vt. 'n ac if ir were no Sin; or go or ſtill in.the ſame Courſe, oy wo” chings are to be underſtood by che term of not Heay- (98 WT he ſhall not hear them, tell it to the Church, } Thar the lge LJ, ic 4 Noun of Mulrcicude, is evidenr, and therefore can» or be underſtood of any particular Perton. Some would by the ut": here underſtand the Political Magiſtrate; bur as this vi :mbraced by very few, ſo it is very improbable thar our wir thould ſend Chriſtians in that Age co the Civil Magt- -i* wrhen they were all great Harers, and Perſecurers of the = mn Religion, eſpecially in Cafes that were nor puniſhable o_ Tudges; for no deliberate Perſon will ſay, that the Of- Flies mencioned in this Text , were all of that Nature as a /*+-1 judicarure might take notice of them. Orhers ſay, thar = Church is here meant, the ewiſh Court called the Sanhe- /.,, which had a mixed Cognizance, both of Civil and Eccleſi- wrt” C1127, There are Three Prejudices againſt this. 1, Thar "1.6 Tewiſh Court, Was never in Scripture called *EyzAn7ia. 2. That i js nor probable, that our Saviour would direct Chriſtians to go to the 72wiſh Courts 10 ſuch Cafes. 3. Thar the Sanhedrim \..: 0 £rcar a Court to be troubled with all Scandals, tho'rhey aid take Cognizance of ſome things in Religion, which were of 4 {rand concern, {uch as Bl"ſphemy, Taolatyy, Falſe Prophets, SC. Q:hrors cheretore underſtand 1c of the Chrifiian Church: Againſt this Opinion , there 15 this great Prejudice, That there was no juch thing in being at that time ; bur I rake this to he a Ji-hrer Obje&tion rnan thoſe , azainſt che £wo other Opinions, 1_ Becavte we need not underſtand our Saviour, ſpeaking with relation t2 the preſent Time, bur the Time ro come, and giving Lins which fhould take place, and abide from the gathering of the Chriſtian Clurch, ro rhe end of che World, Nor 1s ir_ne- cefary thar we ſhould rake the term Church here in the ſtrife ſenſe; in which jt is moſt generally uſed in the Scriptures of the New To/tament ;, for the genera] Notion of the Word, 15 only a Company of People called rogerher ; and 1n this tenſe, Tell the Ch:rch, is no more than tell che Multitude, make his Crime more publick: Now what that Multirude was. which our- Saviour meant, would eafily be underſtood, when the Churches came to he formed. Bur the next Verſe will make it more plain, v. 18. [erily I ſay unto you, whatſoever you ſhall bind on Earth, ſhall be fo bound in Heaven, &c.] By the Church, then muſt be meanr, thoſe who had Power tro Bind, and Loſe. Now tho', ar this time, there was no particular Church formed, yet there were ſome who had a Power to Bind, and Looſe, Chriſt had given ſuch 1 Power ro his Apoſtles. Theſe were the preſent Church, and ac chis rime in being. They were afterwards to conſtitute parri- cular Churches, ro whom ( when conſtitured) in force of rhis Precepr, ſuch Offences were to be rold. There are yer further Diſputes, whether this Offence and Contumacy, be to be told only to the Rulers; or to the MWultitude, I ſay to the whole (birch, but firſt ro the Rulers, then by them to the Multitude not to Judge of ir , bur for their Conſent in caſting a Perſon cur of the Communion of the Church. Thus the Ince/tuos Per- ſn was firſt accuſed to Paulz then caſt our by the conſent of the whole Church, 1 Cor. $5. 3, 4 For it is unreaſonable to think, thar People ſhould deny Communion to any, without knowing a juſtifiable Cauſe, And to no purpoſe, for Rulers in a Church to caſt one out of its Communion, with whom the Members will have Communion. { IF he will not hear the Church, let him be unt) thee as an Heathen and a Publican.) That is, eſteem him as a vile Perſon; for ſo they eſteemed all Heathens and Publicans. Kow far this could reach, beyond having an Intimacy of Civil Communion with them , and a Communion with them in the Sacra- rent, TI cannot underſtand ; for as Chriſtians were Licenſed to a Civil Commerce with Heathens and Publicans; fo neither were Heathens and Publicans, ever that we read of in Holy Writ, denied rhe benefir of their Prayers, and hearing the Apoſtles Prexch, I am very well ſatisfied , that the Primitive Church did nor deny to Perſons Excommunicated , Liberty to be preſenc at the Prayers of the Church, bur ir was long after the Apoſtles tines, and whether grounded upon any Pradtice of their's, I much doubr, Chriſtians had a Libercy ro Pray for any wh» had mt ſinned the Sin unto Death. That they might nor be preſent ar ſuch Prayers, I cannot learn from any thing 1n Holy Writ,
by rhe
18 Verily I ſay unro you, * Whatſoever ye ſhall bind on earth, {hall be bound in heaven, and whatſo- everye {hall looſe on earth, ſhall be looſed in heaven.
We mer wich this Sentence, Ch.zp. I6. ver. 19. Where we ob- ſcrved that by Binding, and L19ſing , was ſignified ( according to the Uſaze of the Zews of thoſe times) Declaring of Propoſitions , True or Falſe , or Fudging Things L-ful , or Unlawful. Some think thar it hath no furcher import here; but it 15 the Opinion ct Nr. Calvin, and other very Judicious Interprerers, Thar ir ls here to be extended to the Cenſures of the Church ; the Sentence & tn! Church pronounced juſtly in the Caſe of Offences, and s added , leſt Perſons juſtly denied che Communion of the Church, ſhould concemn ſuck Cenſures. Chriſt aflures theſe Per-
FE fons, Thar ſuch Cenſures. ought nor to be ſlighted ; for God
Would confirm them in Heaven ; as alſo ro their Abfolurions, or Re-admiſſions of ſuch Perſons into cheic Communion upon their ve Repenrance , and Acknowledgment of their Errors, Not Mat our Lord by this intended to confirm all Senrences of Ex- CNMArIation , Or © patronize any Cheat or Hypocritie in any, 3am an 4%/olution, or Reftauration to the Church : Bur ond &t9 lie firſt ro aſſure ſtubborn, and impenitent Sinners, that he Would ratine what his Church did, according to the Rule he had -_l tem to A& by. Ir is therefore a terrible Text to thoſe _— juſtly, and duly cur off from the Communion of the "Ic1 tor - Notorious and Scandalous Sins: Such as whoſo commirrerh » and doth nor repent of, they ſhall never enter Mo the Kinzdom of God. And as comfortable to thoſe, who "ys, 1 caſt cur do truly repent, and are under Temprarions | » ©: atlowed up of too much Sorrow. If therefore any be {
MATTHE WW.
Chap. XRVT1II..