinion which made me no longer-doubt what answer I should meet with from him for I knew him to be one who was not easily brought to retract what he had once asserted Therefore since I had in the latter part of my Book confuted all his Objections I presented it whole to another person who I thought the best Friend I had in the world He not onely took the Book from me with disdain and contempt whether he had an item of it before I know not but he plainly said he should not vouchsafe it a reading yet I left it with him for some days and besought him with all the earnestness and entreaties that I could that he would but look it over and give me his Judgment upon it But I understood upon good grounds that my Sollicitations had been fruitless I sent for my Book about twelve days after that I might get others Opinions upon it But because 't was long and could not be so soon read over by many persons I contracted it into certain Theses or Positions that I might the better communicate it into many hands so that hereby I quickly got the Opinion of the most eminent German Divines and others who had refused the reading of it at my request were at last thus drawn into it unawares But that it might appear to the World that I sought after nothing but the naked Truth I prefix'd a Preface to it wherein I requested two things First That all men would be pleased diligently to examine every point and weigh it by the Scale of Holy Writ and if they saw me in an Errour would endeavour to set me right again that I might be contributory to setting others to rights I promised from the bottom of my heart God the Searcher of hearts is my Witness that I would thank him both before God and man whoever should shew me my Errour And because I foresaw what after came to pass my second Request was That if they found fault with any thing that they would so do it that I might have a just liberty of explaining my self and of justly defending any thing they should undeservedly condemn for though I had approv'd my self a Friend to them in all good turns I could scarcely expect like measure again by what I had before experienced Nor was I deceived for the very men whom I had so fondly conceived to have been my best Friends turn'd suddenly my Enemies and would not so much
as speak to me though I had never through all my life injur'd them in Word or Deed but always did and still will study to oblige them but however I thankt God that I experienced their Constancy and good Will to me rather in a concern of this than of any other nature But restless were they and since they had vainly attempted by the help of the Magistrate to call in these Theses out of the hands where they had been dispers'd they go another way to work and desir'd under the pretext of Laws which were never yet heard of that as Divines were not to meddle with the Opinions and Rights of other Professions that it might be enacted and enjoyn'd That all of other Professions might be restrained from entering into their Divinity-Schools Had this been ask'd threescore years ago it might have pass'd well enough but how 't would go down now let others judge Are the Precepts to search the Scriptures Joh. 5. 39. and 1 Joh. 4. 1. Try the spirits whether they are of God and 1 Thess 5. 21. Prove all things hold fast that which is good and the like Precepts which were given to none but those who teach Divinity for Hire I had thought that Christian Divinity had been a Doctrine common to all men and was therefore to be taught every where But what is it they ask when they would have us keep from their Schools Do they mean as they concern not themselves in any other Faculties Sure they would not have us not to hear their Lectures or that we should not come thither to learn Who I pray ever forbid them to study the Languages Philosophy Physick or Law But if they care not for or neglect those Studies must we do so by Divinity Did indeed the ignorance of the Scriptures carry no worse consequence with it than their ignorance in the other Studies we might peradventure complement them upon that point or they might easily prevail if no body must speak against what they enact and determine This was a thing that the Romanists indeed and by a better Right than they laid claim to but I cannot gratifie either of them herein since Christ my Saviour has countermanded me Now that they say it becomes me not to meddle with matters of Divinity I value it not or that I have not a just regard to my Reputation as they suggest perhaps because I make not a Gain or am not hired to study the Truth for were I paid for my Teaching of Divinity I should do nothing as themselves hold unsuitable to my Duty and Function But in truth I desire nothing but to have the Truth understood and God's Name glorified and my self exposed to shame rather than the Truth be kept under deck for Christ hath not without cause said it Joh. 5. 44. That they cannot believe who receive Honour one of another and seek not the Honour that cometh from God onely Therefore when this too fell not out to their minds and yet they could no longer smother their Animosities they began to assail me with dint of Argument which upon all occasions they urged not without the severest Reflections upon me Now though I heard thereof from several hands yet for Quietness and Peace sake I easily despis'd it hoping to see the day that when those first Emotions should be over and their Passions cool they might stand more fair and equally affected to me But alas I was no Prophet here neither for for almost five months after their Hatred run as high as ever nor did they give over baiting me and my Writing partly with Clamour and Reproach and partly with I know not what Sophistical Reasonings Therefore taking a stricter review of my Theses which made an hundred before I contracted them to Seventy five and marshall'd them in a little better order Something 's in them I explained more clearly and enforc'd them more strongly And in fine I have made it my business to give as full satisfaction to all Lovers of Truth as I could in so little a Treatise Advertisement to the Reader THis Tract received never that I heard of more than one direct Answer and that writ by Theodore Beza in the year 1590 on the behalf of the Geneva Plat-form or Presbyterian way of Excommunicating which put our Author upon a farther Reply in Confirmation of the following Theses which remains yet unanswered and unanswerable for ought I know but that Reply being above four times as long as THIS that is here published and the main of the Arguments that he goes upon being hinted here though not so fully press'd the Publication of the other is at present forborn A QUESTION OF THE Weightiest Moment cleared Whether Excommunication so far as it debars those who understand and make profession of the Christian Religion from the use of the Sacrament by reason of some sin committed be of Divine Institution or the Invention of Men POSITION I. THE name of Excommunication seems to be derived from 1 Cor. cap. 10. and imports an amotion or separation from the Communion which there vers 16. is called the Communion of the Bloud of Christ And in truth Excommunication is now defined by almost every body to be an Exclusion from the society and communion of the Faithful II. Now the company of the Faithful is twofold the one Internal and Spiritual the other External or Visible and Political or Civil For for that third sort which our Modern Papists have invented 't is neither of it self a well-fram'd one nor pertinent to our present purpose III. Now betwixt both these the difference is at least so great that there is no necessity that either should be comprehensive of each other for as he may still remain a Member of Christ who without any just cause is cast out of the visible Church or is otherwise constrain'd to take Covert and make his abode among Infidels so they that pass muster amidst the visible Flock are not all the Living Members of Christ Hence does it follow that those things may well be different which unite us to one and not to the other and separate us from the one and yet not from the other IV. And indeed we are made the Members of Christ that is are joyned to the Internal and Spiritual Fellowship of Christ and of the Faithful by that Faith alone which worketh by Charity and 't is by Infidelity onely that we fall from this Consortship And therefore no body can give us admission into this Society or shut the doors upon us but he that can impart to us a lively Faith and again withdraw it at his pleasure V. Now 't is by the Profession of the same Faith by the Approbation of the same Doctrine and in fine by the promiscuous usage of the same Sacraments that we become Consorts and Fellow-members of the External and Visible Church He that has these three in him so long as he remains such is reckon'd for a Member of the Outward