fri e Communion ofit, The end of Excommun;cation 1s not for *e deſtry&i0N of the perſon of him who is caſt our, but for the — his fleſh, that is, his Juſts, which are often in Scrip- tare calied fleſh ; or the maceration and affliction of his body through griefand ſorrow ; for a derermination of his fleſhly Being cannot be here underſtood by the deſtruftion of bis fleſh, for that 1s Excommunication, and thoſe who interpret the delive-
d:ſiruion of
effect of : : : a re Saran, Of an extraordinary puniſhment, which the Apoſtle
& Church in rhe
| 2 nor to rerminaty, ,
alleets and than this Text dhor.
know, that is to be done by the Church, when gathered #ogether, chough the Elders of the Church may pur rhe Church upon 1t, and decree it, yer the conſent and approbation of che whole Church muſt be to it 3 and indeed it 1s vain for the - Officers of a Church ro caſt any out of a Communion, when the Members of thr Communion will yer have Communion with him, or them ſo caſt out. Ir alſo Jets us know , that ir 1s a Cenſure which menare not ſhut of the fellowſhip of men as men, but Men as Chriſtians, as a Church of Chriſt 1a fuch religious \tions and duties as concern them, conſidered as ſuch a body. Exmmunication doth not make it unlawful for perſons to buy and ſell with the perſons excommunicated, but to ear. and drink atthe Lord's Table with them, or have Communion with them in afts proper to 2 Church as the Church of Chriſt. The excommu- ricared perſon is in ſomething a better condition than a Heathen;
by of
for he is not to be counted as an enzmy, but admoniſh:d as a brother, 2Theff: 3. 15. Fleathens alſo may hear the Word, he is only to be avoided in a&ts of Church-fellowſhip : and as to intimate Communion, though it be not religious, as appearech from this Chapter, v. 11. andfrom 2 Th:f 3. 14. Further, we are taught from hence, thar zone ought to be excommunicated but for notorious ſcandalous ſins x without a ſolemn invocation on the Name of Chriſt, inquiring his will in the caſe. We are further taught, That the perſon thar isduly excommunicated, is in a miſerable ſtate, he 1s delivered up co Satan, caſt ont of God's ſpecial prote&tion, which 1s peculiar ro kisChurch, and oftentimes expoſed to formidable temptations, Fi. rally, we are from this Text inſtru&ted, That Excommunication oupht to be ſo adminiſtred, as may beſt tend to the ſaving of the Sou) fhiothat falls under that Cenſure : mensend in Excommunications hould not bethe ruine of perſons in their healthsor eſtates, only the tunblingof them, and bringing them to a ſenſe of their ſias, and a ue repentance ; and all means in order to that end ſhould be uſed en toſuch as are caſt out of any Church, ſuch are repeated ad- jonitions, the Prayers of the Church for them, &. 6 * Your glorying « not good *.* : Know ye not that alittle leaven leaveneth the whole lump 2? =, '' You boaſt and glory, becauſe you have men of parts amongſt 0,perons whom the world count wiſe; your glorying is not good; tar do you glory for, when you have ſuch a ſcandalous perſon a- neſt you, and take no careto caſt him out? » Can you be ignorant, Rat as a Jirtle leaven taken into the midſt of che meal, and there ht, preſently ſowereth the whole maſs, and leavenerh the whole Imp: So one notorious ſcandalous ſinner, detained in the boſom 12 Church, caſts a blot upon the whole Church. 7 Purge out therefore the old leaven o, that you may 2 2 new lump p, as ye are unleavened 9. For ever Chriſt our paſſeover || is ſacrificed for us 7. + If the Article 7lw in this place be Emphatical ( as ſome in) it ought to have been tranſlated this old leaven, that is, the ftuous perſon, whoſe Communion with you influences your ole Communion, ' which is defiled by it, through your Churches left of their dury with reference tro him. Jf the Article be tobe taken Emphatically, theſe words may be underſtood as ſpo- to every individual Member of this Church, and is no more in put off the old 91an ; the luſt: and corruptions of our hearts, as ll falſe Do&rine, being compared to leaven, which influence t whole man, as leaven doth the whole maſs of meal. The ( ſeemeth to be moſt proper to this place, if we conſider Ut went before, and thar the Apoſtle is ſpeaking to the whole rch, and had been before ſpeaking of an A to be done by m, not ſingly, but when they ſhould be gathered together in a a1 aſſembly, theſe he commands to purge out the old leaven, 1, this inceſiuous perſon, p that they might be truly a Chri- n Church, reformed from ſuch things as no way agreed with Doftrine and profeſſion of the Goſpe). - q As you are or ſhould Unleavened, like the Jews, who at the Paſſover kept the Feaſt lleavened bread, when for ſeven days together they might have avened bread in any of their houſes, Levir. 23.6. r For tho' beaſt of the Jewiſh Paſſover be ceaſed, and you be tyed tonone ſe Levitical obſervations, yet you are under as high an obli-/ «n; for Chriſt, wh is the true Paſchal Lamb, is {lain or ſacri- el for us, and your old man ſhould be crucified with him, and 09 longer ſerve ſin. |
crefore * let us keep the || feaſt 5s, not with l leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and' ciedne6, but with the unleavened bread of ſince- and truth *.
delivering tp to $4: an, thereby letting us know, how 18 ic is to be our of God's ſpecial procetion, and ſhur
recprations of our grand Adverſary, the Devil, whichis he fare of all thoſe who are out of the Church, eicher having ne- — een Members of it, or according to the rules of Chriſt caſt out
Primitive Times had a power to inflict, make it in the death, but in the torments only of the the Apoſtle mention2th this puniſh- ment a5 a Means tO the eternal Salvation of this perſon's Soul in the day of Chrift. There isno Text in Scripture which more clearly opzns the Ordinance and nature of Excommunication, As to thoſe who areto infliftit, it lets us| ,,;
| fore pur away from among your ſelves that wicked p2s- x.
THIANS. Chap. V. | n4 9: